SFBF CH38

They soon arrived at the underground parking garage of “Big World.” The car door slid open, and Shen Qing was the first to step out with his long legs.

He stretched his arms and legs a little, then turned back, intending to help the kids down. But Ao Zai was already being looked after by Tian Yi, and as for Duoduo, that child didn’t need help at all—he had already stepped down from the van by himself.

Today, Gu Duo was wearing a pair of white little sneakers, light blue jeans, a black hoodie, and a white padded jacket on top.

At first glance, the outfit looked simple enough, but in fact every single piece was children’s clothing specially designed by famous designers. Whether in workmanship or cut, it was nothing ordinary kids’ wear could compare with.

And even though Gu Duo was a little too thin and still hadn’t fully grown into his height, the way he kept a straight face gave him an aura a full six feet tall.

Wearing that outfit, he looked very cool.

…As for why Duoduo was wearing that stiff face—

Shen Qing had no idea what was wrong with the child.

He had suddenly stopped talking in the car.

Whatever Shen Qing said to him, he seemed distracted. And when asked, he only said he was fine.

…Seriously, was it really that soul-damaging just because Shen Qing had asked him to call him “gege”?

After getting out of the car, Gu Duo turned around to grab his backpack.

There were at least two books inside Duoduo’s schoolbag. Normally, Shen Qing absolutely wouldn’t have allowed him to carry them around, but because Young Master Duo’s expression had been too serious, Shen Qing chickened out and ultimately didn’t bring up the matter of not letting him take the books.

Watching Duoduo put on the backpack only made him look even cooler. Shen Qing walked over and placed a light gray baseball cap on his head, then straightened out his outerwear, pulling shut the little one’s padded coat that had been hanging open.

“It’s still a little chilly in the underground garage. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Gu Duo stood there without speaking and let him fuss with him.

Meanwhile, Ao Zai had already been carried out of the van by Tian Yi. His outfit was almost exactly the same as his brother’s, just in a much more mini version, so instead of looking cool, the fact that such a tiny child was dressed so fashionably gave him a sort of contrast-cuteness that made him look even rounder and more adorable.

Already wearing the yellow little baseball cap, Ao Zai ran over to them. When he saw that Shen Qing was tidying up his brother’s clothes, he stood nearby too, waiting for Shen Qing to tidy his clothes as well.

Shen Qing crouched on the ground, and after finishing with Gu Duo, he turned to Gu Ao.

Unlike Gu Duo, who was slim and easy to fix up, Ao Zai actually didn’t have much that needed adjusting… his little clothes and pants all fit him perfectly, hugging his body snugly and tightly, not letting in any draft at all. There really wasn’t much to fix.

But Ao Zai also wanted to be tidied up, so Shen Qing reluctantly tugged here, pulled there, and made a show of adjusting him.

In the end, he also straightened the little hat on his head and very obligingly praised him, “Ao Zai is so handsome!”

Gu Ao immediately puffed out his little chest. “Of course!”

Shen Qing said, “Then what should you call me now?”

“Shushu!” Gu Ao answered loudly.

Shen Qing: “Good.”

…Since, back in the car, both kids had unanimously refused to call him gege, Shen Qing had no choice but to compromise and let them call him shushu again.

…

Fine then, uncle it is.

As someone whose previous life had ended at twenty-five, Shen Qing figured being called “uncle” didn’t matter much anyway. His was an old soul, after all…

After finishing with Ao Zai, Tian Yi and Aunt Zhang also had their things ready, and the group headed toward the parking garage exit.

Shen Qing automatically held Ao Zai’s hand. His other hand was free, and he was about to reach over to hold Duoduo’s hand too, but before he could, Gu Duo had already gone around to the other side of Gu Ao and taken his little brother’s hand instead.

Shen Qing: “……”

That actually seemed normal enough.

After all, Duoduo had always been afraid that Shen Qing would lose his younger brother. In a public place like this, wanting to keep watch over Ao Zai personally was completely in line with Duoduo’s way of thinking.

