“Youyou, shall we go play with the toy car?”
The toy car was a gift he had brought for the little one today. It was a sleek, limited-edition black sports car, cool and impressive. No little boy could resist the allure of such a car. But the clever little one didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he rested his head on Brother Xiao Tang’s shoulder.
He perked up his little ears, his big eyes darting around as he carefully observed his surroundings. Only after confirming there was no more of that harsh, frightening noise did the little one finally let go of his grip. Brother Xiao Tang had been holding him for a long time; his arms must be getting tired.
The little one obediently reached out his small hand toward Shen Lin gege, asking to be held. With the little one back in his arms, Shen Lin forgot everything else. He touched the little one’s nose and carried him off to play with the sports car. As Shen Lin carried him, Su Youli’s position shifted, and he naturally saw something he hadn’t noticed before.
“It’s a fairy~” The little one reached his small hand toward the fairy-like brother in flowing white robes, his eyes sparkling.
That unexpected little voice finally gave Shen Yan a clear look at the child’s face. Beautiful children naturally attract affection. Shen Yan, a self-proclaimed serious aesthete, fell in love with this adorable child the moment he saw Su Youli. The little one had rosy lips and white teeth, large, round eyes as clear as if they had been washed. He looked a bit warm; the little curls on his forehead were even curlier after being dampened with sweat.
Shen Lin grabbed the little one’s hand and waved it toward Shen Yan. “That’s Shen Yan, our eldest brother.”
Su Youli was still lost in the wonder of seeing a fairy. He murmured, “Da-ge~”
Shen Yan’s heart melted completely. The little one had him utterly charmed. Shen Lin placed Su Youli in the toy car, and the little one grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. Shen Lin controlled the car’s speed and direction from behind with a remote. The little one was thrilled, happily driving around the living room.
Kids were like that, easily distracted by something fun. Seeing how protective Shen Lin was of Su Youli, Tang Dou breathed a sigh of relief. He hoped today’s incident wouldn’t leave a lasting negative impression on the little one. Watching the child’s smile, Tang Dou straightened his collar, which the little one had wrinkled earlier.
His expression grew serious as he nodded slightly toward Shen Yan and Shen Minyan. “Chairman Shen, First Young Master, may I have a word?”
Tang Dou had studied child psychology since his undergraduate years. After earning a government-sponsored scholarship to study abroad, he had spent several years overseas before returning home. He was confident in his expertise and genuinely felt for Youyou’s situation. Soon, Shen Minyan and Shen Yan sat down across from Tang Dou, who placed his hands on his knees.
The young man’s voice was as clear and pleasant as his appearance. He wasn’t the type to stand out at first glance, but the more you interacted with him, the more you noticed his charm. Tang Dou spoke slowly and clearly, explaining that Su Youli had overheard the argument between Shen Minyan and Shen Lin earlier. Shen Minyan rarely felt embarrassed, pursing his thin lips. How long had Youyou been home before being exposed to something like that?
“Xiao Tang, thank you.”
Shen Minyan was genuinely grateful that Tang Dou had immediately helped distract the little one when he heard the argument and had done his best to comfort him. Shen Yan looked back at the little one, who had tired of driving and was now sitting in the car, beaming as Shen Lin held him. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
“Children are actually very sensitive. They understand more than we think.” Tang Dou glanced at Shen Minyan.
Though his next words touched on personal matters, for the little one’s future, he felt he had to say them. “Especially for Youyou, given what happened when he was little. After finally spending three years with his two fathers, he now has to leave them and adjust to a new place.”
“Even for an adult, leaving loved ones suddenly and adapting to a strange environment takes time.”
Shen Yan sighed and turned to his father. “Dad, don’t hit Shen Lin in front of Youyou anymore.”
At least do it when the child wasn’t around.
Shen Minyan was exasperated. “If that brat would behave, would I have to hit him?”
To be honest, although Shen Minyan looked fierce, he didn’t hold much authority over Shen Lin. The father’s words fell on deaf ears; the little tyrant simply didn’t listen to him.
“Starting today, I’m moving back,” Shen Yan announced.
Shen Minyan was stunned. Three years ago, after Chu Ying divorced him, Shen Yan had left with her. Though he would come back for holidays and meals, he never stayed overnight.
Shen Minyan was touched. “What about your mother?”
Shen Yan smiled. “Mom found out Youyou was back a couple of days ago. She’s been actively cooperating with her treatment. She’ll come to see Youyou herself.”
At the mention of Chu Ying, Shen Minyan’s shoulders stiffened noticeably. Would she really come? Shen Yan wasn’t interested in his father’s feelings. He listened intently to Tang Dou.
Tang Dou covered everything: how to care for a child in a new environment, food, clothing, housing, transportation, how to comfort them, and how to help them adjust quickly.
Ten minutes later, Shen Yan stared at the dense notes on his phone, his brain feeling short-circuited. This was way harder than memorizing scripts! The fair, chubby little one snuggled in his brother’s arms. After driving the toy car around the spacious living room a few times, he had lost interest. When Shen Lin realized he hadn’t heard his little brother laugh for a while, he looked down and saw the little one gazing toward where the “fairy brother” was.
“Youyou, what are you looking at?” Shen Lin pinched his soft, chubby cheek.
Su Youli pointed. “Fairy.” The fairy still hasn’t flown away yet.
Shen Lin said, “I told you, that’s our eldest brother. He’s an actor. He looks like that because of makeup.”
This was a completely unfamiliar concept for a three-year-old who had never encountered cosmetics. Su Youli tilted his head, confused. What was gege talking about? He didn’t understand.
By the time the adults finished talking on the other side of the room, Su Youli had fallen asleep in Shen Lin’s arms. Shen Lin panicked. Didn’t his little brother just have a nap? Why was he sleeping again? He poked the little one’s cheek gently and called his name softly. Su Youli didn’t stir at all.
Shen Lin: !!!
“Ge! Come quick! What’s wrong with Youyou?”
The adults’ hearts skipped a beat as they hurried over to the toy car.
The three Shen men were clearly flustered. Shen Minyan’s temples throbbed; his hands trembled as he pulled out his phone to call the family doctor. Only then did he notice his assistant, Zhang Shun, standing right beside him.
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