After The Beautiful Drama Queen’s Marriage To The Wealthy Tycoon - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: You Are Cute

Jiang He stayed at the craft shop until closing time. He had made a small cat-shaped nose pad and a keychain; though he was rushed and the craftsmanship wasn’t perfect, they looked quite adorable.

After turning the nose pad over in his hands several times, he reluctantly handed it to Qi Hanchuan.

Qi Hanchuan looked down at him but didn’t reach out.

Jiang He nudged Qi Hanchuan’s arm. “For you.”

Seeing his reluctant expression, Qi Hanchuan suppressed a smile. “If you can’t bear to part with it, keep it for yourself.”

Jiang He let out a “tsk” and knit his brows impatiently. “Do you want it or not?”

Qi Hanchuan reached out and took it, his thumb grazing the packaging box. “Thank you.”

“Why are you being so polite with me?” Jiang He mumbled, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “Thanks for taking me out today.”

A smile spread across Qi Hanchuan’s face. “You’re welcome.”

The strange atmosphere made Jiang He feel uneasy. He rubbed his nose. “Let’s go home.”

Seeing Jiang He hugging his arms, Qi Hanchuan didn’t hesitate to take off his suit jacket and drape it over the boy’s shoulders.

The sudden warmth startled Jiang He. He looked at Qi Hanchuan through the oversized jacket, feeling as if he were being held in the man’s embrace; the scent of Qi Hanchuan was everywhere.

Qi Hanchuan didn’t look at him, stating expressionlessly, “Wear it. It’s a bit chilly.”

Jiang He fiddled with the sleeves that reached his thighs. Even shrugging his shoulders didn’t help fill out the garment. He pouted. “But your clothes are so big. I look ugly in this.”

Looking at his disgusted expression, Qi Hanchuan lied through his teeth: “Not ugly.”

It wasn’t ugly, per se; he just looked like a child caught wearing an adult’s clothes.

Jiang He looked up and saw Qi Hanchuan stifling a laugh. He frowned in displeasure. “You’re laughing at me!”

“I’m not. I just think you look quite cute like this,” Qi Hanchuan blurted out. He realized the weight of the word as soon as it left his mouth.

Jiang He heard it loud and clear. He leaned toward Qi Hanchuan, his eyes—which had been drooping because of the “ugly” clothes—suddenly lighting up. “You think I’m cute?”

Qi Hanchuan took a step back, a trace of awkwardness hiding in his eyes. “You misheard.”

“I definitely didn’t. You said I’m cute.” Jiang He pulled the jacket tighter and looked up at Qi Hanchuan. The dim yellow streetlight spilled over his porcelain face, coating him in a soft, bright glow. “You’re doomed.”

He said it with total conviction. Looking into those watery eyes, Qi Hanchuan found himself unable to argue.

Jiang He continued, “You’re going to fall in love with me.”

Qi Hanchuan watched the boy’s vivid, mischievous expression. He said nothing, but his gaze unknowingly turned tender. Jiang He watched him back, his large eyes full of Qi Hanchuan’s reflection.

An odd tension spread between them. Just as something seemed about to spiral out of control, Zhou Yu’s voice cut through the air: “President Qi, I’ve brought the car around.”

With a pop, the bubble burst. Everything dissipated. Qi Hanchuan retracted his gaze and spoke coldly, “Get in the car.”

Jiang He felt incredibly awkward. He clutched the jacket, mumbled an “oh,” and got into the car with his head down.

Zhou Yu finally realized something was off. It seemed he had interrupted a moment. Afraid of being blamed, he quickly raised the privacy partition.

Jiang He didn’t stay awkward for long. Qi Hanchuan had bought him flowers and a gift, and his attention was quickly diverted. After getting into the car, Qi Hanchuan remained silent, tapping away on his phone likely handling work.

Calls every day, endless work, not a moment of peace, Jiang He grumbled in his head while fiddling with his handmade cat keychain.

He couldn’t stay quiet for long. After a while, he held the keychain up to Qi Hanchuan. “Do you think it looks like Prince? I made it modeled after him.”

