Chapter 110 (Extra)
In the early evening, Chi Wang arrived home. By that time, An An was already there.
He always had a knack for pinpointing Chi Wang’s arrival time and would wait by the iron gate out front.
But An An could never sit still while waiting. With his long arms and legs and excellent athletic ability, he was very active. So, Xie Siheng had to keep an eye on him. If he let An An out of sight for even a moment, the boy would climb right up the iron gate and onto the wall—perching casually three meters above the ground.
The first time Xie Siheng witnessed it from afar, his heart nearly stopped. Chi Wang, on the other hand, took it in stride and even praised An An, “That’s so cool—he can climb such a high wall! Come on, baby, jump down, Daddy will catch you, then we’ll go fly a kite.”
An An wasn’t scared either; like a cat, he scooted backward a bit, perched on the edge of the wall, dug his heel into the surface, and leapt straight off the three-meter height. Chi Wang was right there to catch him, spinning him in circles. You could hear An An’s bright, childlike laughter from a distance.
Though Chi Wang didn’t think it was a big deal, Xie Siheng had learned his lesson: wherever An An went, someone had to tag along. If he was around, he’d personally keep watch. Right now, he was keeping a close eye on An An. Feeling the weight of that stare, An An behaved himself, not daring to scramble up gates or walls. Instead, he just gripped the railing of the iron gate with his skinny arms, resting his feet at the bottom and swaying back and forth like a swing—looking perfectly well-behaved.
But Xie Siheng knew that if he so much as glanced away, An An would climb up there in the blink of an eye like a monkey.
Chi Wang, however, didn’t seem worried at all. He and Xie Siheng once discussed this in private:
“Kids are all like that,” Chi Wang said. “I used to climb walls too—really tall ones. Then I’d run along the top to where a tree was, jump into the tree, and slide down from there.”
Xie Siheng: “…”
Runs in the family?
Chi Wang spoke calmly, “You shouldn’t stifle a child’s nature. Our ancestors were monkeys, after all; they loved climbing around. Maybe we even have some wild boar genes. In the spring, I always get this urge to burrow around in the mountains, turning up chunks of turf to find fresh dirt underneath, then rolling around in the mud.”
Xie Siheng: “…”
All right, so it does run in the family.
Returning to the main point, Chi Wang went on: “I actually think An An climbing walls is a good thing. As for whether it’s dangerous or not, don’t be fooled by how he scrambles around like a monkey; he’s actually quite cautious. He won’t do something if he isn’t sure he can pull it off. Just because he’s quick-minded doesn’t mean he’s reckless or ignores safety.”
Then Chi Wang added, “If he really likes climbing, we could sign him up for a rock-climbing class. As long as he’s got proper safety gear, I’m fine with him climbing as high as he wants.”
Xie Siheng hesitated. “Not right now, though—he’s got too many classes already.”
Chi Wang shrugged. “Then let’s wait until later. Rock climbing’s an Olympic sport now; maybe we could train him to snag us a gold medal one day.”
Xie Siheng said, “Mm,” but he still insisted on watching An An closely. Sometimes he found it odd how having a child could turn a person so anxious. And every once in a while, that would make him think of Chu Qing—had Chu Qing also worried about him like this? Parents have it tough.
Experiencing it himself, Xie Siheng inevitably changed a bit. At least now, he would sometimes take the initiative to call Chu Qing.
As for why he didn’t call Xie Yunting—well, calling him only led to awkward chit-chat, which was rather pointless.
Before long, Chi Wang’s car appeared. He’d gotten his driver’s license as a college junior, so he could drive himself. But he was terribly unlucky—every time he hit the road, he’d encounter some jerk who would recklessly cut him off. At first, he assumed it was because of the “learner” sticker on the back, so he removed it, but he still got cut off and bumped. Next, he assumed it was because he was driving an SUV, so he switched to a cheaper Audi. Same story—still got hit.
In a fit of frustration, Chi Wang hired a driver. From then on, no one cut him off or hit him. With tears of relief, he concluded that apparently his unlucky streak also traveled with him wherever he went.
The car drove through the front gate and soon stopped. Chi Wang hopped out, striking a dramatically emotional pose. “An An!”
An An eagerly called back, “Daddy!”
They dashed toward each other in a mutual embrace. An An leapt into Chi Wang’s arms, and Chi Wang spun him like a washing machine agitator, whirling him around until their bodies were almost at a right angle. They kept spinning until Chi Wang got dizzy and had to put An An down. “I can’t anymore. I’m dizzy.”
An An grabbed onto him, sounding extra sweet. “Daddy, I’ll be your crutch!”
Chi Wang happily draped half his weight on the boy.
Watching all of this from the sidelines, utterly ignored, was Xie Siheng: “…”
He approached them, abruptly tugging Chi Wang upright and wrapping an arm around his waist. “I’ve got you.”
An An let go, looked around, and then latched his other hand onto Xie Siheng’s.
Xie Siheng: “…”
His brow relaxed, and he clasped An An’s little hand. In that way, all three walked into the house together.
Once inside, Chi Wang asked An An, “So, what’s that treasure you got at your uncle’s place? Can Daddy see it now?”
Grinning, An An scampered up the stairs. He soon returned carrying a backpack, which he held out in front of Chi Wang, urging him to open it. Chi Wang obliged and pulled out a clear plastic container. No need to open it—he could see through the plastic that there was a huge beetle inside.
