Veins bulged on Cen Zeping’s forehead. Before the show aired, he had thought the mushroom incident was just a minor conflict between children. Shen Yan hadn’t seemed to mind. Cen Zeping hadn’t even considered making Cen Yuankai apologize to Su Youli.
His agent and team had been calling him all afternoon, telling him to find a solution, at least to bring down the online buzz. His new drama, in which he played the lead, was premiering at the end of the month, and the investors and platforms were watching closely.
Furious, Cen Zeping shouted into the phone, “I pay you people to get things done! If you can’t handle such a small matter, get the hell out!”
It wasn’t like he didn’t have money to scrub the search rankings. His team, having been yelled at, were also seething with frustration. Cen Zeping’s on-screen image had always been positive, and the persona he cultivated online was that of an approachable, good-natured idol. Everything he had painstakingly built over the years was destroyed by this variety show.
Crack. The phone shattered into pieces. Cen Yuankai, who had been watching cartoons, trembled with fear. He hid in the corner of the sofa and called out “Papa” in a small voice. The woman standing in the living room quickly approached, reaching out to comfort Cen Yuankai, but he kicked her.
“Get lost!” he yelled at her.
Not bothering to put on his shoes, Cen Yuankai got up and went to find his father. Already in a foul mood, Cen Zeping’s head throbbed at the sight of his trouble-making son. His anger flared.
“Go back to your room! Don’t come out without my permission!”
Cen Yuankai wailed, “No! I don’t want to!”
His heart-wrenching cries were eventually muffled by the door. Cen Zeping’s mind was solely focused on how to remove the trending topics. He had no time for his son’s tantrums.
The sofa beside him suddenly sank. A soft voice sounded in his ear: “Zeping, it’s late. Go back to the room and rest.”
After speaking, the woman raised her hand and gently massaged his temples.
His wife’s thoughtfulness relaxed Cen Zeping slightly. Remembering that she had just been kicked by Cen Yuankai, he felt a twinge of guilt.
“Xiao Qin, you’ve been wronged.”
Fang Qin paused, then shook her head, looking at Cen Zeping with her watery, almond-shaped eyes. Fang Qin was not yet thirty and very beautiful. This was one of the reasons Cen Zeping had insisted on divorcing his first wife. The two cuddled on the sofa for a while. Fang Qin gazed at Cen Zeping, her eyes full of affection, humming softly.
Unable to control himself, Cen Zeping cursed under his breath and was about to press her down onto the sofa. Just as they were about to take things further, a loud noise came from the second floor. Cen Zeping doted on Cen Yuankai. Remembering that he had lost his temper at his son, he felt a pang of remorse. He stopped what he was doing and stood up, only to be pulled back by Fang Qin.
“Zeping…” The woman, her clothes disheveled, lay half-reclining on the sofa, looking aggrieved.
“Xiao Qin, you go back to the room first.”
Cen Zeping’s temple throbbed twice, but he still stood up, straightened his clothes, and strode upstairs. Soon, the sound of a man soothing a child could be heard from the second floor. The woman on the sofa sat up and adjusted her clothes. Her gentle, endearing demeanor was gone. She looked towards the second floor with a fierce glare.
So what if he has a son? Once she bore Cen Zeping a son, the entire Cen family would be hers.
That little brat Cen Yuankai would eventually be trampled under her feet.
—
The Shen Residence.
Su Youli had only drunk half a bottle of milk on the plane. After playing with Su Yuanzi for a while, he sat on the grass, touched his belly, and told Brother Xiao Tang he was hungry. Tang Dou took the little one back to eat. Just as they reached the main gate, they saw a cool-looking little boy.
“Qiqi gege!” The little one was very excited, beaming with joy.
Pei Xu just furrowed his brows and stood at the gate without speaking.
Pei Yi crouched down, pinched his face, and said, “Didn’t you say you missed Youyou? Now that Youyou is back, go play with him.”
Pei Xu turned his face away, sulking. “But Youyou didn’t call me. He must have forgotten about me.”
“Youyou couldn’t use his phone or make calls while filming the show.”
“You’re good friends. How could Youyou forget about you?”
But Mama didn’t call him. When he asked the kindergarten teacher, she said Mama had forgotten him. Mama didn’t want him anymore. That’s why Mama didn’t call him. Uncle didn’t call him before either…
In Pei Xu’s mind, if someone left and didn’t contact him, it meant they didn’t like him or had forgotten him.
Pei Yi gave him a gentle push from behind. “Go on. Didn’t you bring some treats to give Youyou?”
Pei Xu’s little hand touched his pocket, but his legs wouldn’t move. He stood there like a wooden dummy, his expression very cool.
The little one tilted his head, “Eh?”
Why wasn’t Qiqi gege coming over?
He blinked a few times, let go of Tang Dou’s hand, and trotted over to take Pei Xu’s hand. The Shen villa grounds were quite large. Just getting to the gate was a fair distance. The little one was already quite hungry and couldn’t run the whole way.
“Qiqi gege?” The little one panted a few times and looked at Pei Xu questioningly, wondering why he wasn’t coming over.
Seeing him run over, Pei Xu’s little heart started beating fast.
“Go on, go play with Youyou,” Pei Yi encouraged his awkward nephew.
Pei Xu tried to calm his racing heart and took a small step forward. Only when he got closer did he see that the little one’s face was scrunched up, looking quite unhappy. Pei Xu instantly sped up, marching over to Su Youli. The little one immediately took his hand and led him home, saying in his milky voice, “Qiqi gege, you’re so slow. I’m starving~”
Pei Xu opened his mouth but didn’t dare speak. He reached out and felt the little one’s belly; it was indeed sunken. His serious little mouth pressed into a line. He took a Stitch-shaped cookie from his pocket, unwrapped it, and brought it to the little one’s mouth. Su Youli’s eyes lit up. He could already taste it—a buttery, milky scent.
“Thank you, Qiqi gege!”
The little one squinted, smiling, and reached out to take it himself.
Pei Xu didn’t let go. He pushed the cookie further towards his mouth. “Eat!”
Su Youli was used to being fed by his family. He opened his mouth and, holding Pei Xu’s hand, finished the cookie bite by bite. They hadn’t even reached the front door before the cookie was gone. He stared longingly at Qiqi gege’s pocket, but it was empty. The little one’s big eyes shifted and saw that there were still a few cookie crumbs on the fingers in front of him.
Su Youli swallowed. “Om-nom.” He popped Pei Qiqi’s fingers into his mouth.
Pei Xu had made the cookies with adult help. His hands were full of the scent of butter and cream. Feeling the soft, warm sensation, Pei Xu was startled. When he moved his finger, he could feel the little one’s soft, wet tongue.
Pei Xu: “…”
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