Chapter 15
Late at night, the air was thick with a chill. The wind suddenly swept up the leaves, mixing with the damp scent of the earth, whistling as it passed through the treetops.
Thick, dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky, with faint flashes of lightning visible within.
When Shen Tiantian came down from the third floor, the staff and the assistant director had already left with their equipment.
He ran to his baby chair, stood on his tiptoes, and peered at his little tray.
Auntie Mu had already cleaned the table. Seeing Tiantian return, she smiled and asked:
“Did you give it to your brother?”
Shen Tiantian nodded. Seeing that his little tray was empty, he couldn’t help but scratch the soft flesh of his cheek and ask:
“Auntie Mu-Mu, where’s my bowl?”
Auntie Mu said, puzzled:
“I saw it was empty, so I assumed you had finished and cleared it away.”
Shen Tiantian took two steps back, his eyes widening in disbelief, round and wide, completely unable to believe it.
“Finished?”
When he got excited, Shen Tiantian’s voice would easily crack.
Shen Tiantian plopped down on the floor, his little feet hanging limply. He hugged his little head, completely baffled.
“I didn’t finish it.”
He remembered very clearly, there were still two mouthfuls left!
Auntie Mu saw his conflicted and distressed little expression, his brows knitted together, his small mouth pursed, as if he had encountered the most perplexing problem of his life.
Auntie Mu couldn’t help but laugh. She walked over, pulled Shen Tiantian up, and patted the little one’s back comfortingly.
“It’s okay. I asked the chef. There will be your favorite milk tomorrow morning, fragrant and sweet. You can drink it as soon as you wake up.”
Shen Tiantian, whose mind was filled with little desserts and snacks, brightened up at these words, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Auntie Mu.
“Really? Then I have to go to sleep quickly.”
The easily coaxed and deceived Shen Tiantian immediately bounced up from the floor. Before Auntie Mu could follow, his short little legs were already moving at high speed, and in the blink of an eye, he had taken the elevator upstairs.
By the time Auntie Mu caught up, the little one had already changed into his one-piece fluffy pajamas, washed his little face and feet, and was lying obediently in his small bed, ready to sleep.
“Oh my, you’ve washed up so quickly.”
Auntie Mu felt that Shen Tiantian was a very worry-free and easy-to-care-for little cub.
She didn’t know how his mother had taught him before, but he was proficient in dressing, eating, washing his face, and brushing his teeth. He could even toddle around the house on his little legs to help.
And he was very easy to coax.
His low moods usually didn’t last more than five minutes. With the lure of a small dessert, he would immediately take the bait.
Before coming to the Shen family, Auntie Mu had been apprehensive, thinking that the young master would be a hot-tempered brat.
She hadn’t expected him to be so well-behaved.
Auntie Mu reached out to tuck Tiantian in. The wrinkles around her eyes were filled with an unconcealable smile. She left the small night light on and turned to leave.
Living room.
Shen Yuanchuan had changed into his home clothes and was sitting on the sofa, rubbing his temples.
Seeing Auntie Mu come down, Shen Yuanchuan asked in a low voice:
“How was Tiantian today? He didn’t cause any trouble, did he?”
His youngest son had an affectionate personality, completely different from his two older brothers, who had been independent and self-reliant since childhood.
Shen Yuanchuan was even a little worried. What would become of Tiantian with his silly personality?
Should he give him a branch company to practice with? Or just give him stocks and let him be an idle rich second generation?
And he would cry and call him if he didn’t see him for a day. With such a delicate personality, would he be easily deceived in the future?
Auntie Mu didn’t know that Shen Yuanchuan was so worried he wanted to sigh. The thought of Tiantian made her eyes crinkle with a smile, and she nodded with a gentle voice.
“Tiantian is very well-behaved. When I went upstairs after tidying up, he had already washed up and gone to sleep by himself.”
Thinking of this, Auntie Mu couldn’t help but add a few more words of praise:
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a worry-free child.”
A smile also appeared in Shen Yuanchuan’s eyes. His furrowed handsome brows relaxed, and he nodded as he stood up.
“That’s good. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll go check on Tiantian.”
Shen Yuanchuan went upstairs, quietly opened the door to Shen Tiantian’s bedroom, and walked in slowly.
This bedroom was prepared by the butler.
It had a playful and comfortable style. Considering that Tiantian was a child under four, the floor was covered with a thick, soft, light-colored long-pile carpet.
Walking on it was like sinking into clouds, and all sounds were instantly absorbed.
Shen Yuanchuan stood by the small wooden bed, looking at his little son inside through the guardrails.
Shen Tiantian was not a still sleeper. One fair, tender little foot was sticking out of the quilt. It was unclear what position he was sleeping in, but this foot was almost touching his head.
Shen Yuanchuan was curious for a moment. He opened the quilt and was immediately stunned.
This bizarre sleeping posture was truly an eye-opener.
His two feet were like they had gone their separate ways; even a disassembled toy wasn’t as scattered as he was.
Shen Yuanchuan suppressed a laugh, put Shen Tiantian’s little feet down, and arranged them neatly together.
But as soon as Shen Yuanchuan let go, Shen Tiantian’s feet, as if with a mind of their own, slowly lifted up again and pressed against the guardrail beside him.
The other foot quickly followed, and with both feet pushing against the wooden guardrail, he managed a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree rotation on the spot.
Shen Yuanchuan watched with his own eyes as the little one spun from the head of the bed to the foot, like a little spinning top, busy even in his sleep.
After a night’s sleep like this, his WeChat step count would probably exceed ten thousand.
