Chapter 72
Backstage.
The teacher, seeing Xing Nuo in his little suit, couldn’t help but exclaim, “Did you straighten your hair today, Xing Nuo? It suits you.”
The smooth, straight hair made Xing Nuo look elegant and refined, like a little prince.
Xing Nuo smiled shyly, his cheeks flushing slightly, and thanked the teacher politely.
“Zaizai used comb…combed for long time.”
Usually, he would bury his face in his dad’s chest, his eyes red, reluctant to go to kindergarten.
But today, knowing his dad and brother would be there, he had woken up early and spent a long time trying to tame his unruly curls in front of the bathroom mirror.
The teacher handed the small microphones to Xing Nuo and the other little girl emcee and gave them some last-minute instructions.
“Don’t be nervous on stage. You only have two lines each. Just follow my lead for the rest.”
Xing Nuo and the little girl nodded obediently and followed the teacher outside.
On the field, the children, like little sunflowers, looked up at the teacher on stage excitedly.
The parents stood on the left side, their cameras clicking away.
Seeing the two little ones walk onto the stage with the teacher, a parent exclaimed, “Look, there are two little emcees!”
“So cute! That little boy with the light golden hair is adorable!”
“He lives in our complex. Both he and his dad have blond hair. They’re quite famous in our community! His name is Xing Nuo, I think.”
Xing Nuo, looking like a doll, immediately caught the attention of the parents and children.
Xing Nuo, holding his microphone, stood on tiptoe, looking towards the parents.
He spotted his dad’s familiar golden hair and smiled, his eyes sparkling.
Daddy came to Zaizai’s sports day!
And Big Brother must be here too.
He held the microphone in one hand and the little girl’s hand in the other, listening to the teacher’s opening remarks.
When it was his turn, he spoke his two rehearsed lines in his sweet, little voice:
“We children…wun and play…have fun.”
His face flushed, his eyes shining, he looked like a cute, little apple on stage.
Shen Wen, holding the new camera he had bought, zoomed in on Xing Nuo, recording his first sports day.
The opening ceremony was short, and the sports day officially began.
The field was filled with children running and playing, each giving their all to win.
Xing Nuo, not participating in any events, changed out of his little suit, put on his light blue kindergarten uniform, and ran to find his dad.
Teacher Xiao Song, holding a sign for Class 2, saw Xing Nuo and waved.
“Xing Nuo, over here!”
Xing Nuo, not having found his dad, went to the teacher and looked up.
“Teacher, where my Daddy?”
Teacher Xiao Song handed him his small stool, letting him sit with the other children, and ruffled his hair, her eyes filled with admiration.
“The parents are over there. They’ll be here later. Your hair looks so pretty today, Xing Nuo!”
The other children gathered around, touching his hair enviously.
“Xing Nuo’s hair so smooth!”
“So amazing! I want long, pretty hair too!”
The children, not yet participating in their events, surrounded Xing Nuo, their eyes filled with envy.
Little Fatty, also looking at Xing Nuo’s new hairstyle, huffed and declared, “My hair can be like that too!”
The other children ignored him, continuing to admire Xing Nuo’s hair.
“So smooth, like jelly!”
Xing Nuo, smiling patiently, explained in his sweet voice:
“I used comb…make stwaight.”
The children, their faces filled with wonder, then pulled him towards their classmate who was participating in an event.
“Let’s go cheer for Yiyi!”
Xing Nuo was now busier than the other children.
Not participating himself, he became the designated cheerleader and water boy.
He ran around the field, panting, his pockets filled with water bottles, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Seeing a child finish the balloon-carrying race, he rushed over, handed him a bottle of water, and praised him.
“You so stwong!”
The child, even though he hadn’t won, beamed, his round face flushed.
After encouraging him, Xing Nuo ran to the hobby horse race, offering a tissue to another child who was about to cry.
Xing Nuo, not participating, was now the busiest person on the field.
The last event was Little Fatty’s ball-throwing competition.
Xing Nuo, his legs exhausted, collapsed onto the grass beside his chair, unable to take another step.