Shen Qing didn’t think much of it and only reminded them, “There’ll be a lot of people later. Duoduo and Ao Zai, don’t run around, and make sure to stay close to me, okay?”

“Okay!” Gu Ao answered very loudly.

But Shen Qing knew full well the kid hadn’t actually listened to a single word—he was currently rhythmically stepping on the patterned marble floor tiles under his feet, happily playing hopscotch with them!

Shen Qing knew it was Ao Zai’s first time coming out to have fun, so being excited was natural, and he didn’t fuss over it.

Instead, he looked over Ao Zai’s head toward Duoduo.

“Duoduo?”

Only then did Gu Duo nod and reply, “Got it.”

Shen Qing: “……”

That was exactly why he felt this child wasn’t in high spirits…

Gu Duo followed Shen Qing and Ao Zai toward the exit, while still thinking in his head about whether things would get even worse for him and his brother if little uncle and little auntie split up.

He hadn’t called little uncle. Shen Qing didn’t actually seem like someone preparing to leave little uncle… Before Xiaowen-jiejie broke up with Second Uncle, and around the time of the breakup, her emotions had clearly been unstable and low. But little auntie wasn’t like that at all.

And yet… who could really say for sure.

Most of the time, Gu Duo simply couldn’t understand his little auntie.

Maybe bringing them out to play was just the adult equivalent of a “last supper.”

—The last time Xiaowen-jiejie came to see them, she had bought them ice cream too.

Vanilla chocolate chip and macadamia nut double-flavor.

When he received the ice cream, Gu Duo had no idea that it would be the last time he and his brother ever saw Xiaowen-jiejie come visit them…

The more he thought about it, the more downcast he felt.

Gu Duo’s free hand unconsciously clenched into a little fist.

But after thinking it all through, Gu Duo still decided not to disturb little uncle, and he also wouldn’t ask Shen Qing.

…What difference would knowing make anyway? He had neither the right nor the ability to change anything.

Gu Duo’s other hand held tightly to Ao Zai’s little hand.

Perhaps brothers really did have some kind of telepathic bond. Ao Zai, who had originally been cheerful and skipping around, seemed to sense Gu Duo’s mood. His chubby little hand gave a small swing.

“Gege?”

Wearing his little yellow hat, Ao Zai suddenly stopped playing hopscotch. Even his tiny footsteps stopped, and he twisted his little neck halfway around to look at Gu Duo… seen from the side, his cheeks were puffed up and his eyelashes were long, making him absurdly cute.

Little Ao Zai widened his round eyes and sharply asked, “Gege, what’s wrong?”

“Gege is fine.”

Reaching out to poke his younger brother’s cheek, Gu Duo showed him a smile.

It was Ao Zai’s first time coming out to play, and Gu Duo didn’t want to ruin his younger brother’s mood.

No matter what happened, they could only take it one step at a time for now.

Holidays were always peak travel periods, and this season there were huge crowds heading for indoor amusement parks. Before they even got near the entrance, the place was already packed.

Fortunately, Shen Qing and the others had arrived early, so they didn’t have to queue to get inside.

The indoor amusement park was even bigger than Shen Qing had imagined.

The ceiling was very high, and the moment they came out from the underground parking garage, everything in front of them seemed to brighten instantly.

Above their heads was an enormous curved HD 3D screen, endlessly cycling through scenes of oceans, forests, cosmic wonders, and so on. The air was filled with a damp scent touched with flowers and earth.

Right inside the entrance was an area selling all sorts of children’s toys and little accessories, as well as places to rent outfits for children and a kids’ makeup corner.

Shen Qing had done his research beforehand. Everything inside could be bought, and all of it was officially licensed merchandise.

But the entrance shops usually had the longest lines. Most guides advised people to go inside and play first, and only choose merchandise or costume changes when they got tired. There were plenty of similar shops throughout the park anyway.

So at first, Shen Qing only briefly took the kids around the store. He picked out a little tiger-ear headband for Ao Zai, and a black cat-ear one for Duoduo.

