Ni Jiu (Intoxicated) - Chap 52

Lian Jue called Kang Tong to the study on the second floor to talk. Shen Tingwei hesitated at the door for a while, but he still didn’t knock on it- he don’t know if he was in position to go in and disturb Lian Jue while he is educating the child.
But after all, it was he that proposed the game, it was also because he indulged Kang Tong to sleep late and he was really sorry that Kang Tong was scolded.
Shen Tingwei stood at the door for a while. The soundproofing of the study was so good that he couldn’t hear any movement inside.
He hid in the cupboard and felt a little uncomfortable when his stomach was curled up for a while. He pressed his sore waist, supported his lower abdomen and returned to the room first then, sat down on the bed to rest.
He leaned on the head of the bed. The door was half closed and his mind was also affected by the situation on the other side of the study. After reading the book in his hand for a long time, it still remained on the same page.
After an unknown amount of time, he heard a door slam in the corridor and there were two footsteps. The light steps turned into a trot after a few steps and the steady footsteps followed.
Lian Jue’s voice sounded: “Slow down.”
Shen Tingwei didn’t hear Kang Tong’s low reply “I know”, and his footsteps changed back to walking but it was still much lighter than the previous speed.
It wasn’t until Kang Tong’s footsteps approached that Shen Tingwei closed the book and planned to get up from the bed and take a look.
As soon as he sat up, he saw a fluffy little white head peeking into the hidden door. Mimi was stretching her neck to drill into his room.
Before he could get in, his body was picked up by a pair of small hands. Kang Tong gently hugged Mimi and exited. Shen Tingwei did not hear him. He lowered his voice and said to the kitten at the door: “Mimi, shh— —”
After Shen Tingwei returned to the room, he only turned on a desk lamp in front of the bed and the light was mostly blocked by the door. Kang Tong might mistakenly thought he was resting, so after talking to Mao Mao, he raised his hand to help Shen Tingwei turn the room. Belt on the door.
“Tongtong?” Shen Tingwei called him.
Kang Tong’s action of closing the door stopped. He seemed to turn his head and glance behind him with scruples.
Shen Tingwei did not hear Lian Jue say, “Go back to bed early.”
Kang Tong nodded and said, “I know Dad.”
The door next door was closed and Kang Tong got permission to enter Shen Tingwei’s room.
Shen Tingwei moved in to make room for Kang Tong and patted the bed: “Come.”
Kang Tong’s face was a little hesitant, but he finally came over. He took off his slippers and slowly climbed onto the bed and sat next to Shen Tingwei. Shen Tingwei pulled out the thin quilt that was under him put it on him and asked, “We’re you scolded by your father?”
Kang Tong shook his head, his voice muffled: “No.”
It could be seen that he was in a low mood. Shen Ting raise his hand to help him brush his hair aside.
The warm fingers brushed his forehead, Kang Tong’s eyes drooped down slightly, his eyes stared at him and he opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Shen Tingwei asked, “Aren’t you happy?”
Kang Tong shook his head again, paused for a while and whispered to him, “No.”
Shen Tingwei was stunned for a moment but after realizing that he was probably still in a bad mood because of what Lian Jue had just blamed him. He pretended to be angry, tapped his fingertips lightly on his forehead and said, “Not polite.”
Kang Tong quickly shook his head and said, “No, it’s Shen Tingwei’s future.” He glanced at Shen Tingwei cautiously, as if afraid that he would be unhappy, lowered his eyes and explained, “I don’t know what to call you. Dad said you can’t call me brother…”

“…ah?” Shen Tingwei slowed down and said, “Okay…it doesn’t matter, Tongtong can call me whatever he wants.”
Kang Tong lowered his eyes and looked at the thin quilt stacked on Shen Tingwei’s waist. Shen Tingwei saw his expression and guessed what he wanted to ask, so he said, “Dad told you?”
Kang Tong nodded and said, “Dad said you have a baby in your belly and I can’t disturb you.”
Shen Ting didn’t say anything and acquiesced to what Lian Jue told him, but soon he understood why Kang Tong suddenly became so cautious. He quickly put his arms around Kang Tong’s shoulder and said, “It won’t be a bother. Tongtong is very nice.”
Kang Tong was still immersed in the guilt of almost hurting Shen Tingwei. After a few seconds, he seemed to really not understand. He raised his head and couldn’t help asking him, “Brother… Weiwei, aren’t you a boy?”
Shen Tingwei said, “Yes.”
Kang Tong’s eyes were full of confusion: “Then why do you have a baby?”
Shen Ting was stopped by him. He thought that Kang Tong could not understand his physiological structure for the time being and this question became difficult to answer. He pursed his lips: “Well…”
After thinking for a while, he came up with an excuse to protect the child’s innocence as much as possible: “…Because it hurts for girls to have babies, so…Uncle wants to share a little of that hardship for them.”

For Kang Tong, the man’s explanation seemed to still be incomprehensible, his brows furrowed tightly, pinching the edge of the thin quilt and asked, “But wouldn’t it hurt you too?”
Shen Tingwei smiled at him and said, “Uncle is not afraid of pain and boys have to protect girls, right?”
Kang Tong nodded vigorously and said seriously: “We must protect people who are weaker than us… and small animals.”

