Upon hearing the voice, Shao Jing swiveled his head and noticed Qin Mu nearby. His eyes brightened then he eagerly placed the remote control in Qin Mu’s hand and blinked bashfully as he said, “Brother, let you play.”
Qin Mu’s heart tightened when he saw the naive and sincere eyes that looked like a deer’s.
He decided to investigate his suspicions and approached Shao Jing while holding the remote control in his hand. He said, “But I don’t know how to use it, ah.”
“I’ll show you!”
Rarely does anyone play with him. Shao Jing emits two expressions of excitement through his clean and clear eyes. In active approaches to Qin Mu, he taught him basic operating skills. It makes people laugh at the appearance of the young teacher but his childish expression contradicts his appearance of an adult.
Qin Mu’s experience caring for Guo Guo might explain why he is able to work well with children. Having only known him for half a day, Shao Jing thought he was a pleasant playmate.
“I have other nice things in my room. It’s fun to play with!”
To get a better glimpse at Qin Mu, Shao Jing tilted his head. Qin Mu was baffled by Shao Jing and Xie Ge’s identical brows and eyes. Later he heard the young guy add, “If you want, I can give it to you.”
A satisfied Qin Mu nodded, “That’s good.” To measure the suitability of his tone, he said, “By the way, how come I don’t see your mom and dad?”
Shao Jing’s face puffed in a pout as he fiddled with the toy’s fingers. “Brother said they went on a trip. It will take a long time to come back.” In response, he mumbled dejectedly, “Even when they go out to play, they won’t take me. I hate them.”
“How long were they gone?” Qin Mu inquired.
Shao Jing who is just five years old intellectually cannot possibly understand such a complex question. He grimaced and shook his head bitterly, “I can’t remember.”
Qin Mu had a gut feeling that Shao Jing’s parents weren’t just traveling.
He was about to inquire again when Butler Fang rushed up, bowed to Qin Mu and said to Shao Jing, “Second Young Master, Mr. Shao ordered me to send you back today.”
He just met his new buddy. Shao Jing seemed hesitant and wrinkled his nose to reply aggressively, “I won’t go back!!!”
“No way, Mr. Shao specifically mentioned this.” Even Butler Fang was in a tight situation. Thankfully, Shao Jing is the more sensible one. Even though he is confused by the conversations ongoing around him, he is aware that his brother will be furious if he doesn’t return home. A look of reluctance filled Shao Jing’s face as he turned around and said to Qin Mu, “I’m going.”
Qin Mu promised softly, “When you come next time, I will play with you again.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The young guy vigorously nodded his head with his eyebrows raised endearingly.
When Butler Fang dispatched Shao Jing away, Qin Mu approached him and questioned him sidelong, “Butler Fang, how did Shao Jing become like this? Was he born this way?”
Butler Fang’s appearance was downcast as his eyes followed Shao Jing’s departure in the car. Upon hearing Qin Mu’s query, he reflexively responded, “It’s fine if it’s natural–” Then he paused and gave Qin Mu a slightly wary glance. Butler Fang shook his head and said, “It would be best if Mr. Qin remained ignorant about certain matters.”
Since Qin Mu realized he was out of options so he gave up.
But from the housekeeper’s leaked words, he learned that Shao Jing’s dumbness was posteriority. When Qin Mu connected that information to Shao Jing’s face, which looked much like Xie Ge’s, an idea began to take shape in his mind.
Qin Mu still can’t get over the misunderstanding with Xie Ge from years ago. Finding someone who looks precisely like Xie Ge is quite difficult. He cannot let this go without possibly discovering the cause of Shao Jing’s mental decline. If Shao Jing is Xie Ge, he will find a way to assist him in regaining his memories.
… …
Shao Qingyu returned around nine o’clock in the evening.
Qin Mu had gotten used to falling asleep early, but his concerns weren’t enough to convince him to sleep in someone else’s domain. He sprang from his bed just a brief second before Shao Qingyu entered, especially considering the savage wolf was staring at him. Leaning on the doorway, half of his face was in the shade cast by the wall lamp and the long eyelashes falling obscured the expression in Shao Qingyu’s eyes.
“Still haven’t slept?” he said as he loosened his tie.
The air was thick with the scent of alcohol.
“Hmm,” said Qin Mu with pursed lips.
“This is just right.”
After pulling his tie, Shao Qingyu walked mindlessly closer to Qin Mu. He jumped on Qin Mu and pretended to bind Qin Mu’s hands with his tie. He trembled slightly and leaned awkwardly on the bed as Qin Mu shoved him aside. He fought to get out of bed, accidentally pressing the switch with his right hand and the light in the bedroom dimmed.
“You’re drunk.”
Shao Qingyu’s physical response helped Qin Mu make a decision.
Shao Qingyu embraced Qin Mu in the dark and kissed him with an alcoholic breath. If this happened at a regular time, Qin Mu could keep quiet. But now that Shao Qingyu was intoxicated, there was no way he was going to let a drunk guy attempt to deceive him.
Qin Mu swiftly removed the tie from Shao Qingyu. He flipped Shao Qingyu’s body and let the other person lean on the bed beside him. He then carried Shao Qingyu’s hand behind him and tied his wrists together. Shao Qingyu seemed uncomfortable as he was tightly bound and the knot scraped through his skin. He buried his face in the pillow and mumbled something like “Let go” while snorting a few times. His voice turned even hoarser after drinking.
His ass got smacked as soon as the voice ceased, and then Qin Mu’s icy scolding rang out: “Be honest!”
Shao Qingyu gave a weak smile and shrugged his shoulders. Qin Mu assumed the other was drunk, so any odd behavior could be attributed to intoxication. He had made several calls to Guo Guo throughout the day without any response, and Shao Qingyu had failed to keep his promise. Qin Mu glared at him with disdain, wishing he could take advantage of his insobriety and give him a good thrashing.
While Shao Qingyu struggled to reposition himself, Qin Mu thought about the possibilities of his idea. Then, Qin Mu saw something sliding down Shao Qingyu’s collarbone as the moonlight penetrated the room through the window.
Qin Mu squinted his eyes and inched closer, recalling the scene from last night and how Shao Qingyu had emerged from the bathroom with his shirt still buttoned firmly.
He reached for it, but someone grabbed his wrist just in time.
“You…”
Shao Qingyu opened his eyes in the pitch-black room and peered straight at Qin Mu, a darkish tinge flashing beneath his eyes.
Qin Mu had an intense desire to utter a curse.
This Shao Qingyu is a filthy pervert, f*cking faking to be drunk with him!