Spoiled by a Paranoid Big Shot Since Childhood - Chapter 6

For as long as he could remember, this was the first time Qin Yian had ever felt this happy.

Right now, simply staying close by Xi Bei’s side wasn’t enough. Qin Yian practically held Xi Bei’s hand throughout the entire process, meticulously feeding him until he finished the rest of his food. Only then did he lead him away, completely satisfied, to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Even during a moment like this, he insisted on squeezing out the toothpaste and pouring the warm mouthwash for Xi Bei.

Ever since he was a toddler, Xi Bei’s parents had taught him that “one must do one’s own chores.” Seeing his personal tasks being snatched up by someone else left him hesitant. However, after a brief pause, he decided to mimic Qin Yian’s actions, pouring water and squeezing toothpaste for him in return.

“Here!”

Xi Bei took Qin Yian’s hand and presented his work like a treasured offering. His little pink face carried a hint of bashfulness, making him look incredibly soft and adorable.

The corners of Qin Yian’s lips curved upward.

“Thank you, Tuan Tuan.”

Xi Bei was just about to reply with a polite “you’re welcome” when he suddenly let out an uncontrollable hiccup.

Normally, Xi Bei’s meals followed a very strict routine, but he hadn’t had a single bite to eat during the day due to a lack of appetite. When Qin Yian dragged him along to eat dinner, he had accidentally overeaten without realizing it.

Now, experiencing a delayed reaction, he rubbed his stomach. His face turned red from holding his breath, yet he still couldn’t hold back the continuous stream of hiccups.

Qin Yian naturally noticed.

Happily keeping the toothbrush Xi Bei had prepared for him in his mouth, he extended his hand like a little adult. He gently patted Xi Bei’s back and said with a serious expression, “Tuan Tuan, you just need to drink a little more water in a moment, and you’ll be fine.”

Xi Bei had never been a fragile or spoiled child. Hearing this, he nodded in agreement and said obediently, “Okay!”

However, by the time they got into bed, the hiccups had stopped, but the uncomfortable sensation didn’t disappear. Instead, it grew progressively worse.

The lights in the room had already been extinguished. The fireplace flickered with a gentle, small flame, providing only a faint, amber glow.

It was an environment perfectly suited for sleeping. Xi Bei was incredibly exhausted, yet no matter what he did, he couldn’t fall asleep.

Tossing and turning uncomfortably in his small bed, he bit down hard on his lower lip.

The sensation in his stomach felt bizarre a mixture of being overly full and experiencing a burning heat. This discomfort crept up from his stomach to his upper body, mimicking the path of his earlier hiccups.

His head felt dizzy and heavy, as if his entire body were floating away. Even though the blanket covering him was quite warm and the small mattress beneath him was brand new, he felt as though he were lying on a volcanic eruption. The heat made him want to cry.

He really wanted to cry.

His eyes were already burning hot, and it took everything Xi Bei had to hold back the tears. He considered himself a very, very strong boy.

In truth, Xi Bei hadn’t been truly happy for a while. Even when he managed a smile, his heart remained damp, as if a continuous, gentle rain were falling inside him.

He simply chose to believe Qin Yian’s words.

It was an undeniable fact that his mom and dad were never coming back. However, they would always be by his side. If he was sad, they would be sad. If he cried, they would worry.

Therefore, he silently made a wish in his heart, hoping his parents wouldn’t be sad.

Tuan Tuan is being very good. I’ve met a new older brother, I ate delicious food tonight, and now I’m going to sleep.

It’s just… it’s just that I want to cry a tiny bit.

…Just a little bit, okay?

The fire in the hearth crackled quietly. The sound of faint, tiny sobs was barely audible.

Wrapped tightly like a little cocoon inside his blanket, the small child shivered with each quiet sob, crying in absolute silence.

An unknown amount of time passed. By the time Xi Bei had cried himself to exhaustion nearly losing consciousness inside his blanket he suddenly felt the weight over him lighten. A warm hand slipped inside, gently wiping away the sweat from his forehead.

A phone rang with a series of sharp dings. A slightly childish voice could be heard earnestly giving instructions on a matter, though the hazy sound felt alternately distant and close.