Ao Zai’s headband had little round tiger ears standing upright, with little tiger stripes on them, while the inside of the ears was pink. They weren’t fierce-looking at all. They suited Ao Zai’s little round head perfectly, and when worn on top of his head, they made him look adorably silly and cute.

Duoduo’s black cat ears were equally adorable. The ears stood upright, with the tips curving back slightly. They were modeled after a kind of wronged-looking cat. Combined with Gu Duo’s usual straight-faced expression, it created a sort of contrast-cute effect, a different kind of restrained coolness.

Shen Qing was very satisfied, so he also bought each kid a little tail.

Ao Zai was small, so Shen Qing picked a fluffy white rabbit tail for him, which fit perfectly clipped to the back waistband of his pants. As long as little round-bodied Ao Zai bounced even a little, the tiny tail bobbed along behind him.

As for Duoduo, Shen Qing instinctively felt that Young Master Duo wouldn’t like overly elaborate accessories, so based on the black color of the cat ears, he chose him a little black devil tail—a thin tail with wire inside, shaped into a slightly upward-curved flattened “S.”

At first glance, the all-black tail didn’t seem especially remarkable, but the pointed tip had a peach-colored little heart on it, curling upward together with the tail. The main appeal was once again the contrast-cute effect. It suited a cool little guy like Duoduo perfectly.

Originally, Shen Qing had assumed Gu Duo wouldn’t like this sort of thing, so at first he focused only on dressing up Ao Zai. But later, when he called Duoduo over to try it, he actually did.

Whatever Shen Qing asked him to wear, he wore, looking incredibly obedient and good.

Standing in front of the mirror, the little boy had both hands in his pockets. It wasn’t cold inside the park, so Shen Qing had already checked both kids’ padded jackets into storage. Gu Duo’s lean frame was revealed again, making him look especially upright and aloof.

But very cool.

Even a nearby pair of parents who had also brought their kids were stunned by him: whose child was this? How could a kid this young already have such a strong presence!

And most importantly, he was obedient.

He was obviously a child with a strong personality, and yet he listened to his guardian so well—whatever he was asked to do, he did, letting himself be dressed up at will. Kids like this were really rare!

Then they looked at their own child…

Huh? Where did their kid run off to again?

Over in the toy section on the other side of the store, Ao Zai was squatting there, playing with a toy car alongside a little chubby boy who looked around seven or eight years old.

Squatting at the bottom shelf, Ao Zai’s fluffy white rabbit tail was sticking up high behind him, and he had no idea that his whole body had become a little round ball.

He was fiddling with a transforming toy car in his little hands. The chubby boy beside him looked anxious and said, “Not like that! Come on, let me do it!”

“No, don’t!” Ao Zai skillfully protected his toy, first pressing it tightly against his little chest. Only when he saw the other boy wasn’t going to snatch it did he bring it back out and continue fiddling with it, leaving the chubby kid beside him scratching anxiously at his ears and cheeks.

The chubby boy was almost eight, which by all logic was already past the age of playing with little transforming toy cars.

But he was a helpful child by nature. Seeing this three-and-a-half-year-old baby not understanding how to play with it made him anxious.

“Ma Yanrui, what are you doing?” Before long, the chubby boy’s parents found him. They were the same two parents who, just earlier, had been envying Shen Qing’s ability to freely dress up a seven- or eight-year-old child like Gu Duo.

Ma Yanrui’s mother was annoyed. “The second we turn around, you’re gone again? Come here and try this on.”

Ma Yanrui’s mother also had the surname Ma. Earlier, the moment she saw Gu Duo in cat ears, she had been charmed to death and wanted to pick one for her own son too.

Unfortunately, her child seemed to have an overabundance of nutrition. The moment she pictured her son’s little round face, she silently gave up on cat ears and instead chose a round little bear-ear headband.

Father Ma had not agreed with his wife’s choice: he was already dark-skinned and sturdy-looking—wouldn’t wearing that just make him look even more like a bear?

Mother Ma told him to shut up.

Now, finally having found her own little bear—ah no, son—she walked over directly.

