Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Tubby’s Admiring Gaze~

Chapter 17: Tubby's Adoring Gaze ~

The days of early childhood were quite monotonous. Lu Zhishi spent his time eating and sleeping, either curled up on the sofa watching "Pineapple House" or waiting for his two older brothers to come home from school before heading to the Chis' house with a big bag of potato chips.

Chi Chen, for some reason, seemed to think Lu Zhishi liked tomato-flavored chips and would bring a bag over every day.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan went to work at the company daily.

Although Lu Tingan was an actor, he was also the head of the Lu Group. Since he wasn't filming at the moment, he went to the office with Song Qinian every day.

Occasionally, Lu Zhishi would accompany Lu Tingan to the company, where he'd hear fans call him "Fat Cheese" or "Tubby," and be showered with treats from various older brothers and sisters.

Lately, though, the weather had turned cold, so Lu Zhishi rarely went out, spending most of his time cozy at home.

Even though life as a young child was dull, Lu Zhishi still enjoyed it—after all, once he started kindergarten, he'd have homework. He wanted to enjoy life before school and play as much as possible.

One day, after waking up, Lu Zhishi stayed in bed as usual, curling his chubby little body under the covers and dozing back off.

In the middle of his nap, Song Qinian came and gently coaxed him out of bed, helped him wash up, fed him, and then put him back to sleep.

Around nine o’clock, Song Qinian came to wake him again, trying twice with no success.

The chubby baby wriggled like a little caterpillar on the bed, whining and squirming before flipping over with a plop and lying flat on his stomach like a little pancake.

"Little sleepyhead, still not getting up?"

Song Qinian leaned close to the little one’s ear, pinched his small nose, and kept murmuring: "Get up, get up, get up…"

Lu Zhishi covered his ears with his hands, reluctantly opened his eyes, and said pitifully, "Daddy."

Song Qinian chuckled, bent down, and picked him up. "You’ve slept long enough. If you sleep any longer, you won’t nap at noon."

Lu Zhishi rested his head on Song Qinian’s shoulder, yawned, blinked sleepily, and rubbed his little face against his dad’s shoulder. "Hmm~"

After washing his face with a warm towel, Lu Zhishi gradually woke up.

Song Qinian took him downstairs, let him play in the living room for a bit, and went to prepare his milk.

Lu Zhishi walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, pressed his face against it with a plop, and peered outside with his big, dark eyes.

"Wow~"

Everything was blanketed in snow. The short trees in the yard wore white caps, and the lawn was covered in a thick layer of snow that looked soft and inviting to step on.

"Tubby, come drink your milk."

"Okay~"

Lu Zhishi turned and pattered over, then held the cup and drank his milk while Song Qinian crouched beside him, helping to support it.

Ever since his first birthday, the little one had refused to drink from a bottle, insisting on using a cup instead.

After finishing his milk, he went back to the window to watch the snow, his big eyes filled with a strong desire to play in it.

Song Qinian felt sorry for him, but he didn’t let him play outside.

Such a small child could easily get sick or catch a fever after playing in the snow, and Song Qinian didn’t want him to go through either.

Lu Zhishi couldn’t play, but Lu Zhiyu could. In the afternoon, after the snow stopped, he put on a thick down jacket and went out with Chi Chen to build a snowman.

Lu Zhishi remained pressed against the window, so envious he was practically drooling.

Lu Zhiyu bent over, squatting in the snow for a long time to roll a big snowball, then huffed and puffed as he carried it over to the window.

Lu Zhishi: "Huh?"

Chi Chen, a step behind, brought a smaller snowball and placed it on top of the big one.

Suddenly understanding what they were doing, Lu Zhishi blinked his big, bright eyes, pressed his chubby hands against the glass, and stuck his round, plump face to the window, a wide grin spreading across his lips.

"Brother~"

Lu Zhiyu wiped the snow off his face with his sleeve, his soft, chubby, baby-faced features breaking into a big smile.

