After a Real Person Plays the Protagonist of an Anguish Novel [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Housewife 

Pleasure Level +3

As the system prompt sounded in his mind, Tang Yiqing felt a sense of relief; at least he hadn’t endured that frustration for nothing—he had gained progress. Shen Mingzheng using the peach tree he planted for He Chenguang had become a point of “misery” for him, causing the pleasure level of the dog-blood novel to increase by three.

At this moment, He Chenguang turned back to look at him, acting as if he were the master of this place. “Yiqing, do you want to come wander around with us?”

Tang Yiqing’s gaze swept over the two of them, and he slightly lowered his eyelashes. “I won’t go. You two go ahead.”

He didn’t know how he was supposed to view He Chenguang right now. Was he the third party in their marriage? Or was he Shen Mingzheng’s childhood sweetheart and “white moonlight”? In any case, as Shen Mingzheng’s legal wife—a person with a weak personality who didn’t dare to expose everything—he had to be tactful enough not to disturb them.

He Chenguang gave a radiant smile. “Alright then, I guess it’s just us.”

Beside him, Shen Shanyu, who was holding his hand, happily shook his arm. “I want to go too! I want to go too!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll take you.” He Chenguang affectionately stroked Shen Shanyu’s head.

Tang Yiqing frowned slightly, looking at the other child who had remained silent with his head bowed the entire time; he seemed to have been completely ignored.

After He Chenguang finished interacting with Shen Shanyu, he didn’t actually forget his own child. He walked over, squatted down, and raised a hand to rub the boy’s somewhat thin cheek. “Mommy is going to wander inside for a bit. Aren’t you most afraid of little flying bugs? So stay here obediently, okay?”

The child didn’t speak, only nodding once. Just then, Shen Shanyu ran over. He had a completely different personality from this little boy; Shen Shanyu was lively and active. He was clearly already very familiar with this silent child. After staring at him for a while, his gaze landed on the tattered doll the boy was holding.

“Why do you always carry this…” Shen Shanyu muttered, and then reached out to snatch it away.

The silent child suddenly snapped his head up and said loudly, “Give it back to me!”

The sudden loud voice startled Shen Shanyu. His small eyebrows furrowed immediately, and he carelessly tossed the doll back at the child. “What’s the big deal! Take it back!”

“It’s just a broken rabbit. I have plenty of toys at home that are a hundred times, ten thousand times better looking than this!”

The child stared at the doll that had fallen on the ground, his eyes turning red. This sudden scene made Tang Yiqing’s heart ache. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Mingzheng walked over. With a serious face and a stern tone, he said to Shen Shanyu, “Shen Shanyu, pick up the doll and apologize.”

Shen Shanyu turned stubborn. “He’s the one who yelled at me! He’s the one who scared me!”

Shen Mingzheng was about to scold him further, but He Chenguang spoke first. While soothingly stroking Shen Shanyu’s head, he said, “It’s fine, it’s just kids playing around. They’ll make up in a bit. We adults don’t need to get involved.”

Shen Mingzheng stopped speaking. Shen Shanyu immediately threw himself into He Chenguang’s arms. Beside them, Tang Yiqing watched with a deep frown. Was this why Shen Shanyu liked He Chenguang? Because he could receive unlimited indulgence and favoritism there, to the point where even He Chenguang’s own biological son wasn’t treated as well as him.

He saw Shen Shanyu slightly lift his head from He Chenguang’s embrace to look triumphantly at the other child. This scene made Tang Yiqing feel a blockage in his chest.

He Chenguang picked up the rabbit doll and stuffed it into his child’s hand. “Stay here and be good.”

With that, he stood up holding Shen Shanyu and turned to Shen Mingzheng with a soft, bright smile. “Let’s go. I’m finally going to see my peach tree.”

Tang Yiqing watched them leave the door, a flash of disgust appearing on his face. He Chenguang’s intention to integrate into this family was far too obvious—whether it was his behavior toward Shen Mingzheng or Shen Shanyu. Especially regarding Shen Shanyu; while he acted with proper decorum in front of Shen Mingzheng, his desire to please was written all over his face when dealing with Shen Shanyu.

Leaving his own son behind to curry favor with someone else’s son—to act this way toward children showed he truly had no bottom line.

By the window, only he and the neglected child remained. He wanted to go back to his room, but seeing the little boy, he truly couldn’t bear to.

