Are All You Straight Guys Like This Chapter 107

During the half hour waiting for Father Shen and Mother Shen, Shen Shi’s heart grew colder and colder.

He was so anxious he couldn’t even drink his milk. His two small hands clutched the bottle’s hanging handles, and tear tracks still lingered on his young, tightly drawn little cool-guy face. The moment any sound came from outside the yard, he was like a little rabbit with its ears pricked up, suddenly alert as he looked over. His narrow little phoenix eyes widened round, as if the next second he might hug the bottle and run.

Little Ye Ran sat beside him, wearing cute children’s clothes, two sections of lotus-root-white short arms hugging his bottle, gulping down his milk. He had just finished crying too; his jet-black eyes looked as if they’d been washed with water. Seeing that Shen Shi hadn’t taken a single sip, he spat out the nipple in his mouth and said in a muffled voice, “Big Brother… drink milk.”

This was Ye Ran’s favorite milk; every time he drank it very quickly.

But Mommy had taught him that drinking milk should be slow, otherwise it would choke his mouth. From then on, he learned to drink very slowly.

Little Shen Shi absentmindedly responded with an “oh,” picked up the bottle, and while drinking milk, kept rolling his eyes around to observe outside.

Seeing him seriously drinking milk, Ye Ran was finally satisfied and hugged his own bottle again.

He had been hungry for quite a while. The whole morning had been chaotic; his little tummy was empty too. With a mouthful of fragrant milk entering his mouth, he lowered his thin little phoenix eyes and drank seriously, sip by sip.

The sound of a car came from outside the door.

“Vroom vroom.”

Like a big monster descending from the sky in Ultraman.

Little Ye Ran blankly lifted his head. Beside him, little Shen Shi was already facing a great enemy, clinging to the railing as he stood up. He grabbed the railing, anxiously kicking his short little legs, as if trying to climb out of the railing, and as if mobilizing his clever little brain to think of how to escape today’s spanking.

D*mn it.

He clenched his little fists, making up his mind.

…He absolutely could not be spanked by Mom in front of little brother Ranran.

He was no longer a three-year-old kid. Embarrassing things like spanking would never happen to a cool guy like him.

All the psychological preparation he had made turned to ashes the instant the front door was pushed open and two familiar figures came into view.

“No!” little Shen Shi clung to the railing, his resolute little face full of tear tracks. “I absolutely won’t go with you—”

……

“Wanwan!”

A familiar female voice suddenly rang out. Little Shen Shi’s crying shout stopped short; little Ye Ran was startled too, slowly setting down his bottle. Together they clung to the railing and curiously looked outside.

A very beautiful aunt rushed in from outside the door, wearing a qipao, her hair tied into a gentle bun, with light, elegant makeup. It was clear she had carefully dressed up before coming. As soon as she entered, she didn’t look anywhere else, running straight toward Mother Chen, grabbing her hand with tear-filled eyes.

Little Ye Ran blinked. “…Mommy?”

His voice was obedient and soft. Little Shen Shi frowned slightly, realizing things were not simple. He vigilantly grabbed Ye Ran’s little hand and said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Ranran, that one is my mom.”

Little Ye Ran froze.

…Didn’t big brother have no dad and mom anymore?

With his very small mental capacity, he couldn’t think through so many things. After Shen Shi grabbed his little hand, he couldn’t keep his balance, wobbling before standing steady. He was very well-behaved and had a good temper; struggling to hold the railing with one hand, he continued to curiously look at that beautiful aunt.

The beautiful aunt and Mother Chen cried and laughed, hugging each other, talking nonstop. The handsome uncle who came in a step later also looked toward Father Ye, meeting the gaze of Father Ye, who had an arm around his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Then he laughed too and gave a hearty hug.

The four people at the entryway didn’t even move a single step, chatting for a full ten minutes.

The big ones played with the big ones; the little ones held hands with the little ones, watching eagerly.

After watching for a long time, Ye Ran rubbed his eyes. A flush surfaced on his soft little face, and he drooped his thin eyelids sleepily, saying to Shen Shi, “Big Brother, Ranran wants to sleep.”

After he finished speaking, his little bottom plopped down onto the blanket.

