Chapter 22 - The Supporting Villain Is Raising a Cub Online

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Your Qingqing Fell Down, How Can He Get Back Up?

 

 

Tan Qing, clutching a thick stack of cash, contentedly rode the last bus back to He Mingyu's home.

 

The living room was brightly lit.

 

Peeking his head out from the entrance, Tan Qing saw that He Mingyu had already returned and was now sitting on the sofa in the center of the room.

 

Lin Yu, standing by He Mingyu's side, turned around the moment the door opened, his eyes lighting up as if he had just seen a savior. "Mr. Tan, you're back!"

 

Tan Qing: "..."

 

Feeling a bit awkward, Tan Qing rubbed his nose and shyly shot Lin Yu a playful wink. "Oh… you're so excited to see me, it's almost embarrassing…"

 

Lin Yu: "..."

 

Lin Yu stiffened for a moment and instinctively glanced at He Mingyu, only to receive a deep, solemn look from his boss—one that would likely have a negative impact on his year-end bonus.

 

Before He Mingyu's gaze could linger any longer, Lin Yu immediately shrank to the side. "Mr. Tan, the boss has been waiting for you for a while."

 

Tan Qing, too, saw He Mingyu sitting there.

 

Hopping along the small pebble path from the entrance, Tan Qing bounced into the living room, took off his coat, and sat down in the chair opposite He Mingyu. He stretched out his hands, grabbed two small walnuts from the fruit plate, and began peeling them, while curiously asking, "Didn't you say you had urgent business back at your old house and wouldn't be back for a few days? How come you're back so soon?"

 

His slender, fair fingers deftly peeled the walnuts, leaving the walnut meat intact. He piled the shells up neatly and held the walnuts in his palms, nibbling at them slowly.

 

He Mingyu's gaze lingered on his fingertips for a long moment before he finally replied, "I forgot some documents and came back to get them."

 

Tan Qing bit into a walnut piece, chewing it bit by bit. "Oh… so are you heading back tonight?"

 

He Mingyu's voice remained as cold as ever. "No, I'll leave before noon tomorrow."

 

Tan Qing picked out two more small walnuts, expertly peeled the white walnut meat, and placed them in his palm. Then, with a sweet smile, he extended his hand to He Mingyu. "Here, this is for you. Thanks for the VIP card today."

 

Lin Yu was taken aback and was about to intervene. "Mr. Tan, our boss doesn't…"

 

But before he could finish, He Mingyu had already reached out, picked the largest walnut piece from Tan Qing's hand, and calmly ate it. "Why did you go to that bar?"

 

Of course, Tan Qing wasn't about to confess that he went there for fun.

 

His legs, hidden under the table, shifted uncomfortably as he carefully selected his words, throwing the blame elsewhere. "Well, a thief stole my money and then ran into the bar. That thief was really outrageous!"

 

He Mingyu gave him a pointed look. "I wasn't aware ordinary thieves could make it to the third floor of that bar."

 

Tan Qing: "..."

 

His eyes darted nervously, searching for a way to change the subject. "Let's not dwell on that. I got my money back, didn't I? Do you want more walnuts?"

 

He Mingyu didn't respond.

 

Feeling somewhat guilty, Tan Qing lowered his head in submission under He Mingyu's cold gaze. "Okay, fine. There were… some unexpected circumstances…"

 

From the very beginning, He Mingyu sensed something was off.

 

Especially when he heard that the "thief" was taken up to the third floor of a private room, his brows furrowed tightly. "What did you say the person in the private room introduced themselves as?"

 

Tan Qing, now drowsy from the night's events, began reaching for more walnuts. However, this time, his hand was intercepted mid-air by He Mingyu.

 

He Mingyu's large, firm hand enveloped Tan Qing's soft, pale one, making it seem as though his hand was completely encased.

 

He Mingyu, his face weary from several sleepless nights, held onto Tan Qing's hand without releasing it. He asked again, "Was the person in the private room a foreigner?"

 

Tan Qing simply couldn't keep up with He Mingyu's ability to stay up late. After a night of bar-hopping, he was now as sleepy as a little chick pecking at grains, barely able to keep his eyes open.

 

He rubbed his eyes and pitifully replied, "Yeah, he said his name was a long string of English letters."

 

He Mingyu: "What was the name?"

 

Tan Qing's face turned even more clueless, and he pouted innocently. "I don't know… I can't read English."

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

For the first time in his life, He Mingyu, who had never once looked down on anyone for their lack of knowledge, felt utterly defeated by someone who didn't know basic English.

 

Tan Qing yawned and suddenly seemed to remember something important. He looked seriously at He Mingyu and nodded. "Oh, right, he said he also has a Chinese name."

 

He Mingyu's expression tightened. "What is it?"

 

Suddenly growing cautious from He Mingyu's persistent questioning, Tan Qing shot him a wary glance. "Not telling you."

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

Defeated in his interrogation, He Mingyu could only watch as Tan Qing stood up, stretched lazily, and prepared to head to the bedroom to sleep.

 

As he stretched, the shirt that had been hanging loosely around his hips rose higher, revealing a delicate, pale strip of his waist.

