Do You Want Me to Keep Playing With You?

Shen Qiming was picking them up after work today, and he had his assistant take him to Z University early.

"Daddy!"

Shen Xinde spotted his father standing beside the car from a long way off and excitedly ran over, throwing himself into the man's arms.

"Slow down, Haohao. Don't fall." Shen Qiming caught the child easily, chuckling as he held him and played with him.

Gu Zhuoling said nothing. Once he came closer, he stood where he was and watched the boy in Shen Qiming's arms.

"This is the Gu family's boy, right?" Shen Qiming glanced at his wife, and when she confirmed it, he looked down and greeted him. "You're Zhuoling, right? Our Haohao talks about you at home every day."

"Hello, Uncle Shen." After hearing Shen Qiming's words, a smile flickered in Gu Zhuoling's eyes.

"Get in. I'm driving today." Shen Qiming patted Shen Xinde on the bottom, placed him safely in the back seat, and stepped aside to let Gu Zhuoling in too.

When they reached the Gu house, they let the two children out first. The couple picked up the gifts they had prepared and followed them inside.

Zhou Jingyi first hugged the two children and asked if they had enjoyed themselves. Then she turned and saw Xia Wanqing carrying things and hurried over. "You came for dinner. Why did you bring anything?"

"We couldn't come empty-handed when we're about to have a feast." Xia Wanqing put the gifts down and took Zhou Jingyi's hand in return.

"Come and say hello. This is my husband, Gu Ruize." As Zhou Jingyi spoke, she turned around and introduced him.

Since they had made plans well in advance, Gu Ruize had also gotten off work early and was at home. Instead of his usual sharp suit, he was dressed in loungewear, which made the normally decisive and forceful President Gu look much gentler.

"Shen Qiming." Xia Wanqing nodded to Gu Ruize and reached back to tug on the person behind her.

"Hello, President Shen."

"Oh, don't call me that. We're not at work." Shen Qiming waved his hands repeatedly.

"Stop putting on airs." Zhou Jingyi laughed and jabbed Gu Ruize with her elbow. "The kids get along so well that we're practically family, whatever you say."

"That's right," Xia Wanqing said with a laugh, pulling Zhou Jingyi farther inside.

The two men stood at the door, staring at each other. Somehow, each sensed in the other a bit of the same henpecked helplessness. Then they exchanged wry smiles and went in one after the other.

By the time everyone gathered in the dining room, the two little ones had already washed their hands and taken their seats.

The two families sat down together in good spirits, and the servants gradually brought out all the dishes.

The adults had their own topics of conversation, and the children had theirs, so neither disturbed the other.

When it came to eating, Shen Xinde really didn't need anyone to worry about him. He spooned rice into his mouth one bite after another.

All anyone had to do was occasionally put some food in his bowl. Xia Wanqing usually picked out a few bites for him, but Gu Zhuoling was sitting close by this time and had also learned Shen Xinde's eating habits, so he did it instead.

"I don't know how you two raised him, Wanqing, but the more I look at Xinde, the cuter he gets." Zhou Jingyi had naturally noticed the harmonious scene between the children too, and she couldn't resist teasing, "I've never seen Aling pay so much attention to a playmate before."

"That's because Zhuoling is sensible too. Haohao is usually very naughty, but even he listens to Zhuoling." Smiling, Xia Wanqing patted Shen Qiming beside her. "Old Shen has been a little jealous these past few days. Haohao likes this big brother so much that he's gotten used to calling him that and calls his own dad 'big brother' when he gets home."

"It's only natural for me to be a little jealous. He used to see me as his idol, but now he's switched sides." Shen Qiming admitted it with a hearty laugh.

The parents at the table all laughed. Even Gu Ruize joined in, saying that every night his son sat deep in thought over what to play with Xinde the next day.

Sometimes Shen Xinde got so absorbed in eating that he forgot everything else, and he hadn't heard what his parents and uncle and auntie were talking about. Gu Zhuoling, on the other hand, had heard every word.

When he heard that Shen Xinde sometimes called Uncle Shen by his name at home, he couldn't help laughing too. He felt genuinely happy, and he picked up a crab leg, pried open the shell, and put the meat in Shen Xinde's bowl.

