After Snagging a Stuffy Giant-Wealthy Daddy - Chapter 16

The air was deathly silent.

Li Chu felt as if something had shattered with a crack, the heat spreading from his cheeks all the way to his neck.

How could this happen?

Last night, he clearly remembered falling asleep quite properly! Why was he waking up draped over Shao Tingyue?

“Second Uncle, I…” Li Chu’s tongue felt tied, and he scrambled to get off the man.

The more anxious he became, the clumsier his movements were. His arm snagged the collar of Shao Tingyue’s pajamas, causing several buttons to pop open. From his protruding Adam’s apple down, a patch of smooth, firm muscle was exposed.

Li Chu apologized while frantically trying to pull the clothes back together, though his eyes could not help but steal several glances at the exposed skin.

Shao Tingyue allowed him to thrash about, only reaching out to firmly steady Li Chu’s waist when the boy nearly tumbled off the bed.

“It seems your sleeping posture is indeed quite poor,” the man said, his voice husky with sleep. “Like a puppy, rolling all over the bed, and even drooling.”

Li Chu: “?”

He instinctively touched the corner of his mouth; it was completely dry. Slander! This is absolute slander!

Shao Tingyue glanced at him indifferently and signaled, “You got it all over me.”

Li Chu followed his gaze and saw a small patch of dampness on the collar of the man’s pajamas. The evidence was irrefutable. He defended himself weakly, “I do not usually drool.”

If Li Chu remembered correctly, Shao Tingyue had a mild case of mysophobia. Yet, he did not seem angry, nor was there even a hint of disgust on his face.

“Second Uncle, are you not angry?”

“Angry about what?” The man’s voice was deep, his black eyes profound. “Is it because you slapped me last night, or because you hugged me the whole night while you slept?”

Li Chu’s mind went blank. He had actually slapped Shao Tingyue!

He slowly closed his eyes again. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the sea; he might as well just jump off and end it all.

Seeing Li Chu’s look of apology mixed with pathetic grievance, Shao Tingyue snorted through his nose. “Know you are embarrassed now? Go wash up first.”

Li Chu was granted amnesty and immediately climbed out of bed, running barefoot toward the bathroom.

After a few steps, the man’s voice followed him: “Did I not tell you that your habit of going barefoot needs to change? The floor is so cold, it is very easy to catch a cold.”

“Oh.”

Li Chu looked down at his fair, soft feet and silently put on his shoes.

From the time he was a child, apart from his mother, no one had ever cared whether he was wearing shoes or if he would be cold. During his most difficult times, he wore shoes that did not fit to school, and for a long time, his toes were swollen and red. His classmates mocked him for being a poor wretch who could not even afford a pair of shoes that fit. He had no way to refute them because it was the truth.

Li Chu sniffled. Although Shao Tingyue seemed difficult to get along with and always punished him by copying the household code, he was actually quite good to him. Then again, he was his nephew now; it was only natural for an uncle to be good to his nephew.

If only I were the real Shao Chu.

Li Chu came out of the bathroom looking dejected. Shao Tingyue frowned, staring at his reddened eyes. The little kid was fine when he went in; why did he look like he had been crying?

Shao Tingyue said quietly, “Come here.”

Li Chu blinked, not understanding why, but obediently walked over. “What is it, Second Uncle?”

Shao Tingyue reached out and pinched his cheek; it was still slightly damp from washing. “Why are your eyes red? Is your tongue still hurting? Or is there another reason?”

Li Chu marveled at the man’s keen observation skills. His eyelashes fluttered, and he casually found an excuse. “It does not hurt anymore. I just missed my friend a little.”

Shao Tingyue frowned even tighter. “That one named Jiaming?”

“No, it is Sister Sitong.” Li Chu was not lying. He really missed her and had a lot to say to her. He wondered if she had broken up with that gambler, Ken.

Liang Wei had reported on Wen Sitong’s situation; after the Shao family paid off the five-thousand-yuan gambling debt for her boyfriend, they stopped intervening. The Hengxing Society, out of respect for the Shao family, would not trouble her again. That circle was a mixed bag of people, and privately, Shao Tingyue did not want Li Chu having any further contact with them.