Only when she got close did she notice that beside her son was also a little child, round and cute, wearing tiger ears and a little rabbit tail, like a porcelain doll. The child was seriously fiddling with toy cars and even talking to the cars to himself. It was almost too adorable. Mother Ma immediately clutched her chest.

“Oh my god, whose little cutie is this?!”

Ao Zai wasn’t playing there alone. While he was picking toys, Granny Zhang and Uncle Tian had been nearby the whole time, and Mother Ma had seen them too. She had only been unable to stop herself from voicing her admiration.

At that moment, Shen Qing arrived with Gu Duo.

The little tiger on the ground saw Shen Qing and immediately threw himself over with the toy car in his arms. “Jiu… shushu, I want this one!”

Mother Ma: ??? …

Only then did she realize that the little tiger cub and the little cat cub were dressed in matching outfits. They were obviously brothers, and the look she gave Shen Qing immediately filled with shock and envy. “…This child is yours too?”

Shen Qing bent down to catch Ao Zai and politely nodded to the woman gazing at him in envy, acknowledging it.

Then he took the toy car from Ao Zai’s hands.

Mm… Actually, when he was reading攻略, there had been advice saying that although everything in the park could be bought, it was best not to buy too much.

The park was huge, enough to walk around all day, and most personal belongings had to be carried with you. Even though there were storage counters, going back and forth to retrieve things was inconvenient, so most guides recommended traveling light and not buying too many things too early, because the parents would get tired carrying them.

But this time Shen Qing had still brought several bodyguards with them. After he had told Tian Yi about the outing plan, the other side had arranged them automatically.

…And having lots of bodyguards meant there were also lots of people who could help carry things and run to the storage counter.

Shen Qing directly said, “Buy it.”

Handing the toy car over to Tian Yi so they could all pay together later, Shen Qing also told Gu Duo to pick a toy for himself as a gift.

Gu Duo had very little enthusiasm for picking toys. He barely looked and simply said he didn’t want one.

Shen Qing replied, “That won’t do. Your younger brother has one, so you need one too.”

Gu Duo: “……”

Shen Qing looked at him with a firm expression. “You must choose. And you have to choose something you actually like.”

Gu Duo: “……”

In the end, not wasting any more time, Gu Duo also chose a transforming toy car. However, obedient to Shen Qing’s instruction that it had to be something he personally liked, Gu Duo selected one designed for older kids—bigger, smarter, more high-end, and naturally much more expensive.

Only then was Shen Qing satisfied. “Mm, then that’s the one!”

The Ma couple at the side: “……”

Uh, what was this new parenting method from young people?—Absolute equal treatment.

Even if the child wanted to be treated differently, they weren’t allowed to.

After waiting in line and paying, the Ma couple ran into that family again.

Actually, they had already thought earlier that this group’s combination was a little strange.

Aside from the handsome, sunny-looking young man bringing the two children around, there was also a middle-aged woman and a muscular man who looked only about thirty and was clearly trained.

This little group seemed connected somehow, but didn’t feel like an ordinary family either.

Mainly, the muscular man and the middle-aged woman had always stayed off to the side. Unlike the young man, they never personally touched the children, dressed them up, or “insisted” they choose or buy anything.

But their attention never left the two children, and though they kept a certain distance, they also never strayed far. They even proactively helped carry things…

It all felt a little odd.

The muscular man was the one responsible for lining up to pay.

Because the Ma family had chosen their things and paid first, they came out ahead of him in line. After paying, they naturally walked toward the exit, where the handsome young man was again standing with the two children, helping them choose things near the doorway.

Mother Ma was wondering whether she should say goodbye to them.

After all, her three-and-a-half-year-old and their little chubby son had just been playing toy cars together…

Just then, the muscular man from the other group came striding over after finishing payment. He walked straight up to the handsome young man and said, “Madam, take a look at which toys the young masters should carry with them and which don’t need to come along. I’ll hand the rest to the others to send out first.”

The Ma couple: …Madam?

…Young masters?!!

