Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Why Didn’t Brother Xiao Chen Come?

Chapter 28

"Brother Chi Chen, why didn't you come?"

The two little boys were dressed in short-sleeved white shirts and shorts, with small sandals on their feet—their kindergarten uniform—and carried tiny backpacks.

Lu Zhishi leaned towards his friend and asked, "Why didn't you come?"

Zhao Xiaoxing lowered his head, looking a bit downcast. "I was scared."

It was probably his first exposure to formal learning, and a child's natural avoidance was perfectly normal.

"Don't be scared, I'll help you!" Lu Zhishi patted his own chest. "I know everything."

Zhao Xiaoxing, like a wilted sunflower that had suddenly perked up, looked at Lu Zhishi with his big, round, sparkling eyes and gave him an admiring thumbs-up. "You're awesome!"

The two little rascals huddled together, muttering. Zhao Xiaoxing noticed the large conch and seashell hanging on Lu Zhishi’s backpack and took off his own to check.

Wanting everything to be just like his big brother's, Zhao Xiaoxing sadly rubbed his eyes. "I don't have one..."

Not having anticipated this, Lu Zhishi scratched his head, trying to find a solution, and comforted him, "Tomorrow, I'll ask my dad to buy you one~"

Zhao Xiaoxing wiped his eyes and softly murmured, "Okay."

When Lu Zhiyu came downstairs after changing, he saw the two little troublemakers talking in the living room. As he got closer, he noticed something was off.

"Mushroom... no, Little Xing, why are you crying again?"

Zhao Xiaoxing sniffled and said sadly in a tiny voice, "I don't have..."

Lu Zhiyu didn't understand. "Don't have what?"

"He doesn't have this." Lu Zhishi held up his backpack to show the conch and seashell hanging on it.

Lu Zhiyu opened his mouth, sighed helplessly, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Kids will be kids—crying over something like this. And he still wouldn't admit to being a crybaby mushroom head.

"I have some. Stop crying, I'll get them for you."

He took out his collection of conchs and seashells, picked two light blue ones, and tied them onto Zhao Xiaoxing’s backpack as decorations.

Lu Zhiyu saw the two kids huddled together again, muttering, so he grabbed them by their backpacks and led them out, settling them into their car seats and buckling them in.

Seeing that Lu Zhiyu had also buckled himself into a car seat, Lu Zhishi scratched his head and said, "The dads didn't come~"

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyu leaned over to look.

"..."

The car window rolled down, and a head of curly hair popped out. Lu Zhiyu took a deep breath, and Lu Zhishi quickly motioned for Zhao Xiaoxing to cover his ears.

"Dad! Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Zhao Xiaoxing jumped with fright, his eyes welling up with tears as he squeezed closer to Lu Zhishi.

Glancing at the round mushroom-headed little one in front of him, Lu Zhishi suddenly felt a surge of responsibility. He patted his little friend’s chest and comforted him, "Don't be scared, my brother doesn't hit crybabies."

Hearing this from the front seat, Lu Zhiyu turned around and stared expressionlessly at the two little ones. "I don't hit crybabies, I only eat crybabies—especially the ones who love to cry."

After saying this, he opened his mouth wide, showing off his big white teeth.

Lu Zhishi: "..." What a child.

Zhao Xiaoxing sniffled and wiped his eyes, whimpering, "I want my brother..."

Zhao Xiaoyun was waiting for them at the Zhao family’s place.

That morning, Zhao Xiaoxing had insisted on carrying his little backpack and going to Lu Zhishi’s to go to school together. The stubborn little thing—Zhao Mingzhu had no choice but to have someone take him to the Lu family’s house.

Zhao Xiaoyun didn't go along and stayed home to have breakfast with his parents.

It was his precious little brother’s first day of kindergarten, and the whole family had prepared to take him together. Zhao Mingzhu and Lin Sheng had specifically taken the day off.

When the Lu family’s car arrived at the door, Zhao Mingzhu had wanted to ask her little one if he wanted to go with them, but the little guy tearfully refused.

