Little Pink Starfish

The little Jiangshi twitched his nose, waiting until the car completely disappeared from sight before withdrawing his gaze.

Zhang Qiu knew his son was having another bout of being a face-con, and to be fair, Qi Xi was indeed strikingly good-looking. He had never seen such a seductive man before—yet there wasn’t a hint of femininity about him. He was just like his car: a bold, unrestrained red.

Seeing both father and son staring at the vanishing car, Li Shu’s expression darkened slightly, and he asked coolly, “Is he good-looking?”

“Yeah—” Zhang Qiu turned back, caught sight of Li Shu’s face, and smartly swallowed the rest of his words. He chuckled, “The car is really good-looking, hahaha.”

Self high-five.

“Are you jealous?!” Zhang Qiu couldn’t help but tease Li Shu again, nudging his arm smugly. He grinned, “Don’t worry, in terms of beauty, you’re number one in my heart.”

Li Shu pulled him closer with ease, the corner of his lips curving up. “Beauty? Hmm?”

That deep, magnetic tone—Zhang Qiu was a complete sucker for Li Shu’s low, indifferent questioning style. Without thinking, he nodded vigorously and even doubled down on praising Li Shu’s devastating looks.

Li Shu raised an eyebrow, his arm around Zhang Qiu tightening slightly. Without another word, he led Zhang Qiu back home.

Zhang Qiu, still basking in his own cleverness, failed to notice anything amiss with Li Shu.

Trailing behind them, the little Jiangshi trotted along on his short legs, staring in confusion at his cheerful dad. Big Daddy is obviously mad, so why is Dad still so happy?

Back at Lu Feng’s home, Pei Qing and Xiao Lingdang had already left, and Prince Hui of Xiapi was nowhere to be seen. Lu Feng and Hua Ting were in the living room, watching cartoons with Hua Hua. When they saw them return, Hua Hua excitedly waved at the little Jiangshi. “Xiao Jiang, this is so fun to watch!”

Li Shu grabbed the little Jiangshi by his collar and tossed him onto the sofa. He turned to Lu Feng. “Please keep an eye on him.”

“You might as well watch with us. We don’t have anything urgent to do anyway.” Zhang Qiu happily ruffled his son’s hair. He had been wanting to watch this cartoon for ages—so exciting!

Li Shu glanced sideways at Zhang Qiu, lips curving slightly. “We do have something urgent.”

Lu Feng immediately caught on, while Hua Ting simply sighed at his naïve junior. The couple exchanged a knowing look and waved for the little Jiangshi to come over. Lu Feng turned to Li Shu, “You two go discuss whatever it is. Xiao Jiang can sleep with Hua Hua tonight.”

The little Jiangshi was already mesmerized by the cartoon’s fox character, happily swinging his short legs and flashing his little tiger teeth. He had long since forgotten about Big Daddy being mad. After all, with Dad around, as long as Dad cried and begged, Big Daddy would surely stop being angry.

After previously being locked out of the room, the little Jiangshi had already learned his lesson. But he still didn’t get why Big Daddy liked making Dad cry so much!

---

“What exactly is so serious?” Zhang Qiu finally noticed that Li Shu’s expression wasn’t right. He fired off a string of questions. “Did you find out who’s behind this? Or did my senior uncover something about the map from Emperor Jin Hui’s tomb? No, that’s not right—if he had, he would’ve told us. What’s going on?”

Bang.

Li Shu shut the door and immediately pinned the chatty Zhang Qiu against it. “Do you really only like my appearance?”

Zhang Qiu was initially startled by Li Shu’s solemnity, but upon hearing his question, he mentally tsk’d. Didn’t expect Li Shu to be such a little princess. Since his wife was acting petty, it was only right for him to indulge. He felt a wave of dominance surge in his chest.

Looking at Li Shu with what he believed was affectionate indulgence, Zhang Qiu answered seriously and firmly, “Of course! You’re the most beautiful!”

“Very good.” Li Shu’s smile deepened as he lowered his head, lips brushing against Zhang Qiu’s ear.

Zhang Qiu was pleased with himself. It was the first time he’d seen Li Shu acting so much like a pampered princess—it was quite fun. Smugly, he added, “You’re really beautiful and kind-hearted. If only we could switch positions in bed once in a while, it’d be perfect.”

“Switch positions?”

Zhang Qiu noticed that Li Shu didn’t outright reject the idea and even looked intrigued. Sensing an opportunity to finally assert his dominance, Zhang Qiu grew excited and began enthusiastically pitching the idea. “Yeah, you on bottom, me on top! You have no idea—being on the bottom feels amazing! No effort required, and the pleasure is totally different. I promise, after I serve you a few times, you’ll never want to be on top again!”

“Oh?”

Li Shu raised an eyebrow, appearing unbothered. Zhang Qiu patted his chest, making a firm vow—just short of saying, If you don’t enjoy it, you can beat me up. His plan was simple: get on top first, and deal with the rest later. Once he was done hyping it up, he gazed at Li Shu in anticipation, heart pounding as he watched Li Shu’s reaction.

