Su Ling had just woken up when he saw Master holding a bowl of porridge and bringing it to him.
“You’re awake? Sorry, my timing was a bit off. The porridge had to be reheated, so it might not taste as good. Give it a try.”
Su Ling pressed his lips together. He wanted to say he was sorry—that the one who should apologize was him, not Master.
Su Ling finished the bowl of porridge one sip at a time, then stared at Master. He couldn’t speak, and one of his legs was broken, so there was nothing he could do. Actually, sometimes he thought he was pretty useless—other than being somewhat good-looking, he was a complete cripple.
Liu Ruyan was right. He was nothing but a little cripple, unable to do anything, only able to rely on others. Maybe the reason he didn’t hate Liu Ruyan all that much was because he depended on her? It was the same now—he could only eat because he relied on Master, and only with her help could he accomplish things he couldn’t do alone.
Master had said that later, when her belly got big and she couldn’t move around, he would have to take care of her. But could he really do that? He was just a cripple—could he actually take care of Master?
“What are you thinking about?”
Su Ling rubbed his head and looked at Master with a pitiful expression.
“Don’t think about things that don’t matter. Leave everything to Master!”
Gu Qingyuan spoke seriously as she picked up a set of pajamas she had prepared nearby.
“Come on, put these on. Then I’ll take you to play some games! It must be boring staying inside all day. After I teach you how to play, you can play games by yourself!”
Su Ling nodded gently. After putting on the pajamas, Master carried him to the game room. The game room wasn’t big, but it was richly decorated—a plush carpet covered the floor, and on a wide desk sat a huge monitor! No, it wasn’t just one monitor; it looked like three monitors pieced together. Next to the monitors was a small refrigerator, and posters and pictures were plastered all over the walls, each one looking exquisite.
Su Ling was carried to a chair and sat down, staring intently at Master as she started the computer and then watched her play games. He had never played games like this before; it was his first time seeing someone else play, so he watched with a curious expression.
Gu Qingyuan patted his head, then grabbed his little hand and placed it on the mouse together with hers!
“When we run into a boss, you press the mouse button, and I’ll press the other keys. Remember, left-click is attack, right-click is a heavy strike! Don’t keep pressing right-click all the time. Only press it when I tell you to. For normal enemies, just keep pressing left-click. Got it?”
Su Ling nodded, then stared seriously at the screen.
“Don’t move the mouse around. Keep your view straight ahead, and don’t spin it everywhere.”
Su Ling nodded again. His heart felt a little heavy. Master’s tone earlier wasn’t good—she seemed a bit annoyed. It was his fault for not being able to do anything right, not even such a simple task.
Gu Qingyuan made the character crash into a wall. She took a deep breath, annoyed, and turned to look at the little thing. But then she saw him looking dejected. In an instant, all her irritation vanished, replaced by guilt.
Gu Qingyuan turned Su Ling’s head and kissed him on the forehead. “Sorry, my tone was bad earlier. Here, a kiss. Don’t be sad, okay?”
Su Ling sniffled, shook his head, and picked up a notebook from the table beside him, then started writing. This was a small notebook he had noticed before. Gu Qingyuan glanced at it but didn’t pay much attention. She had picked up an interest in drawing a while back and used this notebook to practice, but she wasn’t very good at it, so she gave up on that idea.
Watching the little thing lower his head and write seriously, Gu Qingyuan suddenly recalled that when she had locked him up, Ye Moran had prepared a house for him that seemed to include a studio. That must have been for the little thing. Could the little thing draw? Maybe she should also prepare a studio for him. She liked playing games, but the little thing didn’t. She should find something he enjoyed doing.
After a while, Su Ling finally held up what he had written:
> (I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I wasn’t controlling it well. Master, don’t be angry. It’s better if you play by yourself. I’m not good at it.
> Also, I want to be good medicine. I can’t do anything right. When your belly gets big, I won’t be able to take care of you…)
Every word was written with force, showing how serious Su Ling was. Gu Qingyuan looked down at the disappointment in the little fellow’s eyes. After a moment of silence, she raised a hand and slapped him hard on the cheek!
Su Ling covered his cheek, a flash of grief passing through his eyes. ‘See? I really can’t do anything right. I only make Master angry!’ But the next moment, Master’s words stunned him.
“Don’t ever think like that again! Whether you’re useful or not is not for you to decide—it’s for me to decide! I’m the one who says whether you’re useless, and right now, I think you’re very useful! Don’t worry about things that don’t matter. I said I’d let you take care of me, so I will. I’m not going to risk my own life either! So trust me, okay, little thing?”
Su Ling looked up, his eyes already filled with tears. He understood now. Master wasn’t angry—no, that wasn’t right. Master was angry, but not because he was useless. She was angry because he had those thoughts. This was Master’s way of caring. She hit him because she wanted him to stop thinking like that.
With that realization, he couldn’t hold back anymore and threw himself into Master’s arms!
