In the end, Pingping mustered up the courage to walk right up to Bai Shu, lifting his small face to gently touch Doudou’s lower leg.
Startled, Doudou instinctively jerked backward.
Pingping: !!
“Is the little brother’s leg hurting very badly?” he asked with deep concern.
Doudou felt this older boy was extremely strange. First he had uttered unfriendly words to them, then his facial expressions kept shifting constantly, and now he was acting all pitiful and sympathetic toward him.
Doudou hastily tucked his little leg away to the other side, wrapping his arms tightly around Shushu’s neck for fear that this strange child might pull off any more bizarre stunts.
Xie Zhuyi also stood guard alertly on Doudou’s other side. This newcomer had actually dared to touch his little brother’s leg!
Wrinkling his nose as he nervously twisted his fingers together, Pingping bowed deeply to both Doudou and Bai Shu.
“I’m sorry, Pingping didn’t mean to. If the little brother has any trouble in the future, Pingping can help.”
With that, he scurried back to hide behind Tian Yuewei.
Watching the son who was currently clutching at the hem of her shirt, Tian Yuewei asked with mild curiosity, “What did you just do, Pingping? Bai Shu, is Doudou’s leg feeling unwell?”
Hearing Tian Yuewei address him so familiarly as Bai Shu made him feel a bit sheepish why was everyone starting to call him Bai Shu just like that?
“Sister Wei, you can just call me by my full name, Bai Shu. Doudou’s legs are completely fine; Pingping and the kids probably just had a tiny misunderstanding earlier, but everything is totally fine now.”
Realizing instantly that her son had once more gone and stirred up trouble, Tian Yuewei let out a weary sigh. “I’m so sorry.”
She really had no clue what was wrong with this child; the older he got, the more stubborn his temperament became, and she had no idea who he took after.
She felt a profound sense of helplessness.
Yet Pingping just called out with a tone of heavy reliance, “Mom… it was Pingping’s fault.”
Bai Shu quickly chimed in, “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s all in the past.”
Right at that critical juncture, Liu Qing arrived on the scene trailing a loudly wailing Liu Xiqian.
With all four families now completely assembled, the group exchanged greetings before turning their attention to the director to hear the arrangements for the next phase.
As per tradition, the customary next step was selecting and assigning rooms.
The destination they had arrived at was a renowned agritainment resort.
Judging by the setup, the four families would most likely be housed in separate dwellings.
While the director was still busy setting up the filming area, Bai Shu felt his patience wearing thin. “Doudou, come down now. Big Brother’s arm has gone numb.”
Perhaps because this was the child’s very first time venturing out into a crowd of so many strangers, he had turned uncharacteristically silent, clinging stubbornly to Bai Shu’s embrace without uttering a single peep for the longest time.
Bai Shu’s neck and arms were aching from holding him in that locked position for so long.
Sensing his big brother’s words, Doudou tightened his grip instinctively, causing Bai Shu to stumble slightly.
Stepping in immediately, Xie Xiran offered, “Let me hold him for a bit.”
Bai Shu hesitated. Doudou loathed Xie Xiran; there was no way he would ever agree to this.
To his utter shock, however, Doudou thrust out his small hands right away. “Let the uncle hold me, Shushu can take a rest and drink some water.”
His movements were lightning-fast, as though he was terrified of overworking Shushu by even a single extra second.
Bai Shu was left torn between laughter and bewilderment, while even Xie Xiran looked pleasantly surprised.
Doudou was actually not showing any aversion toward him.
What was actually going on inside Doudou’s head was quite different: Hmph, Doudou is so heavy! Since Xie Xiran volunteered himself, I’m going to make him hold heavy ol’ me the whole time until his arms go sore and numb.
That’ll teach him to keep putting his hands on Shushu.
Doudou was simply plotting a thorough revenge.
With a vicious little thought, Doudou deliberately let his bottom sag heavily downward.
However, all that weight felt like an absolute feather-light breeze to Xie Xiran, who regularly lifted weights.
Easily supporting the child with a single arm and noticing Doudou’s awkward posture, Xie Xiran smoothly adjusted him into a much more comfortable position.