Shao Tingyue pondered for a moment and said, “I will accompany you to see her when we return to Hong Kong.”

Li Chu raised his eyelashes, his amber eyes reflecting the man’s profound and sharp features. “Really! Second Uncle! Can I really go see Sister Sitong?”

He was so overwhelmed with joy that he completely ignored the “accompany” part Shao Tingyue had mentioned.

The man replied in a low voice, “Really.”

A light knock sounded on the door, and Alex’s voice came from outside. “Chu Zai? Are you awake? The crew says there is a pod of dolphins in the water ahead. Do you want to go to the deck and take a look?”

Li Chu, who had been looking dazed, beamed at the mention of dolphins. He ran over to open the door. Alex was momentarily stunned to see him in his pajamas. Even though it was just a generic loungewear set, it looked exceptionally good on Li Chu. After a night’s sleep, the fabric was wrinkled and clinging to him; the collar was loose, revealing a large expanse of collarbone and a slice of fair chest.

Alex could not quite describe the feeling, only that the lazy, laid-back aura Li Chu had was incredibly attractive. He had never seen a boy like Li Chu. He heard the Shao family’s young master grew up in poverty, but could such a place really raise someone like this?

Alex’s gaze traveled past Li Chu to the messy bed in the suite. “Morning, Chu Zai. Did I wake you up? Mr. Shao, he…”

“It is okay, we are already awake.” Li Chu shook his head, his eyes crinkling. “Are there really dolphins?”

Alex nodded. “Really. The captain specifically slowed down so we can go see.”

Li Chu was giddy with excitement. From behind him came Shao Tingyue’s calm voice: “Chu Zai, go change your clothes before you go.”

“Oh, right.” He looked down at his pajamas, which were indeed inappropriate, and obediently turned to the bathroom to change.

Li Chu left the room happily. Shao Tingyue’s gaze swept over the boy’s slender back. His eyes darkened; his fingertips brushed over the damp patch on the collar, and he leaned in to take a faint sniff.

This was the first time Li Chu had seen dolphins at such close range.

Schools of dolphins chased and played in the azure water, occasionally leaping out of the surface like a silver arc or riding the waves at the bow, emitting crisp chirps. The sun shone on their smooth backs, causing water droplets to scatter like sparkling diamonds.

Li Chu leaned half his body over the railing, the sea breeze ruffling his soft black hair, his eyes shining with an astonishing brilliance.

Alex stood by his side, his gaze not on the dolphins, but on that lively profile. After watching for a long time, he finally spoke: “Chu Zai, Mr. Shao is quite strict with you.”

Li Chu was staring at a mischievous dolphin circling the boat. Hearing this, he murmured an “hm” and turned his face only after a beat, his eyes still filled with residual joy. “What?”

Alex smiled, pondering for a moment. “Like how he cares about your clothes and what you eat. My uncle never cares about things like that for me. That generation is always too busy with business; they never notice what we wear or who we hang out with.”

Li Chu’s attention was diverted again by a new group of dolphins jumping up. He let out a bubbly “Wow,” and only then remembered to respond to Alex. He blinked, looking somewhat blank. “Is that so? I guess it is fine.”

“Maybe I am overthinking it.” Alex stopped talking, simply patting his shoulder with a smile: “Look! That one jumped so high!”

Li Chu was immediately attracted again. He leaned back over the railing and sighed wistfully: “If only I had a mobile phone, I could take pictures of them all.”

Alex looked puzzled: “What is a mobile phone?”

Li Chu’s heart skipped a beat, realizing he had let something slip, but he explained: “It is a brick phone.”

Alex was even more amazed. “Can a brick phone take pictures? Why have I never seen one?”

“I was just talking nonsense. Pretend you never heard it.” Li Chu did not want to continue the topic, turning his face away to pretend he was watching the dolphins very intently.

