Blushing, Bai Shu stepped forward to cover the little fellow’s mouth, denying it with bristling hair, “We weren’t pressing together, and we weren’t hugging! You’re just imagining things!”
Clinging tightly to his big brother’s neck, Doudou declared indignantly, “Doudou saw it!”
“What did you even see? Shall I show you the playback later?” Bai Shu felt completely numb as he caught Xie Xiran’s gaze from behind.
His little brother was always stirring up trouble for him.
Doudou planted a sloppy kiss on his big brother’s cheek. “You’re not allowed to hug anyone else!”
Bai Shu’s face darkened. “I didn’t hug anyone!”
Just how long had it been since he and Xie Xiran confirmed their relationship? They had only held hands twice, let alone hugged that simply hadn’t happened at all.
Stepping out, Xie Xiran calmly helped tie the waist straps of Bai Shu’s apron before looking down at Doudou to say earnestly, “We were just tying the apron.”
Doudou reached out a hand to stop him, but Xie Xiran had already finished tying it and taken two steps back.
A smile danced in his eyes as he looked at Doudou, deliberately asking, “Does Doudou want big brother to carry you?”
Hearing this, Doudou withdrew his hand, pressing his little face tightly against Bai Shu’s neck. “I don’t want an uncle to carry me.”
Xie Xiran: ……
Bai Shu: ……
Exasperated, Bai Shu tossed him onto the sofa. “Go play with Zhuyi here. You drank plenty of milk, but your big brother is still starving.”
He reached out as if to flick Doudou’s forehead again, but stopped himself when he spotted the band-aid stuck there.
He had placed it in a cross shape, and now it looked utterly ridiculous plastered across the little fellow’s forehead.
Bai Shu let out a snort. “Pfft.”
Having just scrambled back up, Doudou heard his big brother laughing at him: ???
Dragging Xie Xiran back into the kitchen, Bai Shu offered an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, Doudou’s temper is a bit difficult.”
Looking at his somewhat guilty boyfriend, Xie Xiran thought to himself that this wasn’t just a difficult temper the kid simply had a bone to pick with him.
Still, it seemed Doudou was well aware of their relationship; otherwise, his attitude wouldn’t be quite like this.
He reached out to ruffle the top of Bai Shu’s head. “It’s fine, he’s still little.”
He’ll understand eventually.
His ears burning from the touch, Bai Shu quickly scrambled out from under Xie Xiran’s hand and changed the subject. “Let’s start cooking, you must be hungry too.”
Xie Xiran let out a soft chuckle. “Alright, I’ll be your sous-chef.”
“Okay.”
Good thing Doudou didn’t see this last part. If he saw Shushu taking the initiative to pull Xie Xiran in, and Xie Xiran patting Shushu’s head, he’d probably throw another fit. That was hilarious just now, Doudou looked so devastated, practically radiating a “all you dirty men stay away from my big brother” vibe. I’m dying of laughter, Shushu was driven half-crazy. Doudou is too cute though! Xie-ge kept calling himself ‘big brother’, but Doudou saw right through it and refused to let him get away with it. Xie-ge is so funny.
Before long, delicious aromas drifted out of the kitchen, and Doudou quietly contemplated sneaking over to check things out.
Xie Zhuyi tugged at the brim of his hat. “Put your shoes on first.”
Pouting unhappily, Doudou wiggled his little feet and let Xie Zhuyi put his shoes on for him.
Once they were on, Xie Zhuyi steadied him as he slid down from the sofa.
Hand in hand, the two of them trotted over to inspect the kitchen.
Inside, one was tossing food in a wok while the other handed over pre-chopped ingredients ready to go into the pan.
Every now and then, they would exchange glances and smile, wrapping the space in a relaxed, cozy atmosphere.
Doudou opened his mouth to say something, but Xie Zhuyi covered it with his hand and dragged him away from the scene.
Doudou muffled a sound: “Mmph “
“Let’s go find the big brothers later, they’re kind of busy right now.” Xie Zhuyi rubbed his own tummy. “Aren’t you hungry, Doudou?”
He was starving.
Glancing at him, Doudou could only clench his little fists in frustration. “Then we’ll talk after we eat.”
Xie Zhuyi pulled him over to play with toys, and before long, Doudou had completely cast his big brother to the back of his mind.
In the kitchen, Bai Shu used his chopsticks to pick up a chunk of meat and offered it to Xie Xiran. “Taste this first.”
