Stage Play

Aside from the time his fate had been changed, this was Chu Xuan's first time leaving the Chu Family and stepping into the outside world in eight years. They were all worried that he would feel unwell again like before.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened along the way, and the couple was deeply excited as well.

Before long, the group arrived at the school auditorium. Several children from the Enlightenment Class were dressed in their finest, chattering away as they made preparations before the performance.

The seating for Su Leyun's parents had been divided into sections by class. Those who arrived first could choose where they wanted to sit. Fu Siwen immediately spotted a seat near the middle. Not only did it face the stage directly, but it was also quite spacious.

Just as they were about to sit down, a middle-aged man came over and warmly greeted Father Chu. "President Chu, why didn't you let us know you were coming? I could have arranged for someone to receive you!"

The man was the school principal. The moment he heard that the school's "God of Wealth" had arrived, he hurriedly dropped what he was doing to welcome him. What if the God of Wealth was pleased with the reception and waved a hand to donate some equipment or a teaching building? Wouldn't that be a huge win?

Father Chu politely shook his hand and explained, "I'm only here to accompany my family today. You're being too kind, Principal."

The principal looked at Fu Siwen and Su Minghui beside Father Chu. After nodding in greeting, he noticed that they were about to sit in the back rows. He hurriedly said, "How can President Chu sit in the back? I'll immediately arrange the best seats in the front row. Please come with me."

Father Chu had originally wanted to refuse. Sitting with the principal and the others would inevitably mean having to make conversation, and he could not be bothered with social niceties. Unexpectedly, Fu Siwen pinched his waist from behind and whispered, "Just go. Otherwise, he won't leave!"

He had never been able to refuse his wife, so he could only nod in agreement and follow the principal to the seats closest to the front. After politely declining, Fu Siwen and the others remained in the seats they had originally chosen.

The moment they sat down, Chu Yanxiao poked his head out from behind the stage curtain and looked around. He spotted them at once, then ran over with bouncy steps to greet everyone.

The moment Su Leyun saw Chu Yanxiao, he started giggling nonstop. Chu Xuan covered his mouth as he laughed too, yet Chu Yanxiao proudly spun in a circle to show off his outfit.

"How is it? Isn't it amazing?"

His class was performing a stage play about a little tiger going on adventures in the jungle with his animal friends.

In order to develop the children's hands-on skills, the teacher had the children make all their costumes themselves.

For example, Chu Yanxiao was dressed entirely in brown, with a huge green cover over his head that exposed only his little face, complete with obvious blush on his cheeks.

[Chu Yanxiao is... a scallion?]

Chu Yanxiao anxiously spun around in front of them again, displaying his costume from every angle.

"Baby, what are you supposed to be? Broccoli?" Fu Siwen seriously tried to answer.

"Little brother is obviously Chinese cabbage!" Chu Xuan did not let him off either.

Su Minghui held back her laughter at the side without saying anything. Somewhat defeated, Chu Yanxiao explained.

"I'm playing a big tree!" He deliberately pointed at the colorful little toy on his shoulder. "Look, these are the birds on the tree!"

[Wow, what a very special tree.]

Su Leyun's remark made Chu Yanxiao feel much better. After all, Su Leyun's reaction was what he cared about most.

Seeing Chu Yanxiao there, the other children from his class came over to join the fun. They all politely greeted everyone. "Hello, Uncle, Auntie, Brother."

A girl dressed as a little white rabbit looked at Su Minghui expectantly and asked, "Can I pet him?"

"..."

That sounded far too much like something that would happen while walking a dog. Su Minghui nearly failed to hold back her laughter, but she still said gently, "You can try playing with him and see whether he's willing."

The other children also noticed Su Leyun and gathered around his stroller.

"Wow, she's so cute."

"Yeah, she's way cuter than my little brother."

"When I get home today, I'm going to ask my mom to give me another little sister."

"Auntie, let her come to school and play with us!"

The children all talked at once. Not one of them noticed that Su Leyun was actually a little boy, but surrounded by praise, Su Leyun lifted his chin proudly. At that moment, he did not care about the issue of his gender at all.

Hehehe, these little human brats have pretty good taste.

Amid the harmonious scene, Chu Yanxiao felt stifled. He rushed over directly, standing between Su Leyun and the other children. Spreading his arms, he pulled Su Leyun into his embrace. "He's my little wife. You're not allowed to touch him."

"Little wife?" A little boy bit his finger, his face full of envy. "Will you get married when you grow up?"

Chu Yanxiao puffed out his chest, wearing an expression that said, "I don't want to talk to people without wives." He answered firmly, "Of course. We'll get married when we grow up, and then we'll stay together forever and ever."

[Huh? Who? Me?]

Three question marks seemed to pop up over Su Leyun's head.

Before Chu Yanxiao had finished showing off, it was already time to prepare for the performance. The teacher came over and led the children backstage, while the parents had mostly taken their seats as well.

Chu Xuan had been excited the entire time. In the past, his body had been weak, and he was easily infected in crowded places. Even when his family held banquets, he could only stay in his room. So, he had not been in such a crowded setting for a long time. Even the smallest thing was enough to hold his attention for ages.

Seeing how happy her eldest son looked, Fu Siwen stroked Su Leyun's head and said gratefully, "Thank you so much. Lele truly is our family's little lucky star."

Feeling Fu Siwen's touch, Su Leyun looked up at her. Following her hand, he rubbed his little head against her palm.

Godmother, this is what they call good deeds being rewarded!

Though she could not hear Su Leyun's words, Fu Siwen still smiled happily.

Soon, music began to play, and the performance started.

But what kind of stage play could children with an average age under three possibly perform? Although Chu Yanxiao's homeroom teacher and the other teachers desperately directed and guided them from below the stage, trying to keep the plot moving, they still could not stop one mishap after another from happening onstage.

First, the boy playing the main character, the little tiger, kept forgetting his lines. He frantically sought help from the teacher below the stage before finally bursting into tears.

After they finally soothed him and continued the performance, the child playing the turtle actually lay down on the stage and fell asleep.

Some children neither forgot their lines nor fell asleep; they were simply too stage-shy. They kept performing while crying, leaving the parents below the stage both heartbroken and amused.