End of July. Jian Yan currently found herself in ‘Infernal Rush mode’ to turn in her ma.n.u.script. This time, however, He Xiu needed to go to D City for a business trip. There was no one at home to take care of young He Diu Diu during summer vacation.
Without a word, Jian Yan saddled He Diu Diu with He Xiu, forcing him to take their child along with him to D City.
He Xiu & He Diu Diu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
“Actually, we can leave He Diu Diu with his grandmother or Aunt Jiang; they’re definitely very willing to take care of him.” He Xiu was a bit reluctant to take this little bundle with him on his business trip to D City, so he proposed another option.
Jian Yan stated, “That won’t do. Diu Diu sticks to people firmly. If we make him stay at his grandmother’s place, he will definitely show up in front of me every day.”
&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;
He Xiu and He Diu Diu were both silent. He Xiu’s silence was because Jian Yan’s words made sense. He Diu Diu’s silence was&h.e.l.lip;because he felt that at home, no one loved him.
Before they left, Jian Yan went downstairs to send them off. He Diu Diu had a small schoolbag on his back with all his summer homework.
“Mama, I don’t want to go with papa to D City&h.e.l.lip;” He Diu Diu used this last chance to pout at his mother, trying to rouse her maternal instincts.
Jian Yan stroked his soft hair and patiently coaxed him. “Diu Diu, be obedient. Mama is very busy these days and has no time to look after you. You’ll have meat to eat if you go with your father.”
“&h.e.l.lip;Papa’s also busy with work; he won’t have time to look after me either.”
“At least his working hours are relatively regular. I, on the other hand, might forget to eat.”
He Xiu frowned after hearing this. “You shouldn’t always stay up late rushing to finish your drafts. I’ll call you every mealtime to remind you to eat.”
“Oh, according to my previous experiences, I might not even be able to hear my ringtone.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He flashed her a smile. “I will punctually remind Lin Zhen to deliver you food.”
Jian Yan sent them off at the doorway. He Diu Diu put on his shoes as he looked unhappily at Jian Yan. Jian Yan pinched his unhappy little face and said to him, “After mama turns in her ma.n.u.script, she’ll go to D City to find you and papa, okay?”
“Pinky swear.” He Diu Diu extended his pinky finger. Jian Yan beamed and hooked her finger with his.
“Okay, let’s go.” He Xiu opened the door before turning around to hug Jian Yan and kiss her cheeks. “I’ll call you every night to remind you to go to sleep. I’ll call you until you pick up.”
He Diu Diu saw his father kiss mama and immediately shouted, “Papa, why did you kiss mama? Mama, I need to disinfect you.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
So his body had some kind of virus?
He Diu Diu tugged Jian Yan’s clothes and made her bend down. He then kissed her cheeks as well. “Bye-bye mama.”
“Bye-bye Diu Diu; remember to listen to papa. Be a good child and do your homework. When I arrive, I’m checking it. If you haven’t seriously done your homework, you can’t go out and have fun.”
“Got it.”
After finally seeing off father and son, Jian Yan once again returned to ‘Infernal Rush’ ma.n.u.script mode.
In the car, He Xiu glanced at the small child sitting beside him and called him, “He Yan.”
He Yan was Diu Diu’s formal name. At that time, he originally wanted to name the child He Yan,1 but Jian Yan said that this name seemed like one people would want to sing in ‘Gongxi Gongxi Gongxi Ni.’2 The original character for Yan (言) got switched to Yan (研).
“Mn?” Chairman He Yan grumbled enviously.
He Xiu couldn’t help but chuckle and say to him, “When we get there, you’re staying in the hotel to do your homework. At noon and at night, I’ll pick you up to eat together.”
He Yan questioned, “How come you are still leaving me alone in the hotel? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get in trouble at the hotel? Papa acts so irresponsibly; does mama know?”
Faced with a slew of questions, He Xiu did not react visibly and replied, “When I was your age, I already took over all the housework at home. I even cooked food for my mother to eat. At the moment, I’m just making you do homework, yet you still complain so much?”
He Yan countered, “If you are my mother, I would also be willing to cook for you.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He turned his head to glance at He Yan for a spell and then smiled, saying, “Okay, since you are so unwilling to stay at the hotel, you can come to my office and do your homework there.”
He Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He Xiu saw that He Yan had no reb.u.t.tal and smirked, satisfied. Teasing; back then, he had teased his younger brother and friends, and now he teased his son, which was also nothing difficult.
