Doudou lay sprawled across Xie Zhuyi’s body, wailing miserably.
Xie Xiran stepped forward first, grabbing him by the waist to lift him off Xie Zhuyi.
“Are you okay?” Bai Shu walked over to check on the two children, looking worried.
Xie Zhuyi got up and shook his head. “Zhuyi is fine, but Doudou got hurt.”
Had the little guy started crying again?
Xie Zhuyi had truly never seen such a tearful child. Looking at Bai Shu’s expression, he figured Doudou must have been raised to be terribly delicate.
Doudou kicked his little legs, demanding Bai Shu. “Carry~”
The little fellow’s nose was red from crying.
Bai Shu felt a pang of heartache. “Okay, big brother will carry you.”
It was all his fault; he should have reapplied a couple of bandages after the little guy bumped his head earlier.
Doudou whimpered as he snuggled into Bai Shu’s arms, his little body trembling with aftershocks of crying, clearly having been hurt quite badly by the bump.
Wanting to make a good impression in front of Bai Shu, Xie Xiran picked up a lollipop and tried to coax Doudou.
Instead, the moment Doudou spotted him, he shot Xie Xiran a fierce glare, used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, stopped crying altogether, and simply stared hard at Xie Xiran.
Xie Xiran: ……
Bai Shu quietly turned the little fellow around in his arms so he couldn’t see Xie Xiran anymore.
Even while crying, the child didn’t forget to detest Xie Xiran.
Only now did Xie Xiran realize something: was he actually being disliked?
Turns out his earlier intuition hadn’t been an illusion.
Seeing Doudou’s tiny hands tighten their grip around Bai Shu’s neck, Xie Xiran came to a quiet realization.
He handed the candy to Xie Zhuyi instead. “The little one doesn’t want it. You can have it.”
Feeling pleasantly surprised, Xie Zhuyi didn’t eat it himself. Instead, he unwrapped the lollipop and held it up to feed Doudou. “Doudou, for you. Stop crying.”
Traces of tears still lingered on Doudou’s pretty little face, but he unhesitatingly took the candy, chuckled softly, and said, “Shushu, you eat it.”
The little fellow was feeling a tiny bit shy.
After all, this piece of candy had just been in Xie Xiran’s hand, so offering it was just a polite gesture.
Bai Shu opened his mouth. “You’re really giving it to me?”
Doudou’s little hand instinctively started to pull back, but he stubbornly thrust his chin out. “If Shushu wants to eat it, Shushu can have it.”
He didn’t care at all!
Right at that moment, another piece of candy was popped straight into Bai Shu’s mouth.
Xie Xiran withdrew his hand with an expression of absolute calm. “I have another one here.”
It was orange-flavored.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden piece of candy, Bai Shu’s face scrunched up.
So sour.
Yet Xie Xiran smiled softly as he rubbed his fingers together; a moment ago, he seemed to have brushed against Shushu’s teeth.
Along with his soft texture.
The orange flavor lingering on his own hand was identical to the one in Shushu’s mouth.
This thought made Xie Xiran feel somewhat embarrassed as he curled his hand into a fist and gave a soft cough, only to catch a whiff of the orange fragrance on his hand once more.
A warm flush crept up his aging face, making him feel rather shy. “I’ll go to the kitchen to prep the vegetables first.”
With that, he stiffened his posture and hurried away.
Xie Zhuyi poked his head out and scratched his head. Was his older brother actually good at cooking, or was he terrible at it?
Doudou, on the other hand, bristled slightly nobody was allowed to feed Shushu candy.
He stretched out his little hand. “Spit it out.”
Bai Shu looked at the little fellow in shock. “It’s already in my mouth! Don’t tell me you still want it?”
With that, he shoved the lollipop Doudou was holding right back into the child’s mouth. “Go eat your own candy. Stay here with Zhuyi for a bit while I go get you a band-aid.”
If that bump wasn’t protected properly now, it was bound to get hurt again.
Doudou was carried upstairs. Xie Zhuyi glanced back and forth between his older brother and Doudou before ultimately deciding to follow along.
Bai Shu set the child down on the bed and began rummaging through the medical kit for a band-aid. Noticing Xie Zhuyi peeking in from the doorway, he warmly invited, “Zhuyi, come on in.”
