Transmigrated as the Movie Star’s Little Good for Nothing - Chapter 5

“Alright, the boy’s cradle is pushed far away now.” Gu Pingyue slipped back into the king-sized bed, secretly thrilled. “Shall we pick up where we left off?”

“Okay,” Xiang Yuyan replied, a slight tremor of excitement in his voice. “Hurry up and… come over here.”

Because the crib had been intentionally moved to the far side of the room, Gu Congjue couldn’t see anything clearly. He could only make out two figures intertwined on the bed. The night outside the window threw their silhouettes against the stark white wall right beside him, stretching and warping their shadows.

He had a quiet, calm temperament, the kind of baby who usually woke up without a single peep or cry…and tonight was no different.

Without alerting the two people locked in each other’s arms, he simply stared at the moving shadows on the wall, listening to the muffled sounds filtering across the room. He was curious, utterly bewildered, trying to figure out what they were doing.

What on earth were his dad and mom up to?

The strange sounds piercing the night also woke another deeply asleep child: Shen Yanxing.

“Mommy…”

The one-and-a-half-year-old rolled over, his little hand instinctively reaching out to pat the mattress on either side of him.

“Mommy?”

Feeling nothing but empty space, the little guy snapped wide awake. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes.

Mommy’s temper had been much better over the past few days. Not only had he tidied up the house and cooked delicious meals, but he had also taken him to the park to play on the slides and bought him a fluffy, soft toy puppy.

Even though Mommy had a very strange personality…frequently snapping at him, hitting him for no reason, forbidding him from ever saying the word “Mommy,” and strictly banning any questions about “Daddy”…Yanxing loved him anyway. He had no one else. Aside from a father he had only glimpsed a handful of times, he only had Mommy.

So, Shen Yanxing loved Mommy dearly and did everything he could to please him.

Finding Mommy gone left the little guy feeling incredibly lost and frightened. Clutching his toy puppy, he kicked his chubby little legs and carefully climbed down from the high bed, landing hard on his bottom on the old, worn wooden floor.

It hurt a bit, but Shen Yanxing didn’t cry. Mommy hated crying children; the sound made him incredibly irritable. No matter how much it hurt or how upset he felt, he swallowed it down and held it in.

He rubbed his bottom, stood up, set his puppy down, and stumbled over to drag a small plastic stool across the room. He stepped onto the low stool, reaching up to grab the bedroom doorknob.

It was an incredibly logical, organized sequence of actions for a mere one-and-a-half-year-old.

While normal children his age would just wail for their parents’ help, Shen Yanxing had already learned to rely on himself.

Putting every ounce of his baby strength into it, he finally managed to twist the stubborn, rusty handle. Just as he braced himself against the half-open door to climb down from the stool, a sharp, strange screech from the living room startled him.

“Ah!”

The high-pitched cry echoed through the small apartment.

The toddler’s eyes widened in sheer shock as he stared at the absurd scene unfolding in the living room.

“M-Mommy!”

Hearing the voice, a strange man looked up. “Hey, you woke your little brother up.”

The man hadn’t paid close attention to what the child had actually called out, assuming Shen Yanxing and Zhang Yuehan were older and younger brothers.

He had no idea they were actually mother and son.

“Ugh…”

At least the strange man had spared him a glance. But Zhang Yuehan…his biological male mother…didn’t even look his way.

“Don’t worry about him…”

Shen Yanxing stood frozen, his wide eyes glued to the scene.

What were they doing?

Was that uncle hurting Mommy?

If he wasn’t beating Mommy, why was Mommy crying out in such pain?

Shen Yanxing couldn’t understand it, nor was it possible for him to. At just a year and a half old, he had no concept of how repulsive the scene before him truly was.

What should I do? What do I do?

Looking at his strange Mommy, he was utterly helpless.

He couldn’t remember what happened after that. He must have leaned against the doorframe, curled up on the rather dirty mat at the bedroom threshold, and drifted into a hazy sleep.

The night was freezing. Like a stray kitten, he curled his tiny body tight, pressing himself against the grime-crusted old mat to catch whatever warmth he could.

The bizarre noises finally ceased just before sunrise. The two adults finally spared enough energy to look after Shen Yanxing, lifting the small child back onto the bed.

By the time Shen Yanxing woke up from his deep sleep, driven by hunger and a craving for his milk, it was already noon the next day. He could hear his mommy speaking in a soft, sweet voice, bidding someone goodbye. However, the warm atmosphere didn’t last long before his mommy got into a fierce argument with someone else.

“Zhang Yuehan, do you have a single shred of humanity left? It’s bad enough you don’t care about your dignity in front of us neighbors, but can’t you at least think about Xingxing’s well-being?!”

“Bringing wild men home and sleeping with them right in front of the kid without a care in the world! It’s one thing for you to be trashy and cheap, but are you trying to ruin the next generation too?”

Listening closely, it sounded like Auntie Xiao Mei’s voice.

Shen Yanxing panicked. In an instant, his hunger for milk and rice cereal vanished. He clumsily scrambled out of bed to find his mommy and Auntie Xiao Mei.

“M-Mommy!”

