As the family walked out the studio, Yu Yaoyao’s eyes were glittering. She swung Shen Yichong’s hand as they walked. She looked up at him and blinked her large, watery eyes.
Shen Yichong saw her face as he turned his head. He couldn’t help but grin. By her expression, she was waiting for his praise. “Well done! You have improved once again,” he said as the corners of his lips curled. With the hand he wasn’t hold hers with, he reached out and stroked her hair.
Yu Yaoyao narrowed her stunning eyes in satisfaction, but she pushed her lips into an intent pout, “Darling, as a kid, did you have bad essay grades?”
“Huh?” Shen Yichong raised his eyebrows slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed across his face.
Little Bun raised his pinkish face in curiosity when he heard what she said. “Dad is not good at language?”“I’m bad at writing,” Shen Yichong corrected, “The online class teacher said it might be due to too little reading,” his heart ached a little when he said this. He looked at Little Bun with an intense gaze, “You, little kid, don’t interrupt if you don’t understand the situation.”
Little Bun pursed his lips. He was suddenly upset. He looked exactly like Yu Yaoyao when he pouted. He had also taken online classes. After finishing math class, he was attending a Chinese class! “I know!” Little Bun fought back, “Dad, I know that your writing skills are bad!”
The corners of Shen Yichong’s mouth twitched, “Then point out my mistakes. If you can’t, you have to practice writing when you get home!”
Little Bun wasn’t afraid of his father’s punishment. He clutched Yu Yaoyao’s hand tighter and shook it, “Mommy, Daddy is threatening me!”
Shen Yichong glared at him.
Little Bun tucked his head between his shoulders. He muttered under his breath, “The story that Daddy told me when I was younger…” he stretched out his fingers and counted, “A long time ago, there was the golden axe, the silver axe and three little monks… probably three, it could have been two…” his little face went red with concentration as he tried to remember correctly, “Nothing else.”
Yu Yaoyao couldn’t help but chuckle.Shen Yichong’s forehead throbbed in irritation, “That’s because Daddy bought you a fairytale book that makes sounds. I also bought you a tablet that can you tell stories.”
Little Bun replied, “Well, that’s because Daddy can’t tell the stories himself,” no sooner had he said this, did he raise his head to speak to Yu Yaoyao excitedly, “Mommy, it is true? Daddy is bad at writing?”
Shen Yichong pressed his lips together in silence.
Yu Yaoyao was already laughing so hard that she was bent double. She simply couldn’t stop. When she was finally able to stand, with Shen Yichong’s help, she wiped away tears of laughter saying, “Darling, our son is right. I can also see it. Every time you praise me…” She straightened up, put her hands behind her back, and pulled a serious expression in a very convincing impersonation of Shen Yichong. “Well, not bad. Well, there is progress. Good. You have improved,” she deepened her voice to sound like her husband, then she burst out laughing again. “I’m sorry darling, I really can’t go on! Those are the only words you ever say!” the more she spoke, the louder she laughed.
Even Little Bun agreed with her, “You’re right. Those are what Daddy always says when he praises me too!” he turned his tiny face up to Shen Yichong. Then, he poked Shen Yichong’s trouser leg with his little finger, “Daddy, this won’t work. Mommy and I have grown up, we can learn languages by ourselves. But if I have a younger brother or sister in the future, Daddy’s vocabulary will be insufficient. Daddy, you really have to read more,” Little Bun said with a serious look on his face.
Yu Yaoyao laughed so hard that she couldn’t speak a word, only nod non-stop. When they got in the car, she climbed into the backseat. She leaned over and blew into the dark-faced Shen Yichong’s ear, “Darling, what our baby said is right. The netizens who praise me do so in short essays. You always only say like, five or six words when you compliment me. You should also put in some effort into your praise.”
Shen Yichong’s eyes darkened. He reached out and pinched her hand. He pressed his thin lips to her ear and whispered, “I will praise you…at night… I won’t stop even when you’re begging me for mercy…”
Little Bun didn’t notice his parent’s flirtatious behavior, he was too busy poking around on his tablet. “Daddy!” he suddenly said, “I have found you a writing class! I’ll send it to you.”
Shen Yichong was so astonished, he was silent.
***
Chen Jiao was still at the studio, in the middle of his shooting. He was not doing well. There was something on his mind and he was always distracted, even when he was facing the camera. The shooting for the poster was originally planned to take two hours. It took more than three.
When he got into the car, he immediately took out his cell phone and found Yu Xinjie’s number. He called her without hesitation, “Where are you? I have a question I want to ask you. I’m on my way now.”
He had been restless all day long because he simply couldn’t understand the situation at all.