Doudou: (-_-)…
Moreover, Doudou soon noticed something distinctively different between Xie Xiran and Shushu.
The big bad guy’s body was made of hard, distinct blocks of muscle.
Driven by sheer curiosity and making sure Xie Xiran wasn’t paying attention, Doudou slipped his tiny hand straight underneath Xie Xiran’s button-down shirt.
And right beneath his fingers, he encountered Xie Xiran’s pectoral muscle and his nipple.
Xie Xiran’s entire body stiffened: ！！
Doudou even pinched it inquisitively with his fingers. What is this thing?
How come he and Shushu don’t have one?
With a puzzled little face, Doudou continued probing and squeezing.
Shocked, Xie Xiran lowered his gaze. Meanwhile, Xie Zhuyi had been keeping a close eye on his big brother and Doudou the whole time; upon catching sight of the maneuver, he blurted out loudly, “Is Doudou looking for neinei to drink? Big Brother doesn’t have any neinei for you to drink!”
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present turned their heads to stare directly at Xie Xiran and Doudou.
Even Qianqian stopped crying, blinking her tear-filled, wide eyes as she curiously stared at the tiny hand Doudou had shoved inside Xie Xiran’s shirt.
Doudou froze in place, his little fingers still resting right against Xie Xiran’s nipple.
Completely nonplussed, Xie Xiran shifted sideways slightly and lowered his voice to coax the child: “Doudou, take your hand out first. I’ll get you some milk later.”
Hearing that, Doudou arched a brow in defiant rebellion.
Why should I take it out just because the big bad guy told me to?
He refused. Doudou thrust his little hand further inside Xie Xiran’s shirt, mischievously rubbing it up and down.
Xie Xiran… Good grief, does Doudou look like a tiny little flirt right now?
Meanwhile, the live stream chat was already screaming in absolute frenzy.
DOUDOU!!! My god, he literally just did what all of us have been dying to do! Blushing and covering face Ahhhhhh way to go, Doudou! Does the texture feel great? Can someone please interview him afterward to ask what it felt like? Oh lord, Xie-ge’s pectoral muscles are so ridiculously defined. I’m drooling from the corners of my mouth. Doudou is out here doing God’s work for the rest of us, he’s basically my spiritual stand-in!
Over on the other side, Bai Shu stared at Doudou in absolute shock, asking with a trace of hesitation, “Doudou, where… where on earth did you learn this?”
How was a toddler already picking up flirting techniques?
With a smug, triumphant grin, Doudou declared, “Shushu, this uncle has hard, solid things on his body that you don’t have, so Doudou wanted to check it out.”
The moment those words dropped, the faces of both adults involved flushed a warm, embarrassed pink.
Even Bai Shu felt a sudden surge of defensive annoyance: “Hurry up and come down right now! Have you no shame at all?”
How old was this kid, yet he was out here openly critiquing people for lacking chest muscles?
Though Bai Shu couldn’t compare to Xie Xiran, he wasn’t completely flat either he had put in plenty of effort working out, too!
As Bai Shu reached out to yank Doudou down, he accidentally caught a glimpse of Xie Xiran’s physique at close range, instantly turning as steamy and overheated as a boiling kettle.
Doudou wouldn’t have brought it up if he hadn’t mentioned it, but viewed this close up, Xie Xiran in a button-down shirt cut an unforgettably striking figure.
Wuwuwu, tomorrow he was wearing a button-down shirt as well; why did he just look like an ordinary adolescent youth by comparison?
Noticing Bai Shu’s lingering gaze, Xie Xiran intentionally flexed his torso to make his muscle definition stand out even more.
Refusing to climb down, Doudou clutched tightly onto Xie Xiran’s neck like a little octopus. “No-no-no Doudou is little I want to be held!”
After clawing at him for a solid minute without budging the child, Bai Shu grew thoroughly exasperated.
Xie Xiran calmly intervened, “It’s fine, I can hold him for a little longer since he’s still so small. Why don’t you go ahead and mix up a bottle of milk for him?”
No matter the underlying motivation, Xie Xiran’s smooth maneuver successfully convinced Doudou to withdraw his hand from inside his shirt.
