I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Happiness

Ning Chen snapped back to reality and gave him a smile. “I’m fine, let’s go!”

“Okay.” Shenyu looked at him with concern, but since a child was present, he didn’t press further.

Once they reached their destination, Ning Chen finally pulled himself together, holding Ning You’s hand and explaining the sights to him.

Shenyu had chosen a theme park—a bit cliché, but he had asked Ning Chen beforehand, and Ning You had never been to such a place. Having spent most of his life in a hospital since birth, Ning You had never had the chance to visit the places normal children go.

In truth, He Shenyu knew that Ning Chen had never been to one either. He had seen it in Ning Chen’s eyes when he asked, so today was actually a trip for both of them.

Shenyu’s own home back in his world was near a theme park, so he was quite familiar with them. However, the author of this novel hadn’t completely plagiarized a real-world park; instead, they used a unique IP from this world called Moon Bunny. The castle was carved with various “Moon Bunnies,” giving it a romantic flair.

“Brother, that’s Yue-Yue! I know him!” Ning You pointed excitedly at the massive rabbit sculpture in the center fountain.

Seeing his joy, Ning Chen simply picked him up. “Can you see it all now?”

“Mm-hmm!” Ning You nodded vigorously.

Shenyu walked over and presented a rabbit-ear headband he had bought while they weren’t looking.

“Wow! Thank you, Brother He! I love it.” Ning You took it and put it on himself, his little face flushed with excitement.

Shenyu looked at Ning Chen, took out another headband, and said, “Ning Chen, should I help you put yours on?”

Ning Chen hesitated for a moment. “Does Shenyu have one too?”

Shenyu pulled out a third headband with his other hand. “Don’t worry, I have one as well.”

“Okay.” Ning Chen smiled and obediently bowed his head, letting He Shenyu settle the rabbit ears on him.

Since Ning Chen was still holding Ning You, his hands weren’t free. Shenyu didn’t expect him to help and was about to put his own on, but Ning Chen took the headband from his hand. He set Ning You down, stood up, and stepped close to He Shenyu, smiling as he placed the headband on his head.

Ning Chen noticed a switch on the headband and flicked it on. A ring of lights glowed around the ears, making the rabbit look even cuter. He chuckled and said, “It suits Shenyu perfectly. Very cute.”

“Cute?” Shenyu smiled and reached up to turn on Ning Chen’s lights too. Looking at him, he said, “You’re cute too.”

Seeing them playing with the switches, Ning You fumbled with his own and turned on his lights. Since he couldn’t see them, he took the headband off and spent several minutes happily clicking it on and off.

The two adults finally noticed the child playing by himself and walked over, each taking one of his hands.

Shenyu leaned down and asked, “Xiao You, is there anything you want to play? Brother He bought a pass today, so you can ride whatever you want.”

Ning You looked up, tilted his head in thought, and said, “I want to ride the carousel! Yue-Yue flies along with it, it’s so pretty!”

This touched on a blind spot in He Shenyu’s knowledge. He only knew about the Moon Bunny IP from looking up travel guides; he hadn’t actually watched the cartoon.

Ning Chen leaned in to explain, “Yue-Yue is a flying rabbit. He likes to follow children and play with them.”

“You’ve watched it?” Shenyu asked.

Ning Chen nodded. “The hospital TVs used to play it often. All the kids loved it.”

“Alright,” He Shenyu looked at Ning You. “Today Ning You is the boss. Your brother and I are your sidekicks. The boss goes wherever he wants…”

“Really?” Ning You puffed out his chest. “Hmph, then I don’t want you to hold my hands. I want to walk in front.”

“As you wish, Boss. Can you read the map?” Shenyu asked.

“I can! I can!” Ning You took the cartoon map from him. “Brother taught me before.”

As Ning You walked ahead while studying the map, He Shenyu confirmed the direction. The boy was actually going the right way. He looked at Ning Chen and said, “Ning You is very smart.”

Ning Chen smiled and asked, “What about me, Professor Shenyu?”

Shenyu’s smile faltered. “You’re even competing with him? Of course you’re smart too!”

Ning Chen nodded, satisfied.

The two followed unhurriedly behind Ning You, letting him lead the way while acting as a barrier to keep crowds from bumping into him. Their trio was somewhat unique in the park, where most groups were either standard families of three or groups of friends. Two men with a child wasn’t a common sight.

Because all three of them were quite good-looking, they soon attracted the attention of passersby. Shenyu noticed people secretly taking photos. But with so many people in the park, it was hard to tell everyone to stop. He leaned a bit to the right, getting closer to Ning Chen, and said, “Should we take some photos of Xiao You?”

Ning Chen turned to him and nodded. “Okay.”

They followed Ning You in silence, their arms occasionally brushing against each other, the fabric of their clothes making a soft friction sound. Yet, in the end, they didn’t hold hands.

This was highly unusual for them. Ning Chen was intentionally avoiding physical contact and had stopped being proactive. Shenyu, on the other hand, felt a bit shy; he was a straightforward person—if Ning Chen held his hand, he wouldn’t think twice because he was used to it. But if Ning Chen didn’t initiate, and he did, he would be acutely aware that it “meant” something.

In truth, he didn’t want to do anything more that might cause Ning Chen to misunderstand. Maintaining this state seemed best.

