Part 3
He had so much he wanted to say, but realized that what he had learned in the past were just high-sounding pleasantries. In a situation like this, he was so poor in vocabulary he was speechless.
Tang Yue, however, was very happy. This joy of finally bringing the other person over made his hug a bit tighter.
One of the beautiful youth’s hands patted Jiang Shulu’s back, carrying a rare hint of slyness. “Does Shulu-ge like me a little bit more now?”
Jiang Shulu: “Not just a little bit.”
Tang Yue: “Then you have to love me very, very much.”
Jiang Shulu couldn’t help but kiss him, kissing the side of Tang Yue’s neck, then pressing against his forehead, and finally laughing.
He called him Xiao Yue, his breath seeming to contain Tang Yue’s breath.
The door to the workroom was open. Tang Mian had finished his video call with Yao Xuanyu and just wanted to call Jiang Shulu to see his toy box. As soon as he walked over, he let out an “Aiya.”
Tang Yue was still holding onto Jiang Shulu, refusing to let go, his arms around Jiang Shulu’s neck, whispering in his ear.
Jiang Shulu: “Xiao Mie is here.”
Tang Yue quickly jumped away.
Tang Mian pursed his lips. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you guys kissing.”
Tang Yue: “I’ll be careful next time.”
Tang Mian: “Shulu Baba, come look at my toys, okay?”
Before he could walk over, Jiang Shulu walked to him.
The child held his other father’s hand and said, “My toys are really fun. You can even check out items. I can play with you for half the day.”
Jiang Shulu: “Okay, I’ll play with you for a while.”
Tang Mian: “But Baba said I have to pack.”
Jiang Shulu: “There’s no rush for that.”
Tang Yue also packed some luggage to take away. However, his problem of indecisiveness easily flared up; he liked this, and he liked that.
He sat in front of the wardrobe muttering to himself for a long time. Jiang Shulu watched Tang Mian scan barcodes at his toy supermarket while watching Tang Yue.
Tang Mian: “Baba is just like that. He hesitates over which pot to use to fry an egg, and has to think for a long time about which socks to wear.”
Jiang Shulu: “He also chooses which flavor of milk to drink for a long time.”
Tang Mian nodded: “Right!”
Tang Yue glanced at them.
Tang Mian gave Jiang Shulu his changeāplastic fifty-cent coinsāand said, “But Baba never hesitates when it comes to Uncle Jiang.”
Jiang Shulu thought of the scene where Tang Yue appeared at the banquet that day.
That was probably the most courageous thing Tang Yue had done since giving birth to Tang Mian.
It was as if he was going to take Jiang Shulu away right in front of ten thousand people.
Jiang Shulu gave a sound of agreement. “Xiao Yue is very…”
Tang Mian said loudly: “Charming!”
Tang Yue couldn’t listen anymore. “Xiao Mie, just play your game properly, don’t talk about me!”
Tang Mian: “Isn’t this what families do? It’s better to say it to your face.”
Tang Yue was speechless and could only huff as he continued packing clothes. A moment later, he dug out Tang Mian’s little socks. “Shulu-ge, aren’t these super cute?”
As he stuffed them into the suitcase, he showed Jiang Shulu his handmade works.
“This is the hat I knitted for Xiao Mie, isn’t it cute?”
“These are the gloves I knitted following a tutorial. Sigh, they’re a bit ugly, but the color is okay.”
“This is Xiao Mie’s animal fabric patch. You can iron it onto the knees. He used to crawl all over the place before. Ah, so cute.”
“These are the diapers Yi-jie sent. Never finished using them.”
He didn’t realize how jubilant he sounded while saying these things.
Tang Mian grumbled: “Now you’re talking about me. What diapers? I can shower by myself now.”
The big one and the small one started going back and forth again.
Not long after, a call came from the manager, reminding Tang Yue that the new song had been released.
Tang Yue: “That fast?”
Clearly, he had set the time himself, yet he still asked. Lin-jie laughed: “Are you so happy being with Shulu that you forgot the time?”
Tang Yue was a bit embarrassed. “Not really.”
Lin-jie: “It’s already posted on Weibo. Your brothers will all repost it. Also, as per your request, we didn’t release an interpretation, so please don’t reply to fan comments in the middle of the night again, okay?”
Tang Yue gave an “Mhm.”
Lin-jie asked again: “Then when are you returning to S City? There are some things to discuss at the company. Are you staying at Shulu’s place or?”
