CH 170

Chapter 170 – Group Trip

Time passed quietly. By the time Chen Li and Wei Chen emerged from the studio, the clock’s hands had already pointed to 10:30. It was quite late.

“Li Li, it’s time to sleep,” Wei Chen ruffled Chen Li’s hair and said.

Chen Li nodded. He hadn’t felt tired in the studio, but now that he was out, drowsiness crept in. He slipped on his slippers and headed back to his room. As soon as his head touched the pillow and he pulled the covers over him, he fell asleep.

Wei Chen entered a bit later than Chen Li. When he returned to the room, Chen Li was already deep in slumber. Wei Chen lay down beside Chen Li and gently rubbed his head, leaving a faint kiss on the corner of Chen Li’s mouth. He whispered, “Li Li, goodnight.”

Feeling the familiar warmth beside him, Chen Li rolled towards Wei Chen and nestled securely in his embrace, radiating a profound sense of trust.

In a blink of an eye, it was already Friday.

Early that morning, Wei Hua called Wei Chen, informing him that he had planned a spring outing with Cookie for the weekend, and suggested that Wei Chen and Chen Li join them.

If it was possible, Wei Hua naturally didn’t want people to disturb the two-person world between him and Cookie, but for some unknown reason, Cookie had been avoiding him recently. So, he used Wei Chen and Chen Li as an excuse to invite Cookie to the outing. With the perfect pretext of the lovely spring weather, Wei Hua found his reason impeccable.

Little Biscuit had heard about the talented artist Uncle Chen Li and was eager to meet him. Thus, despite some reluctance, Cookie reluctantly agreed to Wei Hua’s proposal.

Now that everything was set for Wei Hua’s plan, the only thing left was to invite Wei Chen and Chen Li, the two individuals he had used as an excuse.

“I’ve got plans for this weekend.” In reality, Wei Chen had already prepared his luggage for the trip to W Ancient Town. Naturally, he couldn’t agree to Wei Hua’s request.

“Achen, please, this is a big deal for me.” Wei Hua felt a sense of urgency. If he brought Cookie there and didn’t find Wei Chen and Chen Li, Cookie might just leave. Moreover, Wei Hua had already told Cookie that Uncle Chen Li would be there this time.

“Tomorrow afternoon, a flight to Jiangnan Province at 3:30.” Wei Chen’s schedule was already arranged and couldn’t be canceled.

“Huh?” Wei Hua was confused. Was Wei Chen reporting his schedule to him?

“Li Li and I are planning to visit W Ancient Town in Jiangnan Province this weekend,” Wei Chen explained.

Wei Hua thought for a moment. Going on a trip sounded good. This way, they would each do their own thing during the trip, and his private time with Cookie would still be preserved.

“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to Cookie. We’ll go together.” Wei Hua quickly made up his mind. There were a few hours left until the flight at 3:30 in the afternoon. He believed that with some persuasion, Cookie would agree to travel with him.

After agreeing, Wei Hua hung up and immediately sent a message to Cookie.

[The Most Handsome Tree: Xiao Qi, there’s been a change of plans. Tomorrow, we’re going to W Ancient Town for a trip. Chen Li and Wei Chen will be there too.]

[Cookie: Then I won’t go.]

[The Most Handsome Tree: Xiao Qi, you can’t go back on your word like this. You promised me, and now you’re starting to abandon the plan!]

Wei Hua swore that he had completely meant it as a joke, but he somehow stepped on Cookie’s landmine.

Cookie retorted, [You’re the POS who just start things and end up abandoning them!] Then, without saying anything more, Cookie blocked Wei Hua.

Looking at the message that appeared on the screen, [Sorry, the recipient cannot receive your messages. You are not on the recipient’s friend list. Send a friend request] Wei Hua was baffled.

Wei Hua pulled his phone screen back, reviewing their chat history. He couldn’t figure out what went wrong from there. Puzzled, he decided to skip his classes the next day and went directly to Cookie’s Blues Café by car.

The café was open, with a few customers scattered around. Cookie was busy behind the counter. Wei Hua approached the customers and said, “Sorry, the owner has something to attend to today, so we need to close early. I’ve taken care of your orders.”

The customers were a bit bewildered, unsure why this person suddenly appeared. They looked at the owner, and Cookie nodded at them, apologizing, “Sorry, we have to close now.” He didn’t want to embarrass Wei Hua.

Once he got Cookie’s confirmation, the customers left. As they left, they seemed puzzled—how could they close right after opening?

When all the customers were gone, Wei Hua closed the café’s glass door, hung the “Closed” sign, and ensured no one would disturb them. Then, he walked up to the counter, looking puzzled, “Why did you block me?”

Cookie’s gaze flickered a bit. “Accidental.”

Hearing this, Wei Hua immediately put on a smile and said, “If it was accidental, then let’s add each other again.”

“Huh?” Cookie was a bit surprised. Would Wei Hua just leave it at that?

Naturally, Wei Hua wanted to delve deeper, but he knew that even if he pressed now, Cookie wouldn’t give him an answer. He had already upset Cookie, making him more inclined to avoid him. So, he decided to let it go for now. He had all the time in the world to figure it out later.

“Quick, take out your phone. Let’s add each other again. I’ve sent you a friend request. Just accept it quickly,” Wei Hua urged.

“Fine.” Cookie took out his phone, clicked “Accept,” and when the confirmation of becoming friends appeared on the screen, Cookie realized that Wei Hua had played him.

“Xiao Qi, we have a flight at three in the afternoon. Let’s pick up Little Biscuit from school later,” Wei Hua said, grinning at his re-added friend.

“You can go by yourself,” Cookie said. Lately, he had been feeling a bit unsettled and wasn’t eager to see Wei Hua.