After arriving at D City, He Xiu actually called Lin Zhen every mealtime to remind her to bring Jian Yan food. Lin Zhen could no longer put up with it and nearly collapsed. “Head He! I know you want me to deliver food to Jian Yan; in this I am more skilled than you! If you call me again, I’m blacklisting you!”
He Xiu blinked and, without any better option, dropped the routine.
He Yan watched from across him and chuckled. “Gegege, so annoying.”
He Xiu asked, “Do you have too little summer homework? How about I give you some more?”
“You aren’t my teacher. Your homework won’t count.”
“Makes sense; then I’ll call Teacher Tang and make her give you homework herself.”
He Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
There was a question that stumped him for many years: why did his mother marry his father—apart from his looks, he had no good points whatsoever.
“Go to sleep once you finish eating. Continue doing your work after you wake up.”
“I won’t. In the afternoon, I want to go to the theater to watch a movie. An animated film is showing right now.”
“I have a meeting in the afternoon.”
“I’m not saying you need to go too. The movie theater is just downstairs. I can go by myself!”
He Xiu raised a brow. “You’re buying the ticket?”
“The staff here knows I’m your son. I can have them charge you.”
“&h.e.l.lip;Smart.” He Xiu laughed. “But you have no adult accompanying you. A child cannot go to the theaters by himself.”
“Then I’ll wait at the door for older sister secretary to get off work and have her go with me.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
In the afternoon, He Yan really did go watch the animated film with the secretary lady. He Xiu finished his meeting before the movie finished. He stood outside the theater room, waiting for He Yan at the door. While he waited, he sent a picture to Jian Yan. 「Your son and my secretary went to the movies.」
Jian Yan had just returned from the bathroom, catching this message by chance. Her eyes twitched as she sent a reply to He Xiu. 「Wouldn’t it normally be you and your secretary going to the movies and others sending pictures to me?」
Xiu: 「It seems that your son is maturing early.」
Wifey: 「Is your secretary pretty? Picture?」
Xiu: 「No, pretty or not, I never noticed.」
Wifey: 「&h.e.l.lip; I’m not fooled.『frown』」
Xiu: 「『dark laughter』」
Xiu: 「I’ve known your moves like the back of my hand since a long time ago.『dark laughter』」
Wifey: 「『 frown』 I concede defeat, waiting for the next wave.」
Xiu: 「『smile-cry』」
Wifey: 「No more talking. I’m going to draw. I’m handing in my draft tomorrow morning.」
Xiu: 「Then you can come tomorrow? Want me to send someone to receive you?」
Wifey: 「No, I’m going to rest tomorrow. I’ll come visit the two of you the day after tomorrow.」
Xiu: 「Okay『thumbs-up』」
Two days later, Jian Yan went to D City. He Xiu and He Yan both went to pick her up together. Upon seeing He Yan at the rail station, Jian Yan lifted him into the air. “Did Diu Diu miss mama?”
“I missed you, but papa didn’t.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He pushed He Diu Diu away from Jian Yan and asked her, “He’s grown so big; isn’t carrying him too heavy?”
He Diu Diu disagreed, “Mama is much heavier than me. You just don’t like carrying her. I see it all.”
Jian Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
“Alright, let’s get into the car.” Jian Yan urged the two of them to leave the rail station before even more people came to watch them.
He Xiu drove while Jian Yan and He Diu Diu sat in the back seat, chatting about where to go.
“I heard from papa’s secretary that D City’s newly renovated water park is very fun. Mama, let’s go.”
He Xiu interjected, “I can’t go this afternoon.”
He Diu Diu happily exclaimed, “That’s perfect; we don’t need to bring papa!”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Jian Yan giggled and patted He Diu Diu’s little head. She stated, “Before you left, I said I would check your homework.”
“I finished all of it!”
“So obedient?”
“Mn! So can I go to the water park this afternoon?”
“Okay, I’ll go with you after we eat lunch.”
He Xiu had to meet a client this afternoon, so he couldn’t go with them to the theme park despite his wishes. He was only able to pick them up in the evening. Jian Yan had a crazy fun time with He Diu Diu.
Upon exiting the pirate ship, there was a long line of dozens of tourists taking souvenir group photos. Jian Yan and He Diu Diu were at the back of the line. A lot of children were in line, but fortunately, their respective guardians raised them relatively well and did not let them cut. Once one child got their photo taken, the next child went up.