“You’re going to serve me?”

Zhang Qiu nodded rapidly, like a little chick pecking rice. “Of course! I’ll take care of everything—you won’t have to lift a finger!”

“Alright,” Li Shu agreed without hesitation.

Zhang Qiu thought he had misheard. But when he saw Li Shu genuinely looking relaxed and willing, he was so overjoyed he nearly ran laps around the house. Afraid that Li Shu might change his mind, his hands trembled as he fumbled with his zipper.

Li Shu gently grasped his shaking hands, smiling warmly. “Take your time, no rush. I’ll wait for you.”

Look at him! Look at how gentle my Li Shu is! Zhang Qiu was so moved, he could’ve plucked out his own heart and offered it to Li Shu. With tears in his eyes, he vowed, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re completely comfortable.”

Li Shu simply smiled, and in Zhang Qiu’s eyes, that smile was pure kindness.

The heavens must have finally taken pity on me. My good days have finally arrived.

Zhang Qiu forced himself to stay composed. Alright, let’s devour this beautiful, kind-hearted, and gentle Li Shu!

Determined to make Li Shu enjoy being on the bottom, Zhang Qiu decided to take it slow and focus on foreplay. He pulled Li Shu into the bathroom, started filling the bathtub, and tenderly peeled off Li Shu’s T-shirt. But just as he was about to remove his pants, Li Shu grabbed his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Qiu asked anxiously, fearing Li Shu was having second thoughts.

Li Shu’s long fingers stroked Zhang Qiu’s lips gently. “Use this.”

Zhang Qiu’s face turned bright red. But thinking about how he was about to consume Li Shu, he told himself—So what if I have to make some sacrifices?

“Haha! Just you wait, you little rascal. I’ll show you what your Daddy Zhang Qiu is capable of!” Zhang Qiu hyped himself up internally. Then, fueled by his own fantasies of flipping the roles, he eagerly leaned forward…

Only to realize, far too late, that he had fallen into a trap.

By the time he was crying and begging, he had no idea how many times he’d been flipped over.

“Li Shu, are you going through menopause?!”

---

Zhang Qiu’s voice was hoarse as he refused the water Li Shu offered him.

Li Shu chuckled. “Do you want me to feed you with my mouth?”

Terrified, Zhang Qiu immediately leaned forward, lips touching the rim of the cup as he obediently drank. He then heard that bastard Li Shu sigh with regret, “What a shame.”

“What the hell is wrong with you today?!” Zhang Qiu huffed after his throat finally felt a little better.

“You said you only like my appearance.”

Zhang Qiu froze for a moment, then realized that all of this torment had been because of that one sentence. He gritted his teeth and dragged his sore waist over to pounce on Li Shu, gnashing his teeth. “You wanted to be treated like a little princess, and now you’re blaming me?!”

Infuriating! Life with this man is impossible!

Li Shu wrapped his arms around Zhang Qiu, his palm gently kneading his waist. This idiot.

“You really don’t get it?”

“I told you—I only like your looks—” Zhang Qiu suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Wait a minute…

He had never expected that Li Shu had been angry because of this. If Li Shu had said he only cared about Zhang Qiu because he had given birth to the little Jiangshi, Zhang Qiu would’ve beaten him to death!

After a moment of realization, Zhang Qiu suddenly grinned smugly and giggled. His tone was deliberately teasing. “Little Li Shu, do you really like me that much?”

Li Shu looked at the foolishly grinning man in his arms, his gaze soft as he replied indifferently, “Your waist doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Zhang Qiu, who had just been gloating, immediately tried to escape, but Li Shu grabbed him before he could. Zhang Qiu instantly started wailing in surrender. “Li Shu, I was wrong! I really won’t do it again! My kidneys hurt!”

Li Shu kissed the adorable idiot in his arms. “Mhm.”

“?”

Zhang Qiu blinked in confusion before it dawned on him—Li Shu’s response was to his earlier question, meaning he was admitting that he did like him very much.

In an instant, Zhang Qiu was overjoyed. His waist no longer ached, his kidneys no longer hurt, and he was just about to put his hands on his hips to revel in his triumph—

“Not in pain anymore? Should we go again?”

Before Li Shu even finished speaking, Zhang Qiu’s smug face collapsed. He faked a yawn and quickly curled up. “So sleepy! I need to sleep!” And before Li Shu could say anything else, he pretended to be fast asleep. A few minutes later, he actually was fast asleep.

---

Zhang Qiu slept like the dead. By the time he woke up, it was already two in the afternoon the next day.

When he went downstairs, everyone looked at him. His face burned with embarrassment, but he tried to act natural. “Hahaha, you’re all up so early! I must’ve been jet-lagged from arriving in Beijing—I overslept.”

Prince Hui of Xiapi simply smiled at him.

Zhang Qiu felt his face grow hotter. Ever since his second sister-in-law saw the hemorrhoid cream Li Shu had bought, she had been looking at him like she had seen through everything.

What could I even say?

It’s all Li Shu’s fault.

