Lu Cizhou was stunned by the sight of Shen Zeyu before him. The young man stood straight, slowly opening his eyes as the black strip of cloth slid down his face.
In that instant, the young man dressed entirely in white looked like a newly awakened elf who had descended into the mortal world. The black cloth resting around his neck resembled a shackle holding him captive, making him look both beautiful and striking.
A smile spread across Lu Cizhou's face before he knew it, and he gently congratulated the young man on his victory.
Shen Zeyu could not describe what he felt when he saw Lu Cizhou. All he knew was that Lu Cizhou looked incredibly handsome, standing before him against the light and speaking to him. His heart would not stop pounding, racing faster and faster beyond his control, like a piece of music, sometimes loud and sometimes soft, its rhythm uneven.
Their eyes met, neither looking away for a long time. Even the air flowing around them seemed steeped in honey, impossibly sweet.
Suddenly, a cheerful voice broke the atmosphere between them. Lu Yu rushed over and hugged Shen Zeyu's leg, his delight unmistakable. "Little Dad, we were so fast! You were amazing. Of course, I did a great job giving directions too." Lu Yu smugly praised himself.
Shen Zeyu came back to his senses and steadied his heartbeat. He picked Lu Yu up and showered him with praise. "It was all thanks to our Yuyu. Without you, I would've gone the wrong way halfway through."
Lu Cizhou also returned to his usual self, as though he had not been the person standing there moments before.
Before long, the teachers finished tallying each family's time. One of them announced, "Lu Yu's family finished the pin-the-nose game in the shortest time. Congratulations to Lu Yu on taking first place again!"
Hearing the announcement, Lu Yu burst into another fit of excitement, bouncing around the two of them.
Next came a very solemn awards ceremony, during which the teacher presented Lu Yu and the other children with the little gifts they had prepared.
The moment he stepped off the stage, Lu Yu eagerly began unwrapping his gift. It was a little stuffed panda, adorably goofy and especially endearing.
"This is so cute," Lu Yu exclaimed.
Shen Zeyu watched him with a smile. "If you like it, take good care of it. You earned this through your own hard work."
"Mm-hmm, and Daddy's and Little Dad's hard work too," Lu Yu said happily.
"All right, happy times always pass so quickly. Our parent-child activities are almost over, but family love is a very important part of our lives. No matter when, it will always be there to support us. We're dismissing school early today, and we hope all the parents and children enjoy some wonderful time together," the teacher announced.
"Little Dad, can I show you around our Kindergarten?" Lu Yu had not quite had his fill of fun and did not want to leave so soon.
"Did you forget about me?" Lu Cizhou asked.
"Oh, Daddy, you've already seen it. This is Little Dad's first time." Lu Yu gave Lu Cizhou an ingratiating smile.
"You little rascal." Lu Cizhou reached out and lightly tapped Lu Yu on the head.
Just as they were about to leave, several children gathered around Lu Yu, all talking at once. "Yuyu, congratulations! You came first in both games."
"You're so amazing."
Lu Yu could not hide the smile on his face, but then one child suddenly asked, "Yuyu, why do you have two dads? Where's your mom?"
"Yeah, where is she?" the other children chimed in.
Children had no preconceived social notions; they were simply curious. Yet their question had touched on the very thing Lu Yu least wanted to accept.
Lu Yu's smile vanished at once. He had always instinctively tried to ignore the fact that his mother was gone, but there were always people who reminded him that he had no mother.
The children were still waiting for Lu Yu's answer. They asked whatever came to mind, never imagining that their questions might hurt someone else.
Lu Yu did not know what to say. Suddenly, a hand rested on his head, and he heard Shen Zeyu gently tell the other children, "Because his mom is a fairy, and she's in heaven now."
"Wow," the children exclaimed in wonder. "Then why does he have two dads?"
"Because his parents asked us to look after him."
"Then... will Yuyu go to heaven too?"
Shen Zeyu lowered his head, pretending to think. "Maybe he will someday."
With their questions answered, the children began chattering to Lu Yu again. "Yuyu, your mom and dad are so amazing."
"If you become a fairy someday, you have to remember us."
