Chapter 12

So returning them was out of the question.
Getting to his feet, he counted the cash in the drawer and carefully tucked it into his bag.
After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed Assistant Luo’s number.
He knew how busy Duan Baisui was. To avoid disturbing him during meetings, all calls during work hours went through his assistant.
He understood. Lots of people had to go through assistants to reach him, so he did the same. He didn’t want to cause him any trouble.
“Hello, Mr. Zuo,” came Luo Yin’s crisp, businesslike greeting.
“Hello, Assistant Luo. I just wanted to ask… will my husband be coming home for dinner tonight?”
He only dared call Duan Baisui “husband” in front of other people. He never said it to his face.
He was afraid of seeing that startled, resistant look in his eyes.
He thought it would be better to give his Alpha more time to get used to him.
“Mr. Zuo, young President Duan has a dinner tonight. Most likely he won’t be home for dinner, so you don’t have to wait up,” Luo Yin said.
“Oh, okay. Th‑then please look after him for me. And tell him to drive slowly tonight. Thank you.”
Politely, he hung up and went to the convenience store to buy a couple of rice balls.
Whenever Duan Baisui wasn’t home, he made do with whatever was easiest.
When he got back, the large villa was utterly silent.
Silence was what he feared most.
He switched on every light in the living room before he felt brave enough to move.
After feeding the kitten and scooping its litter upstairs, he took his dirty laundry and A‑Beibei to the bathroom to wash.
By the time he hung everything out on the balcony, the sky was already dark.
He carried the full‑bellied cat back to the living room and sat down to wait for the two‑episode finale of Bamboo Grove.
It would wrap up around eleven.
When the last episode ended, he was sobbing into a wad of tissues—and that was when Duan Baisui came home.
They stared at one another for a moment, then Duan Baisui asked, “What are you crying about?”
Sniffling, Zuo Nian said, “I waited so long… and they all died.”
Glancing at the TV screen, Duan Baisui said, “That’s just their fate. Nothing to cry over.”
He nodded, still choked up. “Gege, did you eat yet?”
“Yes,” said Duan Baisui, draping his coat over the back of the sofa.
Obediently, Zuo Nian scurried over to loosen his tie.
Looking down at his swollen eyelids, Duan Baisui thought he looked both pitiful and adorable.
Who cried this hard over a TV show?
“Gege, are you laughing at me?” Zuo Nian asked, peeking up at him.
“No,” he said.
“You are. I saw you. You were laughing just now.”
Had he been?
He hadn’t even noticed.
“You must’ve been seeing things,” he said.
After a moment, he added, “The company’s annual gala is tomorrow night. Want to come with me?”
“Eh?”
“All the leads from this show will be there,” he said, nodding at the TV. “Seeing them alive and well in person might make you feel better.”
“Nian‑nian can really go?” Zuo Nian’s eyes lit up.
“Mm.”
“Then can I ask the actors I admire for autographs?”
“You can.”
“Thank you, Gege. You’re the best Alpha in the world!”
…
When they’d first gotten married, Zuo Nian hadn’t been this lively.
Back then, he’d always stood in the corner when Duan Baisui came home from work, peeking timidly at him.
The housekeeper had told him that when he was away, Zuo Nian always tried to help—mopping floors, keeping busy in the kitchen.
He’d asked her about his preferences and how to be a good spouse.
“Left‑sir really cares about you,” she’d said. “Maybe you could say something to put him at ease.”
That night, he’d told him, “This is your home. You don’t have to be so on edge.”
Eyes going red, Zuo Nian had whispered, “Thank you.”
He’d seemed terrified that Duan Baisui might change his mind, cancel the marriage, and throw him out.
He’d gone from having no home at all to suddenly having one. His time in the orphanage had taught him to tread lightly wherever he went, always afraid of being disliked.
He’d never had a sense of belonging. He’d learned to read faces instead, using his efforts as proof of his worth. He wanted to show everyone he could be useful.
Even now, that cautious child still lived inside him.
Slowly, step by step, Duan Baisui was trying to guide him toward something better—to help him accept that this was his home.
So he could be the freer, livelier version of himself.
That was how it should be between partners.
Mutual tolerance, tenderness, and understanding—that was how you brought out the most lovable parts of the person beside you.
It was past midnight.
The villa was completely still.
The blackout curtains in the bedroom were drawn tight, not even a sliver of moonlight slipping through.
Half‑asleep, Duan Baisui sensed the person beside him tossing and turning, mumbling under his breath.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
There was a startled pause. Then a small voice said, “Did I wake you up?”
“No,” he said. “I wasn’t asleep either. What’s wrong?”
It took a long while for him to answer. “A‑Beibei had a bath today. She’s still drying on the balcony. I can’t sleep without her.”
“Don’t you still have Xiao Sui?” asked Duan Baisui.
“Xiao Sui and I… aren’t familiar yet. He’s too new,” Zuo Nian muttered. “The room’s really dark. I counted a lot of little sheep, but I still couldn’t sleep…”
“Gege…”
He trailed off.
“Mm?” Duan Baisui prompted.
“C‑can Xiao Sui and I sleep in your bed?” he whispered. His voice was so soft that if the room hadn’t been dead quiet, Duan Baisui might not have heard it.
Turning his head, he couldn’t see Zuo Nian’s face—just sense him lying there beside him, close enough for the familiar scent of grape‑scented shower gel to reach his nose.
When he still didn’t answer, Zuo Nian rushed to backtrack. “Ah, I think… I think I’m getting sleepy now. Good night, Gege.”
Silence settled over the room again.
After a moment’s thought, Duan Baisui finally lifted the blanket. “Come here.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you want to sleep in my bed?”
“Yes~”
The next second, a warm body pressed up against him.
He didn’t move in closer. Neither of them did.
They lay side by side, straight as planks—shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg.
His silk pajamas were thin and light. Zuo Nian’s cotton T‑shirt and knee‑length shorts did little to block the heat of his body.
With the two of them squeezed together, it suddenly felt a little too warm.
“Can you sleep like this?” asked Duan Baisui, breaking the awkward quiet.
“Even less,” Zuo Nian said honestly.
“Why?”
“My heart’s beating really fast and my body feels really hot. I want to hold you…” he said.
Letting out a small laugh, Duan Baisui said, “Don’t you think you’re pushing your luck?”
“Gege, can I borrow tomorrow morning’s hug in advance? Just… just once…”
Could he?
He supposed so.
It was only a hug. He owed him at least that much.
And it was honestly more tiring lying there stiffly like this.
Once he fell asleep, he could just quietly let go.
Just like when they were kids—and he’d sneak into his room during thunderstorms.
How could he turn him away now when he’d been so afraid for so long?
Having convinced himself, Duan Baisui rolled onto his side. “Just once.”
Zuo Nian burrowed into his arms at once, pressing his face into the hollow of his neck like a little animal seeking shelter.
Wrapping his arms around him, Duan Baisui drew him closer.