After roughly five minutes, it was soon Jian Yan and He Diu Diu’s turn. The little girl ahead of them, dressed in a pretty little dress, continued looking at her mother. Her mother stood across from her and raised her camera, waiting for the right moment. She coaxed, “Come on, darling, smile. Right, really pretty.”
He Yan also had his cell phone out as he stood behind them. He didn’t forget to call out to his mother, “Mama, after they finish taking photos, it’s your turn.”
“Okay!”
Once the little girl left, He Yan, afraid that someone would cut in line, hurriedly said to his mother, “Quickly get up there.”
Jian Yan walked up and posed with a victory sign. He Yan snapped a shot and ordered her, “Tilt your head to the left a little. Right, just like that.”
After he finished taking photos, he let his mother take a look before tugging her by the hand to leave. Behind them, several parents were left dumbstruck.
Jian Yan bought two ice cream cones after they left the pirate ship. She and He Diu Diu each had one. Sitting on a bench beneath a tree to rest, Jian Yan fanned herself while asking He Diu Diu, “Diu Diu, are you tired?”
“A bit.”
“What else do you want to eat?”
“I want to eat barbequed chicken leg!”
“Then let’s sit down for a while before going to buy some.”
“Okay.”
At that moment, He Xiu called, saying that his business was done and that he could come meet them. Jian Yan looked at the time and saw that it was getting late, so she had him directly pick them up.
In the evening, the family went outside to eat at a buffet before returning to He Xiu’s hotel. While Jian Yan was taking a bath, He Xiu had a problem he was mulling over: how to send away this unwanted third wheel He Diu Diu!
As if sensing He Xiu’s glare, He Diu Diu raised his head to look at He Xiu.
He Diu Diu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Papa’s expression—it really seems like he wants to throw me away.
Ultimately that night, the entire family shared the large bed together.
When He Xiu came to He Mansion, He Chen was five years old. That day, it was as if something momentous had occurred. Aside from the vague memories of his mother’s shrieks and tantrums or his father’s icy facade, he could very clearly remember his father leading in that older brother.
He was very good-looking, more so than any child in their kindergarten. He stood to the side silently the whole time, as if what was happening in the room had nothing to do with him. He did, however, look coldly at their father.
He Chen curiously stepped closer to him and called out with a childish voice, “Gege?”1
His father had just introduced the boy and had said this was his older brother, He Xiu.
He Xiu glanced at him before looking away, his faintly knitted brows betraying his disgust.
At the time, He Chen did not understand though.
At his kindergarten, He Chen had a cla.s.smate called&h.e.l.lip;well, he forgot his name a long time ago. For the time being, his name is Da Zhu, okay? Da Zhu had an older brother, but he was only older by a few minutes. The two of them were in the same cla.s.s and even sat together. Every time Da Zhu charged into a disaster at the kindergarten, his older brother shouldered the burden on his behalf. If the teacher a.s.signed homework that he had not finished, he would grab his older brother’s homework and put his name on it instead.
Da Zhu liked to eat small pastries at kindergarten, especially fruit cake, and only picked out the fruit to eat. If he had finished eating but wasn’t satisfied, he would steal from his older brother. Every time, his older brother was only able to eat the leftover dry, bland cake.
He Chen felt that Da Zhu was too much. If it was him, he would have already beaten up Da Zhu. Da Zhu’s older brother, however, never scolded him and was always good to him. Therefore, He Chen held hidden envy in his heart. Having an older brother was really good; he also wanted an older brother like this.
He didn’t expected the heavens to have truly heard his birthday wish and actually give him an older brother! Moreover, this older brother was better looking than Da Zhu’s older brother by tenfold! No, a hundredfold!
The day after He Xiu arrived, he resolved to bring He Xiu with him to kindergarten.
He Jing Long heard his thoughts and did not know whether to laugh or cry as he explained to him, “Silly Chen’er, gege is two years older than you. He cannot go to kindergarten. He’ll be going to primary school.”
Primary school, He Chen had heard these words from his kindergarten teacher, so he raised his hand and said, “Then I will go to primary school too.” Kindergarten or primary school, it did not matter; it was okay as long as he could go to school together with He Xiu.
He Jing Long overruled him again, “You still haven’t graduated from kindergarten. No primary school wants you.”
Hearing that no primary school wanted him, He Chen felt wronged quickly. “I don’t care. I will go to school with gege. Da Zhu goes to school with his gege.”
