I Raised You

When Shi Xu was one, his parents abandoned him.

When Qi Zhou was ten, he saw a tiny, soft little bundle in the grass on his way home from school.

"Aah..."

"So small."

He took the child home, and his mother immediately called the police. They learned that the child was named Shi Xu and had congenital heart disease. His parents had obtained visas and fled overseas. The police searched for months, but found no further leads.

Qi's mother couldn't bear it: "This poor child. Let's adopt him."

Qi's father agreed, too: "Sure."

The investigation showed that the child was already registered as a local resident of Jiangcheng. So they didn't change his household registration. They wanted Shi Xu to know where he came from, so he wouldn't grow up confused about his origins.

Qi Zhou held him as the child gripped his finger tightly. Those big, bright eyes and his little babbling noises completely melted Qi Zhou's heart.

"Starting today, I'm your big brother."

Qi Zhou taught him to walk, get dressed, take a bath, and eat. Then he patiently taught him to read and write, too. He loved his little brother so much that he wanted to raise him with the utmost care, holding him in the palm of his hand.

Shi Xu was cheerful and spent every day clinging to his brother, like a warm little sun. But he didn't dare tell his brother that he liked him. He could only wait until he was an adult to confess.

Later on.

Shi Xu deliberately found a female friend and pretended to go on a date, hoping to test whether his brother liked him. But Qi Zhou found out and took him straight home, locking him in a room.

"Ge, I was wrong."

"You're eighteen now, Shi Xu."

Shi Xu nodded blankly. He was eighteen, and he still hadn't confessed.

Qi Zhou gripped his chin and bent down to kiss him on the lips. "If you don't behave, I'll keep you locked up for the rest of your life."

[Reading Guide]

A raising-up story / doting, fatherly seme / mutual love / sweet 1v1, both are each other's first and only / around 40,000 words, a short story~

Lots of childhood stories. The uke was raised by the seme. They aren't registered in the same household, and his household registration was never transferred.

Nine-year age gap.

Cute, cheerful uke vs. gentle seme with overwhelming possessiveness

Theme: Even when surrounded by darkness, staying alive is what matters most. Feel the beauty of the world.