After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: “My Little Dumbo”

“I went back and killed a chicken. Ning Ning, Jingqun, come quickly and drink some chicken soup. This is a rooster that’s over three or four years old. You two must finish it all today…”

Tao Yuan came in with a thermos and some clothes in her left hand and little Meng in her right hand.

Zhao Jingqun quickly moved away from the person under him, pretending to be tucking the blanket. However, the person under him opened his eyes, and their gazes met.

“…”

The man felt a little guilty and was the first to look away. It wasn’t until little Meng ran over, “Uncle!” He crawled under Zhao Jingqun and ran to Tao Ning, asking tearfully, “Uncle! Mom’s a big liar. You didn’t even tell me you were sick.”

He pouted. Tao Yuan divided the chicken soup into three portions and scolded, “Shut your mouth, you stinky brat. Don’t disturb your uncle while he’s eating.”

Little Meng looked at Tao Ning’s almost colorless face and his heart ached, so he immediately fell silent. He then glared at Zhao Jingqun, who was helping Tao Yuan with the dishes, and said in a very small voice, “You’re not allowed to bully my uncle!”

Zhao Jingqun was dishing out a bowl of chicken soup and felt amused. This little nephew was good, very protective of his dumbo.

He placed a pillow behind Tao Ning, picked up the chicken soup, scooped it a few times, and blew on it to cool it down. When he naturally went to feed Tao Ning the soup, three pairs of eyes stared at him in unison.

Tao Yuan was filled with emotion: She had indeed not misjudged him. Look at how warm-hearted this young Zhao is, he’s even personally feeding Ning Ning soup.

Little Meng: What is this annoying guy doing? My uncle won’t drink the soup he feeds him!

Tao Ning: “…Thank you, but my hands aren’t hurt.”

Zhao Jingqun belatedly realized he had gone too far and that their unusual relationship could easily be noticed. He calmly placed the soup on the table, finished his own portion in one go, and then went outside to smoke.

He needed to cool down.

When Tao Ning buried his head in his soup, Tao Yuan sat next to him, smiling like a blooming flower. “Ning Ning, Jingqun is really good to you. Your sister here once thought he was a ruffian from somewhere else! I never expected him to care about you more than I do as your sister. Look at how well he’s taking care of you. You have to thank him and get along with him well when you go to the city…”

Tao Ning nodded, then heard Tao Yuan say with a sigh, “Oh my, thinking about it, that child Jingqun looks better and better. He’s handsome and knows how to care for people. I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to marry him in the future…”

Tao Ning silently put down his bowl and chopsticks. “Sister, I’m full.”

“How can you be full after eating so little?! No, no, you have to eat one more bowl. I simmered it for a whole day.”

Tao Ning shook his head, keeping his head down, not saying a word, only revealing the soft crown of his head.

Tao Yuan got angry at his stubborn, silent demeanor. “You stinky brat, you always eat so little. No wonder you’re as skinny as a sugarcane stalk. What will you do when a girl marries you? You won’t even be able to carry her! You’ll be bringing shame to our old Tao family!”

Tao Ning mumbled in protest, “I can carry her.”

“Hey—you’re talking back now, are you?”

While Tao Yuan was scolding him, Zhao Jingqun came in. In the past, when he saw Tao Yuan scold Tao Ning, he found the siblings interesting, but now he felt a little uncomfortable.

He stood between them. “What’s wrong?”

“This stinky brat only drank a little chicken soup and won’t drink anymore. He eats less than an ant. How is he going to gain weight? How is he going to get better? And he’s talking back.”

“I’ll take it from here. It’s getting late. You should go home first.”

Little Meng wasn’t happy. He wanted to stay with Tao Ning, but the next second he heard Zhao Jingqun say with a half-smile, “Little Meng won’t grow tall if he doesn’t go to bed early at this age.”

Little Meng immediately jumped up and pulled on Tao Yuan’s hand. “You’re the one who won’t grow tall. I’ll definitely be taller than you! Mom, let’s go home to sleep!” Then he said reluctantly to Tao Ning, “Uncle, I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, don’t watch TV when you get home.”

Tao Yuan now completely trusted Zhao Jingqun. Seeing that it was time to go home, she gave a few more instructions, saying she would kill a duck and bring it over tomorrow, before taking little Meng’s hand and leaving.

As soon as they were gone, Zhao Jingqun immediately returned to how he was before. He picked up the soup bowl and spoon, blowing on the soup to cool it down, with a tenderness in his eyes that was almost overflowing. His tone, however, was commanding. “Be good, eat some more.”

Tao Ning blinked. “I don’t want to eat anymore. It’s too greasy.”

The young man’s voice was light and soft, like a gentle feather, tickling his heart without being too heavy or light. The hand holding the spoon trembled, but his face remained expressionless.

He put down the soup bowl, his voice containing an imperceptible hint of indulgence. “Then what do you want to eat?”

Tao Ning said, “I want some vegetable porridge.”

Zhao Jingqun made a mental note. He poured the chicken soup back into the thermos, wiped his hands, and said, “Wait here.”

Tao Ning watched him leave quietly. After the door closed, pain and sleepiness rushed over him like a tide. But he didn’t turn off the bedside lamp and fell asleep right away.

The clock on the wall pointed to nine. About an hour passed. Tao Ning was woken up by some rustling. He groggily opened his eyes and saw the man’s forehead covered in sweat. He was bent over, taking things out of the thermos.