He Jing Long knew He Chen did not clearly understood this issue and could only promise him, “After Chen’er graduates kindergarten next year, father will send you to study at the same primary school as gege, okay?”
He Chen pondered for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, “That’s okay. Pinky swear.”
He Jing Long beamed and hooked his pinky finger.
He Xiu had only been with them for a couple days, yet He Jing Long and Zhao Ying Fang’s relationship had already become very strained. The two adults, however, did not reveal this in front of He Chen, and He Chen, who was obsessed with his gege, also did not know that his older brother had been sent to the hospital for a paternity test.
He Jing Long initially held different thoughts; he felt that doing something like this was an insult to He Xiu’s mother, but Zhao Ying Fang was not willing to concede even a bit. Therefore, she and He Jing Long discussed conditions. If the test results indicated that He Xiu was indeed his biological son, then she could not drive He Xiu out of He Mansion in the future.
The test results were self-evident, and Zhao Ying Fang did not say anything further. The looks she gave He Xiu, however, became increasingly hateful.
All of this remained unknown to He Chen back then. His greatest worry in his life at that moment was his older brother ignoring him.
“Ai.” He held his face in his hands as he sat down and sighed. He was so worried that he did not finish the small pastries the kindergarten gave out.
To his side, Xu Ying caught his sigh and asked of her own accord, “What’s up with you? Is the cake not yummy?”
He Chen replied, “My older brother ignores me. Look at how good Da Zhu has it with his older brother. Why does my older brother ignore me? I’m cuter than Da Zhu.”
Xu Ying asked him, confused, “When did you get an older brother?”
“Two days ago.”
Xu Ying thought for a moment before asking, “Was your older brother also picked up from the rubbish bin?” That was what her mother had told her.
He Chen angrily glared at her. “My older brother was not picked up from a rubbish bin. He’s very good-looking! He&h.e.l.lip;fell from the heavens!”
“Wa——” Xu Ying sighed. “Is it fun up in heaven?”
“Don’t know, I haven’t been there. He might not think we have fun here, so he might be unhappy?”
“Maybe~”
This chat provided He Chen with new ideas. His parents had bought him a lot of toys, a whole roomful! Gege will definitely like it!
As a result, when the students were dismissed at the end of the day, he was itching to return home and grab a pile of toys to bring to He Xiu. Because he was transferring schools, He Xiu was currently unable to attend school, so He Chen knocked onto his door with all his might.
He knocked for a very long time. Possibly because He Xiu couldn’t bear the noise anymore, he finally opened the door. Seeing the same good-looking yet cold He Xiu, He Chen felt elated. “Gege, I brought a lot of toys. Do you want to play?”
He Xiu looked down at the toys He Chen hugged to his chest and emotionlessly said, “I don’t.”
Although He Chen hit a snag, he was not discouraged at all—because gege finally spoke to him! Furthermore, his voice was very pleasant to hear!
“You don’t like these toys? Then I’ll go get different ones. I still have a lot.”
“No need.” He Xiu called out to He Chen, who was preparing to run back to his room. Looking him in the eye, He Xiu stated, “I don’t like you.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
From being pampered by others at birth to being the current young master of He Mansion, he had never heard the three words, ‘don’t like you’, from others.
He was very hurt.
If it were someone else, according to his young master temperament, they definitely would have gotten a face full of toys. But&h.e.l.lip;He Xiu was so good-looking; he did not retaliate.
Pa—He Xiu closed the door, not in the least reluctant to do so. Yet he was faced with He Chen’s exceedingly high spirit and bravery, as He Chen brought different toys every day and knocked on his door. At last, He Xiu’s patience ran dry and he simply grabbed the Transformers toy and broke it into pieces.
“Wuwa——” He Chen stared at the broken toy pieces on the ground, sobbing as he stood there. This was his favorite toy. Normally, he hated others touching it, but now He Xiu had broken it completely.
He Xiu, like the first time, shut the door without even the slightest reluctance. While crying, He Chen gathered the broken Transformers pieces. He ran to his mother. “Ma, mama, I brought my, favorite toy to give to gege, b-but he still ignored me.”
He sought out Zhao Ying Fang for comfort, but he had not expected Zhao Ying Fang to be furious with him for the first time upon hearing his words. “He is not your older brother; you are not allowed to call him gege!”
He Chen was stunned by her bellow of rage and continued crying, snot and tears covering his face—extremely miserable.
After that day, he no longer followed He Xiu around and no longer brought his toys with him to knock on He Xiu’s door.
