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Noticing that Shen Qing cared about Xiao Miao’s situation, Gu Huaiyu spoke up: “I’ll have someone get in touch with child protection organizations over there. Gu Huai-yu and Xiao Hangying likely completed all formal procedures when adopting Xiao Miao, so the most we can do is ask them to keep an eye out to ensure the boy isn’t subjected to domestic violence or abuse.”

“Alright.” Shen Qing understood. Gu Huaiyu’s meaning was crystal clear: Xiao Miao had been adopted through legitimate channels, so there was little they could do to intervene, and even less they could do to influence Film Emperor Xiao’s parenting style. Doing what they could to ensure Xiao Miao wouldn’t be abused was already doing everything humanly possible.

Thinking of this, Shen Qing soon felt at ease and put the matter behind him. Stroking the cub’s round watermelon bowl cut again, he asked, “Then do Duoduo and Ao-zai want your daddies to adopt another child?”

“No,” Ao-zai answered bluntly.

Shen Qing had only asked as a teasing joke, not expecting Ao-zai to take it so seriously.

Fiddling with the oversized milk bottle with tiny hands, Ao-zai pouted slightly for the very first time. “Ao-zai and Gege don’t want that.”

“Having us cubs is enough for daddies!”

As he spoke, Ao-zai kicked his little legs, asking Shen Qing for a hug.

The soft, mochi-like kid raised a leg with a little hop, opening his arms and squishing in gently for a cuddle. It was far too adorable; Shen Qing couldn’t resist scooping him right onto his lap.

Unable to hold back, Shen Qing made a direct promise: “Daddies only need Duoduo and Ao-zai too.”

In the past, Ao-zai had been proud and aloof; he would let people carry him, but wouldn’t initiate cuddles. Now, snuggling straight up to him, Ao-zai not only asked for hugs, but voiced his demands in his soft, babyish voice. Even if his resolute tone remained something ordinary cubs lacked, Shen Qing still felt that this was how it should be. This was what a four-year-old was supposed to be like.

Before, life had been so miserable and fraught with danger that it triggered Ao-zai’s inner domineering protagonist spirit, making him refuse closeness so decisively. Now that he felt no danger, the little domineering protagonist had turned completely back into a baby: a carefree, four-year-old baby.

Nestling Ao-zai on his lap and rubbing him a bit, Shen Qing looked up at the adjacent table, catching Gu Duo looking toward him before quickly dropping his head to continue scribbling away.

Clearly, cub Duoduo cared deeply about whether his fathers would adopt someone else too. He cared enough to pause his current task!

What was Duoduo busy with? Why hadn’t he come over yet?

He looked at Gu Huaiyu.

Gu Huaiyu met his eyes: He’s learning programming.

Shen Qing: Oh.

Lately, Duoduo was no longer satisfied with learning “ordinary” foreign languages and math. To Young Master Duo, languages and mathematical logic were mere auxiliary tools; what he truly wanted to study was robotics programming.

Ever since arriving here and receiving the toy robot from his Youngest Uncle, Gu Duo had harbored this idea. Back at the Gu family mansion, Gu Jie, Gu You, and Gu Hao had all taken children’s programming lessons. Gu Duo had caught glimpses of their textbooks and became fascinated, but lacking the conditions to learn back then, he had no choice but to shelve it.

After coming here and receiving his first robot capable of executing programmed commands, Gu Duo occasionally dabbled in this field. By now, he had formally begun taking structured courses.

…Shen Qing had told the cub to play well.

Duoduo really had picked something related to “play.”

Even though Gu Duo’s true motive was entering the Children’s Robotics Competition.

The competition was held every late October right in Huacheng, and award winners were said to receive cash prizes. Beyond prize money, exceptionally outstanding advanced entries would be sent to international competitions, and great results could even unlock commercial value.

