Raising Kids C12

Chapter 12

Xie Hui watched as his son, blushing, waved his chubby little hands, trying to push him away. His heart softened inexplicably, and he reached out to ruffle his son’s hair.

“But you’re still too little—how will you wash your back?”

Xie Ze tentatively tried reaching behind himself, only to find that he really couldn’t touch his back. He let out a sigh, puffed up his cheeks, and mumbled in a small voice:

“Then Daddy, help me.”

“Alright.”

The main reason was that, up until now, it had always been the nanny at home who bathed him. This was the first time Xie Ze let his dad help, so he was a bit shy, wishing he could bury his face in his chest.

After his bath, he changed into a fluffy little chick pajama set. Even as he snuggled under the blanket, his face was still warm with embarrassment.

“Baby, how about reading for a little while first? Daddy will come back after taking a bath.”

As Xie Hui spoke, he pulled out the storybook that Xie Ze hadn’t finished reading at home from the suitcase and handed it to him.

Xie Ze still couldn’t read, but just looking at the illustrations, he could roughly guess the story’s content.

Before, when the original host occasionally came home after a busy day and didn’t want to be disturbed, he would give Xie Ze a book. The little cub could sit quietly and “read” for half a day.

Even though he was supposed to be reading, Xie Ze kept sneaking glances toward the bathroom after his dad went inside. When Xie Hui finally came out, the little one even scooted over a bit, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to squeeze in next to his dad despite his tiny size.

Xie Hui lifted the blanket and lay down beside him, putting away the book. Inhaling the sweet, milky scent clinging to Xie Ze, he couldn’t help but curve his lips in a slight smile.

It was the same body wash they had picked out together at the supermarket—Xie Ze had insisted on getting the milk-scented one, saying it smelled really nice. Now that he was smelling it, Xie Hui had to agree—it was quite pleasant.

Xie Ze, unaware of his own fragrance, instinctively snuggled into his dad’s arms. Tilting his head up, he looked at Xie Hui with squinting eyes, smiling brightly.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I just really like Daddy.”

Saying that, he rubbed his little head against his dad affectionately.

After acting cute for a moment, he smoothly brought up his real intention.

“Daddy, when we go back home, can you teach me to bathe myself? I don’t want to trouble you anymore.”

Xie Ze recalled how Xingxing-gege had told him that he never let his dad carry him. Comparing that to himself—still needing his dad’s help for baths—he suddenly felt a bit frustrated with himself for being so dependent.

“Baby, why is that? Can you tell Daddy the reason?”

Lately, the time Xie Hui had spent with this little cub had built a strong foundation of trust between them. So when Xie Hui asked this question, Xie Ze only hesitated briefly before answering honestly.

“Because… I’m afraid Daddy will get too tired.”

Hearing his little one’s milky voice say this, Xie Hui’s heart practically melted. Even defeating the final boss in a game had never made him feel this kind of pure happiness before.

He lowered his head and kissed Xie Ze’s soft little face. Seeing the little one turn shy and burrow under the blanket, he chuckled softly and said:

“How could Daddy ever get tired when Baby is this cute? But in the future, when Baby grows up and doesn’t need Daddy’s help anymore, Daddy will need Baby to take care of him instead.”

Hearing this, Xie Ze’s little head instantly popped out from the blanket, his eyes sparkling brightly.

“Really?”

He had always thought he was like the big rooster that the landlady raised—only something Daddy took care of. At least the rooster would be eaten for New Year’s; he wasn’t even as useful as that.

But now, from what Daddy was saying… it seemed like he might actually be useful when he grew up?

Xie Hui nodded firmly.

“Yes. When Baby grows up to be as big as Daddy, Daddy will retire and stop working. Then, Baby will have to work hard and take care of Daddy.”

Xie Ze clenched his tiny fists and looked into his dad’s smiling eyes, vowing:

“I will definitely work hard to take care of Daddy in the future!”

“Good. But for now, Baby should go to sleep. At your age, you need to sleep well to grow big faster.”

“Then I’ll sleep now and grow quickly!”

Xie Hui felt no guilt whatsoever for coaxing his son like this. Seeing him obediently close his eyes, Xie Hui also got ready to rest.

After flying in today, Xie Hui was quite tired. He had been on the move all day, and now, in the cozy warmth of the blanket, with a little cub who smelled like milk nestled in his arms, it was the perfect way to sleep.

Although it wasn’t the hottest season yet, the nights were still a bit stuffy. Fortunately, the production team had arranged for them to stay in a house with air conditioning, so cuddling a little cub didn’t feel too warm.

—

The next afternoon, Ke Ting’s group finally arrived. Following the show’s instructions, the cast went to the village entrance to greet them.

When they saw Ke Ting, he was dressed in a long beige coat, making his figure look exceptionally tall and slender. He held the hand of a little girl in a princess dress.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Ke Ting, and this is my daughter, Ke Zhen. She’s four and a half years old.”

The atmosphere wasn’t as relaxed as when Xie Hui had met Chen Heng the day before. Everyone present felt a bit awkward, to varying degrees.

Ke Ting’s outfit today seemed to be going for the “sunny young man” look. Back when he had shot to fame, this had been his persona.

But in such hot weather—while Chen Heng, if not for the show, would have preferred to wear just a tank top—Ke Ting’s long coat didn’t come off as charming at all. Instead, it felt out of place.

