Chapter 79
At the end of the variety show, Shen Xiuze’s cold, snowy eyes couldn’t help but show a trace of gentle warmth.
Shen Yuanchuan had actually accompanied Tiantian for an episode of the variety show.
He didn’t put on airs on the show or use his fatherly authority to pressure his child.
Shen Xiuze had grown up under Shen Yuanchuan’s scrutiny of a superior to a subordinate. To say there was a father-son bond, there was almost none.
Of course, Shen Xiuze was cold and independent by nature and didn’t need it.
But Tiantian was different from him. Although he was young, he was emotionally rich and needed constant feedback from the outside world to absorb care and love.
It was really rare that the role of a father was not completely absent in Tiantian’s growth.
He just hoped that Shen Yuanchuan could maintain it in the future.
Thinking this, Shen Xiuze looked at Shen Tiantian, who was already nodding his little head, so sleepy that he couldn’t bear to leave the TV, and smiled helplessly.
“I’ll take you upstairs.”
Shen Tiantian jolted, shook his head, and his fleshy little baby fat also swayed.
“No need. I’m still watching.”
He struggled to keep his eyelids open, his round eyes wide.
But there was no light in his eyes, and his eyelids drooped again. Sleepiness was like a tsunami, quickly sweeping away all of Shen Tiantian’s emotions, leaving only a deep sleepiness.
Shen Xiuze waited on the side, and just as Shen Tiantian’s little body tilted and fell, he timely reached out to catch him.
He took Shen Tiantian back to his bedroom and placed him on the small bed.
The new small bed was custom-made by Shen Xiuze. A very short staircase was specially added, so that Shen Tiantian, with his short little legs that couldn’t step onto the bed in one go, could easily climb up and down.
The gaps in the railing were also greatly reduced. The wooden bed was polished extremely smooth and even had a faint woody fragrance, which was more suitable for Shen Tiantian than his previous small bed.
He tucked Shen Tiantian in. Just as Shen Xiuze was about to leave, he heard his children’s watch ring.
“You have a call, baby~”
No matter how many times he heard this special ringtone that Shen Tiantian had recorded for himself, Shen Xiuze’s heart would still tremble, feeling charmed.
The caller ID was [Yezi]. Shen Xiuze thought for a moment and knew who it was.
He took the watch back to the hallway, and Shen Xiuze’s low, cold voice sounded:
“Hello? Tiantian is asleep. Is there anything?”
Qin Ye knew that it was Tiantian’s bedtime, but after watching the variety show, he was really restless.
He pressed his lips together, his eyes dim, and a hint of imperceptible sadness was in his lead-gray pupils.
“It’s nothing. I’ll call Tiantian again tomorrow.”
The call was hung up. Shen Xiuze put away the watch with a cold expression, as if he didn’t care at all about this little boy who had stayed at the Shen family for a while.
Qin Ye waited until the sky on his side had darkened, the moon hung on the treetops, and the tree shadows were slanted.
Only then did he call Shen Tiantian again.
With a time difference of nearly twelve hours, it was already bright on Shen Tiantian’s side. The sun slowly emerged from behind the white clouds and climbed to its highest point.
“Tiantian, are you awake?”
There were no activities today. Shen Tiantian was wearing thick and warm fluffy pajamas, flailing around in the living room.
“I’ve been awake for a long time. Yezi, are you still sleeping in?”
Tiantian had been playing for a while, and his face was flushed, like a plump and juicy fruit. He even had to put on an act and remind him like a little adult:
“We’re already ten-year-old big kids. We can’t sleep in all the time.”
Tiantian always forgets that it’s already night on his side, Qin Ye thought.
“It’s very, very dark here. The moon is out, and everyone is asleep.”
Tiantian still didn’t quite understand what a time difference was. In his little world, everyone saw the same sky and felt the same sun and moon.
He opened his mouth in surprise, amazed and confused:
“Wow, then can you sleep twice a day?”
Qin Ye simply explained what a time difference was, which made Shen Tiantian’s little face very dazed, and he scratched his head, unable to react.
“Why? Is it dark where you are because a monster ate the sun?”
Qin Ye couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, revealing a few white, rice-like teeth, his eyes curved, and he finally had a bit of a child’s shadow.
“No, it’s very complicated. Tiantian will know when you’re a little older.”
Shen Tiantian frowned, thinking that he was already old enough.
But Qin Ye had called Tiantian for another matter. He said:
“Tiantian, did you make a lot of good friends on the variety show?”
As soon as he said this, Qin Ye could feel the thick and dark sourness in him, which he couldn’t suppress.
Like a little mouse, he could only hide in the dark and be secretly jealous.
Tiantian is always like this, liked by many people.
His position as a little follower is about to be lost! Qin Ye thought.
Through the phone, Tiantian was oblivious. He thought for a while and said:
“Yes. The little friends are all very nice. It’s very happy to play together.”
