Su Siwen felt a bit embarrassed and simply said that Youyou was naturally good and easy to raise. Just before boarding, Su Youli didn’t cry at all. He only acted a bit spoiled with Su Siwen, insisting that he must call him every day. His two fathers naturally agreed wholeheartedly. Only when his fathers had checked in and boarded the plane did Su Youli look into the distance. But no matter how high he stood on his tiptoes, he could no longer see their backs.
The little one couldn’t hold it in any longer. Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, watching the plane rush into the blue sky like a silver eagle, his mouth puckered and he began to cry. He tilted his face up, tears as big as soybeans rolling down from the corners of his eyes. The short jacket Su Siwen had made for him was soon stained dark with tears.
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Su Youli pressed his small hands against the glass, watching the plane carrying his fathers disappear into the distant clouds. No one knew how long he cried. When he was finally picked up, two tiny handprints were left on the bright, clean window. After being comforted by the adults for a while, the little one gradually stopped crying, hiccupping as he wiped his tears.
His daddies weren’t abandoning him. They were going far away for treatment. They would come back. A three-year-old child, unknowingly, through the passage of time, had come to understand the meaning of parting. Parting shouldn’t be sad. It should be filled with anticipation. From the moment his daddies left him, the little one began looking forward to the day they would reunite, and he would miss them every single day.
—
Just after August, Shen Minyan began preparing to visit nearby kindergartens, to choose a suitable one for Su Youli. The little one still didn’t quite understand that he was going to school. Every day was carefree. He held Su Yuanzi’s leash and took him to play in the Pei family’s garden.Pei Yi happened to be home that day.
When he heard Tang Dou say that the Shen family was also looking at schools for Youyou, he smiled. “What a coincidence. I’ve also been looking at kindergartens for Qiqi lately.”
Qiqi was a year older than Youyou. Having experienced very unpleasant things at the full-time daycare, Pei Yi was being especially cautious about choosing a kindergarten. Pei Yi looked over toward the garden, thinking it would be best if Qiqi and Youyou could attend the same kindergarten. But before Shen Minyan could take the little one for an actual visit, Shen Yan announced that he was in negotiations for a variety show. The contract sat on the Shen family’s coffee table. Shen Lin flipped through it several times.
“A kid show? A variety show with kids?” Shen Lin covered his mouth with both hands, incredulous. “Brother, you had a child out of wedlock?!”
Shen Yan gave him a withering look, his cool gaze sweeping toward the little one driving his toy car. Shen Minyan’s expression darkened. His eldest son was good in many ways, but he insisted on being an actor. Now, he wanted to bring Youyou along.
“I disagree!” The Chairman Shen had spoken.
The Shen family also owned several entertainment companies. Shen Minyan understood how the industry worked.
What kind of place was the entertainment world? Youyou was so young. What if he got criticized online?
Shen Lin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he said seriously, “Actually, this kid show looks pretty good. ‘Little Feet, Big Adventure’—it sounds like an adventure show for children. Maybe they’ll even go to a rainforest. Youyou loves plants!”
Shen Minyan had a splitting headache. He almost raised his hand to smack Shen Lin on the head. Why were both of his older sons so unreliable? The pilot episode proposal was already prepared, lying right in front of them. There would be four families in total. The other three were still a mystery. The pilot episode would be simple, mainly filming the children’s daily lives, perhaps with a small adventure-related task.
It sounded very interesting. Shen Lin was very intrigued after hearing the proposal. Lately, his friends had all heard about his new little brother. Shen Lin praised him to the skies. He’d stopped playing games and fighting, stopped going to bars. As soon as class ended, he’d rush home to spend time with his brother. Now, this variety show would let everyone know just how adorable and well-behaved his little brother was.
Shen Lin switched from neutral to supporter, raising both hands in agreement. Shen Minyan lifted his eyelids and snatched the document from Shen Lin’s hand. The area around the sofa fell silent, the rustle of turning pages unusually clear. As the head of the Shen Group, Shen Minyan had learned, from the moment he entered the company as an adult, to assess risks before doing anything.
Although the show would only be filmed for three weeks, with each session lasting just three days and two nights, as Youyou’s father, he had to clear away any potential sources of unease for his son. Shen Yan was silent. Shen Minyan’s reaction was expected. After all, when he first entered the entertainment industry, his father had strongly opposed it too.
“I’ve looked into the production team. No issues.” He handed over his findings. Shen Minyan frowned, placed the stack of papers on top of the file, and continued reading.
Shen Yan watched his father’s movements. “Dad, Youyou hasn’t left home since he came back.”
By ‘home,’ he meant the Shen family’s villa complex.
Shen Minyan was taken aback, then said in a deep voice, “We have everything at home. Why go out?”
“I know what you’re worried about, Dad. Tang Dou and I will be there during filming. Nothing will happen.”
“Besides, Youyou is going to start kindergarten eventually. He can’t stay at home forever. No matter how big the house is, it can’t contain a child who longs for freedom.”
Shen Minyan’s eyes flickered slightly, his long, well-defined fingers gripping the document tightly.
Shen Lin spoke lightly, trying to ease the tension. “Yeah, Youyou’s going to kindergarten soon. This would be a good chance for him to get used to being around other kids. What if he gets scared when he actually starts school?”
“Then he won’t go to school. We’ll hire teachers to come to the house.”
Shen Yan: “…”
Shen Lin: “…”
“Dad, you’re being too authoritarian!”
The two spoke in unison, their voices a bit loud. The little one, driving his toy car, heard the noise and tilted his head to look over, his small brows furrowing. His chubby little hands turned the steering wheel with a flourish. Tang Dou had heard the commotion too; it sounded like an argument was brewing. He couldn’t just let Youyou go over there right now, could he? But if he didn’t, wouldn’t the little one discover the secret of the toy car?
Tang Dou was caught in a dilemma. Su Youli realized he couldn’t control the steering wheel anymore and asked for help, “Brother Xiao Tang, I can’t turn it. I want to go see my brothers~”
Tang Dou resignedly pressed the remote control, sending the little one over to the living room area.
“Brothers, I’m here~”
The little one sat in the car, his little dog in the passenger seat. The pair sat ramrod straight, looking quite impressive. Shen Lin frantically gestured for Tang Dou to take the little one away. Tang Dou spread his hands and shook the remote control.
Shen Lin: “…”
He shouldn’t have let the little one believe that the toy car could drive itself.
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