Another New Older Brother? - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Love You So Much~

Bai Wenjin really couldn’t bring himself to look at that abstract drawing. He quickly tucked the notebook aside and continued asking, “Then what was the second good deed?”

“Hehe.” Youyou smiled mischievously, looking like a cat that had made off with the cream. He shook his head triumphantly, the little curls on top of his head bouncing with every movement as if they were about to take flight. “Baby apologized to the uncles and aunties today, and they all forgave me!”

Auntie Li added in a small voice from the side, “Besides the one in your hand, the Little Master gave a personal drawing to every single person who went out to look for him.”

“They praised Baby, saying the drawings were very, very, very pretty.” As Youyou spoke, he stretched his arms out as wide as possible. “This—this much pretty!”

Looking at his “hurry up and praise me” expression, Bai Wenjin truly couldn’t bring himself to lie and praise the art. He could only reach out and rub the boy’s head, squeezing out a sentence after a long pause: “Keep up the good work.”

“What else did you do this afternoon?” Bai Wenjin asked again.

“Nothing.” Youyou let out a heavy sigh. There were no picture books, no toys, and even Baby Baby hadn’t updated. What else could he do?

He could only be a little kid with nothing to do~~

“Big Brother, send Baby home.”

Bai Wenjin’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure in his heart. “Go back for what?”

“Baby wants to go back and get the picture books, toys, and drawing pens. Baby misses them.” Youyou’s little face was full of loneliness. There were only three colors of pens on Big Brother’s desk; the drawings he made weren’t “most beautiful” enough.

Bai Wenjin looked up at the time. After a moment of thought, he said to Auntie Li, “Get Jiang You’s water bottle and diapers. I’m taking him out for a bit.”

“Eldest Young Master, do you want me to come along?”

Bai Wenjin looked down. Youyou was staring up with wide eyes, his clear gaze twinkling as he hugged Bai Wenjin’s leg, looking extremely well-behaved.

Bai Wenjin hesitated and said, “It’s fine, I can take him myself.”

Auntie Li quickly packed the things, and Bai Wenjin picked up the “leg pendant” and walked to the parking lot.

Youyou’s big eyes went round as he looked at the car, seemingly not expecting happiness to come so suddenly. “Big Brother, are we going out to play?”

“Not to play. I’m taking you to buy picture books and drawing pens.”

Bai Wenjin opened the car door. The driver, Old Hou, had already installed the child safety seat in the SUV. Youyou skillfully climbed into the seat and sat down properly, his eyes sparkling as if filled with stars.

Bai Wenjin buckled the strap and checked to make sure it was secure before getting into the car from the other side.

It was after eight in the evening, and the children’s section of the Book City was crowded with parents buying books. Several children were gathered around the shelf holding Butt Detective. Youyou stood on his tiptoes and exerted a great deal of effort to pick out the latest volume he hadn’t read yet.

“Whatever other books you want, you can take your time picking them.” Bai Wenjin placed the book the child handed him into the basket and followed behind him as he browsed.

Youyou wove through the bookshelves until his eyes were almost blurred. He threw everything he liked into the basket by Bai Wenjin’s hand, and soon the books inside were piled up like a small mountain.

Youyou squatted by the basket and observed it for a long time. With a face full of conflict, he picked out three or four books and held them up to Bai Wenjin: “Big Brother, these, Baby doesn’t want them anymore.”

“Hmm?”

Before Bai Wenjin could react, Youyou had already huffed and puffed on his short legs to put those three books back in their original places. When he came back, he selected two more and returned them as well.

After running back and forth like this two or three times, the originally packed basket was left with only two or three lonely books.

Having finished all this, Youyou let out a long breath, wiped the little beads of sweat from his forehead himself, and clapped his hands as if completing a great feat. “Big Brother, Baby is finished picking.”

Bai Wenjin was slightly surprised. “Those books from before—you don’t want them anymore?”

“I want them~~”

“Then why did you put them back?”

