Chapter 3: Can’t Get Rid Of
Gu Tang gathered all his strength and burst into loud crying.
His little face turned bright red.
Not from exhaustion—from excitement!
In his previous life, from the time he could remember he had been lying in a hospital bed, and he stayed there until his last breath. For him, the simple health ordinary people had was something unimaginably luxurious.
But now it was different!
With the 20 life points he had just gained, plus the cheese stick Gu Lin had fed him, Gu Tang felt better than ever before. If not for his short legs, running three thousand meters in one breath wouldn’t have been a problem.
A toddler’s body couldn’t run, of course—but using the energy of running three thousand meters to cry was definitely possible.
Make a big commotion!
Heat up the scene!
Let’s see if that evil nanny still dares to steal the child now, hmph!!
Wang Sue really was stunned.
She never imagined that the little brat she bought—who couldn’t even make a sound before—could produce such a loud cry. The noise made her head buzz, and for a moment she didn’t know whether she should go pick up Young Master Gu first or cover Gu Tang’s mouth.
Compared with the nanny, Gu Qinian was much closer to the wildly crying toddler and therefore suffered the greatest sonic attack.
“……”
In both his lifetimes, Gu Qinian had never heard such a loud noise.
The milk dumpling lay on top of him, crying with tremendous effort.
Like a rainstorm of pear blossoms, like raging waves.
With a kind of intensity that didn’t care whether he lived or died.
All the grudges and resentment from his previous life were completely washed away by this earth-shaking crying.
At this moment, Young Master Gu only felt dizzy, his ears ringing, his mind blank. Silently he thought: everything in the past is like drifting clouds. As long as this milk dumpling stops crying, anything I have can be given to him—
Just to stuff that howling little mouth!
If he keeps crying, I’ll give him my life too…
—
In the room next door.
Gu Lin was leaning against the balcony railing, answering a phone call from Madam Su Mei.
“You… you don’t visit me all year, and when you finally have a vacation you go back to your brother’s place. What are you doing there?”
“Yes, that’s the Gu family’s main residence, but your father isn’t around anymore. The two of us should know our place. Even if your brother doesn’t say anything, is it really appropriate for us to stay there? Keep some distance. Distance creates beauty, understand?”
Madam Su rambled on for quite a while. Gu Lin occasionally responded with a faint “mm.” Hearing that, he asked in return,
“Is that why you stay in the presidential suite at a hotel instead of going home?”
“Of course not!”
Madam Su strategically took a sip of tea, then suddenly asked as if something occurred to her.
“Hey, you didn’t go to see the baby, did you?”
“Of course not!”
Gu Lin, whose thoughts had been exposed, suddenly raised his voice. “I don’t even like children! W-what’s there to see?!”
Su Mei sighed, thinking her son truly resembled her, and continued speaking to herself.
“Your brother and his wife are so busy they don’t even go home. They probably don’t even know what their child looks like now. The baby is almost one year old, and they haven’t even given him a name yet…”
“If your father were still alive, even though I’m only a step-grandmother, I could at least go take care of the child. But now leaving everything to the nanny—how can anyone feel at ease?”
Naturally it wasn’t reassuring.
He had just seen the child crawling around on the floor!
Listening to his mother’s words and recalling the image of the toddler crawling alone to the doorway earlier, Gu Lin suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
After ending the call, he was about to go back inside.
Then the cry of a baby drifted over with the wind.
Normally the soundproofing of the Gu family’s main villa was excellent, but coincidentally, not far from the balcony where Gu Lin stood was the ventilation window of the nursery.
The toddler’s crying had extremely strong penetration. Even from that distance, one could hear the grievance and accusation within it.
Gu Lin’s entire body jolted.
“What’s going on?!”
—
Half a minute later.
Gu Lin kicked open the nursery door.
Sure enough!
He knew his obedient and adorable little nephew wouldn’t cry that loudly without reason!
Inside, the nanny was holding a teddy bear plush toy, while his little nephew was tightly hugging the teddy bear’s leg, hanging on desperately and playing tug-of-war with the nanny over the bear.
Luckily plush toys didn’t wear pants.
Otherwise, the teddy bear’s pants would definitely have been pulled off by his nephew!
Gu Qinian, who was currently enduring tremendous pulling force: “……”
The pants wouldn’t fall off, but his leg was about to break.
“Aoo aoo aoo—wuu…”
The moment Gu Tang saw the Gu family’s little uncle appear, he instantly stopped crying. Within one second he switched seamlessly from loud wailing to soft whimpering sobs.
