Chapter 33 (Combined with Thirty-Three)
Thirty-three:
As night fell, Qin Cheng lay down between his parents as he had wished.
He looked left at Mu Zheng, then right at Qin Luan, then back at Mu Zheng, then back at Qin Luan.
Seeing the undisguised joy on his face, Mu Zheng felt a pang of sadness.
He never slept with Qin Cheng.
When they met, Qin Cheng was already six years old, in the second grade, and could already sleep alone.
So he prepared a bedroom for Qin Cheng, furnished it, and bought him toys.
Qin Cheng happily moved in.
He didn't say he wanted to sleep with them.
He hadn't even thought about it.
As a result, Qin Cheng slept alone for the entire year.
Just now, he asked expectantly, "Can I sleep with Daddy tonight?"
"And Mom."
He looked at him, his eyes clear and bright, like crystals washed clean.
Mu Zheng then realized that Qin Cheng actually wanted a father.
He had never slept with his father; he grew up without a father. So when he discovered he had a father, he couldn't wait to get close to him and experience things he had never had before.
He recalled Qin Cheng looking at him and telling him that he had gotten a perfect score on a quiz, and Qin Cheng mentioning in the summer that a classmate's father had taken him swimming.
At that time, he was busy packing his luggage for a business trip.
Qin Luan heard this and asked him, "Mu Zheng, do you have time in a couple of days? Do you want to take Xiao Cheng swimming? Xiao Cheng isn't very good at it yet."
While packing his things, he said, "You take him there. I'll probably be busy for a while before I'm done here."
After he finished speaking, Qin Cheng remained silent.
Only after he left did Qin Cheng say, "Dad, be careful on the road and come back soon."
He said, "Okay."
He didn't take it to heart, and after his business trip ended and he returned, he was busy with other work.
Looking back now, Qin Cheng actually wanted him to take him swimming.
He told him to come back early because he thought that once he was back, there would be time to take him there.
His children are far more magnanimous than he is.
Before he could completely let go of his resentment and treat Qin Cheng like his own son, Qin Cheng had already regarded him as his father—even though he wasn't his biological father.
So he longed for his praise, for his closeness, and for him to do things with him like a real father.
Mu Zheng felt a tightness in his chest. He looked at his son and touched his tender little face.
"In a couple of days, Dad will take you swimming."
Qin Cheng was somewhat surprised.
He thought he wouldn't get to go swimming with Mu Zheng this summer.
Mu Zheng was always very busy, leaving early and returning late, so Qin Cheng felt bad asking him to put down his work to go swimming with him.
But he really wanted to go swimming with Mu Zheng.
He wanted to do many things with Mu Zheng: go to the amusement park, the zoo, the botanical garden, watch movies together, go shopping at the supermarket together, and go ice skating together.
He had done these things with his mother and his uncle, but not with his father.
Therefore, he wanted to preserve some memories with his father.
But Dad is just too busy.
Qin Cheng didn't blame him; he was just a little disappointed.
Unfortunately, children's water parks are most fun in the summer; they're not as fun after summer.
Now, as summer is about to end, Mu Zheng suddenly brought up the matter, saying he wanted to take him out to play.
Qin Cheng was both delighted and surprised, "Dad, aren't you busy anymore?"
Mu Zheng looked at him with heartache.
His children are far more sensible and considerate of their parents than he thought.
He thought he was just busy.
Little did he know that his father hadn't taken the matter to heart at all.
Mu Zheng sighed silently in his heart.
For the sake of children's tolerance.
For his despicable nature.
He should treat Qin Cheng well, not just give him material wealth, not just give him respect and gentleness.
Instead, she genuinely and sincerely treated him as her own child.
The child is innocent.
No matter what his parents did, the child is always innocent.
Even if he is not his biological son, when he becomes his father, he should love him well.
Instead of being bothered by his father or by his existence.
He is the one who has wronged his child.
“Dad can focus on working for two days to get everything done, and then he’ll have a day or half a day free to take you swimming.”
"Won't you get very tired when you're busy all the time?"
"It's alright," Mu Zheng said with a smile.
Qin Cheng was reluctant, "Actually, we don't have to swim."
“There’s always work to be done.” Mu Zheng looked at him and gently brushed his hair aside. “But summer is over, and there won’t be any more this year.”
He had already missed too many summers with Qin Cheng: the summer he was born, the summer he was one year old, the summer he was three years old, the summer he was six years old, and he didn't want to miss the summer he was seven years old.
"Trust Dad, he won't get tired."
