The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the exquisite marble fountain. Shen Lin carried Su Youli the whole way, introducing him to his new home.
“This is our home. Does Youyou like it?” he asked, pointing at a white villa in the style of ancient Roman architecture in the distance.
What a beautiful house! The little guy couldn’t take it all in.
“I like it! Such a big garden, gege!”
The little one clapped his hands, and Shen Lin knew he liked the garden. He had specifically asked the villa’s butler to tidy it up well yesterday. Back on Yunshui Street, the Su family’s two-story house could have been expanded to give them much more living space. But Qin Kun and Su Siwen chose to keep the yard as it was and fill it with all kinds of plants, simply because Su Youli liked it.
The Su family’s yard was Su Youli’s playground. The car stopped at the villa’s entrance. Shen Minyan got out and was about to reach for Su Youli when Shen Lin beat him to it.
“Take Youyou’s things up to the second floor,” Shen Lin said, carrying the little one inside.
Su Youli lay on his brother’s shoulder, looking at Shen Father, and felt that Shen Father’s expression had become even grimmer. Su Youli hadn’t walked on his own all day. Although Qin Kun and Su Siwen doted on him, they never spoiled him. The little one wasn’t the least bit fussy.
“Gege, Youyou can walk by himself.”
Shen Lin put the little one down. As soon as Su Youli’s feet touched the ground, he reached out his little hand to hold his brother’s. The group of people who had been waiting early at the villa entrance saw the second young master approaching from afar, leading a little child as fair and round as a snowball.
When the little young master was stolen, everyone in the Shen family was devastated. When news came that he had been found, everyone wondered what kind of child he had grown into. Perhaps he had been found by someone and sent to an orphanage; or maybe he had been harmed by traffickers, possibly suffering terrible mutilation…
In short, everyone thought the little young master’s fate was truly cruel, spending so many years living a hard life.
But…
When the child drew closer, and everyone could see his features…
It seemed… different from what they had imagined! The little one’s face was chubby and soft, round and fair, his eyes bright and big. He walked step by step beside the second young master, even walking so well. This… this was clearly a child who had been raised with tender loving care in some family!
The little one’s steps were tiny. Even though his brother slowed down, he still had trouble keeping up. For aesthetic reasons, the garden had some stone-paved paths. The little one stumbled a bit, holding his brother’s soft little hand tightly.
“Have the paths smoothed out,” Shen Minyan said to Zhang Shun as he silently followed behind his two sons.
Zhang Shun: “Yes, sir!”
“Gege, can you walk a little slower? Youyou can’t keep up,” the little guy said, panting slightly as he looked up at Shen Lin.
Shen Lin stopped and bent down. “Do you want gege to carry you?”
Su Youli shook his head. He wanted to walk himself. But when he reached the entrance, he stopped. He turned his little body and hid behind Shen Lin.
So many people.
To show how much they valued the little young master’s return, the butler had brought all the household staff out to welcome him. This area was the Shen family’s villa estate, with dozens of staff just for the main villa. The scene was enough to frighten the little one. Even though everyone was standing there with smiles on their faces looking at Su Youli, the child, who was shy around strangers, was still scared.
“Youyou, don’t be scared.”
Shen Lin bent down and picked up the little one. The moment Su Youli was in his arms, he turned into a little quail, clinging to Shen Lin’s neck. Only when they entered did he lift his head slightly, peering at everyone present with clear, innocent eyes. Then, seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly ducked his head back down.
“Keep a few people here; the rest can go,” Shen Minyan instructed from behind.
“Yes, sir!”
The group standing at the entrance dispersed. Shen Minyan stepped into the villa and looked around. With the little one’s arrival, it seemed something had been added to the empty, cold home. A hint of weariness showed on Shen Minyan’s face. Several of his company’s assistants had been constantly reporting work matters as soon as he landed in Beicheng.
His gaze fell on the slightly ajar door on the second floor. That was the children’s room he and Chu Ying had prepared for the arrival of their new baby. Now, his son had finally returned. That empty children’s room was finally about to welcome a cute little owner. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his tired face.
“Youyou, look at your room!”
Su Youli turned his head. He was actually a bit tired; the sleep on the plane hadn’t been enough to fully restore his energy. The little one rubbed his eyes, not particularly interested in his room.
“Gege, call Daddy, please~”
Shen Lin placed the little one on the bed and took out his phone. This time, instead of a call, he sent a video request. Qin Kun answered almost instantly. The phone screen showed a well-behaved, adorable little one.
“Youyou.”
“Kunkun, Daddy! It’s Youyou~”
Seeing his fathers, Su Youli immediately perked up, grabbed the phone, and tried to press his little face against it. Qin Kun and Su Siwen sat together, looking at their son, whom they hadn’t seen for a few hours. Their eyes reddened when they saw his cute little face.
“Youyou, did you cry today?”
Su Youli wasn’t a child who cried easily. From the moment Su Siwen adopted him, they had given the little one a full sense of security.
“No crying, Daddy! Look!”
The little one pulled a small Stitch keychain from the pocket in front of him.
“How cute! Did Shen Dad buy it for you?”
Su Youli shook his head. “A jiejie bought it.”
The little one couldn’t express it very clearly. Shen Lin explained what happened on the plane.
This was Su Youli’s first time on a plane. Being so well-behaved deserved high praise.
“Youyou is the best little kid.”
Su Youli smiled shyly. After about ten minutes of video call, Qin Kun noticed the little one rubbing his eyes with his hands and knew he was tired.
Su Youli didn’t want to hang up. Even as he was about to close his eyes, he was mumbling, “Daddy.”
Su Siwen’s heart ached. He wanted to go to Beicheng immediately to see him, to hold him, and kiss him. A moment later, the phone screen tilted.
A slightly hoarse teenage voice came through: “Uncle Qin, Uncle Su, Youyou fell asleep.”
Shen Lin turned the camera toward the bed, showing the little one sleeping with a perfectly angelic expression.
“Shen Lin, Youyou is a bit afraid of water. Bath time might be a bit tricky. He hasn’t been sleeping in a separate bed yet; he can’t sleep alone…”
Shen Lin made mental notes, planning to discuss with his father later. They really needed to hire a few professional nannies to take care of Youyou.
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi.
