Extreme Pampering
Chapter 212 - 210: How to Be Cool.

Chapter 212: Chapter 210: How to Be Cool.

Duan Jiaze arrived at Huating, and the two brothers were running around and laughing all day, but one day, Xiaoshi suddenly stopped laughing and had a cold expression on his face.

When Duan Jiaze offered him a drink, he didn’t hear the sweet "Brother Jiaze" but a detached "thanks." His heart skipped a beat, feeling this demeanor strangely familiar.

In the following days, it was the same. The boy, who used to love smiling, now had a cold face every day, making everyone feel uncomfortable, especially Duan Jiaze. He was used to being treated well; whenever he called his brother Xiaoshi, Xiaoshi would rush to him with a smile. Now, he only got a detached "Brother Jiaze," which made him feel awkward, and even his meals lost their flavor.

His brother was still a baby, so why did he suddenly become so mature and composed?

On this day, Shen Zhiyi wasn’t working and had breakfast with them. She heard Duan Jiaze ask Xiaoshi with much concern, "Little brother, why don’t you smile anymore?"

She exchanged a glance with Pei Yu and they tacitly remained quiet to listen.

Xiaoshi had been a bit strange these past few days, not smiling, but he didn’t seem to be angry with anyone. He played when it was time to play and ate when it was time to eat; he just mostly kept a straight face without speaking much.

The breakfast today was very much to his liking, and Xiaoshi ate with satisfaction. He would have usually been dancing with joy, but he sat properly and glanced at Duan Jiaze without much desire to answer.

Duan Jiaze had been puzzled for several days and really wanted to know the answer. He shared some egg custard from his bowl with Xiaoshi, pleading, "Little brother, tell me, please~"

Xiaoshi ate the egg custard, struggled to find words with a straight face, then told him, "I’m imitating Dad. I think Dad is very cool like that, and I also want to be cool."

The dining room suddenly fell silent.

Duan Jiaze was shocked and blurted out, "Little brother, how could you be so misguided?!"

What was so good about his uncle anyway?!

Pei Yu gave a cold glance, and at his stern look, Duan Jiaze gulped nervously.

But still, he fearlessly spoke the truth, saying heartbrokenly, "Little brother, you’re really too silly!"

"Don’t imitate Uncle, he’s not cool at all!"

Xiaoshi glanced at him and then at the indifferent Pei Yu, then whispered to his fingers, "But, but I think it’s very cool."

Duan Jiaze was too upset; he hadn’t expected his little brother Xiaoshi to stray like this, so he could only turn his head asking for help, "Auntie!"

Shen Zhiyi was already laughing in Pei Yu’s arms; she truly hadn’t anticipated the reason for Xiaoshi’s recent cold face to be this.

She laughed with her eyes curving, pinching Pei Yu’s fingers, "What do you think?"

What could Pei Yu think? He couldn’t fathom Xiaoshi’s thought process.

Seeing that both adults were merely enjoying the situation, Duan Jiaze felt a great sense of responsibility and earnestly advised, "Xiaoshi, everyone likes a baby who smiles, not a baby with a grumpy face. You don’t have to be like Uncle."

Xiaoshi blinked in confusion, "But many people like Dad."

He had been to Pei Yu’s company, and the people there respected Pei Yu a lot. Every time Pei Yu arrived, many stood up straight to greet him and made way for him to pass. Pei Yu’s face remained emotionless as he casually walked by, which Xiaoshi truly thought was very cool.

Duan Jiaze saw through life’s façade and revealed the truth, "That’s because your dad is rich."

"And you," he shook his head, "you’re still a baby."

"If you’re a smiling baby, people will like you. You don’t need to be like Uncle."

Xiaoshi confusedly looked at his father, not understanding Duan Jiaze’s wealth theory, "Is that really true?"

Pei Yu: "..."

Before he could figure out how to explain, Xiaoshi asked another question, "Then does Mom like you because you’re rich?"

Duan Jiaze inserted slyly, "I definitely think that’s the case."

Pei Yu looked at him expressionlessly, "You’re neither a baby nor do you have money, could it be that others can’t possibly like you then?"

Duan Jiaze was taken aback, "Who says so, I have talent!"

Pei Yu laughed mockingly, sizing him up, "All I see is a body full of fat."

The little fatty was beyond angry, "That’s a personal attack!"

The scene got out of control, the topic derailed, and Shen Zhiyi couldn’t just watch the fun any longer. She patted the back of Pei Yu’s hand to calm him, fed Duan Jiaze a piece of bread to shift his attention, and finally picked up Xiaoshi and held him in her arms.

"Mom likes Dad not because he’s rich," she said with a smile, "nor because he’s cool."

"It’s hard to explain clearly," she felt a little troubled, explaining these things to an adult was difficult, not to mention to a child, "Your dad may be cool, but not because he has a cold face, so if you want to be cool, just learning this won’t work."

Xiaoshi was hugging her shoulders, feeling a bit downhearted, "Then how do I become really cool?"

He just wanted to be a cool baby.

"You don’t need to try hard to learn," Shen Zhiyi said with a smile, "You’re so much like your dad, when you grow up, you’ll naturally become as cool as him."

Xiaoshi was surprised, so he didn’t have to make an effort to become cool?

He blinked, "Really?"

Pei Yu nodded and simply said, "Trust your mom."

Duan Jiaze came closer, "Little brother, you’re already quite cool."

Other families’ three-year-olds can’t put together a 1000-piece puzzle.

After much persuading, Xiaoshi eventually gave up on his plan to pretend to be cool with a cold face, and nestled in Shen Zhiyi’s arms, he was tickled and giggled.

At bedtime, he abandoned his little bed and, clutching his pillow, came to look for Mom, knowing that he was less welcome at this time. So he opened the door gently, hoping to sneak in, if he could please Mom before Dad, he would be able to stay over successfully.

But it was no use, for as soon as he opened the door, he met Pei Yu’s gaze.

Xiaoshi hung his head down, feeling a bit disappointed and said softly, "I want to sleep with Mom and Dad."

Shen Zhiyi was in the bathroom, and Pei Yu closed his book with a casual hand, reaching out to him, "Come here."

Realizing he wasn’t being turned away, Xiaoshi ran over with joy, was gathered into a full embrace by Pei Yu, and wriggled contentedly in his arms.

"Dad smells so good," he hugged Pei Yu’s arm, rubbing against him everywhere, sticking to him, "I really like Dad."

He never stopped his sweet talk, actually afraid that Pei Yu might change his mind and send him away again.

Pei Yu patted his bottom, "So you’re not pretending to be cool now?"

"Hehe," Xiaoshi lay across his knees, sticking his bottom up to be patted and grinning, "Not cool any more, not cool."

When he grew up, he could be as cool as Dad.

Pei Yu ruffled the child’s head, gazing into his bright eyes, and said warmly, "It’s alright not to be cool, the thing Dad likes most are your eyes, which are like your mom’s, always laughing."

He still remembered the delight he felt when he first saw Xiaoshi open his eyes; he always wanted a child who resembled Shen Zhiyi, and Xiaoshi fulfilled his wish.