A Single Father’s Troubles - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Confession

After a moment of daze, Lin Tingwan quickly snapped back to his senses.

“President Pei, welcome. Welcome to the party.”

Guagua, who had returned to drink water after playing until he was tired, stood pressed against Lin Tingwan’s leg, looking at the handsome uncle curiously.

Pei Shaoyu nodded to Lin Tingwan, leaned down to look at Guagua, and said softly, “Your name is Guagua, right? Happy birthday! This is a gift for you.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Guagua wasn’t shy at all. After taking the gift, his gaze remained fixed on the little boy behind Pei Shaoyu. The little boy was extremely pale his hair and eyelashes were all white. He looked like a doll made of snow.

Being stared at by Guagua and Bengbeng, the little boy’s eyes moved slowly. He seemed to shrink back a bit out of shyness, grabbing Pei Shaoyu’s clothes and hiding his entire body behind him, revealing only a small portion of his face.

Pei Shaoyu stroked the head of the little boy shrinking behind him and said warmly, “Yuanyuan, where is the gift you prepared for the little brother?”

The boy named Yuanyuan didn’t say a word. He looked at Pei Shaoyu, then slowly turned his head to glance at Guagua.

Pei Shaoyu encouraged him with his gaze. “Go ahead, tell the little brother happy birthday. Don’t be afraid, Daddy is here.”

Only then did Lin Tingwan notice that the little boy’s small hand, hidden behind his back, was tightly clutching a gift bag.

The little boy still didn’t speak. Pei Shaoyu didn’t rush him, gently patting his back in a soothing manner.

The little boy used his exposed left eye to peek at the two children of similar age opposite him. After a long while, he slowly let go of the hand gripping Pei Shaoyu’s clothes. He stared in Guagua’s direction without moving, opening his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come out, and sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.

Lin Tingwan saw the snowy-white little face turning red from the strain. He knelt down and whispered something into Guagua’s ear. Guagua looked toward the little boy, his eyes widening as he gave a very firm nod.

Lin Tingwan smiled and gave him a gentle push on the shoulder.

Guagua, like a sturdy little tiger, ran quickly toward Yuanyuan. Despite being covered in baby fat, he wasn’t slow at all when he ran.

Running up to the snow doll, Guagua saw that he hadn’t moved and greeted him cheerfully: “I’m Guagua!”

He lifted his feet and stomped hard on the ground twice. Suddenly, his shoes let out two “Gua” “Gua” croaks. Yuanyuan seemed startled; his eyelashes trembled violently, but Guagua burst into a “Haha” laugh. “It’s this Guagua, okay!”

Looking at that brilliant smile, Yuanyuan’s tensed body gradually relaxed, and he silently handed the gift to Guagua.

“H-hello… my name is Yuanyuan, the Yuan from New Year’s Day (Yuandan).” Yuanyuan’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz, and sweat broke out on the tip of his nose after he finished speaking. He gave Pei Shaoyu a shy glance.

Pei Shaoyu stroked his head with a large, warm hand and gave an encouraging pat.

Yuanyuan then looked back at Guagua and continued in a very small voice: “…Little brother Guagua, happy birthday.”

Pei Shaoyu, who had been watching the whole time, let out a sigh of relief. Even his thin lenses couldn’t hide the smile across his face. “You did great!”

Yuanyuan pursed his lips, revealing a tiny smile.

The moment Guagua saw the snow doll smile, he smiled along with him. He grinned and said to Lin Tingwan, “Daddy, can I go play with Brother Yuanyuan?”

Seeing that Yuanyuan wasn’t resisting, Lin Tingwan looked at Pei Shaoyu. Pei Shaoyu nodded.

Lin Tingwan touched his face, which was flushed from playing, and instructed: “Go together with Brother Wangwang, otherwise Daddy will worry.”

Bian Wang, who was standing beside Lin Tingwan in a defensive posture, stiffened his muscles upon hearing this.

“I…”

“Oh! Brother Wangwang, let’s go play together!”

Bian Wang was led away by him quite unwillingly.

Once the children were far away, Pei Shaoyu withdrew his gaze and gave Lin Tingwan an apologetic smile. “I happened to remember Zhou Zhou mentioning it was Guagua’s birthday today. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to bring the child over; please don’t blame her.”

Zhou Zhou, who had been trying to act invisible, stuck her tongue out at Lin Tingwan and dropped the line, “I’ll go help with the barbecue,” before fleeing guiltily.

Lin Tingwan stood there at a loss. Seeing him acting like a wooden block, Feng Xueqing quickly stepped in to host: “Mr. Pei, Tingwan, let’s not keep standing. Let’s go sit down.”

Pei Shaoyu gave a gentle nod.

Lin Tingwan walked toward the tent with him. Pei Shaoyu withdrew his gaze from Yuanyuan and explained, “Yuanyuan’s mother has been fighting me for the child’s custody recently. She came to make a scene again this morning, and the house is a mess. I saw he was in a very bad mood, so I brought him out to clear his head.”

Lin Tingwan felt something was slightly off hearing this.

Pei Shaoyu continued to explain: “I had a marriage of convenience with his mother. We agreed before getting married that the child would belong to me. After her partner abandoned her, she wanted to take Yuanyuan back.”

A marriage of convenience, a partner who also has a partner, and a child? This relationship was too complicated.

Pei Shaoyu turned his head and saw Lin Tingwan’s brain seemingly crashing with a blank, silly expression. The slight discomfort from mentioning old matters instantly vanished.

He couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth, his tone very relaxed. “Other than hearing that I’m very strict at work, haven’t you heard any other rumors about me?”

Lin Tingwan had, in fact, heard that Pei Shaoyu’s marriage was unsuccessful and that he was a divorcee with a child. But who would tell their boss to their face that they’d heard gossip about them? He shook his head guiltily.

Pei Shaoyu didn’t expose him. “There’s nothing that can’t be said. Both Yuanyuan’s mother and I are gay.”

Lin Tingwan looked up at him quickly.

“We separated after having Yuanyuan through IVF. But now, his mother wants both the money and the child.”

Lin Tingwan originally thought his own situation was complicated enough, but he never expected Pei Shaoyu to have such a sensational story too.

Pei Shaoyu stared at him intently. Seeing that he was unfazed by the fact that he was gay, he smiled. “These words have been suppressed in my heart for a long time, and I haven’t had a suitable person to talk to. I feel much better having said them. Just act like you never heard it.”

“I understand.”

Pei Shaoyu’s gaze fell on the children playing wildly, and he sighed with emotion: “I rarely see Yuanyuan this happy.”

“Children with albinism stand out in a crowd. Being excessively noticed, combined with his own high sensitivity, means he’s never been very brave. He doesn’t have many friends.”

Yuanyuan had originally stood alone by the slide watching Guagua and the others play. But after being pulled over a few times by Guagua and Bengbeng, Yuanyuan followed them up the slide. Although Yuanyuan worked hard to take the first step, he was still very timid and reserved, only daring to play with Guagua and Bengbeng while not daring to get close to Bian Wang at all.

Lin Tingwan was not just a single father; in a sense, he was also a “single mother.” When it came to children, he always had a softer heart than the average man.

Pei Shaoyu looked at the sincerity and the instinctive heartache in his eyes and gave a narrowed-eyed smile. This smile was several degrees more genuine than any he had shown them before.

It was just that Lin Tingwan didn’t notice.

Pei Shaoyu rolled up his sleeves and walked toward the tent. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

“President Pei, please sit and rest for a while. There’s nothing to do; everything is prepared.” Lin Tingwan trotted after him.

“It’s fine, I’m actually quite good at barbecue.” Pei Shaoyu proactively took over the raw ingredients from Luo Hao’s hand. Unlike Luo Hao’s clumsy movements, he did a very good job. Whether it was handling the charcoal or flipping the meat, his movements were as practiced as if he had worked part-time in a barbecue shop.

Lin Tingwan stood there helplessly. The scene of President Pei personally grilling for them felt far too surreal.

Zhou Zhou leaned toward Lin Tingwan’s ear and whispered in wonder, “How can President Pei look so handsome even while doing barbecue?”

Lin Tingwan stole a quick look at Pei Shaoyu. Seeing he didn’t react, he lowered his voice and said, “Keep it down, don’t let him hear you.”

“You don’t blame me for being a blabbermouth, do you?” Zhou Zhou finally snapped back from the handsome display. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she quickly apologized: “I’m sorry, I really thought President Pei was just joking. I didn’t expect him to actually come.”

Lin Tingwan sighed. “Don’t do it again next time. I really don’t know how to interact with the leadership.”

“I promise! If I’m a blabbermouth again, I’ll sew my own mouth shut!” Zhou Zhou quickly raised her hand to swear.

While they were chatting, the phone suddenly rang.

Lin Tingwan’s movements in unwrapping the cake paused when he saw that familiar number.

The phone ringtone persisted relentlessly. Seeing he wasn’t reacting, Zhou Zhou nudged him with her shoulder: “Why aren’t you answering the phone?”

“Oh, oh!” Lin Tingwan snapped out of it, picked up the phone, and walked to the side.

“You’re celebrating Guagua’s birthday right now, aren’t you? At the XX Camping Base, right?”

After sitting at home for over an hour, Kuang Ye couldn’t hold back and followed them. He hadn’t intended to suddenly appear and scare Lin Tingwan, but he didn’t expect to find a “surprise” as soon as he arrived.

Pei Shaoyu was here!

Why was this guy everywhere?! Does being a boss mean having no sense of boundaries?

“…Yes, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. A friend happened to ask me to come play over here today. I checked and saw it’s very close to you guys. I’m coming over to say hello to my big nephew and give him some blessings.”

“…No need, don’t trouble yourself.”

Kuang Ye’s gaze stared deathly at the figure not far away. Gritting his teeth, he continued to maintain a calm tone: “How could that be okay? With our relationship, it would be one thing if I didn’t know, but since I do, I absolutely must come… Send me the specific address.”

Lin Tingwan’s voice was very forced. “Don’t come over. I have friends here. You don’t know them; you’ll be uncomfortable with them.”

“Won’t we get to know each other once I’m there? Besides, I’m just saying hello to your son and then I’ll leave.” Kuang Ye was relentless.

Lin Tingwan was out of options. Just as Zhou Zhou looked over curiously, Lin Tingwan said immediately, “My wife is also here. Don’t come over.”

Kuang Ye gave a cold laugh. The wife again! Can’t you change it to some other excuse?!

“Oh? And if I insist on coming?” Kuang Ye was extremely difficult to deal with.

Lin Tingwan hadn’t expected Kuang Ye to still insist on coming even after he’d said that. A fire rose in his heart too. Gritting his teeth, he questioned in a low voice, “What exactly do you want to do? We agreed that it’s all in the past!”

Kuang Ye was thoroughly infuriated by his words and couldn’t help but roar, “Who exactly is the one who can’t let go? You won’t even dare let me see your wife and child!”

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