Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The guests alighted from the sightseeing tram and transferred to a sightseeing boat, heading to the nearest small island.

The wooden walkway leading to the dock was flanked by blue-green seawater, as clear and pristine as gelatin.

Zhu Wei, clutching her camera, blurted out, "I didn’t expect this stretch of sea to be so calm, with such crystal-clear water."

Chu Han agreed, "Totally worth revisiting for a vacation."

Wen Cishu watched the little monkey bouncing around on the wooden walkway, its footsteps making soft thuds, clearly thrilled at the prospect of swimming.

After everyone boarded the white boat, the walkie-talkie handed to Zhu Wei by the program's PD crackled to life with instructions.

"Attention all guests. Your first challenge begins now. There are two two-person kayaks alongside the boat. Please confer among your four groups to select four participants to paddle to the next island."

The guests peered overboard and spotted the red-and-blue kayaks.

The sea lay calm and transparent, the small island within easy reach—though kayaking would definitely be more work.

Bao Yiming shot his hand up first. "I can row!"

Wen Cishu opened his mouth to object that a child might not be suitable, but Bao Tingyuan placed a restraining hand on his.

Bao Tingyuan's green eyes glinted with reassurance in the sunlight as he said, "Yi Ming and I will take two spots and share a kayak."

Wen Cishu nodded, offering no further protest.

"Yay!" Bao Yiming squirmed with excitement at his father's support.

Xingxing was itching to go, prompting his father to say, "Xingxing and I will take the other kayak. That makes four."

"Awesome!" Bao Yiming grabbed Xingxing's arm. "How about me and Xingxing—"

Bao Tingyuan leveled a calm look at his overeager son.

Bao Yiming immediately clamped his mouth shut, realizing his suggestion wasn't safe.

Wen Cishu took his hand. "Come on, let's get you strapped into your life jacket."

"Wow, those alpha male vibes—poor kiddo."

"Good thing there's sweet mom to soothe him~"

As Wen Cishu secured his son's life jacket, Bao Tingyuan approached. Chuckling, Wen Cishu asked, "What, need me to dress you too?"

Instead, Bao Tingyuan thrust a life jacket at him. "You're wearing one too, even on the boat."

Standing close, the sea breeze tossed Wen Cishu's long hair against Bao Tingyuan's arm.

Bao Tingyuan meticulously snapped the clasps and adjusted the straps, ensuring both security and comfort.

Wen Cishu found himself staring at Bao Tingyuan's chiseled features for a long moment before remembering the cameras and snapping his gaze away.

When Bao Tingyuan donned his own life jacket, Wen Cishu still stepped forward to fasten it, murmuring, "No rush. It's not a race."

Bao Tingyuan lifted his sun hat, smoothed his wind-tousled hair, and replaced it. Understanding the unspoken concern, he promised, "Yi Ming won't go overboard."

Wen Cishu nodded.

Here's the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

"Mommy also said her first impression of Daddy was that he looked intimidating, yet she couldn't take her eyes off him."

"These two standing so close is great for my eyes, but my mind goes straight to the gutter! This can't be happening!"

As the two father-son pairs boarded the kayaks and started paddling, the cruise ship also set off simultaneously.

Bao Yiming was full of energy, using all his baby-strength to paddle forward like his life depended on it.

"Come on, Big Daddy!"

The cameramen split into two groups, capturing perspectives from both the ship and the kayaks.

The audience could clearly see that compared to Bao Yiming's wild flailing, Bao Tingyuan had a much more methodical and rhythmic paddling technique.

Bao Tingyuan, being tall, stretched his arms with steady, deliberate movements, effortlessly controlling the direction and speed of their progress.

The cameramen seemed to notice this too, giving several shots of his back, making him look pro.

"Big Daddy must work out a lot, right? Those arm muscles are packed with power!"

"Ming Zai also mentioned Big Daddy does horseback riding and fencing—his athletic talent is definitely not to be underestimated."

"The image from Season 3 of him carrying Mommy princess-style is still fresh in my mind. Their poses are straight from a BL manga cover."

"This season, now that they're appearing in person, the couple's being so low-key. We haven't even seen Daddy hold Mommy once—so sad."

"Thinking about last night when they turned off the livestream. They must've been anything but reserved behind our backs—too bad we couldn't see."

The cruise ship made steadier progress than the kayaks and soon arrived at the small island's dock.

Wen Cishu and Chu Han waited at the dock while the other two families headed to the transfer point first.

Bao Yiming had already spotted his little daddy and aunt from afar, waving his paddle twice before complaining, "Big Daddy, I'm out of energy."

What looked like a quick trip turned out to be so difficult to paddle across.

On the other kayak, Xingxing had also given up, too wiped to talk.

Bao Tingyuan kept up his smooth rhythm. "Take a break—just rest the paddle across your knees."

Bao Yiming obeyed and made an unexpected discovery.

"Big Daddy, why does the speed stay the same whether I paddle or not? Wait—why does it feel like we're going even faster?"

He looked up at his little daddy in the distance, then at the water cutting ahead of the kayak, when it hit him just how strong his big daddy's paddling was.

"Then what was all my effort for?"

"Just making waves, literally!"

"If it were just Ming Zai alone, we'd probably see him paddling his heart out while the kayak goes in circles. Priceless!"

Bao Yiming was kinda crushed, his little ego bruised by his big daddy's overwhelming strength.

By the time they reached the dock, he gave his little daddy puppy-dog eyes with a dejected look.

