Gu Nian’s hand was wrapped like a rice dumpling, the dull pain from the wound bothering him as he struggled to carry the camera and play with his phone.
After leaving the world of Deep Valley CP, most passersby outside were rational in their analysis. The comments were like a breath of fresh air, clearing Gu Nian’s mind instantly.
Humans were indeed creatures easily swayed by the masses. Enveloped within the CP fandom, Gu Nian’s thoughts involuntarily aligned with theirs. As a former “Scissors Hand,” he should have seen through this sugar-picking scam from the beginning. Gu Nian deeply reproached himself for ten seconds.
Duan Shen’s fans argued vehemently online, denying the possibility of him saying “Nian Nian” and defending his idol’s image – “Our husband is elegant and would never call someone ‘fool’!”
#Nian Nian, Fool# started trending.
With the upcoming Lunar New Year atmosphere, Gu Nian’s fans came up with a new nickname for him: “New Year Goods.”
Gu Nian put down his phone, feeling restless. He opened the door with one hand, wanting to sneak a peek at whether everyone was asleep.
As soon as he opened the door, the cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed onto his eyelashes. Gu Nian quickly closed the door and climbed into bed. Only then did he notice that the window next to his bed was leaking cold air. The rest of the room was warm and comfortable, but this small area was chilly. Gu Nian’s injured palm was directly facing the draft, making the wound ache even more. He had no choice but to change positions and try to sleep.
In the world of Second Dimension, Duan Shen was surrounded by several little ones, some of whom were clinging to his pants leg and climbing up.
Duan Shen had to sit on the ground, supporting one baby to prevent them from falling.
“Why hasn’t Gu Nian come yet?” Duan Shen’s voice was cold. What was this? Dumping all the kids on someone unrelated to them?
System: “They can only come over after you and Gu Nian are asleep. According to my detection, Mr. Gu didn’t fully fall asleep tonight.”
“Then can you put these…” Duan Shen pointed to the circle of babies around him, “back in their cradles for now?”
“No, it’s their designated free activity time.”
The babies under one year old completely ignored the cold air emitted by Duan Shen. One after another, they leaned towards him, pulling on his sleeves to be held. After a while, they realized that Duan Shen wasn’t going to hold them up like Gu Nian did, so Babies Two and Three started crying loudly.
Duan Shen’s head throbbed. He remembered that Baby Two would cry for milk, but he couldn’t leave now. Finally, he reluctantly picked up the backpack usually used by Gu Nian, held one baby, and had two more clinging to his pants leg, unwilling to let go.
Dragging his whole family along, it took him ten minutes to walk a distance of ten meters before finally reaching the kitchen to make formula.
He intended to do it casually, but when he looked down, he saw a detailed guide for making formula written by Gu Nian on the table, as if he had foreseen this day.
In fact, Gu Nian had just written it casually, indulging in his own imagination.
Duan Shen’s face darkened as he made a bottle of formula. He moved at the same speed and posture as Gu Nian, shifting to Baby Two’s cradle and putting the baby back.
There were still thirty-five more.
At three in the morning, Gu Nian finally fell into a dazed sleep.
Then he saw this incredible scene!
Ignoring Duan Shen’s sullen face, it was completely that of a loving father!
Duan Shen was bent over, burping Baby Sixteen. Gu Nian saw that he hadn’t noticed him, so he quietly moved towards the sofa.
In the past, it was always Duan Shen lying on the sofa. Gu Nian decided to seize this opportunity to enjoy it for a while, even if it was just for a minute.
“Come here,” Duan Shen said.
Gu Nian paused in his steps and obediently walked over, praising Duan Shen as he had been taught by the cooking auntie, “You’re really amazing. The baby listens to you so well. You’re indeed the Great Master of the Shadows, able to handle things I can’t. You are such a good father…”
“Shut up,” Duan Shen interrupted, standing up straight and looking at Gu Nian’s left hand. There was no bandage there, and the wound had disappeared after entering the Second Dimension. “Can’t sleep?”
Gu Nian squeezed his left hand, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, sorry.”
Duan Shen glanced at his left hand again but didn’t say anything. “As long as you’re here.”
After saying that, he walked towards the sofa, completely abandoning his fatherly image and becoming cold and ruthless again.
Gu Nian pursed his lips, squatting beside Baby Sixteen’s cradle, taking over the task of burping the baby. The little one’s bright black eyes rolled around, and he smiled at Gu Nian, his teeth not yet fully grown.
Kind of cute.
Gu Nian softly taught him to call “Dad”: “Dad, Dad, not me, call your dad Duan Daddy, okay?”