Zhao Mingzhu: "..." What's wrong with the crybaby now?

Lu Zhishi waved his little hand and politely greeted Zhao Mingzhu and Lin Sheng. "Auntie Zhao, Uncle Lin, Brother Xiaoyun~"

Having been the one to make their little one cry, Lu Zhiyu’s greeting was a bit guilty. "Auntie Zhao, Uncle Lin."

Zhao Mingzhu was a stunning, domineering CEO type, like a flamboyant red rose—with big wavy hair, bright red lips, and an exceptional presence.

However, her partner was the complete opposite.

If Zhao Mingzhu was a vibrant, dazzling red rose, then Lin Sheng was a quiet, solitary white jasmine flower.

With a refined and gentle appearance, he wore gold-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and black trousers. Tall and slender, he exuded an air of scholarly elegance, working as a professor at the top university in the country, full of intellectual grace.

His way of speaking was also quite gentle, making people feel as comfortable as a spring breeze. "Zhiyu, Zhishi, good morning."

Zhao Mingzhu smiled. "Good morning, little ones."

Song Qinian teased, "You two busy people, it's been so long since we last saw you."

"Brother Tingan." Zhao Mingzhu greeted Lu Tingan first before turning to answer Song Qinian. "Not as busy as you, President Song."

After Zhao Xiaoyun greeted the Lu couple and got permission from Lin Sheng, he also climbed into the Lu family’s car and sat next to Lu Zhiyu.

While the adults caught up outside, Zhao Xiaoyun asked Lu Zhiyu, "Didn't Chi Chen come?"

"He didn't. He's a bit reserved to come along."

"?" Zhao Xiaoyun was puzzled. "Chi Chen doesn't seem like the shy type."

Lu Zhishi wiggled his feet and idly played with his shoelaces. Zhao Xiaoxing copied him, playing with his own shoes.

The adults chatted endlessly, Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun were also talking, leaving only Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing staring blankly at each other.

Finally, Lu Tingan reminded everyone that it was almost nine, and the car started off toward the kindergarten.

Little Sun Kindergarten was the school Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen had attended before—a private kindergarten where most of the students were from the neighborhood.

Lu Zhishi was no stranger to it; he had often come with Song Qinian to pick up Lu Zhiyu after kindergarten.

Their former homeroom teacher—the gentle and beautiful Teacher Lily—was now also his and Zhao Xiaoxing’s homeroom teacher.

On the first day of kindergarten, Teacher Lily was at the entrance welcoming the new human younglings, holding a large lollipop. "Teacher Lily." Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun each led their little brothers forward to greet their former homeroom teacher.

Teacher Lily had a round face and long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, her eyes curved like crescents when she smiled.

"Good morning, Xiao Yu, Xiao Yun." She bent down to greet the kids, then looked at the two little toddlers in front of her. "I'm Teacher Lily, what are your names?"

Lu Zhishi smiled brightly, waving his little hand. "Hello, Teacher Lily, my name is Loo... Lu Zhishi."

He mispronounced it, feeling a bit flustered. His round, chubby cheeks flushed pink, and he shyly hid behind his brother.

Lu Zhiyu reached back and gently patted his brother's head, a gesture of praise for his bravery.

Teacher Lily chuckled softly, taking out a large lollipop and offering it to him.

"It's so nice to meet you, Lu Zhishi. Do you like yummy candy?"

Seeing the lollipop bigger than his face, Lu Zhishi's cheeks turned rosy with excitement, his eyes sparkling.

He hugged the candy, looked up, and happily exclaimed, "Sank you, Teacher Lily!"

Teacher Lily ruffled his hair, then turned to the other little one. "Little one, what's your name?"

Zhao Xiaoxing's talkative and enthusiastic side only came out around people he knew. Still nervous around strangers, he clung to Zhao Xiaoyun's waist, hiding behind him.

Zhao Xiaoyun encouragingly patted his little head. "Don't be afraid, Teacher Lily is very gentle."

