Shen Yan suddenly felt the weight of responsibility. He shot Tang Dou a pleading look.
“Don’t worry. Youyou is the easiest child I’ve ever taken care of. If you can’t handle him, no one can save you.”
Tang Dou had already packed the little one’s daily outfits into separate bags by coordinated sets. Small items like pajamas, socks, and underwear were also separated. He went through each item, explaining it to Shen Yan, before finally leaving for the day. Shen Yan sat hugging the Stitch suitcase for quite a while. The little one on the bed was letting out little snores in his sleep.
“If your big brother does something wrong and makes you uncomfortable, you have to tell me, okay? I’ll fix it,” Shen Yan mumbled softly.
In his sleep, the little one rolled over, hooked his tiny finger around Shen Yan’s, smacked his lips a few times, and continued sleeping. Shen Yan smiled, slid under the covers, and lay down beside him. A good night’s sleep. The next day, Shen Yan took the freshly awakened Su Youli onto the production team’s car.
Su Youli sat obediently in his seat, happily eating a sesame pancake that the chef had made for him that morning. A camera was mounted in front of the little one. Su Youli tilted his head toward it and, seeing his own crooked reflection, found it very funny. Shen Yan fastened his seatbelt, took a deep breath, and the car slowly started moving.
“Youyou, from today on, it’s just the two of us.”
Su Youli nodded, pulled a sesame pancake from his pocket, and held it out. “Big Brother, I will take good care of you!”
Shen Yan’s expression cracked. “Your big brother will definitely take good care of *you*.”
Su Youli looked at him, nodded with a hint of uncertainty, then asked the question that worried him most.
“Can I still call my daddies while filming the show?”
Shen Yan knew he meant Uncle Su and Uncle Qin. He nodded firmly.
“Of course you can.”
Su Youli was relieved. After finishing breakfast, he obediently drank a bottle of milk. Since Su Youli had experienced airsickness on his previous flight, Tang Dou had come well-prepared this time. As soon as Su Youli was settled in his seat on the plane, Shen Yan took the child’s noise-canceling headphones out of his bag and put them on the little one. An hour later, the plane landed at its destination.
Su Youli had fallen asleep on the plane and was still groggy. Shen Yan carried him off. As soon as they exited the terminal, fans swarmed around them. Su Youli was roused by the noise. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, let out a small yawn, and was fully awake. The scene before him was spectacular. The little one clung tightly to his big brother, a bit scared. Shen Yan hadn’t disguised himself today. Holding the little one with a serious expression, he was surrounded by two rows of bodyguards.
“Youyou, don’t be scared. Big Brother is right here,” Shen Yan said softly, sensing the little one’s fear.
What Su Youli felt more was curiosity. *How did so many people know Big Brother’s name? Why were they holding up phones and cameras to film them?*
Yes, the little one still didn’t know that his big brother was a Best Actor — the kind of big star who, if he went out without a mask, would be photographed by paparazzi.
“Big Brother, so many people are filming us.”
Shen Yan patted his little head. Seeing that the little one was less frightened, he explained, “These are all Big Brother’s fans. They mean no harm. Don’t be scared.”
Su Youli whispered, “Fans?”
The little one thought of the garlic vermicelli that Kunkun used to make for him. He licked his lips. Back then, Kunkun only made one portion for him. It wasn’t even enough to eat.
Shen Yan smiled. “I’ll explain what ‘fans’ means tonight.”
“Okay.”
The fans followed them, but they remained orderly and didn’t cause any trouble. Su Youli sat in the sturdy embrace of Shen Yan’s arm, hearing many jiejies call his name. He thought it was strange, but if someone called his name, he had to respond. So, Su Youli wiggled his bottom in Shen Yan’s arms, turned his face toward the fans, and quietly raised his little hand, responding “Hey” several times in a voice only he could hear.
It wasn’t until they got into the car that Su Youli finally lowered his little hand, his little mouth still fixed in a smile. There was more than one family in the car. A father and daughter were already inside. Seeing them get in, they greeted them warmly.
Shen Yan held Su Youli and nodded to the man. “Hello, I’m Shen Yan. This is my younger brother, Su Youli.”
The man was in his early thirties. Shen Yan vaguely recognized him — he seemed to have seen him twice on a neighboring film set, but couldn’t recall his name.
“Hello, hello. I’m Du Ze. This is my daughter, Niu Niu. Niu Niu, say hello to the… oh, calling him ‘brother’ doesn’t seem right. Better call him ‘uncle’…”
Niu Niu shrank back, sitting on the seat, and peeked out curiously at Su Youli. The little girl didn’t dare greet them. She looked only once, then lowered her eyes.
Du Ze felt a bit embarrassed. With the cameras rolling, he could only force a laugh. “She’s a bit shy.”
Shen Yan smiled. “Kids are like that. They’re shy around strangers. It’s fine.”
The little one was picked up by his big brother and placed in a car seat, buckled in. Once seated, they couldn’t see each other’s expressions anymore. Seeing Shen Yan so aloof, Du Ze felt a little displeased. He was more than ten years older than Shen Yan. Surely Shen Yan should call him ‘brother’ at least. Not only did Shen Yan not call him anything, but he didn’t even have his little brother say hello. How rude.
Niu Niu was a bit hungry. She pulled a milk candy from her pocket and was about to put it in her mouth when Du Ze took it away and even slapped the back of her hand. “Eating candy first thing in the morning? Did you forget about your cavities?”
Niu Niu’s eyes reddened. “It… it was from Mama.”
“Even if your mother gave it to you, it’s not allowed.”
Niu Niu’s mouth puckered, ready to cry. Her mother had told her that if she was unhappy, she could have a piece of candy. Just now, her father had been very mean to her, and that made her unhappy. Even though their voices were lowered, Su Youli still heard Du Ze’s harsh tone. A new environment took time to get used to. Now, Su Youli was even less willing to sit by himself.
The little one reached out to his big brother, wanting to be held. Shen Yan didn’t argue, only inwardly criticizing Du Ze for being so harsh with his daughter. Niu Niu was actually a very well-behaved child. She hadn’t even cried when he yelled. Su Youli sat in Shen Yan’s lap, his heart finally settling down a bit.
He gripped Shen Yan’s clothes tightly with both hands and dared not speak. Having the guests ride together was meant to help them get to know each other. But judging by the current atmosphere, the car was filled with awkwardness. Soon, the third family arrived. It was a little boy named Cen Yuankai who came with his father, Cen Zeping.
As soon as Cen Yuankai got in the car, he spotted the comfort bunny that Su Youli was holding. He turned to Cen Zeping and said, “Dad, I want that.”
Cen Yuankai was an only child, spoiled rotten. If it were any other child, Cen Zeping would have indulged his son. But Shen Yan was not someone he could afford to cross.
“That belongs to the little brother. We can’t take it,” he said, crouching down to Cen Yuankai.
There had never been anything that Cen Yuankai wanted that he couldn’t have. He went ahead and tried to snatch it. Su Youli panicked, but Shen Yan held him securely in his arms.
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi, Patreon, or PayPal <3.
