Shen Lin fished out a handful of milk candies from his pocket, unwrapped one, and popped it into the little guy’s mouth. “Youyou, chew on this milk candy.”
The little guy moved his mouth, and his hands were slowly lowered by his brother.
“Feeling a bit better?”
It did seem a little better. The little guy nodded, looking at Shen Lin with admiration, and pressed his whole body against him. Feeling the little one wanted to get closer, Shen Lin picked him up and held him in front of him, pinching his cheek and helping cover his ears to play with him. The incapable father, Shen Minyan, was completely ignored throughout the process and sat in silence.
After a moment, Shen Minyan said to Shen Lin, “Well done.”
He actually seems like a proper older brother.
Shen Lin, receiving praise from his father for the first time, looked unimpressed, curling his lip. “Mmphh.”
Shen Lin had indeed prepared thoroughly. Young children generally dislike confined spaces, and the flight from Nancheng to Beicheng would take several hours. He was afraid Youyou would get bored. So he had downloaded plenty of cartoons onto a tablet and bought several picture books to keep him occupied.
Shen Lin had heard his friends complain countless times about how difficult their younger siblings were—how they cried constantly, endlessly, and uncontrollably. He had consulted two of his closest friends, taken their advice, and prepared in advance so he could take such good care of his little brother.
The little guy sat in his seat, holding the tablet and quietly watching cartoons. His cheeks were chubby and full, chewing on the milk candy. He didn’t cry, didn’t yell, didn’t run around the plane. He was practically an angel baby. Shen Lin touched his little brother’s slightly curly hair, glanced at his useless father, and silently thanked Uncle Qin and Uncle Su again.
Thank you for raising Youyou so well.
“Ah—I don’t want to, I don’t want to! I want to go play!”
The quiet atmosphere of first class was shattered by a scream. Youyou, who had been engrossed in his cartoon, flinched, hugged his Stitch doll tightly, and called out, “Gege.”
Shen Lin said, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. There’s just another little kid having a tantrum.”
Su Youli nodded, curiously stretching his neck to see which child was crying. Passengers who were resting were getting annoyed by the child’s crying. Several flight attendants tried to soothe him, but to no avail. Shen Minyan looked over at his youngest son, who was as soft as a marshmallow.
My son is so well-behaved.
Half an hour later, the child’s crying still hadn’t stopped. Su Youli couldn’t watch TV anymore because of the noise. He pursed his lips and reached for Shen Lin’s hand.
“Gege, it’s so noisy.”
Shen Lin rubbed his hands. “Stay put, let gege go see what’s going on.”
“You stay with Youyou. I’ll go check.”
Shen Lin was a bit surprised his father would volunteer to deal with this kind of thing. He patted Su Youli’s back and watched. Shen Minyan returned shortly after, and within less than five minutes, the cabin had returned to its initial quiet. Shen Lin wondered what trick his father had used. Then he saw his father’s stern face. Ha, that brat must have been scared silent by that face.
“Chairman Shen, how did you do it?” Bratty kids were the hardest creatures to handle.
Shen Minyan straightened his suit. “It was nothing.”
Shortly after he sat down, the flight attendant from before came over with some snacks and a Stitch keychain.
“Mr. Shen, thank you for your help. This is a small gift for the little boy. Please accept it.”
“Give it to my son,” Shen Minyan said.
“Youyou, look at what this is!” Shen Lin took the items from the flight attendant.
Su Youli looked up from the world of cartoons and saw a small Stitch in front of him.
He kicked his little legs and reached out to take it. “It’s Stitch!”
He loved Stitch the most!
Shen Lin let him play with the keychain and asked the flight attendant, “What did my dad do?”
The flight attendant smiled, looking at the little one swaying his head in his seat. “Mr. Shen went over and said that his three-year-old son knows to be quiet on a plane and not disturb others. That six-year-old was crying for his dad to hold him, demanding to open the plane window…”
The bratty kid couldn’t believe it. How could he be worse than a three-year-old? He quieted down immediately.
Shen Lin crossed his arms, feeling proud. “My little brother really is very well-behaved.”
During the five-hour flight, Shen Lin couldn’t let the little guy stare at the tablet the whole time; it would ruin his eyes. He thought the little one might cry when he took the tablet away, but surprisingly, even at such a young age, he understood the concept of moderation. When his brother gently explained that he could watch more when they got home, he handed the tablet over immediately without any hesitation.
Oh my god, what kind of perfect baby was this? For the latter half of the journey, the little one slowly fell asleep. The plane landed smoothly. Shen Lin unbuckled his seatbelt and said softly, “Youyou, we’re getting off the plane now.”
Su Youli made a few small sounds. When he opened his eyes and didn’t see his little Dad or Kunkun, tears instantly welled up in his eyes.
“Youyou, it’s gege. Gege is here.”
What was the most fragile thing in the world? A child who just woke up and didn’t see their closest family member nearby. Shen Lin held the little guy in his arms, brushed aside the hair that was slightly damp with sweat, and kissed his forehead. “Youyou, don’t be scared. Gege is here.”
Su Youli sniffled, reached out, and grabbed his brother’s collar. “…Gege.”
While he was soothing the child and getting off the plane, the two grown men, Shen Minyan and Zhang Shun, were completely useless. Su Youli got off the plane and arrived in a completely unfamiliar place. He clung tightly to his brother’s neck, rubbing his head against his shoulder. His brother was now the person he depended on the most.
The car and bodyguards sent by the Shen family were waiting outside. Seeing their second young master carrying a little one in his arms, they exchanged glances. The little young master had really been found! The little one on his shoulder cautiously revealed a pair of eyes, took a quick look, and then quickly buried his head again.
Shen Lin felt that Youyou was even more dependent on him than he had been in Yunshui City. After being together for the whole journey, he himself was starting to feel like a real older brother. The car was very spacious. Shen Lin held Youyou on his lap and asked his father, “Did you get all of Youyou’s luggage?”
Shen Minyan didn’t know where he got the nerve to talk to him like that, but mindful of Su Youli’s presence, he suppressed his temper and said, “Got it all.”
Shen Lin took out a wet wipe to clean Su Youli’s hands. “Good that you got it. Let’s go.”
Shen Minyan: “…”
The scenery along the way was undoubtedly novel for three-year-old Su Youli, but also unfamiliar. It made him miss his fathers even more.
“Gege, I want to call Daddy,” the little guy said in his soft voice.
Of course, no problem. Shen Lin touched his face. “We’ll call Uncle Qin and Uncle Su when we get home, okay?”
Su Youli: “Okay!”
The car drove on, traveling from the airport to a villa area in the city center.
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