"Tell Teacher Lily your name." Zhao Xiaoyun leaned close to the little one's ear and whispered, "Do you want a super big lollipop?"

Zhao Xiaoxing blinked, clearly tempted, and glanced at Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi held up his candy, eyes bright and voice cheerful. "Look, it's huge!"

Zhao Xiaoxing mustered up his courage. "Hel... Hello, Teacher Lily~ My name is Zhao Qixing~"

"What a lovely name!" Teacher Lily also gave him a large lollipop.

"Sank you~"

After receiving the lollipop, Zhao Xiaoxing—also known as Zhao Qixing—visibly relaxed, his nervousness fading away.

His formal name was Zhao Qixing, but everyone preferred calling him by his nickname—Zhao Xiaoxing. Sometimes he was even called Little Chubby Zhao because of his round, adorable appearance.

Holding his candy, he turned excitedly to Lu Zhishi. "I have one too~"

Teacher Lily watched the two children interact with a warm smile, while Zhao Xiaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, wiping a light sweat from his forehead.

The parents stood nearby, waiting for the teacher to bond with the children before stepping forward to greet her.

They were all quite familiar with each other, having interacted often with Teacher Lily when their older children attended the school.

Since there was little need for small talk, and since Teacher Lily had to welcome other students, Song Qinian and the others soon left.

The kindergarten was large and beautiful, decorated with a playful, child-like charm.

Everywhere they walked, there were many facilities and green spaces with little flowers, grass, and trees.

Lu Zhishi was dazzled, his chubby little hand held by Lu Zhiyu as he looked around, stumbling as he walked. Lu Zhiyu was worried he might fall.

As former students here, Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun introduced them to various facilities and classes, such as activity classes, science rooms, music rooms, astronomy observation rooms...

The spacious kindergarten had all kinds of teaching facilities, many of which Lu Zhishi had never heard of before.

It was his first time learning that kindergartens even had astronomy rooms. He had assumed kindergarten was mostly about games like eagle catching chicks and singing nursery rhymes like "Digging Up Carrots~".

Private kindergartens really were well-funded.

Lu Zhishi began to look forward to school.

Half an hour later, Lu Zhishi decided to take back what he had thought earlier—he no longer felt excited.

Lu Zhishi expressionlessly propped his chin on his hand, staring straight ahead while deafening wails surrounded him from all directions.

"Waaah—I want Daddy! Waaah—"

"Grandma! Grandpa! I... I wanna go home... Wuwuwu..."

"Wakakaka—Wakakakaka—"

Lu Zhishi felt overwhelmed.

His deskmate was Zhao Xiaoxing, who was sniffling with teary eyes, his round, large eyes moist, on the verge of crying.

Seeing that Lu Zhishi wasn't crying, he sniffled and held back from joining the other crying children.

Hearing the sniffles, Lu Zhishi turned to look.

Round face, round head, crying with reddened eyes—he looked like a pitiful little bunny.

Lu Zhishi took a tissue from his backpack, moved closer, wiped his friend's eyes, and helped blow his nose.

After tossing the used tissue into the trash, Lu Zhishi, like a little adult, placed his hand on his friend's plump back, gently patting it up and down to comfort him. "I'm here, don't be afraid~"

Parents weren’t allowed to stay in the classroom for long, and Song Qinian and the others had left half an hour earlier.

Before leaving, his dad Lu Tingan crouched down to talk to him, saying, "The first step of growing up is leaving your daddies and exploring the world on your own. Be brave, don’t be afraid. Daddy and your brother will always be here for you."

Lu Zhishi was moved to tears, but Lu Tingan thought he was scared and reluctant to leave his daddies, so he held him gently and comforted him.

Song Qinian also came over to ruffle his little curly hair, softly saying:

"Daddy knows our Fat Cheese is very smart, so Daddy asks you to take care of yourself and also look after Little Xing, okay?"

Lu Zhishi naturally agreed. Even if his daddies hadn’t said anything, he would have taken care of Zhao Xiaoxing.