He finally understood clearly why Da Zhu’s older brother was so good to him and why his older brother was never like that to him.
It was simply because he was not his older brother.
Zhao Ying Fang did not like He Xiu. In addition, this dislike could hardly be concealed. Even if He Chen was very young, he also was aware of this. She called He Xiu a b.a.s.t.a.r.d and said that He Xiu’s mother was a mistress. These words, He Chen heard it all.
He began imitating his mother’s att.i.tude toward He Xiu. Although He Xiu still completely ignored him, this type of feeling was more obvious than his previously good relations with him.
Once, he had called He Xiu’s mother a mistress. In all honesty, he didn’t actually know what a mistress was, but he heard his mother call her that. He had not expected in a thousand years for the stoic He Xiu to explode in a split second.
He had grabbed He Chen’s collar and coldly asked him, “I am older than you by two years. Whose mother is the mistress, can’t you see? Mn?”
That day, He Chen cried again. This time, he was crying because he was scared.
The next day when he went to kindergarten, he asked his teacher what a mistress was. The teacher, very fl.u.s.tered, looked at him. “Why are you asking this question?”
He Chen replied, “Why not.”
The teacher patted his head, smiled, and said, “A child shouldn’t ask such a question.”
He Chen’s kindergarten was an aristocratic kindergarten. The teachers were all selected very carefully and were the considerate little jackets of the family heads.2
Therefore, He Jing Long heard about the matter of He Chen asking the teacher what a mistress was before the students were dismissed for the day.
Where He Chen learned the word ‘mistress’ was not a mystery at all. The only one in the mansion who kept saying b.a.s.t.a.r.d and mistress all day long was Zhao Ying Fang.
He quarreled with Zhao Ying Fang ma.s.sively because of this. This time, they did not avoid He Chen either. The two of them fought viciously, and it was ultimately He Chen’s weeping that ended the fight.
Very quickly, He Chen would be entering primary school. He Jing Long thought about registering him into He Xiu’s school, but Zhao Ying Fang said that He Chen didn’t want to go there.
He Jing Long was a bit surprised, so he went to ask He Chen, “Chen’er, you don’t want to go to primary school with gege?”
Zhao Ying Fang heard the two words, ‘gege,’ and exploded like a firecracker. “Chen’er does not have a gege! That b.a.s.t.a.r.d is suited to act as his older brother?”
He Jing Long wrinkled his brows and stood to look at her. “How many times have I told you, don’t speak like that in front of a child. You’re corrupting Chen’er!”
“Ah, I’m corrupting him? How come you aren’t saying this is a debt you owed from back then?!”
He Jing Long pursed his lips. He didn’t want to fight with her. He kneeled down and asked He Chen as gently as possible, “Chen’er, tell father. Do you want to study at the same primary school as gege?”
He Chen very slowly shook his head. “Don’t want.”
He Jing Long was shocked and asked him again, “Why don’t you want to? Before, didn’t Chen’er make a fuss about wanting to go to school with gege?”
He Chen dropped his head and did not reply. Before his eyes was a faint image of he and his father pinky swearing and agreeing that after he graduated kindergarten, he would definitely send him to the same primary school as gege.
Some wishes, however, can not be realized after all is said and done.
Author’s Note:
Yi, how come it feels ineffably tyrannical?『smile-cry』
Tomorrow’s update: Lin Zhen and Tang Zheng’s side story
The side stories still aren’t finished. The success list has 20,000 plus characters. I only finished half.『smile-cry』
Expressing thanks to sponsors
Two years after He Xiu and Jian Yan married, He Chen also got married. His significant other was someone he got to know while he was in charge of Starlight Park, Su Yun. Su Yun was also from a wealthy background, but she was not as arrogant or willful as Xu Ying. Although she occasionally had a small temper, in He Chen’s eyes, she was still very cute.
The two of them had not been married for very long when she gave birth to a son—named He Xuan and nicknamed Bao Bao.
He Yan and He Xuan were playing together when the former asked, “Bao Bao, why are you called Bao Bao?”
He Bao Bao replied, “Papa said mama really likes buying purses,1 so he christened me Bao Bao.” Once he explained this, he returned the favor and asked He Diu Diu, “Gege, why are you called Diu Diu?”
He Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He had no answer to this question. He thought it might be because his father really wanted to throw him away.2
He Xuan commented, “Papa also said that I am mama’s gift for buying purses. Then you are your mama’s gift for buying clothes?”
He Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Possibly.
He Xuan had recently entered primary school. The two families planned to share a meal together at Tian Xia Restaurant. He Xiu’s family arrived first and sat in the private room to wait for the others. Soon after, He Chen arrived with little He Bao Bao. Jian Yan saw that he came alone with He Bao Bao and asked, “Where’s Su Yun?”
He Chen’s complexion was a bit odd. He simply stated, “She feels a bit unwell and might be delayed.”
“Oh&h.e.l.lip;” Jian Yan nodded, skeptical.
“Have you ordered?” He Chen led He Bao Bao to a seat. He Bao Bao sat down beside He Diu Diu, and the private room thus became noisy.
He Xiu said, “We were waiting for you. It’s better for the one who’s treating to order.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
When did he say this was his treat?
He looked at He Xiu and smiled. “Head He really has aged a lot for your skin to thicken so.”
He Xiu countered, “So you aged a lot for your shamelessness to know no bounds?”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Who was the shameless one when all was said and done!
However, he was of generous and magnanimous character; if this meal was on him, then he would do as he wished.
Some other time, he would have He Xiu treat him in return.
When He Chen grabbed the menu to order, He Xiu stealthily pulled little He Bao Bao close and amiably asked him, “Bao Bao, why didn’t mama come? Is papa and mama fighting?”
He Bao Bao, completely unguarded, answered, “Mama dreamt last night that she was fighting with papa and that papa slapped her. After she woke up this morning, she thought that papa really had slapped her and is ignoring him.”
“Hahahahaha.” He Xiu couldn’t help bursting into laughter. He Chen nearly threw the menu!
“He Bao Bao, what nonsense are you talking about?”
Seeing his own father glare at him, little He Bao Bao deflated and remained silent. He Yan kindly ran over to He Chen’s side to comfort him. “Little uncle, don’t cry. I previously dreamt of father hitting me too. I then told mama this.”
He Xiu: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He Chen gleefully asked him, “Oh? Then did your mama help hit him back?”
Jian Yan: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Why were these two brothers, who were both fathers now, still acting so childish?
Once He Chen ordered, Su Yun called. She finally believed that it was simply a dream of hers and that he didn’t hit her.
After everyone arrived, the waiter began to deliver their orders. Because He Bao Bao was entering primary school this year, He Xiu asked He Chen and his wife, “Which primary school is He Bao Bao going to attend?”
He Chen replied, “Does this still need to be considered? You a.s.suredly selected Diu Diu’s school very carefully. It’s enough for me to register him there like you.” After saying this, he glanced at He Xiu with pure glee in his eyes. “It’s nice to have a son later than you. If anything, I can just copy you; there’s nothing for us to worry about.”
He Xiu countered, “Diu Diu studies at a prestigious primary school. He’ll need to take an exam to enter.”
He Bao Bao heard that he needed to take an exam, and his small face wrinkled. He Yan saw his aggrieved expression and criticized his father. “Bao Bao is very smart. I pa.s.sed the exam, so he’ll definitely be able to as well!”
He Xiu smiled and patted He Bao Bao’s head, responding heartfeltly, “I am worried he inherited his father’s IQ.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He tugged He Bao Bao over and asked, “Bao Bao, do you want to go to the same primary school as gege?”
He Bao Bao nodded. “I want to.”
He Chen said, “Then you need to work hard; don’t make your papa’s IQ lose face.”
“Oh!”
Jian Yan had not expected these two brothers to roast each other. She looked at little He Bao Bao and smiled, saying to him, “When Bao Bao pa.s.ses the primary school exam, I’ll gift you a toy in celebration.”
He Xiu conveniently interjected, “What toy does Bao Bao like? Transformers? Or something else?”
He Bao Bao declined, saying, “I like Iron Man. Transformers is not fun.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
You simply do not understand the charm of Transformers!
He Xiu lowered his head and choked back his laughter. He Diu Diu tugged at Jian Yan’s sleeve and pouted. “Mama, I want a toy~”
Jian Yan said, “Okay, okay, okay, do you want Iron Man too?”
“I want Spider-Man and Ant-Man. My collection is just missing these two superheroes!”
He Bao Bao exclaimed, “Then I want Spider-Man and Ant-Man too! I also want Thor’s hammer!”
He Xiu said, “Mn, this is doable. If you have nothing to do, you can use it to hit your father.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
September.
