🍒 Chapter 47: Extra 2
It turned out that the reason Chu Chu had been hesitating and stammering was because he had done poorly on the last diagnostic maths test. The teacher had called in a parent. Xie Chenzhou went, and Chu Chu had begged Big Daddy not to tell Daddy about it.
Chu Chu’s maths had always been bad. Shen Shuyi knew this.
Shen Shuyi took a deep breath. “It’s fine. Failing a test isn’t a big deal. What matters most is not making the same mistakes again.” Shen Shuyi said coldly, “Where did you go wrong? Did you make an error notebook? Take it out and let Daddy see.”
He didn’t want to become an annoying parent, but it was really hard to control himself ahhh!!
After explaining several wrong questions and watching Shen Yuechu make up the problems he had been too lazy to copy into his error notebook, Xie Chenzhou had already finished cooking dinner.
Shen Yuechu hopped downstairs with Shen Shuyi. “Big Daddy!” He ran into the dining room and clung to Xie Chenzhou, who was setting out the bowls and chopsticks. “I want to wear that shiny lantern outfit to Third Uncle’s concert. Is that okay?”
That outfit was something Shen Yuechu had bought online. Once, while waiting for Xie Chenzhou to get off work at his company, he had borrowed the computer in Xie Chenzhou’s office to go online. Somehow, he ended up browsing a shopping site and saw a lantern outfit with built-in light bulbs that actually lit up. He was instantly amazed and made such a fuss about it that he insisted on buying it.
Xie Chenzhou always spoiled the child. Without a second word, he placed the order.
When it arrived and Shen Shuyi saw it, he truly could not endure the child’s taste.
The outfit was bright orange-yellow. The top was a suspender-style piece paired with a small shirt with lantern sleeves. The bottom was a round, puffy lantern-shaped skirt. Inside the skirt were many tiny light bulbs that ran on batteries.
The key problem was that the skirt’s quality was extremely questionable. When Shen Yuechu tried it on once after it arrived, he found that the lights did not turn on, so he asked Big Daddy to contact customer service.
The customer service representative said it was because the batteries were not installed.
But in fact, the lining of the skirt already contained the complimentary batteries.
There were no batteries of that size at home. That night, Xie Chenzhou specifically drove to a small supermarket far from the villa area to buy a box. He replaced the old batteries with new ones, but it still did not light up.
When they contacted customer service again, the other side directly ignored them, saying the skirt had already been worn and could not be returned.
It was practically forced buying. Shen Shuyi rolled up his sleeves and wanted to take the phone to argue, but Xie Chenzhou stopped him and said it was fine as long as the child liked it.
Afterward, he went to the high-end custom clothing studio he often visited and found a tailor willing to take the job. The tailor helped repair the skirt, and for the sake of the child’s comfort, even replaced the cheap, rough lining fabric. They also bought new coloured lights and sewed them in. Finally, the skirt could be worn and could light up.
But that was all.
There was really no occasion where such an outfit could be worn. Even after being altered, it could only sit at home gathering dust.
What child would go out wearing a bright, ugly lantern outfit?
Oh wait. Shen Yuechu would.
He wanted to wear it to a concert.
Shen Shuyi felt utterly powerless, but Big Daddy agreed, so Shen Yuechu was happy again.
Two days later, Shen Shuyi specially swapped shifts and went to the neighbouring city with Xie Chenzhou and Shen Yuechu.
Xie Chenzhou did not call a driver. He drove himself.
Shen Yuechu put on his beloved yellow lantern skirt.
As soon as he got in the car, he kept switching the little lights in the skirt on and off. Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Shuyi was almost blinded by the flashing from the back seat.
“Chu Chu,” Shen Shuyi tried to negotiate, “didn’t we bring other clothes too? Why don’t you change first, and then change back into this when we get to Uncle’s place?”
More importantly, the skirt even had a hoop underneath. It was a three-hour drive from H City to the neighbouring city. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to sit in the car wearing something soft and close-fitting?
“I don’t want to!” Shen Yuechu was stubborn. “I want to wear this.”
The child was getting older. Parents could not be too controlling. Shen Shuyi warned himself and decided to let him be.
Halfway through the drive, Shen Yuechu had already fallen asleep in his child safety seat in the back.
They passed a service area, and Xie Chenzhou stopped briefly so they could rest.
Worried that Shen Yuechu might need to use the toilet, Shen Shuyi woke him up.
The child rubbed his eyes and said he needed to pee and wanted Daddy to go with him.
Shen Shuyi took his hand and got out of the car. As expected, he saw that the hoop of the lantern skirt had been completely crushed from sitting.
At first, Shen Yuechu didn’t notice. Then he turned around and looked hard at his back. His world collapsed. “My lantern bubble skirt!”
He burst into loud sobs at the service area.
A cute little Omega, wearing a glowing but deflated bubble skirt, stood at the entrance of the service area crying his eyes out, utterly heartbroken.
Shen Shuyi’s head felt like it had split in two. “Alright, stop crying. Didn’t Daddy remind you earlier to change clothes for the car ride? How about this—if there’s still time when we get to Uncle’s place, Daddy will take you to the mall to buy a new outfit, okay?”
“I don’t want it! I want the bubble skirt, waaaah—”
When Shen Yuechu cried, the world practically shook. Xie Chenzhou had originally gone into the service area to buy some snacks for Shen Shuyi and the child, but hearing the loud crying, he had no choice but to come back.