He wasn’t emotionally cold. Having known Zhao Xiaoxing for so long, and with Zhao Xiaoxing always being so good to him, sharing everything nice with him, Lu Zhishi had long considered him a close friend.

Moreover, having a lifelong friend, like Song Qinian and Chi Yuehang, Lu Tingan and Bai Yansheng, or Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen and Zhao Xiaoyun, was something Lu Zhishi also yearned for.

With his tears and sniffles wiped away, Zhao Xiaoxing moved closer to him and nodded obediently.

Comforted by Lu Zhishi, Zhao Xiaoxing stopped crying.

Once he calmed down, he began looking around curiously at the other sniffling children nearby.

When Teacher Lily made her way to Lu Zhishi's area, she noticed that this pair of deskmates weren’t crying or causing a fuss.

The little curly-haired child was calm, quietly looking through the picture book issued by the kindergarten with his little friend beside him.

He looked so much like his actor father that Teacher Lily immediately recognized who he was, especially after meeting Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun earlier that morning.

It was obvious—one was Lu Zhiyu's brother, and the other, who stuck close to Lu Zhishi, was Zhao Xiaoyun's brother.

Teacher Lily praised them for being well-behaved and gave each of them a little red flower.

Lu Zhishi's eyes went wide, holding the pretty little red flower, and looked up at Teacher Lily.

He'd gotten a little red flower on the very first day of school?

He thought he would have to wait until formal classes started to have a chance at getting one.

But now that he had received one in advance, Lu Zhishi was thrilled and carefully placed it in the innermost part of his backpack to show his dads after school.

He celebrated too soon.

Lu Zhishi wanted to tell Zhao Xiaoxing to put his little red flower in his backpack too, but when he turned to look, he was horrified.

He quickly rushed over, pulled the little red flower out of Zhao Xiaoxing's mouth, and pinched his chubby cheek in frustration.

With no adults around, Lu Zhishi didn't have to pretend to be a little kid. Annoyed and exasperated, he whispered, "Why do you put everything in your mouth?! You silly mushroom-head!"

Zhao Xiaoxing said pitifully, "I'm not..."

After giving Zhao Xiaoxing a proper scolding about not putting random things in his mouth, Lu Zhishi looked down at the little red flower now marked with tooth marks. He decided to just ignore it and put it into Zhao Xiaoxing's backpack.

Tooth marks or not, it was still the first little red flower he had ever received.

Before he could think about it too long, Teacher Lily clapped her hands at the front of the class to get everyone's attention.

She smiled warmly, her smile contagious and endearing.

"Look, does anyone want a little red flower?"

Seeing the little red flower in her hand, which looked like a little sun, the children who had slowly stopped crying began to chatter excitedly.

"I want one!"

"Me! Give it to me!"

"Fwower!"

Teacher Lily handed them out one by one, comforting the children who were still crying by giving them a little red flower as well.

The Sun Class children, now all with little red flowers, finally quieted down a bit. Though they were still chattering happily, it was much more pleasant than the earlier piercing wails.

Lu Zhishi breathed a sigh of relief—he didn't want his ears to get blasted all day.

With the crying under control, Teacher Lily began the kindergarten class in a chatty, playful way.

Lu Zhishi listened very attentively, and influenced by him, Zhao Xiaoxing also paid close attention to what Teacher Lily was saying.

The morning passed quickly. At noon, Song Qinian and Lu Tingan showed up right on time at the kindergarten gate, along with Zhao Mingzhu and Lin Sheng.

They were all busy people who might not usually have time to pick up their kids, but for the first day of school, they made sure to come.

Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoyun didn't come, but the two families had lunch together.

At the small villa near the kindergarten where they went for a nap, Song Qinian asked gently if Lu Zhishi had cried that morning.

Lu Zhishi didn't say a word, but proudly puffed his chest out and took out his little red flower.

Meeting his son's expectant gaze, Song Qinian lavished him with praise, and Lu Zhishi grinned, embarrassed but pleased.

