Chapter 16 Wen Zhi also enrolled in other extracurricular classes...

Song Juelan walked into the living room, picked up her phone from the coffee table, and sat down on the sofa.

On the carpet in the corner of the living room, Wen Zhi, who was playing with Xiao Tang building blocks, was a little distracted and attached the locomotive to the train's rear.

With his back to the sofa, he didn't know what the man sitting on it was doing. After struggling with himself for a moment, he whispered, "Um... how about I find you another pair of pants?"

The scene he had just witnessed was still replaying in his mind, and his fingers unconsciously curled up, his fingertips burning hot.

He never expected to make such a blunder.

While the size difference between Song Juelan and him was taken into consideration, the significant differences in other areas were overlooked.

He's just not experienced enough.

"No need, I've already bought it." Song Juelan's deep voice came from the sofa behind him, his emotions unreadable.

Wen Zhi turned around and saw that Song Juelan was holding a mobile phone, which meant he had just placed an order on a food delivery app.

He gave a soft "oh," then turned back, feeling a slight pang of annoyance.

I shouldn't have asked that question.

If his gaze hadn't been glancing somewhere earlier, how would he have known that Song Juelan's pants didn't fit? It was practically an admission of guilt.

The air grew still again, filled with a faint, unspoken awkwardness.

Fortunately, Xiao Tang got tired of playing with building blocks and said he wanted to take a shower. Wen Zhi quickly took him to the bathroom and escaped from where Song Jue Lan was.

The bathroom door clicked shut, and Song Juelan finally put down her phone, which had been stuck on the food delivery order page, and looked up at the frosted glass door.

The sound of water could be faintly heard from inside, and Wen Zhi's soft voice could be heard, her voice muffled by the steam.

After a while, the bathroom door opened, and Xiaotang, who had changed into a little dinosaur onesie pajama, ran out happily.

He leaned close to Song Juelan, letting him smell the scent of his new shower gel, and then tried his best to sniff the scent of Song Juelan with his little nose.

"Brother Jue Lan smells like Zhi Zhi!" he excitedly announced his discovery.

Song Juelan's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, and she subconsciously looked towards the bathroom door again.

Wen Zhi's clothes would get wet after she bathed Xiao Tang every day, so she usually took her own bath after Xiao Tang.

At that moment, a very faint and blurry slender figure was projected onto the frosted door, rising and falling in the mist.

Thinking of the shower gel he had inexplicably chosen, which smelled similar to Wen Zhi's, his breath hitched slightly.

The bathroom door opened again, and Wen Zhi, wearing loose pajamas, came out, drying her damp black hair with a towel.

Xiao Tang was getting sleepy while waiting on the sofa. Her small body was lying on Song Juelan's lap, and her eyes were almost closed.

Wen Zhi could only walk to the sofa, bend down, and pick up Xiao Tang.

As he bent over, a few strands of wet, black hair fell down, almost brushing against Song Juelan's face. The fragrance, even stronger after being steamed by the moisture, wafted into his nose. Before him was a large expanse of snow-white skin beneath the wide collar, with even a hint of pink visible.

"You can sleep in my room tonight, I'll sleep with Xiaotang."

When Song Juelan came to her senses, she realized that she had unconsciously held her breath.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he answered slowly, "I'll sleep on the sofa."

“That won’t do,” Wen Zhi disagreed. “I often sleep with Xiao Tang, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Song Juelan agreed anyway.

"Then I'll take Xiaotang back to her room first."

Xiao Tang squirmed in Wen Zhi's arms, her eyes still closed, her voice muffled: "Goodnight, Brother Jue Lan—"

"Good night," Song Juelan replied softly.

Wen Zhi carried Xiao Tang into the children's room, where warm lights were on.

A short while later, Song Juelan heard Wen Zhi telling a story coming from the room.

The voice was soft and pleasant, with a slightly drowsy quality that stirred a gentle ripple in one's heart.

He sat alone in the living room, intently listening to Xiaotang's bedtime story.

Before the story ended, the voice abruptly stopped, followed by the sound of the storybook falling to the ground with a "thud".

Song Juelan paused for a moment, hesitated, and looked at the light still on in the room. He tentatively called out in a low voice, "Wen Zhi?"

There was no sound coming from the room.

