Chapter 64 Wang Wang Looks More Like Wife

Chapter 64: Wang Wang Takes After His Wife

The one-month-old baby lay on his back, big eyes darting around, shining like the sun when he smiled. His tiny feet kicked and waved in the air, and when excited, he’d stomp them down on the mat with surprising strength for such a small fellow.

Shi Zai sat cross-legged on the activity mat, holding up colorful flower visual tracking cards one by one for Wang Wang to follow. Whenever Wang Wang smiled at a particular card, Shi Zai would clap his hands enthusiastically. The two of them, one big and one small, filled the living room with laughter.

Suddenly, Wang Wang’s gaze shifted away from the cards and upward. Following the baby’s line of sight, Shi Zai turned around and let out a playful “Hey!” before springing to his feet and throwing himself at the tall man who had quietly approached. He buried his face against Shu Yangkuo’s chest, nuzzling into him gently. But before he could snuggle for long, the little one on the mat, who had been looking back and didn’t get held by his father right away, pouted and burst into loud wah-wahs.

Shi Zai mimicked the crying with a couple of “Wah wah!” sounds himself, then laughed and stepped back from the man’s embrace. Shu Yangkuo sighed helplessly, gave Shi Zai a light pat on the bottom, and sat down to pick up the upset baby. Softly calling “Wang Wang” twice, he gradually soothed the cries, though the little one still sniffled with a pout, his beautiful, shimmering eyes red and heartbreaking to see. Shu Yangkuo smiled.

“Was Daddy being naughty? Daddy spanked his butt, don’t cry.”

“Boo hoo…”

Seeing the baby sniffle again, Shi Zai flopped onto the floor, sticking his bottom out toward Wang Wang.

“Hehe, you can spank Daddy too.”

“Boo hoo…”

After kicking his little feet randomly a few times, Wang Wang, eyes still red, stopped crying and stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

The little one was cheerful when smiling, but when quiet, he didn’t like to be teased—just like when his feeding was interrupted. If he was calmly observing something and got disturbed, he would definitely cry. Shi Zai was slowly learning his temper: half like himself, half like Shu Yangkuo. Not that Shu Yangkuo was exactly like that, but they shared similar dispositions, with their own unique ways of showing displeasure. Shi Zai certainly got upset too, but over time he had developed a personality that turned his unhappiness into part of his optimism. If Shi Zai were Wang Wang’s age now and got interrupted, he’d probably glare, kick up a fuss, and then burst out laughing and carry on… Which was just as well. Wang Wang had inherited traits from both of them.

Not wanting to disturb the baby’s deep thoughts, Shi Zai covered his mouth to stifle a laugh and leaned his head against the other side of the man’s chest.

“Ge, it’s so strange. Before Wang Wang was born, if I imagined a scene like this, I’d definitely get jealous—either the baby being closer to his father, or you favoring the baby… Hehe, but now I just feel happy, joyful, and amused. It’s not just because we have enough love to share, but also because I see a bit of you in him. It makes me want to tease him, to comfort him. And of course, he has parts of me too. So even if he’s closer to you right now, it actually makes me really, really happy. Tsk, Wang Wang is just like his dad—he fell for your embrace at first sight too.”

“If my wife were less mischievous, Wang Wang would like you more.”

“Haha, I just love teasing both of you! When Wang Wang is old enough to play, he’ll definitely prefer me. Then, Ge, don’t get jealous, hehe! You can help him study and do homework quietly, and I’ll play wildly with him and have heart-to-heart talks, haha!”

The little one, only just over a month old, had already been assigned roles by his playful dad. Shu Yangkuo smiled softly, pressed his lips to his wife’s big eyes, kissed them a few times, and agreed, “Okay.” Then he added, “Ge feels the same way. How could I be jealous? Wang Wang takes more after his wife.”

“Hehe, more like the me after I met you, the me who’s been with you.”

