ManMan is extremely popular at the kindergarten, so much so that the first lesson children need to learn when they start kindergarten is "separation anxiety." However, as long as ManMan is around, there’s hardly any separation anxiety to speak of.
At the entrance of a kindergarten in Jiangbei, a chubby little boy is clinging to his mother’s leg, wailing and refusing to go inside.
The kindergarten teacher nearby is also feeling overwhelmed. On one hand, children of this age tend to cry uncontrollably and won’t listen to reason, and on the other hand, once one starts crying, the others are bound to follow!
The chubby boy’s mother is growing increasingly frustrated. “Chen Yuqi! I’m counting to three. Get up and go to kindergarten right now!”
But the little boy is unfazed and only cries even louder. “I don’t want to go to kindergarten! I want to go home! Home!”
As the three parties are at a standoff, Shen Huaichu arrives, holding ManMan’s hand. Seeing the struggling child on the ground, he casually looks away.
He crouches down to speak to his son. “Be good at kindergarten. Mom will come to pick you up this afternoon.”
ManMan’s eyes sparkle, and his slightly curly hair sways as he nods. “Can you tell my uncle to pick me up next time? And let my other uncle know that I have rehearsal tomorrow, so I can’t play with him…”
Shen Huaichu: …When did he make so many plans without me knowing?
ManMan looks a lot like Jing Yi, especially with those eyes and his curly hair. Add to that his sweet, talkative personality, and it’s no wonder he’s so adored by everyone.
Even Shen Huaichu sometimes finds it hard to stay stern when trying to reason with him.
This has its downsides, like the fact that he and his wife often lose track of their son, who might be whisked away by an uncle, aunt, or other relative.
But there are also benefits, such as never having to worry about who will pick him up or drop him off.
Shen Huaichu sighs inwardly but keeps a straight face. “Alright, I’ll tell them for you.” ManMan obediently gives him a goodbye kiss. “See you this afternoon, Dad!” With that, he follows the teacher into the kindergarten.
As Shen Huaichu watches his son leave, he notices that the crying child’s sobs have quieted down.
The chubby boy’s mother had been waiting, knowing that someone who could calm her son down would arrive soon.
And sure enough, her patience paid off!
“Yuqi, look! Shen Muyi has already gone inside. If you’re late, he’ll be playing with other kids.”
The teacher, understanding the situation, also chimes in. “That’s right, Chen Yuqi. Look, your friend has already gone into the classroom.”
Hearing this, the chubby boy stops wailing, wipes his tears, and looks in the direction where ManMan went.
Seeing that he’s already inside, the boy quickly stands up, even looking a bit panicked. “Mom, give me my backpack! If I’m late, Shen Muyi’s schedule will be full for the day! I still want to race cars with him!”
His mother hands him the backpack, teasing him. “You mean that toy car you still have to pedal to move?”
Watching her son’s hurried little steps as he runs inside, she breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness there’s a Shen Muyi in this kindergarten. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to handle this kid.”
The mother glances around and spots Shen Huaichu.
This isn’t the first time she’s seen Shen Muyi’s father while dropping off her son. Most parents at this kindergarten are well-off, but the Shen and Jing families are exceptionally prominent.
She usually doesn’t strike up a conversation with Shen Muyi’s father—he seems rather aloof, though he’s very patient with his son.
On the other hand, Shen Muyi’s mother, the famous race car driver and youngest daughter of the Jing family, is very approachable. They’ve occasionally chatted while picking up their kids.
Though “occasionally” is the key word, since the person who picks up Shen Muyi isn’t always the same. She imagines the teachers must have a long list of contacts for him.
…
In the classroom, ManMan has already settled into his seat, following his usual routine of taking out the things he’ll need for the day and placing them on the table.
Then, he begins socializing with his classmates.
The other kids, familiar with his habits, patiently wait for him to finish, knowing he won’t respond if they try to talk to him before he’s ready.
“Shen Muyi, will you play house with me today?”
Play house? The whole mom-and-dad thing again?
He’ll have to ask his aunt and uncle for advice on what to do if he gets tired of playing the same role repeatedly.
“No! Shen Muyi is playing soccer with us today!”
Soccer? That’s fine too. Uncle Henry is coming to visit next month, and though he can’t take him on a race car ride, they can play soccer together.
“Let’s play video games instead! Shen Muyi, my dad bought me a new gaming set. Come over after school!”
Video games? Are they as fun as the ones at Uncle Gu Lin’s place?
But he’ll have to pass on that. While he enjoys spending time with his classmates, he has a lot of things to do after school.
Like spending time with his parents, grandparents, and all those uncles and aunts…
The afternoon just isn’t long enough. Sometimes, ManMan feels truly troubled.
Why can’t the afternoon be longer? Or why can’t school hours be shorter? Or better yet, why can’t there be more ManMans?
Otherwise, there just isn’t enough of him to go around.
The chubby boy finally manages to squeeze in. “No! Shen Muyi is racing cars with me today!”
ManMan looks at the classmate sitting behind him and patiently explains, “Chen Yuqi, racing cars is too dangerous. There are too many kids in the kindergarten, and someone could get hurt.”
“My mom says if you want to race cars, you should do it at a professional track. Showing off on the road is silly and childish.”
Yes, that’s exactly what his mom said, though he’s not sure why she seemed to hesitate before saying “silly.”
ManMan is especially proud that his mom is a cool race car driver, and all his classmates know it and think it’s awesome.
Hearing this, the kids all gasp in amazement.
Though the chubby boy is a little disappointed, he isn’t upset. “Then let’s race at the track!”
ManMan takes racing very seriously and actually thinks about it for a moment.
“I’ll have to ask my mom if she can take us. But we can’t use the kindergarten cars—they’re too childish, and you can’t go fast just by pedaling.”
The chubby boy’s eyes light up. “You mean real race cars?”
ManMan nods seriously. “Yes, the ones you can control with a remote. They’re really cool.” The remote is always handled by professionals, like his mom, who’s in charge every time.
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
The group of kids gasps in unison again, just as the teacher walks in to start the class, trying hard not to laugh.