He suddenly stood up, walked a few steps to the door of the room, glanced inside, and then stopped.

On the children's bed, Xiao Tang was sleeping sprawled out, her mouth slightly open, with glistening drool hanging on her chubby face.

Wen Zhi, who was standing next to her, had also closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes drooped quietly, trembling slightly with her breath. There was an unclosed storybook lying on the ground.

I actually managed to lull myself to sleep.

Song Juelan's lips curved into a slight smile. He walked quietly to the bedside, gently picked up the scattered blanket, covered Wen Zhi with it, and tucked the corners of the blanket in.

She bent down to pick up the storybook again, glanced at the ending of the story she had just read, then closed the book and gently placed it on the bedside table.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Wen Zhi's peaceful sleeping face again, and he saw a tuft of black hair sticking to his cheek. His fingertips paused for a moment, and then he reached out.

Suddenly, Xiao Tang on the bed smacked her lips loudly, rolled over, and hugged Wen Zhi like an octopus.

Song Juelan paused, straightened up, and quietly looked at the father and son on the bed for a while before turning around and leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him.

The underwear and pants I ordered from the food delivery app have arrived. After changing into them, Song Juelan finally felt much more comfortable.

He walked to Wen Zhi's room and pushed the door open to go inside.

The lights came on, revealing a simple yet cozy room. A large bed took up most of the space, and a few books and a pair of headphones were piled on the computer desk in the corner, while snacks such as potato chips and lollipops were displayed on the shelf next to it.

His gaze swept quickly across the entire room.

In Wen Zhi's private space, not a trace of that person could be found.

Song Juelan withdrew her gaze from looking around, walked to the bedside, lay down on the soft bed, and reached out to turn off the light.

The fragrance emanating from Wen Zhi enveloped him completely, like a sweet, cloying net.

Song Juelan, who usually falls asleep quickly, kept his eyes open for a long time in the dark.

The next morning, Song Juelan was awakened by a hurried, childlike voice.

"Brother Jue Lan! Zhi Zhi, Zhi Zhi, he..."

Song Juelan snapped back to reality, abruptly sitting up in bed. She nimbly threw off the covers and got out of bed, asking in a tense voice, "What happened to him?"

Xiao Tang, who was pouting, was startled by Song Juelan's astonishing speed at getting up and burped, "Zhi Zhi is still sleeping."

Song Juelan paused as she was about to rush out, turning back to look at Xiao Tang, somewhat confused: "Is he alright?"

Hearing Xiaotang's anxious tone, he thought Wenzhi had fallen when she got up.

Xiao Tang nodded her little head.

Song Juelan breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and walked back to the bedside, and asked with her head down, "What happened?"

Xiao Tang finally remembered her purpose, and her little mouth pouted again: "Xiao Tang is going to be late!"

Song Juelan was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding: "Where are you going?"

"Drawing, we have drawing class today," Xiaotang answered, tilting her little face up.

Song Juelan was taken aback again.

Wen Zhi also enrolled Xiao Tang in other extracurricular classes?

His swimming lessons weren't the only extracurricular activity Wen Zhi chose.

Song Juelan's mood suddenly became less cheerful.

Although he knew this was normal, most parents hoped their children would develop in all aspects, and enrolling them in multiple extracurricular classes was a common practice.

But deep down he still felt a strange sense of loss.

By the bedside, Xiao Tang was still staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to come up with a solution.

Song Juelan suppressed the strange emotions in his heart, bent down, and discussed with Xiao Tang, "His foot is not healed yet. Can I take you there?"

Xiao Tang nodded without hesitation.

While Song Juelan was washing up and changing clothes, Xiao Tang took her apron and water bottle and moved quietly throughout the process, so as not to wake Wen Zhi in the room.

Song Juelan wrote a note and placed it next to Wen Zhi's pillow before taking Xiao Tang out.

He didn't know the exact location of the art studio, but fortunately Xiaotang remembered the way and led the way by holding his finger.

After passing two traffic lights, they stopped in front of a private art studio.

Xiao Tang released Song Jue Lan's fingers and waved obediently, "Brother Jue Lan, I'm going in now, bye-bye!"

Song Juelan's gaze swept around, and seeing that other parents were sending their children inside before leaving, he moved his feet and, for some unknown reason, followed Xiao Tang.