A child’s expression doesn’t lie; he had been full of joy while picking the books, clearly liking them very much. Bai Wenjin didn’t understand why he took them only to put them back.

Youyou stood by Bai Wenjin’s leg, looking up at him, his voice soft. “Heavy. Big Brother tired. Baby doesn’t want Big Brother tired.”

“Buy them next time is fine.”

Bai Wenjin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to say that those few books only weighed a few pounds in total—how tired could he get? But on second thought, to a child, a basket full of books must seem very, very heavy.

He was a person who disliked trouble. Consequently, he didn’t actually like children. Children couldn’t control their emotions; they laughed when happy, got hyperactive, cried when sad, and rolled around on the floor.

But Bai Wenjin had to admit that Youyou was different from other children in his heart. Youyou was a very good child. Even though he, like other children, would cry and throw tantrums.

But he would wait at the entryway for him to finish work.

He would worry about whether he had eaten.

He would give up several picture books he really liked just because he was afraid the books would be too heavy and tiring for him to carry.

Bai Wenjin felt that Bai Xi was right; the child Jiang You was indeed quite healing.

“Eh? Big Brother, why are you smiling?” Youyou looked in surprise at the slight curve of Bai Wenjin’s lips, rubbing his eyes hard as if he thought he had seen wrong.

Bai Wenjin reached out and patted the child he had grown to like a little bit. He put the books the boy had just returned back into the basket and took Youyou’s hand. “Let’s go, time to pay.”

As he said this, Bai Wenjin pointedly lifted the basket of books with one hand right in front of Youyou.

Sure enough, he earned a look of worship from Youyou. “Big Brother, you are a strongman.”

The bookstore seemed to be having an event today, and a long queue had formed at the checkout. Bai Wenjin held Youyou’s hand and stood at the end of the line.

People around them were whispering constantly, but Bai Wenjin didn’t pay it any mind at first.

Suddenly, a young woman proactively walked up to Youyou. “Hey! Are you You-bao?”

Hearing someone call his name, Jiang Youyou looked up. Seeing a strange young woman, he looked at her in confusion. “Auntie, do you know Baby?”

“Wow, You-bao is so polite!” The woman’s eyes lit up, and she took a big step forward.

Bai Wenjin originally thought this was someone Jiang You knew, but after observing for a moment, he realized that wasn’t the case. He stood in front of Youyou, his expression cold. “Is something the matter?”

Just as the woman was about to explain, she caught a clear look at Bai Wenjin’s face and her breath hitched.

Oh my god, could this handsome guy be You-bao’s mysterious father?!

Bai Wenjin frowned, his gaze displeased.

The woman snapped back to reality like waking from a dream and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, um… excuse me, are you You-bao’s father?”

She looked toward Youyou, her tone very polite. “Your child is exceptionally cute. We all like your child very much.”

“Yes, yes, your child really is so adorable.”

“Youyou, look over here at Auntie.”

Several women nearby who recognized Youyou waved their hands at him.

From the chirping discussion, Bai Wenjin vaguely picked up a few useful bits of information, such as “emoji boy” and “the videos haven’t updated in a long time.”

Before he could figure out what was happening, a young girl suddenly pulled out her phone, aimed it at Jiang Youyou’s face, and teased, “You-bao, give us a smile, sister will take a photo with you!”

The girl’s phone was thrust in front of Youyou. Caught off guard, the child was clearly frightened. He hugged Bai Wenjin’s leg, buried his head against him, and whispered, “Brother, Baby is scared.”

Without a second thought, Bai Wenjin reached out and pushed the phone down, his tone unpleasant. “Our child is not to be photographed.”

Although Bai Wenjin was young, his track record was verifiable; he had once scolded a forty-year-old executive until they cried.

The girl tucked her phone away awkwardly and stammered an apology. “S-sorry, I, I thought it was okay. Before, I saw everyone doing…” Under Bai Wenjin’s icy gaze, she couldn’t finish the last few words, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

Bai Wenjin picked up Youyou and quickly paid before leaving. The girls looked at each other and silently stepped aside to make a path.