Qi Hanchuan glanced at it. “Isn’t Prince a tabby?”

The one he made looked more like a tuxedo cat.

Jiang He huffed. “Stop talking. I made it as a tabby.”

Qi Hanchuan suppressed a laugh, truly unable to lie to his face about the resemblance. Jiang He snorted, pulled the jacket tight, and turned his face away. “Go back to your work. I shouldn’t have talked to you.”

They had been out for quite a while, and Jiang He was tired. He closed his eyes and fell asleep shortly after.

Qi Hanchuan wasn’t actually busy; he was just feeling awkward. Seeing Jiang He asleep, he put down his phone and draped a blanket over the young master. Looking at Jiang He’s tranquil sleeping face, a strange emotion stirred in his heart.

The nose pad Jiang He gave him sat quietly in his pocket, but Qi Hanchuan felt like it was burning. He took it out, looked at it, and then carefully tucked it back in.

When they got home, Jiang He was still out. Qi Hanchuan called him twice with no response, so he simply carried him inside.

Just as they entered the elevator, Jiang He woke up. He looked at him with sleepy eyes. “Where are we?”

“Home,” Qi Hanchuan said softly.

Jiang He whimpered, “So sleepy.”

Qi Hanchuan carried him out of the elevator. “Take a bath before sleeping.”

Jiang He rubbed his face against Qi Hanchuan’s chest with his eyes closed. “Can’t you wash me? I’m so tired.”

Qi Hanchuan didn’t answer. He carried Jiang He back to the room, set him on the sofa, and turned to run the bathwater. Jiang He slumped on the sofa, drifting in and out of sleep.

When Qi Hanchuan returned, he found Jiang He had fallen asleep again. He knelt by the sofa and called softly, “Jiang He, get up and bathe.”

Jiang He groaned and buried his face in the jacket, refusing to budge.

Qi Hanchuan hesitated. “Jiang He?”

Jiang He suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around Qi Hanchuan’s neck, burying his face in his chest. “You wash me. Don’t be noisy.”

Qi Hanchuan’s body stiffened for a second. Hearing Jiang He’s steady, deep breathing, a look of helplessness crossed his face. He picked the boy up and turned toward the bathroom.

He had intended to ask Jiang He to take his own clothes off, but the moment he spoke, the young master scolded him. Qi Hanchuan had to do it for him. This wasn’t the first time he had bathed Jiang He, so he wasn’t exactly clumsy, though it still took some effort to get him settled into the tub.

Jiang He fell back asleep against the edge of the tub. Qi Hanchuan knelt and washed his hair, finished cleaning him, wrapped him in a bath towel, and carried him out.

During the process, Jiang He was jostled awake. He frowned and instructed, “Body lotion. I want body lotion.”

Qi Hanchuan put him on the bed and went to find the lotion. He wanted Jiang He to do it himself, but the boy refused to open his eyes. When disturbed, he even kicked Qi Hanchuan. Qi Hanchuan had no choice but to apply it himself. He didn’t control his strength well, and the lotion application left Jiang He’s skin looking flushed.

With a mind free of stray thoughts, Qi Hanchuan grabbed a pair of pajamas from the wardrobe, dressed him, and tucked him into bed. Finally, Jiang He was able to sleep peacefully, curled into a small ball under the duvet.

Qi Hanchuan sighed, sitting on a chair by the bed as if his strength had been drained. He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. Serving Jiang He a bath was a physical labor; he ended up looking quite disheveled every time.

Once he caught his breath, he left to shower in his own room. He came back to check on Jiang He once more, left a nightlight on, and departed.

In the middle of the night, Jiang He was half-asleep when he had a nightmare perhaps because he was too tired. He woke up drenched in sweat.

The only sound in the quiet room was his own rapid, anxious breathing. Now fully awake, he didn’t dare sleep alone. Clutching his pillow, he went to knock on Qi Hanchuan’s door.

