ManMan was born just as Jing Yi was preparing to retire from the competition. He was a sweet little boy, with the formal name Shen Muyi.
Lin Ruiqing said he was surely going to be a very thoughtful child, and later Jing Yi realized that her son was not only thoughtful but also incredibly sweet.
There was just one thing—he really loved asking all sorts of strange questions.
Jing Yi watched the father and son having a friendly conversation in the living room. The three-year-old boy was well-behaved, his big eyes, so similar to Jing Yi’s, looking intently at his father.
Every time his father spoke, he nodded obediently, the little tuft of hair on his head swaying along.
Shen Huaichu spoke with a serious expression, "...In conclusion, you’re already three years old. You can’t keep insisting on sleeping with Mommy anymore."
ManMan seemed to agree with his father’s words, his chubby little face solemn, as if he were truly pondering the matter.
Every time Jing Yi saw this expression on ManMan’s face, she was reminded of Shen Huaichu.
"Okay, Daddy!"
Hearing his son’s response, Shen Huaichu wasn’t entirely reassured, because he knew his son definitely had more to say.
Don’t ask how he knew—he’d been dealing with him for three years now.
Sure enough, ManMan looked up at his father, who was crouching in front of him, and raised his little hand. "Question."
Shen Huaichu sighed inwardly. "Go ahead."
"How can I grow up to be as big as you and still sleep with Mommy?"
Jing Yi coughed lightly, moving the glass of juice she was holding farther away and quickly grabbing some tissues to wipe up the spilled juice.
Shen Huaichu’s expression stiffened slightly. "...She’s not just your mommy; she’s also my wife." ManMan seemed to half-understand, his little tuft of hair swaying again.
"Then, question."
He raised his little hand once more. Shen Huaichu paused, glancing at his wife, who turned her head away to avoid his gaze.
"...Go ahead."
"How can I sleep with your wife?"
"..."
Without context, that question could easily be misunderstood.
Later, Jing Yi managed to steer the conversation away from the topic. Although ManMan was a little disappointed, his mommy promised to come and tell him a bedtime story that night.
Oh well, ManMan was a thoughtful child. He decided not to press further.
After lulling her son to sleep, Jing Yi quietly left the room and returned to the bedroom.
Shen Huaichu was still replaying the day’s conversation in his mind. Jing Yi found it amusing. "Kids are naturally imaginative. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Shen Huaichu moved closer, taking Jing Yi’s hand. "You’ve had a long day. Was he hard to put to sleep?" Jing Yi’s bedtime routine with ManMan was a recent development, as Shen Huaichu usually handled it.
To say the least, the boy could ask dozens of questions in a single night.
Jing Yi shook her head, leaning into Shen Huaichu’s embrace. "Not at all. ManMan was so well-behaved. You always say he’s hard to put to sleep, but he fell asleep really quickly."
ManMan had simply smiled at her the whole time, gradually drifting off to sleep as she spoke in her gentle voice.
Shen Huaichu paused. Well, it seemed his son was selective in his behavior.
"...It takes me at least an hour to get him to sleep."
Jing Yi laughed, collapsing into his arms. Shen Huaichu held his wife helplessly. "If I don’t review these conversations, how am I supposed to handle his next round of strange questions?"
A while ago, he had picked up a classic father-son relationship book to read as a bedtime story for ManMan. When he got to the part where the father and son were having tea and chatting,
ManMan piped up in his little voice, "Daddy, does tea taste good with lemon?"
"Can you add cream too? Can I try it? I’ll brush my teeth afterward!"
After that, ManMan was even more awake, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.
Jing Yi looked up at Shen Huaichu, her expression complicated. "...Are your bedtime stories a bit, um, unconventional?"
Okay, maybe he had some ulterior motives, but ManMan also had zero interest in the typical bedtime stories meant for three-year-olds.
Once, he dutifully read a standard fairy tale, but ManMan was completely uninterested, playing with his chubby little feet instead.
"Daddy, why aren’t you sleeping?"
"...I’m waiting for you to fall asleep."
"Then why can’t you tell me the story while you’re asleep? That way, you won’t be so tired."
"...I can’t read the words with my eyes closed."
"Then Daddy can memorize the story and tell it with his eyes closed."
"...You’re really thoughtful."
Who does this kid take after, anyway?
Sometimes Shen Huaichu wondered if, during the pregnancy, all his attention had been on Jing Yi, and now the consequences were coming back to him.
The moment he found out they were having a child, Shen Huaichu had been at a loss.
He hadn’t initially planned on having children, leaving the decision entirely up to Jing Yi. Compared to a child, he cared more about her.
The baby’s arrival had been somewhat unexpected, but Shen Huaichu quickly composed himself and made a series of plans.
Plans on how to ensure the pregnant woman’s absolute happiness and health, and how to be a considerate husband during the pregnancy.
He even went so far as to consult middle-aged men in his circle who had similar experiences, such as his father-in-law, uncles, and even his assistant.
The only thing he hadn’t planned for was how to be a father.
Jing Yi’s pregnancy had been relatively smooth, and Shen Huaichu breathed a sigh of relief.
But soon, the consequences came back to him.
His son, Shen Muyi, nicknamed ManMan, was a very smart and thoughtful child—a child with many strange questions, but whose thoughtfulness wasn’t directed at him.
Before the pregnancy, Jing Yi had already been a team coach, often flying abroad for meetings. When ManMan was too young to understand, he would cry a bit and then get over it.
Once he started to understand, things became more complicated.
For example, there was a time when Jing Yi had to attend an important conference and went abroad for a few days.
Shen Huaichu had explained to his son many times that Mommy wasn’t abandoning him; she was just away on a business trip.
But ManMan wouldn’t listen, his eyes red and teary as he stared at Shen Huaichu, looking as if he’d been deeply wronged.
And those eyes looked so much like Jing Yi’s.
Shen Huaichu, rarely flustered, found himself at a loss. It took the combined efforts of Jing Zeyou and others to finally calm ManMan down.
And they had Jing Zeqian to thank for that!
"ManMan, don’t worry. Even if Mommy doesn’t want Daddy, she’ll never not want you. You’re her little treasure."
Thinking about it, Shen Huaichu felt both grateful and exasperated.
After that, ManMan really wasn’t upset anymore. He was so happy every day when he video-called with his mommy, his little feet swinging, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
After hanging up the call, ManMan would climb into Shen Huaichu’s lap, patting his shoulder comfortingly and saying in his sweet little voice, "Daddy, don’t worry. Even if Mommy doesn’t want you, ManMan will still want you."
He even patted his little chest as if to promise.
Shen Huaichu held his chubby little body, afraid he might topple over.
"...If you’re so worried Mommy doesn’t want me, why don’t you leave me some time to talk to her?" His son had hung up so decisively, not showing a hint of concern.
ManMan frowned, his little hands clutching Shen Huaichu’s shirt as he secretly observed him for a moment.
"Daddy can’t drag ManMan into this. What if Mommy doesn’t want ManMan anymore? And Mommy works really hard. We can’t waste her time with these things."
Shen Huaichu, who was apparently only worth "these things" and might "drag his son down": Honestly, his son’s logic was impeccable, but could he occasionally be thoughtful toward him too?