The two ended up complimenting each other. Shi Zai rubbed his face against the man’s cheek. This was truly wonderful. During the pregnancy, they had even worried over the unborn Wang Wang, but now, seeing the little one who carried traces of each of them, they had no room for other thoughts—only the desire to love him even more.

Shi Zai had said he wanted to be more mature, but with Wang Wang here, he found himself even more inclined to play around. He blinked his big eyes.

“Ge, at first I was really tough—managing work while taking care of both of you, I was very capable. But now you’ve spoiled me so much I’m almost not like my old self anymore. I get teary-eyed easily, and I’m becoming more and more playful like a child. Does Ge ever find it strange?”

“…”

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo was silent for a moment. Back then… when the tears of the person in his arms had burned into his heart, just as Shi Zai had vowed to take better care of himself, Shu Yangkuo had promised to let the one in his arms one day cry and fuss whenever they wanted. Recalling the past, he smiled—he had succeeded.

They had both succeeded.

Shu Yangkuo lowered his head and gave a firm kiss to his wife’s forehead.

“Ge will dote on you even more. Be as mischievous as you want.”

“Hahaha, I was waiting for you to say that… Ah!”

His chin was kicked by a randomly flailing little foot. Shi Zai quickly covered his mouth—he had disturbed the baby, hehe.

He stood up, walked over to where Wang Wang was looking, reached behind something, and suddenly pulled out a plush puppy. He hid his face behind it, let out a “Woof!”, then quickly revealed his grinning face. The little one stared blankly for a second, then started giggling too.

They played for a while, their laughter filling the room, making the gradually cooling autumn day incredibly beautiful.

Suddenly, Wang Wang let out a soft sigh, as if tired from laughing. He glanced at Shi Zai again, then turned to look at the vase on the coffee table… This time, even Shu Yangkuo couldn’t help but chuckle. People often thought babies didn’t have much emotion or feeling, but they really did—their personalities were innate.

Half lively, half serious like a little adult.

Shi Zai never seemed to tire of laughing. He lay on the mat, covering his mouth as he laughed hysterically. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and turned to see Shen Fuxing, the male postpartum caregiver they had hired—following Yan Wei and Zheng Yuan’s suggestion, they had chosen this same caregiver the couple had used before. Now thirty-five, Shen Fuxing had helped care for them even at the hospital. With twelve years of experience, he was undoubtedly skilled. Besides him, they had also hired a cook and moved from their large apartment to a villa. The villa had been purchased not long after the pregnancy was confirmed. While Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo were staying at the farmhouse, Yang Yun and Qin Xihan had gradually furnished the new home. Now, the postpartum caregiver and the live-in cook lived on the second floor, while everyone else was on the first floor. The third floor had the study, guest rooms, etc. Household chores and garden maintenance were handled by Yang Yun, Qin Xihan, and housekeeping services. Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo focused on the baby. Wang Wang didn’t sleep with the caregiver—they couldn’t rest easy with that—so the caregiver helped hold and soothe Wang Wang during the day, bathed him, washed his clothes, and taught them various precautions. Only after having a child did they realize how much there was to do. Even so, the couple still bore the brunt of the exhaustion.

They had to get up at least four times a night, mostly Shu Yangkuo making bottles and changing diapers, but Shi Zai often woke up too. During the day, they occasionally had work—Shu Yangkuo’s situation was more stable, allowing him to work from home, while Shi Zai had taken on a big project last week and starting tomorrow would need to work for a few hours each morning or afternoon. Thankfully, Yang Yun and Qin Xihan were there to help around the house.

He wondered how those two were doing. Shi Zai hadn’t found the time to ask yet, but from what he could observe, they seemed the same as always.

As for Shen Fuxing, he was very quiet, but not in an unnoticeable way. He worked diligently and efficiently, often quietly adding touches like arranging flowers or knitting little crafts around the house. Being around him was comfortable. Now, he spoke softly:

“Gentlemen, I’ll take Wang Wang. You two go have your meal.”

“Okay, I wonder if they made stuffed tofu today. I’ll save half for you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Shi.”

“Hehe, no need to be so polite.”