Xie Zhuyi felt a bit nervous because he found Doudou’s room so adorable.
It was as cute as Doudou himself, featuring a sky-blue bed, adorable plush figurines decorating the headboard, and plenty of stuffed toys tucked inside the bedding.
Even the rug was pink.
Unlike their own home, where the style was extremely minimalist, dominated entirely by black and white.
Seeing Xie Zhuyi walk in, Doudou put on his little host persona and welcomed him. “Here, just sit next to Doudou.”
The little fellow said this while swinging his little feet adorably.
Xie Zhuyi sat down beside him, his eyes shining brightly. “Doudou’s room is so pretty!”
Doudou paused mid-suck on his candy, turned his head, and looked at him earnestly. “Really?”
“Of course it’s real! When I get back, I’m going to ask my dad and mom to decorate my room just like this. Okay?” Xie Zhuyi had never visited another child’s room before, having previously assumed everyone’s bedroom was as monotonous as his own.
He never imagined it could look like Doudou’s.
Doudou was so flattered by the praise that a warm, pleasant ripple stirred in his heart. “Sure, can Doudou come over to visit then?”
“Of course.”
Just like that, the two little ones became good friends, and Doudou stopped looking down on Xie Zhuyi.
He shouldn’t let his brother’s shortcomings spill over onto his brother, especially since this younger brother had such exceptional taste.
He had actually managed to recognize just how gorgeous his room was.
Listening to the conversation between the two children, Bai Shu smiled faintly. “Alright, when the time comes, I’ll send the names of these brands to your older brother so he can buy them for you.”
Hearing this, Doudou’s face instantly drooped. “Didn’t you say mom and dad would set it up?”
Why did his brother have to get involved?
He didn’t want Shushu messaging him.
Xie Zhuyi didn’t understand the difference between the two, but seeing how much it mattered to Doudou, he hurriedly waved his hands. “I’ll have my mom and dad decorate it when I get back. I won’t let my older brother meddle.”
“That’s more like it.” Smiles returned to Doudou’s face.
He shot a triumphant look at Bai Shu.
Veins were practically bulging on Bai Shu’s forehead from irritation. The moment the cameras turned off, he was definitely going to teach Doudou a proper lesson.
Turns out it wasn’t my imagination does Doudou really have issues with Xie-ge? Tsk tsk… Hahahaha I felt it too. Looks like our Xie-ge isn’t a universal sweetheart that everyone adores! If you ask me, Zhuyi is much smarter; he’s already won Doudou’s heart just by handing out compliments. Hahaha yes, master of facial expressions Doudou! First time knowing a child’s expressions can shift this fast, totally blew my mind. Anyone who was still guessing that Shushu and Xie Xiran had a secret thing can give up now just look at Doudou’s attitude, those two are impossible. Exactly, people will ship anything, but the age gap between them is so huge. I’m crying. Safe to say Xie-ge’s single persona remains unbroken. Wonder when he’ll ever find a partner. Right? I checked, and Shushu doesn’t have any dark history either. He’s good-looking, and they live so close to each other I honestly thought it was a government-funded romance at first, but looking at it now, it’s totally just fans over-interpreting. Still, Xie-ge was genuinely proactive. I totally swooned when he fed Shushu that candy earlier. Forget about you, it’s trending on hot searches right now.
#XieXiranFeedingBaiShuCandy# made both regular netizens and industry insiders jump in shock.
Good grief, Xie Xiran actually took the initiative to feed someone candy?
Wasn’t this a clip from a drama he had just finished filming…?
A crowd of people clicked into the hashtag, only to have their jaws drop in utter disbelief.
It really was Xie Xiran! In the corner of the frame, Xie Xiran could be seen quietly peeling a piece of candy and popping it into the mouth of Bai Shu, who was busy talking to Doudou.
Afterward, he nervously tucked his hands behind his back.
His right leg kept twitching that was Xie Xiran’s trademark tell when he was nervous.
He had done the exact same thing during past interviews.
Just as a wave of CP fans were about to jump on the bandwagon, viewers currently watching the livestream rushed to clarify that the two had no such relationship, pointing out that Doudou’s attitude made it clear people shouldn’t let their imaginations run wild.