Gu Qingyuan smiled. After saying that, she felt a bit regretful—afraid that this foolish little thing might not understand her meaning and think she had hit him for no reason. But now it seemed she had underestimated him.
“Alright, stop crying. Let’s keep playing. It’s actually easy to make mistakes like that on your first try. You know what? When I first played, I ran into a little monster—a little monster, not a boss—and I couldn’t land a single hit on it, but it killed me in a few hits. Gaming is all about practice makes perfect. It’s your first time, so that’s why. I was harsh earlier. Take it slow this time, get familiar with it, and you’ll improve!”
Su Ling nodded, placing his hand back on the mouse. This time, he stared seriously at the screen, trying to control it bit by bit, moving the view. After several mistakes, he slowly got the hang of it. The view stopped spinning out of control, and wherever Master pointed, he moved the camera toward it.
“There’s a boss coming up. As soon as you see it, press the scroll wheel on the mouse, then keep pressing left-click. I’ll tell you when to press right-click.”
Su Ling nodded firmly. They continued walking for a while, and sure enough, they saw a strange monster—tall and oddly shaped, quite intimidating. He immediately pressed the scroll wheel, and a small dot appeared on the monster. When they got close, he frantically pressed left-click.
Gu Qingyuan stared at the screen without blinking, dodging at the right times. After several evasions, she seized an opportunity and shouted, “Press right-click!”
Su Ling did as told. The next moment, the boss staggered back from the heavy hit. Gu Qingyuan immediately took the chance to unleash a skill, closed in, and landed a combo. The boss was easily defeated.
“Good job, little thing. You cleared the boss on your first try without holding me back. In fact, you freed up one of my hands so I could rub your cat ears.”
Hearing this, Su Ling’s face instantly turned bright red. His heart felt great, and he couldn’t help rubbing his head against her chest. After doing that, he froze slightly. ‘That’s something a cat would do, isn’t it… I did it unconsciously.’ A wave of panic rose in his heart, but when he looked at Master, the fear quietly faded.
Becoming a cat wasn’t so bad, especially if it meant being Master’s cat.
He smiled at Master and continued playing the game under her guidance. Gradually, Su Ling felt tired. Staring at the screen for so long made him sleepy. He glanced at Master—she seemed to be really into it. He had no choice but to force himself to stay alert and keep accompanying her. But as time passed, his drowsiness grew heavier. Finally, when they defeated another boss, his body relaxed, and he couldn’t resist sleep anymore. His head tilted, and he dozed off.
After playing a bit longer, Gu Qingyuan also started to feel tired. She glanced at the little thing sleeping soundly in her arms and gave a helpless, wry smile. ‘I got too absorbed in the game and ignored the little thing.’ She shifted his position so he could lie more comfortably against her.
Then she turned her gaze to him. Seeing him with his mouth slightly open and drool about to drip down, she simply shut down the computer, held the little fellow in her arms, and lay down on the floor. This way, she had the cute little thing in her arms and could also stretch out and rest—it was a win-win!
She had designed this game room carefully. To create a sense of enclosure, it was a narrow, rectangular space with air conditioning. This time, she definitely wouldn’t let the little thing catch a cold!
The nap didn’t last long. Su Ling was woken by a sharp alarm sound. He looked up at Master dazedly, then at the phone on the table. He crawled over, picked up the phone, and turned off the alarm. When the phone rang again, Gu Qingyuan was jolted awake! She had been sleeping deeply and had no idea what was happening. She glanced at the phone—it was a call, not the alarm she had expected! She saw the time: 9:20. She answered, and a pleasant female voice came through the receiver: “I’ve arrived!”
With those few words, the other party hung up. Gu Qingyuan rubbed her forehead, opened the alarm app, and sure enough, saw that an alarm had been turned off! She looked helplessly at the little thing—he must have turned it off. But it wasn’t his fault; she was the one who had kept him up all night gaming. She could only blame herself!
Thinking this, she felt no anger at all! In the past, she would have gotten mad over little things like this, but now, except when the little thing was disobedient or trying to escape, she never got angry. ‘Sure enough, the little thing is my good medicine—he heals me.’ She affectionately lifted his head and placed a kiss on his forehead. She wanted to kiss his lips—his lips were soft and felt nice—but she was afraid it might hurt him, so she gave up on that idea. She carried him back to the bedroom, tucked him in, then tidied up a bit and left the house.
She went to the garage next door, took out a shuttle car she hadn’t used in a long time, and drove to the entrance of the manor. There, a woman carrying a suitcase stood, having waited for a long time! It was the blonde woman she had seen before when she took Su Ling to see the doctor.
“My busy friend, you finally came. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been standing here? Almost a whole half hour!”
“You’re here now. Get in the car!” Gu Qingyuan said flatly, then started the car. Although the other woman complained loudly, she still got in.
“Sit tight!”