He felt drowsy under the warm sun, almost drifting off to sleep.
He was jolted awake by the sound of a chair crashing to the ground.
He slowly sat up and saw Little Fatty kicking his chair.
“Little Fatty, what’s wrong? Why you kick my chair?”
Xing Nuo picked up his chair, his good nature preventing him from getting angry.
But Little Fatty, unrepentant, kicked his chair again, in front of the other children.
Qingqing, a little girl who often played with Xing Nuo, put her hands on her hips and kicked Little Fatty’s chair in retaliation.
“What are you doing?! Why are you bullying Xing Nuo?”
Qingqing was a natural leader, often organizing games for the girls, and held a certain authority among them.
And since Little Fatty was being a bully, picking on the gentle Xing Nuo, she was the first to defend him, glaring at Little Fatty.
Little Fatty, seeing Xing Nuo dusting off his chair, ignoring him, burst into tears.
“Waaaaah! I hate you!”
His loud wails summoned Teacher Xiao Song.
Teacher Xiao Song, carrying a pile of small flags, her forehead covered in sweat, asked:
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
She placed the flags on the grass and crouched down, wiping Little Fatty’s tears.
“Tell Teacher Xiao Song what happened.”
Little Fatty continued to cry, and Qingqing, unable to stand it, huffed and said:
“Teacher, Little Fatty bullied Xing Nuo! He kicked his chair!”
Teacher Xiao Song, confused, looked at Xing Nuo, who was standing there quietly.
“Xing Nuo, did Little Fatty bully you?”
Before Xing Nuo could answer, Little Fatty wailed:
“I didn’t!”
He sobbed dramatically, his shoulders shaking, as if he had been greatly wronged.
“He gave water to the other kids, but not me! Waaaaah!”
His loud cries made everyone wince.
Xing Nuo, remembering something, scratched his cheek and patted his tired legs.
“Sowwy. Zaizai tired…didn’t go over there.”
Little Fatty, still upset, his voice thick with tears, yelled:
“I don’t want your water anyway!”
He wiped his tears and stomped away, turning his back to Xing Nuo.
Qingqing, fuming, yelled:
“We won’t give you any! You hate Xing Nuo, why should we give you water?!”
Xing Nuo patted her back, his voice soft.
“It’s okay, Qingqing. No angry.”
Xing Nuo was known for his good temper, never getting angry or arguing with anyone.
Teacher Xiao Song, understanding the situation, sighed, rubbing her forehead.
This Little Fatty is so difficult.
She comforted Xing Nuo, telling him not to mind Little Fatty, then went over to reason with the stubborn child.
The sports day only lasted for the morning.
As the sun reached its peak, the parents arrived, finding their children.
The PE teacher, holding a megaphone and a large cardboard box, stood on the stage and announced:
“The last event is the parent-child relay race! Parents and children who want to participate, please come and draw lots!”
Xing Nuo, holding his dad’s hand, his earlier unhappiness forgotten, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight, looked up at his dad.
“Daddy, where Big Brother?”
He and Big Brother had practiced for the relay race yesterday!
He looked around for his brother in his school uniform, but Shen Wen said:
“Your brother has a placement test today. He probably won’t make it.”
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened.
“No wun relay race with Zaizai?”
Shen Wen picked up Xing Nuo, his light-colored eyes filled with regret.
“High school students have a lot of tests. He might not be able to make it.”
Xing Nuo’s curls drooped, and he sighed sadly.
“Zaizai and Big Brother practiced…”
Shen Wen gently stroked his head.
“It’s okay. Daddy can run with Zaizai, right?”
Xing Nuo nodded, although still slightly disappointed.
He had wanted to participate in the three-person relay race.
Him, Big Brother, and Daddy, winning first place together.
But with Shen Baizhou absent, Shen Wen could only sign them up for the two-person race.
As they were queuing, Xing Nuo noticed a familiar gray backpack being tossed over the wall.
Then, Shen Baizhou jumped over the wall.