Perhaps it was just their imagination, but they couldn’t shake the feeling that Ke Ting carried an air of superiority.

Chen Yue, considering herself an older sister, didn’t try to exclude Ke Zhen just because she had met Xie Ze first. She ran up to the little girl and reached out her hand.

Before she could even introduce herself, Ke Zhen shrank behind her father, clutching her doll tightly.

“What are you doing! Don’t touch me if you haven’t washed your hands!”

The little girl’s fierce tone made Chen Yue freeze mid-motion, her hand hanging awkwardly in the air. Feeling embarrassed, she turned away and quietly returned to her dad’s side.

They were all little princesses who had been spoiled. Chen Yue was just more outgoing, but that didn’t mean she had no temper. Being openly excluded like this, she wasn’t the type to keep trying and tolerate a cold shoulder.

Ke Ting watched the scene and inexplicably felt that this child had too much of a temper and was hard to get along with. He wanted to say something but, after thinking it over, decided to keep quiet.

The filming schedule for the show had been arranged in advance, with rest time allocated for the guests. Since Ke Ting arrived late, the director had already informed him that the official filming would start today.

Even though the show focused on daily life, that didn’t mean there was no urgency. Someone of Xie Hui’s level delaying the schedule too long would mean higher fees to pay.

At the gathering, Ke Ting finally noticed the other family—Xie Hui!

Previously, the only confirmed guest announced by the show was Chen Heng. Though an old-school movie emperor, he wasn’t particularly popular anymore. Still, forming a connection with him could be useful, so Ke Ting had already made plans.

But unexpectedly, the other guest turned out to be Xie Hui, whose latest work was still trending on the hot search! The shock was so great that Ke Ting momentarily failed to maintain his facial expression.

Meanwhile, Xie Hui was simply holding an umbrella while absentmindedly ruffling his son’s hair.

A child’s hair was still soft, and after ruffling it so often, Xie Hui found himself a little addicted to the feeling. His well-tempered son never got mad at him for it either.

Back then, Xie Hui also thought men getting tanned was no big deal—if anything, it added to their masculinity.

But now, seeing his son in a short-sleeved shirt under the sun, he had started to worry about sunburn. As a father, he’d gotten into the habit of carrying an extra sun umbrella whenever they went out.

On the other side, Chen Heng was the same. In his acting days, he always played tough guys who could break bricks with a single strike. But now, in front of his kids, he obediently held an umbrella.

One hand held the blue umbrella his young master son wanted, while the other carried the pink one his young lady daughter liked. Occasionally, he even had to ask, “Young master, young lady, are you thirsty?”

By contrast, Ke Ting had come woefully unprepared. He looked down at his daughter’s reddened skin from the sun. Since filming had already started, he couldn’t send his assistant to get anything.

Noticing Chen Heng had two umbrellas, he walked over, intending to borrow one.

“Chen Heng, could you lend me an umbrella?”

Hearing this, Chen Heng was actually quite unwilling.

In the past, he might have agreed for the sake of appearances, but now, he openly admitted to being more selfish. Why should his own kids suffer in the sun just to help someone else?

Helping others was fine—but not at the expense of his own children.

When Ke Ting came over, Chen Xing immediately glanced at his sister first. Chen Yue clearly didn’t want to give up her little floral umbrella—her mother had drawn on it for her.

In the end, Chen Heng lent out Chen Xing’s umbrella. One reason was to keep things from turning too ugly on the show, but more importantly, Chen Xing had already extended his arm to offer it.

Just as the umbrella was loaned out, Ke Zhen immediately threw a fit.

“Daddy, I want the pink one! Daddy, I want the pink one!”

Xie Hui, watching the scene unfold, happened to glance down and catch a complicated expression on his son’s face. After a brief pause, he crouched down to ask:

“What’s wrong?”

Xie Ze wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck, leaned in close, and whispered,

“Daddy, can I not play with that kid?”

Hearing this, Xie Hui instinctively felt it wasn’t just because Ke Zhen’s family had arrived a day late. Still, he wanted to understand the reason.

“Can you quietly tell Daddy why? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Xie Ze hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Because… back in that place before, whenever a kid cried, no matter what the reason was, people always thought it was my fault. I don’t want to play with kids who cry all the time.”

Xie Hui was momentarily stunned, then gathered his son into his arms.

“Who you want to be friends with is your choice. Daddy won’t interfere. But maybe some kids are just naturally more prone to tears?”

Xie Ze furrowed his brows tightly and shook his head like a rattle.

“No, that kid cried because she wanted Sister Yueyue’s umbrella. She’s not—what was that thing Daddy said? Tears… something big?”

Xie Hui couldn’t argue with that and was even a bit impressed by his son’s sharpness. He kissed his son’s soft little cheek and hummed in response.

Meanwhile, Ke Ting, unable to calm his daughter down, decided to try negotiating with Chen Heng for a switch.

The moment he made the request, Chen Heng’s face instantly darkened.

Lending an umbrella had been a favor, but demanding a swap? That was pushing it.

Not to mention, Chen Heng was already known for his bad temper. And this kind of unreasonable demand? He didn’t even hesitate before snatching the umbrella back.

“Take it or leave it. What, you think I run a damn umbrella shop?”