Chapter 1 A sturdy body bursts out of the water...
Under the blazing sun, the air distorted and trembled in the scorching sunlight, and the asphalt road emitted a burning smell.
Outside a private art studio, colorful parasols lined up one after another, as parents waited for their children to finish class.
Waiting around was boring, so the parents started chatting, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, their conversation revolving around their children and the courses.
After chatting for a while, everyone looked at the person under the shade of the tree who hadn't joined in the conversation.
He was a tall young man, leaning lazily against a tree to enjoy the shade, with headphones around his neck, staring intently at his phone, and a lollipop dangling from his mouth.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on his fair face.
Perhaps the headphones were too loud, or perhaps he wasn't interested in their topic, because the young man didn't say a word the entire time.
The parents exchanged glances and tacitly lowered their voices to gossip.
"Is that young man also here to pick up his child? He looks quite young."
"I've never seen him before, I guess he's here to pick up his younger siblings."
“Young people these days aren’t that diligent. My eldest daughter hasn’t left the house since she came home for vacation. She’s so used to the air conditioning that she can’t even go to the toilet.”
"That can't be his own child..."
The glass door creaked open, interrupting the parents' whispers. The crowd rushed in eagerly, and soon the entrance to the art studio became quiet.
The young man under the tree frowned, staring at the large word "Failure" on his phone for a while with dissatisfaction. He then turned off the game and put his phone in his pocket.
The midday sun was unbearably hot. He raised his hand, and the lollipop he had finished tracing an arc in the air, was thrown into the trash can.
He stretched again before walking into the studio at a leisurely pace.
A cool breeze carrying the smell of paint hit me, and the air was filled with the screams and laughter of children.
The art studio was bustling with activity. Parents who had picked up their children didn't rush to leave; some waited for their children to finish the last few strokes, while others surrounded the teacher to ask about their performance in class.
The young man glanced at the throng of people, a hint of confusion flashing in his beautiful eyes.
There were so many people in the studio that he couldn't see where the child he was supposed to pick up was.
To avoid being kicked out as a suspicious person, he pretended to have found his target and calmly walked inside.
As he passed one small drawing table after another, and was about to reach the podium, his index finger was suddenly gently held by a soft little hand.
"Zhizhi, I'm here."
Wen Zhi stopped and looked down at the little dumpling who looked somewhat like him.
The child looked up at him with his chubby little face and big, dark eyes that stared unblinkingly, his little yellow apron covered in colorful paint.
"Xiao Tang is amazing, she can recognize her brother at a glance." Wen Zhi smiled slightly.
It was as if he had almost walked past the child just to test the child's eyesight.
"Zhizhi, you're very tall and fair-skinned." Xiaotang was quite pleased with the compliment and earnestly told him how she recognized her.
Wen Zhi patted the child's head, glanced at the painting on the table, and picked it up casually: "Did Xiao Tang draw this? It's really..."
After seeing the painting in his hand, the praise he was about to utter stuck in his throat.
It really is... peculiarly ugly.
Xiao Tang stood on tiptoe and pointed to the most abstract person in the painting, affirming in her soft voice, "That's Zhi Zhi!"
"..."
Not wanting to dampen the child's enthusiasm for creation, Wen Zhi paused for half a second before forcing a compliment: "Hmm...it really looks like it."
They all have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, so they do have something in common.
"Are you Xiaotang's parent?" A gentle voice interrupted, and both the adult and the child looked up.
A refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was smiling at them, his long, slender fingers smeared with paint.
"Teacher Xia," Xiao Tang immediately called out to him obediently.
Wen Zhi realized that the other person was the art studio teacher and nodded, "Yes."
Teacher Xia's smile deepened: "Xiao Tang loves to draw and is very talented. She did exceptionally well today."
If Wen Zhi hadn't just suffered the mental attack from that painting, she might have believed what the other person said.
People these days will say anything to sell courses.
Wen Zhi nodded in agreement: "I just saw it too, Xiao Tang's drawing of Teacher Xia looks just like her."
After saying that, he quickly and precisely covered the child's mouth, which was trying to explain, with his hand behind his back.
Ms. Xia seemed not to understand the meaning behind his words, and after smiling and saying a few more words to him, she went to the other parents.
Wen Zhi carried the ugly painting in one hand and held the hand of the filthy Xiao Tang in the other, walking towards the outside of the art studio.
Along the way, many parents looked at them curiously, wanting to know the relationship between the two.
However, when the child opened his mouth, he didn't call out "Dad" or "Brother," but instead used a nickname that left everyone puzzled.
Pushing open the studio door, a wave of heat immediately hits you, and you're back under the scorching sun.
Wen Zhi quickly opened the parasol to block the scorching sun overhead.
The little dumpling following behind took a few quick steps with its short legs, trying to squeeze itself into the shadows as well.
The parasol overhead shifted a centimeter away from him, as if he had only then remembered that he existed.
On his way home, Wen Zhi's phone vibrated a few times. He took it out and saw that it was a message from the dormitory group chat.
He Jin: [@Zhi, we need one more player, log in quickly]
Wen Zhi frowned and quickly typed two words on the screen.
Wen Zhi: [No time]
A voice message popped up in the group chat. I clicked on it and heard my roommate's eerie, chuckling laughter.
Ding Mingjun: [Oh, taking care of the kids again?]
He Jin: [Our Xiao Zhi skipped marriage and childbirth and went straight to being a dad (grinning face)]
Wen Zhi expressionlessly muted the group messages and put her phone back in her pocket.
Just last week, his last summer vacation in college began, but as soon as he got home, he heard some terrible news.