“We’re here! Look, Yue-Yue is on top!” Ning You, their guide, stopped.

Shenyu followed the boy’s finger and saw a plump rabbit “flying” above the carousel. He smiled and took out his phone. “Xiao You, do you want a picture with Yue-Yue?”

“Yes!” Ning You nodded, then added, “I want to take one with Brother and Brother He!”

“Okay, I’ll find someone to help,” He Shenyu said.

As he was about to leave, Ning Chen caught his arm. “I’ll go. You and Ning You get in position.”

“Alright.” Shenyu stood with Ning You in front of the carousel.

Ning Chen found a girl who was taking photos and explained his request. She and her companion enthusiastically came over and took several group photos for them.

While waiting in line to enter, Ning Chen flipped through his phone’s album, moving the photos into a private folder related to He Shenyu. His thumb lingered for a second on the selfie of them kissing before he quickly locked his screen.

Lately, he didn’t even dare to look at the photos. It was as if the longer he suppressed his feelings, the more they backfired. He used to not pay much attention to He Shenyu, but recently, he felt like he had memorized even the unique scent of the man’s skin. Even if He Shenyu approached him from behind, he could recognize him in a second.

“Ning Chen,” He Shenyu grabbed his arm, “it’s our turn!”

“Okay.” Ning Chen snapped out of it, glanced at where He Shenyu’s hand touched him, and almost felt the urge to lean down and catch a scent. Only his reason told him how strange that would be, so he stopped himself.

The carousel was also customized for Moon Bunny, playing the theme song from the cartoon. It was He Shenyu’s first time hearing it, but he found it quite pleasant.

Ning You, sitting in front, was already singing along. His tender voice made the lyrics sound especially beautiful:

The moon loves the night sky. The stars are in the air too, Bunny is fluffy all over, but can conjure up starry rainbows…

After singing for a bit, Ning You suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Ning Chen, “Brother, the moon loves the night sky, but what do the stars love?”

Ning Chen thought for a few seconds. “The stars probably love the night sky too…”

Ning You asked again, “Then the stars don’t love the moon?”

Ning Chen nodded hesitantly. “Maybe. When the moon appears, the stars can’t be seen.”

Listening from the side, He Shenyu felt Ning Chen’s words were a bit pessimistic. He spoke up to Ning You: “They should both love the bunny, right? Isn’t the bunny the main character?”

Ning You had a sudden realization. “Oh right! Bunny is the best!”

The music stopped, the ride ended, and they headed toward the exit. However, a staff member stopped them and pointed to a photo wall nearby. It was covered with “moments of happiness”—families of three, young couples, best friends—all captured in Polaroids. The photographer clearly had a good eye.

The staff member handed them a Polaroid of the three of them that had been captured during their discussion. “Would you like to hang this on the wall?”

The photo was indeed well-captured; it showed the moment they were discussing the stars and moon. While He Shenyu spoke, both Ning You and Ning Chen were looking at him with rapt attention. Seeing the photo, He Shenyu realized that Ning You and Ning Chen looked quite similar; for a split second, it really did look like a family of three.

Shenyu shook his head to clear the strange thought. “Should we put it up?”

Ning Chen and Ning You shook their heads in unison.

Ning You said, “Can I keep it? I want to save it myself.”

Ning Chen opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. In the end, ownership of the Polaroid went to Ning You—since he was the “boss” today. He loved it, tucking it carefully into his large chest pocket and cautiously zipping it up.

The exit was narrow, and most people walking out were families of three. Shenyu watched the families leave, feeling as though the exit was a “gateway to happiness.”

He sighed, “So happy! Ning Chen, I hope you’ll be this happy in the future…”

Ning Chen turned his head to look at He Shenyu, slightly dazed. He could feel that the sentiment came from the bottom of He Shenyu’s heart. Is it because he likes me so much that he sincerely wishes for my happiness?

Ning Chen felt a bit happy, but also a bit upset. Because the subtext of He Shenyu’s words was: he didn’t see himself in Ning Chen’s future.

Therefore, He Shenyu was definitely going to end the contract, and once it ended, their relationship would be over. Is his ‘liking’ for me that shallow?

Ning Chen’s heart began to ache. He jerked his head away and stopped looking at He Shenyu. He told himself it didn’t matter; Ning You was almost recovered, and He Shenyu had given him a card. In a sense, even if they ended things now, he wouldn’t lack money.

So, it didn’t matter. His original goal had been achieved. As long as he controlled his heart and didn’t feel sad, he would be the absolute winner in this relationship. He wasn’t the “little fool” from the case studies, and he wouldn’t become one. He was already working hard to control himself.

Ning Chen gritted his teeth, unaware of how dark his expression had become. He Shenyu patted his shoulder to remind him to move, but he didn’t react. Finally, He Shenyu had to take Ning Chen’s hand.

“Let’s go, it’s our turn, Ning Chen. You’re blocking everyone standing here. What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Ning Chen looked down at their joined hands, and his expression finally softened a bit. Seeing that he still wasn’t moving, He Shenyu let his hand slide down Ning Chen’s arm to clasp his hand firmly.

“Let’s go, Ning Chen…”

Ning Chen nodded and finally offered a small smile.