Chapter 80 Zhao Zhao Takes After Dad

Chapter 80: Zhaozhao's Temperament Takes After His Father

From afar, Wang Wang ran and skipped, a lively, adorable little sweet pea, chattering and shaking his head with his father. Behind him, his father, now thirty-four, had grown increasingly mature and composed, his presence as deep and unreadable as mountains and rivers. His nearly two-meter height exuded an intense sense of pressure that only melted away upon seeing his family, replaced by a tenderness reserved solely for his wife and sons. Amid his eldest son’s chatter, he smiled from time to time, utterly captivating.

As they neared the door, Wang Wang turned, leaped up, and his father, already bending down, carefully handed him the bouquet he was carrying.

The moment the door opened, Wang Wang laughed and shouted, his big eyes curving into crescents:

“Dad, Daddy brought you flowers!”

“Thank you, Wang Wang. Is Daddy too shy to give them to me himself again?”

“Today, I volunteered to help because I argued with a friend this morning. The teacher told Daddy this afternoon, but I didn’t need Daddy to tell you—I wanted to tell you myself. I already know I was wrong. Will you accept my apology?”

Shi Zai’s heart melted at Wang Wang’s cuteness. The little one was so articulate, adorable, and sensible, with such high emotional intelligence. Look at how he strung those sentences together—truly, he took after himself. He nodded repeatedly, “Good Wang Wang, so brave,” while holding Zhaozhao’s hand with his left and accepting the green pompom bouquet from Wang Wang with his right. He bent down to hug him and kissed Wang Wang’s forehead where his hair was parted.

The two little ones—one changing shoes, the other sitting on the floor examining his brother’s backpack. Shi Zai threw himself into the man’s arms, stood on tiptoe, hooked his arms around Shu Yangkuo’s neck, and brushed his lips against his:

“Ge, I missed you so much.”

“...Be good. Help me find some clothes.”

Shi Zai laughed and agreed, “Okay,” letting the man lead him toward the bedroom. He glanced back at the two boys and said, “Exchange gifts with your brother,” before suddenly leaping into the man’s arms, letting himself be carried away. Hehe.

A couple of days ago, Shu Yangkuo had gone to a neighboring city for an antique exhibition. He’d been away for two days and only returned that afternoon, heading straight to Wang Wang’s kindergarten for a parent-teacher meeting. Two days apart felt like an eternity, for both of them.

The moment the bedroom door closed, Shi Zai was pressed against the wall by the man, who descended upon him with a heavy, urgent kiss. All their emotions surged between them, rising with their breaths and mingling in their lips and teeth until their chests burned with the same heat.

When the man in his arms grew breathless, Shu Yangkuo paused slightly, his big eyes blinking at him. He tilted his head and chuckled softly, kissing those bright, burning eyes. “Be good, tonight,” he murmured. The one in his arms, displeased, bit his chin. Shu Yangkuo’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he covered those red, wet, slightly parted lips again. Shi Zai moaned incessantly, his feet rubbing restlessly behind the man’s back. If they couldn’t do it now, why kiss so shamelessly? His tongue tingled, his throat filled with an unusual warmth that surged all the way to his heart, and his lips were kissed into an unprecedented redness.

After disentangling himself from Shu Yangkuo, Shi Zai took deep breaths to adjust. Outside, the chattering had already begun. Ah, he couldn’t even get a touch in. He pushed the man toward the bathroom first, fetched his change of clothes, and took the opportunity to set out what they’d wear that night in the small living room. Hehe.

When he stepped out, thankfully, the two had already “amicably” exchanged gifts. Shi Zai could tell what had happened at a glance—it was hilarious. Wang Wang first gave his brother a model airplane, and Zhaozhao gave his brother a scribbled “red persimmon drawing.” Only then did Wang Wang take out the small cake he’d bought with Daddy on the way home, and Zhaozhao handed his brother the cheese pastry Dad had bought him that afternoon.

Hahaha!

So this was what Zhaozhao meant by “wait”—he had to see what his brother brought him before deciding what to give in return.

Both little ones were clever and enjoyed teasing each other. Though their teasing often led to unfriendly incidents, their dynamic was quite amusing—a good exercise for their brains, haha! One licked the tiny bit of cream on his palm-sized cake (kids love sweets, so to prevent overindulgence, they always ordered small cakes with only a thin layer of cream), while the other happily munched on his cheese pastry. Seeing them well-behaved, Shi Zai returned to the bedroom to check if Shu Yangkuo had finished showering. Hehe.

Just as he entered, he heard a “No!”—Zhaozhao’s voice. Shi Zai paused, then peeked through the door crack.

Wang Wang hadn’t wanted to eat his cake earlier, but seeing his brother enjoy it, he changed his mind and asked to trade a bite. Zhaozhao refused. Wang Wang leaned in close and pleaded, “Good Zhaozhao, Gege likes you the most. Just one bite? Next time, I’ll bring you a bigger cake.” Zhaozhao clearly didn’t believe him and ignored him. Wang Wang curved his eyes and added, “I’ll ask Daddy to buy it, okay?”

Only then did Zhaozhao hesitantly agree, pointing to a corner of the cake and insisting his brother take only from there. But Wang Wang misjudged his aim, biting not only off-target but also taking a much larger mouthful. Zhaozhao’s face tightened with anger, though he tried hard to suppress it. He shifted away slightly, but then his brother offered him the cheese pastry. He didn’t want it and blocked it with his arm. Wang Wang’s pastry fell onto the carpet, and he grew upset, not understanding why his brother was suddenly angry again. He nudged Zhaozhao with his elbow.

