Chapter 14
Shen Wen pinched Zaizai’s soft cheeks, his cold expression softening, the corners of his lips curving upwards.
Xing Nuo enjoyed the closeness with his dad, nuzzling against him for a kiss, then puckering his lips to kiss his dad’s cheek.
His dad’s skin was cool to the touch, and he always carried a faint, pleasant floral scent, recently the fresh, elegant fragrance of tulips.
Xing Nuo happily squinted his eyes, patted his dad’s chest, and mimicked an adult, trying to soothe him.
“Dad…no angry.”
When Dad was angry, his face was dark and gloomy, like the bitter medicine Xing Nuo had to drink, quite intimidating.
Shen Wen lazily lifted his eyelids, glanced coldly at Shen Baizhou, and hummed in response.
“I’m not angry.”
Shen Baizhou, the simple-minded monster, immediately believed him.
His face, pale from holding his breath for too long, quickly took a deep breath. He looked at Shen Wen and forced a smile.
“Thank you, Dad.”
Shen Wen: “…”
How could he be so stupid?
Shen Baizhou, thinking the crisis was averted, picked up his bowl and shovelled down half of his food.
While eating, he continued to tap-dance on Shen Wen’s last nerve.
“Teacher asked for a signature on the test.”
Shen Wen closed his eyes, not wanting to look at Shen Baizhou’s face, and snorted coldly.
“Why don’t you ask Xing Nuo to sign it for you?”
Shen Baizhou paused, resting his chin on his hand, and considered this seriously. “Can Xing Nuo sign it? Sure, that works.”
It shouldn’t matter who signed it, right?
Xing Nuo, innocently sitting in his dad’s lap, poked his head out, his curls bouncing, and nodded vigorously.
“Okay~”
Xing Nuo liked signing things. He had been practicing writing his name with his dad lately!
He wrote slowly and carefully, the characters “Xing Nuo” coming out crooked and wobbly.
Shen Wen felt his anger rising again.
With a cold expression, he quickly signed his name on the test paper and tossed it to Shen Baizhou.
“Now go!”
Shen Baizhou scratched his chin, confused, then gave an “Oh,” hurriedly finished his dinner, grabbed the test paper, and disappeared.
After dinner, Shen Wen took Xing Nuo downstairs for their usual walk.
When they returned, Xing Nuo’s forehead was damp with sweat, a light blush on his fair cheeks.
He gulped down half a glass of water from his dad’s hand, then smacked his lips and shook his head, indicating he was full.
Before bedtime, Xing Nuo, wearing a light blue dinosaur onesie, his tail dragging behind him, waddled around the living room on his usual inspection.
After finishing his inspection, Xing Nuo sighed, hands behind his back, having found nothing amiss.
He peeked into his brother’s bedroom, his fluffy head poking through the doorway.
“Brother?”
Shen Baizhou seemed to be out; his half-finished homework was still on the desk.
His handwriting was messy and sharp, the characters barely fitting within the squares, each stroke threatening to fly off the page.
Xing Nuo stood on tiptoe by the desk, staring at the chemistry test paper with his dad’s signature.
Picking up a pen and the test paper, Xing Nuo placed it on the floor, leaned over, and carefully wrote his name.
Next to the bold, sweeping signature “Shen Wen,” two round, wobbly characters appeared.
After writing his name, Xing Nuo picked up the paper, tilting his head as he looked at it, then nodded in satisfaction, revealing his little rice teeth.
Dad signed it, so Zaizai had to sign it too.
Putting the chemistry paper back on his brother’s desk, Xing Nuo toddled back to the living room.
The first class the next morning was chemistry.
Shen Baizhou, his eyelids drooping, rested his chin on his hand, sleepily listening to the chemistry teacher.
“Take out your signed test papers and have your deskmate check them.”
Shen Baizhou sat alone in the last row. The chemistry teacher walked over to check his paper individually.
“Shen Baizhou, did you get it signed?”
Shen Baizhou looked up at the teacher and nodded.
“Yes.”
He took out his chemistry test paper, glanced at it, and immediately saw his younger brother’s signature.
Just like Xing Nuo himself, his handwriting was small, round, and soft.
Shen Baizhou’s usually tense expression relaxed, his dark eyebrows lifting slightly, the corners of his lips curving upwards.
“This is my little brother’s signature. Isn’t it cute?” Shen Baizhou held up the paper, his eyes sparkling with amusement, showing it to the chemistry teacher.
The chemistry teacher, hearing Shen Baizhou’s inexplicable boasting, couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
As if he was the only one with a younger brother.