Lu Yu nodded softly. All he could think was how wonderful his Little Dad was.
Unable to contain his feelings, he turned and threw himself at Shen Zeyu. Once Shen Zeyu picked him up, he kissed him and buried his face in his neck. His muffled voice drifted out. "Little Dad, you're so nice."
Feeling the dampness against his neck, Shen Zeyu stroked Lu Yu's head and asked softly, "Are you still going to show me around your Kindergarten?"
Once Lu Yu ran off, the other children went their separate ways.
Only after some time did Lu Yu's voice ring out clearly again.
After that, Lu Yu led Shen Zeyu around, introducing him to all the different parts of the Kindergarten.
"Bye, Teacher!"
"Bye, Lu Yu. Remember what I told you."
"I will!"
"I'm so hungry." It was only because he was hungry that they finally left the Kindergarten.
"It'll take a while to get home and eat. Let's eat out."
Shen Zeyu still felt a little awkward around Lu Cizhou. He nodded. "Whatever you say."
"Then where should we eat?"
"I don't know the area very well. You decide." He did not look at Lu Cizhou as he spoke.
Seeing him like this, Lu Cizhou was inwardly amused. Usually, he was always finding ways to take advantage of him, yet now he was shy.
At the same time, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. How could someone who grew up here not know the area?
Even if he rarely went out, surely he would not say he was unfamiliar with it.
Then Lu Cizhou reconsidered. Perhaps he was simply too shy and had said the first thing that came to mind.
"Daddy, I want this, and this too." Lu Yu pointed at the menu Lu Cizhou was holding, tapping here and there with one finger.
"Can you finish all that?"
"I can," Lu Yu declared confidently. "I'm really hungry right now."
Lu Cizhou said nothing. He simply refrained from ordering anything for himself and leaned sideways toward Shen Zeyu to ask, "What would you like?"
Whenever Lu Cizhou drew close, Shen Zeyu remembered the way he had congratulated him. His face slowly grew warmer, but he could only order as though nothing was wrong.
Ahhh, this man! Just order already. Why does he have to get so close?
Looking at Shen Zeyu's composed expression while hearing his thoughts, Lu Cizhou's eyes gradually filled with amusement.
He inched closer and closer to Shen Zeyu. Sensing Lu Cizhou's approach, Shen Zeyu chose a few dishes at random and hurriedly said, "All right, that's everything."
"Just those?" He had not enjoyed the sight enough yet. "Why not order a few more?"
"No, that's enough." Shen Zeyu looked at him suspiciously.
Why do I feel like there's something off about his tone?
"Then that's everything." With that, he handed the menu to the server.
Seeing Lu Cizhou looking just as he usually did, Shen Zeyu became uncertain again.
I must have imagined it.
You didn't imagine it. Lu Cizhou chuckled inwardly. This fellow really was perceptive.
After eating and drinking their fill, all three of them finally felt content.
"Are we going home now?" Lu Yu asked from his chair.
"You still don't want to go home? Your teacher assigned homework, you know." Lu Cizhou looked at him.
Lu Yu pressed his palms together and looked at Lu Cizhou. "Please, Daddy. I don't want to go home yet."
"Then where do you want to go?"
Lu Yu gave it some serious thought but could not come up with anything. "I just don't want to go home yet."
"Then come to the office with me. We'll buy an exercise book on the way, and you can finish your homework."
"How is that any different from just doing homework somewhere else?" Lu Yu complained. Still, realizing there was nowhere else to go, he agreed.
"Is Little Dad coming too?"
Lu Cizhou looked at Shen Zeyu, who had not moved at all since finishing his meal. "Ask him."
Before Lu Yu could ask, Shen Zeyu answered, "I'm not going. You go with your dad."
"Little Dad, why aren't you coming?"
Shen Zeyu said with complete seriousness, "Because I have things to do when I get home too."
Hearing that his Little Dad had things to do, Lu Yu did not press him. He was a little puzzled, though. His Little Dad usually just rested, so why did he suddenly have things to do today?
Lu Cizhou was about to ask what he needed to do and whether he wanted any help when he heard—
This is the perfect time to go home and sleep.
Lu Cizhou: ...
Before you continue