“Big Daddy…” Shen Yuechu rubbed his eyes and reached out to him. “My skirt is broken…”
Xie Chenzhou bent down and picked him up. “Then what do you want to do?”
Xie Chenzhou was always very efficient when communicating with anyone. He spoke directly to solve the problem.
Sure enough, as soon as he asked, Shen Yuechu was stumped. “I want to wear the bubble skirt so I’ll be the most eye-catching kid at Third Uncle’s concert!”
Wearing the bubble skirt to a concert itself was not a problem. Shen Shuhan’s concerts handed out glow sticks, and many fans brought their own light boards. It would not affect other people’s experience.
The problem was that the skirt had already collapsed.
Xie Chenzhou said, “Then don’t use the hoop?”
“No, that would be ugly…” Shen Yuechu cried so hard he blew a snot bubble. “I want it, I want it!” He started being unreasonable.
Shen Shuyi had a headache. He decided to go buy snacks instead and leave this mess to Xie Chenzhou.
When Shen Shuyi came back from the service area with snacks, Shen Yuechu had already been soothed. Xie Chenzhou was on the phone. Seeing Shen Shuyi come out, he gestured for him to take the child to the toilet.
Shen Shuyi took Shen Yuechu’s hand and brought him to the restroom.
“What did Big Daddy say?” Shen Shuyi asked.
Shen Yuechu wasn’t crying anymore, but he had cried too hard earlier and was still sniffling. “Big Daddy said… he’ll… he’ll have the tailor take a ride and bring me a new hoop…”
Shen Shuyi: “.”
Good grief.
That was a tailor from a high-end custom studio…
Probably more expensive than Shen Shuhan’s concert stylist…
Shen Shuyi felt that after today, he might have to enshrine this ugly bubble skirt on Shen Yuechu’s behalf.
When they arrived in the neighbouring city, the family of three went to the hotel first. The concert wouldn’t start until the evening. Shen Shuyi asked Shen Shuhan, who was currently resting and doing makeup backstage at the venue.
Rehearsals had already finished the day before. Although backstage was busy, Shen Shuhan allowed Shen Shuyi to bring his little nephew over to have a look.
The tailor wasn’t arriving that quickly. They still had to wait for him to replace the hoop, so Shen Yuechu had no choice but to change into another outfit first.
Shen Shuyi asked if Shen Yuechu wanted to go backstage to see Uncle now.
Shen Yuechu hesitated. “Then when is the tailor uncle coming…” He even started acting spoiled.
Xie Chenzhou said, “Half an hour.”
“Then let’s go after half an hour…” He twisted shyly and hugged Daddy’s waist.
The child knew he wasn’t in the right at the moment and began deploying large amounts of spoiled behaviour.
“In half an hour, Uncle might not have time anymore. We’ll only be able to go in through the main entrance and wait for the concert to start,” Shen Shuyi reminded him.
“Then… then what about my skirt if we go see Uncle?”
Shen Shuyi looked at Xie Chenzhou.
After a brief moment of thought, Xie Chenzhou said, “Bring the skirt backstage.”
He meant to ask whether Shen Shuhan could let the tailor fix the skirt in the backstage area.
This really was…
Xie Chenzhou truly had a way with spoiling children…
Shen Shuyi had no choice but to ask Shen Shuhan. Unexpectedly, Shen Shuhan was also very interested in Shen Yuechu’s bubble skirt. “What kind of skirt do you like that much? Bring it over and let me see! It’s fine. If the tailor can’t handle it, I still have stylists here!”
So the family of three brought the skirt and set off.
Backstage, Shen Shuhan—beautifully dressed and fully made up—finally saw his little nephew. Having not seen each other in a long time, the two hugged and clung to each other for a while. Shen Shuhan asked, “Baby Chu Chu, where’s your bubble skirt? Hurry and open it up for Uncle to see!”
Shen Yuechu took the large bag holding the bubble skirt from Xie Chenzhou’s hands and shook the outfit out. “This is it! Ta-da! Uncle, I really love it! Don’t you think it looks great?!”
Shen Shuhan’s expression went from eager anticipation to something indescribable.
“Bought online. Eighty yuan,” Shen Shuyi mouthed to him.
Shen Shuhan’s expression became even more indescribable.
When he finally saw the tailor from the high-end custom studio appear, the look on his face turned completely ashen. “A designer I couldn’t even invite after five years of being a brand ambassador actually flew here just to deliver a hoop for an eighty-yuan skirt for your kid?”
Was there no justice in this world?
After replacing the hoop, Shen Yuechu was happy again. He put on his ugly lantern bubble skirt and turned on the little lights inside it.
“Uncle, do your best! I’ll cheer you on from the audience!” Shen Yuechu clenched his little fists and made a “fighting!” gesture at Shen Shuhan.
Shen Shuhan said, “Thank you, beautiful baby. I’ll do my best!”
Shen Yuechu was extremely proud.
Uncle had called him a beautiful baby!
The family of three watched a wonderful concert from the audience.
Shen Yuechu successfully became the most eye-catching (self-proclaimed) child in the audience.
In truth, for Shen Yuechu, as long as he was with Daddy and Big Daddy, no matter what they were doing, he was super happy.
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