Reflecting on the mental image of Xie Xiran shirtless that had just flashed through his mind, Bai Shu felt too flustered to meet Xie Xiran’s eyes directly.
Muttering a hurried agreement, he bolted away as though fleeing a crime scene.
Xie Xiran let out a soft chuckle.
Looking up from his arms, Doudou deliberately taunted, “Are you laughing at Shushu?”
Aha, he had finally caught him in the act.
Tossing the child gently up and down in his arms, Xie Xiran explained, “No, I just think Shushu is exceptionally adorable.”
“You’re not allowed to call him Shushu! He’s mine!”
Doudou’s territorial possessiveness was off the charts.
Raising an eyebrow, Xie Xiran kept his mouth shut.
That only irritated Doudou further. What is this guy’s deal? Was he refusing to engage now? Did he think he was too cool to argue with a kid?
That response only stoked the flames of Doudou’s wrath even higher.
Out of pure spite, he reached out and gave Xie Xiran’s nipple a quick, retaliatory pinch.
Xie Xiran: ?
Everyone else watching the scene unfold nearby: …
Holy cow, we really want to laugh right now, but we don’t have the guts.
Hahahahaha was Doudou intentionally taking revenge? That one definitely hurt, Xie-ge’s expression changed instantly. I shouldn’t be laughing, but it’s too hilarious. I’ve never seen Xie-ge looking so utterly cornered and defenseless. Doudou truly operates entirely outside the playbook, lmao.
Holding the child securely with one arm, Xie Xiran used his free hand to gently trap Doudou’s mischievous little fingers.
In a low murmur, Xie Xiran whispered, “If Doudou is so curious, why don’t you come sleep in my room tonight and look at it all you want?”
Hearing that, Doudou snatched his hand back instantly. He had zero desire to stare at any more muscles.
A profound look of disgust crossed Doudou’s face.
With a regretful sigh, Xie Xiran remarked, “Doudou kept touching Big Brother earlier, so I thought you really admired my physique. How about taking a bath with me tonight, then?”
It would be a great chance to show off the physique he had worked so hard to maintain.
And then he could report back to Shushu with all the details later.
Seeing how flustered and too shy to look at him Bai Shu had been earlier, Xie Xiran figured this was yet another prime opportunity to bridge the gap between them.
Doudou instinctively wanted to reject the offer outright.
Then, a sudden thought struck him. Showers took place in the bathroom, and bathrooms didn’t have security cameras installed.
That meant he would be completely alone behind closed doors with Xie Xiran.
Doudou rubbed his chubby face, realizing this presented the ultimate golden opportunity.
Bringing his right fist down firmly into his left palm, he sealed the deal: “Then I’ll have to trouble Uncle, then.”
Xie Zhuyi, who had been listening intently to their entire exchange, grew deeply distressed. “Zhuyi wants to join, too!”
Ruthlessly, Doudou shut him down: “No way. This is exclusive viewing rights for Doudou alone, you’ll have to find another chance next time.”
With that, he turned his little face away, refusing to spare Xie Zhuyi another glance.
Though he felt a twinge of guilt for turning down Zhuyi Brother.
Xie Zhuyi’s heart was completely shattered. Clearly, he was the one who got along best with Doudou; why was Doudou choosing to bathe with his big brother instead of him?
Before long, the production crew officially kicked off the first segment of the day.
Sucking on his milk bottle and enjoying his beverage, Doudou kept his ears perked up in Xie Xiran’s arms, listening closely to the director’s instructions.
“…Room selection will be determined based on the completion times of your car-ride tasks. First place gets a fifteen-minute head start, second place gets ten minutes, third place gets five minutes…”
And so on down the line. Naturally, Bai Shu and Doudou were locked in as the very last to depart.
Clueless about what had actually transpired, Doudou looked at the other children already buzzing with excitement below and asked his big brother, “Shushu, are we in first place?”
Bai Shu nodded. “Yep. Last place, to be exact.”
Doudou, who possessed a mild case of top-tier obsession: !
Xie Zhuyi waved his information card proudly. “Doudou, look, we got first place!”
Gazing at the smiling Xie Xiran: … Doudou simply could not stomach the reality that the big bad guy had won first place.
His mood instantly plunged into the abyss.