Gu Nian’s mischievous spirit remained as he wanted Duan Shen to share the burden of a few babies, especially after seeing the scene just now. Taking care of thirty-six babies alone, although a bit embarrassing with milk powder and saliva all over his clothes, there were no major issues. Gu Nian became more determined.
To warm the icy heart of the cold-hearted Emperor, it all started with calling him “Dad.”
Gu Nian used a small bottle to coax Baby Two, imitating calling “Dad,” giving him some milk. Baby Two, who loved to eat, cried a few times at first. Seeing that Gu Nian wasn’t affected, he frowned, looking thoughtful.
Gu Nian felt like he was being listened to, giving him a kiss on the cheek, letting him finish the milk happily. He was afraid of being heard by Duan Shen, so he took each baby to a corner away from him. He patiently taught them for three hours, feeling parched, and clearly felt the degradation of his own language.
Seeing Gu Nian constantly carrying babies around for no reason, Duan Shen was a bit puzzled. “What are you doing?”
Gu Nian reflexively responded, “Dad.”
Duan Shen: “…”
He only managed to utter these two words, prompting Gu Nian to quickly clear his throat and search for words. “I haven’t done anything. I’m just walking around with them.”
Duan Shen disagreed, saying, “You shouldn’t spoil them too much.” What if one day Gu Nian wasn’t around? Would he have to carry them all the time, or they would cry?
Hmm, interesting. Duan Shen was concerned about the children’s growth! Gu Nian, with a mischievous grin, decided to sleep early tomorrow, before Duan Shen arrived, and start a crash course in “Calling Dad.”
…
The room was noisy, and the shadows were chaotic. Gu Nian opened his eyes to find Duan Shen right in front of him, with an expression exactly like in the Second Dimension. He couldn’t distinguish reality from virtuality for a moment, thinking the noise was due to dozens of crying children.
Gu Nian felt uncomfortable, closing his eyes to escape the responsibility of taking care of the babies. He buried his face in the blanket and said to Duan Shen, “Ugh, is the baby crying again? I’m so tired. Can you help me feed the baby, Emperor?”
It was his usual pleading tone, but because he had said it so many times and had become more familiar with Duan Shen, it sounded a bit like coquetry, and it sounded very charming.
Duan Shen: “…”
People around: “…”
Damn, explosive!
No wonder early in the morning, the Emperor went to find the team doctor, saying Gu Nian’s wound might not be healing well. Although the wound was long, it wasn’t deep, so no one paid much attention to it. But when Duan Shen called the doctor to take a look, there really was a problem. Not only was it cut by ice, but it was also frostbitten by snowwater, causing his whole body to have a slight fever.
Everyone had slept last night, so how did Duan Shen know in advance? Even scarier was that as soon as Duan Shen came in, he noticed the draft in Gu Nian’s window and found his hand frozen where it had been placed on the window. Duan Shen’s face darkened at the time, almost scaring the coordinator, who almost thought the Emperor’s wife lived here.
So he even had children now! Listen to this familiar tone, he must have said it thousands of times.
The air suddenly quieted down, and Gu Nian, with his face buried in the blanket, blinked, realizing with utmost clarity – he was awake!
Just as Gu Nian was about to suffocate himself with embarrassment in the blanket, Duan Shen spoke up.
“You’re talking in your sleep.”
“Get up and let the doctor see your hand.”
Duan Shen spoke, and the people around seemed to thaw, starting to busy themselves.
The assistant director asked the director in a low voice, “Can this scene be aired?”
“What’s wrong with airing it? It’s just sleep talking,” the director replayed it three times. “Yes, it must be aired.”
Gu Nian received an injection and was lively and kicking by the afternoon.
Also participating in the variety show were the main actors from three other crews, a total of eight people from four groups, all starting filming after the New Year and gathering together for the variety show, aiming for a “Red Opening” promotion.
After dinner, the eight people split up and were each taken to different places. After arriving, the director revealed that this was a test of their rapport, without using communication tools, to see who could find their partner first.
Gu Nian was taken to a strange cabin at the foot of a mountain, with the other seven people distributed in different locations on the mountain.
The task would begin the next morning.
Therefore, Duan Shen and Gu Nian’s group, unlike the others, had a chance to cheat.
In the Second Dimension, Gu Nian had watched Duan Shen’s back for a hundred and eighty episodes. Initially driven by a sense of competition, he wanted to ask where Duan Shen was. But later, he realized that if they won with great rapport, wouldn’t it just bolster the popularity of the “Deep Valley” CP group?
He had let slip about the babies during the day, so he needed to urgently make amends tomorrow and maintain his innocence!
Gu Nian decided that he must be the last one to find his partner, making it so awkward for the director.
