Chapter 31
Jiang Shulu didn’t rush to talk; he was the one who gradually pressed for answers, followed Tang Yue, and ultimately sent Tang Yue back to his accommodation, urging him to rest well.
That kiss seemed insignificant to Jiang Shulu, but it left Tang Yue blushing crimson in bed.
The other party returned to the workshop and made another bouquet of bamboo flowers with Tang Mian.
Previously, Tang Mian had always been with Yao Lixin; he rarely sat with Jiang Shulu.
The older one taught the younger one to make bamboo flowers, demonstrating as he spoke. The younger one watched intently, his soft hands not at all afraid of being scratched by the bamboo strips, his gaze focused.
Even Yao Xuan Yu couldn’t help but move closer to Yao Lixin: “I feel like Tang Mian and Uncle Jiang are more like relatives.”
[This is already a recurring topic.]
[Tang Mian really doesn’t look like a five-year-old; he’s a bit too smart.]
[Is Tang Yue unwell? I saw him really go back to sleep.]
[Maybe he hasn’t been out for a long time and is suffering from culture shock?]
Yao Lixin: “Yeah, maybe Uncle Jiang is Tang Mian’s father.”
He dared to say anything.
Yao Xuan Yu gasped. He thought it was unlikely, but after watching the older and younger one for a long time, he also hesitated: “But how can two men have a child?”
The six-year-old’s brows furrowed; he had obviously encountered a cognitive barrier, appearing to be burdened with a great resentment.
[Yao Lixin, why do you say everything?]
[I remember he talked nonsense during the group interview before, saying that Jiang Shulu’s family was unhappy, and that Liu Xicháo liked older men.]
[Help, I always feel like he’s telling the truth under the guise of joking!]
[Not really, having a son is a bit exaggerated!]
[Who says it’s impossible! There was news about it before…but it’s relatively rare.]
[Stop discussing this! How am I supposed to look at Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue after this? Such a big child, it couldn’t be that the two of them got together while in the group, right?]
[It ultimately goes back to the trope of “secretly conceiving a child and running away”…it’s cheesy…I like it.]
Yao Lixin: “Anything is possible. I told you, you don’t read enough. Remember to read the news, my lovely nephew. There are also people with innate genetic diseases. It was even on the hot search a few days ago, from Australia or somewhere, a man gave birth to a child? …I should remember correctly.”
He didn’t lower his voice either. Jiang Shulu, on the other side, couldn’t bear it any longer and glanced at Yao Lixin.
The person involved was still innocent: “Captain, why are you glaring at me? I didn’t say anything about you; I was just exclaiming about the wonders of the world.”
[Openly discussing this in front of them…]
[Jiang Shulu should hit him.]
Jiang Shulu: “Would you want that to happen to you?”
Yao Lixin thought he was going to be scolded, but unexpectedly, Jiang Shulu’s tone was calm and he even asked a question in return.
Yao Lixin: “I’d be quite willing. Having a child with my wife wouldn’t be bad either.”
He was very good at defusing awkward atmospheres and began to ponder: “Would my wife feel sorry for me?”
Yao Xuan Yu: …
[Previously thought he was a scheming gay…]
[Does Yao Lixin still like GB…help.]
The rain continued to fall outside, and it was almost dark.
When Tang Mian focused on his work, he was oblivious to everything else, seemingly able to automatically block out other sounds.
Jiang Shulu: “It’ll be very hard work.”
Yao Lixin: “What?”
Jiang Shulu didn’t speak; he looked at the gap in the toy and finished the one Tang Yue hadn’t completed.
All he could think about was the cross Tang Yue had made in his palm.
Did I guess wrong?
But if it’s true, Jiang Shulu also understands Tang Yue’s fear.
This could easily attract excessive attention, and even the child would suffer criticism.
Tang Mian was still having trouble with the bamboo flower, it wasn’t going smoothly. He stopped for a long time, and Jiang Shulu reached out to adjust it for him, asking: “What does Xiao Mie like to do most?”
Tang Mian: “I like being with Xiao Yue.”
Jiang Shulu: “Your father likes music; what about you?”
Tang Mian: “I don’t know; I want to try everything.”
He watched Jiang Shulu’s technique and asked: “Uncle Jiang, why are you so good at handicrafts? Is it because you like it?”
Jiang Shulu shook his head: “You can do it well even if you don’t like it.”
He was unknowingly showing off; Yao Lixin across from him snorted.
[I really hate geniuses.]
[Is Jiang Shulu considered a born genius?]
Tang Mian said “Oh”: “Then why do something you don’t like?”