The young man who had been called Madam cheerfully answered, opened the bag, took one thing out, and then said to the man, “Send the rest out first then. Sorry to trouble your people… later I’ll buy everyone chicken legs!”

The muscular man quickly waved it off. “Madam, what are you saying? It’s no trouble at all!”

“President Gu already said that everyone accompanying you and the young masters out this month gets triple bonus pay. We should be thanking you, Madam.”

As he spoke, another muscular man suddenly materialized from who-knew-where, silently took the bag, and then disappeared again like a gust of wind.

…

The way he was dressed, and the quick, efficient manner in which he moved, made it obvious at a glance that he was a bodyguard.

The Ma couple: …???

Had they just run into some invisible, low-key super-rich family?

They had never seen anything like this before!

Now when they looked again at the young man, who had already been exceptionally handsome and pretty to begin with, even though he was only wearing seemingly ordinary jeans and a light sweater, his entire bearing was exceptional.

Maybe the clothes he wore were actually extremely expensive too—it was impossible to tell the brand at all… and they had heard it was exactly this sort of no-brand-looking clothing that was the most terrifying. It might casually be some famous designer piece or limited-edition global release or something…

At that moment, the young man looked over and politely said goodbye to them. “Then we’ll be going first.”

The Ma couple: “Okay, okay, sure.”

At the young man’s feet, the little chubby kid in tiger ears was unexpectedly very polite too, and said to their son, “Bye-bye, gege!”

The little chubby boy called Ma Yanrui, however, hadn’t noticed any of the strange things his parents had. At least the two of them had the bond of playing toy cars together, so Ma Yanrui very generously said goodbye to the little tiger cub too.

Once they walked out of the store, Shen Qing still held Gu Ao’s hand, and Gu Duo walked on Ao Zai’s other side.

Shen Qing was extremely impressed by Ao Zai’s social ability. “Ao Zai made himself a gege that quickly, huh? …Who was it just now that said he already had a gege and absolutely refused to call me gege?”

“Ao?”

Ao Zai didn’t detect the sarcasm in the second half of Shen Qing’s sentence at all. Since, on the very first stop, he had already bought the little car he liked, he was in an especially good mood and couldn’t help breaking into giggles again. “That big gege didn’t snatch Ao Zai’s little car! He’s Ao Zai’s friend!”

Shen Qing: “……”

He had never expected his little Ao Zai to be this simple-hearted. The other child had merely not snatched the toy car from his hand, and Ao Zai already considered him a good person.

But in a way, that also indirectly showed that Duoduo and Ao Zai had really gone through a lot of hardship before—probably any good things had never made it to them, and even when they did get something good, it would be taken away. That was why all it took was someone not trying to snatch something from him, even something that hadn’t yet been sold off the shelf, for Ao Zai to consider that person good.

Thinking that, Shen Qing’s heart started aching for the two little ones again.

He forgot all about his earlier sarcasm and instead rubbed the little round tiger ears on Ao Zai’s head. “Ao Zai is amazing, huh? You made a new friend that quickly!”

“Of course!” Ao Zai had always accepted praise from others exactly as given.

President Ao bounced up onto his toes and declared, “About this kind of thing, there’s no need to say more!”

Shen Qing: “……”

Alright then.

The little dragon-overlord bloodline was awakening again!

After that, Shen Qing first took the two kids to play a few smaller attractions, all things that even a three-and-a-half-year-old could enjoy.

Since they had bought direct-access tickets, their wait times in line were relatively short.

When they reached the sky swing, there were only two seats left in that round. Gu Duo instinctively took a step back, intending to let Shen Qing and Gu Ao go on.

He said, “…I don’t need to…”

But Shen Qing had already grabbed him without discussion and dragged him inside. First he settled Ao Zai into place, then he started fastening Gu Duo’s safety belt.

Gu Duo: …He shifted awkwardly and gave him a suspicious look.

He clearly remembered that the reason they had agreed on this amusement park in the first place was because Shen Qing had signed him up for tutoring classes, and as repayment, Gu Duo had agreed to “accompany” Shen Qing here to play.