Tiantian also liked to be in a crowd. He was optimistic, lively, considerate, and heartwarming, and he could attract most of the attention as soon as he appeared.
Children are not stupid. They naturally like to follow the light.
Like Qin Ye, a person with an extremely introverted and repressed personality, didn’t he also like the hot and energetic Tiantian, who had endless energy?
Qin Ye’s voice was filled with an incomparable sense of loss. He pressed his lips together, picked at his hands, and didn’t even notice that the skin was broken.
“That little kid named Zhaozhao, he even slept in a tent with you. Did Tiantian also take him as a little follower?”
At this moment, Tiantian had already sat down, drinking a pear soup that cleared heat and moistened the lungs. The breath he exhaled was the sweet and clear taste of pear water.
“No. I’m very strict about taking on little followers.”
He had to be smart, but not too smart. A little dumber than him. It would be best if he were both smart and silly like Qin Yezi.
As soon as Qin Ye heard this, his originally dull and lifeless eyes lit up again.
It was as if a string of little stars had been instantly embedded in his eyes, sparkling with light.
“Really?!”
Tiantian nodded, having his own set of logic:
“Big brother Zhaozhao’s arithmetic is also very bad. He’s not as amazing as you, Yezi.”
Zhaozhao was a year and a half older than Tiantian. Currently, his error rate in addition and subtraction within a hundred was also very high.
He was on par with Shen Tiantian.
One bad at arithmetic is enough. There can’t be another one, Tiantian thought.
If two stupid people get together, they won’t even be able to copy their homework in the future.
And Qin Ye, after learning that he was still Tiantian’s only little follower and had even surpassed that Zhaozhao in arithmetic, couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth.
“I’ve already self-studied the third-grade textbook and got a perfect score in math~”
Qin Ye couldn’t help but show off his strength in front of Tiantian and was extremely glad that his smart brain was so competitive.
Tiantian followed with a “wow.” Although he had no idea what third grade meant, he gave a full emotional response.
“You have to work hard, Yezi. When I inherit the company in the future, I’ll let you do all the math!”
Qin Ye nodded, and in an instant, he was full of confidence in himself again.
The call ended.
It was also lunchtime on Shen Tiantian’s side. He threw the content of the phone call to the back of his mind, couldn’t wait to climb onto the baby chair, and started to eat.
“Today, there are the soy-sauce pork ribs and stir-fried meat that Tiantian wants to eat, and also a plate of oyster sauce lettuce.”
Auntie Mu was always soft-hearted and doting on Tiantian, which had led to Shen Tiantian becoming more and more picky and not even willing to eat a bite of vegetables.
This time, Auntie Mu had specially placed the green vegetables in front of Shen Tiantian and placed the two meat dishes far away.
But this was no match for the little acrobat, Tiantian. He was extremely flexible. He stood on the chair and, in an extremely awkward posture, he managed to get the small pork ribs.
He completely ignored the green vegetables in front of him.
After eating the fragrant and delicious small pork ribs, Tiantian happily shook his little head, his eyes sparkling.
Auntie Mu put two more small green vegetables in his bowl, but he poked them to the bottom with his chopsticks and hid them under the rice.
If you can’t see it, you don’t have to eat it.
Unfortunately, this method of burying one’s head in the sand did not work.
Shen Xiuze came back at noon, bringing a chill with him. His face was as cold as frost. He looked up and saw the little tyke Tiantian, who was not eating properly.
Tiantian was usually not afraid of his brother at all, but today, he was very picky and felt very guilty.
He lowered his little head, his eyes darting around, and ate his rice in small bites. His guilty little appearance was written all over his face.
He even secretly glanced at Shen Xiuze. After being found out, he quickly showed an obedient smile.
“Big brother, why are you back? Are you not busy with work?”
Shen Xiuze saw through his fawning at a glance, let out a soft scoff, and the steps that were originally going upstairs stopped. He turned his head and sat down in a chair in the dining room.
He had a broad waist and a narrow back. He sat down and crossed his legs, his features indifferent, and his gaze on Shen Tiantian was extremely oppressive.
“Speak. Did you not eat your vegetables again today?”
Shen Tiantian was like a deflating balloon. His originally puffed-up little chest quickly contracted.
“No… no.”
Tiantian nervously picked at his small hands. The deep brown soy sauce from the pork ribs was still on the corner of his mouth, which looked particularly unconvincing.
“I ate other vegetables.”
Shen Xiuze didn’t believe a single word.
He glanced at the plate of green vegetables in front of Shen Tiantian, took off his coat, which was still a bit cold, and handed it to the auntie on the side.
“Please hang this up for me, auntie. I’m not busy today. I’ll watch you eat your vegetables.”
With that, he sat down steadily and had no intention of going upstairs to get his documents.
And Shen Tiantian, on the other hand, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, obediently shrank his neck, and obediently ate the tasteless little green vegetables.
Auntie Mu, on the side, couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that this was really a case of one thing conquering another.