Qin Cheng nodded. Of course he believed his father, and he also wanted to go to the water park with him.
"Okay," he agreed.
Qin Luan looked at the two of them and listened to their conversation, and once again felt deeply guilty.
She tried to hold back her tears and kissed her child.
She owed him far too much.
"No!" Ye Qingxi suddenly popped her head out of the bathtub.
He wiped his face with his hand, looked at Mu Shaowu in front of him, and said, "You're wrong."
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu gazed at his son, who was as beautiful as a lotus emerging from clear water, so pure and flawless, almost like his own flesh and blood. "What's wrong?"
“Grandpa,” Ye Qingxi said confidently, “the principal is the principal of the whole grade, and the teachers are teachers of many classes, but Grandpa is just our family’s grandpa. So the principal and teachers don’t have to wear school uniforms and class uniforms, but Grandpa has to wear family clothes.”
Mu Shaowu: ...
Mu Shaowu was utterly shocked, "You're still thinking about this!"
You're so stubborn, my darling!
"So Grandpa should also have family clothes," Ye Qingxi concluded.
Mu Shaowu: ………
What could Mu Shaowu say? With his son's perseverance, he could succeed at anything.
"Okay," Mu Shaowu agreed. "I'll buy it for your grandfather tomorrow, but I can't guarantee he'll wear it."
"It's alright," Ye Qingxi said with a smile. "He doesn't have to wear it, but he has to have it."
Once you have one, you're family.
It's fine whether you wear it or not.
Looking at the smile on his face, Mu Shaowu smiled and pulled him into his arms, then began to wash his hair.
Although they haven't known each other for very long, he felt that Ye Qingxi was slowly starting to integrate into their family.
And gradually, he came to regard this place as his own home.
very nice.
Thinking this, Mu Shaowu couldn't help but kiss his little face. "Xiao Xi is so cute."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi had no idea how he had suddenly become so adorable.
"It's probably his face," he guessed, "after all, his little face is quite cute."
The next morning, after arriving at school, Qin Cheng took advantage of the break between classes to walk to the end of the deserted corridor and make a phone call to his uncle.
He excitedly shared with Qin Yuan, "Uncle, my dad is actually my biological dad!"
“I am not my mother’s child or anyone else’s child, I am my mother’s child and my father’s child.”
Qin Yuan, on her deathbed, sat up in shock and asked, "Your mother told you?"
"Hmm." Qin Cheng nodded. "My dad was acting strange all day yesterday. They came to pick me up together after school in the afternoon. When we got home, they asked me to cut the cake. I said that no one was having a birthday party today, and then my mom told me that I was my dad's child."
"Good, good, good!" Qin Yuan couldn't help but nod. For so many years, his sister's mouth had been as tight as a clam shell, impossible to pry open. Now she's finally opened her mouth!
He said we should get married!
Only when these two people are married and have time to spend together can their relationship develop properly.
Even if there were any problems before, they can be gradually resolved.
Qin Yuan had watched over her younger sister and nephew for so many years and felt genuinely sorry for them. So when she noticed something amiss and suspected it was related to Mu Zheng, she boldly went to Mu Zheng and used her own interests to secure Qin Luan's marriage.
He figured that if Qin Luan was unwilling, it meant the child wasn't Mu Zheng's, and he could simply apologize to Mu Zheng and cancel the marriage.
Qin Luan only expressed her surprise for a few words before agreeing.
What else does this prove?
Over the years, he had introduced so many potential partners to Qin Luan, but she never even met them. Yet, when it came to Mu Zheng, she actually agreed to get married right away.
There was nothing Qin Yuan didn't understand.
But what exactly happened?
Qin Yuan wanted to help them, but she didn't dare to say it outright, fearing that her younger sister might have some insurmountable difficulties. So she could only secretly offer her assistance, hoping that the family of three could be reunited soon.
Now that's great, congratulations!
"Can you accept this father?" Qin Yuan asked.
Qin Cheng nodded. "Mm."
Qin Yuan knew that Qin Cheng had a good impression of Mu Zheng from the first time they met. Later, when they met, he asked him how he got along with Mu Zheng, and he answered happily.
Just now, when I called him to say that Mu Zheng was his father, his tone was light and cheerful.
"Okay, as long as you can accept it." Qin Yuan smiled. "When your uncle is done with his work and goes back, he will come to see you and bring you a gift."
Qin Cheng remembered the gift he mentioned.
"Uncle, I want to give my younger brother a gift. What do you think I should get him?"
"Your brother?"