Although truly high-level, valuable entries seemed far off for a seven-year-old like Gu Duo, Shen Qing always felt this cub had an unmistakably clear goal. He even suspected: wasn’t Duoduo deliberately learning programming to build robots just to earn money and support his Little Dad?…

Regardless, as long as Duoduo loved it, he wouldn’t stop the cub from exploring and learning. Besides, Shen Qing had asked around and found that plenty of kids aged six and up were learning coding. Though he had a sneaking suspicion the difficulty level his Duoduo studied was completely different from other children’s…

Still, so what? If Young Master Duo liked playing with it, let him play! He remained their adorable, if slightly excessively self-disciplined, little baby!

Before long, Gu Duo finally finished writing his program. Setting down his pen, he slid off the chair and walked over to Shen Qing’s side. Little Dad had called him over for milk earlier.

Handing Duoduo a glass of milk, Shen Qing continued eating his lunch.

Just then, Li Hong, who was supposed to be on leave, walked in from outside.

While Assistant Li was on vacation in his role as President Gu’s assistant, he was simultaneously Madam’s manager!

Assistant Li, who hadn’t really wanted a day off anyway, strode over briskly. Seeing Madam and President Gu, he paused for a brief second: Cough, why are both Madam and President Gu glowing with such radiant complexions today?…

“What is it?”

President Gu’s cool voice pulled Li Hong’s focus back immediately.

“Oh right, there are a few things.” Assistant Li quickly launched into a professional and focused briefing.

What he had to report happened to be the third matter Shen Qing had wanted to ask Gu Huaiyu about: the external shifts following President Gu’s public appearance.

Huacheng remained peaceful on the surface, but within major conglomerates, numerous adjustments had been made overnight. Clearly, that man was back, and Huacheng’s business landscape would shift dramatically moving forward.

Shen Qing didn’t care much about that, only half-listening as Assistant Li summarized the major families’ moves. However, he perked up when he heard about the developments with Qian Jing’s household.

It was indeed amusing. Assistant Li couldn’t even stifle his chuckle as he reported, “…Because Mr. and Mrs. Qian left alongside President Gu and Madam yesterday, countless people flocked to Mr. Qian after the banquet to probe the situation, asking about his relationship with the two of you and so forth. Mr. Qian ended up shutting his doors to visitors entirely. I heard he’s already taken his wife and son abroad on a secret vacation!”

“Mr. and Mrs. Qian are very wise,” Shen Qing commented with a laugh. He recalled Gu Huaiyu saying something similar.

Leaving together yesterday had only been about grabbing a bite to eat and chatting about kid-related topics; neither side had mentioned business at all.

Given the legend President Gu embodied in Huacheng right now, if this had been the Gu family, they would have fished for connections with President Gu last night and played mysterious hosts to a crowd of visitors today, leveraging President Gu’s influence to brainstorm how to drive up stock prices.

Mr. Qian was truly respectable; when free advantages were offered, he genuinely didn’t touch them.

Only those who refused petty gains could make real wealth. Shen Qing felt that while Mr. Qian’s family was smart, their character was the real standout.

Even more amusingly, just as Li Hong finished mentioning that Mr. Qian’s family had gone on vacation, Gu Duo’s smartwatch chimed with a picture. It was a photo of clouds taken from an airplane, sent by Qian Jing.

Gu Duo had flown several times already: on a private jet when his fathers took him to exhibitions, and on small passenger planes during trips. He had always loved the feeling of soaring above the clouds. During dinner yesterday, he had mentioned this in passing to Qian Jing, and Qian Jing sent him the photo today.

“They went to Mauritius,” Gu Duo stated briefly. “Just landed.”

Hearing this, Shen Qing looked at his cub with exaggerated surprise and envy: “Not bad, Duoduo! You’re quite well-informed these days. We just mentioned it and you already got the update? Impressive! Broad connections, lots of friends!”

Gu Duo continued sipping his milk, sitting upright with a calm expression. It was just that Little Dad’s tone sounded so much like praise that it made him a bit self-conscious, causing him to straighten his spine even further. Still, he gladly accepted the compliment.

Shen Qing was thrilled that his cub had gained another reliable friend, so he suggested, “When Qian Jing gets back, let’s invite their family over as guests.”

Gu Duo didn’t know why Little Dad wanted to invite Qian Jing’s family, but he didn’t mind having guests over. Guessing Little Dad had always enjoyed lively gatherings and having fun, he nodded in agreement.