Zhaozhao’s face flushed red with rage. He shoved his brother hard, and Wang Wang shoved back, even knocking Zhaozhao’s cake askew... Zhaozhao knelt up, grabbed his brother’s collar, and pushed him harder... Wang Wang, who’d thought they were just playing around, was taken aback by his brother’s force. He flipped Zhaozhao over and punched him once... Zhaozhao struggled but couldn’t break free, pursing his lips to hold back tears... Wang Wang finally released him, but as he stood up, Zhaozhao chased after him and landed two small punches. Though it didn’t hurt much, Wang Wang was genuinely angry now. He pinned his brother down and hit him twice. Hmph, if his brother hit him, he’d hit back—it wasn’t like he started it.

Watching this, Shi Zai hesitated—should he step in? Probably not. It seemed they could handle it themselves.

Just as he turned to leave, he saw Zhaozhao, who had been quietly eating his cake, suddenly stand up. While Wang Wang was munching on his pastry and examining the model airplane, Zhaozhao kicked him—right on the hand, knocking the pastry to the floor—then quickly ran away.

Wang Wang froze, then saw his brother already climbing onto the sofa back, water gun in hand. Afraid of getting sprayed, he burst into tears.

In the bedroom, Shi Zai sighed helplessly and hurried out to mediate. Today’s case wasn’t too complicated, and he’d witnessed the whole thing—not bad. These two little rascals sometimes made him feel like Zhaozhao was the older one and Wang Wang the younger. Zhaozhao rarely cried after fights; even though he was smaller, he never let himself be bullied. If he was wronged, he’d find a way to retaliate. If he couldn’t, he wouldn’t cry to Daddy or Dad—he’d just ignore his brother. But if Daddy or Dad found out he’d been wronged, they’d make Wang Wang apologize.

Wang Wang was different. Though nearly three years older, he often seemed soft and sweet. At two, he’d been like a little cotton ball compared to Zhaozhao now, and he’d been shorter too. Even at five years and two months, he sometimes seemed gentle and yielding next to his strong-willed little brother. They were like two little tigers—haha!

Shi Zai sat them down on the mat and first said to Wang Wang, “Your brother is in an order-sensitive phase right now, like when you’re not feeling well. When someone’s uncomfortable, we can be a little more patient. When you’re upset, your brother makes allowances for you too. Besides, he only blocked you with his arm—he didn’t hit you. If you were unhappy, you could’ve asked what was wrong instead of pushing him.” Wang Wang, who genuinely adored his brother and now heard Dad’s reasoning, immediately apologized, “Didi, sorry.”

Zhaozhao glanced calmly at his brother and said, “It’s okay.”

Shi Zai then turned to Zhaozhao. “When your brother offered you the pastry, if you were upset, you should’ve said no. Blocking him made him think you were hitting him.” Zhaozhao remained tight-lipped. Shi Zai smiled and kissed him. “You could’ve kicked your brother, but compared to his hands, a kick is much stronger. Apologize to him too, okay?” After asking twice, Zhaozhao finally muttered “Sorry” without looking at his brother. Wang Wang immediately said, “It’s okay.”

Well, case closed.

But why did he still feel like Zhaozhao was holding a grudge? He did get an extra kick in, after all.

After making sure the boys finished their meal and allowing them fifteen minutes of TV time—sitting far apart, especially Zhaozhao, who completely ignored his brother—Shi Zai discussed the incident with Shu Yangkuo over dinner, feeling a headache coming on.

“Ge, Zhaozhao takes after you. Put yourself in his shoes—what’s there to be upset about?”

“...”

Shu Yangkuo fell silent. He was thirty-four—how was he supposed to relate to a two-year-old? Seeing the man speechless, Shi Zai kicked him under the table. Seriously, maybe Zhaozhao wasn’t originally this stubborn—he probably learned it from his father. He snorted, “Hurry up and say something. You’re so good at stewing in resentment—you must know what’s bothering Zhaozhao.”

“...It’s like now: if wifey deliberately wrongs me, I can’t get upset. If I do, it’s still my fault.”

“Hey—”

“My mistake. Just a random example.”

“...”

After a pause, Shi Zai suddenly understood and burst out laughing.

Truly, like father, like son. Zhaozhao could endure like his father, while Wang Wang was outgoing and expressive like himself.

Watching their interaction, Shi Zai saw parallels with himself and Shu Yangkuo. This time, Zhaozhao really had been wronged. He hadn’t wanted to share his cake in the first place, then his brother took too big a bite. When he got upset and refused the pastry, he only blocked with his arm—no intention of hitting—yet his brother struck him. Even if Wang Wang’s pastry fell, Zhaozhao’s cake was ruined too, and he was shoved aside. Plus, his brother pinned him down and hit him harder than his little fists could manage. That kick wasn’t excessive.

And initially, why couldn’t he be angry? His brother wrongly accused him, hit him, and in the end, he still had to apologize? Why?

Back in the living room, the cartoon had ended. Zhaozhao was building blocks by himself, and when Wang Wang approached, he ignored him. Shi Zai pulled Wang Wang aside and went through the incident again. Being older, Wang Wang understood his initial mistake and apologized once more, promising to buy a bigger cake tomorrow. Only then did Zhaozhao nod stiffly and say, “Forgive Gege,” and reluctantly allowed his overly lively brother to hug and sway with him.

Late at night, the two rascals finally slept. In the small living room, Shi Zai nestled in the man’s arms, fiddling with Shu Yangkuo’s eyelashes, and sighed.

“Husband, I’m almost losing interest in doing it with you...”