Chapter 14
Shen Wen pinched Zaizai’s soft cheek, his cold expression softening, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Xing Nuo, enjoying the closeness, nuzzled his dad’s face, seeking a kiss, and then planted a kiss on his cheek.
Daddy’s skin was cool to the touch, and he always smelled faintly of flowers, recently a fresh, elegant tulip scent.
Xing Nuo happily narrowed his eyes, patted his dad’s chest, and, imitating an adult, tried to soothe him.
“Daddy, no angry.”
When Daddy 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 at Shen Baizhou, and hummed.
“I’m not angry.”
Shen Baizhou, the simple-minded monster, immediately believed him.
His face, pale from holding his breath for so long, quickly took in a deep breath. He looked at Shen Wen and smiled.
“Thank you, Dad.”
Shen Wen: “…”
How can he be so gullible?
Shen Baizhou, thinking the crisis was averted, picked up his bowl and started eating, shoveling food into his mouth.
While eating, he continued to tap-dance on Shen Wen’s nerves.
“Teacher said to sign the test.”
Shen Wen closed his eyes, not wanting to see Shen Baizhou’s face, and let out a cold chuckle.
“Why don’t you ask Xing Nuo to sign it for you?”
Shen Baizhou paused, his chin resting on his hand, and pondered. “Can Xing Nuo sign it? Sure.”
It shouldn’t matter who signed it, right?
Xing Nuo, sitting innocently in his dad’s lap, peeked out, his curls bouncing, and nodded vigorously.
“Okay~”
Xing Nuo liked signing things. He had been practicing writing his name with Daddy!
He wrote slowly and carefully, the characters “Xing Nuo” coming out wobbly and uneven.
Shen Wen felt his anger rising again.
His face grim, he quickly signed the test paper and tossed it to Shen Baizhou.
“Get out!”
Shen Baizhou scratched his chin, puzzled, mumbled “Oh,” quickly finished his dinner, and disappeared with the test paper.
After dinner, Shen Wen took Xing Nuo downstairs for their usual walk.
When they returned, Xing Nuo’s forehead was slightly sweaty, his fair cheeks flushed.
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 his light blue dinosaur onesie, its tail dragging behind him, waddled around the living room, conducting his nightly inspection.
Finished, Xing Nuo sighed, his hands behind his back. No problems detected.
He peeked into his brother’s bedroom.
“Big 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 escape the lines.
Xing Nuo stood on tiptoe, looking at the chemistry test paper with his dad’s signature.
He picked up the pen and paper, placed the test on the floor, and, lying down 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, tilted his head, and, revealing his little teeth, nodded in satisfaction.
Daddy signed, so Zaizai sign too.
He put the chemistry test back on his brother’s desk and waddled back to the living room.
The first class the next morning was chemistry.
Shen Baizhou, his eyelids drooping, his chin resting on his hand, listened drowsily to the chemistry teacher.
“Take out your signed test papers and have your deskmate check them.”
Shen Baizhou sat alone in the last row, so the chemistry teacher came over to check his paper.
“Shen Baizhou, did you get it signed?”
Shen Baizhou glanced at the teacher and nodded.
“Yes.”
He took out his chemistry test and immediately saw his little brother’s name.
Just like Xing Nuo himself, his handwriting was small, round, and without any sharp edges.
Shen Baizhou’s expression softened, his dark eyebrows lifting slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
“This is my little brother’s handwriting. Isn’t it cute?” Shen Baizhou showed the paper to the chemistry teacher, his eyes filled with a soft smile.
The chemistry teacher, listening to Shen Baizhou’s inexplicable bragging, twitched his lips.
As if you’re the only one with a little 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 score in the single digits in chemistry again.”
Shen Baizhou didn’t reply, just nodded.
Having carefully chosen a kindergarten, Shen Wen decided to officially enroll Xing Nuo.
The kindergarten was offering trial classes during the summer, with only about ten children per class. Parents were allowed to accompany their children on the first day.
On the first day of school, Shen Wen woke up early and pulled Zaizai out of bed.
Xing Nuo’s face was sleepy, his eyes tightly shut, as his dad led him to the bathroom to wash his face.
The sweet and sour strawberry toothpaste had a slightly tingly sensation. Halfway through brushing, Xing Nuo finally opened his eyes.
“Daddy?”
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, dazed.
“We’re going to school today, remember? Daddy told you yesterday. You’re starting kindergarten today.”
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.
“Daddy go too?” Xing Nuo asked anxiously.
Shen Wen hung the towel on the drying rack, picked up the little one, and placed him in his high chair for breakfast.
“Daddy will go too, with Zaizai.”
Xing Nuo instantly relaxed, swinging his little legs as he ate 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, such as walking, running, dressing, and eating.
These were things human parents taught their children as they grew up.
So, on their way to kindergarten, Shen Wen didn’t carry Xing Nuo, but held his hand, letting him walk.
Xing Nuo, his small sunflower backpack looking like a turtle shell on his back, waddled forward, his head down.
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 fell around Xing Nuo’s hand, a smile playing on his lips as he ruffled the little one’s head.
“Let’s go. Daddy is here with Zaizai.”
Xing Nuo nodded, continuing to walk obediently, even though he was tired and Daddy wasn’t carrying him.
For other children, the walk to kindergarten only took a few minutes.
But Xing Nuo had barely walked before he turned 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 waddling, they reached the kindergarten gate.
The teacher was waiting at the entrance to welcome the parents and children for the trial class.
Seeing Shen Wen and his son, the teacher’s eyes widened in surprise.
Wow, a blond hottie!
Most of the other parents were from the same complex and had heard about the incredibly good-looking new residents, but this was their first time seeing them. 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 he had brought from home.
Xing Nuo gulped down the water, his clear, round eyes like black gemstones, his face tilted up, his gaze filled with curiosity as he observed the kindergarten.
He didn’t quite understand what a kindergarten was, thinking it was just a place to play with Daddy.
The teacher approached them with a smile.
“Hello, Mr. Shen Wen and Xing Nuo, right? You can come in now. Today is the first day, and a guide will show you around and introduce the kindergarten.”
Shen Wen nodded and followed the group with Xing Nuo in his arms.
The kindergarten building was designed in a child-friendly style, with bright pink, blue, and yellow colors everywhere, like a fairytale playground.
The play equipment and teaching facilities were all new this year. The guide proudly introduced them:
“This new equipment is sponsored by Shen Tech. It’s been thoroughly tested, and all the edges are rounded to ensure the children’s safety!”
The parents whispered among themselves:
“This kindergarten is funded by Shen Tech?”
“They’ve been doing really well these past two years. Someone I know works there.”
“Shen Tech? That’s reassuring!”
Shen Wen raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue, and looked at the play equipment.
Shen Tech?
Shen Yan’s business is quite extensive, even sponsoring kindergartens.