But this wasn’t the first time already. Every time, he and Ao Zai went on first, and afterward Shen Qing said he didn’t want to go.

But… wasn’t he supposed to be the one accompanying Auntie?

He had already observed this ride. Lots of adults were lining up to ride it too.

Just as the safety belt clicked shut, Gu Duo suddenly came back to himself—because Shen Qing had suddenly reached out and touched his face.

“When you’re playing, just focus on playing. What is a child your age even thinking so much about?”

Gu Duo tilted his head and asked, “You’re not riding?”

“I…” Shen Qing roughly understood what Gu Duo meant, but there was no time to explain now, so he casually improvised. “Actually, I’m afraid of heights.”

Gu Duo: “?”

At that moment, the loudspeaker beside them was already urging all parents who weren’t riding with their children to quickly leave the area, because the machine was about to start.

The staff member also came over for the final safety check. Having overheard Shen Qing, the very enthusiastic employee, who naturally knew nothing of the context, directly said, “Don’t worry, this one’s not high. Didn’t you see how tall it was when you lined up? Otherwise they wouldn’t even let such small kids ride it…”

Shen Qing: “……”

Gu Duo: “……”

Under Gu Duo’s gaze, Shen Qing quickly interrupted the employee. “…Well, the main thing is I’m so afraid of heights that even looking down at my own feet makes me dizzy!”

The enthusiastic staff member froze. “Then that’s a medical issue! You should hurry up and get that checked at the hospital!”

Shen Qing: ……

Please stop talking, my guy!

The broadcast was again urging unrelated people to leave. So in the end Shen Qing could only say to Gu Duo, “Take good care of Ao Zai, okay? I’ll wait for you outside.”

Then he left the ride area.

After they came off that ride, they immediately hurried to line up for the next one.

Later, Shen Qing explained to Gu Duo that the park was so huge and there were so many things to do that they might not even finish in one day. He didn’t want to waste time, so for some rides he had let Gu Duo and Ao Zai go first.

After hearing that, Gu Duo finally voiced his own question in time: “But wasn’t I supposed to be accompanying you?”

Shen Qing: “?! Cough cough cough… Why are you just like your little uncle?! Do you really think I’m the one who wants to play?”

Gu Duo: “?”

Shen Qing: “…Forget it.”

Trying to explain to such a small child about how children were supposed to enjoy childhood pleasures and the like… the current Duoduo probably wouldn’t understand anyway.

Things like enjoyment had to be quietly planted in the heart over time. If someone wasn’t having fun, it didn’t matter how much an adult lectured them.

So Shen Qing simply asked him, “Then are you happy, Duoduo?”

Gu Duo: “……”

He seriously began to think about it.

…He had been very happy while riding those attractions, especially the feeling of having both feet leave the ground, and of his view suddenly becoming much higher and broader…

It made him feel as if he, too, could fly.

So…

“Yes.” Gu Duo answered honestly.

“Then that’s good.”

Shen Qing took a sip of water. He wasn’t drinking from one of the children’s special water bottles brought from home, but from an ordinary bottle of mineral water bought at a roadside stand.

The plastic bottle made a faint crackling sound in his hand as he squeezed it, and Shen Qing drank nearly half of it in one breath. There was a carefree, unrestrained feeling to his movements.

Screwing the cap back on, Shen Qing said seriously, “If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

Gu Duo: “……”

Gu Duo silently looked at Shen Qing, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

Suddenly Shen Qing’s nose twitched. “Do you smell something?”

Gu Duo: “…What smell?”

Shen Qing: “The smell of grilled chicken legs.”

Gu Duo: “……”

As he said that, Shen Qing was already standing on tiptoe and looking around. Not far away, he spotted a huge休息区 shaped like a cream cake.

The smell of grilled chicken legs was coming from there.

Even though it was only a little after ten in the morning, they had already walked a lot and stood in a lot of lines. Shen Qing was exhausted.

So he took everyone to the snack bar in the rest area to sit down and rest, and finally also bought big chicken legs for everyone.