Wen Cishu, confused, glanced at Bao Tingyuan, who was dealing with returning the kayak with the staff, and asked his son, "What's wrong? You should be proud—you made it all the way here on your own." Bao Yiming shook his head, not about to admit he'd basically been dead weight.

Wen Cishu turned over his palm: "Your palm is all red. Does it hurt?"

Bao Yiming felt a little comforted. "It doesn’t hurt, Daddy."

Seeing his father helping the child Xingxing onto the deck, he quickly added, "Daddy, go see how Dad’s doing." He then scrambled off to whisper something to Xingxing.

As Bao Tingyuan approached, Wen Cishu handed him a bottle of water and asked, "What was wrong with Yi Ming just now?"

That kid’s mood changes every minute.

Bao Tingyuan took a few sips before answering, "Maybe I didn’t let him take the lead, so he got upset." He lowered his head to examine his left hand.

Wen Cishu took his hand. "What’s wrong with your hand?"

Bao Tingyuan let him inspect it closely, even feeling the urge to pull him into a tight embrace.

But as soon as he noticed the camera lens focusing on them, he grabbed Wen Cishu’s hand and led him toward the group, saying in a low voice, "It’s nothing."

"? Daddy, what are you doing? What can’t we see?"

"So stingy with the affection, Dad! Afraid the camera might catch some sneaky PDA?"

After rejoining the group, Zhou Xu and the others expressed their gratitude. "We’ll handle the next task."

But Bao Yiming was still eager. "What task? I want to join too!"

Zhu Wei waved the radio in her hand. "Four people need to cross the island’s cave with a guide. The rest will drive around the island to the cave exit."

Xiao Qi’s mom asked softly, "There aren’t any snakes or anything in the cave, right?"

Chu Han gasped. "Wait—what?" She looked ahead, suddenly unsure.

Rong Rong’s father volunteered, "I’ll go for this part."

Zhou Xu raised his hand, volunteering himself.

Though Wen Cishu had a heart condition, he figured the show wouldn’t make it too dangerous if they were allowed to participate, so he offered to join as well.

Before Bao Yiming could insist on joining, Bao Tingyuan said, "Yi Ming, your daddy and I will go through the cave. You help take care of the younger kids."

"...Oh."

Bao Yiming suppressed his curiosity. "Make sure Daddy’s okay!"

Wen Cishu patted his shoulder. "Listen to your dad and go help the other adults look after Xiao Qi and Rong Rong."

"Got it!" Bao Yiming turned and ran to hold Rong Rong’s hand, then reached for Xiao Qi’s.

After giving his wife and child a quick reminder, Zhou Xu announced, "Time to head out!"

The guide handed each of them a flashlight.

Wen Cishu turned his on and held it under his chin, making a silly ghost face at Bao Tingyuan. "When I was little, I loved playing this game with my brother. But he never teased me back, hehe."

The others didn’t get it, but Bao Tingyuan understood immediately—because of Wen Cishu’s health, his brother had always been careful not to scare him like that.

Bao Tingyuan brushed a thumb over his cheek but quickly pulled back.

Wen Cishu blinked, suddenly self-conscious.

——Wait... could the little monkey's mischievousness actually come from me?

The group of four, plus the photographer, followed the guide into the dripping cave one after another.

With Bao Tingyuan holding his hand, Wen Cishu didn’t feel the cave was particularly dangerous.

The spooky vibe was more intense than any actual risk.

When they came to a spot where they could clearly hear running water, Zhou Xu, leading the group, warned the others, "There’s a small stream here. Be careful not to slip."

After crossing, he helped Rong Rong’s father across.

Once Rong Rong’s father waded through, he remarked in surprise, "This water's freezing! Nothing like seawater at all."

Bao Tingyuan checked how deep the water was—he'd definitely get his shoes and pants soaked if he walked through.

He handed his flashlight to Wen Cishu.

"Hmm?" Wen Cishu asked, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

Bao Tingyuan quickly hugged him and whispered, "I’ll give you a piggyback ride."

Without giving Wen Cishu a chance to refuse, he guided his hands to his shoulders and crouched down.

Seeing this, Wen Cishu didn’t resist. He tightened his arms around Bao Tingyuan’s shoulders and climbed onto his strong back.

Bao Tingyuan slipped his hands under Wen Cishu’s thighs and easily hoisted him up.

"Wow, mommy's so tiny! Look at how easily daddy carries him—feels like I could do it too (not really lol)."

"Whether it’s carrying or holding, this level of size difference is just so aesthetically pleasing! I'm living for this!"

"Did anyone catch Zhou Xu’s reaction? I can't even. He glanced back, worried about them, only to see the couple being all lovey-dovey right in his face LOL."

"Zhou Xu’s totally gonna go whine to his wife, then show off even harder."

Inside the cave, Wen Cishu held the flashlight, stealing a look at the face right next to his. For some reason, he wanted to kiss Bao Tingyuan.

—Would the photographer capture it?

Caught between wanting to and holding back, he let his legs swing a little.

"Hmm?" Bao Tingyuan tilted his head slightly, sensing his subtle shift in mood.

Wen Cishu shook his head but leaned his face closer.

His lips brushed Bao Tingyuan’s earlobe in a quick, natural motion, pressing softly against the tender skin.

Immediately, a big hand gave his thigh a firm squeeze in response.

Unable to suppress a smile, Wen Cishu buried his face in Bao Tingyuan’s neck, playing ostrich.