Tang Yue looked at Jiang Shulu.
Jiang Shulu asked: “Is it Lin-jie?”
Tang Yue handed the phone directly to him.
Jiang Shulu: “It’s me. No, I changed places too.”
Jiang Shulu: “The house is already selected. I’ll send you the address. Yes, the things from the place Tang Yue used to live need to be moved.”
Lin-jie: “Can you move right in?”
Jiang Shulu: “You’ve seen Tang Yue’s room before. Give him one day, and it’ll be full immediately.”
Seemingly recalling Tang Yue’s plants from the past, the current room wasn’t much different from before. It was packed full, giving a sense of cramped warmth that made Jiang Shulu feel particularly at ease.
After hanging up, Tang Yue asked, “What ‘full’?”
Jiang Shulu: “Lin-jie asked if it was ready for move-in, thinking it might be too empty. I said you would fill it up.”
Tang Yue gave an “Oh.”
Jiang Shulu continued to help pack the luggage. When it got dark, he cooked a meal in this house.
The vegetables were brought in by Tang Yue from outside. The water in the kettle boiled, and Tang Mian was choosing his favorite tableware.
The warm light from overhead spilled down. Outside the kitchen window was a sky with a rising moon, deep mountain bamboo forests, and a cool, gentle breeze.
Tang Yue: “This is our last meal here.”
He propped his chin on his hand and looked at Tang Mian beside him. The boy was frantically praising Jiang Shulu’s cooking skills, saying he wanted to get a certification in the future too.
Specifically for making desserts.
Jiang Shulu: “Can we eat together every day from now on?”
Tang Mian: “I have to go to school. I have to eat with my classmates at school!”
Tang Yue: “Xiao Mie, you have to cooperate a little.”
Tang Mian: “Fine. Can I make a toast too?”
The toast was with a bowl of sweet soup.
Tang Mian: “Can we live in the new house starting tomorrow?”
Tang Yue: “Mhm, though Baba hasn’t been there either.”
Tang Mian: “Has Shulu Baba been there?”
Jiang Shulu: “I haven’t been there either.”
Tang Mian: “I’m so excited.”
He added a sentence: “From now on, I can sleep alone.”
Tang Yue: “Why! You have to sleep with me!”
Tang Mian: “You haven’t slept with me this whole time recently. It proves Xiao Yue has grown up too.”
Tang Yue: “You’re still small; you can sleep with Baba.”
Tang Mian: “Then can I sleep with you once a week?”
Tang Yue: “Only once?”
Tang Mian: “You’re going to marry Shulu Baba, how can you keep sleeping with me? It’s too improper.”
Tang Yue glanced at Jiang Shulu, only to find the other secretly smiling.
Meanwhile, less than three hours after Tang Yue’s new song, Lily of the Valley in the Attic, was released, it had already rushed to number one on the music charts.
Comments broke ten thousand and were still rising. Even music bloggers quickly put out specialized reviews.
Compared to what Tang Yue had said before about it being recorded a bit sloppily, the official version gave people a refreshing feeling.
Compared to Tang Yue’s early single Planet Fragments from yesterday, listeners could clearly feel the artist’s improvement.
Jiang Shulu’s phone showed unread messages.
ćJiang He: Your Tang Yue actually paved the way for you.ć
ćJiang He: I suggest closing the net early.ć
ā ćCrawling Aroundć
One day, Tang Yue was describing Tang Mian’s childhood to Jiang Shulu.
Tang Yue: He was really super cute. I even let him crawl on me.
Jiang Shulu: You showed me the video. Very cute.
Tang Yue: No, I have to demonstrate it for you.
Jiang Shulu: That’s probably not necessary, right?
Tang Yue: Have I become one of those adults everyone hates who keeps talking about their kid?
Jiang Shulu: Since when are you an adult?
Tang Yue: I don’t care, I’m going to crawl for you to see.
Jiang Shulu did the floor once.
The next day, the alien was late for an interview.
Manager: Xiao Yue, I told you to provoke Shulu less the day before work.
Tang Yue was very aggrieved: I didn’t. I just crawled… no, lay on him for a bit.
Manager: Alright, say no more.
Note: In this chapter, Xiao is used as an affectionate prefix (meaning “Little”). Tang Mian is often referred to as Xiao Mie (Little Sheep) due to the sound of his name/voice. Ge means older brother (used for close male friends/seniors). Baba means dad.
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