Besides that, Shen Qing also bought cola, popcorn, grilled sausages, and other little snacks, deciding that they should sit here and rest for a while before continuing.

“Further down is the aquarium. We’ll be able to see lots of fish, and also polar bears and penguins.”

While resting, Shen Qing looked at the map.

Holding half a big chicken leg in his two little hands and gnawing on it, Ao Zai immediately started waving his arms when he heard that. “Fishies! Ao Zai wants fishies!”

Shen Qing smiled until his eyes curved. “Okay, then we’ll go see fishies later.”

Ao Zai: “Ao! Ao Zai likes eating fishies best!”

Shen Qing: “…Not that kind of fishies.”

But Ao Zai had already fully entered self-talking mode. “Ao Zai can pick fish bones too!”

Shen Qing: ……

That unexpectedly reminded him of the last time he had gotten stabbed by a fish bone and how troubled Ao Zai had looked.

A vein popped on Shen Qing’s forehead. “I said not that kind of fish!”

He shoved two pieces of popcorn into restless Ao Zai’s mouth to shut him up, then lowered his head again to study the map.

The two of them had more or less already finished all the rides in this section that Ao Zai could go on, but there were also some attractions suitable for a seven-year-old and not for a three-year-old.

So Shen Qing turned to Gu Duo, intending to ask whether Young Master Duo had anything he especially wanted to try so he could take him there alone.

But the moment he lifted his head… Shen Qing nearly choked—

At some point, Young Master Duo had once again taken out a book and was memorizing vocabulary!

“Gu Duo.”

Gu Duo responded and looked up. Shen Qing tapped his own temple and then checked the time—they had only just sat down for less than five minutes!

“Why have you already started studying again?”

Yet in front of this sensitive little child, Shen Qing simply couldn’t bring himself to shout. He still did his best to maintain a smile. “Have you finished eating? When we come to an amusement park, we don’t study, okay?”

Gu Duo paused. He had already eaten half a chicken leg, so that did count as finished.

Thus Young Master Duo replied truthfully, “Didn’t you say we were going to rest here for half an hour?”

Shen Qing: “…It’s resting, properly resting, not studying.”

Gu Duo tilted his head, puzzled. “But for me, this is resting.”

A lot of the time, only studying made him feel secure. He had to use every second to study, because he didn’t know whether in the very next second Auntie might become like his old self again, and he also didn’t know whether, if Auntie left… he and his little brother would still even be able to study.

Thinking that way, Gu Duo unconsciously clutched his book more tightly.

And besides, wasn’t this supposed to be rest time? Gu Duo didn’t understand—if it was rest time, then why couldn’t he memorize words?

Shen Qing could see the tension in him and didn’t dare say much more.

…In fact, he was almost being persuaded by Gu Duo.

If it weren’t for the fact that Young Master Duo always gave off such a tense feeling, as if only cramming every spare second with study could bring him peace, Shen Qing honestly wouldn’t want to interfere with him at all.

Aunt Zhang laughed beside them. “Young Master just loves studying. What a good child he is! He really makes adults worry so little!”

Shen Qing: “……”

To that, all he could say was: every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite.

…It was just that, compared with getting ahead in life, the mental health of one’s own little cubs was obviously much more important!

So, in order not to pressure Gu Duo, Shen Qing said nothing more and only asked, “There’s grilled marshmallow over there. Do you two want some?”

Ao Zai was forever the first to want anything. “Ao Zai wants it! Wants, tang~”

Shen Qing: “It’s marsh-mallow.”

“Oh oh.” Little Ao Zai nodded humbly. “Marsh… mallow~”

Shen Qing: “……”

“Then I’ll take Ao Zai to buy some. You all keep sitting here and resting.”

As he said that, Shen Qing stood up. He also reached out and patted the little cat ears on Gu Duo’s head, since Duoduo had been quietly looking up and watching him the whole time. Then he added, “Just do whatever you want. Sometimes you also don’t have to pay too much attention to what I say, okay?”

Gu Duo: “…?”

Why would anyone make a request like that?

Support me on Ko-fi