Li Shu walked up and wrapped an arm around Zhang Qiu’s waist. “Still feeling sore?”

Zhang Qiu was utterly mortified. Everyone at the table is watching! Is he trying to announce to the whole world that I was on the bottom?!

The little Jiangshi slid off his chair and toddled over, hugging Zhang Qiu’s leg. “Daddy, did Big Daddy bully you and make you cry again?”

Son, are you trying to sell me out?! Zhang Qiu pinched his son’s cheek and lied through his teeth. “No, your Big Daddy was the one crying!”

“Really?” The little Jiangshi was skeptical. “But every time Big Daddy gets mad, he always—”

Zhang Qiu quickly clamped a hand over his son’s mouth and glared at Li Shu. Li Shu, completely unbothered, said calmly, “Yesterday, your dad was on top.”

“Why the hell would you say that?!” Zhang Qiu nearly bit Li Shu. Then, realizing that his son was staring at them in confusion, he quickly changed the subject. We must not let a minor be exposed to this nonsense!

“So, how was the cartoon you watched yesterday?”

Sure enough, the little Jiangshi was successfully distracted. He nodded enthusiastically. “So good! The little bunny and little fox were both so cute!” And they looked delicious.

He then ran back to the table and picked up a small plate. “Daddy, look! A little fox!”

On the plate was a fox carved out of a carrot—exquisitely detailed, just like the one in the cartoon.

Zhang Qiu casually took it and bit off half its head. “Not bad. Who made this?”

“The brother from yesterday,” the little Jiangshi replied eagerly. “Daddy, is the little fox tasty?”

“It’s just crunchy and sweet like a carrot,” Zhang Qiu said, stuffing the remaining half into his son’s mouth. Then he suddenly realized—Wait a minute… He turned to Li Shu. “Brother from yesterday? Who?”

The little Jiangshi spoke up first. “The pretty ‘Heehee’ brother with the car from yesterday.”

Zhang Qiu thought for a moment before realizing it was Qi Xi. He was confused. “I just slept for a while, and now our little Jiangshi is calling him ‘brother’ all of a sudden? What happened?”

Hua Ting explained, “After watching Zootopia yesterday, the housekeeper made bunny-shaped red bean buns for breakfast. Hua Hua and Xiao Jiang wanted to share them with Yang Bao, so they sneaked out. Not long after, they came back holding two carved carrot foxes.”

“Brother Hua Hua’s bun got dirty, so the ‘Heehee’ brother made us little foxes instead,” the little Jiangshi added, clearly much more fond of the carrot fox.

Zhang Qiu thought Qi Xi was surprisingly kind-hearted.

Hua Ting, who normally didn’t follow celebrities, still knew about Qi Xi. “He’s pretty independent and has a strong sense of justice—not like a typical celebrity.”

“We should visit him sometime to thank him,” Lu Feng added.

Hua Ting nodded in agreement.

Li Shu walked over with a bowl of soup and handed it to Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu, having just woken up starving, didn’t hold back. He had vaguely heard Li Shu calling him for lunch earlier, but he had been too exhausted to get up.

Just as Zhang Qiu finished eating, Lu Feng’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, he hung up and said, “An elder is hosting a banquet tomorrow, and Su Zhicai will be there.”

The map from Emperor Jin Hui’s tomb had yet to be deciphered, and even if they managed to decode it, they would still be at a disadvantage—out in the open while their enemies lurked in the shadows. They had no choice but to search for the truth, as the second brother’s resurrection depended on it.

However, now that they had a lead on Su Zhicai, they had another avenue to gather information. Naturally, they all wanted to go—it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

---

The next evening, everyone dressed in formal attire.

Li Shu wore the same suit from the previous auction, but Zhang Qiu had been forced into a brand-new, high-end outfit. Seeing Zhang Qiu wrapped up tightly, Li Shu’s gaze darkened.

“Hold it right there!” Zhang Qiu, noticing Li Shu’s expression, felt an ominous chill. “I don’t want to get my clothes dirty!”

Li Shu smiled. “Dirty with what?” He leaned in, lips brushing Zhang Qiu’s earlobe, his voice a seductive murmur.

Zhang Qiu’s legs nearly gave out. Curse these beauty traps!

Just as Zhang Qiu was about to succumb to temptation, the sound of little footsteps came from the doorway.

The little Jiangshi was dressed in a tiny black suit with a bow tie at the collar, looking both gentlemanly and adorable. His soft, curly hair bounced with every step he took. Zhang Qiu’s heart melted along with those bouncing curls. He reached out and ruffled his son’s hair. “My little Jiangshi is so handsome!”

“Daddy is handsome too!”

The father and son exchanged compliments.

Li Shu calmly glanced at Zhang Qiu. Instantly recalling the “misunderstanding” from last time, Zhang Qiu swiftly changed his tune, slapping on a flattery-filled grin. “Li Shu is the most handsome of all!”

The little Jiangshi, being a good son, chimed in loudly, “Big Daddy is the strongest and the best-looking!”

Truly, a pair of face-con father and son.

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