Spoiled by a paranoid big shot since childhood. - Chapter 4

When the family doctor arrived, the two children were still taking a hot bath in the bathroom.

The room was filled with mist, and clothes were scattered across the doorway, mud and grass clippings clinging to the floor a clear sign that everyone had yet to recover from the chaos of the last hour.

The doctor scanned the room, let out a breath, and cast an inquisitive look at the butler standing nearby.

The butler’s coat was also damp; he removed it politely, his furrowed brow relaxing into a helpless, gentle smile.

Xi Bei and Qin Yi’an had only been found twenty minutes prior.

Both of them had been soaked through and chilled to the bone; they had managed to find some semblance of warmth only by clinging tightly to each other. When the servants had arrived to carry them back, the two boys had been inseparable, their hands clasped firmly together. Whenever Xi Bei would let out a soft, pained “ngh” in his sleep, Qin Yi’an would instinctively lean forward, using his free hand to gently pat Xi Bei’s back, as if coaxing him to sleep.

The staff had been stunned by the sight.

Good heavens!

How could a young master as cold and solitary as Qin Yi’an care for anyone let alone a grubby little milk bun with such tenderness?

But the surprises didn’t end there.

After they had finally carried both children into the bathroom, they noticed that Xi Bei was draped in Qin Yi’an’s jacket, while his own sweater was filthy and torn. Given Qin Yi’an’s preferences his refined, otherworldly nature and his notorious germaphobia the staff had expected him to coldly say, “Did you just crawl out of a sewer?” before tossing the ruined clothes away.

But Qin Yi’an did no such thing.

Holding Xi Bei’s hand, he meticulously helped him out of his sweater and coldly instructed the maid:

“Do not throw it away. Wash it until it is clean.”

“…”

“Young Master, um, please let me take over. Let me help the little one bathe,” the maid said, terrified. “You are soaked through yourself; you need to get cleaned up quickly, too.”

Qin Yi’an simply lifted his glass-like eyes and swept a calm, indifferent gaze over her.

Then, he lowered his head and continued, by himself, to help Xi Bei peel off his damp undershirt, leading him by the hand into the tub filled with warm water.

The servants standing in a row outside the bathroom were completely baffled. The entire Qin estate was in a state of absolute disarray.

After much effort, they finally persuaded Qin Yi’an to bathe himself, and only then did they retreat from the room. That was when the family doctor arrived. After the butler finished recounting the day’s events, the doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“If I hadn’t heard it from you personally, I certainly wouldn’t have believed it.”

The butler smiled. “To be honest, even though I saw it with my own eyes, I still find it hard to believe.”

Ring, ring. The landline in the living room interrupted them.

The butler signaled the doctor and answered the phone with humble, polite composure: “Sir, it’s me.”

Qin Yueyuan’s voice came through the receiver, laced with fatigue. “I just heard that Yi’an got caught in the rain? Why? What happened?”

“…” The butler hesitated for a moment before speaking. “The Young Master’s friend wanted to go out to find his parents’ vehicle, so he wandered out of the villa. The Young Master went after him to ensure his friend’s safety and accidentally got caught in the rain.”

“——What did you say?!”

Qin Yueyuan gasped, his eyes widening as if he were dreaming. “Yi’an got caught in the rain just to find a friend?”

“Yes, sir. The Young Master also insisted on helping his friend bathe. We were at our wits’ end; it took a great deal of effort to finally convince the Young Master to look after his own health, too.”

“…”

Qin Yueyuan muttered something about his son being “crazy.” After taking a moment to calm himself, he frowned and instructed the butler:

“I am too busy to return home for a while. Take good care of both of them I truly want to know what exactly it is about this Xi Bei that has caught Yi’an’s eye!”

“Report to me whenever they do anything!”

He hung up with a sharp click, leaving only the tu-tu-tu of the dial tone in the butler’s ear.

Silence filled the living room.

The butler offered a wry, helpless smile to the doctor.

“I’ll have to trouble you to check if the two children have caught a cold,” the butler said. “The Young Master does not want his friend staying in the servants’ quarters, so I must arrange for a bed to be moved into his room.”

Back home, Xi Bei’s father had always been the one to bathe him.

His dad, a grown man, had a rough way of doing things and loved to tease him. Xi Bei would always end up laughing, and even when the “little milk bun” tried to look angry with his chubby, blushing cheeks, his father would only find it more endearing and tease him all the more.

This time, however, Xi Bei was very quiet.

The bathtub was large, pristine, and the environment was incredibly luxurious. It was far more convenient than the big wooden bucket Xi Bei used at home plenty of room for two children to splash around in. But Xi Bei didn’t move at all. He occupied only a tiny corner, his eyes reddened by the rising steam, wiping them away with his lotus-root-like arms, looking utterly pitiful.

Qin Yi’an was meticulously helping Xi Bei bathe and wash his hair. As he washed his face, he noticed the tears on Xi Bei’s cheeks.

“Tuantuan,” Qin Yi’an observed after studying his little face for a moment, “you are crying.”

Why?

Qin Yi’an didn’t quite understand, but he wasn’t angry. He knew that raising a “treasure” required a lot of time and effort; it was normal for Xi Bei to cry. But he didn’t really want Xi Bei to cry—he wanted to find out why.