He Xuan smoothly entered He Yan’s prestigious primary school, achieving his dream of attending the same school together. When he first entered primary school, He Xuan had yet to adapt, so He Yan would come downstairs between every cla.s.s and visit his cla.s.sroom, preventing him from being very scared.
In the blink of an eye, half a term pa.s.sed. Little He Bao Bao gradually became used to primary school life, even growing to like a girl in his cla.s.s.
He and He Yan had overlapping physical education cla.s.ses each week. He would take advantage of the free time to point out to his older brother, “That girl jumping rope right now, she’s called w.a.n.g Yu Xin.”
He Yan looked in the direction he was indicating and asked him, “That girl with twintails?”
“Mn, the ones tied with a bow.”
He Yan carefully observed her. She was quite cute. “Bao Bao, does she know you like her?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“Then you should go confess to her.”
“I wouldn’t dare&h.e.l.lip;”
He Diu Diu, hating iron for not becoming steel, exclaimed, “How can you be so unpromising?!”
“&h.e.l.lip;She is our discipline committee representative. Our cla.s.s monitor also likes her.”
He Diu Diu furrowed his small brows and asked, “Which one is your cla.s.s monitor?”
He Bao Bao once again pointed out to someone on the playground. “That basketball player is our cla.s.s’ cla.s.s monitor. He joined the school basketball team and seems to be very awesome.”
He Diu Diu once again made careful observations. This youngster looked to be taller than Bao Bao, and his body was also stronger than Bao Bao. If they got into a fight, Bao Bao would definitely come off worse.
“Bao Bao, don’t worry. You’re better looking than him. Girls like good-looking boys!”
“&h.e.l.lip;Not high-achieving boys?”
“That’s last century.”
“Oh&h.e.l.lip;” He Bao Bao listened, not really understanding much.
He Diu Diu once again offered advice, “Girls all like appearing beautiful, like how my mama likes buying clothes or your mama likes buying purses. You can gift her some pretty things. She’ll definitely like that.”
He Bao Bao pondered for a moment. “Oh, mama’s purses are all beautiful.”
“That child would have no use for one. Do you have any hair clips or anything at home?”
“Mama does.”
“Then you can ask your mama for one.”
“Oh&h.e.l.lip;”
He Bao Bao returned home and ran to his papa and mama’s bedroom. He wanted to look for his mother’s hair clips. He believed his parents would be coming home later, not expecting that He Chen would return early today. He Bao Bao was frightened and froze on the spot.
He Chen saw He Bao Bao standing on a stool in front of the dressing table and was stunned. He asked, “Bao Bao, what are you looking for?”
“Eh&h.e.l.lip;I wanted one of mama’s hair clips.”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
He stalled for a moment before asking, “Why do you want mama’s hair clip? Boys have no use for that.”
He Bao Bao buried his head and didn’t answer. He Chen carried him down from the stool with the desire to pry further. He Bao Bao remained still, biting his teeth lightly in agitation. He refused to say anything. He Chen, with no other choice, let him go, deep worry and uneasiness inevitably festering in his heart.
Why did Bao Bao want a hair clip? Didn’t he previously like Iron Man?!
He stood there contemplating the situation before giving He Xiu a call.
“What’s the matter?” He Xiu asked.
He Chen mentally fortified himself and asked, “Did Diu Diu have a stage where he wanted his mother’s hair clip?”
He Xiu’s brows raised. “Why? Does Bao Bao want his mother’s hair clip?”
“No, I am simply asking hypothetically.”
He Xiu commented, “You shouldn’t ask me this question. He is your son. You should ask yourself. When you were a child, did you want your mother’s hair clip?”
He Chen: “&h.e.l.lip;”
Absolutely not.
“He might simply like shiny gold things.” He Chen thus consoled himself.
He Bao Bao, unable to get a hair clip from his mother’s things, went to school the next day in a foul mood. He Yan ran downstairs to look for him between cla.s.ses as usual, giving him some chocolate. “This is what my mama brought back from France last time. Isn’t it very pretty? You can take this and give it to w.a.n.g Yu Xin.”
He Bao Bao looked at the delicate chocolate in He Yan’s hands, his eyes shining with an enchanting l.u.s.ter. “Thanks, gege!”
“Why are you being formal with your gege? This is for you; don’t eat it.”
“Okay.”