“Xiao Xi,” Qin Cheng said, “it was Xiao Xi who noticed that I looked a lot like my father, so she reminded him, and that’s how my father found out that I was his child.”
Throughout Mu Zheng's childhood, his family has always been the most important part of his life. Among them, Mu Shaowu, being the closest in age to him and his first younger brother, has always been closer to him than his other two siblings.
Mu Zheng values Mu Shaowu highly, so he hopes that Qin Cheng can also get along with Ye Qingxi like brothers.
Therefore, when Qin Cheng asked him last night, "Dad, how did you suddenly recognize me as your son again?" Mu Zheng did not skip over Ye Qingxi, but instead used a softer way of saying, "It was Xiaoxi. Xiaoxi thought you and I were very similar. We had similar tastes, similar feelings, and similar appearances. He told your second uncle, and your second uncle told me, and that's how I recognized you."
Not every child knows about DNA paternity testing, or rather, most five, six, and seven-year-olds don't even know what it is. Ye Qingxi is an exception; heaven knows how he watched so much TV and remembered such an uncommon term.
So Mu Zheng changed to a way of saying it that was more suitable for children.
Qin Yuan listened and assumed that Ye Qingxi had verbally reminded Mu Zheng that something was wrong, so Mu Zheng had done a paternity test between himself and Qin Cheng.
He said that the reason his sister suddenly became willing to talk was because Mu Zheng had discovered it.
Qin Yuan was speechless for a moment. What was his sister's mouth made of? Was it super glue? How could it be glued so tightly?
It has to be his sister, otherwise what he hates most is people who have mouths but don't speak!
"So I want to give my younger brother a gift," Qin Cheng said.
"Okay," Qin Yuan agreed. "Your younger brother is quite smart. You wait here, I'll have my secretary send you a package in a bit. When you open it, you can each take one of the contents and give it to your brother."
"Okay," Qin Cheng replied. "Thank you, Uncle."
"Need not."
Just then, the school bell rang.
Qin Cheng hurriedly said, "Uncle, I have to go to class."
"Go on, and pay attention in class."
Qin Cheng hung up the phone and happily ran back to the classroom.
At noon, Mu Zheng reappeared at the school gate.
Mu Shaowu looked at him and asked in confusion, "Will you be bringing Xiao Cheng lunch every day from now on?"
“Of course not,” Mu Zheng replied.
In fact, he didn't work all day yesterday, which meant he had a lot to do today. But around 11 o'clock, he looked at his watch and couldn't control himself, so he ended up here.
"I'll come over when I'm not busy in the future," Mu Zheng said.
Mu Shaowu nodded. That's good. After all, for someone of his status, this period of free time is a real luxury.
In the past two days, his agent has been calling him non-stop, urging him to read scripts and accept roles. However, Ye Qingxi has just started school, and Mu Shaowu is worried that he will have difficulty adjusting to primary school, so he wants to spend more time with him.
However, he is an actor, and he will likely have to work most of the time in the future, and this work may mean he can't go home for three to five months at a time.
So it would be good if his brother could come over at noon, that way he could feel more at ease.
When the school bell rang, the children came out one after another. Mu Shaowu saw Ye Qingxi at a glance, and Mu Zheng also saw Qin Cheng.
The two of them quickly walked towards their sons, picked them up, and carried them to the car.
Qin Cheng was pleasantly surprised, "Dad, why did you come at noon?"
Didn't he say he'd pick him up after school in the afternoon?
Mu Zheng smiled and said, "Because Dad misses you."
This was the first time Qin Cheng had heard him say such things, and he felt a little shy.
He looked at Mu Zheng, a little embarrassed, and said, "I miss you too."
Mu Shaowu, who was standing to the side, immediately said to Ye Qingxi, "Baby, Daddy misses you too."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi raised her hand and pushed Mu Shaowu's face away. Honestly, you're everywhere. Why are you getting involved?
Since there was no better time than now, Mu Zheng, along with Qin Luan, invited Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu to dinner.
Ye Qingxi enjoyed a delicious meal, and only after Mu Shaowu escorted him back to his dormitory did she ask him for Qin Cheng's home clothes.
"Let's go buy Grandpa's after school this afternoon," he reminded Mu Shaowu.
Mu Shaowu: ...
Mu Shaowu gave him a thumbs up.
His son really has a good memory and a lot of patience. He did it when he had his DNA tested before, and he does it now when he buys clothes for his dad.
With such perseverance, he's sure to achieve great things in the future.