"I'll take you inside."

The automatic sensor door opened, and cool air enveloped people.

Xiao Tang looked up at the tall man beside her and said, "No need, Zhi Zhi never comes in."

Normally, Wen Zhi would only see him off at the door, and only go inside when she came to pick him up.

These words stirred something within Song Juelan.

Wen Zhi never goes into the art studio, but when she has swimming lessons, she always waits by the pool until the get out of class is over.

This discovery stirred a secret ripple of joy within him.

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry." Song Juelan said calmly, leading Xiao Tang inside.

Song Juelan knew nothing about art; in his mind, a painting teacher should be an old man with gray hair.

Unexpectedly, upon entering the art studio, I saw a young man with a gentle and refined demeanor.

Noticing them come in, the man first greeted Xiao Tang with a smile, then turned his gaze to Song Juelan beside him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Who is this?

Xiao Tang jumped up and down happily, eagerly answering, "Teacher Xia, this is Brother Jue Lan!"

Teacher Xia bent down, smiled, and patted Xiao Tang's head, asking casually, "Where's your brother Zhizhi? Why didn't he come today?"

Xiao Tang's face fell, and she lowered her head in frustration: "Zhi Zhi's foot is injured, she needs to rest."

Teacher Xia immediately showed a concerned expression: "I see. Then Xiao Tang should take good care of him. If you need any help, you can come to Teacher Xia."

"Uh-huh!"

Song Juelan stood aside, looking at the person in front of him expressionlessly.

He didn't even know the relationship between Wen Zhi and Xiao Tang, yet he was trying to get close to them.

No wonder Wen Zhi doesn't like coming to the art studio.

He nodded slightly to Teacher Xia as a greeting, then turned and left.

Outside the art studio, many parents were waiting for their children to finish class, chatting in twos and threes.

Song Juelan walked to the shade of a tree and looked at the entrance of the art studio. The thought from earlier came back to her mind.

Although they are all teachers in extracurricular classes, Wen Zhi treats them differently. Does this mean...?

Is there something special about him to Wen Zhi?

Although he didn't know what that special thing was, or why he should care about it.

The parents gathered at the entrance of the art studio chatted idly, occasionally casting curious glances at the tall and imposing man under the tree, but Song Juelan just kept his eyes down, lost in thought, and didn't look up at them once.

After class, Song Juelan followed the parents into the art studio to pick up Xiaotang and take her home.

As soon as Xiaotang saw him, she excitedly held up her drawing and pointed to the unidentified object on it: "This is Brother Juelan!"

Song Juelan's lips twitched slightly, unwilling to admit it: "...Hmm, quite similar."

It seems that Xiaotang is more talented in swimming.

Just as they were about to leave with Xiaotang, another figure appeared before them.

Teacher Xia smiled and nodded at him, then looked at Xiao Tang and praised his painting before saying gently, "Remember to give my regards to Zhi Zhi and wish him a speedy recovery."

Xiao Tang carefully memorized it and nodded vigorously: "I've got it!"

Song Juelan frowned slightly, almost crumpling the painting in her hand.

On her way home, Xiao Tang's face was flushed from the scorching sun. She looked up at Song Jue Lan, who seemed completely unafraid of the sun, and suddenly realized that she preferred Zhi Zhi, who carried an umbrella.

Song Juelan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, asking casually, "Is he on good terms with that Teacher Xia?"

Xiao Tang knew he was talking about Zhi Zhi. She tilted her head and thought about it seriously: "Hmm... Zhi Zhi rarely talks to Teacher Xia."

Song Juelan's tense nerves relaxed a little.

"But, Zhizhi said..." Xiaotang tried hard to recall what Zhizhi had said before, and jumped up and down on the ground, "Zhizhi said that Teacher Xia is good-looking!"

Song Juelan: "..."

A note from the author:

----------------------

Xiao Song: I'm angry even though I'm not officially recognized ╰_╯

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution!

Uh... 50 bottles; tea 10 bottles; arrogant little bunny, I am 1 I am 1 I am 1 2 bottles; don't cry, every grain is hard-earned, author, author, when will you update?; pineapple-flavored round dumplings; Wen Weiyan; gentle and tender 1 bottle.