Getting sleepy after eating is a child’s natural instinct.

Shen Shi had long been plotting today’s running away from home. He had climbed out of bed before dawn in the morning, been tossed about along the road, walking for an hour before finally getting from his own front door to Ye Ran’s.

Now, after finishing warm milk, with a milky little dumpling beside him, he put on a serious little face and nodded steadily at Ye Ran. Then he went to the other side to grab a small teddy-bear blanket for sleeping, covering Ye Ran’s little tummy.

“Ranran, go to sleep.” With great big-brother style, he raised his little hand and patted Ye Ran’s tummy, then crawled into the blanket too, shoulder to shoulder with little Ye Ran. Suppressing the small excitement in his heart, he said, “Big Brother will stay with you.”

Little Ye Ran was so sleepy he couldn’t open his eyes. He obediently nodded. He was covered in a fragrant milky smell; earlier, when he drank milk, some had dripped onto his clothes, which Shen Shi had wiped off for him with tissues.

Aside from Dad and Mom, this was the first time Ye Ran had met someone who would wipe milk stains for him.

He quietly scooted a bit closer to little Shen Shi, pursed his lips, and a small dimple appeared on his snow-white cheek. He felt that Big Brother Shen Shi was really a good person.

……

When Chen Wan, Jiang Ruyan, and the others finally entered the living room to check on the two children, they discovered that Ye Ran and Shen Shi were already shoulder to shoulder, curled up in the blanket, fast asleep.

The two little bottles were placed by the bed, clearly meant to be continued after waking up.

Ye Ran didn’t have the habit of leaving milk unfinished.

This little habit was obviously Shen Shi’s.

Jiang Ruyan’s gaze fell on her own son. Looking at little Shen Shi’s sleeping face, cheeks flushed pink, she felt both exasperated and amused. “This little brat…”

Growing up smoothly to this point, countless moments in Jiang Ruyan’s life when she was at her wit’s end were all because of this stubborn and rebellious son who was already so willful at such a young age.

Who knew where this little brat got such courage, not only daring to run away from home, but also daring to casually go home with someone else.

If she hadn’t coincidentally run into Chen Wan, she really wouldn’t know where she’d go to cry.

Chen Wan smiled warmly, took out her phone, and started taking photos of the two children. With a “click,” the moment was frozen: two fair, tender little dumplings, equally adorable, cheeks rosy, like two well-behaved little angels.

“Alright, let them sleep here,” Chen Wan walked into the playpen, tucked the two little ones in, and pulled down the light-blocking curtain. “Let’s keep our voices down and go talk over there.”

Jiang Ruyan nodded. “Okay, where were we just now, finding a kindergarten for Ranran, right? Shen Shi also needs to go to kindergarten. I did quite a bit of homework before; let’s go look together.”

She and Chen Wan went to talk, but Shen Hanqing and Ye Huaishan couldn’t move. The two taciturn men were left by the playpen to watch the kids.

Truly stifled, the two moved a bit farther from the playpen. Ye Huaishan lowered his voice and asked Shen Hanqing with interest, “What’s going on? How did your kid end up running away from home?”

Being teased like this by his good brother, Shen Hanqing’s face turned a bit green. Frankly speaking, from graduating university to now, they’d only been apart five or six years, still retaining a bit of youthful temperament. Both were rookie dads, with endless shared topics to talk about.

“ I signed him up for a calligraphy class at the youth center… He probably doesn’t want to go and is putting up a fight with me.”

Ye Huaishan paused, looking suspiciously toward Shen Shi over there. “How old is Little Shi this year?”

“Three and a half.”

Ye Huaishan: “?”

Ye Huaishan thought about how he and Chen Wan practically wanted to feed Ye Ran every bite, then looked at the cold expression on Shen Hanqing’s face, and deeply suspected he had misheard.

“At three years old you already signed him up for interest classes?” Ye Huaishan said. “Aren’t you talking nonsense.”

Shen Hanqing’s face was expressionless. Before Shen Shi was even born, he had already drawn up a whole notebook of life goals for him. Back then he had been so excited and enthusiastic; now he was just as frustrated and powerless.

“I was too anxious,” he sighed. “In the future, I’ll just let things happen naturally.”