"I haven't forgotten. What you, Ye Xiaoxi, ordered, would your father dare to forget?"
Ye Qingxi was amused by his words.
After laughing, he became a little worried. Was he being too disobedient to Mu Shaowu? Would Mu Shaowu find him troublesome?
Thinking about this, he suddenly felt a little scared.
Seeing that he suddenly lowered his head, and his smiling face was gone, Mu Shaowu asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Ye Qingxi looked at him, feeling a little embarrassed to ask.
He said, "I'm getting off the bus."
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu grabbed him.
Ye Qingxi turned her head in confusion.
Mu Shaowu leaned closer to him, placed both hands on the corners of his mouth, and gently pulled them upwards, causing Ye Qingxi to smile passively.
"Here." He took out two candies and placed them in Ye Qingxi's hand. "Eat them yourself."
Ye Qingxi asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to give it to Brother Qin Cheng?"
"Of course I won't give it to you." Mu Shaowu said matter-of-factly, "This is the candy I carefully selected for you, so you can eat it yourself."
Ye Qingxi blinked. He thought the candy was for Mu Shaowu to eat by himself, but he didn't expect it to be prepared for him.
Looking back now, it seems that Mu Shaowu really didn't eat much candy. Every time I took out candy, I would just put it in his hand and coax him to eat it.
So, he had already prepared these candies for him from the very first time he met him.
Thinking of this, Ye Qingxi's heart softened, and she felt a surge of happiness.
Mu Shaowu flicked his nose. "You and your brother Qin Cheng are close, and you always think of him. This makes your father very happy. But I am your father, not Qin Cheng's father. If he wants candy, his father will give it to him. You don't need to give it to him."
After he finished speaking, he opened a drawer in the car and took out two candies. “These can be given to your brother Qin Cheng. This is because Dad didn’t carefully select these just for you. These can be shared.”
Some things in this matter can be shared, while others cannot.
Although Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng are both children of the Mu family, in Ye Qingxi's eyes, they had no blood relation to the Mu family and were the same.
But now that Qin Cheng has become his brother's biological son, he's the only one left who has no blood relation to the Mu family.
Mu Shaowu was afraid that Ye Qingxi would overthink things, that he would feel inferior to Qin Cheng because of this, and that he would unconsciously give way to Qin Cheng and feel like he was living under someone else's roof. So he wanted to tell Ye Qingxi that it didn't matter even if Qin Cheng was his older brother's biological son.
He is still his son, and his love will still be with him.
He doesn't need to share everything with Qin Cheng; what he likes belongs to him, and he can keep it for himself.
"Xiao Xi, although your brother Qin Cheng is your uncle's biological son, he is only your uncle's biological son, not mine. So who do I love the most?"
He poked Ye Qingxi's forehead.
Ye Qingxi heard her own heartfelt words: "You love me the most."
Her answer slightly overlapped with Mu Shaowu's, "Of course it's our genius baby Ye Xiaoxi."
Ye Qingxi chuckled.
He corrected him, "I'm not a genius."
He is not a genius in the universal sense.
He's just particularly talented in acting and singing; he's a genius in the entertainment industry.
"You're being too modest. If you're not a genius, then there are no geniuses in the world. Besides you, who else can recite 'The Tortoise's Longevity' at the age of five and know about DNA? If it weren't for you, your uncle wouldn't even know that his son is right under his nose."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Mu Shaowu ruffled his hair. "But it's okay. Humility is a virtue. Xiao Xi, don't worry about being humble. Dad will help you blow it off."
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
There's absolutely no need for that.
"I'm leaving," Ye Qingxi said.
"Go ahead, and remember to eat the candy yourself."
"I know." Ye Qingxi smiled and closed the car door.
Mu Shaowu watched him disappear from sight with a smile before feeling at ease.
Children are mostly sensitive.
So you have to coax him more and reassure him.
Mu Shaowu patted the candy in his pocket. Fortunately, he still had plenty of reassurance, enough for his baby.
Qin Cheng waited for a while, and when Ye Qingxi finally got out of Mu Shaowu's car, he walked with her to the dormitory.
He didn't ask Ye Qingxi why she came down so slowly, and Ye Qingxi didn't say anything either. It wasn't until they got to the dormitory that he put the three short-sleeved shirts he was carrying on Qin Cheng's bed.
"for you."
Qin Cheng had noticed the short-sleeved shirt he was holding earlier.
"This is……?"
Ye Qingxi tore open the packaging bag, took out one item, and opened it.
Qin Cheng immediately recognized her; Ye Qingxi was wearing the same dress when he first met her.