Just as they walked out of the picture book area, he suddenly heard someone call his name.

“Bai Wenjin.”

Youyou looked back curiously, his gaze colliding directly with a tall, handsome man.

Hearing that familiar voice, Bai Wenjin’s body stiffened.

Huo Rongchuan walked over slowly, his gaze sweeping inch by inch across Bai Wenjin’s face. The spirited eyebrows, the high bridge of the nose, the eyes flickering with coldness, finally settling on the other’s tensed lips. His gaze hovered there repeatedly.

He smelled that scent of cold wood again—the one that only appeared in his dreams, the one that haunted his soul. Huo Rongchuan’s gaze suddenly darkened.

After a brief moment of stiffness, Bai Wenjin reacted quickly. Carrying Youyou, he took a step back to widen the distance between them.

“What a coincidence.” Bai Wenjin had returned to his usual expressionless state, his posture composed and natural, showing no sign of the previous abnormality.

“It is a coincidence.” Huo Rongchuan’s gaze fell upon the face of the child in his arms, and his eyes flashed with pain. He curled his lips in self-deprecation. “…If I hadn’t been buying books for my little nephew today, I don’t know when I would have found out that you already… have a child.”

He lowered his voice, his tone sounding pained. “When did the child happen? Given our relationship… you didn’t even notify me?”

“What relationship do we have now?” Bai Wenjin acted as if he didn’t see the color drain from the man’s face instantly, his tone flat. “Please move aside, you’re blocking the way.”

Huo Rongchuan seemed stung by his icy attitude. He smiled bitterly, and his clenched fist slowly loosened. “Right, you’re right. We have no relationship at all now.”

Ignoring his heartbreak, Bai Wenjin strode away carrying the child. As he brushed past Huo Rongchuan, his pace didn’t falter for a single second.

Youyou was currently resting on Bai Wenjin’s shoulder, so he happened to see the pretty uncle wearing a smile that looked worse than crying.

So pitiful.

Youyou felt a bit of pity and raised his hand to wave. “Bye-bye, pretty uncle.”

Bai Wenjin’s pace faltered slightly. The man not far away was also stunned, staring blankly at the child who shared a thirty or forty percent resemblance to Bai Wenjin. Forcing down the sting in his heart, he squeezed out a smile. “Goodbye, pretty child.”

Youyou quite liked the title “pretty child” and started giggling.

However, his joy soon turned to sorrow.

His Big Brother very unceremoniously patted his bottom twice and warned him: “Move again and I’ll drop you.”

Youyou felt wronged.

Baby didn’t move around at all.

Youyou thought this in his heart, but his actions were very cowardly. He obediently hugged his brother’s neck and acted coquettishly: “Brother, I won’t dare anymore.”

Bai Wenjin was no longer in the mood to buy toys or children’s clothes. Since the child in his arms was already nodding off, Bai Wenjin drove straight home.

After parking the car, Bai Wenjin didn’t get out immediately. He rested his hands on the steering wheel and spaced out for a while. After a moment, he lifted his tired eyes and looked into the rearview mirror.

In the safety seat, the child was hugging a newly bought copy of Butt Detective, his head tilted to one side, sleeping haphazardly.

Bai Wenjin was amused by the way he was snoring like a little pig. He went to the back seat, gently unbuckled the safety seat, and lifted the child out.

Feeling himself falling into a familiar embrace, Youyou’s eyelids fluttered. His cheeks, flushed pink from sleep, rubbed against Bai Wenjin’s chest. Without opening his eyes, he cooed clingily: “Big Brother~~”

“Mmh.”

“Baby loves you so much.”

Bai Wenjin didn’t understand what this sudden confession was about.

The child rubbed his eyes and woke up completely. He looked up, placing his two hands on Bai Wenjin’s cheeks. His thumbs pushed the corners of Bai Wenjin’s mouth upward, and he gave him a brilliant smile. “Big Brother, don’t be unhappy anymore.”