When they got home, Kouko was still quietly sleeping in bed, unchanged from before.

Qiao Wanqing had worried that Gu Yanqing would wake Kouko when he came back drunk, so she had carefully placed Koko in a more inside position to sleep.

Gu Yanqing’s bed was large, so even if she helped him onto the bed, it wouldn’t disturb Kouko.

Seeing Gu Yanqing so drunk, the butler quickly prepared a cup of honey water to help him sober up.

He handed the cup to Qiao Wanqing and said, “Miss Qiao, I’ll head to bed now.”

“Okay, thank you, Uncle Qing.”

After the butler left, he kindly closed the door behind him.

Qiao Wanqing held the cup and watched Gu Yanqing leaning against the bed with his eyes half-closed, his shirt collar open and his face slightly flushed.

He was handsome as always, usually serious and aloof in front of others, but gentle with her.

Right now, however, he looked charming and alluring, making it hard to look away.

Qiao Wanqing instantly understood the phrase: “bewitched by beauty.”

She shook her head to dismiss those messy thoughts and said, “Here, drink some honey water to help you sober up.”

“You feed me,” he said shamelessly.

“… Really?” Qiao Wanqing laughed and teased, “Do you want me to feed you with my mouth too?”

Gu Yanqing opened his eyes, looking intently at her.

“Dream on, just drink.”

She brought the cup to his lips, and after he finished the entire cup, she set it aside and said, “I’ll take Kouko back to my room first. You rest well.”

As she turned to leave, Gu Yanqing grabbed her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to take a shower.”

… This plan is too obvious.

Qiao Wanqing didn’t believe his words.

He must be thinking about her helping him wash up, and with just the two of them in the steamy bathroom, what could happen was clear.

Isn’t this the usual plot in novels? Maybe there’d be some bathroom play or something.

Qiao Wanqing said, “I’ll call the butler to help you. He should still be awake.”

“…” Gu Yanqing was silent for a second, then said, “Never mind.”

Qiao Wanqing couldn’t help but laugh: “Just relax. It’s not a big deal for one night.”

Gu Yanqing settled for less: “How about a goodnight kiss?”

That was hard to refuse.

Just as Qiao Wanqing turned to lean in, he suddenly pulled her into his arms, kissing her with a hint of alcohol.

This kiss wasn’t gentle like usual; it felt rough and intense, but not in a bad way.

Instead, it made her feel warm all over, like her blood was boiling and her skin was hot enough to fry an egg.

Qiao Wanqing used to hate the smell of alcohol on drunk people, but maybe because she had just had honey water or because he was her boyfriend, his breath didn’t smell too strong.

Instead of feeling repulsed, it became enticing, stirring her emotions.

She felt like she might get drunk too…

Gu Yanqing turned and pushed her onto the bed.

Qiao Wanqing felt something was off, but she didn’t want to resist, like a cup of poison that she knew she shouldn’t drink but couldn’t resist its tempting appearance…

Just as she was lost in the moment, their child suddenly mumbled something, calling out “Mom,” pulling them both back to reality.

Especially Qiao Wanqing, who nearly jumped off the bed.

What were they doing?!

Right in front of Kouko, too!

Gu Yanqing shot a displeased look at his silly son, but unfortunately, Kouko tilted his head and fell back asleep.

“I… I’ll hold Koko and go back to sleep now,” Qiao Wanqing said, adjusting her messy pajamas as she picked up Kouko.

“You should get some rest too.”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

He had planned to take advantage of the situation while drunk, finally having the perfect moment.

He even thought about how Qiao Wanqing would be worried about him with Kouko in another room, so the butler was supposed to bring Kouko over to sleep with him.

Kouko was small and slept deeply, so they could do some not-so-appropriate things without waking him.

But who knew Kouko would be so uncooperative today?

And he couldn’t scold or hit his son, leaving Gu Yanqing with nowhere to vent his frustration.

So, he woke up the next day feeling irritated…

Gu Yanqing didn’t consider himself an urgent or lustful person; he even thought he might never find someone he liked and would be a monk forever.

Plus, he wasn’t some 20-year-old guy, so this feeling was really…

Looking in the mirror at the two pimples popping up, even Gu Yanqing, who usually thought he had thick skin, felt a bit embarrassed.

In the morning, when he had breakfast, Qiao Wanqing took Kouko out for a walk in the cooler weather, so she didn’t see his awkward situation.

When he got to work, his assistant Wang Xiao saw the pimples and, not fearing for his life, said, “Gu Zong, you’re feeling hot! I have some Banlan root, do you want it?”

Banlan root, seriously?!

With a dark expression, Gu Yanqing sat down in his office chair and asked Wang Xiao, “Has the person for the A City business trip been confirmed?”

“Not yet. Mr. Huo is really difficult to deal with, so no one wants to go. I’ll confirm it by the end of the day at the latest.”

“You go,” Gu Yanqing said.

“???” Wang Xiao paused. “Are you sure, Gu Zong?”

Gu Yanqing nodded. “You’re suitable. I have faith in you.”

Wang Xiao: “…”

What does “suitable” even mean?

That project with Mr. Huo is stingy and difficult to deal with, and it’s not even a big project, so everyone is pushing it around.

No one wants to take this job.

Wang Xiao felt distressed for bringing bad luck to his boss.

Gu Yanqing, seeing others unhappy, finally felt a bit better himself.

Happiness often comes from seeing others in pain…

---

Taking advantage of some free time, Gu Yanqing and Qiao Wanqing took Kouko to various indoor places like an indoor playground, a museum, and an aquarium.

Kouko, being a small-town kid, was full of curiosity about everything he saw.

His favorite was the aquarium, where he watched all the amazing fish and jellyfish, eyes wide open as if he had discovered a new world.

As long as he wasn’t drooling, of course.

Qiao Wanqing laughed and wiped his mouth with a tissue, saying, “Is he thinking about what delicious dishes these fish could become, drooling like this?”

“Maybe he’s dreaming of a seafood feast.”

“…Then let’s have Sister Shu make fish soup for Koko tonight since he’s craving it.” Qiao Wanqing whispered, feeling it was rude to discuss eating fish in an ocean-themed place.

With the hot weather, going outside wasn’t ideal.

She suspected that if they took Kouko to the zoo, he would think about food every time he saw an animal.

Even planes, his first thought would be about how they might taste…

The issue was that he was so young, and his diet was limited.

Qiao Wanqing mostly fed him staple foods and vegetables, with meat usually as minced meat in soup.

He did like fish because it was tender and ate a lot of it, mainly as fish porridge or fish soup, but he hadn’t tried fancy seafood yet.

So why was he so obsessed with food?

Is this how all little kids are?