It was cold outside, and he was wearing a thick beige down jacket with gloves on both hands, making him look like a little penguin from afar. He breathed out white puffs of air as he shaped the snowman’s outline on the snowball.

Chi Chen didn’t smile or speak, focusing intently on shaping the large snowball. His black hair was dusted with snowflakes, his features sharp and deep-set, his eyelashes long and lowered. With his single eyelids, he looked cool and aloof, but his nose, red from the cold, created a striking contrast.

"Heh heh~" Lu Zhishi giggled, his eyes curving happily as he blinked away moisture.

Song Qinian leaned nearby, watching quietly with a smile, recording a few videos to save.

The two little ones worked on the snowman for a long time. Once it was shaped, Lu Zhiyu ran inside to fetch accessories—a hat and a scarf—to dress it up.

—A snowman version of Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi’s eyes sparkled. He turned to find Song Qinian, tugging at his pant leg. "Daddy, daddy, take a picture~"

Pulled along by the short-legged little one, Song Qinian took small steps to follow. "Alright, alright, Daddy will take pictures for you."

He snapped many photos of the snowman and the three little ones from various angles, saving a copy for himself in a special album and sending another to Chi Yuehang.

After the group photo, Chi Chen stayed put and, from nowhere, pulled out a duck-shaped snow mold. He crouched down and made a row of little duckies for Lu Zhishi.

By the time Lu Zhiyu came back out after looking at the photos, the window was lined with rows of adorable little snow ducks.

"?"

Lu Zhiyu turned and saw his younger brother’s adoring gaze, instantly feeling a surge of sibling rivalry.

As it was about time, Song Qinian called them inside to eat.

Worried that the two little ones might catch a cold after playing outside for so long, Song Qinian had already prepared ginger soup and personally supervised them as they drank it.

Lu Zhiyu scrunched up his chubby little face, reluctantly drinking the odd-tasting ginger soup, then stuck out his tongue.

Lu Zhishi toddled over and patted his arm. "Quack~"

Song Qinian laughed, and Lu Zhiyu couldn’t help but laugh, ruffling his little curly hair. "You’re a good boy too."

Nearby, Chi Chen, who had been frowning as he drank the ginger soup, unconsciously softened and allowed a slight smile to touch his lips.

Seeing that he had finished, Lu Zhishi went over and patted him. "Good job~"

"Mhm." Chi Chen curved his lips slightly and gently touched Lu Zhishi’s chubby cheek—soft and squishy.

"Alright, go upstairs and get cleaned up now. Once you’re done, it’ll be time to come down for dinner."

Song Qinian cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen, then led the three children upstairs.

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen were older now and didn’t need adults to help them bathe. Song Qinian only told them, "Hurry up and don’t play with the water. I’ll come check on you later."

"Bye-bye~" Tubby waved at them and was carried back to his room by Song Qinian for a bath.

"La la la~ la la la~"

Song Qinian squeezed a bit of baby shampoo and gently massaged it into the little one’s curly hair, then rinsed off the bubbles and dried it with a towel.

"La la la~ la la la~"

He lifted the little singer out of the bathtub, cradled him in his arms, and carefully scrubbed him clean.

"La la la~ glug glug…"

While turning to grab the body wash, Song Qinian suddenly noticed the little voice sounded odd. He looked back.

Tubby had been so focused on singing that he accidentally got water in his mouth.

Quickly wrapping the child in a towel on his lap to keep him from getting cold, Song Qinian gently pinched Tubby’s cheeks. "Spit it out, don’t swallow the bathwater."

"Pfft~"

Tubby opened his mouth and spit the water out, a bitter taste filling his mouth. He was upset—he’d only wanted to sing.

Song Qinian checked his mouth, worried. "Did you swallow any bathwater?"

Tubby quickly shook his head. "No~"

"Really?"

Tubby nodded emphatically. "Mhmm!!"

