Tang Dou naturally noticed this trait in the little one. He didn’t disturb him, allowing him to stay immersed in his own world without breaking his concentration. It wasn’t until the little one raised a small hand to rub his eyes that Tang Dou picked him up and carried him back. As they reached the entrance, fierce arguing echoed from inside the villa.
Tang Dou instinctively tightened his arms around the young Su Youli, covering his ears. But from the moment the voices started, the little one in his arms hadn’t made a sound, barely moving at all. He looked down. The little one was pouting, his grape-like eyes filled with tears, his small hands clasped together as he stared at the entrance of the Shen family villa.
Tang Dou gently wiped his eyes and moved further away from the door. Before starting the job, he had signed a confidentiality agreement. He knew Su Youli’s background and that this was his first day living with the Shen family. The Shen family was at the top of Beicheng’s elite circles. There were bound to be countless complicated matters within.
As a male nanny hired to do a job, Tang Dou had no right to intervene. But seeing three-year-old Su Youli not even daring to cry loudly tugged at his heart. He had only been with the little one for less than an hour, yet he couldn’t ignore those clear, innocent eyes. If not for professional restraint, Tang Dou would have wanted to rush in and tell the Shen family that a harmonious home environment was crucial for a child to grow up healthy, both physically and emotionally.
“Brother Xiao Tang, I want my Daddy.”
The little one tugged at Tang Dou’s collar, his dark, crystalline eyes shimmering with tears. His voice was soft and choked, enough to break anyone’s heart.
“Youyou, don’t be scared. How about Brother Xiao Tang takes you to see some little ants?”
Su Youli shook his head, his small chest heaving slightly. His emotions were becoming harder to control.
Smash!!
A glass was thrown violently against the villa door, shattering into pieces. The little one flinched hard, pressing closer to Tang Dou. Already heartbroken about leaving his two fathers, the little one was now frightened. He didn’t understand what was happening inside. He only felt terrified, clinging tightly to Brother Xiao Tang’s neck, stammering for his Daddy.
Daddy, Youyou is so scared. Youyou wants to go home.
Tang Dou carried the distressed little one to a bench in the garden, far enough away that the arguing could no longer be heard.
“Youyou, how about I take you to buy some ice cream?”
Su Youli had cried until his eyes were swollen. He had been on the go with the adults all day. Any other child his age would have been throwing a major tantrum by now. But this little one was so good, even his crying was quiet. On his first day of work, Tang Dou was already mentally complaining about his big boss, Shen Minyan. How could he lose his temper in front of a three-year-old?
Back in Yunshui Town, the little one loved ice cream. Hearing Brother Xiao Tang mention buying some, his sobs gradually subsided, and he asked in a teary voice, “I-queam?”
Tang Dou picked him up and headed out. He had driven to work that day. As he walked, he sent a quick message to Assistant Zhang to let him know where they were going, then took Youyou to get ice cream. Ten minutes later, the well-behaved little boy, who had stopped crying, was rewarded with a chocolate chip ice cream cone.
“Is it good, Youyou?” Tang Dou had a matcha ice cream in his hand.
Su Youli scrunched up his little nose and nodded. “It’s good, so cold.”
“Let’s have a little bread, okay? Open up.”
Apart from his two fathers, Su Youli never ate anything offered by others. He would need permission from his fathers first. But Brother Xiao Tang had been so kind to him, had just protected him, so Su Youli trusted him. He opened his mouth and let Brother Xiao Tang feed him an entire small bun.
“Alright, now you can finish your ice cream.”
Tang Dou, careful not to let the child eat ice cream on an empty stomach, had given him the small bun first. He was truly attentive when it came to caring for the child. After finishing a child-sized ice cream, Tang Dou drove the little one back. He parked the car and walked the little one slowly back to the villa.
He wanted to delay as long as possible. Hopefully, by the time Assistant Zhang messaged to say the villa was cleaned up, they could go back in. Su Youli walked slowly without needing any prompting from Brother Xiao Tang. He was a bit scared to go back. After walking for ten minutes, his little legs were sore. He blinked, stopped, and bent down to rub them.
On the tree-lined avenue, a low-key black luxury car approached. The window was half down, revealing a pair of distinctly elegant hands on the steering wheel. The breeze caught the driver’s waist-length hair, carrying a faint, pleasant scent. The man wore sunglasses, with a high nose bridge and defined brow bone—the kind of striking appearance that would make anyone do a double take.
But his attire was unusual: pristine white clothing, his long hair tied back in a bun secured by a simple, elegant jade hairpin. On the passenger seat, a discarded phone buzzed incessantly. Shen Yan took off his sunglasses and answered.
“What is it?”
“I heard from Xiao Gao that you went home?”
“Yes, I came home.”
There was a pause on the other end, then: “So urgent you couldn’t even remove your stage makeup?”
Shen Yan watched the Shen family villa grow closer, recalling the message Assistant Zhang had sent earlier, that his younger brother was about to be beaten to death by their father, and that his little brother, whom he had yet to meet, was too scared to come home. Setting aside the obvious exaggeration, Shen Yan knew that if he didn’t return, with their father’s temper, he might very well buy Shen Lin a plane ticket and send him abroad today.
Shen Yan rubbed his temples. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” he told the person on the phone, then hung up.
When he arrived home and pushed open the door, he was met with a scene of utter chaos. Shen Lin knelt on the floor, surrounded by shards of porcelain. Shen Yan walked quickly, glancing at Shen Lin- he seemed unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to Shen Minyan, who sat on the sofa with his head down. Looking closer, he could see his fingers trembling slightly.
“Dad,” Shen Yan called.
Shen Minyan looked up, saw his eldest son had returned, and managed a faint smile. “You’re back.”
“Yes.”
Shen Yan poured him a glass of water and sat on the adjacent sofa. Seeing his eldest son had rushed home without even changing out of his costume, Shen Minyan pursed his lips but drank the water anyway.
After seeing his father drink, Shen Yan said coldly to the kneeling teenager, “Get up.”
As he spoke, Zhang Shun and two butlers quickly helped Shen Lin to his feet.
How are you guys liking the book so far? Shen Minyan is making me angryyyy. I feel for Youyou.
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