Before he could finish speaking, Qin Rui was enveloped in a warm embrace.
The long-lost warmth, mixed with Qin Chu's unique cool scent, filled the air. Qin Rui stood there for a moment, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness. His feigned panic vanished, and his eyes genuinely reddened.
"Brother, I'm so scared! I'm afraid! I'm scared when you're not by my side!"
He was afraid he would never find Qin Chu again, afraid Qin Chu would never want him again. What if he and Qin Chu were to part ways like this? What if Qin Chu was just a dream in his life, gone once he woke up?
He doesn't want to accept it, and he can't accept it.
"It's alright...it's alright now." Qin Chu put down his sword and gently stroked Qin Rui's back, his words sounding as if he were comforting Qin Rui, but also as if he were comforting himself.
Qin Rui buried his face in Qin Chu's arms, his eyes burning, followed by uncontrollable tears. This was the first time he had ever cried in Qin Chu's arms...
Because he has returned; he has returned to Qin Chu's embrace.
This time, he will never leave again.
Chapter 66, Fourth Story (12)
The enemy attack caused quite a stir in the military camp, but fortunately, it was discovered in time and did not cause too much damage.
Qin Chu naturally led Qin Rui back to his tent.
Qin Rui was very happy. Although he tried his best not to show it too obviously, he still felt that the air around him had become lighter.
The people around her were all in a hurry, but Qin Rui really wanted to greet them sweetly.
Upon entering Qin Chu's tent, Qin Rui was somewhat surprised.
They had been at the military camp for some time, but Qin Chu's tent looked no different from when he left.
The corners and edges were unkempt, and the low table next to it was still standing, making it look like no one had ever lived there.
In fact, I never actually lived there.
Since arriving at the military camp, Qin Rui has been living with Doctor Su, and Qin Chu has never returned to his own tent at night.
Now that he's brought his child here, he realized he needed to make proper arrangements. After searching for a while, he finally found the bedding issued by the military camp and then lit a fire outside the tent to boil some water.
When Qin Chu returned, Qin Rui had already pulled up the corners of the bedding and made it up. He was sitting on it with his bright eyes looking at Qin Chu, almost patting the bed to urge Qin Chu to sleep with him.
Seeing him like this, Qin Chu felt a little relieved.
It seems he wasn't scared out of his wits.
He mixed some cold and hot water together and let the child wash up properly before lifting the blanket and holding Qin Rui to lie down inside.
Qin Rui was extremely excited and clung to Qin Chu, refusing to let go.
He couldn't help but recount to Qin Chu what had happened in the kitchen during the day, and also told Qin Chu what he had secretly eaten.
He rambled on for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Qin Chu's face and fell silent.
He was afraid that Qin Chu had been sleeping soundly and that his arrival would disturb his rest.
He had been talking non-stop, but now he suddenly stopped. Qin Chu wondered what was wrong, so she took his hand, patted it, and asked, "Why did you stop talking? Were you scared?"
They're still just kids, and it's inevitable that they'll be shocked to see someone sleeping next to them suddenly die.
Qin Chu didn't think much of the player's account dying. But if Qin Rui knew that the doctor Su who coaxed him to sleep every day actually wanted to kill him, he would probably feel a bit uncomfortable.
Qin Rui held Qin Chu without answering.
He wasn't afraid at all, and he knew that this Doctor Su wanted to kill him, but hadn't done so because of his brother. Qin Rui had no such thoughts whatsoever; many people wanted to kill him, and he didn't care about any of them.
It's fine if the doctor wants to kill him, but if he wants to do that kind of thing to Qin Chu, he's asking for death.
Qin Rui's eyes were indifferent, but he held Qin Chu tightly.
Qin Chu thought he was scared and wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a while, Noah reminded him and he finally spoke up: "Do you want to hear a story?"
Qin Rui nodded immediately, of course.
However, when Qin Chu saw the child's expectant eyes, he felt like he had dug a hole for himself.
He can't tell a single story...
With Noah's text as a guide, Qin Chu told the story of the Little Mermaid in a flat tone. An ordinary child would have fallen asleep long ago from his unchanging tone, but Qin Rui remained wide awake.
He held onto Qin Chu's clothes with both hands, but he couldn't really understand this love story.
After thinking for a while, he felt that he could understand, so he looked up at Qin Chu and said, "Brother, if I were in the sea and you were on the shore, I would also be willing to turn my tail into legs to come find you."
Qin Chu was so engrossed in telling his story that he was falling asleep and didn't immediately realize what he was talking about.
After saying that, Qin Rui realized it wasn't a good idea. He frowned, thinking that he and Qin Chu weren't the Little Mermaid and the Prince. The Little Mermaid and the Prince didn't end up together, but he and Qin Chu would stay together forever.
After hearing this story, Qin Rui suddenly remembered what Dr. Su had said that night.
He couldn't help but ask Qin Chu, "Brother, why can't the two boys be together?"
This time, Qin Chu realized what was happening. He glanced down at the child, somewhat surprised that someone his age would ask such a question. He immediately began to reflect on his decision; entrusting the child to that player had indeed been a mistake.
What kind of rubbish are they teaching?
"Brother..." Qin Chu began to answer, but then stopped mid-answer. He didn't know why two brothers couldn't be together. He didn't even know what a brother's gender was. Could those two brothers be together? It didn't seem likely.
Qin Chu: "..."
After a long silence, Qin Chu decided to seek outside help and relayed the problem to Noah.