“You agreed to this, how can you back out?” Wei Hua reached out and grabbed Cookie’s hand, looking at him pitifully.

Cookie felt goosebumps rise on his hand, and he pulled his hand back, ignoring Wei Hua.

Wei Hua leaned closer, bringing up Little Biscuit, “Xiao Qi Qi, come with me. Little Biscuit’s really interested in painting now, and Chen Li’s also going. Little Biscuit wants to meet Uncle Chen Li too.”

Cookie felt a little tempted. Little Biscuit had already pestered him more than once about meeting his Uncle Chen Li.

Wei Hua continued, “Xiao Qi Qi, come on. The International Internet Summit is happening there. There will surely be a lot of things that interest you.” This time, he brought up Cookie’s interests.

Cookie’s heart fluttered completely. “Fine.”

In his mind, Wei Hua made a triumphant “V” gesture, wishing he could just pounce on Cookie right now and have a proper conversation. He could already envision that once they reached W Ancient Town, he would place Little Biscuit beside Chen Li to learn painting, while he and Cookie would enjoy their private time together. This time, he wouldn’t let the opportunity slip away; he was determined to win Cookie’s heart.

Wei Hua solidified this decision in his mind.

However, reality would later reveal that Wei Hua’s wishful thinking was wrong.

Seeing Wei Hua’s determined expression, Cookie didn’t know what he was thinking. He decided to ignore him and called home to have the house staff pack their luggage. In the afternoon, he took Little Biscuit to W Ancient Town.

Not long after Wei Hua convinced Cookie to go to W Ancient Town for a trip, the house staff delivered their prepared luggage. Wei Hua and Cookie carried the luggage and headed to the nursery where Little Biscuit was. They picked him up in advance.

Seeing Wei Hua at the nursery surprised Little Biscuit. “Uncle Wei, you’re picking up Biscuit too?” He jumped into Wei Hua’s arms and planted a kiss on his cheek, expressing his delight.

Wei Hua, with a cheerful demeanor, teased, “Has Little Biscuit missed Uncle Wei?”

Little Biscuit nodded vigorously, giving a very affirmative answer, “Missed.”

Cookie watched Wei Hua and Little Biscuit interact, feeling a bit dazed. His thoughts were muddled, and he even entertained absurd ideas of how good it would be if things were like this all the time.

“Xiao Qi Qi, let’s go.” It wasn’t until Wei Hua lifted Little Biscuit into the car that Cookie snapped out of his daze. He lowered his head to hide the smile that had appeared on his face and got into the car.

Once in the car, Little Biscuit immediately jumped into Cookie’s arms. “Daddy, are we going to meet Uncle Chen Li?” Wei Hua had just explained the purpose of the trip to him, so he knew they were going to meet Uncle Chen Li. Little Biscuit was excited.

“Yeah. We’re going to play with Uncle Chen Li.” Cookie gently tapped Little Biscuit’s nose.

With a happy laugh, Little Biscuit nestled into Cookie’s embrace.

Glancing through the rearview mirror at the scene behind him, Wei Hua couldn’t help but curve his lips. Between his brows and eyes, there was nothing but tenderness.

He wanted to start a family—where it would be him, Cookie, and Little Biscuit.

They smoothly reached the airport without any obstacles, coincidentally encountering Wei Chen and Chen Li in the parking lot.

As soon as he saw Chen Li, Little Biscuit rushed over, but he knew about Chen Li’s situation. Instead of jumping onto Chen Li, he stopped at a distance, his smile bright and his eyes shining. “Uncle Chen Li, long time no see. Little Biscuit missed you.” Then he turned to Wei Chen and politely greeted, “Hello, Uncle Wei.”

Wei Chen also nodded at Little Biscuit. Chen Li looked at Little Biscuit for a while before gently reaching out to touch his head. “Little Biscuit, long time no see.”

Little Biscuit’s smile widened, and he slowly moved closer to Chen Li, sharing amusing stories from his time at the nursery.

Chen Li didn’t resist Little Biscuit’s approach. He listened attentively as Little Biscuit spoke, occasionally responding. When Little Biscuit mentioned something that Chen Li found amusing, his lips would curve slightly, forming a gentle smile.

Wei Hua found this scene quite magical and tugged at Wei Chen’s clothes, saying, “Chen Li has improved a lot now.”

Wei Chen nodded; indeed, Chen Li’s condition had been steadily improving.

“My Little Biscuit is quite amazing too.” Wei Hua was the type of person who would turn any opportunity into a chance to show off. He took the opportunity to praise Little Biscuit, wearing a proud expression as if Little Biscuit were his own son.

Cookie cast a casual glance at Wei Hua, expressing that he really couldn’t stand Wei Hua’s behavior, but at the same time, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

At that moment, a bus with a Q University logo slowly pulled into the parking lot. As the students got off the bus, they all headed in the direction of Wei Chen and Chen Li.

“Mr. Wei, Classmate Chen Li, we’ve arrived.” The class leader managed things from behind, while the class monitor walked up to Wei Chen.

Wei Hua looked at the thirty-some people in front of him, turned to Wei Chen, and bewilderedly asked, “Achen, what’s this?”

“Didn’t I tell you, we’re on a group trip this time?” Wei Chen said, his expression blank but his eyes carrying a hint of playfulness.

Oh my god, a group trip? Then where would he and Cookie have their private time?

Wei Chen didn’t care about what Wei Hua was thinking at this moment. Since everyone was there, Wei Chen took Chen Li’s hand and walked into the terminal ahead. Cookie, without even sparing a glance at Wei Hua, lifted Little Biscuit and followed them. Wei Hua could only helplessly move forward, already estimating that their private time was once again ruined.