He pulled himself together and asked Ye Huaishan, “What about you? I remember back when we graduated, you and Chen Wan both planned to settle in the capital.”

Ye Huaishan’s expression changed slightly. There was a deeply hidden chill in his eyes as he said calmly, “Something happened on Ranran’s maternal grandmother’s side. Wanwan and I didn’t want to stay in the capital anymore.”

“Oh.” Shen Hanqing didn’t ask further, instead continuing, “I wanted to say earlier, Ranran looks a bit physically weak. The south’s climate nourishes people; settling here is good.”

“When we considered coming to Haicheng, that was one of the factors.”

What parent in the world doesn’t think for their children? For Ye Ran’s sake, Ye Huaishan and Chen Wan could truly be said to have exhausted every effort.

“When Wanwan was pregnant with Ranran, her body was damaged. Both of them had to be raised carefully by me,” Ye Huaishan said.

Catching the underlying meaning in his words, Shen Hanqing lifted his eyelids, took out a cigarette, and handed it to Ye Huaishan. “About the same, I got a vasectomy too.”

Ye Huaishan: “……”

Ye Huaishan: “…………”

Ye Huaishan silently handed the cigarette he’d just taken back. He looked at Shen Hanqing with a complicated expression, then thought of Shen Shi’s heroic feat of daring to run away from home at three years old, and for a moment couldn’t understand why he’d had a vasectomy.

The two men fell silent. After a moment, Shen Hanqing said, “There’s a lake behind the villa area where you can fish. When should we make a date to go?”

“I’m free anytime. I don’t start work until early September,” Ye Huaishan said.

“Oh, right, I remember, you’re a math teacher, right? Teaching pressure at No. 1 High School is pretty heavy. Work hard. When Ranran and Shen Shi grow up and test in, you might even get to teach them.”

“Teach them, or manage them?”

Shen Hanqing laughed, not taking it seriously. “Come on, my kid doesn’t look like the type who’d have an early romance.”

Ye Huaishan was unhurried as well, his tone carrying a bit of pride. “Mine too. Very well-behaved.”

The two exchanged a knowing smile and happily moved on to other topics.

After entering the twenty-first century, people’s living standards rose rapidly.

At some point, “letting kids win at the starting line” became parents’ catchphrase.

Nearly a week had passed since the Ye and Shen families reunited.

During this week, due to little Shen Shi’s stubborn temperament, the Ye household became his second home. At night he had to hug little brother Ranran to sleep, and when drinking neinei he insisted on sitting in a row with little brother Ranran, glug glug drinking together.

It was afternoon. The sun was setting, dyeing the sky a pale orange.

The temperature wasn’t too high. A gentle breeze blew toward them. In the Ye family’s small garden, little Ye Ran and little Shen Shi squatted on the ground, their small heads pressed together, curiously watching ants move house.

The two wore matching children’s outfits, little short-sleeved tops and little shorts. Both were carefully raised, their small frames chubby, fair, and adorable.

Jiang Ruoyan and Chen Wan had nothing to do. While watching the kids, they were also watching a drama together. In the TV show, a young idol was walking out of a swimming pool, abs on display. The two aunties both hissed at the same time, clicking their tongues in amazement.

“Pei Yan is almost thirty, right? After all these years, how is he still so handsome?”

“Back then you bought so many of his postcards and posters. Turns out your taste really was good.”

“Oh right, I heard Pei Yan got secretly married long ago and already has a kid, three years old.”

“I know too. I heard the reason it got exposed was because Pei Yan went to pick up his kid from an interest class one night.”

“Interest class? Going to interest classes at three years old?” Chen Wan was surprised.

Jiang Ruoyan said, “Yeah. Nowadays it’s all about cultivating interests from a young age. If Little Shi hadn’t resisted so fiercely back then, he’d probably be learning calligraphy now too.”

Chen Wan slowly put down the cup in her hand, her brows knitting slightly. This was her first time being a mom too, and she put one hundred percent of her attention into Ye Ran. Although she’d never thought her way of raising Ye Ran was wrong, after hearing that other parents were putting in more effort for their children’s futures, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“What you’re saying isn’t wrong either…” She thought for a moment, pondering. “Ranran is still too young now. Putting him into interest classes isn’t realistic. Doesn’t the youth center have trial classes? Another day I’ll take Ranran to have a look. If Ranran is interested, I’ll let him try it out. If he’s not interested, I won’t force him, just let him play freely.”