Xi Bei’s voice was muffled: “…I’m sorry.”

“I know men shouldn’t cry,” Xi Bei sobbed, “I won’t cry anymore from now on.”

He was calmer now than he had been earlier. He believed Qin Yi’an’s words that his parents would always be by his side so he couldn’t cry. He couldn’t make them unhappy, just like him.

Besides, Xi Bei thought with a trace of timidity… he really liked the older brother in front of him. But this brother was so kind, even though everyone said he was difficult to get along with. Xi Bei was just a child, and today’s events had left his head in a fog. He felt too fragile, and subconsciously, he was a little afraid.

“It’s okay, Tuantuan.”

Qin Yi’an kept his little face straight, his glass-like pupils filled with a stubborn intensity, yet his words were incredibly gentle.

“You can cry with me. I will hide your tears secretly so no one else knows.”

——Tuantuan.

Xi Bei’s heart felt as if it had been tickled by a soft feather; he lifted his head, dazed. After a long silence, he gave a slow, vacant “Mm.”

After they had soaked for another ten minutes, the butler knocked on the door: “Young Master, it is time. The bed for the little guest has been prepared.”

Splashing water, the steam in the room began to dissipate it wouldn’t stay warm forever.

Qin Yi’an responded firmly, “Understood.”

At eight years old, he knew how to step onto a stool, wrap himself in a towel, and put on his silk robe. Xi Bei followed obediently behind him. Having never been a child of a wealthy family, he didn’t know what a robe was. After a moment, he timidly tugged on the hem of Qin Yi’an’s robe.

With his bright, watery eyes, he looked up, biting his lip in a panic.

“…This, this.”

Before Qin Yi’an could turn around, Xi Bei already regretted it. He didn’t dare ask anymore and, in a flurry of confusion, whispered softly, “N-nothing, it’s fine…”

Qin Yi’an, having turned around, seemed to understand immediately. His serious little face showed no obvious expression, but he did nothing to cause Xi Bei more anxiety; he simply and earnestly helped him tie the bow.

Aside from crying, he thought, his treasure is also a bit timid. He seems afraid to talk to me.

“Finished.”

Qin Yi’an said.

He held Xi Bei’s hand and walked out to find the smiling butler waiting at the door.

“Young Master, little guest,” the butler knelt down to look them in the eye. “After your bath, please go to bed and rest. May the doctor come in to check on you both?”

Seeing Qin Yi’an nod, Xi Bei mimicked him with a polite, obedient “Mm.”

“The little guest suffered quite a few injuries today,” the butler said. “May the doctor examine you first?”

Xi Bei gripped his robe slightly. “Yes.”

He was very well-behaved. After receiving a nod of approval from Qin Yi’an and a look of praise from the butler, he took his little steps and walked over to the doctor waiting in the room.

“…Little one, what is your name?”

“My name is Xi Bei. ‘Xi’ as in ‘straw mat,’ and ‘Bei’ as in ‘precious treasure.'”

“Xi Bei is such a good boy. May I clean your wounds now?”

“Yes.”

His voice was small and sweet.

Qin Yi’an retracted his gaze, then, with the bearing of a little adult, he stood with his hands behind his back and looked toward the smiling butler.

“I have two questions.”

He looked very serious.

The butler bowed his head. “Please, Young Master.”

“The first question is, why is Tuantuan still crying now?” Qin Yi’an seemed to have a faint, imperceptible sense of frustration, though his face remained neutral. “The second question is, why is Tuantuan afraid of me?”

Although Qin Yi’an felt that he and Tuantuan were now the closest of friends, he noticed that Tuantuan could talk easily to the doctor, but seemed hesitant to speak to him. Qin Yi’an was only a child, after all, and he couldn’t wrap his head around this.

“…Regarding the first question,” the butler mused for a moment, “it may be that Xi Bei is frightened, or perhaps he misses his parents. However, it is also possible he has a physical need for example, he may be hungry or cold.”

Qin Yi’an immediately began to ponder this.

Fear and missing his parents are unavoidable. But Xi Bei hasn’t eaten all day, he must be hungry, and he might have been cold while bathing earlier.

Qin Yi’an nodded solemnly. “Mm, I understand.”

“As for the second question,” the butler smiled, “I don’t think Xi Bei is afraid of the Young Master; I believe he just hasn’t adapted to being around you yet.”

“For instance, he knows a doctor is a doctor and a policeman is a policeman, so he can interact with them easily. But he doesn’t know if you are his ‘Young Master’ or his ‘best friend.'”

The butler looked at the thoughtful Qin Yi’an with a warm expression. “Tuantuan is a very well-behaved child. Young Master, you must get along well with him.”

After the butler spoke, Qin Yi’an immediately lifted his head. His cold face showed the familiar composure they all knew as he countered:

“Would you not cherish your own treasure?”

The butler chuckled.

“Also—”

Qin Yi’an took an elegant step forward, then turned back before leaving.

His glass-like eyes held a hint of earnestness as he announced:

“From now on, only I am allowed to call him Tuantuan. You are only permitted to call him Master Xi Bei.”