 

Tan Qing finished his stretch and started toward the bedroom, but he hadn't taken more than a couple of steps before He Mingyu called out from behind him, "Tan Qing."

 

Tan Qing turned his head. "Yeah?"

 

Even while seated on the plush sofa, He Mingyu's posture remained upright and firm, as straight as a towering pine tree.

 

Ever since he was a little fox, constantly being scolded for his sloppy posture, Tan Qing had always admired people like He Mingyu. But deep down, he felt like he could never be on the same path as them.

 

Feeling deflated, Tan Qing slumped down. "Fine, his name is Yan Jianbai."

 

He took a few steps forward in his bunny slippers but stopped again. As if unwilling to give up, he turned back and, with a sincere tone, warned He Mingyu, "I'm telling you, that guy is really strange. If you're planning on developing any... inappropriate relationship with him, you better be careful, okay?"

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

He had been in the middle of signing a document, but at Tan Qing's words, his once-fluid penmanship veered off the page. Taking a deep breath, He Mingyu took a moment to compose himself before fixing his gaze on Tan Qing for a long time. Finally, he said, "Tan Qing, I don't care where you go or how you want to play, but I hope you remember—you're a father now."

 

"Even if you don't fully grasp what that means yet, before you get involved with anyone... I think you should at least consider it. Whether for Tan Jiji's sake or for the sake of his other father."

 

Tan Qing blinked his beautiful eyes, his expression pure and innocent.

 

He gazed up at He Mingyu for a long time before speaking, his voice filled with sorrow. "But Jiji's other dad doesn't even want him..."

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

Feeling a headache coming on, He Mingyu quickly changed the subject. "Yan Jianbai is not from around here, and his behavior is rather reckless. Tan Qing, I don't want to see you getting too close to him."

 

Tan Qing scrunched his nose and, obediently, replied, "Okay, got it."

 

He lowered his head, fiddling with the bunny ears on his slippers, then added, in a pitiful voice, "But can I still hang out with Ji Yanxiu? I'm about to join his production crew!"

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

Cold and emotionless, He Mingyu dealt a blow to Tan Qing: "Ji Yanxiu is very close with Ran Anluo."

 

Tan Qing: "Sigh!"

 

With a defeated look, Tan Qing trudged back to his room like a sulking kitten licking its wounds.

 

On a normal day, if both He Mingyu and Tan Qing were home, Tan Qing would never wake up in the middle of the night to check if Tan Jiji needed a diaper change.

 

But tonight was different.

 

During the day, the chubby little one had cried so much that his fox ears and tail had popped out. Tan Qing, worried that something might happen during the night, kept getting up to check multiple times, terrified that if his true form was revealed, He Mingyu would drag him off to a research lab.

 

After running back and forth all night, by dawn, Tan Qing could barely keep his eyes open. He curled up in the soft, warm bedding, and had just fallen asleep when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

 

"Tan Qing, it's 7:30. Time to get up and eat."

 

Ahhhhh—!!!

 

It was that annoying He Mingyu again!

 

Tan Qing jolted up in his bed, furious, and buried his face in the pillow, muttering, "I'm not eating! I'm not getting up!"

 

He Mingyu's voice remained cool, "Tan Jiji is already awake and sitting in his high chair. Are you really not getting up?"

 

Tan Qing: "..."

 

He flipped over in frustration, his voice muffled through the door, "Tan Jiji, go back to bed!"

 

He Mingyu: "..."

 

The sound of faint footsteps grew distant from the bedroom door.

 

Tan Qing sighed in relief, ready to dive back into his slumber, but just as he was about to drift off, the footsteps returned.

 

The next moment, the sound of the key turning in the lock echoed through the room.

 

He Mingyu opened the door and, with a serious tone, said, "A good parent should set a proper example of time management for their child."

 

Tan Qing: "..."

 

Fuming, Tan Qing yanked the pillow out from under his head and threw it at He Mingyu.

 

He Mingyu caught the pillow effortlessly and sat down on the edge of Tan Qing's bed. "Get up. The child is already sitting in his chair."

 

Tan Qing: "..."

 

Seething, Tan Qing flipped over again. In his haste, the comforter that had been covering him slipped off, revealing quite a bit more than intended. And by coincidence, the area exposed was exactly where a man tends to have a certain...morning reaction.

 

Completely unfazed, Tan Qing lay on the sheets stark naked, staring shamelessly at his own "little bird" for a moment. Suddenly, he had an idea for how to keep lazing in bed.

 

Flattening himself like a salted fish, he pouted at He Mingyu and, in a soft, sweet voice, whined, "Mmm, fine. Your Qingqing fell down... needs a rub-rub to get out of bed."

 

[T/N: It's a play on words for when children fall down and need a cuddle to get back up.]

 

Author's Note: Mini Theater:

Tan Qing: "I fell!"

Rong Sheng: "I've caught you!"

Yan Jianbai: "I've bought the most expensive cushion for you!"

Ji Yanxiu: "I've called the rescue team!"

He Mingyu: "??? What about me?"

Author: "Dear, you were too slow to react, so you've been kicked out of the scene."

He Mingyu: "...Hmph."

   

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