Seeing that he was awake, the man unfolded the bedside table and placed all the dishes he had taken out of the thermos in front of him. Tao Ning looked and was stunned.

There was a steaming vegetable porridge, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a seaweed and pork rib soup.

…All of his favorite foods.

Zhao Jingqun placed the porridge in front of him. “Eat it while it’s hot.”

Tao Ning ate in small bites, looked up, and saw that the man was staring at him. When he met his gaze, the man looked away.

“Did you… buy all this?”

Zhao Jingqun gave a faint “mm.” Under the bright white light, his face showed signs of fatigue. “Eat slowly. I’m going outside for a cigarette.” He walked to the door, and the young man’s soft voice came from behind him. “You should smoke less. It’s bad for your health.”

Tao Ning saw the man’s body stiffen for a moment. After a while, he said in a low, husky voice, “Fine… I’ll quit.”

When Tao Ning had finished eating, Zhao Jingqun happened to come back. He came over to clean up the thermos and heard the young man whisper, “Zhao Jingqun, I want to take a bath.”

Zhao Jingqun turned around, raised an eyebrow, and looked at him. “Call me ‘brother,’ and I’ll take you.”

Tao Ning was stunned. He stared at Zhao Jingqun and saw that he had taken off the earrings on both his ears, but his face still held a hint of a rogue. Especially his red hair, which was as wild as fire.

So Tao Ning slowly lowered his head and obediently called out, “Brother Jingqun.”

After he said “brother,” Tao Ning kept his head down, and there was no response for a long time. He looked up in confusion and saw the man’s deep gaze fixed on him, like a ferocious beast, a little scary.

But after a few seconds, the man’s dark gaze disappeared completely. The corners of his mouth curved up, and he turned his back to him again, bending down.

“Get on.”

Tao Ning didn’t understand, but he still climbed onto his back.

It wasn’t until Zhao Jingqun handed him his clean clothes and carried him out of the clinic that he realized something was wrong. “Where are we going?”

He heard the man carrying him chuckle. “To a hotel.”

Tao Ning was stunned. “Why are we going to a hotel?”

Zhao Jingqun pushed his cheek with his tongue, and in the end, he didn’t say the two words he was thinking of. He adjusted his grip, holding the person on his back more securely to prevent him from falling.

“To take a bath.”

“…Will it be bad?”

“If I say it’s good, it’s good.”

“Oh.”

The people in the small town went to bed early. It was almost eleven, and many shops were already closed. Under the dim streetlights, there were only a few people here and there.

The man carried him without a single gasp, but he felt more and more that Tao Yuan was right. This treasure was too thin. In the future, he had to fatten him up.

When the two passed a shop, the owner inside said in surprise, “Hey, it’s you, young man? Our kitchen is clean, isn’t it? Remember to bring your own ingredients next time, and we’ll charge you less.”

Tao Ning remembered asking if the food was bought, and the man had just given a cold “mm.” Only now did he realize that it wasn’t bought; he had made it himself at a family kitchen.

The person carrying him was a little stiff. After a long while, Zhao Jingqun heard a faint whisper by his ear. “Thank you.” The sweet, lemon-like fruit scent also drifted into his nose.

It smelled good, and his tired body from the whole day finally felt completely relaxed.

At the hotel, Zhao Jingqun booked a room with a bathtub and asked the front desk for a waterproof stool before carrying the young man into the bathroom.

Zhao Jingqun filled the tub with water and then waited for him outside the door.

Time passed by, little by little, until the bathroom door opened. The young man came out in his new clothes. Zhao Jingqun frowned. “Why did you come out on your own?”

Tao Ning lowered his head and said, “I can walk…”

Zhao Jingqun’s frown deepened. “Did you get it wet?”

Tao Ning fell silent. Zhao Jingqun frowned slightly, picked him up horizontally without a word, placed him on the edge of the bed, and knelt down to carefully lift his pants. He took a roll of gauze from his pocket.

Tao Ning looked down. The man was frowning, his chiseled face tense, but his movements when changing the gauze were incredibly practiced, as if he had done this thousands of times before.

“Did you… get hurt often before?”

The man was wrapping the gauze around his leg with his head down. After a moment, he gave a faint “mm.”

“Why?”

Zhao Jingqun carefully bandaged him up, looked up, and his dark eyes stared deeply at the curious young man. The corners of his mouth curved up. He just looked at him and didn’t say anything.

After a long while, the young man’s beautiful face was full of curiosity. Seeing him stare like that, he looked a little confused. “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Jingqun sighed in his heart. This little treasure was indeed a simpleton. He pointed to his own lips. “Kiss me.”

The young man’s moist eyes were like lustrous pearls. He stared at the man’s somewhat dry lips, closed his eyes, and lowered his head to kiss him.

However, as soon as his rosy lips touched him, a large, rough hand clasped the back of his head. Those dry, slightly chapped lips, with a faint tobacco scent and a strong male aura, kissed him fiercely.

The man kissed him passionately, uncontrollably plundering the oxygen and sweetness from the young man’s mouth, biting his soft, tender tongue. A soft, sticky, and暧昧 sound filled the room.

After a full five minutes, the person in his arms could no longer take it. The young man was almost breathless and tried to push away the man who was kissing him as if he were possessed.

That little bit of strength was nothing to the man. It was like a game, but the man still stopped his ravaging of his lips.

The man let out a sigh of satisfaction. His wolf-like eyes stared intently at the young man’s teary eyes. He wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes with his rough thumb, then held him tightly in his arms, and said softly in a low voice, “My little dumbo…”

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