Jiang Ruoyan smiled. “Then I’ll go with you, and bring Little Shi along too. We can also see what he likes.”

With the decision made, they both suddenly felt pressed for time. When Monday came, they took little Ye Ran and little Shen Shi together to the youth center.

Shen Hanqing and Ye Huaishan both had jobs.

With school about to start, Ye Huaishan also had to go to school early for unified course training.

The youth center was very lively on Monday, voices everywhere.

The youth center frequently held public classes and trial lessons, and also cooperated with schools, having them organize children to come for spring and autumn outings. In the evenings there would even be unified performances, firmly grasping children’s little psyches.

Today the weather was fine, with a big sun. Along the youth center’s long, tree-lined road, shadows were layered. Dappled light filtered through the branches, sprinkling onto the baby strollers.

Jiang Ruoyan and Chen Wan pushed the strollers, leaflets in hand, planning to first look at the most basic courses like drawing and music.

Little Ye Ran lay inside the stroller, a cute little bear plush placed by his cheek. In his arms he hugged a milk bottle as big as his tummy. He gripped the bottle’s little hanging handle and looked around curiously. Reflected in his jet-black pupils was a little sheep balloon floating up into the sky.

Wow~ ball ball.

In the stroller on the other side, little Shen Shi irritably kicked at the safety straps tangled around him. His narrow little phoenix eyes stared accusingly at Jiang Ruoyan. Jiang Ruoyan and Chen Wan were discussing the youth center’s courses, looking even more excited than the two kids, brimming with enthusiasm and constant laughter.

He despairingly realized his mom was unreliable. He could only slowly sit up and look to the side. From the neighboring stroller, little Ye Ran’s soft voice drifted over. His mouth still held milk, his words not very clear: “Big Brother Little Shi, you have to sit nicely, okay, like Ranran~”

Little Shen Shi’s ears turned red. Pouting, he asked unhappily, “Ranran, don’t you want to hold hands with big brother?”

The stroller’s light-blocking cover was pulled very long. Most of little Ye Ran’s body was hidden, with only his legs in little shorts exposed. Chen Wan had put socks on him; the socks reached his calves and were embroidered with cute little flowers.

Little Ye Ran huffed and puffed as he lifted his body, realized he couldn’t sit up, tilted his head to think for a moment, then put the milk bottle aside and waved his fair little arms. “Big Brother Little Shi~ can’t reach~”

Little Shen Shi’s eyes lit up. He pressed his lips together, cheeks puffed bright red, and stretched his arm with all his might, but still couldn’t reach Ye Ran’s little hand. Tired, he furrowed his small brows, and finally got angry, calling out irritably to Jiang Ruoyan, “Mom!”

The two moms, their chins resting on the armrests, smiling as they watched the little ones converse, exchanged a glance. Before little Shen Shi could cry in anger, they loosened the straps around him and carried him down to the ground.

The stroller wasn’t big enough to seat two people.

Jiang Ruoyan looked at Shen Shi and patiently said, “If you want to play with Ranran, you’ll have to walk, okay.”

With the straps no longer wrapped around him, and able to see soft, squishy little Ye Ran drinking neinei, little Shen Shi felt refreshed all over. He clung to the side of the stroller, craning his neck to look eagerly at his little brother. “Little Brother Ranran~”

Little Ye Ran lay on a pillow padded with a fleece blanket. His beautifully shaped little almond-phoenix eyes blinked; his eyelids were thin, his lashes long and fine. He smiled obediently and softly, as if there were a plump, watery purple grape hidden in his eyes. “Big Brother Little Shi, here, drink neinei.”

He handed over the little milk bottle.

Shen Shi wasn’t in a rush to see his little brother now; his mouth was very dry too. He took Ye Ran’s little milk bottle, and before Jiang Ruoyan had time to stop him, he gulped down half the bottle heroically, then handed it back and set it beside Ye Ran’s little pillow.

“Thank you, little brother.”