Qi Hanchuan, half-awake, opened the door to see Jiang He standing there with messy hair. His sleepiness vanished slightly as he asked hoarsely, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang He walked in with his pillow and said unceremoniously, “I’m sleeping with you.”

He refused to admit he was scared by a nightmare; it was too embarrassing.

Qi Hanchuan watched as Jiang He climbed onto his bed, nudged his pillow to the side, and lay down as if he owned the place. He didn’t ask questions. He locked the door, lay down beside Jiang He, and thoughtfully left the nightlight on Jiang He’s side.

Jiang He was still a bit afraid. He quietly scooted closer to Qi Hanchuan until they were touching. “I’m a bit cold,” he whispered.

Just as Qi Hanchuan was about to reach for the AC remote, Jiang He grabbed his arm. “This is better.”

Feeling Jiang He trembling, Qi Hanchuan realized he wasn’t cold he was scared. He pulled his arm out and naturally draped it around Jiang He, pulling him into his chest. “Still cold?”

Jiang He shook his head. Qi Hanchuan instinctively patted his back. “Go back to sleep. It’s early.”

The body that had been cold from fear gradually warmed up. Smelling the familiar scent, the fear in Jiang He’s heart slowly dissipated. Tucked into Qi Hanchuan’s embrace, he fell back asleep in no time.

The next morning, Jiang He opened his eyes and was stunned for a moment to find himself in Qi Hanchuan’s room. Then he remembered coming over with his pillow last night and felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, Qi Hanchuan was already up.

Looking down at the pajamas he didn’t usually wear, Jiang He froze. Last night it seemed Qi Hanchuan had bathed him. He didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable about it; they were both guys, after all. Qi Hanchuan had everything he had. Plus, Qi Hanchuan didn’t like him like that, so a bath was no big deal.

He lay in bed for a while to wake up, glancing around the room. It was no different from the original state of the room next door cold, clean, and perfectly organized, matching Qi Hanchuan’s personality.

Jiang He wrapped himself in the duvet and rolled around the bed a few times until the smooth sheets were a mess of wrinkles. He even reached out and messed up the books on the nightstand.

When Qi Hanchuan pushed the door open, he caught Jiang He mid-mischief. Jiang He didn’t look embarrassed at all; instead, he smiled. “I’m helping you tidy up your room.”

Seeing him continuing to cause chaos, Qi Hanchuan sighed helplessly. “Wash up and come downstairs for breakfast.”

Jiang He pulled his hand back and sat with his legs crossed. “I don’t want to eat. Can I sleep a bit more?”

“No,” Qi Hanchuan said. He stepped forward, lifted the boy out of the duvet by his armpits, and set him on a chair. He then began changing the sheets and tidying the nightstand Jiang He had just wrecked.

Jiang He watched from the side, not forgetting to be cheeky: “Hubby, you’re so virtuous.”

Qi Hanchuan urged, “Go wash up.”

Jiang He pushed his luck: “Carry me there.”

Qi Hanchuan gave him an expressionless look. Jiang He pouted. “Fine, don’t carry me then. Why so fierce?”

He grabbed his pillow and left, muttering under his breath the whole way.

By the time Jiang He finished washing up and went downstairs, Qi Hanchuan had finished breakfast and was ready for the office. Jiang He took a bite of a sandwich and spoke with his mouth full, “Can I visit you at the office later? I have nothing to do today, and staying home is boring.”

Qi Hanchuan said coldly, “Swallow your food before talking.”

Jiang He obeyed, took a sip of the milk Qi Hanchuan handed him, and continued, “Can I visit? Xiao Yi is busy these few days, and I don’t want to disturb him.”

Qi Hanchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “So you’re coming to disturb me?”

Jiang He flared up. “Fine, I won’t go then! I’ll go to the club and order male models!”

Qi Hanchuan stood up and headed for the door, his back to Jiang He. “Have the driver take you. I’m leaving.”

Jiang He was full of displeasure. “I’m not going! Hmph!”

I don’t even care about going. What’s the big deal