Tang Yiqing approached the child. As he leaned down, he noticed that tears were already streaming down the boy’s face. The tears fell one by one, yet a child of his age was crying without making a sound.

Tang Yiqing immediately squatted down, his heart softening with pity. He finally saw the child’s face clearly; he was very cute, with a handsome look to his eyes and a pert little nose. He was definitely a beautiful child, but one couldn’t see a child’s innocence on his face—he was very somber.

Tang Yiqing reached out to wipe the tears from his face and stroked his head. “It’s okay, don’t cry. Shanyu did something wrong; Uncle will apologize to you on his behalf.”

The child still kept his head down and didn’t speak. Tang Yiqing called over a servant and asked them to bring some pastries and snacks that children like. He picked the child up and placed him on the sofa by the window. After a moment, the servant brought the snacks. Tang Yiqing took a cheese stick from the tray and held it out to him.

“Do you like this?” Tang Yiqing said with a smile.

The child looked at the cheese stick in front of him, then looked up at Tang Yiqing’s friendly smile. The aroma of the cheese stick was in front of his nose, and the scent on the uncle before him was also very pleasant.

He reached out to take the cheese stick and said muffledly, “Thank you.”

Tang Yiqing’s heart felt a wave of tenderness. He reached out to ruffle the boy’s soft hair. “Eat up. All the snacks here are yours.”

The child looked at Tang Yiqing, his moist eyes staring for a while before he said softly again, “Thank you.”

“What is your name?” Tang Yiqing asked.

“Zhou Mo,” the child said. “The ‘Mo’ for silence (chenmo).”

Tang Yiqing paused for a second, feeling that the name wasn’t exactly great, but he still said with a smile, “Then I’ll call you Momo.”

Zhou Mo nodded obediently, then opened his backpack, took out a notebook, placed it on the coffee table, and began doing his homework. Tang Yiqing watched from the side. The little fellow was very smart; he got every math problem right and worked very quickly.

Thinking about how Shen Shanyu usually had no autonomy when doing homework—playing for a bit after writing for a bit, then shouting if scolded, requiring Tang Yiqing to accompany him until late to finish—it felt like the homework wasn’t for Shen Shanyu, but for him.

A child like Zhou Mo was the kind of child he liked—smart, polite, and so sensible it made one’s heart ache.

“So great, Momo! You have a little red flower here. You must have performed very well to get this,” Tang Yiqing praised him softly.

Zhou Mo pursed his lips, revealing a shy smile he couldn’t hide. He closed his finished homework and took out another notebook to show Tang Yiqing; every page had a little red flower stamped by the teacher.

“So great, does your teacher always praise you?” Tang Yiqing said, his heart softening even more.

Zhou Mo nodded, but then a look of disappointment appeared on his small face. “Mommy has never praised me.”

Tang Yiqing was startled. “Your mommy is just used to your excellence. He still loves you very much.”

Zhou Mo’s face remained disappointed, an expression a child shouldn’t have. “He always says I’m not good enough… so I work harder to get red flowers, but he’s still not happy. He seems to only like Shen Shanyu and not me.”

Tang Yiqing felt a blockage in his heart. He took Zhou Mo’s hand and wanted to pull him into a hug. “How could that be…”

Tang Yiqing wanted to comfort him, but he couldn’t find the words. He didn’t understand why He Chenguang would treat his own child this way. Was it possible he didn’t like children at all, and treating Shen Shanyu well was merely a tactic to marry Shen Mingzheng?

He knew the general plot, but he hadn’t expected the details to be like this.

“Uncle, thank you,” Zhou Mo said.

Tang Yiqing’s heart tightened. He wanted to pick Zhou Mo up, but just at that moment, he heard footsteps approaching from a distance and looked over.

Immediately, he stood up from the sofa. “Big Brother… you’re back.”

Shen Shuowen walked over from the living room, rounded the pillar, and first saw Tang Yiqing’s profile. In the sunlight, the fabric of his clothes seemed to have a halo over it. Slowly, he saw the whole person.

Tang Yiqing was sitting on the sofa, radiating a gentle atmosphere, looking at the child beside him with loving eyes.

Walking closer, Shen Shuowen gave a faint response and then looked at the little boy. “Whose child is this?”

Tang Yiqing froze for a moment. While he hesitated, he met Shen Shuowen’s inquiring gaze. “This… this is He Chenguang’s child.”