Xie Xiran had been looking forward to Shushu’s cooking for a while now; one bite in, and the savory flavor exploded in his mouth.
The look of pure enjoyment on his face gave Bai Shu an instant surge of confidence.
Bai Shu’s eyes curved into crescent shapes as he smiled. “Is it good?”
Xie Xiran gave him a thumbs-up. “Incredible. I want to eat this every day.”
He muttered the last part under his breath, but Bai Shu caught it anyway. “Huh?”
“Is that not allowed?” Xie Xiran looked at him with deep, intense eyes.
“Of course it is.”
Bai Shu quickly turned his head back to focus on the wok.
Ahhhhhh what did he say, let us hear it too! I only caught “is that not allowed?” Can someone save us?! I replayed it carefully, Xie-ge seemed to say “I want to eat this next time too!” Holy crap, are they actually secretly together?! I think it’s real! I don’t care, in my eyes they’re a couple. What good friends walk around radiating pink bubbles like that? Ship!
In total, they prepared five dishes and a soup.
Even Doudou couldn’t resist coming over to sit obediently in his high chair, staring longingly at the food.
Amused by his little expression, Bai Shu teased, “Eat properly, no more mischief.”
Doudou stuck out his tongue and urged impatiently, “Hurry up, hurry up, Doudou is starving.”
“Coming,” Xie Xiran said.
Doudou glared fiercely: !!
Xie Xiran had already figured out a bit about the little guy. He didn’t mind the glares at all as he reached out to pinch the child’s cheek. “Dig in.”
Doudou felt like he was about to burst with anger.
Still, looking at all the delicious food spread before him, he decided to postpone settling scores with Xie Xiran until after his meal.
Xie Zhuyi was practically drooling in admiration. “Shushu-gege is amazing!”
At that, Doudou chimed in, “You should call my big brother ‘Uncle’! Let’s keep our titles separate.”
Bai Shu and Xie Xiran: ……
Are we ever going to move past this title thing?
Bai Shu picked up some food and stuffed it into the little fellow’s mouth. “Just eat your dinner.”
Doudou let out a happy little hum of satisfaction his big brother was feeding him!
The other three were already starving; with so much delicious food on the table, every last plate was licked clean.
Sprawling out his little belly, Doudou whimpered and asked Shushu to rub it for him. “Rub it~”
Bai Shu reached out to stroke his tummy. “I told you to watch yourself earlier, yet you still went and stuffed yourself.”
Bai Shu’s hand felt cool against Doudou’s belly, tickling him playfully.
“Hahaha, ticklish~”
Catching the opportunity, Doudou scrambled right into Bai Shu’s lap, his eyes half-closed. “Sleepy”
Bai Shu pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, carefully avoiding the band-aid. “Go to sleep, then.”
Looking at the time, it was right around the little guy’s usual naptime.
Xie Xiran took the initiative to stand up and clear the table.
Startled, Bai Shu protested, “It’s fine, just leave it there. I’ll load the dishwasher later.”
Cooking was one thing, but he didn’t dare make Xie Xiran wash the dishes.
Xie Zhuyi chimed in to help as well. “It’s alright, Gege, you just go put Doudou to sleep.”
“It’s Uncle“
The little fellow mumbled sleepily, his words slurring so much it was hard to tell whether he was saying “Uncle” or “Shushu.”
Standing on his tiptoes to peek, Xie Zhuyi saw that the younger boy was already fast asleep.
“Doudou’s asleep,” Xie Zhuyi whispered.
Gazing at Doudou’s sleeping face, Xie Zhuyi felt a yawn coming on.
He was getting sleepy too.
Bai Shu warmly offered, “Do you want to go upstairs and take a nap with Doudou?”
Xie Zhuyi looked to Xie Xiran, who nodded in response.
That counted as permission. Beaming, Xie Zhuyi answered, “Okay!”
Of course he wanted to sleep with the younger boy he was eager to try out Doudou’s bed and see if it was as wonderfully comfortable as he imagined.
Leading the two kids upstairs, Bai Shu said, “Don’t worry about cleaning up yet, I’ll come down and help you in a bit.”
With that, he headed up first.
Xie Xiran deposited the plates into the sink, then squatted down to inspect the dishwasher.
He had genuinely never used one before.