"Kisses for Dolly." Shen Xinde didn't forget to give thanks for the delicious food, even as he chewed his rice. "What are you laughing, chew, chew, chew, about, chew, chew, chew, Dolly, chew, chew, chew?"

Gu Zhuoling: ...

"Just eat." Gu Zhuoling reached out and pressed Shen Xinde's head, turning him back toward his rice, then picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks and put it in his own mouth.

Strange. All the dishes seemed to taste sweet today.

The two children couldn't sit still after finishing their food. They said goodbye and left the table, leaving the adults to drink a little wine at the table and talk about either recent economic developments or things like design and fashion.

At the moment, Shen Xinde was holding a glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice that Gu Zhuoling had asked Grandpa Butler to prepare, slurping it up.

"Are you too full?" Worried that Shen Xinde might have eaten too much and made his stomach uncomfortable, Gu Zhuoling reached out and felt his belly.

"No, I only ate until I was eighty percent full today." Shen Xinde freed his little mouth to answer and held up a short little hand to make the sign for eight. Who knew where he had learned about eating until he was eighty percent full?

Gu Zhuoling smiled and reached out to pinch his cheek. "Then watch out, or you'll get twenty percent hungry tonight."

Shen Xinde shook his head like a rattle-drum in disagreement. "Dolly's talking nonsense."

The two of them spent their after-dinner leisure time swaying in a hanging chair in the living room.

Children didn't really have any fixed topics to talk about, but whenever the two of them settled down, they could always chat back and forth. It might not have been particularly coherent, and Shen Xinde's thoughts jumped around a bit, but Gu Zhuoling could keep up.

Shen Xinde drank half his watermelon juice and left the rest on the little coffee table. He didn't want to finish it and then run to the bathroom all the time, so he planned to drink it slowly.

After Shen Xinde put down the watermelon juice, Gu Zhuoling watched him start fiddling with the toys and jumping around again, and couldn't help finding him amusing.

"Haohao." Gu Zhuoling glanced at the time and suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

Hearing someone call him, Shen Xinde turned to look at Gu Zhuoling, who was sitting on the sofa. "What is it?"

"Can you stay tonight?" Gu Zhuoling hesitated for a while before asking.

He had spent the whole day with Shen Xinde, but for some reason, the longer they spent together, the more he felt it wasn't enough. He wanted Shen Xinde beside him when he opened his eyes and still beside him when he closed them.

"I had Mom buy a new quilt and pillow. They're really comfortable." Gu Zhuoling tried to offer him a little incentive.

"Do you want me to keep playing with you?"

Shen Xinde propped up his head with his little hands and suddenly asked the question so directly that it caught Gu Zhuoling off guard.

"Yes." Gu Zhuoling nodded.

"Okay!" Shen Xinde clapped his hands, settling the matter, then moved closer to Gu Zhuoling and pinched his cheek. It was surprisingly soft.

"Don't be shy. Just tell Haohao next time." As he spoke, Shen Xinde even patted his little chest with a show of bravado.

"Okay." Gu Zhuoling didn't mind having the flesh of his cheek tormented under Shen Xinde's hand and simply agreed.

Shen Xinde let go of Gu Zhuoling, got up, and pattered off toward the tea room.

After dinner, the parents had gathered in the tea room to drink tea and chat.

"Mom! I want to stay at Dolly's house tonight!" Shen Xinde said very loudly.

Xia Wanqing jumped in surprise. "What is it, Haohao? To stay at Zhuoling's house, you have to get..."

"It's fine. If Xinde wants to stay, he can stay." Zhou Jingyi gave an amused exclamation and a laugh, gently patting Xia Wanqing.

"All right, all right. That way I won't have to look after two of them when I get home." Xia Wanqing shook her head helplessly. Shen Qiming, who was beside her, was a little drunk, and she still had to take care of him while he sobered up at home.

"Because Dolly invited me just now, and I want to play with him a little longer," Shen Xinde explained.

"Thank you, Uncle and Auntie!" Shen Xinde grinned as he thanked them, then kissed his mother and his tipsy father.

Zhou Jingyi visibly froze for a moment, then nudged Gu Ruize. "Did I hear that right? Our son invited him?"

Gu Ruize also wondered if he was the one who was drunk. He pinched the spot between his furrowed brows. "We didn't hear wrong... probably."