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want, what’s it to you?” Zhang Yuehan ignored his son for the moment, focusing his full, venomous attention on mocking Gao Qiumei. “If you care so much about other people’s kids, why don’t you pop one out yourself? Oh, I almost forgot…you were dumped by your fiancé precisely because you’re barren!”

“You—”

Gao Qiumei wanted to hurl a torrent of insults right back, to curse this shameless, homewrecking male mistress who had used a baby as a bargaining chip to force his way into a marriage!

What did he mean by “dumped”? She had clearly escaped a lifetime of misery from a man who didn’t love her! But what about Zhang Yuehan?

Zhang Yuehan had used a child as a threat and still failed to secure his spot as a legal spouse…a total loser! He was lower than a street rat!

But Gao Qiumei’s sharp eyes caught a tiny figure shuffling into view. “Mommy, d-don’t be angry… if you’re not angry, you’ll look p-pretty!”

The little guy stumbled over his words, trying his best to play peacemaker. He carefully wrapped his tiny arms around Zhang Yuehan’s leg while casting a fearful, watery gaze toward Gao Qiumei.

That look seemed to say: I’m so sorry, Auntie Xiao Mei.

Gao Qiumei utterly loathed her ill-mannered, low-class, insufferable neighbor, but she was profoundly heartbroken for his adorable son.

This little guy possessed communication skills and a sense of logic that far exceeded children his age. He was so sensible and obedient it made her chest ache with pity.

It was as if the universe was trying to prove a bizarre law of nature…that two negatives make a positive. Somehow, a cheating, fickle man and a shameless male mistress had produced such a sweet, precious little angel.

Her good upbringing and her desire not to traumatize the child further made Gao Qiumei swallow her bitter retorts, letting a manic Zhang Yuehan continue his screeching rant.

“Who the hell do you think you are, lecturing me?” Zhang Yuehan stood with hands on his hips, his voice piercingly shrill. “We’re all rolling around in the same mud at the bottom of society, so don’t go acting like you’re high and mighty! Get the hell away from my door before you bring your bad luck into my house!”

With a violent swing, Zhang Yuehan slammed the door shut right in Gao Qiumei’s face, spitting venomously on the floor afterward.

Shen Yanxing didn’t understand the vitriol; he only knew he was terrified. Tugging weakly at Zhang Yuehan’s pant leg, he whispered, “Mommy, Xingxing wants to eat… eat rice cereal…”

Hearing the voice, Zhang Yuehan looked down as if only just noticing the toddler. Suddenly, he palmed the top of Shen Yanxing’s head, forcing the boy’s fragile, soft neck to tilt violently backward.

“How many times do I have to tell you to remember? Do not call me ‘Mommy,’ call me ‘Brother’!”

Zhang Yuehan’s face contorted into a monstrous scowl.

“Why are you so stupid? So completely useless? Because you can’t remember to change how you call me, you almost ruined everything for me!”

To the toddler looking up, Zhang Yuehan was a towering, terrifying figure of absolute authority, his dark aura completely overwhelming the room. Forced to tilt his head back, the boy’s neck ached under the strain. He wanted to cry, but didn’t dare let a sob escape.

“S-Sorry…” He apologized with practiced familiarity, hot tears spilling uncontrollably from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Mommy…”

“Mommy?” Zhang Yuehan hissed, his teeth gnashing. “Who is your mommy?!”

“B-Brother…”

Shen Yanxing couldn’t hold it back anymore. Sobbing, he corrected himself, begging for his “mommy’s” forgiveness.

“Brother, X-Xingxing wants to eat rice cereal…”

He felt so incredibly wronged. But what could he do? He was only a year and a half old, barely stable on his feet, and constantly tripping over his own steps.

All he wanted was a single spoonful of warm, sweet rice cereal.

“Hmph.”

As if granting a royal pardon, Zhang Yuehan finally released his grip. He turned to grab the baby cereal he had whipped up earlier to use as a prop while flirting with his lover.

“What a drag. Useless little burden.”

At ten in the morning, the Gu-Xiang couple brought their mute little son to the private Beidu Love Infant Children’s Hospital, waiting for his number to be called for his vaccinations.

Because it was a high-end private hospital, the lines were significantly shorter and the overall waiting experience was vastly superior to public clinics. However, human toddlers are notoriously difficult creatures; one could hardly expect the doctors to rush through the appointments.

During the dull wait, Xiang Yuyan found himself locked in yet another staring contest with Gu Congjue.

“Call me Mommy!”

With one hand supporting the baby’s back and the other cradling his head, Xiang Yuyan kept his useless little son sitting securely on his lap, putting on a playfully fierce voice.

“If you don’t say it, no more milk for you!” He paired the threat with a cartoonish scowl. “No more burping you, and definitely no more tummy rubs to put you to sleep!”

Gu Congjue remained entirely unmoved. He slumped back, idly pulling at the drawstrings of his clothes. His large, watery baby eyes held a stubbornness and maturity that defied his age.

Not happening, Gu Congjue thought to himself.

Xiang Yuyan and Gu Pingyue were barely older than he had been in his past life. Why on earth should he lower his dignity and call them “Mommy” and “Daddy”?

No meant no.

Support