Xu Yangxia didn’t catch the words he almost blurted out when he got stuck, and his attention was dragged away again by the word “stepmother.”
Little Treasure blinked his watery big eyes and asked curiously, “Did you go see him today?”
Qi Du was in a very good mood. Holding Xu Yangxia, he answered patiently, “Yes, I saw him today. Your stepmother is especially pretty, and he’s very gentle and easy to get along with.”
Xu Yangxia pressed his lips together, a little nervous, and asked Qi Du in a small voice, “Then will he like me?”
Qi Du coaxed him gently, “He’ll definitely like you.”
“You’re so well-behaved, so obedient, and so cute. You’re a very likable little kid.”
Xu Yangxia was still young, and being praised by adults like that still made him shy. After Qi Du brought him back, he treated him very well, and the servants in the estate also took good care of him.
Auntie Wang also came today, and the little male lead immediately felt much safer and looked a bit brighter.
『Target character happiness index +1, current value 13』
Qi Du gently pinched his little face. “So you’re happy that Auntie Wang is here? Then did Little Treasure eat properly today?”
Xu Yangxia nodded obediently, a little embarrassed. “I ate it all!”
Qi Du let out a low laugh. “Great! My son is amazing!”
After praising him, he gently discussed things with Xu Yangxia again. “In a few days, I’ll handle the enrollment procedures for your preschool class. Get familiar with the environment first. In September, when your sixth birthday comes, you can start elementary school.”
“Does Little Treasure like school?”
Most children are pretty resistant to school. Qi Du and 0617 hadn’t looked into it before, and they didn’t know what Xu Yangxia’s level of education was like, or whether he would resist studying and the like.
Unexpectedly, the little male lead had a very good temperament. He nodded obediently and answered in a babyish voice, “I like it~”
Qi Du and 0617 both breathed a sigh of relief. If the child didn’t like school, that would really be a problem. Qi Du wasn’t good at helping with homework. If he had to deal with a rowdy kid who didn’t like studying, he would probably lose his patience right away and definitely explode.
“Then that’s fine. Just relax at home. You can also give orders to the servants at home, and the brothers and sisters will all like you.”
Xu Yangxia rested his head on Qi Du’s shoulder, feeling that after coming to this new home, he really was like a little prince. No one ignored his existence anymore.
No one would lock him in a room and leave him alone. Every day, kind and gentle elders took care of his daily life, the food was delicious, and although the house was huge, there were people everywhere. There were always brothers and sisters protecting him. Even if he accidentally ran into the garden, Qi Du wouldn’t get angry.
He became a little more confident, and he hoped that the new stepmother coming to this family would be as good as Qi Du and the servants.
Children have their own little thoughts. Qi Du and 0617 didn’t have mind-reading powers, so they didn’t know that Xu Yangxia was already thinking about how to make a good impression on his stepmother.
The next day, when a servant told him that the little male lead was making handicrafts, he was a little puzzled. “Huh? Does our Little Treasure like handicrafts?”
“Isn’t that a bit girly…”
0617 couldn’t help but complain, “Can you stop being such a straight guy?”
“Liking handicrafts means the child has good hands-on ability. What does that have to do with being a girl or a boy? Don’t be stuck in stereotypes, okay?”
“Besides, didn’t you like gun models and airplane and tank models when you were little? I don’t believe you never made any of those yourself.”
Qi Du was both helpless and amused. “I just said one casual thing, and you fired back at me ten times.”
0617 replied in a bad mood, “Well, that’s just how it is. Who told you to choose to be a father? Since you decided to do it, you have to take responsibility. No mission is easy, and raising a child is very hard too.”
“Even so, it’s still easier than being his partner. At least I don’t have to go against my conscience and pretend to like him.”
“That’s pretty good. The two of us can work together, and Little Treasure will definitely be very happy.”
They were talking telepathically, so the reporting servant didn’t know what was going on. Hearing Qi Du’s confused question, he smiled and explained, “It’s because we heard that Mr. Lu will be visiting the estate in a few days, and the Little Young Master wants to prepare a small gift for him.”
So that was it.
Qi Du still hadn’t fully reacted when 0617 already started praising Little Treasure in his mind: “Our Little Treasure is really well-behaved. Taking care of him in the future probably won’t be too much trouble.”
“Is he trying to please you? Isn’t this child a little too thoughtful?”
“Mm… a little, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s smart to begin with, and from everything he’s seen and heard, he knows very well what his current situation is. The two of us are going to become his guardians in the future, so of course he wants to win us over.”
“Besides, he’s only just been through so much. A child who has lost both parents is especially lacking in a sense of security, and after following you to a strange environment, there are no peers around him and no new friends, only adults everywhere. He probably still has worries in his heart.”
As the male lead of the Small World, Xu Yangxia definitely has his own outstanding qualities.
The suffering he has endured can’t hide Little Treasure’s intelligence, understanding, kindness, and contentment. He is inherently a very good, very well-behaved child.
As long as you treat him sincerely, he will sincerely like you and look forward to you too.
Although Qi Du can sometimes be a bit rough, for a little male lead who has already dealt with bizarre relatives and a cold childhood friend, he has done very well.
On that basis, if he is willing to open his heart a little and actively accept the people around Qi Du, there may be an element of pretending to please them, but that’s still better than the target character not talking to you at all, right?
0617 thought it wasn’t a bad thing. After hearing his analysis, Qi Du didn’t interrupt either. Neither of them wanted to alarm Xu Yangxia, and they planned to let things go on smoothly like this.
Three days later, 0617 came to Qi Du’s place to go through the formalities. The marriage alliance between the two families was also pretty troublesome. The Lu family wanted to get more benefits from the Qi family, and Qi Du put up with it all in order to get 0617 to marry him sooner.
Coming to visit the home today was also the official meeting with Xu Yangxia.
Early in the morning, the little male lead was picked up and dressed up by Auntie Wang and another maid sister.
Since an honored guest was coming, preparations started early in the morning. Xu Yangxia watched the busy figures around him and unconsciously grew a little nervous.
“Auntie Wang~ is the stepmother coming?”
Auntie Wang smiled and replied, “Yes, Little Young Master. Mr. Lu will be visiting today. The family head has instructed that once you’re ready, you should go meet him first. He has something to tell you.”
Xu Yangxia’s whole body tensed up at that, and he felt an inexplicable resistance. After all, Qi Du had a very strong presence, and when he was working in the study, he was especially stern. Xu Yangxia was a little afraid of him.
Normally, he wouldn’t take the initiative to go to the study to find Qi Du.
Today, just hearing that he had to go, he subconsciously swallowed.
Auntie Wang pulled at his sleeve, gently patted his head, and said softly, “Don’t be scared. Mr. Qi is a very nice person. He likes you very much.”