Lu Tingan smiled faintly and ruffled his hair, saying, "Our Zhishi is such a clever little one."

Lu Zhishi’s already big smile grew even wider after being called "little one."

He had a good dream during his nap, and after being woken up, he went back to school for class.

Lu Zhishi was still a bit drowsy and felt like lazing in bed, but he couldn't—it was time for class.

Zhao Xiaoxing was totally out of it, half-asleep with his head on the desk.

There were only two classes in the afternoon: one drawing class and one play time.

The children were very interested in coloring animals and plants.

The Sun Class was a total mess, with the children buzzing about what colors to use and even arguing when they disagreed.

Lu Zhishi turned Zhao Xiaoxing's head away from the commotion, put a crayon in his hand, and Zhao Xiaoxing, his attention grabbed back, focused on coloring again.

Lu Zhishi also picked up a crayon, coloring the sky blue, the sun red, the trees green, the flowers yellow...

The drawing class was meant to help the children learn about colors, and by observing the different colors they used for different things, Teacher Lily could also understand their personalities.

Teacher Lily didn't stop the children from expressing themselves freely, only stepping in when a child tried to put a crayon in their mouth.

After carefully finishing his drawing, Lu Zhishi nodded with satisfaction and turned to look at Zhao Xiaoxing's.

Children's imaginations are wild and creative, innocent and adorable.

In Zhao Xiaoxing's drawing, the sun was black, the trees were blue, the apples on the tree were yellow, and the little dog was purple...

Lu Zhishi asked curiously, "Why is the sun black?"

Zhao Xiaoxing scrunched up his face, opened his mouth, but with limited language skills, he could only say simple words.

Covering his eyes, Zhao Xiaoxing said angrily, "Hurts. Hate it."

Lu Zhishi had to laugh—apparently, the sun was so bright it hurt the little one's eyes, so he colored it black to express his dislike.

Such a kid thing to do, his ideas were too cute.

Before the drawing class ended, Teacher Lily said, "Take the drawings you finished today home and get Mom and Dad to sign them."

Unfortunately, none of the children heard her—the class was too noisy.

But it was fine; Teacher Lily had already sent the notice to the parent group chat.

The last class was activity class.

Though called activity class, it was actually free play, allowing the children to explore and play on the playground equipment freely.

Lu Zhishi was dragged by Zhao Xiaoxing to play on the seesaw, where the two sat facing each other across from each other.

Zhao Xiaoxing's eyes were full of curiosity, while Lu Zhishi sighed with resignation and put all his weight into pushing down.

After struggling for a while, his face turning red from the strain, his side of the seesaw only went halfway down.

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Zhao Xiaoxing, so you're a solid little guy after all.

After unwillingly playing with the little ones for a class period, Lu Zhishi finally got to go home.

With his small backpack on and a radiant smile on his face, he held Zhao Xiaoxing’s hand and walked out with his class.

Among the children in the Sun Class, he and Zhao Xiaoxing were only of average height, so they were in the middle of the line.

Once they reached the school gate, he saw his dads from afar. Holding Zhao Xiaoxing’s hand, Lu Zhishi excitedly ran toward them.

“Daddy!”

After waving goodbye to his little friend, Lu Zhishi got into his family’s car, excitedly telling his dads about his day at kindergarten.

He asked, “Where’s brother?”

Lu Tingan turned around from the passenger seat. “At Grandma and Grandpa’s, cooking.”

Lu Zhiyu had cooked something special today to celebrate his little brother starting school.

“Brother!”

The little one, like a little cannonball, rushed straight toward Lu Zhiyu, who had come out to greet him, and crashed into his arms.

Lu Zhiyu almost got knocked over. He tilted his head away where Lu Zhishi couldn’t see, rubbed his chest, and took a quiet deep breath.

Looking down into the little one’s clear, bright eyes, Lu Zhiyu couldn’t bring himself to say that he was actually a solid little guy and should watch his weight.

If he said that, the well-behaved solid little guy in front of him would surely burst into tears.