His pajamas were gently pulled aside, and the cold touch of a thermometer made Xi Bei shudder.

Soon, a cool towel replaced Qin Yian’s hand, resting gently against his forehead. The unbearable heat began to ease up significantly.

Warm saline water moistened his dry, peeling lips, trickling into his mouth like a sweet spring. The agonizing sensation was no longer as intense as it had been moments ago.

Finally, a somewhat rapid breath brushed against Xi Bei’s cheek.

“…Tuan Tuan.”

The calling voice caused Xi Bei to furrow his brows anxiously. Having finally stopped sobbing, he gave a muffled, groggy response: “Daddy… Mommy…”

The breathing paused for a brief second before moving even closer.

The tips of the two children’s noses brushed against each other.

“I’m here,” Qin Yian murmured softly.

The thermometer was pulled out, and Xi Bei was wrapped tightly back into his blanket.

Holding him securely through the covers, Qin Yian lifted his head with a stern face. He questioned the doctor, who was currently organizing his equipment to set up an intravenous drip.

“…What is his temperature?”

“It’s 38.9 degrees Celsius, basically 39 degrees… For a child, that is quite high. On top of that, he overate tonight and suffered from indigestion, so we must be careful…”

As the doctor packed his tools, he unconsciously began to mutter, completely forgetting whether an eight-year-old could understand him. He pulled out the iodine solution and a cotton swab, preparing to gently pull-out Xi Bei’s small hand.

However, he couldn’t reach it.

Startled, the doctor looked down only to see Qin Yian’s small face completely filled with self-reproach. It was cold, stern, and full of regret.

“…Young Master, this isn’t your fault,” the doctor comforted, assuming they shared a close bond. “The child was caught in the rain outside for quite a while, so it’s perfectly normal for him to develop a fever tonight.”

“…No.”

Qin Yian tightly gripped Xi Bei’s hand. It took a long while before he spoke:

“It’s because I didn’t keep my promise.”

He had promised Tuan Tuan that he would hide all of his tears, yet he had failed to do so.

He had brought Xi Bei home knowing that Xi Bei was not a porcelain doll, and he had resolved to cherish him. Everything seemed to be moving along a normal trajectory, yet it also seemed to have veered far off the path Qin Yian had envisioned.

For the first time, Qin Yian realized a grave reality.

You can fail at raising a doll, but you cannot fail at taking care of Xi Bei.

Absolutely not.

“Young Master, this is very common. When a person suffers a major psychological shock, there is bound to be some physical reaction,” the doctor said. “I need to set up the IV for Master Xi Bei now. It might take about two hours. You should go back to bed and rest first.”

“No.” Qin Yian shook his head. His voice was soft, yet incredibly resolute. “I want to stay right here with Tuan Tuan.”

“…You want to stay here?”

The doctor accurately located the vein and slid the cold, gleaming needle in. He raised his face to look at Qin Yian in surprise.

The image of this sharp-tongued young master acting like a little tyrant suddenly clashed with the guilt-ridden child before him. For a moment, the doctor recalled the butler’s prior warnings and felt a shiver run down his spine.

“But… you must be exhausted today as well, right? Why don’t you get some rest early, and I will keep an eye on the IV.”

Without a shred of hesitation, Qin Yian shook his head. “No. I want to stay here.”

“…”

What an unusual situation. How could the young master care for this child, Xi Bei, to such an extraordinary extent?

Nonetheless, looking after one more child wasn’t an issue. The doctor didn’t intend to refuse Qin Yian’s request, but paused to advise him:

“Then you may sleep beside him. Just be careful; people running a fever can sometimes become disoriented in their sleep. In case he kicks or hits you, you should head back to your own bed…”

Observing Qin Yian’s tensed posture and increasingly dark expression, the doctor assumed the boy was being deterred by his warnings. Pressing further, he added:

“By the way, if you find it too noisy, I can take Master Xi Bei downstairs to the first floor to finish his IV…”

Perhaps because the doctor’s voice was growing louder, Xi Bei let out an instinctive whimper in his dream. Tearstamps hung from his eyelashes as they trembled pitifully.

It seemed his current posture was too uncomfortable, and he attempted to roll over.

“Watch out!”