After checking, the chemistry teacher patted Shen Baizhou’s shoulder and said earnestly:
“You’re a polite young man. Pay attention in class from now on, and try not to get single-digit scores in chemistry again.”
Shen Baizhou didn’t reply, simply nodding in acknowledgment.
Having carefully selected a kindergarten, Shen Wen decided it was time for Xing Nuo to officially start school.
The kindergarten happened to be offering trial classes during the summer, with only about ten children in each class. Parents were allowed to accompany their children in the classroom on the first day.
On Xing Nuo’s first day of school, Shen Wen woke up early and pulled Zaizai out of bed.
Xing Nuo’s face was still sleepy, his eyelids refusing to open, as he was led to the bathroom to wash his face.
The sweet and sour strawberry toothpaste had a slight tingle. Xing Nuo, toothbrush in his mouth, finally opened his eyes halfway through brushing.
“Dad?”
He mumbled, spitting out the white foam, and looked up at his dad.
“Zaizai…wake up early…why?”
Although Xing Nuo didn’t have a clear concept of time, he knew it wasn’t his usual waking time.
He yawned repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes, his curls sticking up as he stood by the sink in a daze.
“Today is your first day of school, remember? Dad told you yesterday, starting today, you’ll be attending kindergarten.”
Shen Wen gently and expertly wiped Xing Nuo’s face with a soft towel.
Xing Nuo didn’t quite remember. He shook his head, then nodded.
“Dad…go too?” Xing Nuo asked anxiously.
Shen Wen hung the towel on the drying rack, picked up the little cub, and placed him in his baby chair for breakfast.
“Dad will go too, with Zaizai.”
Xing Nuo instantly relaxed, swinging his little feet as he ate his sweet breakfast with his dad.
The kindergarten was just across the street from their complex, less than a kilometer away.
Shen Wen had been consciously training Zaizai in various essential human cub skills, like walking, running, dressing, and eating.
These were the things human parents taught their children as they grew up.
Therefore, on their way to kindergarten, Shen Wen didn’t carry Xing Nuo. Instead, he held his hand and let him walk.
Xing Nuo, carrying his light yellow, sunflower-shaped backpack, which looked like a turtle shell on his small back, trudged forward.
His small hand gripped his dad’s finger tightly, and every few steps, he would look up to make sure his dad was still there.
Shen Wen’s hair brushed against Xing Nuo’s hand. He smiled and ruffled the little one’s head.
“Let’s go, Dad is here with Zaizai.”
Xing Nuo nodded. Even if he got tired, it didn’t matter if Dad didn’t carry him, he would keep walking obediently.
For other children, the walk to kindergarten took only a few minutes.
But Xing Nuo had barely walked before he was two. His weak constitution and frequent illnesses had made Shen Wen reluctant to push him too hard, so even a short walk tired him out.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far. After about fifteen minutes of slow walking, they arrived at the kindergarten gate.
The teacher was already waiting at the entrance to welcome the parents and children for the trial class.
Seeing Shen Wen and his son, the teacher couldn’t help but feel a pang of admiration.
Wow, a handsome blonde guy!
Most of the other parents were from the same complex and had heard about the incredibly good-looking new residents, but they hadn’t seen them in person before. Their gazes lingered on the pair.
Shen Wen, born into a position of power, was used to being the center of attention. These glances didn’t bother him in the slightest.
Shen Wen scanned the crowd, picked up Xing Nuo, who was panting slightly, patted his back, and gave him a sip of warm honey water from his thermos.
Xing Nuo gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. His clear, round eyes, like polished black gems, were filled with curiosity as he observed the kindergarten.
He didn’t quite understand what a kindergarten was, thinking it was simply a place to play with his dad.
The teacher walked over with a smile:
“Hello, are you Mr. Shen Wen and little Shen Xing Nuo? You can come in now. Today is the first day, and there will be a guide to show you around and introduce the kindergarten.”
Shen Wen nodded and followed the guide with Xing Nuo in his arms, joining the other parents and children.
The kindergarten building was designed in a child-friendly style, predominantly in shades of pink, blue, and yellow, like a fairytale playground.
The play equipment and teaching facilities were all new this year. The guide proudly explained:
“This new equipment is sponsored and invested in by Shen’s Tech. It has undergone multiple safety checks, and all the edges have been rounded to prevent injuries.”
The parents whispered amongst themselves:
“This kindergarten is invested in by Shen’s Tech?”
“They’ve been doing really well these past two years. Someone I know works there.”
“Shen’s Tech? That’s reassuring!”
Shen Wen raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue softly, as he looked at the play equipment.
Shen’s Tech?
Shen Yan’s business was quite extensive, even sponsoring something unrelated like a kindergarten.