How could Duan Shen not feel Gu Nian’s gaze, sticky and persistent, as if he didn’t know?
This fool really wanted to win?
“Go along the stream, there’s a mill,” Duan Shen received a map clue.
Gu Nian nodded. Okay, he would go against the flow.
The next day.
Gu Nian: Help, my foot seems to have a mind of its own!
Gu Nian walked dejectedly along the stream. After a while, he saw a small wooden bridge. Since he didn’t know which side the mill was on, he thought for five minutes whether to cross the river.
Let’s count the strokes of Duan Shen’s name. Odd numbers mean he crosses, even numbers mean he doesn’t.
Alright, he won’t cross.
An hour later, the broadcaster announced that Gu Nian and Duan Shen were less than a hundred meters apart. Excitedly, Gu Nian ran all the way. Thirty seconds later, he and Duan Shen stared at each other across the river.
To successfully complete the task, members of the same group had to hug each other once.
The stream wasn’t deep, only five meters wide, but it was winter, and the icy water was bone-chilling. Only someone with no regard for life would wade across it.
The broadcaster announced that another group was also less than a hundred meters away.
Gu Nian pursed his lips, feeling somewhat disappointed. Going back would take at least half an hour, and his food would have gone cold. The movie was about to start filming, and he thought he could add some color to winning with Duan Shen at least once.
“Hey, Duan Shen, what are you doing? Don’t come over…”
Duan Shen walked calmly through the water, as if it were not freezing cold, but a warm spring. Yesterday, Gu Nian had only cut his hand on ice, and he had a slight fever. He had felt the biting cold of the water, and he didn’t dare to imagine what it would feel like with both feet immersed in it.
“You go back…” Gu Nian was about to cry. He tentatively stretched out his foot, stepping on a stone in the river, trying to go into the water.
He couldn’t bear to watch Duan Shen alone in the water.
It’s strange.
Clearly, him going into the water wouldn’t make any difference, since Duan Shen would come ashore anyway.
Gu Nian had barely dipped his foot in the water when Duan Shen stopped him with a sharp glare and turned off his microphone, threatening calmly, “You just got over a fever and you want to go into the water? Who’s going to take care of the babies at night? Don’t count on me.”
The conversation was too casual. If the cameraman heard it, their jaws would probably drop.
Gu Nian also turned off his microphone, feeling a bit annoyed. “Is that why you did this?”
Knowing Duan Shen, who didn’t care about winning or losing, risking going into the water seemed odd. Gu Nian’s mind took a leap, thinking that Duan Shen might have been inspired by him to get sick and avoid going to the Second Dimension to see the children.
Why? Did he not want to take care of the children with him? He hadn’t really made Duan Shen exhausted, except for when he was sick that one time.
Did he cross the river for this reason?
At first glance, it seemed like Duan Shen didn’t care about his health to win, but upon closer inspection… Gu Nian fiddled with the white gauze on his left hand, feeling a slight pang of sadness.
Was the Emperor disgusted with him and the babies?
Duan Shen didn’t deny it and soon reached Gu Nian, hugging him before squatting down. “Hurry up.”
The broadcast immediately announced to the world that Duan Shen and Gu Nian had successfully hugged, three seconds faster than the other group.
Gu Nian was taken aback. “What’s going on?”
“The mill has heating. If I didn’t want to freeze to death, I had to come up.” Duan Shen was still grumpy. “Idiot, why didn’t you cross the bridge? Don’t you look at the signs when you walk?”
“Were there signs?”
“…”
After the program aired, Deep Valley exploded onto the scene, becoming a national CP, with countless fans climbing on board. They spread the word eagerly, full of joy and excitement.
Someone asked, “The mill has heating, so why did he carry Gu Nian on his back? His shoes weren’t even wet.”
The reply came, “There’s heating, so of course he wanted to share it with his wife! The scene on the water was so touching, just like us with our little wives every year!”
Another question arose, “Was Gu Nian dreaming of marrying the Emperor and having children? Feeding milk and all, isn’t that too explosive?”
The answer came, “They’re already married with children, don’t worry about it, fans.”
One more query, “Can Duan Emperor and Gu Nian have a video of them having a child today?”
The reply was, “Thank you for the millions of views.”
After the lesson of being called “fool” last time, Gu Nian no longer paid attention to those sugar-cutting edits.
The sugar was all fake.
But there were glass shards, Gu Nian thought.
Deep Valley fans: This time it’s all-natural, no additives sugar! Enough to fill Deep Valley! It’s erupting like a volcano!
The old Deep Valley fans are already dead, killed by sugar. The ones still alive now are — the Himalayan Deep Valley.
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