The child’s eyes were clear, and compared to the photos of Jiang Shulu as a child dug up online, his eyes were practically carved from the same mold.
Tang Mian: “If you don’t like something, can’t you not do it?”
The words were undeniably innocent, with the characteristic clear naiveté of a child.
It even coincided with Jiang Shulu’s impression of Tang Yue.
Jiang Shulu: “There are still things in the world that you have to do even if you don’t like them.”
He didn’t know how to explain it, so Tang Mian continued to ask: “Was participating in this show something you didn’t like?”
Jiang Shulu shook his head.
Tang Mian held up the bamboo flower and asked: “Then what does Uncle Jiang like to do most?”
This question, seemingly simple, could easily stump Jiang Shulu.
Even Yao Lixin on the other side hesitated, because the Jiang Shulu in his impression was really inscrutable.
The things he liked to eat seemed to be deliberately filled in his profile; no one knew what he truly liked deep down.
[Xiao Bao is so good at asking questions!!]
[I’m unworthy to be a Jiang Shulu fan! A string of thoughts flashed through my mind at this moment, and I couldn’t grasp a single one!]
[Asexual is a must, whoever said before that Jiang Shulu’s expressionless face was hilarious.]
[Quickly searching, it all feels fake.]
Jiang Shulu was also silent for a long time; he asked Tang Mian: “You guess?”
At that moment, his heart was like a stone falling into a bowl of water, creating ripples.
Back then, his rebellious decision to drop out of school to become a member of a boy band, was it really because he liked it?
Tang Mian: “I like watching my father.”
The child answered without hesitation, and then smiled smugly.
[!!!]
[Everyone stand up! Let’s kneel to Brother Mie!]
[So there really are children who take the lead in pairing people up; Tang Mian’s heart is set on marrying his father away.]
Yao Lixin also chimed in: “Yeah, Captain always looks at our Tang Yue.”
He didn’t forget to add evidence: “It’s always been like this. I even found a fan-made video online of you looking at Tang Yue, and watching it made me feel like a lightbulb.”
[Lao Yao, have you finally realized how annoying you are?]
[Understood, this is a variety show where everyone is assisting.]
[What fan-made video…give me the link.]
[Even mortal enemies can be edited into a tragic love story…]
Everyone looked at Jiang Shulu, anticipating his reaction.
Unexpectedly, the person involved smiled and nodded: “I do like it very much.”
This sentence was almost identical to Tang Yue’s answer a few days ago: “Tang Yue is so handsome; how could anyone not like to look at him?”
Tang Mian: “So what is Uncle Jiang’s hobby?”
Jiang Shulu touched his fluffy hair, “I don’t know yet; I’m still looking.”
These words sounded rather poignant, after all, Jiang Shulu wasn’t young anymore.
But when he spoke, he had a gentle smile, still polite, yet his coldness was even more noticeable.
If Tang Yue was a flower seen through a fog, Jiang Shulu was the fog itself; both gave a similar feeling of inaccessibility.
But everyone knew Tang Yue’s passion for music; what about Jiang Shulu?
[Why am I suddenly sad! But it’s normal, hobbies are all fleeting…]
[Jiang Shulu is a hollow bamboo person; who described him like that, I remember it to this day.]
[Tang Yue said it! In that RED.2 interview, when asked to describe his teammates, he said Jiang Shulu was like bamboo, empty inside. He was even scolded for implying something about the captain, hilarious.]
[The latter sentence clearly means that bamboo rice is delicious, I’m speechless. This kid really loves eating.]
[Now it feels accurate, Jiang Shulu really does have that feeling.]
Tang Mian sensed the other’s sadness, opened his arms to hug Jiang Shulu: “Then Uncle just needs to keep looking. There are so many things I haven’t seen yet, the ocean, the grasslands, the snow-capped mountains… Director said we can’t go to so many places, um, I hope next time Xiao Yue can go with me.”
Jiang Shulu: “So you like traveling.”
Tang Mian hugged Jiang Shulu’s neck; he also liked the other’s scent, exactly the same as Tang Yue’s at home.
So he felt fondness towards Jiang Shulu as soon as he saw him and wanted to get closer.
Tang Mian: “Does this count as liking?”
He was really clingy, at least he externalized Tang Yue’s clinginess. When he spoke, he would rub against Jiang Shulu.
Tang Mian: “Has Uncle been to many places? Dad told me he had a concert by the sea.”
Jiang Shulu hummed: “Your dad even got lost abroad.”
Tang Mian: “He didn’t tell me that!”
[Tang Yue, social death again.]
[Wuwuwu, Xiao Bao is so cute! So clingy! Is Tang Yue like this?]