His parents decided to go on their honeymoon.
This wouldn't have been a big deal, but three years ago, his parents had a son in their middle age, a younger brother who was old enough to be their son.
Now that the two elders have retired to their own world, the responsibility of taking care of his younger brother naturally falls on his shoulders.
Before this, Wen Zhi had only met her younger brother a handful of times, only once during winter and summer vacations, and the two were practically strangers.
Walking home from the art studio, a mere ten-minute walk, Wen Zhi's back was already soaked with sweat. The thin T-shirt clung to her skin, outlining the slender, graceful lines of her shoulders and back.
The thought that summer vacation had just begun made him feel dizzy.
He felt a little better after unlocking the door with his key and feeling the cool air conditioning.
As Wen Zhi changed her shoes, she seemed to be talking to herself: "Your teacher Xia is quite good-looking."
As someone who values appearance, this was the only consolation for him after braving the scorching sun to make this trip today.
Xiao Tang blinked her dark, grape-like eyes, tried hard to recall, and earnestly provided the information: "Teacher Xia is still single."
He heard other children say the same thing.
Wen Zhi walked into the house and nodded nonchalantly, "Oh."
Although he enjoys looking at handsome men, he has absolutely no interest in their relationship status.
The main focus is on providing visual enjoyment without experiencing the pain of love.
After entering the house, Wen Zhi took a shower and changed into dry clothes before sitting down at the dining table.
Before her parents left, they hired a cook for them. The cook would come over every day to prepare three meals and do some simple cleaning, which helped ease Wenzhi's burden.
After having lunch with Xiaotang, Wenzhi went to her room for a nap.
He only developed the habit of taking a nap after starting university. He gets very sleepy if he doesn't take a nap. He also had to take Xiaotang to the taekwondo class in the afternoon, so he quickly closed his eyes.
Ten minutes later, the door to the room was pushed open a crack very slowly.
A small figure struggled to reach the doorknob, tiptoed in, stood by the bed, and gazed at the slightly flushed face of the sleeping woman.
The person on the bed was sleeping soundly, with long eyelashes casting shadows under their eyes, and their cheeks glowing a faint pink from deep sleep, their breathing even and long.
Wen Zhi frowned in her sleep, feeling as if she were being watched by something ominous.
Struggling to open my eyes, I focused my gaze and met a pair of wide, wide eyes that were wide awake beside the bed.
"Xiao Tang, why aren't you taking a nap in your room?" His voice was heavy with sleepiness, too tired to think straight.
Xiao Tang shook her head like a rattle: "I don't like sleeping."
A question mark popped up above Wen Zhi's head.
How could anyone not like sleeping?
"Zhizhi, we're going to be late," Xiaotang reminded her again, pouting.
Wen Zhi thought about it in a daze for a while before remembering that he was now a full-time househusband and still had to take Xiao Tang to class.
Despair washed over him, and he pulled the blanket over his head, trying to stay in the air-conditioned room a little longer.
A small hand gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, and the child used both hands and feet to pull it open: "The teacher said that being late is not being a good child."
Wen Zhisheng sat up listlessly, throwing off the covers, and got out of bed with her hair all messed up from sleeping.
Ten minutes later, he hastily tidied himself up and took Xiaotang out.
The afternoon sun was still scorching, and the roadside plants drooped listlessly, their branches and leaves drooping.
Wen Zhi dropped Xiao Tang off at the taekwondo gym, then went to a nearby shopping mall to enjoy the air conditioning. She strolled around until get out of class ended before turning back to pick Xiao Tang up and take her home.
Walking home, the thought that all the extracurricular classes for the week were finished made my steps a little lighter.
"Zhizhi, what's that?" Xiaotang suddenly stopped and stared at a spot.
Wen Zhi looked in the direction of the little finger and saw a building she had never seen before.
He remembered that when he came back from winter break, the building was still under renovation, and only now is he seeing its true appearance.
The building's shape resembles a whale lying on the ground, with a white steel frame supporting a wide, arched roof and a floor-to-ceiling transparent glass facade.
Wen Zhi looked for a while but still had no clue. Thinking that there was nothing else to do at the moment, she looked down and asked, "Shall we go over and take a look?"
Xiao Tang nodded vigorously immediately.
After crossing one traffic light, we arrived in front of the building, with a huge promotional poster standing next to the main entrance.
Xiao Tang leaned closer to the poster, stood on tiptoe, and picked out the words she recognized to read aloud: "The...opening..."
Wen Zhi also went over to take a look. The poster had eye-catching artistic lettering printed on a blue water ripple background.
Swimming pool?
This held no appeal for someone who couldn't swim, and he straightened up uninterestedly.
Suddenly, a light dazzled him, and he squinted slightly, instinctively looking through the glass window.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, refracting onto the crystal-clear water, and shimmering light danced on the ceiling.
The next second, the calm water surface suddenly rippled, and a tall and muscular body broke out of the water.
Water splashed everywhere, and sunlight shattered into countless points of light.
Water droplets, like pearls with broken strings, rolled down the man's sharp jawline, leaped onto his broad shoulders, and then fell into the lines of his firm abdominal muscles.
As if sensing the gaze from outside the window, the person suddenly raised their head, their sharp eyes piercing through the shimmering light, staring straight out the glass window.
A note from the author:
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My story is starting! It's a sweet little tale! A younger, easily fooled guy (top) x a beautiful, single mother with a child (bottom).
I apologize to those who saved this post before; the old synopsis had been sitting for too long and I just couldn't find any inspiration, so I replaced it with this one. I'll revisit the old synopsis book when I have more inspiration in the future.
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