The toddler’s little face had turned red from crying, and tears still hung on his eyelashes, ready to fall. The intermittent sniffles made him look even more pitiful.
Gu Lin’s heart clenched at the sight. He rushed forward and picked up the toddler.
One hand supporting the little butt, the other holding the back of the head—an absolutely textbook baby-holding posture. It was obvious he had practiced.
Gu Tang rested safely on his shoulder, and didn’t forget to turn back and wink at Young Master Gu.
Gu Qinian witnessed the entire dramatic performance of the milk dumpling: “……”
“Why are you taking the child’s toy?” Gu Lin scolded the nanny angrily while comforting Gu Tang.
Although Second Young Master Gu was still just a teenager, he was already nearly 180 centimeters tall, and carried the cold, imposing aura unique to the Gu family. Looking down from above, he was extremely intimidating.
Facing the questioning, Wang Sue stammered nervously, but cunningly pressed down on the “little bear cub’s” head.
Gu Qinian struggled to raise his neck, but unfortunately his head was currently not even as big as the nanny’s hand.
He couldn’t lift it up.
“N-not…”
A soft baby voice suddenly sounded from the side.
Gu Qinian still had the bite mark left on his face, so he naturally knew that this slightly lisping voice came from the milk dumpling—after all, the kid’s front teeth hadn’t fully grown yet.
The milk dumpling with incomplete front teeth stretched out a little hand and tugged on his hood.
The hood of the little bear onesie was pulled down.
Revealing Young Master Gu’s sharp eyes.
This… wasn’t a toy?!!
When Gu Lin saw the small head under the hood, he realized the nanny was not holding a plush toy, but a toddler wearing a little bear onesie!
Before he could even ask “Why are there two children?”, he first clearly saw the appearance of the “bear cub.”
Gu Lin froze on the spot—
This toddler’s looks, skin tone, even his temperament, were almost exactly the type that had been passed down through generations in the Gu family. Even if Gu Lin didn’t know what his older brother looked like as a child, he at least saw his own reflection in the mirror every day.
At first glance, this little kid looked at least eighty or ninety percent similar to how he himself looked when he was young.
Obviously, the “bear cub” was his real nephew.
Then…
Who exactly was the child in his arms???
“Th-this is my child!”
Seeing the situation turning bad, Wang Sue quickly set Young Master Gu down and reached out to grab Gu Tang instead, afraid her child-swapping plan would be exposed.
“I usually take care of the young master and have no time for my own child. Sometimes when I miss him, I secretly bring him here. He can also keep the young master company… I won’t dare do it again. Please don’t tell Sir…”
After all, Gu Lin was only a teenage boy.
As long as she insisted that the child was hers, the Second Young Master couldn’t really do anything about it—at most he could scold her a few times.
As for this little brat suddenly crying so loudly… maybe his health had improved? She would take him back and check later.
Gu Lin did hesitate for a moment.
Seeing the nanny reaching out to take the toddler from his arms, his fingers tightened unconsciously. He didn’t want to let go.
But what else could he do?
This was someone else’s child…
“Lit…”
The toddler suddenly lifted his face. His clear, bright eyes looked straight at him. His small mouth moved slowly as he pronounced two words:
“Li—ttle… Un—cle…”
Gu Lin’s pupils shrank. “What?”
Gu Tang was a little anxious. That Human Infant Language System seemed to completely simulate the real development process of children. When speaking new words, it always took a bit of adaptation before they could come out smoothly.
After finally finding the right syllables, Gu Tang grabbed the front of Second Young Master Gu’s clothes with both little hands and said forcefully:
“Little Uncle, save—me—!”
This toddler may not be my real nephew.
But he called me Little Uncle!
Gu Lin’s head heated up instantly. Hugging Gu Tang tightly, he dodged the nanny’s reaching hand.
“You’re not taking this one either!”
Wang Sue didn’t expect Second Young Master Gu to suddenly change his mind. Her heart skipped a beat as she said anxiously,
“But he’s my child…”
“Your own child? I don’t think so!”
The baby in his arms was so adorable, yet didn’t resemble the nanny in the slightest.
Gu Lin’s gaze sharpened as he held the toddler firmly, refusing to give him up.
“This child looks barely over one year old. But you came to our house a year and a half ago to care for my sister-in-law during her pregnancy and childbirth preparations. During that time you never took a single leave. So tell me—when exactly did you give birth to him?”