Jiang Ruoyan had just taken Shen Shi’s own milk bottle out of the stroller pouch. Seeing this, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You child…”

Chen Wan laughed. “The two little ones get along so well.”

“Isn’t that so. At home he’s very particular, drinking water has a special cup, eating has a special bowl, even chopsticks have to be his own,” Jiang Ruoyan ruthlessly complained. “But in front of Ranran, he doesn’t care at all.”

Hearing this, Chen Wan burst out laughing.

Both of them thought Shen Shi wouldn’t last long, but to accommodate his pace, they slowed their steps.

Little Shen Shi clung to Ye Ran’s stroller just like that, his little face taut, seriously walking forward step by step, chest out and head high, like a path-opening, spirited little knight.

The shoes he wore today were his favorite little sneakers, printed with Ultraman patterns. In the past, as long as he wore these shoes, little Shen Shi would sit in his mom’s arms with a cool little face and resolutely refuse to get down.

Now the shoes were dirty, yet he only pursed his lips and turned to ask Jiang Ruoyan, “Mom, will the shoes become clean?”

“Of course,” Jiang Ruoyan smiled. “Do you want to wash them yourself?”

Little Shen Shi hummed in response. “I’m a man. I do my own things myself.”

In the stroller beside him, little Ye Ran struggled to sit up, a cowlick sticking up messily. His round, bright eyes looked at little Shen Shi in confusion, but he still obediently spoke up. “Big Brother Little Shi, Ranran help you wash~”

Little Shen Shi was instantly moved. He clenched his fists and said with great composure, “No need! I’ll wash little brother’s shoes too!”

Chen Wan immediately laughed even louder.

Jiang Ruoyan let out a snort of laughter, her face also wearing a look of enjoying the spectacle.

After checking the map, the nearest drawing interest class was still a few hundred meters away.

Little Shen Shi had only walked for a few minutes when sweat appeared on his cheeks. He was panting heavily, yet still pressed his little lips together, stubbornly not making a sound.

Little Ye Ran held the milk in his hands, rushing to the rescue: feeding milk and wiping sweat. His small palms had to work together just to hold the bottle, yet he still brought it to Shen Shi’s mouth the very first moment, his voice soft. “Big Brother Little Shi, drink neinei.”

Little Shen Shi gulped down a mouthful of milk, and his whole body filled with strength again.

Chen Wan smiled, thought for a moment, then shifted Ye Ran a bit to the side. When buying the stroller, she had considered comfort, and since Ye Ran liked all kinds of plush toys, she had bought a size larger.

Now, stuffing in Shen Shi after taking off his shoes, the two little dumplings squeezed together. Like the Cowherd and Weaver Girl without the Magpie Bridge between them, they immediately grabbed each other’s little hands, cheeks pressed together.

“Big Brother Little Shi~”

Little Shen Shi was extremely satisfied with what Chen Wan had done. His little phoenix eyes shot her a glance full of praise. Before Chen Wan started pushing the stroller, he didn’t forget to remind the idle Jiang Ruoyan beside them, his tone heavier, carrying a serious milky voice. “Mom, don’t forget my shoes.”

“Got it,” Jiang Ruoyan lifted his little sneakers. “I’m holding them.”

Finally able to speed up, inside the light-blocking cover, a gentle breeze blew in. Little Ye Ran and little Shen Shi had already started whispering to each other. With their childish words, the two lay together on little Shen Shi’s head pillow, little feet lifted and swinging back and forth, leisurely beyond measure.

“Big Brother Little Shi, what is a cricket class?”

“It’s not a cricket class, it’s an interest class.”

“What is interest?”

“It’s… um, something you like. Like Ultraman.”

“Wow, big brother, is there Ultraman here?”

“My mom said it has everything here. It definitely has Ultraman too.”

“Yay yay~ Ranran wants to see Ultraman~ Ranran wants to see Diga.”

“No, Ranran, there’s no Diga here. There’s definitely Zero here. Do you want to watch Zero with Big Brother?”

“……”

Author’s note: this is the carefree toddler phase

The expected bamboo-horse line is: athlete Shen x art student Ran

Of course, Big Brother’s academics are still amazing, and he’ll tutor his little brother