Chapter 7 You You and His Brother Have Breakfast Together

Chapter 7: You You and Shen Lin-gege Have Breakfast Together

The next day.

Shen Lin woke up early and knocked on the Su family’s door through the morning haze.

Qin Kun answered the door, holding a little kid who had just woken up.

The little one was yawning repeatedly, and Shen Lin could still see the dimples on his knuckles.

Aww, he’s so cute.

"Good morning, Uncle Qin Kun," Shen Lin greeted with a nod.

The young man looked clean and put-together; aside from his messy hair, Qin Kun couldn't find anything else to criticize.

"Hello."

Hearing this, You You blinked his eyes a few times and asked, "Daddy, who is he?"

I’m your brother, I’m your brother!

Shen Lin screamed inside.

"You You, this is Shen Lin-gege. He’ll be visiting us for the next few days."

You You nodded and called out, "Big Brother Shen Ning, hello."

Qin Kun and Su Siwen had always focused heavily on the child's language development. Medical checkups over the past two years showed that You You’s physical development was behind other kids his age.

After adopting him, Su Siwen carefully studied many books on early childhood development. A child’s slow physical development can severely impact their language and intellectual development.

Now that You You was three years old, though still smaller than other children his age, everyone said he spoke very clearly.

The hard work the two fathers had put in behind the scenes was obvious.

"Shen Lin, not 'Ning.' Say it again," Qin Kun corrected him on the spot.

Sitting up in his father’s arms, You You repeated slowly and clearly after Qin Kun’s demonstration: "Shen Lin-gege."

Shen Lin stared at his chubby, pale little face, his fingers itching with the urge to pinch the child’s cheeks.

"Hey there."

Qin Kun walked to the driveway next to the house, where a white Volkswagen was parked.

He put the little kid down by the car, crouched, and reminded him, "You You, don’t fight with the other kids, okay?"

You You nodded, then hugged Qin Kun’s neck, nuzzling his cheek affectionately against his neck.

After giving his instructions, Qin Kun stood up and said to the teenager who was almost as tall as him, "Could you help walk You You home for me?"

The Volkswagen drove away, and You You watched until his father’s car disappeared from view.

Before Shen Lin could process this, he felt something soft touch his palm.

He looked down and saw the little one’s small hand holding his hand.

The touch was as soft as cotton, an experience Shen Lin had never had before.

His heart fluttered strangely, and he crouched down. "Say it again."

Still a bit sleepy from waking up early, You You thought his big brother was testing if he'd learned how to say his name.

So he stood straight and called out clearly and loudly, "Shen Lin-gege!"

Shen Lin almost cried, his head suddenly filled with countless thoughts.

Even if this wasn’t his biological brother, he would still want to take You You home to raise.

Shen Lin picked the little one up and was surprised that he didn’t resist, instead snuggling obediently in his arms.

"You You, how old are you? Are you in school yet?"

You You held up three fingers. "You You's three years old. Not in school yet."

You You was adopted. Qin Kun and Su Siwen had moved their household registration out when they were in university, and they were currently in the process of transferring it back. If all went well, his school registration would be complete before September.

Shen Lin looked down at Su Youli’s little face and thought to himself: His brother was so good-looking, even cuter than the child models in advertisements.

Tables and chairs were set up in the garden, with a semi-circular plastic cover on the table.

Su Youli played the perfect little host, seating Shen Lin across from him and hurrying to get bowls and chopsticks.

"Shen Lin-gege, breakfast time."

The little one said "Shen Lin" slowly but accurately each time.

When the cover was lifted, the table revealed a plate of fragrant steamed buns and shumai, with freshly squeezed soy milk still steaming.

You You grabbed his little sippy cup, took a sip, and when he moved it away, a white "mustache" was left on his upper lip.

Su Youli picked up a steamed bun and began eating, swinging his little feet.

"You You, where’s your other dad?"

Shen Lin had already learned from Assistant Zhang about Su Siwen and Qin Kun’s relationship—they were a same-sex couple who had adopted Su Youli together.

The little one’s mouth was full of steamed bun, his cheeks puffed out.

"Daddy is still sleeping. We can’t wake him up."

Shen Lin nodded, stood up, and took a tissue to wipe away the leftover soy milk stain on his lip.

"Thank you, Shen Lin-gege," Su Youli said politely.

At sixteen, Shen Lin was at an age where he was growing rapidly. He started eating hungrily and was surprised when he tasted the steamed bun.

"Did Qin Kun make these?"

Su Youli: "Yep, my daddy is really skilled."

The entire Shen family were disasters in the kitchen. Only Shen Lin’s mother could make soup, and neither he nor his brother had ever paid much attention to what a kitchen even looked like.

His mind flashed to Qin Kun’s tall stature and strong features. Truly, appearances could be deceiving—Qin Kun actually knew how to cook.

Then he thought of his own stern, cold, and unfeeling father. After comparing the two, he was even more disappointed with Shen Minyan.

If he'd had skills like this, maybe Mom wouldn’t have divorced him.

Shen Ling had no experience taking care of children and was worried he wouldn’t be able to take good care of You You.

As it turned out, he soon realized that You You didn’t need much looking after at all.

After finishing his milk, the little one would put away his own dishes. If something was too heavy to move at once, he’d make two trips. He’d carefully stand on the small stool beside the sink and place the dishes inside.

Then he’d take down the small blue cloth hanging on the faucet, wipe the table clean, and cover the table back up.

Shen Ling, a sixteen-year-old high school student, felt inadequate by comparison.

The Shen family was wealthy, and he had grown up with several nannies taking care of him—he never had to lift a finger.

After breakfast, the child voluntarily took out his art supplies and started drawing. Shen Ling leaned over to look and saw a sunflower drawn on the paper.

Shen Ling tried hard to think of something to say to the little one: “What are you drawing, You You?”

The child gave him a puzzled look. “It’s a sunflower, big brother.”

He even said “sunflower” so clearly!

Around ten o’clock, the sound of creaking footsteps sounded from the second-floor wooden floor.

Su Youli immediately dropped his paintbrush and dashed upstairs, calling out “Daddy!” as he climbed.

Shen Ling’s gaze lingered on the sunflower. He could faintly hear the cheerful voices of the father and son upstairs.

Uncle Qin had prepared breakfast for You You as early as seven in the morning. Uncle Su, though not in the best health, still patiently taught You You how to draw.

And there were so many other things going on he couldn’t see... Shen Ling scratched his head. He wished You You were his biological brother, but he was also afraid of seeing You You refuse to leave with him—of seeing that distant, guarded look in his eyes. He was afraid You You would hate him.

His own home was a mess now. He didn’t even want to go back himself—how could he possibly bring You You there?

It’s all because of that useless man, Shen Minyan.

Shen Ling muttered a curse.