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt Shen Shuowen’s face turn cold and stern instantly. He had never seen Shen Shuowen angry, but at this moment, his aura was heavy and his brows were furrowed, as if he were truly suppressing rage.

“So Mingzheng brought them back?” Shen Shuowen asked.

Tang Yiqing felt a moment of sluggishness and nodded.

“Where are they?” Shen Shuowen asked.

“They went to wander the backyard,” Tang Yiqing said softly. Shen Shuowen’s intimidating aura made him feel an instinctive fear in his heart.

Shen Shuowen’s face was tense. It took a moment before he spoke. “So they went to wander and left you here to watch the child?”

Tang Yiqing said hurriedly, “No… I just wanted to stay here.”

If it really were as Shen Shuowen said, then he would be spineless beyond measure. But at this moment, his ears turned red as he hung his head; Shen Shuowen must think he was very weak.

Shen Shuowen didn’t speak further, quietly watching Tang Yiqing. Tang Yiqing looked at the ground, feeling Shen Shuowen’s gaze on him, making him feel uncomfortable for a moment.

Slowly, he saw the small figure beside him move closer. He turned his head and saw Zhou Mo’s small face was tense. Such a sensitive child surely sensed the awkwardness of the current situation.

Tang Yiqing squatted down and picked the child up. Having carried children for years, he had no problem carrying him with one hand; he could even spare a hand to tickle the boy’s chin. “Big Brother, look how cute he is.”

Shen Shuowen’s expression flickered, and his face softened slightly. He gave an “Mm.”

Seeing Zhou Mo relax, Tang Yiqing slowly looked at Shen Shuowen and asked tentatively, “Big Brother, has… your health improved?”

Shen Shuowen seemed not to want to say much. “It’s better.”

Tang Yiqing didn’t ask further. He rocked the child in his arms. Zhou Mo looked very well-behaved, his hands around Tang Yiqing’s neck, burying his face dependently into Tang Yiqing’s neck to smell the pleasant scent on him.

Seeing that Shen Shuowen was also looking at Zhou Mo, Tang Yiqing said with a smile, “Momo is very smart. Every time he does homework, he gets a red flower from the teacher.”

Zhou Mo shyly lifted his face and looked at Tang Yiqing, his eyes full of affection.

Shen Shuowen also let his gaze fall on Tang Yiqing. Because he was holding the child, his collar was pulled a bit messy. His fair, delicate skin caught the sunlight with a faint luster, and he gave off a fresh, pleasant scent. His whole being was soft, possessing a sense of maternal tenderness.

This obedient child who liked him in his arms was the one truly suited to be his child.

And the person standing by his side should be a husband who knows how to take care of him and protect him, who should cherish him dearly…

Shen Shuowen’s Adam’s apple rolled for a moment. He raised his hand, intending to tease the child as Tang Yiqing had done, but by some strange twist of fate, it landed on the back of Tang Yiqing’s hand.

Both of them froze at the same time, their eyes meeting. Tang Yiqing felt the heat of his palm and felt a shock in his heart, thinking he must have misplaced it. But before he had time to feel embarrassed, there was noise at the door.

Tang Yiqing turned around, and Shen Shuowen’s hand moved to the correct position, grabbing Zhou Mo’s tiny arm to tease him.

The several people returning couldn’t help but freeze at the sight. Shen Mingzheng felt the scene before him was excessively harmonious, giving him a stinging sensation.

Tang Yiqing was actually holding He Chenguang’s child? Shouldn’t he hate this child? Shouldn’t he be angry? Before he could think clearly, a surge of rage rushed up.

Looking at the scene of two adults and one child, he actually got a sense of a family of three!

However, before he could lash out, Shen Shuowen’s gaze swept over. With a deep gaze and a cold, stern face, his Big Brother… seemed to be angry.

The atmosphere was tense. Originally, He Chenguang wanted to step forward to say hello, but the aura radiating from the eldest son of the Shen family made him afraid.

“Mingzheng,” Shen Shuowen spoke calmly, “there is no logic in our Shen family for bullying people like this.”

Everything about Shen Shuowen seemed calm, but those who knew him well knew that the more he acted like this, the more truly enraged he was.

Tang Yiqing’s heart trembled as he heard this. He looked at the Shen Shuowen beside him. He knew that this man was speaking up for him.

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