He Didn’t Cry This Time

Ning Shixue took a deep breath.

The great antagonist, Xie Yaoyao, was finally lifted down.
They decided to call a truce and go sell balloons first.

A balloon dangled from Xie Yaoyao’s soft, chubby little wrist.
He spun around in a daze, like a puppy chasing its tail.
No one came to buy his balloon.

You have to go ask them,
Ning Shixue poked his little bottom.
Otherwise, how will they know what you want?

Xie Yaoyao’s chubby face was full of doubt.
Still, he took the initiative to waddle toward a woman pushing a stroller.
He stood on his tiptoes, his little dinosaur tail swishing back and forth.
In his milky voice, he said,
Mama, buy a balloon for the baby, okay?

Hm?

The woman only noticed him when she looked down.
Xie Yaoyao blinked his big, beautiful, watery eyes.
Instantly, she was struck right in the heart.
It was just a balloon, after all.

She bought one and hung it on the stroller.

Thank you, Mama.
Xie Yaoyao took the money with his chubby little hand and remembered to thank her softly.

Their sales got off to a smooth start.

Ning Shixue had just come down from the roller coaster.
His face remained expressionless throughout.
But it was an intense ride.
Now his eyelashes were damp, his lips flushed red against his still-pale cheeks.

He carried an aura that was quiet, unassuming in a crowd, yet impossible to ignore.

Soon enough, he’d sold over a dozen too.

In short: still coasting on his looks.

But Ning Shixue quickly noticed a problem.

Xie Yaoyao seemed to call any woman ‘Mama.’
His overalls were loose, and his little bottom wiggled when he ran.
A few tufts of soft hair stuck up on his head.
Again, he’d say sweetly,
Mama, buy a ball ball for the baby, okay?

Ning Shixue: “…”

How many good mamas do you have?

This time, the woman held a little boy of four or five.
He looked down, saw a tiny tot calling his own mother ‘Mama,’ and immediately got upset.
He hugged his mother’s neck and cried, demanding to leave.
Not buy! Baby not buy!

The mother could only smile apologetically at Xie Yaoyao.
Sorry, little didi.

Rejected, Xie Yaoyao looked bewildered and scratched his chubby cheek.

You should call her ‘ayi’ (auntie),
Ning Shixue told him.

Xie Yaoyao’s little white ears seemed to turn a bit red.
But he pursed his lips, refusing to admit he’d completely forgotten the word ‘ayi.’
He huffed.
I know that!

–

The program team hadn’t completely lost their conscience; they did provide lunch.
Around noon, Ning Shixue took Xie Yaoyao to eat at the amusement park’s children’s restaurant.

He Miao and the others were there too.

But the little ones were all huddled together, heads touching, crowded around a small display window.
Xie Yaoyao trotted over on his short legs to join them.
He Miao scooted over to make room.

Black Soil Wolf!
Xie Yaoyao suddenly got excited.
And bunny!

Ning Shixue was utterly confused.

All he saw in the display were several sets of parent-child matching outfits printed with a black wolf and a little rabbit.

It was only when a staff member explained that he learned it was from a very popular animated series called Forest Bunny Police.

The protagonist was a lop-eared rabbit.
Black Soil Wolf was the main antagonist, who always knelt before the protagonist whenever he was caught.
It was a classic move, like Simba being held up in The Lion King.

Ning Shixue: “…”

So this was where the great antagonist Xie Yaoyao learned to kneel.

[Ahhh I watched this with my nephew too!
The lop-eared rabbit officer is super cool!]

[Black Soil Wolf is charming even when he’s not kneeling. (just kidding)]

[Shipping everything just keeps my nutrition balanced.]

Daddy, I want to buy this,
He Miao turned and hugged He Lin’s leg, acting cute.

The parent-child outfits here were available for purchase.
But the little ones had gone wild in the morning and hadn’t really done their tasks.

He Lin wasn’t one to spoil his child blindly.
He negotiated with He Miao.
Miaomiao, how about this?
We hurry up and finish our tasks this afternoon, then Daddy will bring you back to buy it?

Sounded fair.

He Miao vigorously nodded her little head in agreement.

I want too I want too!
Tang Haohao clenched his little fists.

Tang He’an said helplessly,
Fine, fine, behave yourself and I’ll buy it for you tonight.

Xie Yaoyao looked expectantly at Ning Shixue.

‘We’ll buy it,’
Ning Shixue didn’t refuse either.

–

In the evening, tasks finally finished, Xie Yaoyao anxiously pulled Ning Shixue by the wrist and hurried off.

But as soon as they reached the children’s restaurant, they heard Tang Haohao’s heart-wrenching sobs.

What’s wrong?
Ning Shixue asked.

He Lin rubbed his forehead.
They’re sold out.

The location the program team chose was Yan City’s largest amusement park, with huge visitor traffic.
Forest Bunny Police was so popular it released a feature film every year.
They thought with the park closing at 10 PM, there’d still be time.
They hadn’t expected stock to run out by nightfall.

Tang Haohao couldn’t bear the disappointment.
His mouth puckered, he threw himself on the ground, kicking and screaming, refusing to get up.

[If it were me, I’d be pretty upset too.
When I was little, my parents promised to take me to Yan City Amusement Park, but in the end, there was never time.
The first time I came here was by myself, when I was already grown up.]

