Wei Yanze shook his head, “I really enjoy painting, and the courses in fashion design aren’t too difficult.”
Shuai Chang got out of the car and opened the door for him. After Wei Yanze got in, he closed the door and slid into the driver’s seat, his long legs easily fitting in.
Once they returned home, Mother Zhou was sitting in the living room and said to Wei Yanze, who had just come back, “Yanze, don’t hurry to see Chengxing yet; talk to me first.”
“Okay, Mom.” Wei Yanze walked over and sat down opposite her.
Shuai Chang went upstairs to check on Zhou Chengxing; he was sleeping soundly, his small face pale and tender, unconsciously sucking his thumb.
“You’re too small; if someone bullies you, you can’t even tell Dad.”
Downstairs, Mother Zhou asked, “What did you do at school today?”
Wei Yanze replied, “We studied theoretical knowledge in our specialized course, and in the afternoon, the teacher took us to the foot of the mountain next to the school to sketch.”
Mother Zhou nodded, “Today I found that Deng Jie deliberately woke Chengxing up while he was sleeping, and I was so angry that I chased Deng Jie away. You won’t blame me, will you?”
In Wei Yanze’s heart, Deng Jie couldn’t be compared to the child. He angrily said, “How could Deng Jie do such a thing? I even regarded him as a friend.”
“Mom, why don’t I just stop going to school and take care of Chengxing myself?”
“Nonsense.” Mother Zhou patted the seat beside her, motioning for Wei Yanze to come over. “You finally had a few peaceful days; don’t let such a trivial matter disrupt you. You must finish college. I can look after Chengxing; Xiaohua and I will manage, no problem.”
“Mom…” Wei Yanze’s eyes filled with tears of emotion.
“Alright, study hard and make me proud. I’ve been busy for you all this time.” Mother Zhou took out a handkerchief and handed it to Wei Yanze. “Quick, wipe your tears. When you see Zhen Ting later, don’t let him misunderstand that I bullied you.”
“Zhen Ting won’t, he knows Mom treats me well.” Wei Yanze sniffed, hugging Mother Zhou’s arm, “Mom, Zhen Ting and I will be very filial to you.”
Mother Zhou pushed Wei Yanze gently, “Go back and check on your son. Don’t make it all mushy with this old lady.”
Wei Yanze laughed, “Mom isn’t old; you only look at most forty.”
Mother Zhou laughed and scolded him, “Your little mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter.”
When Wei Yanze returned to the upstairs bedroom, Shuai Chang was taking a shower. When he came out, he saw Wei Yanze sitting by the crib, silently shedding tears as he looked at Zhou Chengxing.
Shuai Chang tossed away the towel he was using to dry his hair and walked over, wrapping his arms around Wei Yanze. “Darling, don’t cry; it’s heartbreaking for your husband.”
Wei Yanze pouted into Shuai Chang’s embrace and sobbed, “I let such a bad person take care of Chengxing; I’ve wronged him and made him suffer.”
“Fortunately, we discovered it in time. Deng Jie just secretly tried to wake Chengxing up. If he had some other intentions and harmed Chengxing, I would never forgive myself.”
“Alright, alright. When Chengxing can talk, he’ll tell us who bullies him.” Shuai Chang hugged Wei Yanze and lay down on the bed. “Get a good night’s sleep tonight. Didn’t you say you have no classes tomorrow? Let’s take the whole family to the zoo; Chengyun has been wanting to see lions.”
Wei Yanze suddenly pushed Shuai Chang away and sat up. “I’ll go check on Chengyun. I want to know if Deng Jie did anything to him; I just can’t rest easy.”
Shuai Chang caught his arm. “Chengyun is not like Chengxing; if he was bullied, he would have told Mom long ago. Deng Jie only bullies the little ones who can’t speak up.”
“I just want to take a look; please let me go, or I won’t be able to sleep well.”
Shuai Chang sighed helplessly, “Get dressed. I’ll go with you.”
The autumn night had a slight chill, and it was easy to catch a cold in light clothing.
The next day was Sunday. Shuai Chang and Wei Yanze had agreed to take the whole family to the zoo.
Chengyun was incredibly excited when he heard the news as he woke up in the morning. He hugged Shuai Chang’s leg, standing on his feet and refusing to let go.
During breakfast, Mother Zhou said, “Chengyun, you need to set a good example for Chengxing. What if he grows up and hugs your daddy’s leg without letting go?”
Upon hearing this, Chengyun quickly loosened his grip and obediently sat in his own seat. He turned to look at the baby Chengxing in Mother Zhou’s arms, saying, “Brother, you should hug me and not Daddy in the future.”
Chengxing responded with some babbling sounds, and Chengyun happily exclaimed, “Chengxing agreed! Grandma, Daddy, and little Uncle Lin, you are all witnesses; Chengxing mustn’t go back on his word later.”
Wei Yanze placed a small steamed bun onto Zhou Chengyun’s plate. “We will all testify for you; hurry up and eat, and then we can go to the zoo.”
Mother Zhou asked, “Are you sure you can handle taking Chengxing to the zoo? Can you two keep an eye on him? Chengyun runs fast; what if he gets lost?”
“Grandma, Chengyun will hold onto Daddy’s hand tightly and not let go. Chengxing has never seen a lion; he’s a boy; how can he not go to the zoo to see the lion? Otherwise, he won’t be able to protect me later.”
“This child, how does going to see a lion relate to protecting you?” Mother Zhou saw that Chengyun’s little face was all scrunched up, and waved her hand, “Go, go, go! You all go as a family. Grandma won’t interfere.”
Though she said she wouldn’t interfere, before they left, Mother Zhou continuously reminded them to keep an eye on the kids and not let them get cold, thirsty, or hungry.
Shuai Chang repeatedly assured her, and finally, the family of four was allowed to leave the house.
Zhou Chengxing was excited, being carried in Shuai Chang’s arms. Since he had rarely been outside since his birth, the unfamiliar environment made him kick and wave his little arms, letting out “aah, aah” sounds.
Since it was the weekend, the zoo was quite crowded, mostly with couples or parents with children. Wei Yanze and company attracted much attention due to the three beautifully-looking children.
Yes, three children.
Wei Yanze was wearing a white T-shirt that looked small on him and light blue jeans, and as a party of four, they appeared to be a parent with three children.
Shuai Chang, in his thirties, having Wei Yanze as his teenager child didn’t seem too strange.
Fan Shang, busy with work, had finally taken a day off, dragged to the zoo by his sister.
He had lost count of how many times he had been here since he was a child, and his enthusiasm was lacking as he glanced aimlessly over the crowd.
Suddenly, a group of people caught his eye. Fan Shang put on an appropriate smile and walked over to greet them, “Hello, we meet again; we must be quite fated.”