Shen Tingwei thought that his appearance was very cute and he nodded seriously and said, “Yes.”
Shen Ting was not sure whether Lian Jue made it clear to Kang Tong, so he thought about it and said to Kang Tong, “But this is Uncle’s secret, can Tong Tong help me keep it a secret?”
Kang Tong said yes without thinking, then asked after a while, “Why? Aren’t you doing good deeds?”
“Uh, because…” Shen Ting racked his brains and borrowed a reason from a movie he watched a few days ago, “Because uncle is a superhero, if the bad guys find out, he will be caught by the bad guys—”

Before he could finish speaking, Kang Tong hurriedly covered his mouth and assured him, “I won’t tell anyone!”
Shen Ting smiled. He pulled up the quilt that had shaken off his body because of too much movement and put it back on him.
Kang Tong drilled under the quilt, revealing only a pair of dark eyes and asked him, “Then are you going to be a mother?”
Shen Tingwei touched his stomach through the quilt and gave a soft “um”.
Kang Tong didn’t know what he was thinking. After a long time, he whispered, “You are so good, he must have a lot of love.”
Shen Tingwei suddenly felt praised by him like this but he didn’t pick up the words for a while. Then, his thoughts gradually became mixed with Kang Tong’s words, thinking, love?
He thought of Lian Jue.
Judging from Lian Jue’s care of his life after marrying him. He could provide a good life for the child in the future… But he is not sure whether the child can understand the care and consideration that Lian Jue conceals that are not easily discernible under the surface—— This tenderness that even Kang Tong’s age can’t understand.
Shen Tingwei was suddenly a little confused.
Kang Tong next to him suddenly muttered under the quilt, “I want to have a mother too.”

Shen Tingwei’s heart suddenly became sour and the messy thoughts in his mind were cleared away, leaving only sadness in his heart. He turned to look at him and asked softly, “Did you miss your mother?”
Kang Tong closed his eyes tightly and shook his head but the tears in his eyes made his eyelashes wet: “Weiwei, I want to sleep.”
Shen Tingwei looked at him, his heart was unbelievably soft and he sighed silently: “Are you going to stay here to sleep?”
Kang Tong was still squeezing his eyes but his voice was hoarse: “Is it alright?”
“Of course.” Shen Ting turned off the light and kissed him on the forehead, “Go to sleep.”

Kang Tong sniffed and said, “Thank you.”
Shen Tingwei smiled helplessly: “Thank you for what?”
Kang Tong did not speak.
After a long silence, Shen Ting realized that Kang Tong was worried that if he had a child. Lian Jue would focus on the newborn baby instead of paying attention to him.
Thinking of this, Shen Ting did not turn sideways, facing Kang Tong, organized the language in his heart, and said to him: “Tong Tong, even if father has a new baby, he will still be good to you. You and the baby in uncle’s womb is your father’s children, how could father not love you.”
Kang Tong swayed under the quilt and suddenly said in a low voice, “…Dad doesn’t like me.”
Shen Tingwei was dumbfounded and didn’t know how to explain to him that Lian Jue was not what he thought he was. After a long time, he asked him again: “Tongtong, your father… your real father, does he love you? ?”
Kang Tong was silent for a long time and then his voice was choked: “Well…” He choked for a long time before he continued, “Every time the nurse in the hospital secretly brought milk and fruit to Dad, he quietly give it to me. In my schoolbag… Dad said that if I drink more milk, I will get better and healthier, but he is obviously sick himself…”
Shen Tingwei’s eyes were a little sour, he said in a low voice: “…my father, although he is always very strict with me and forbids me to do most of things. He also really loves me… Do you know what peony flowers are? My grandfather’s house used to have a large estate for seedling and selling peony flowers. My father grew up on that estate, accustomed with the scents of peony. However, whenever I smell the scent of peony I will get sick. Later, when my grandfather got old and couldn’t continue to manage the manor, my father replaced the flowers in the whole manor with jasmine…because I like jasmine.”
Since Shen Tingwei came into this world, he seldom makes himself think about the past. He is afraid that his emotions will collapse but under the current situation, he really doesn’t know how to comfort Kang Tong, so that Kang Tong can be comforted. He needs to learn more about Lian Jue as a father. Since, each father has their own way of showing affection towards their children.
He took out two tissues from the paper drawer on the bedside table, handed one to Kang Tong and the other to lightly press his eyes.
“Tongtong, we are all very lucky people.” Shen Tingwei’s voice was a little hoarse and low.
He spoke slowly, trying to make Kang Tong understand what he meant: “But you’re not the same as your father, he…” Shen Tingwei paused for a moment, the sourness overflowing from his chest spread to his upper lip and teeth, he spoke with a little difficulty, “…he may have never been loved by anyone.”

Kang Tong was stunned, his wide eyes filled with bright water vapor in the dark.
Shen Tingwei coaxed him softly: “So Tongtong, it’s not that Dad doesn’t love you, it’s that he doesn’t know how to show love. You have to wait patiently, okay?”

Kang Tong nodded vigorously.
“Good.” Shen Tingwei took the damp tissue from his hand and touched his head lovingly, “I’m also here. I will also give you a lot of love.”
Tongtong’s hand was carefully placed on his waist, as if he wanted to hug him but when Shen Ting threw away the tissue and lay back down, he hugged his arm instead.
“Good night, Weiwei.”

“Good night, baby.”