And he would earn a scolding from both dads.

Lu Zhishi tilted his head, not understanding why his brother’s expression kept changing. He hugged Lu Zhiyu’s waist and clung to him like a little koala.

Lu Zhiyu sighed helplessly, bent down to pick him up, and teased, “Such a clingy little thing.”

The clingy little thing retorted, “No I'm not!”

“Yes you are.”

“No I'm not! Brother is.”

A little bickering didn’t hurt their relationship. Lu Tingan ignored their squabble and followed Song Qinian into the house.

Dad Lu was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, while Mom Lu stood beside him ready to stir-fry. A large pot of savory soup was simmering. As soon as Lu Zhishi stepped inside, he started drooling.

“Sweetheart, just wait a little longer. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Mom Lu wiped her hands and scooped some wontons from a smaller pot.

Lu Zhishi sat in his little chair, holding the small bowl as he ate the wontons, his big dark eyes watching the busy Lu Zhiyu.

“Has brother eaten?”

Lu Zhiyu answered while working, “I’ve already eaten.”

Song Qinian rolled up his sleeves to help wash vegetables and cook. Lu Tingan brought Lu Zhishi a small cup of ice cream and then went to help as well.

Lu Zhishi happily took the little ice cream cup, had trouble opening it, and scooped a spoonful to taste.

Grape flavor—so delicious!

It was hot out, and Lu Zhishi loved cold snacks, but the family rule was that he could only have one small cup, and only at noon.

He hadn’t expected to get one in the afternoon.

It seemed there were benefits to going to kindergarten.

Grandpa and Grandma Song arrived later, bringing their homemade cured fish and seafood. After making a fuss over the little one for a bit, they also headed to the kitchen.

Luckily, the Lu family’s old house had a big kitchen, otherwise it wouldn’t have fit so many people.

To celebrate the youngest member of the family starting school, Dad Lu opened a bottle of wine he had treasured for ten years.

Unfortunately, Lu Zhishi could only have milk.

Dinner that evening was especially fancy, and Lu Zhishi ate until he was stuffed.

Since everyone had to get up early the next day for school and work, the young couple didn’t spend the night and took both children back to their own home.

After his bath, noticing Lu Zhishi’s belly was still round and full, Song Qinian dug out some child-friendly digestion medicine.

“Walk around the house a bit to help your food settle, or you might feel uncomfortable sleeping tonight.”

Lu Zhishi glanced at the time, shook his head in refusal, and toddled out on his short legs. “I’m going to find Brother Chi Chen~”

Song Qinian: “…” His dad was already used to it.

He only managed to yell after him, “Come back early to sleep. You have class tomorrow.”

The round little figure turned a corner and disappeared.

Song Qinian rubbed his temples and went to the sofa to rest by leaning against Lu Tingan.

“When are you heading to the set?”

Lu Tingan turned to look at him. “Leaving tomorrow.”

Song Qinian didn’t say anything, just quietly leaned his head on Lu Tingan’s shoulder.

After two minutes, he remembered something, sighed, and went upstairs.

“Little Fish, you’ve been taking a cold shower for half an hour!”

A clear, young voice could be heard from the first floor. “Not half an hour, only twenty-seven minutes.”

Lu Tingan smiled a little.

Lu Zhishi was brought upstairs by Bai Yansheng. He gave him a sweet smile, said “Thank you, uncle~,” then hurried over to Chi Chen’s door and knocked gently.

“Brother Chi Chen~”

Chi Chen was reading a book. When Lu Zhishi came in, he didn’t get up, just watched quietly as the little one approached.

Lu Zhishi placed both small hands on Chi Chen’s knees and looked at the book he was holding. He couldn’t understand it—it looked like Russian.

“Brother Chi Chen.”

“Hmm.”

Lu Zhishi hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

His little voice sounded a little sad. His long eyelashes drooped, and his fingers absently played with the patterns on Chi Chen’s pajama pants.

“…Brother Chi Chen, how come you didn’t come?”