Luckily, the operation turned out to be quite simple; by the time Bai Shu came back downstairs, Xie Xiran had already loaded all the dishes inside.
Xie Xiran said, “All done. You go sit down and take a break.”
He gently nudged Bai Shu’s back to usher him out of the kitchen.
The afternoon sunlight was quite pleasant, giving Bai Shu a rare moment of relaxation.
Even so, having cameras stationed on both his left and right made him feel somewhat self-conscious.
“How long have you been cooking?” Xie Xiran asked out of curiosity.
Bai Shu smiled. “I’ve liked it since I was little, never really took formal classes though.”
“That’s amazing. I’ll have to ask you for pointers sometime, if you have the time.”
Xie Xiran said casually.
Bai Shu felt like the way they were talking felt rather strange, carrying the illicit thrill of flirting right under the cameras’ noses.
“Of course. Or you can just text me whatever you want to eat, and I can make it for you.”
“Oh? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
Shielded by the back of the sofa, Xie Xiran’s hand had already quietly reached out to clasp Bai Shu’s fingers.
Bai Shu gave a start at the contact, nearly dropping the cup in his hand.
His eyes darting nervously around, he tried to pull his hand back, but Xie Xiran held on firmly, rubbing his thumb against the back of Bai Shu’s hand.
Bai Shu’s cheeks flushed red.
His hands were tiny, barely half the size of Xie Xiran’s, allowing Xie Xiran’s large palm to completely envelop them.
Yet his fingers were long and straight holding them made it impossible to let go.
Toying with his fingers, Xie Xiran asked a question with a feigned air of innocence: “Your face is red.”
Lifting his teacup, Bai Shu denied it instantly. “No, it isn’t.”
With that, he took a large gulp of warm water. “I drank a bit too much water, and this tea is kind of hot.”
Leaning back against the sofa cushion, Xie Xiran closed his eyes halfway.
Suddenly remembering something, Xie Xiran pulled a two-hundred-yuan bill out of his shirt pocket. “This is the allowance from the production crew. We didn’t get a chance to spend it, and you guys are probably running low, so you might as well take this.”
“No, no, we’re heading to the main site to meet up with the other families tomorrow anyway, so we won’t need it.” Bai Shu refused.
“Come on, spending my money is only natural,” Xie Xiran said earnestly. “Besides, since we came over to mooch off your meals, it wouldn’t look right if we didn’t chip in something.”
With that, he slipped the cash right into the pocket of Bai Shu’s top.
The hand Xie Xiran was still holding was practically breaking out in a sweat.
Bai Shu didn’t dare look at him at all; the scorching intensity in those eyes felt hot enough to burn.
“Fine, then.”
He couldn’t come up with a way to refuse anyway.
What on earth is Xie-ge playing at? Why are these two talking in riddles? I’m watching this through my fingers, I can’t handle it. Me too, why do I suddenly feel my face getting hot? Do the cameramen dare to move closer? All we can see are the tops of their heads. I suspect they’re already hugging underneath. Hahahaha pictured that scene, too funny. Is Xie-ge trying to court him? Shushu’s ears are so red. Did you guys not look at Xie-ge’s ears? They’ve been glowing red this whole time.
Afterward, Bai Shu practically dragged Xie Xiran off to lie down in his own bed.
Stretched out across Bai Shu’s mattress, Xie Xiran stared at him with wide, shining eyes.
Bai Shu: ……
Was this guy doing this on purpose?
The next second, however, Xie Xiran closed his eyes and drifted straight off to sleep.
Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Bai Shu opened the door and whispered to the cameraman, “If you guys are tired, you can take a lunch break too. I’m going to go nap with Doudou.”
With that, he headed toward Doudou’s room, only to find the small bed completely occupied by Xie Zhuyi and Doudou.
Rubbing his tired eyes, Bai Shu ultimately gave up, walked back downstairs, and fell asleep on the sofa.
The cameramen were also planning to pack up and leave when a noise drifted down from upstairs.
Xie Xiran came down after taking off his outer jacket, walked straight up to Bai Shu on camera, swept him up in his arms, and carried him back upstairs. He gently settled Bai Shu right next to him, leaving just half an arm’s width of space between them before drifting off to sleep together.
Right before dozing off, Xie Xiran even took a moment to double-check that the camera was still recording.
Audiences who happened to make eye contact with Xie Xiran through the screen: ……
Good grief, Xie-ge is acting like a total stalker…