Noah spent a long time explaining the philosophy of 0 and 1 to Qin Chu, and finally concluded: "World setting."
Qin Chu felt as if he had said nothing at all.
He glanced down at Qin Rui and saw that the kid was still waiting for his reply with wide eyes. Qin Chu thought for two seconds and then began to use the adult's perfunctory approach.
He reached out and pressed Qin Rui's head back into the blanket, saying succinctly, "Go to sleep."
Qin Rui: "..."
It seems we really can't be together.
Qin Rui buried himself in the quilt and looked at the birthmark on his left palm, thinking that it would be better if he weren't a boy.
After saying those two words, Qin Chu immediately felt that it was inappropriate.
With Dr. Su dead, Qin Rui can no longer sleep well like before.
He looked down at the child in his arms and saw that Qin Rui was silent and brooding, so he assumed he was sad. After a moment of silence, Qin Chu reached out and patted Qin Rui's head, then asked after thinking for a moment, "Do you miss Doctor Su?"
If he wanted to, given Qin Rui's current condition, Qin Chu would have to start capturing another player, hoping that these players would have the ability to put Qin Rui to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Qin Chu's question stirred up a hornet's nest.
After he asked the question, Qin Rui immediately threw off the covers and sat up, looking at him accusingly: "Brother, what do you mean by asking this? If I miss him, will you still let me go to him? If there's another person like him, will you still send me away?"
Qin Chu: "..."
Seeing that Qin Chu did not answer immediately, Qin Rui's eyes reddened.
He raised his hand to rub his eyes, his voice muffled: "How could you do this! I told you I don't like him, I don't miss him at all, and you're not allowed to like him either!"
Qin Chu, who disliked Dr. Su completely, was speechless.
Qin Chu had no idea how this question had made the child cry, so he could only sit up and comfort Qin Rui.
Seeing Qin Rui's disgusted expression, and recalling his worries when he confirmed that Doctor Su was a player earlier today, he finally nodded to the child: "Okay, I won't let you live with other people anymore."
Qin Rui was taken aback, not expecting to receive such a promise from Qin Chu.
He immediately perked up, wrapped his arms around Qin Chu's neck, and nuzzled his cheek against Qin Chu's neck: "Really? Brother, you keep your word! Even if I can't sleep for a long time, you can't give me away to someone else! It's a promise, you can't go back on your word!"
"I didn't give you away to someone else," Qin Chu corrected.
Qin Rui grabbed his hand and made a pinky promise with him: "I don't care, I'll only follow you from now on, brother, we'll always be together!"
Qin Rui was genuinely happy. He knew that Qin Chu always kept his word, and now that he had agreed, he wouldn't have to worry about having another Dr. Zhang or Dr. Li come along.
After fussing around for a while, Qin Rui finally obediently lay down in bed.
For a while, he thought about Qin Chu every night, tossing and turning, and even in his dreams, Qin Chu didn't want him anymore, and he was trying his best to chase after her, but Qin Chu didn't even glance at him.
Qin Rui thought he would never come back, but he never expected to be able to sleep with Qin Chu again.
Although he wasn't asleep, he felt as if he were having a beautiful dream.
Could it really be a dream...?
Qin Rui suddenly felt a little scared and reached out her small hand to grab Qin Chu's finger. Feeling the warmth of Qin Chu's palm, Qin Rui lowered her eyelashes, thinking that it didn't matter if Qin Chu didn't keep his promise.
No matter what, he will try his best to get back to Qin Chu's side, just like he did this time.
After thinking for a while, he felt uneasy again, so he slowly said while holding Qin Chu's hand, "Brother, I really don't like Doctor Su."
"He's a bad guy!" Qin Rui pursed her lips, trying to tell Qin Chu what she knew little by little. "He doesn't like me at all either, he thinks I'm a nuisance. Actually, he still wants to... he still wants to..."
Qin Rui suddenly couldn't speak. He stared at Qin Chu in the darkness, feeling that his brother was so good that he shouldn't have said anything offensive to him.
But Qin Chu had already looked at him and asked, "What else is he thinking about?"
Qin Rui's eyelashes fluttered, and he lowered his gaze, changing his words: "He also wanted to kill me..."
Qin Chu was taken aback, not expecting that Qin Rui already knew.
He was usually expressionless, but a faint pang of heartache flashed through his heart at this moment, and he subconsciously reached out and patted Qin Rui's back. He wondered how terrified the child would be to discover that the person beside him wanted to kill him while he was sound asleep.
Qin Rui sensitively caught this hint of heartache.
He instinctively wanted more, and on a whim, he pitifully fabricated a story: "My brother hits me, and he scolds me every night! I cry secretly every night..."
After thinking for a moment, he felt it wasn't tragic enough, so he added a supplement: "She was crying so loudly, but unfortunately you were so far away, brother, you couldn't hear anything."
After saying that, he looked up at Qin Chu with bright eyes, hoping to get a little more sympathy, but when he looked up, he saw Qin Chu staring at him with a puzzled look.
Qin Rui: ...
I feel a little guilty, not understanding exactly where I went wrong.
Qin Chu looked at him: "Were you crying? How come I didn't know?" He squatted behind Qin Rui's tent every day. He might not hear whispers, but he would definitely pay attention to crying.
Qin Rui didn't understand why he was so certain, but he persisted: "She cried! How would you know if you weren't with me, brother?"
Qin Chu: "..."