Shen Qing then glanced at President Gu across from him.

Gu Huaiyu had no objections either, nodding as well. “I’ll arrange it.”

Shen Qing beamed, “Alright.”

He turned back to Li Hong: “Any other news?”

Li Hong said, “Would Madam like to see the rest yourself? The online trending topics about you have completely blown up!”

“…”

Yesterday, Gu Huaiyu had appeared publicly, and explicitly as his partner. Even with crisis PR managing certain details, their relationship was bound to become public knowledge, so netizens going wild came as no surprise.

Still, Assistant Li, your expression is way too exaggerated!

Shen Qing took the tablet from Assistant Li’s hands to check for himself. Scanning the trending searches, his name popped up four or five times right off the bat:

#Shen Qing Family of Four Appears at Huacheng Night#

#Shen Qing Is Actually the Boss’s Spouse of Xingcheng!#

#Shen Qing, Relying Entirely on Himself#

#Shen Qing, Jewel in the Palm#

#Shen Qing’s Son Is So Cute!#

#Vase Shen Qing, Excellent Foreign Languages#

…My mistake, six of them.

No wonder Assistant Li had reacted so dramatically.

Scrolling down, the top discussion was about him under the hashtag #Shen Qing, Relying Entirely on Himself#. A verified blogger had posted a photo of him standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gu Huaiyu. The text opened with a lengthy introduction to President Gu’s background, followed by a breakdown of Shen Qing’s current endorsements and confirmed roles. Since none were blockbuster hits, it argued that he genuinely hadn’t tapped into high-level connections.

The comments underneath were embroiled in heated debate. Some argued that since Shen Qing had married such a titan, there was no way he hadn’t used his husband’s connections and resources.

[Of course he did, marketing accounts just haven’t dug it up yet. That’s capital for you, we all get it.]

[A pretty face is just a pretty face; rising to the top still comes down to looks in the end.]

Others came over from another trending topic, informing critics that Shen Qing’s husband had gifted Teacher Shen a priceless pendant in public yesterday, adding that regardless of whether he relied on his face, at least it was true love.

[He even secured the pendant Film Emperor Song treasured for twenty years for Teacher Shen; that sincerity can’t be fake! President Gu isn’t bad-looking either, rich and powerful, what beauty hasn’t he seen? If you say the boss only cares about looks, you’re directly admitting Teacher Shen is the most handsome of all.]

[Jumping in: I don’t care, Teacher Shen is the absolute best-looking in my book! (Just my aesthetic, not comparing)]

[As if real titans these days marry just for looks… Anyone still calling Shen Qing an empty vase must be in elementary school. Do you think everyone is as shallow as you?!]

[Some people need to stop jumping to conclusions. Who cares if Shen Qing’s husband has resources? Teacher Shen didn’t use them. Did he snatch anyone else’s roles? No. That speaks volumes.]

[Ahhh, I love Teacher Shen even more now: began with his looks, stayed for his character!]

Seeing Madam browsing this topic, Li Hong chimed in with pride, “Fortunately, when Madam chose scripts and collaborations, you always looked at the partner’s artistic vision rather than blindly following what was trendy. Otherwise, it would really be hard to clear up.”

Whether it could be cleared up or not, Shen Qing didn’t mind. Under President Gu’s colossal renown, rumors were inevitable.

When Gu Huaiyu had previously suggested keeping things private, Shen Qing had already anticipated being gossiped about once it went public.

On second thought, all he needed to do was guard his own integrity: only accept projects that aligned with his values and that he was worthy of, never harming his partners’ interests or stealing others’ opportunities. A clear conscience was enough.

Shen Qing was neither greedy nor bothered by public opinion. For him, focusing on his craft and having fun were his real priorities; whatever anyone else said couldn’t faze him.

Besides, no matter how much one cared or explained, in the end, only solid works could truly speak for themselves.

Thinking this way, salted fish Shen Qing felt his competitive spirit faintly ignited. The script he had on hand wasn’t in a trendy genre, but the story was genuinely great. Shen Qing had grown to love acting lately, and he was confident he could deliver a compelling performance.