[But there’s nothing you can do if it’s sold out.
It’s not like he went back on his word and refused to buy it.]

Stop crying.
Can’t we come again next time?
Tang He’an tried his best to be patient.
Or how about I have someone buy it and send it to our house tomorrow?
Lying on the ground like this is so embarrassing.
Look, those kids are all laughing at you.

A few children were indeed curiously watching.

Little kids cared about face too.
This didn’t console Tang Haohao at all; instead, he cried even harder.
He waved his chunky little arms and yelled,
Go away, all go away!

One of the watching children got scared and started crying.
The parent quickly scooped up the child and left.

Tang He’an’s patience finally snapped.
So this is how it’s going to be, huh?
Fine, no buying anything then.
Now get up and come with me!

They still had to make it to Elder He’s birthday banquet that evening.
There was no time to waste.
He scooped up Tang Haohao like a piglet and carried him off.

He Miao was easier to console.
Besides, He Lin felt guilty for promising something and then not delivering.

So he coaxed He Miao by buying her a little princess dress.

He Miao, her eyes misty, eyelashes clumped together, put on the dress and didn’t say anything more.

[Sniff, hold Miaomiao.
Why is she so good?]

[Xiaoxiao didn’t ask for anything at all from the beginning.
It breaks my heart.
It feels like he hasn’t even seen this cartoon.]

[Here we go again.
It’s not like every kid likes cartoons.
Xiaoxiao prefers documentaries, okay?]

But Xie Yaoyao, hugging Ning Shixue’s neck, didn’t cry and didn’t throw a tantrum.
He pursed his lips, his big dark eyes fixed and unblinking.
He watched the whole scene quietly.

Finally, he just sighed.
Stepdad, we go too.

Anyway, the bad stepdad wouldn’t comfort him anyway.
He didn’t even feel like crying anymore.
He knew there were things he could never get, no matter how much he cried and screamed.

Just like the kiddie ride could never rock him a mama.

But Ning Shixue didn’t move.

Xie Yaoyao: ???

The little tufts of soft hair on his head stood up, full of confusion.

Ning Shixue’s cool, pale, slender fingers tapped on the counter.
Excuse me, could you take that one out for me?

It was the last outfit in the display.

The adult size, with a black wolf wearing an eyepatch printed on the chest.

The staff member swiftly removed it from the mannequin.
Ning Shixue took it and simply draped it over Xie Yaoyao.

The hem was so long it could be a dress on him.
He tucked it into Xie Yaoyao’s little overalls.

‘Wear this for now,’
Ning Shixue’s voice was lazy.
‘We’ll come back for the other one next time.’

Xie Yaoyao didn’t even hear what he said.

Because almost instantly, he was flooded with looks of envy from every little kid in the shop.

With this parent-child set, only the adult size had the eyepatch.
On the little kids’ chests was the white lop-eared rabbit.
The bunny officer was cool too, but Black Soil Wolf was super cool!

He Miao obviously regretted it a little, but it was too late.
She could only hang over He Lin’s shoulder and ask enviously,
Yaoyao didi, can I touch your Black Soil Wolf?

Can oh,
Xie Yaoyao said, his little head dizzy, his face flushed.
He ran over and stood on tiptoe.

He Miao reached out and touched it very, very carefully.

And so, Xie Yaoyao walked out of the amusement park beneath the envious, admiring gazes of countless children.

Even the bullet comments froze for a moment, then exploded again.

[…I admit I was Ning Shixue’s anti-fan.
But now, suddenly, I don’t feel like cursing him anymore.
Just let him be my wife for one night.
Puppy hugging leg crying.jpg]

[If I had worn this at the amusement park at night as a kid, I really would have felt like the happiest child in the whole world.]

–

Night fell.
A pure black Maybach pulled over by the roadside.
Song Li slightly bowed and pulled the car door open.
Young Master Ning.

Ning Shixue had received a message in advance and knew he was Xie Zhaozhou’s assistant.
He took Xie Yaoyao’s hand and got into the car.

Xie Yaoyao was still restless in the car.
He posed in front of the rearview mirror in what he thought was a very alluring posture.

Mirror mirror,
Xie Yaoyao whispered in his milky voice,
who is the most beautiful baby?

He hadn’t seen Xie Zhaozhou in almost six months, let alone Song Li.
He didn’t recognize Song Li at all.
There was a strange uncle in the car, so he dared not misbehave.

Ning Shixue wrapped himself in a blanket.
The car’s interior lights fell on his face, making his lips redder and his skin paler.
His half-long black hair tangled messily against his fair neck.

‘The mirror says it likes to eat pretty little kids best,’
Ning Shixue, his head throbbing from the chatter, suddenly spoke.

Xie Yaoyao was startled, the baby fat on his face trembling.
His chubby little hands fearfully clutched the Black Soil Wolf on his chest.

When he realized it was Ning Shixue, he relaxed.

He wasn’t a little idiot.
Mirrors couldn’t eat people.
And Ning Shixue didn’t eat children either.

Exhausted from his antics, Xie Yaoyao pressed his soft, warm cheek against Ning Shixue’s arm.
He rubbed his eyes, thinking drowsily,
Maybe divorce wasn’t so great after all.

Without Ning Shixue, who would buy him Black Soil Wolf?