The yacht eventually anchored near a private sea area as clear as glass. Not far away was a lush private island, an asset belonging to the Zhong family.

Zhong Yili was full of enthusiasm, taking his fiancée, Huo Zhiqin, to put on snorkeling gear to go snorkeling in the nearby clear waters. Alex and a few friends remained at the stern of the yacht, setting up fishing rods to start some leisurely sea fishing.

Li Chu leaned on the railing, gazing at the small island gilded by the sunlight, his eyes full of yearning. “Second Uncle, can we go to the island and have a look?”

Shao Tingyue followed his gaze and nodded.

A speedboat took them to the island’s beach. The seawater was a gradient of blue and green, clear to the bottom, where you could see schools of small fish darting past. Beside the white coastline, coconut palms swayed in the sea breeze.

Li Chu was like a little bird released from a cage; he forgot himself with joy and began treasure hunting on the beach. Colorful shells, stones polished smooth by the waves, the occasional hermit crab. He picked up one, saw another better one, and the small bucket in his hand was soon full.

Shao Tingyue followed unhurriedly a few steps behind him, watching his spirited back. He did not speak, but his gaze never left the boy.

Without realizing it, they walked farther and farther along the coastline, and the number of sharp reefs on the beach gradually increased.

Li Chu had sharp eyes and saw a seashell with exquisite patterns lying in a shallow water pit not far away, shimmering like a pearl under the sun. Without thinking, he took off his shoes and waded in to pick it up. The seawater was cool, soaking over his ankles.

Li Chu picked up the seashell; as if he had found some treasure, he held it up and turned around to show Shao Tingyue.

“Second Uncle, look! Is this shell big?”

However, in his distraction, his slippers were swept away by a small wave.

“Hey! My shoes!”

Li Chu rushed to chase after them, but he was nowhere near fast enough; he could only watch as they turned into two tiny dots.

He walked back to the shore barefoot, only then realizing the trouble he was in. The way back was not short, and although the sand was fine and soft, this section was scattered with sharp reefs washed up by the waves.

Shao Tingyue stopped and looked at him. There were grains of sand on the boy’s fair ankles and feet, and a few tiny red scratches were faintly visible.

The man turned around and squatted halfway in front of Li Chu, revealing a broad back. His voice was steady: “Get on. At this rate, we will not get back until the end of time.”

Li Chu’s eyes widened, and the shell in his hand nearly dropped. Shao Tingyue was actually going to carry him on his back?

Seeing his hesitation, Shao Tingyue turned his face slightly, his jawline tautening, his tone dropping: “What are you waiting for?”

Li Chu, afraid of angering him, felt both timid and spineless. He carefully climbed up, wrapping his arms around the man’s shoulders and neck.

The moment their bodies touched, Li Chu clearly felt the muscles on Shao Tingyue’s back, with the man’s body heat transferring through the thin clothing. Shao Tingyue hooked his legs, easily stood up, and hiked him upward.

Li Chu felt as light as a feather on his back.

The man frowned: “Are you still not eating properly?”

Li Chu stuttered: “I am.”

“Give me the bucket.” Shao Tingyue reached out.

Li Chu obediently handed over the small bucket containing the shells, and the man steadily supported him and started walking back.

The sea breeze became gentle, carrying the warmth of the sun as it blew over them in gusts. Li Chu had been stiff at first, but smelling the refreshing scent belonging to the man, his body gradually relaxed.

Drowsiness began to set in.

Li Chu’s head bobbed, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. He subconsciously sought a more comfortable position, his cheek rubbing against the man like a small animal.

He turned his face slightly, his soft lips inadvertently grazing the curve of Shao Tingyue’s ear. It was like a feather brushing past, carrying a touch of dampness.

Shao Tingyue’s pace faltered for an instant.

Li Chu was completely asleep now, mumbling something incoherently as he buried his cheek deeper into the man, his breathing deep and rhythmic.

Shao Tingyue’s Adam’s apple rolled. He turned his head to look back. Their breathing mingled, and the boy’s lips were right there, mere inches away.