The thought of filming brightened his mood considerably. He also thought: once he acted well, he might build a real reputation. When he shone brightly in his own domain, he might even stand tall beside President Gu’s great renown.

Just as Gu Huaiyu had wanted to wait until he fully recovered before going public, Shen Qing didn’t want to drag down the man’s reputation or tarnish outside evaluations of him either.

He wasn’t so ambitious as to strive for making people think of Gu Huaiyu solely as Shen Qing’s husband, but he was very willing to become a better person for his partner.

Doing what he loved every day, achieving continuous milestones along the way, growing into a better person, enriched without feeling frantic: this was Shen Qing’s ideal life.

Another amusing detail was that many netizens praised his husband’s good looks, declaring they made an ideal couple. Someone had quickly paired them as a couple and created a dedicated fan community called “Yu-Qing Bound for Life.” Shen Qing paid close attention to this part, clicking right into the page.

He soon discovered plenty of discussions about their family of four.

However, since Gu Huaiyu’s public appearance had unfolded amid a dispute, even though the elite family drama hadn’t leaked to become public focus thanks to various efforts, photos and information about his cubs had been intercepted by President Gu’s PR team. Nobody had leaked Duoduo and Ao-zai’s faces.

Under the topic “Family of Four,” everyone wondered what Shen Qing’s cubs looked like. Under the trending search #Shen Qing’s Son Is So Cute!#, netizens asked: Didn’t you say Shen Qing’s son is cute? Where’s the cub?!

Some veteran marketing accounts dug up clips from half a year ago where Shen Qing accidentally wandered into a parenting show’s camera while holding Ao-zai, using that as proof that Shen Qing’s cub was indeed adorable.

Yet that was half a year ago. Everyone knew human cubs grew fast and changed quickly. Besides, what about Shen Qing’s other cub? Weren’t there two cubs??

Shen Qing felt this hashtag trended purely because people curious about how cute his cubs were pushed it to the top.

“That brings me to the other matter,” Li Hong said. “Early this morning, a children’s variety show contacted our team, inviting Madam to take the young masters onto a parenting variety show.”

“What parenting show?”

“That Genius Baby Camp!”

Without waiting for President Gu or Madam to ask, Li Hong directed them to the details on the tablet.

Shen Qing glanced over it. Genius Baby Camp was launched by Rainbow Channel to rival Milk Channel. The show was quite reputable, refusing to use malicious editing or manipulative guidance to generate cheap buzz. It had aired one season before to stellar reviews, scoring an impressive 9.2 rating, with glowing audience praise celebrating how adorable every single child was.

Back when Ao-zai started working as a child star filming commercials and planning his career path, Lin Wenjue and Li Hong had both suggested that Shen Qing might take Ao-zai onto a variety show.

When it came to shows involving kids, the popular parenting variety genre was the obvious fit.

However, Shen Qing had previously crossed paths with Liu Xilin directing a parenting show and found that director excessively fond of drama. Having rarely watched variety shows, he held slight reservations about the genre. Supposedly, the only highly acclaimed parenting show was Genius Baby Camp. Because the production crew genuinely avoided stirring up petty drama and it was a newer program, its buzz hadn’t matched other shows, and no one knew if it would film another season this year.

Back then, Shen Qing had adopted a go-with-the-flow attitude and didn’t have anyone reach out. Who would have thought it would be such a coincidence that they received an invitation from Genius Baby Camp right now?! If nothing else, the timing was uncanny!

“Ahem, but the production team hopes Young Master Duo can participate too…” Li Hong glanced at Young Master Duo, who was quietly sipping milk. “Because the buzz around both young masters is sky-high right now, paired with their air of mystery, appearing on screen would definitely cause ratings to explode! Actually, many parenting show invitations came in, but we ruled out the others due to reputation issues.

“This Genius Baby Camp hopes to boost viewership for Season 2, which is why they want both young masters on screen. Of course, we can negotiate their exact screen time.”

Li Hong paused briefly. The two adults and two kids at the table showed little reaction. Shen Qing was still weighing the pros and cons of having Duoduo appear on screen.

Assistant Li added offhandedly, “Oh, by the way, if both young masters appear, their compensation offer is substantial.”

