You Are My Inspiration

At noon, He Zhiwen said he was going to take them out for a meal. Su Ran knew that the main purpose was probably to take his nephew out to have some fun.

He Zhiwen had arranged for the driver to pick them up in advance, and the car was parked at the entrance of the mall. Before Su Ran could open the car door, it was already opened from the outside, and He Zhiwen bent down with a smile to greet them.

The weather was getting colder, and He Zhiwen was wearing a camel-colored wool coat with a black Gao Ling knitted sweater underneath. He looked elegant and refined, not at all like someone who had just come from work. His hairstyle also looked different from usual, so it didn’t seem like just a casual meal, but more like a date.

After getting out of the car, He Zhiwen asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Before Su Ran could respond, Zhao Mingzhe spoke up first. “Uncle, I want ice cream.”

“Not now, you have to wait until after we finish the meal,” He Zhiwen said, his lips curling into a smile. He and Su Ran each took one of Zhao Mingzhe’s hands, and they looked like a family.

Su Ran said he was fine with whatever, letting He Zhiwen decide. He hadn’t expected He Zhiwen to take them to the upscale Western restaurant on the top floor of the mall. He originally thought it would be a simple bite to eat, but He Zhiwen brought them to such a fancy place.

Fortunately, He Zhiwen was the type of person who made people feel relaxed. He was funny and often made Su Ran laugh.

“Do you want some red wine?” He Zhiwen asked. When he saw Su Ran hesitate, he added, “Just a little to help you relax.”

Su Ran nodded, and the next second, He Zhiwen ordered a bottle of red wine worth 120,000 yuan. Su Ran almost choked. He knew how expensive that wine was because there was a bottle at the top of his family’s wine rack, a rare collector’s item that Jiang Yi had never been willing to drink.

Seeing He Zhiwen casually order it made Su Ran realize how carefree the rich could be. He had already tasted that wine’s flavor before Jiang Yi, who was more frugal, had the chance.

The meal was very pleasant. Because the wine was expensive, Su Ran ended up drinking a little more than usual, and his face was flushed by the end of it.

He Zhiwen, looking very pleased, couldn’t help but poke his cheek with a finger. Su Ran, slightly slow from the wine, stared at him blankly. He Zhiwen smiled at him and said, “You’re so cute.”

Su Ran didn’t like such compliments. Being called “cute” by a man wasn’t exactly a good thing. He wasn’t sure if He Zhiwen was referring to him or Zhao Mingzhe, but he chose to ignore it.

Su Ran reached out to hold Zhao Mingzhe’s hand. The little guy, who was feeling sleepy after the meal, stretched his arms out and said, “Hug.”

Su Ran squatted down to pick him up. Seeing this, He Zhiwen also bent down and said, “Let Uncle He carry you. Let Su Ran rest for a while.”

“No, I want Ran Ran to carry me,” Zhao Mingzhe grumbled, looking like he was about to cry.

Seeing how upset Zhao Mingzhe was, Su Ran quickly picked him up.

He Zhiwen’s expression grew serious. “Zhao Mingzhe, can’t you walk on your own?”

Su Ran, though, was indulgent. “It’s okay, Mingzhe’s not heavy.”

On the way out, Zhao Mingzhe finally got his ice cream, just as he had hoped.

He Zhiwen stood by, holding Su Ran’s coat, watching as Zhao Mingzhe stuck his tongue out at him in a spoiled manner. “This kid really is getting too spoiled.”

They all entered the elevator. The transparent glass walls allowed them to see the floors below. Only the two adults and one child were in the elevator at that moment.

The faint smell of wine mixed with Su Ran’s own scent lingered, drawing He Zhiwen closer. He leaned in slightly, wanting to press his face to Su Ran’s.

At that moment, Zhao Mingzhe wiggled in his arms, and some of the melted ice cream dropped onto Su Ran’s shoulder.

Su Ran gasped in surprise. He Zhiwen, noticing this, immediately pulled out a tissue to help clean it up. Su Ran, unable to attend to it with the child in his arms, quickly said, “It’s dripping down inside.”

The vanilla scent of the ice cream filled the air. He Zhiwen pulled open Su Ran’s collar to check, but then his hand froze, and his face turned red. He looked at Su Ran, their eyes locking.

“What’s wrong?” Su Ran asked, slightly annoyed at He Zhiwen’s slow reaction. “It’s going to drip down to my waist in a second.”

He Zhiwen’s hand went in to help clean up the mess, the mix of red and white resembling some sweet, delicious juice.

He thought, it must taste sweet.

Ye Qiao had returned. Perhaps it was because he had been out for so long, but now, standing at the door, he seemed a bit nervous.

He wondered what Su Ran was doing inside. Was he in the kitchen or resting on the sofa?

After entering the door with his key, a familiar, faintly sweet smell greeted him. Ye Qiao stepped inside.

After scanning the room, he immediately noticed something was off. There were scattered toys all over the floor.

Hearing the door open, Su Ran walked out. He had just finished calming Zhao Mingzhe down and had been a bit tired, wanting to take a short nap. But when he heard the noise at the door, he quickly came out.

When he saw Ye Qiao standing at the door, he was immediately delighted. “Qiao Qiao? You’re back!”

He looked him over and asked, “Your arm is better? Did they take the splint off?”

Ye Qiao waved his hand. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to be out for so long, but the splint came off when it was time. It’s fine now.”

As he walked inside, Ye Qiao looked around at the changes in the house. “Why are there so many kids’ things?”

Su Ran had been busy taking care of the little one recently and hadn’t had much time to talk to Ye Qiao, so he had forgotten to tell him. “I forgot to mention it. Jiang Yi’s boss’s nephew didn’t have anyone to take care of him, so he asked me to look after him for a couple of days.”

