Wow, that fast?
Su Youli stared at the pill bottle in his hand, thinking this medicine was simply amazing. Why didn’t his little baba have such miraculous medicine? Shen Yan had no idea what the little one had just been through. But when his gaze fell on Su Youli, his eyes flickered. The little one he had dressed so prettily this morning now had his zipper pulled all the way down, the pale yellow jacket hanging loosely on his body.
His fair cheeks were bright red, the corners of his eyes a bit pink. His carefully styled little curls were a mess, damp with sweat and plastered to his forehead. The knees of his pants were dusty, and his shoelaces had come undone. The little one looked quite disheveled, but his face was beaming with a radiant smile. Because he truly believed he had saved his brother. His brother had taken the medicine and wasn’t in pain anymore.
“Youyou is amazing!” the little one praised himself.
“Amazing as can be, our Youyou.” Shen Yan wrapped his arms around Su Youli, nuzzling his nose against the little one’s shoulder like a cat, making Su Youli giggle.
Overcome with emotion, Shen Yan looked up and saw a nearly 1.8-meter-tall white lamb. The lamb stood with his hands on his hips, pointing at the little one in Shen Yan’s arms, then at the resting area in the garden. Shen Yan picked up the little one. Only then did he notice that the little one’s back was completely damp with sweat.
“Let’s go to the pavilion.”
As he passed the lamb, Su Youli excitedly clapped his little hands and introduced his brother to his good friend. The lamb raised a hoof, patted the little one’s hair, and snorted disdainfully at Shen Yan. The corner of Shen Yan’s mouth twitched.
Why did it feel like this lamb didn’t like him?
Moving from under the sun to the shaded pavilion, Su Youli was settled onto a small stool. Shen Yan was feeding him water from a cup. After drinking, the little one’s legs swung in the air as he told his brother all about his solo quest for the medicine. Only then did Shen Yan realize he had forgotten to teach Su Youli how to use the walkie-talkie and hadn’t told him about the little footprint sticker on the storage room door.
He was glad he had changed the location, knowing the little one usually had trouble climbing to the third floor. If Youyou had actually climbed all the way up there, his little legs would be very sore tomorrow. A little warrior who completed a mission deserved praise. The production team sent the lamb to award the little one a warrior sticker—a golden, cartoon little footprint wearing a crown, stuck on the little one’s chubby cheek.
Su Youli squinted, touching the sticker on his face. “Thank you, Little Lamb.”
The lamb tilted its head, patted the little one’s shoulder, and turned to leave.
Shen Yan, who had been ignored the entire time: “?”
The first day of filming was finally over. Today’s footage would be edited into the pilot episode. Because of the excellent cooperation between the two guests, the crew assigned to this group could leave work early. This was largely thanks to Su Youli being such a capable little one. The crew packed up their equipment and props, orderly moving everything back onto the trucks. They stood not far away, reluctant to leave, watching the little one eating snacks in the garden.
The cameraman wiped his lens. “I heard the other three groups haven’t even finished their interviews yet.”
The show had invited celebrities with built-in fan followings, from privileged families. Their children were all doted upon, each with their own little quirks.
“I was worried when I was first assigned to this group,” the makeup artist whispered.
Shen Yan was no ordinary celebrity. His father was the head of the Shen Group, his mother the eldest daughter of the Chu family. His background was unfathomable, and he had entered the entertainment industry with his own capital. The makeup artist wasn’t speaking idly; anyone who had interacted with Shen Yan knew that, as the heir to the Shen Group, even in the entertainment industry—a world requiring smooth social skills and pretense—Shen Yan did as he pleased. Moreover, his previous role as a fallen crown prince and antagonist had left such a deep impression on audiences that people couldn’t help but be a little afraid of him.
“I thought Shen Yan had a terrible temper, but he’s so childish in front of his little brother.”
The pristine, untouchable Best Actor would play dead at the drop of a hat, lie down on the ground without hesitation. He probably didn’t have such vivid expressions even when shooting magazine covers. Shen Yan led Su Youli by the hand to the production team’s bus.
“Youyou, say goodbye to everyone.”
Su Youli raised his hand. “Goodbye~”
“Good boy.” Shen Yan patted his head and nodded to everyone. “Thank you for your hard work today.”
Everyone marveled.
Could it be that the famously aloof, unapproachable Shen Yingdi was actually this approachable?
It seemed celebrities really should appear on variety shows more often. Otherwise, audiences would always associate them with the villainous characters they played.
“Brother~” Su Youli tilted his head back, looking up at his brother, who was as tall as a tree, and called out in his soft, milky voice.
Shen Yan looked down to see a little one rubbing his eyes with his small hands. Knowing he must be exhausted, Shen Yan picked him up and gently patted his back. Before long, even breathing came from his arms. In his dreams, Su Youli was still looking for his brother’s medicine, knocking on door after door.
As if there were no end to them. Su Youli was exhausted, but he still couldn’t find the medicine. There was no one home. The little one pouted and began to sob. In his dream, he called for his little Daddy and Kunkun, for Second Brother and Shen Dad, for Brother Xiao Tang. But no one answered.
The little one cried and hiccupped. In his sleep, he felt his body suddenly lifted, then he was enveloped in a warm embrace. Tang Dou held the little one, who was twitching and startling in his sleep. He wrapped him in a soft blanket, cradled him, and gently soothed him.
Shen Yan was also a bit panicked. “Was Youyou scared?”
Tang Dou turned his head to look at him. If Tang Dou weren’t an employee, he would have lost his temper already.
This eldest brother is completely unreliable.
Choosing not to answer, Tang Dou showed Shen Yan the video footage he had copied from the production team.
He paced around the room, holding Youyou and comforting him. “Today was Youyou’s first time being completely alone without anyone to accompany him. Of course, he was scared.”
As a professional, Tang Dou always believed that education should be gradual. If they wanted to train the little one’s courage, they could have started by having a parent climb the stairs with him. When the little one had to walk alone through the dimly lit, deep corridor, the parent could have been behind him, offering encouragement.
Not like today, where someone he loved collapsed in front of him without warning, forcing the little one to face everything alone. Thankfully, it turned out okay. But what if he had been traumatized? Shen Yan was scolded in a roundabout way by Tang Dou. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Now, looking back, he felt ashamed.
He was Youyou’s real brother, yet his concern for the little one couldn’t match Tang Dou’s. The little one held in Tang Dou’s arms didn’t look well. His small brows were tightly furrowed, his lips pressed together, his two little hands clasped tightly over his chest. Shen Yan felt like slapping himself.
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi, Patreon, or PayPal <3.