[Tang Yue’s clinginess is subtle; he’ll grab the hem of your clothes, um, more like a cat.]
[It’s like a cat gave birth to a puppy.]
Jiang Shulu: “He always secretly disappears, making me search for a long time.”
The production team inspected the toys, and it was almost time to wrap up. Jiang Shulu asked Yao Lixin to finish up, picked up Tang Mian, and chatted with him as they walked.
The man’s shoulders were broad, his embrace peaceful, fitting Tang Mian’s alternative fantasy of a father.
Tang Mian: “Dad is really easy to be scared.”
The little guy was held in Jiang Shulu’s arms; in the picture, they looked like father and son no matter how you looked at it.
Tang Mian counted on his fingers: “Afraid of ghosts, afraid of insects, afraid of the sound of boiling water, afraid of chopping onions…”
He listed a bunch of things like ordering food: “But Dad also likes to listen to thunder, listen to rain, listen to all kinds of sounds, and can sit by the window for a very, very long time.”
The isolated little house in the mountain village was a form of self-exile for Tang Yue.
The father who gave birth to him was timid, most afraid of loss.
The father who held him also seemed lonely, as if he had never tasted sweetness.
[Why am I still crying even though the child said it so easily wuwuwu.]
[So why!! What’s the reason! Is it because he was abandoned as a child by that woman?]
[Tang Yue is really suitable for solo; I’m really looking forward to his solo concert.]
[His songs are really empathetic…]
Jiang Shulu: “He used to be like this too. I always didn’t know what he was thinking.”
The man holding the child in one arm, under an umbrella in the rain, walked steadily, giving an unparalleled sense of security.
But Jiang Shulu’s trouser legs were still stained with rain, soon becoming heavy.
Just like Jiang Shulu had no choice but to make a choice; he had to push open that door, let someone in, or walk with that person.
Tang Mian: “Dad is thinking about Uncle.”
It sounded like innocent child’s talk, but it also sounded like a long-planned scheme. The child’s eyes were clear, and even when meeting Jiang Shulu’s gaze, they were completely frank.
He also pouted: “Yes, Dad has many posters of Uncle.”
[Don’t drag me into this ship!! Unless Tang Yue and Jiang Shulu start dating immediately!!]
[I’ve already taken Tang Mian as my grandson, wuwuwu so cute, assisting little Bao!]
[My mind is full of Tang Yue sitting by the window of that mountain house listening to the rain…thinking…my beloved, no, I forwarded a faceless impromptu singing video on the homepage before, it was deleted quickly…is it Tang Yue? Suddenly the background looks quite similar.]
Jiang Shulu: “You told me so much, aren’t you afraid your father will be angry?”
For some reason, his heart suddenly relaxed, as if he had received the answer that Tang Yue refused to tell him.
Tang Mian: “Dad is easy to coax! Just kiss him, and he’ll be happy!”
[The son sells out his father, and even imparts his secret technique…]
[Hahaha, Tang Yue woke up. I think he should be watching the live stream.]
Tang Yue did wake up.
He had been awake for a while. He sent a message to Liang Yi, but he didn’t reply.
It was still raining outside.
The weather was perfect for staying in bed, so Tang Yue simply lay in bed playing on his phone; anyway, the camera couldn’t record his phone screen.
Tang Yue almost accidentally turned on the live stream.
He witnessed the whole process of his son exposing his flaws.
How could this be!
Xiao Mie even supports him so much even without knowing that Shulu-ge is his father!
If he really knew! He would definitely abandon me!
What do you mean I’m easy to coax!
I, I’m not someone who can easily let things go with just a kiss!
Author’s Note:
——”Catchphrases”
For a period of time, Tang Yue’s catchphrase was: “So amazing!”
The alien who first appeared in the novel’s Earth world found everything fresh.
Specifically, he saw the cooking aunt stir-frying beef in the kitchen.
——So amazing!
Liu Xicháo put the toast in the bread machine to heat it up.
The moment it dinged.
——So amazing!
At an event, the rival boy group UL performed a hand-splitting watermelon.
Tang Yue almost forgot which team he was on.
——So amazing!
There were countless such things.
It caused the entire team to be constantly praised by Tang Yue to the point of forgetting themselves and becoming ecstatic.
After all, being praised by a handsome younger brother is a very happy thing.
Only Jiang Shulu didn’t receive this praise.
He was actually a little depressed.
But he had nowhere to say it; he also thought it was childish.
One year, one month, one day, Jiang Shulu made dinner in the dormitory, attempting to receive Tang Yue’s praise.
What he got was——
“This frying pan is so cute; I want to use this to fry eggs next time.”
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