With that, Shi Zai stood up and pulled Shu Yangkuo toward the dining room. Sure enough, there was stuffed tofu. Sometimes they requested specific dishes, other times they let the cook decide, as long as it was light and suitable for the postpartum parent’s recovery.

As they ate, Shu Yangkuo finished all the stuffed tofu. Shi Zai smiled, eyes curving.

“Ge likes this dish again today?”

“Mm.”

“Then we won’t save any for him. Ah—feed me a bite! Let me taste what’s new about the dish Ge likes today!”

The big puppy opened his mouth waiting to be fed. Shu Yangkuo smiled, took a bite himself, and fed it to Shi Zai mouth-to-mouth.

Shi Zai’s eyes widened instantly. Tsk, tsk, tsk. He thought Shu Yangkuo had become strict again after giving birth, but now the cheeky man had even learned to feed him directly! Laughing, he opened his mouth to accept it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Fuxing holding Wang Wang at the dining room doorway, turning to leave.

Shi Zai quickly called out to him. It turned out Wang Wang’s formula was out. Shen Fuxing had come to ask Mr. Shu to help get a new can—a whole unopened box was stored up high, and holding Wang Wang, he couldn’t easily climb a chair to reach it.

It was Shu Yangkuo’s first time feeding someone like that, and his ears were still slightly red. Hearing this, he glanced back.

“Xiao Zai, go climb the chair and get it.”

“Wow, the tallest person in the house isn’t going, but you make me climb the chair? You really know how to pamper your wife!”

“…Be good, what if Ge hurts himself?”

“Oh, right!”

With that, Shi Zai dashed out, went to the nursery at the end of the hallway, and grabbed a can of formula. He held it out behind him, but no one took it. Puzzled, Shi Zai called out, only to hear that Shen Fuxing was still near the dining room—probably in the living room.

Shi Zai shouted, “No need to come!” and thought for a moment, then decided to bring down the entire box. That darn Yun Bao, why did he put it so high? But he didn’t hold it steady—not that Shi Zai was weak now, but as he moved, one can started to slip. Shi Zai wobbled, and the whole box of formula crashed to the floor with a loud clatter, sending several cans rolling out. Thankfully, Shen Fuxing hadn’t been holding Wang Wang there, or the baby would have been scared into loud wah-wahs. Even from a distance, the noise was heard.

Hearing two sets of footsteps rushing over, Shi Zai yelled, “I’m fine, I’m fine! Brother Shen, don’t bring Wang Wang over!” Soon, Shu Yangkuo strode quickly into the room, frowning, and ignoring Shi Zai’s waving hands, helped him down from the chair.

Seeing Shu Yangkuo’s worried expression, Shi Zai hurriedly explained, “It was the formula that fell, not me! Don’t worry, Ge. Why did you run so fast? Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine, but I shouldn’t have let you do it.”

“Oh, it’s such a small thing, don’t worry about it. First, grab a can for Wang Wang, and I’ll clean this up.”

But the man acted like he hadn’t heard, bending down to pick up all the formula cans and putting them on a lower shelf before taking one and leading Shi Zai out.

In the living room, Shen Fuxing gently patted Wang Wang in his arms, full of guilt:

“Sirs, I’m truly sorry. I should have put Wang Wang aside first and handled it myself…”

“Stop, stop! Brother Shen, you did nothing wrong. How could you put Wang Wang aside? Don’t overthink it—it’s really not a big deal.”

“Alright, I’ll remember that.”

Seeing someone over a decade older than himself bowing and scraping made Shi Zai feel uneasy. He had chatted a bit with Shen Fuxing before and knew he had a tough life—raised by a foster father, married and had a child, only to be abandoned within half a year, and it’s been that way ever since.

Fortunately, Shen Fuxing never gave up on living well, and his professional skills were impeccable. His jobs often came through referrals from one employer to another.

Shi Zai didn't let his sympathy run too deep, afraid his own man might get jealous. Little did he know that very night, Shu Yangkuo insisted on letting him go.