Shen Yuanchuan suppressed the laughter in his chest. He really couldn’t control him, so he could only tuck Shen Tiantian in properly, turn around, close the door, and leave.
At the top of the stairs, Shen Yuanchuan met Shen Xiuze, who was coming out with a bowl.
Shen Xiuze stopped and greeted his father.
“Dad, why are you back so late today?”
Shen Yuanchuan had been busy divesting some of the company’s more complex businesses recently, but he didn’t want to say much. He just waved his hand and said:
“It’s nothing. I watched the live stream today. You did very well. Brothers should help each other like this, to show those who don’t know any better.”
The older generation always liked to see the younger generation being close and friendly.
Shen Yuanchuan rarely smiled, but he did now, patting Shen Xiuze’s shoulder.
“Tonight, you finally showed some of the demeanor of an older brother. Not like before, when you had to put on a stern face just to say a word to Jinfeng, as if your mouth was full of gunpowder.”
Shen Xiuze looked down at the hand on his shoulder, a hint of sarcasm in the curve of his lips.
“Yes. Tiantian brought me some double-skin milk. I can’t eat sweets, so I’m taking it down.” Shen Xiuze didn’t want to say more and made an excuse to leave.
Shen Yuanchuan’s smile deepened. He was very pleased with this kind of interaction between the two brothers, and his tone couldn’t help but soften.
“Good. I just went to check on Tiantian. The little one’s feet can reach his head when he sleeps. In this family, you and Jinfeng are both steady people. He’s the only one who’s like a little monkey.”
Hearing his father say this, Shen Xiuze’s fingers twitched. He paused in his steps to leave, and then the corners of his lips couldn’t help but lift.
Feet reaching his head?
That’s quite cute.
With this thought, Shen Xiuze went downstairs.
His heart itched. He had poked the little one’s cheek tonight, and it was just as soft as he had imagined, which made Shen Xiuze a little addicted.
Pressing his fingertips tightly, Shen Xiuze took the untouched bowl of double-skin milk back to the kitchen.
On his way upstairs, he passed by Shen Tiantian’s room again. Shen Xiuze’s steps involuntarily slowed, and he finally stopped at the door.
He lifted his fingers, hesitated for a moment, but still grasped the doorknob.
He had never seen a child who was such a restless sleeper.
As the older brother, it’s my duty to take care of my little brother’s daily life. I should at least check if the little one is properly covered before bed, Shen Xiuze thought.
The door opened, and Shen Xiuze looked up to see a tall figure standing by the bed.
Shen Jinfeng was wearing a suit, clearly not having had time to change after coming home. He still carried the damp chill of the late autumn air.
His hand was pinching Shen Tiantian’s nose, and he was watching with amusement as the little one puffed out his baby-fat cheeks and breathed through his mouth like a little goldfish.
In the next second, Shen Jinfeng turned his head and met his big brother’s deadpan face.
No matter how many times he looked, Shen Jinfeng always felt that Shen Xiuze was putting on an act.
Shen Jinfeng let go of Shen Tiantian’s nose, folded his arms, turned around, and looked at Shen Xiuze with a half-smile.
“Big brother? What brings you to see Tiantian today?”
Shen Jinfeng stood in front of the wooden bed, motionless, his eyes holding the familiar mockery that Shen Xiuze knew.
Shen Xiuze habitually ignored it. From a short distance away, he looked down at the little one sleeping sprawled out.
The quilt on Shen Tiantian was long gone. The hood of his fluffy pajamas was perched on his head, sticking up along with his messy, fluffy hair.
He was sleeping soundly with his little mouth open.
Shen Jinfeng’s gaze also shifted to Shen Tiantian. The cold mockery in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a hint of amusement.
“He was sleeping like this when I came in. Dead to the world, like a little pig.”
Shen Xiuze’s palm itched even more. He watched Shen Tiantian’s little chest rise and fall, his little tummy contracting along with it, as if he were breathing with his stomach.
The corners of his lips couldn’t help but lift. He walked over, ignoring Shen Jinfeng’s scrutinizing gaze, and tucked Shen Tiantian in.
He also took the opportunity to secretly poke Shen Tiantian’s fluffy little tummy with his fingertip.
After tucking him in, Shen Xiuze quickly withdrew his hand and glanced at Shen Jinfeng.
“Father asked me to check on Tiantian. He said he’s a restless sleeper.”
Shen Jinfeng said “oh,” his tone rising at the end, a hint of teasing in his light, amber-like eyes.
“Is that so?”
He didn’t believe it.
Shen Xiuze turned to leave, not caring whether he believed it or not.
At the door, Shen Xiuze remembered something, turned around, and kicked Shen Jinfeng, who was still standing by the bed, eager to pinch Shen Tiantian’s nose again.
“Get out, quick. You’re covered in cold air. Don’t you know that children get sick easily?”
Shen Jinfeng let out a soft “tsk.” He looked at the soundly sleeping Shen Tiantian, suppressed the dissatisfaction he wanted to voice, and impatiently walked away.
“I know.”
At the door, Shen Jinfeng looked at Shen Xiuze’s indifferent expression, his features mixed with a frosty coldness, and still found him an eyesore.
So pretentious.
As he thought this, Shen Jinfeng accidentally said it out loud.
Shen Xiuze glanced at him, ignored him, and turned back to his own bedroom.
Shen Jinfeng, on the other hand, shrugged his shoulders and also turned back to his room.
Shen Tiantian slept until he woke up naturally.
He sat up in bed, dazed, with the fluffy hood of his pajamas on his head. He rubbed his nose and sneezed.
“Someone… someone pinched my nose.”
He had felt it while sleeping last night!