“I’ll go,” Gu Duo spoke up suddenly.

The three adults around him: ?

All eyes snapped to him.

Gu Duo repeated earnestly, “I can go.”

Having finished the last drop of milk, Duoduo said nothing more. His scheduled break had ended; it was time to study.

Shen Qing: “…”

Setting aside whether to go or not, which didn’t matter much anyway, Shen Qing suddenly felt that his Duoduo suited the theme of Genius Baby Camp rather well. Fitting indeed.

In the end, Shen Qing decided to take the cubs onto the variety show.

The announcement instantly drew massive attention, especially within the “Yu-Qing Bound for Life” and “Family of Four” topics, where excitement and expectations ran soaring high.

Everyone was dying of curiosity over what Shen Qing’s older cub looked like and how the younger cub had grown. To maintain the mystery, the production team didn’t even release a teaser trailer.

Yet to pique the audience’s appetite, they didn’t leave viewers entirely in the dark.

Over a month later, an oil painting took major internet platforms by storm overnight.

The oil painting was one of the top ten distinguished works selected in the recent Young Artists Exhibition, titled Family of Four and signed by Shen Qing.

Learning that Shen Qing had actually won an award in painting, and an esteemed one at that, topics about Shen Qing trended once again.

[At first I thought everyone praising Shen Qing’s art was paid PR, until I saw the painting… The technique is solid, but more importantly, the emotion is so rich and overflowing! Teacher Shen is clearly a true artist!]

[I don’t know art, but why does Teacher Shen’s piece make me want to cry? It’s that warm, moving kind of crying!]

[I highly recommend seeing the original! It’s currently on display at the Zhenyi Art Museum in Huacheng! It truly warms you to tears!]

[The cubs in the painting are so cute, Teacher Shen and President Gu look so handsome, I can’t wait for the show ahhh!]

Zhenyi Art Museum in Huacheng.

On the final day of the Young Artists Exhibition, at 6:00 PM, the exhibition officially concluded.

After the venue was cleared, Shen Qing and Gu Huaiyu arrived with the two cubs.

Family of Four was the piece Shen Qing had spent months painting, which he had promised the boss he would enter into the competition.

During that time, aside from Ao-zai, who frequently played in his studio, no one else had seen it.

In truth, Ao-zai hadn’t known what Little Dad was painting at first either. Only when the rough outlines took shape and he saw the four figures did he recognize it: wasn’t this the family portrait sitting in their living room!

Ao-zai remembered vividly that it was the first photo he and his brother had ever taken with their fathers.

So this was what Little Dad had been painting!

“It’s a gift for all of us,” Shen Qing said.

The Zhenyi Art Museum was also known as the Zhenyi Private Museum, the very venue for Huacheng Night and the host of this art exhibition.

With the exhibition concluded and the hall cleared, Shen Qing didn’t need to wear a hat or mask. The handsome young man smiled brilliantly, not surprised at all that he had won an award. After all, he had genuine talent for painting!

Gu Huaiyu reached out to wrap an arm around the young man’s waist, his other hand holding little Ao-zai.

Shen Qing held Duoduo’s hand.

The family of four on the floor looked at the family of four depicted in the oil painting on the wall.

In the painting, little Ao-zai was half-sprawled across Big Dad’s lap, while one of Duoduo’s hands rested on his younger brother’s shoulder. Duoduo’s left hand hugged Big Dad’s arm, while Little Dad’s hand rested on his right shoulder.

As the final touch completing the circle, Shen Qing had raised his other hand, resting it on the boss’s shoulder. He leaned down slightly, his delicate chin resting against Gu Huaiyu’s broad shoulder. Everyone in the painting was smiling, light reflecting in the depths of every pair of eyes.

In the quiet hall, Gu Huaiyu and the cubs could catch that refreshing strawberry scent.

Just like that day when Shen Qing carefully posed the three of them, one adult and two little ones who clearly had no idea how to take photos, before smiling and wrapping his arms around them the second before the shutter clicked.

They had come together just like that.

A family of four.

Within this book titled New World, they had each found their own new world.

[End of Main Story]

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