The moon hung in the dark blue sky. A uniquely designed seaside villa stood on the white sand. Under a streetlamp stood a tall man. Not far from him, the other two parents were also waiting anxiously. Youyou had been away for so long. Shen Minyan was extremely worried. He shouldn’t have let those kids go off on their own.
Hua Zhao, who had just arrived, glanced back. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Du Ze was leisurely eating dinner. She hadn’t known before coming that Du Ze wasn’t Niu Niu’s biological father. When she saw Niu Niu’s lips getting chapped from thirst with no water to drink, she had wondered what kind of father he was.
But that was someone else’s family matter. As an outsider, she couldn’t say much. This time, the production team had all four families staying together. After finding the house, they went back to the parking area to get their luggage. Parents traveling with children usually had far fewer things for themselves than for their kids. But Du Ze was an exception.
He even had a guitar slung over his shoulder. Hua Zhao couldn’t help but give him a confused look. Did he really have to play the guitar right now? Her Qiqi was so well-behaved, yet she was constantly worried and barely had time to use the restroom.
Mi Huan noticed her reaction and guessed she was another “2G” user (out of the loop). But then he thought Hua Zhao was from the modeling world and had just returned from abroad. It was normal that she didn’t know about the domestic entertainment industry. Back then, the news that Du Ze had “married into the family for love and become a father” had caused quite a stir. It was from that point on that Du Ze’s popularity had begun to rise.
Niu Niu’s mother, Wang Shilan, was a well-known producer in the country. She had produced many critically acclaimed and popular films and had extensive connections in the industry. But what the audience was most interested in was her status as a single mother. Everyone speculated about who Niu Niu’s biological father was. Society often viewed career-oriented women with a certain bias. Wang Shilan was a mother, but she was also a woman building her career.
In her own words, she would never marry. If she had to find a stepfather for Niu Niu, the man would have to marry into the family. Such conditions seemed harsh and even insulting to most men, yet wave after wave of men still came knocking. These men weren’t motivated by love, of course. They wanted Wang Shilan’s status and connections. Marrying her would give them access to any resource they desired.
When they married, they had a grand wedding. The flower girl was Niu Niu. The little girl seemed to like Du Ze and didn’t show any rejection toward her new stepfather. After the marriage, Du Ze’s reputation and resources improved significantly. Without that, given his previous standing, the variety show wouldn’t have invited him.
“Why aren’t the kids back yet? It’s almost seven,” Hua Zhao said impatiently.
What worried her more was whether Qiqi could get along with children other than Youyou. This was the first time in half a year that Qiqi had gone out on his own without her or Pei Yi. But soon, she realized her worries were completely unnecessary.
“Brother, we’re back!” Mi Le’s voice was loud and clear.
Mi Huan’s eyes widened, and he immediately walked toward the children. A figure darted past him in a flash. The next moment, the little curly-haired boy walking in the middle was tightly embraced by Shen Minyan.
The little guy giggled, his small hands pressing against his father’s shoulders. “Dad.”
Shen Minyan understood. He lifted him high into the air, followed by a string of childish laughter. After playing with the little guy in the air for a bit, Shen Minyan smiled and settled his son in the crook of his arm. The little guy, who hadn’t seen his dad all day, affectionately patted his father and nuzzled his cheek against Dad’s chest. Shen Minyan carried his son and walked back slowly. As he got close, he caught a faint fishy smell.
The smell was coming from the little one in his arms. He asked: “Youyou, did you guys go fishing today?”
The little guy blinked. “No. But Brother Lele caught a big lobster for us to play with. Dad, it was so big.”
Su Youli gestured, cupping his hands to make a circle. “It was bigger than Youyou’s head.”
Mi Huan winced at this and scolded his brother: “Did you scare the other kids by grabbing a lobster?”
Mi Le pouted. “No, you’re accusing me unfairly.”
Mi Huan’s lips twitched. Whether it was unfair or not, he knew the truth. After playing outside all day, the little ones were inevitably dirty and sweaty. The first thing they needed to do was bathe and change. The villa’s first floor had two family suites, each with a large and a small room. Hua Zhao and Qiqi chose one of them. Shen Minyan and Mi Huan took two rooms on the second floor. Du Ze disagreed with this arrangement. He glanced at Shen Minyan, not wanting to miss this opportunity to get closer.
“Niu Niu likes big balconies. I’d like to switch rooms with Mi Huan.”
Mi Huan didn’t mind. His brother Mi Le could adapt anywhere.
Hua Zhao, who was about to go tidy her room, overheard this and instinctively blurted out: “The rooms on the second floor only have one bed.”
After saying this, she gave Du Ze a strange look. What was wrong with this man? Niu Niu was already five. Didn’t a stepfather know to keep his distance? This was a wake-up call. Even Shen Minyan, who hadn’t been paying much attention, gave Du Ze a meaningful look. It was precisely because two of the four families had special circumstances that the production team had chosen this villa for them.
But Du Ze acted as if nothing was wrong. “I can sleep on the sofa. I saw there’s a sofa in the room.”
In front of the cameras, he had to be the perfect stepfather.
A man of his height, willing to sleep on a small sofa just to give his stepdaughter a comfortable place to rest. How many men could do that? Hua Zhao was speechless. She crossed her arms and stared at him. If they weren’t filming, Hua Zhao would have already let him have it.
Mi Huan was stunned for a moment, then stepped in to mediate. “Lele and I sleep together at home. Niu Niu is a girl. You two should take the suite on the first floor.”
Hadn’t he made it clear enough? If Du Ze still didn’t take the hint, there was nothing more he could do. Du Ze hadn’t thought of that at all. When he looked at Mi Huan, there was even a hint of resentment in his eyes. He knew Mi Huan wanted to curry favor with the Shen family too. He sneered inwardly. Last time in Nianbai Village, he had already seen through Mi Huan. He appeared to be above worldly concerns, but he had already ingratiated himself with Shen Yan.
Ha.
Du Ze eagerly took Shen Minyan’s suitcase. “Brother Shen, let me carry this up for you. I work out a lot, so I’m strong.”
Shen Minyan’s hand was left empty. He raised a dark eyebrow. When he heard Du Ze call him “brother,” a flicker of disgust passed through his eyes.
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