He Bao Bao held onto the chocolate, not daring to gift it to w.a.n.g Yu Xin. Just as w.a.n.g Yu Xin came out of the cla.s.sroom, He Yan called out to her to stop. “Are you He Xuan’s cla.s.smate?”
w.a.n.g Yu Xin paused to glance at him. She recognized this boy, as he frequently came looking for He Xuan. She heard He Xuan call him gege. Because he looked cute, quite a few girls in cla.s.s liked him.
w.a.n.g Yu Xin replied, “I am. Do you need something?”
He Yan explained, “I and my younger brother here are sharing some chocolate. He says he also wants to gift you one.”
Little He Bao Bao summoned his courage and handed over the chocolate he had. “This is for you.”
“Wow! Such beautiful chocolate.” Sure enough, w.a.n.g Yu Xin ate it and promptly became enchanted with the chocolate. “Thanks.”
“You’re—you’re welcome.”
He Yan, striking while the iron was hot, interjected, “We ate chocolate together, so we are friends. After school is over, do you want to play with us?”
w.a.n.g Yu Xin replied, “After school is over, I go to instrumental practice.”
“What instrument?”
“Violin.”
He Yan blinked. “How fortunate. He Xuan also just happens to be learning the violin. Can he go practice with you?”
He Bao Bao sent a bewildered look at his older brother. w.a.n.g Yu Xin said, “He can. Teacher also has several students. I can help you ask.”
“That’s great. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We’re best friends.”
After w.a.n.g Yu Xin left, He Bao Bao asked He Diu Diu, “Gege, I don’t want to learn the violin.”
He Diu Diu, proud of his age and experience, sighed. “Ai, Bao Bao, how are you so foolish. Without me, what will you do.”
He Bao Bao: “&h.e.l.lip;”
When he returned home that day, He Bao Bao went to talk to his father. He wanted to learn the violin. He Chen felt that playing the violin was very good. Since the child wanted to, he sent him off to go learn.
“After papa finds a teacher for you, I’ll send you off to learn, okay?”
He Bao Bao shook his head. “No need. A cla.s.smate of mine is also learning. I can go with her.”
“So it’s like this&h.e.l.lip;” He Chen contemplated. “Then tomorrow, papa and mama will go to school to pick you up, and we’ll ask your cla.s.smate, okay?”
“Okay.”
Once He Bao Bao left to go do homework, He Chen relied upon his many years of experience of smoothly navigating the business world and thought this matter over, finding something queer about it. He thus called his older brother. “Bao Bao suddenly says he wants to learn the violin.”
He Xiu remarked, “As it happens, Diu Diu also says he wants to learn the violin.”
He Chen’s eyes flashed. “There really is an inside story. I’ll go ask Bao Bao again.”
After He Bao Bao’s mother finished inspecting his homework, He Chen quietly pulled He Bao Bao to the side. “Bao Bao, what is the name of the cla.s.smate you mentioned?”
“w.a.n.g Yu Xin.”
He Chen felt realization dawn upon him. “Is she a very cute girl?”
“Mhmm&h.e.l.lip;”
“Oh, then does Bao Bao like her?”
“&h.e.l.lip;.” He Bao Bao buried his head, silent.
He Chen was tempted to roar with laughter as he said, “Don’t worry, papa won’t tell mama. This is a secret between us men.”
He Bao Bao considered for a moment and nodded at his father. “Mn.”
“Previously when you wanted your mama’s hair clip, was it because you wanted to gift it to her?”
“Mhmm&h.e.l.lip;”
He Chen contemplated this and asked, “I heard your uncle say that Diu Diu also wants to learn the violin. Does he like w.a.n.g Yu Xin too?”
“No, gege is afraid I’ll be scared by myself, so he’s going with me.”
“So it’s like this. Gege is good to you?”
He Bao Bao nodded furiously. “Mn! Gege is the best! He always comes down to see me between every cla.s.s and even gave me chocolate. He also helped me ask w.a.n.g Yu Xin about learning the violin too.”
He Chen smiled and patted his head. He asked, “Then does Bao Bao like gege?”
“Like. I like gege the best.”
He Chen looked at him, as if he was seeing himself as a child alongside He Xiu. It seemed that what they had lost had returned to them.
He smiled and kissed He Xuan’s forehead. “Papa agrees with you.”
Author’s Note:
Because a lot of little fairies said they wanted to see a side story where the two brothers reconcile yesterday, I uploaded this chapter first 『smile-cry』
Tomorrow it is Lin Zhen and Tang Zheng’s turn. I plan to write two chapters, which will also be the final two side stories~
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