Song Qinian breathed a sigh of relief, rinsed the chubby baby clean with warm water, dried him with a towel, and carried him out to get dressed.

After changing his diaper and putting on his pajamas, Song Qinian patted his bottom. "If your tummy hurts, you have to tell Daddy, okay?"

Tubby patted his chest and replied confidently, "Uh-huh~"

Once Tubby was dressed, Song Qinian carried him to check on the other two little ones.

Chi Chen had already finished bathing. He was wearing clean, comfortable pajamas and drying his own hair.

"Uncle Song."

Noticing his flushed face, Song Qinian reached out to feel his forehead. It wasn’t warm. "Are you feeling unwell, Xiao Chen?"

Chi Chen explained, "No fever, the water was just too hot."

"That’s good," Song Qinian said, tousling his hair. "Remember to tell me if you feel sick."

Chi Chen nodded. "Okay."

Song Qinian was about to check on Lu Zhiyu, but Tubby didn’t want to go. He leaned back, reaching for Chi Chen. "Brother hold…"

Song Qinian handed the chubby baby to Chi Chen. "Then you stay here with Brother Xiao Chen. Daddy’s going to check on your brother."

Tubby waved at him. "Bye-bye~"

As his father left, Tubby turned and touched Chi Chen’s forehead. His temperature was normal.

Chi Chen paused when the little hand reached out, then smiled softly when he realized Tubby was checking his forehead.

Setting him on the bed, Chi Chen sat beside him. "I’m not sick. Uncle Song already checked."

Tubby crawled over, snuggled against him, and sat obediently by his side, nodding. "Mm-hmm~"

When Song Qinian returned with Lu Zhiyu, Tubby reached out to touch his older brother’s forehead too. His temperature was also normal.

Touched, Lu Zhiyu kissed his chubby cheek. "I’m fine, brother is very healthy."

Tubby leaned his head against him. "Mhmm~"

Lu Tingan was away on a business trip in S City handling movie-related matters, Bai Yansheng was working overtime at the hospital, and Chi Yuehang had taken a trip before New Year’s, leaving Chi Chen at Song Qinian’s house for a couple of days.

After dinner, Song Qinian prepared two cups of cold medicine for Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen, had them drink it, and told them to go upstairs and rest early.

Tubby went to his room, grabbed his small pillow, and pattered over to Chi Chen’s room.

He tossed the pillow onto the bed, took off his shoes, and climbed up with practiced ease.

Chi Chen didn’t say anything, just straightened his little pillow and pulled the blanket over him once he lay down.

"Brother~"

"Mhmm."

"Hi, brother~"

Chi Chen gently patted his back, his tone soft. "Hey, you too."

Tubby turned on his side, his big eyes fixed intently on Chi Chen’s face.

Brother Xiao Chen is so handsome!!

Feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze, Chi Chen covered his eyes and whispered, "Go to sleep."

Tubby pulled his hand away, held it, and grinned at him.

Snuggling closer and curling up, Tubby closed his eyes. "Night, brother~"

Chi Chen patted his back over the blanket and said softly, "Good night, sweet dreams."

New Year was just around the corner, less than a month away.

The New Year’s celebration was always lively. Last year, Tubby had been too young to walk and had to be carried everywhere.

This year was different—he could now toddle around on his own.

They spent New Year’s Eve at the Song family home, which was close to the Lu and Chi families.

After the family reunion dinner, Tubby noticed Lu Zhiyu putting on his coat to go out. He climbed down from Grandpa Lu’s arms and hurried after him on his short little legs, tugging at the hem of Lu Zhiyu’s clothes as he bounced along eagerly.

Song Qinian raised an eyebrow. "Tubby, where are you going?"

"Go find brother~"

Tubby said in his baby voice, quickening his pace and pulling Lu Zhiyu along, afraid the adults would drag him back.

Lu Tingan went over to pick him up. "You’re not even wearing your coat. You’re not going."