Ye Qiao furrowed his brows. “Couldn’t they find a nanny? Why ask you?”

Su Ran didn’t know how to explain, so he simply said, “Right now, I’m kind of like a nanny.”

Ye Qiao found this hard to believe. “What?”

Su Ran briefly explained, and Ye Qiao looked at him, astonished by the situation.

Jiang Yi was really something else. Looking at Su Ran, who was now lowering his head, Ye Qiao couldn’t believe how easily he was being taken advantage of. It was frustrating how weak Su Ran seemed, yet at the same time, it made him want to protect him.

Ye Qiao opened his arms and embraced Su Ran, his weight slowly pressing down on him. “Ran Ran, you’re really being wronged.”

“It’s okay. I really like kids,” Su Ran said.

Ye Qiao gave him a reproachful pinch on the waist, making Su Ran squirm, but he was still tightly held.

Ye Qiao breathed in his scent. It smelled so nice, and it made him miss it.

“Ran Ran, don’t you think my brother did something wrong?” Ye Qiao asked, testing the waters.

Su Ran, the loyal wife, naturally spoke in defense of her husband. “He didn’t have a choice. The kid wouldn’t go with anyone else, but he listens to me. And right now, your brother is probably having a hard time at work. He was supposed to be promoted to president, but he was demoted. The work environment has gotten tense, and he’s trying to find a way to turn things around.”

Ye Qiao clenched his jaw, looking at Su Ran with disbelief. How could someone so naive, so easy to deceive, be this good-hearted? It made him wonder if one day he could trick Su Ran into bed and have his way with him, then easily calm him down afterward.

Ye Qiao took a deep breath, his temples throbbing. “Did he tell you that?”

Su Ran nodded. He knew Ye Qiao was hinting at something, but he figured it could also be a ploy to sow discord. As long as he kept up the image of the dutiful wife, it would be fine.

“It’s fine. Taking care of the kid isn’t tiring,” Su Ran said.

Ye Qiao sighed, still considering the possibility of tricking him into bed.

“Aren’t you hungry? Do you want me to cook something for you?” Su Ran asked, showing concern.

Ye Qiao shook his head, looking a bit tired.

“You look tired. Why don’t you go rest in your room first? I’ll clean up a bit. How about I make ribs for dinner?” Su Ran asked.

His voice was soft, almost teasing, and Ye Qiao couldn’t resist looking at his lips. He bent slightly and moved closer, feeling the warmth of Su Ran’s breath.

“Okay,” Ye Qiao replied.

With that, Ye Qiao returned to his room, casually dropping his bag and luggage on the floor. He pulled out a piece of drawing paper.

It was the drawing he had made earlier of two red beans. The beans had become blurry from frequent handling.

That night, after he left, he had stayed at the hotel, thinking about how he had wanted to “embrace” Su Ran. This thought kept nagging at him, and the further away he got from him, the more intense it became. He stayed out longer, enjoying the feeling of delayed gratification, which sparked his creativity.

He had been sketching all the ways he imagined “embracing” Su Ran, and now, there was a thick stack of papers filled with those thoughts.

These papers felt heavy in his hand, and he tucked them all into a drawer, covering them with the sheet featuring the red beans.

Su Ran had finished preparing the ingredients for dinner and began tidying up, gathering the scattered toys.

Once he was done, he took some dirty clothes to the balcony and threw them in the washing machine. Just as he was about to leave, he squatted down again and sniffed his shirt. He had been working and sweating, so he tossed the shirt into the washing machine.

As he stood up to leave the balcony, he saw Ye Qiao walking out of his room. It seemed like he had just woken up, his hair slightly messy, but he was staring straight at Su Ran. The sudden appearance startled him.

“Did you wake up?” Su Ran asked casually.

Ye Qiao slowly walked towards him, the sunlight on the balcony being the brightest. Su Ran’s figure was slim, his skin smooth and white, and in the sunlight, he looked almost ethereal. Ye Qiao couldn’t help but admire how his body, hidden under the loose clothes, was far more beautiful than any drawing he could make.

Ye Qiao’s gaze swept over Su Ran’s body, inch by inch. “You’re so beautiful.”

Su Ran, confused, looked at him. “What?”

“Ran Ran, your bones are so beautiful,” Ye Qiao said, gazing at him earnestly.

Su Ran finally understood. Ye Qiao, being a painter, was praising his body. The compliment made him happy, but also a little embarrassed, as no one had ever said such a thing to him before.

“Ran Ran, can I feel it?” Ye Qiao asked.

Su Ran had no reason to avoid it. After all, they were both men, and Ye Qiao was an artist. His praise seemed sincere.

“Sure,” Su Ran said, his voice calm.

Ye Qiao’s gaze deepened, and his fingers gently touched Su Ran’s skin, admiring the unmatched beauty of this “artwork.”

Though Su Ran had agreed, the touch made him tense up. Ye Qiao noticed, and his hand became more confident, almost enveloping Su Ran’s body.

Su Ran started to feel uncomfortable, surrounded by Ye Qiao’s scent. It was like he was being cornered.

Just then, Su Ran felt something tapping on his leg. He looked down and saw Zhao Mingzhe, who had woken up.

The little one looked upset, almost on the verge of tears. He stretched out his arms and said, “Ran Ran, hug.”

Su Ran immediately squatted down, picking him up. “Oh, baby, you’re awake! Are you hungry?”

Ye Qiao stood frozen in place, taking a deep breath. To his surprise, he was reacting!

His eyes turned to Zhao Mingzhe, who was being held in Su Ran’s arms. “This ill-timed little brat!”