"Home clothes," Ye Qingxi said with a smile.
Qin Cheng: ? ? ?
"What's the meaning?"
"Originally, this was a matching set of family clothes that my dad and I bought when we were shopping at the mall, but my aunt saw that it was cute and bought one too. Later, my uncle also bought one, so my aunt said that this is now family clothing, the same kind of uniform for the whole family, just like school uniforms and class uniforms."
"So Dad and I also bought one for you, your uncle, and your aunt, so you all have family clothes now."
This was the first time Qin Cheng had ever encountered this concept in his life.
He looked at the short-sleeved shirt in front of him, which had a white kitten with its head tilted to one side printed on it. It looked very cute.
Like his younger brother.
Qin Cheng stroked the little white cat and then looked at Ye Qingxi.
He has never worn house clothes before.
A family.
They are a family.
"This one is yours, and those two are your parents'. I forgot to give them to them. Could you take them back to them for me?"
Qin Cheng nodded, "Thank you, Xiao Xi."
Whether it's reminding his father or sending him house clothes.
His brother is really good.
He was better than any of the children he had ever known before.
She's good-looking, has a pleasant voice, and is good to him.
Of all the children his age he had ever met, none were like his younger brother.
They might secretly speak ill of their parents.
They might talk badly about him behind his back.
Or they're just too stupid.
stupid?
Thinking of this, Qin Cheng suddenly remembered, "Xiao Xi, have you been understanding the lessons lately? Is there anything you don't understand?"
He wasn't saying his brother was stupid; his brother is so cute, he must be super smart. He was just worried that his brother would fall asleep as soon as he looked at a book, and that he might end up sleeping all the time in class.
Ye Qingxi shook her head, "There's nothing I can't do."
Qin Cheng: He always said his brother must be super smart!
"Then remember to ask me if you don't understand anything."
"There's nothing I can't do," Ye Qingxi said confidently. "I can do it all."
Seeing his confident demeanor, Qin Cheng praised him enthusiastically, "Xiao Xi, you're really amazing."
After praising him, he invited, "Would you like to go to the water park with me and my dad in a few days?"
He has never been to a water park with his father, nor has he gone to a water park with his father along with any other children.
Therefore, Qin Cheng wanted Ye Qingxi to go with them.
Ye Qingxi thought about it and agreed; water parks are quite fun.
But, “I have to go back and ask my dad,” he said.
Mu Shaowu might not have the time.
"Okay," Qin Cheng agreed. "Then tell me after you've asked your questions."
"Mm." Ye Qingxi nodded.
After they finished talking, they prepared to go to sleep.
Ye Qingxi originally intended to help Qin Cheng fold the kitten-patterned T-shirt and put it back in the packaging bag, but Qin Cheng took it from her.
Qin Cheng folded the shirt while looking at the short-sleeved shirt in front of him.
I can picture him and his dad wearing this short-sleeved shirt when they go out to play.
They were dressed the same, so now everyone knew he was his father's son.
Thinking of this, Qin Cheng couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips.
After school in the afternoon, Ye Qingxi went to the mall with Mu Shaowu to buy short-sleeved shirts. When she got home, she found that Mu Shaoting had already returned.
Today is Friday, and both Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan will be going home.
Upon seeing them, Mu Shaoting warmly invited Ye Qingxi to come and eat potato chips.
"What did you buy?" She stared at the bag in Mu Shaowu's hand.
"Family clothes," Mu Shaowu said sinisterly. If it weren't for her, these would still be matching outfits for him and his precious son!
"For whom?"
"Who else could it be? Your dear daddy."
Mu Shaoting: ? ? ?
"Dad is wearing...a short-sleeved shirt with a cat pattern?!"
“Your little nephew said that you don’t have to wear it, but you have to have it.”
Ye Qingxi nodded.
Mu Shaoting rubbed his little face and smiled, "Then my little nephew is right, my little nephew is so cute."
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu: ...
“But you can take it to Dad later.” Mu Shaoting looked up at him. “Big brother is back and is talking to Dad in the study.”
Mu Shaowu: ...He came back pretty quickly. He was just at the school gate a moment ago. He and his son were just buying short-sleeved shirts, and he had already dropped Qin Cheng off at home and was here.
Mu Shaowu raised his hand and tapped his forehead, then his chest, then his left and right shoulders.
Mu Shaoting: ? ? ?
What are you doing?
"I wish him peace."
Mu Shaoting: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu: I hope his brother can walk out of his father's study alive.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