“Th-that…”
Wang Sue opened her mouth but was speechless.
Gu Lin no longer hesitated. He directly pressed the bell to summon the housekeeper.
“There’s something wrong in this house. Contact my brother. Call the police. And notify a doctor to come check the two children.”
Wang Sue’s face turned pale. She stood frozen for a moment before collapsing onto the floor.
Gu Lin lowered his head and gently patted the toddler’s little head.
“Don’t be afraid. Your little uncle won’t let anyone take you away casually.”
Gu Tang silently gave Second Young Master Gu a thumbs-up.
As expected of a member of the Gu family.
Clear thinking. Little Uncle is awesome!
Seeing the milk dumpling give Gu Lin a thumbs-up, Gu Qinian frowned slightly.
Was something this trivial really worth praising?
What a little flatterer…
Snorting quietly in his heart, Young Master Gu closed his eyes and couldn’t be bothered to look anymore.
That night, nine o’clock.
The three floors of the Gu family’s main residence were brightly lit.
The two toddlers, as victims, sat on the sofa in the first-floor living room… giving statements.
The police officer handling the case hadn’t expected such young children to provide any useful information. Normally they would simply skip asking them.
But the child with the round face and big bright eyes clearly spoke:
“They bought a baby, stole a baby—bad bad bad!”
Although children’s words are innocent and not usually taken seriously, the toddler’s statement was far too pointed.
Following that lead, the police questioned further. The nanny could not clearly explain the origin of the child. At the same time, the doctor conducting the medical examination discovered traces of a paralytic drug in one of the toddlers’ bodies, making the nanny a major suspect.
Wang Sue had to face legal punishment.
However, the incident also exposed a very serious security problem in the Gu residence.
Because the young master showed symptoms of autism, he had always been cared for solely by the nanny. Other household staff were not allowed to approach the nursery area. As a result, no one actually knew what the young master looked like—so even if the child had been replaced, no one would have noticed.
Watching Wang Sue being taken away in handcuffs, the housekeeper wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Fortunately the Second Young Master came back today!”
“You should say it was thanks to this child.”
Gu Lin had just finished a phone call with his older brother. In a good mood, he sat down on the sofa and casually patted the toddler’s head.
During the call, he had received gratitude and praise from the head of the Gu family.
Not only that, his brother had also seriously invited Madam Su to move back home, hoping their mother could help take care of the baby.
Gu Lin knew that Su Mei had spent half her life feeling inferior because she was a stepmother, always worried about displeasing her stepson. After their father passed away, before his brother even said anything, Madam Su had already chosen to move out on her own.
But if she could afford a house, why stay in a hotel? Didn’t she still want to come home? She just lacked a reason.
Now that his brother had invited their mother to return and take charge, Madam Su happily agreed.
The family could be together again.
All thanks to this child…
Gu Lin curved his lips slightly and gently stroked the toddler’s little head with extra tenderness.
The police station couldn’t find any information about the child. Most likely he would be sent to a welfare institute first.
Gu Lin had made up an excuse, saying he still couldn’t confirm which child was actually his nephew and needed to wait for medical identification. That was how he temporarily kept the child here.
He wondered how his brother would deal with this toddler later…
Gu Tang felt very comfortable being patted on the head.
By the way, had the Gu family’s little uncle specially learned infant massage techniques?
He was way too good at it!
Feeling so comfortable, Gu Tang narrowed his eyes and curled into a little ball on the sofa. His eyelids drooped, and his head started nodding.
Crying so loudly consumed a lot of energy.
He had even forced himself to provide clues to the police uncle. Now he was completely exhausted.
Gu Tang couldn’t hold on any longer. Under the soothing pats he fell asleep instantly, but his two little hands still tightly hugged Young Master Gu’s leg, as if afraid someone might kidnap him.
Gu Qinian frowned slightly and kicked his leg, then tried pulling at the toddler’s hands a few times, but still couldn’t pry them off.
This little clingy dumpling was impossible to shake off. So annoying.
After struggling for a while, Young Master Gu also grew tired. He stared at the “leg accessory dumpling” for a moment, then closed his eyes and simply leaned back.
Forget it. I’ll just sleep like this…
***
Author’s Note:
When they were little—
Young Master Gu: Can’t shake him off. So annoying.
When they grow up—
Young Master Gu: Wife, hug me!
PS: When writing the ending of this chapter, I kept imagining tang bu shuai (sweet glutinous dessert balls). Sweet and chewy, super delicious!