Some even compiled a hilarious supercut titled “Things Doudou Hates About Xie Xiran.”
Good grief, everything looked so normal up until Doudou reached out his little hand and told Shushu to spit the candy out. So savage.
Hahahaha even Zhuyi defected! He didn’t even defend Xie Xiran right in front of Doudou.
Doudou is so cute. Xie-ge never expected to face a day like this. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing how Xie-ge wins Doudou over.
Plus one! Feels like Xie-ge is currently trying to win Shushu over, or is that just my imagination?
Upstairs, Bai Shu finished up what he was doing and headed downstairs to cook, since it wouldn’t do to leave Xie Xiran stranded down there by himself.
In a rare move, Doudou didn’t tag along right away. Waiting until Shushu left, he turned around and looked at Xie Zhuyi with a deadly serious expression.
Xie Zhuyi was about to wrap an arm around the younger boy to keep him from tumbling off, but Doudou’s sudden pivot startled him.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Zhuyi nonchalantly pulled his hand back.
Doudou shook his little hat. Did Xie Zhuyi just want to touch him?
Well, that wasn’t important.
“Does your brother have any flaws? I’ll go first, we’re trading. My big brother’s flaw is that he doesn’t listen to Doudou.” Doudou raised a little hand to speak first.
Xie Zhuyi pondered for a moment. Was this Doudou’s way of acknowledging that they were good friends now? Only good friends traded family preferences, after all.
A wave of delight washed over Xie Zhuyi. “My older brother doesn’t know how to cook.”
Doudou widened his eyes in surprise. “Really?”
“Of course, otherwise we wouldn’t have come over to find you guys.”
Before he could finish, he was grabbed by the hand and pulled downstairs by Doudou.
Doudou likes Xie Xiran even less now he can’t even cook! Shushu actually listens to Doudou, so cute. Quick, let’s go down. I want to see what wicked idea Doudou came up with! Can’t wait to watch Xie-ge get taken down a peg. I’ll wear a pot on my head for protection, I’m a true fan. Ten-year veteran fan of Xie-ge here, and I’ve got the exact same thought. Xie-ge has always been too aloof; I want to see him break character, hehehe. Y’all are so mean~ But I want to see it too.
Xie Xiran was well aware of his own culinary limitations, so he had simply stuck to washing a few vegetables.
He didn’t dare touch the meat sitting off to the side.
Bai Shu walked in, rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll take it from here. You go sit down and rest, I promised I would cook anyway.”
The livestream viewers perked up their ears. Promised? What was promised?
Yet no matter how hard Bai Shu searched, he couldn’t find an apron anywhere.
Wiping his hands, Xie Xiran asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Where did my apron go?”
Bai Shu was puzzled.
Could Doudou have snatched it away and tossed it somewhere?
Just as he was about to call out for Doudou, a warm apron was looped over his neck from behind.
“I was wearing it earlier when I washed the vegetables. Here, I’ll give it back to you.”
Standing face-to-face, Xie Xiran reached his hands behind Bai Shu’s neck to tie the upper strings.
Looking down slightly, he had a direct view of Bai Shu’s fluttering eyelashes and the reddish mole at the corner of his eye.
Completely enveloped by the tall Xie Xiran, Bai Shu felt a wave of tension as he licked his lips. The moment he lifted his gaze, he caught sight of Xie Xiran’s Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
Instantly, a rush of heat surged straight up, sending a tingling sensation all the way from the back of his neck down to his legs, making his knees feel slightly weak. “I-, I’ll do it myself.”
With that, he reached his hands behind him, only to press directly against Xie Xiran’s warm palms.
The two of them pulled back as if jolted by an electric shock.
Xie Xiran’s Adam’s apple twitched. “All set.”
Blushing crimson, Bai Shu murmured in a low voice, “Mhm.”
At that exact moment, Doudou’s frantic, heartbroken wail rang out. “What are you two doing?! No hugging, no pressing close together!”
Dragging Xie Zhuyi right up to the kitchen entrance, Doudou had arrived just in time to see Xie Xiran holding Shushu completely in his embrace.
Shushu had even reached out his hands in response to Xie Xiran.
Doudou’s composure completely shattered.
That bad guy had deliberately come to their house just to take advantage of Shushu!