Before the doctor could even move, he watched Qin Yian accurately reach out and pin down Xi Bei’s wrist, preventing the needle from dislodging due to the sudden movement.

Then, under the doctor’s utterly astonished gaze, Qin Yian lowered his head, slipped off his slippers, and carefully climbed onto Xi Bei’s small bed. He gently propped up Xi Bei’s head, letting the boy lean completely against his body.

This position finally seemed to bring comfort to Xi Bei, as his furrowed brows loosened slightly.

“I am staying right here.”

Qin Yian enunciated each word with absolute certainty.

“…This, this,” the doctor stammered, “You’re leaning against the headboard to let him sleep against you like a cushion??”

The doctor knew exactly who paid his salary the Qin family. How could this heavily spoiled young master of the Qin family serve as a human cushion for an ordinary child?

As if cradling a precious treasure, Qin Yian used one hand to keep Xi Bei’s arm stable to secure the IV, while using his other hand to gently stroke his back to soothe his breathing. Soon enough, Xi Bei stopped struggling altogether.

“Otherwise, what?”

Qin Yian lifted his tiny face, his gaze turning icy.

“Should I switch places with you? The words you just spoke make you sound like a cold-blooded animal. Your body temperature should be much colder than mine.”

“…”

The doctor instinctively raised a hand to his forehead, feeling thoroughly disoriented. He had just been subjected to the cold sarcasm of an eight-year-old child.

Yet, he didn’t feel angry. Instead, he felt… this was exactly how Qin Yian was supposed to be.

Intelligent, precocious, and remarkably perceptive for his age. He saw through situations accurately, occasionally delivering shocking, sharp-tongued remarks that left adults buried in shame.

Yet, a child who was normally so abrasive and icy could turn around and treat the boy in his arms with such profound tenderness even using his own body to comfort him. He looked after Xi Bei so naturally, as if the two had known each other for a lifetime.

The doctor was entirely silenced. Knowing he was only inviting the young master’s annoyance by staying, he went downstairs to inform the butler, hoping the decision-making housekeeper would come up to check on them.

Clutching a Nokia phone, the butler hurried up the stairs while speaking to an anxious Qin Yueyuan on the line.

In order to avoid disturbing the children, the butler deliberately slowed his steps and lowered his voice as he approached Qin Yian’s room, listening quietly to the frantic instructions coming from the speaker.

Qin Yueyuan: “…I’m about to board the plane, so I have to keep this short. Remember to handle the press regarding the Evening Post and the television station… By the way, what are Yian and Xi Bei doing right now?”

The butler didn’t answer immediately. He reached out and pushed open a narrow crack in the door.

Inside the room, just as the doctor had described, Qin Yian kept one hand firmly on Xi Bei’s wrist to prevent him from moving.

However, his other hand had shifted. He raised it, carefully wiping away the tears caught on Xi Bei’s curled eyelashes. His movements were as cautious as though he were touching the fragile wings of a butterfly.

Seeing that Xi Bei was sleeping fitfully, Qin Yian swayed his body slightly, acting like a human cradle to lull him back into a deep slumber.

Qin Yueyuan repeated, “Old Gu, are you listening? Have Yian and Xi Bei gone to sleep?”

“My apologies, Sir. I lost my train of thought for a moment.”

The butler’s voice dropped low, laced with hesitation. “Young Master Yian… you could say he is asleep.”

Qin Yueyuan was baffled. “What do you mean ‘you could say he is asleep’?”

The butler gently closed the bedroom door, pausing before he replied:

“Young Master Yian is currently sharing a bed with Xi Bei, and he is coaxing the sick child to sleep.”

Ever since Qin Yian turned three years old, Qin Yueyuan had never slept in the same room with him. Furthermore, whenever Qin Yian fell ill, he never required an adult’s coddling. In fact, he had once calmly shot back at Qin Yueyuan, asking, “Am I running a simple fever or am I suffering from a terminal illness?”

Such a cold, detached, and independent child.

Sharing a bed with someone else?

And coaxing them to sleep??

Qin Yueyuan took a deep, sharp breath, delivering a question that pierced straight to the soul:

“Are you absolutely certain the person you’re looking at is Qin Yian? That is my son, right??”