Chi Wang let out a gasp. “Oh my gosh—it’s a rhinoceros beetle. And it’s huge! An An, where did you catch it?”
Beaming proudly, An An said, “I caught it in the woods behind Uncle’s house.”
Chi Wang didn’t hold back his admiration. “That’s amazing, An An! It’s the biggest rhinoceros beetle I’ve ever seen. When I was your age, any I caught were only this big.” He demonstrated with his fingers. “Yours is more than twice that size.”
An An puffed out his chest. “I think it’s huge, too. I want to keep it as a pet.”
Chi Wang said, “Sure, you can. But be careful—Xiaomi might get jealous.”
Following his gaze, An An saw Xiaomi—the family dog—eyeing the new pet with predatory focus. Spotting An An’s glance, Xiaomi even licked his lips, as though trying to hide his drool.
An An hurried over, hugging Xiaomi’s head and trying to reason with him. “Brother Xiaomi, you can’t eat this one, okay? Can I keep it?”
Not that Xiaomi could actually speak, but it nodded its head, as if to say it didn’t mind. An An’s little ritual of asking for permission made Xiaomi feel respected, so it wagged its tail happily, panting with a big doggy grin.
And so, An An acquired a new little pet.
Xie Siheng made no comment on An An’s beetle. He just set one rule: “Don’t keep it in your bedroom.”
An An readily agreed. “We’ll keep it in the living room, then. That way everyone can see my super-huge beetle!”
Chi Wang chuckled. “Exactly—it’s such a big rhinoceros beetle, you have to show it off.”
Xie Siheng: “…”
Neither of them had experience raising kids, but as an onlooker, he could see that Chi Wang was actually a natural. Around him, An An was carefree, always able to express his feelings directly. And Chi Wang always offered the quickest, most supportive feedback. Maybe that’s what it took to raise a child—becoming their friend.
Chi Wang wasn’t aware of what was on Xie Siheng’s mind. Just before dinner, An An’s phone rang. Indeed, An An owned a phone, though he rarely carried it around. He hadn’t taken it to Xiao Fu’s, but now that he was back home, as soon as he checked it, he saw a bunch of missed calls—boys and girls alike. Such a social butterfly.
But this time, the call wasn’t from any of his little friends; it was from Grandma. As soon as An An answered, he greeted her sweetly, “Grandma, Grandma, I missed you so much.”
After picking up, An An even knew to avoid Chi Wang and Xie Siheng, scurrying upstairs to carry on the conversation, leaving Chi Wang and Xie Siheng staring at each other.
Chi Wang remarked, “An An’s such a busy kid.”
Xie Siheng said, “Takes after you.”
Chi Wang: “Hm?” The corners of Xie Siheng’s lips curled slightly. “Just like you—everyone likes you.”
Chi Wang: “Mm-hmm.”
He gladly accepted the compliment.
Once An An got on the phone with Chu Qing, you couldn’t get him off in under half an hour. Xie Siheng reached out and ran his fingertips through the hair above Chi Wang’s ear, speaking quietly: “Shall we go to the bedroom?”
Chi Wang paused. “Dinner’s soon.”
In a low voice, Xie Siheng said, “We still have at least half an hour before dinner.”
Chi Wang: “…”
Gotta make every minute count.
Chi Wang grinned. “All right, sure.”
Having a kid was inconvenient in that An An liked to cling to them 24/7. Even at night, they worried he might wake up and knock on the door. That had happened before: they’d snuck off, thinking he was asleep, only for An An to get up—kids do that frequently—and find his parents weren’t there. He went and knocked. At the time, Chi Wang and Xie Siheng were in the thick of things, too distracted to notice until An An had knocked three times without an answer. Then he called out, “Daddy!” That froze them on the spot, killing the mood instantly.
Luckily, with An An’s many extracurriculars, they weren’t quite so on-edge these days. Half an hour or so, perfectly timed, was doable. The only problem was that the sun hadn’t fully set—it was still fairly bright outside.
Chi Wang felt a little self-conscious. He still couldn’t bring himself to “do it” with the lights on. He was too shy, and though he’d been at this for a while and even had a five-year-old kid, he was only twenty-four. Only three years out of college, at an age when most peers were still single or just starting to date. So, yeah, his face still burned easily.
They drew the curtains, making the room dark, and got on with it in a hurry. Because of the time crunch, they were anxious. They missed their mark several times until Chi Wang finally switched on a small nightlight so he could, uh, “calibrate” properly. Once they did, things went smoothly.
Chi Wang bit down on his shirt, exposing a lean, supple waist. He’d kept up his exercise routine, so he’d regained a faint set of abs—pale, slender, but with a youthful allure under the soft glow.
Xie Siheng’s palms were wide, and his fingers long enough to wrap around Chi Wang’s waist completely. Chi Wang had stamina, so he could hold out till the very end. This angle allowed for a thorough, deep connection, perfect for a quick rendezvous when pressed for time.
All went well, and they finished right on schedule.
Chi Wang had just pulled his pants back on when they heard An An’s polite knock outside. “Daddy, why are you both in the bedroom again? Come on out, it’s time to eat!”
Chi Wang turned to grin triumphantly at Xie Siheng, eyes shining. He lowered his voice and said, “Well? Didn’t I time that perfectly?”
Xie Siheng gave a restrained smile and silently gave him a thumbs-up.
