IAAA Chapter 4

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"Uncle Du, is that right?"

"That's right." I demonstrated again. "Wanwan did it perfectly."

Shen Wenshu smiled happily and looked at me again. "Uncle Du, how did you know that my papa and the others call me Wanwan? Did my father tell you?"

"Nope." I tapped his little nose. "It wasn't your father who told me."

"Was it my papa?! It was my papa, wasn't it?" Shen Wenshu's face lit up with excitement. "Uncle Du, what else do you know?"

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "I know everything."

Shen Wenshu widened his eyes at me, looking utterly adorable.

"Your dad said that when you were in the womb, you couldn’t sit still and kept trying to come out early. So, he would rub his belly and tell you, 'Baby, be good, stay in there a little longer, come out a little later, okay?’ That’s why they call you Wanwan." I rested a hand on his shoulder, pulling his small body closer, and wiped his red eyes. "Your papa loves you very much, so no matter what, Wanwan has to be strong."

He sniffled, gathered himself, and started playing the piano again.

A child's music should be bright and cheerful, but now, it was laced with sorrow.

To teach Shen Wenshu the piano, I had left work early. Meanwhile, Shen Junshan was still toiling away at the company. I wasn’t sure if he was just overwhelmed with work or if he simply didn’t want to come home.

His eldest son was in elementary school.

His second son was in kindergarten.

And the little omega baby I had seen once in the hospital—Shen Junshan kept him by his side, personally caring for him.

I recalled the last meeting where Shen Junshan, looking all serious, got peed on while holding the baby. The memory made me chuckle, tears almost welling up.

The door lock turned twice. Hearing the noise, I went to the entrance and caught Shen Wenxin, the little firecracker, as he launched himself at me.

"Papa… Dad… Daddy." He loved this game but never got the names right. I picked him up and gave him a little shake.

"Call him Uncle." Shen Junshan spoke up again. I had lost count of how many times he had corrected Shen Wenxin, but the kid was persistent, so I let him be.

Shen Junshan was carrying another little one in his arms. As soon as he entered, he focused on the baby, leaving the two older boys entirely in my care.

I took Wenxin to wash his hands, my mind wandering to his youngest sibling. Shen Junshan might seem cultured, but he was actually quite straightforward—naming his child Shen Wenian, short and to the point.

As for who he missed, I glanced at the family photo of the four of them on the wall and let out a silent, bitter laugh.

"How’s Nian Nian today?" I called out from the bedroom doorway after settling the older two.

Shen Junshan didn’t stop changing the baby’s clothes as he replied, "He's fine."

Feeling a bit awkward after the curt response, I was about to leave when Shen Junshan spoke again.

"Stay."

"Huh? …Oh, okay."

Shen Junshan hung up his coat and put on an apron. Seeing that Nian Nian was sound asleep, I went over to supervise the two young masters doing their homework.

Shen Wenshu always acted like a little adult in front of his younger brother. I watched as he earnestly held his brother’s chubby hand, guiding him in writing. Shen Wenxin, concentrating hard, was sweating from the effort.

I sat beside them quietly, not interfering with their "serious business."

"Ah, Papa."

"Hmm?" I looked at Shen Wenxin, who turned to face me. "What is it?"

"Uncle Du." Shen Wenshu looked frustrated. "My little brother doesn’t understand what I’m saying."

I leaned in closer, took his pencil, and drew something on a sheet of paper. "Look, this is a big apple. It belongs to Wenxin. Wenxin has four apples. So, how many apples do you both have in total?"

Shen Wenxin counted on his fingers. "Five… five apples."

"That's right." I continued drawing. "Now, if Wenxin’s father has four apples and gives one to each of you, how many will he have left?"

Shen Wenxin pouted, thinking hard. "None… none left."

"Why?" He always struggled with subtraction. "Four apples, minus two…"

"Because Father would give them all to Papa!"

I was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. It took me a while to switch to another example and finally get the little guy to understand.

"That's right… just like that."

"Papa is amazing!"

"Of course." I pinched the little rascal’s cheek, just as Shen Junshan interjected.

"Call him Uncle Du." He looked at me briefly before addressing his two sons. "Go wash your hands. Time to eat."

I had planned to leave, but Shen Wenxin’s teary protests left me no choice but to stay.

"Uncle Du is staying, so eat properly," Shen Junshan sternly told his tearful son.

Shen Wenxin reached out his small arms. "Sit here… sit here."

I glanced at the empty seat beside Shen Junshan and then at his unreadable expression.

In the end, I said to Shen Wenxin, "How about you sit next to Uncle instead?"

He wasn’t thrilled but obediently dragged his bowl over to sit beside me.

"Papa, have some vegetables." The little guy cheerfully scooped a big spoonful of celery onto my plate.

"Eat it yourself." Shen Junshan, ever patient, corrected him again. "Call him Uncle Du."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenxin pouted and poked at his rice with his spoon. I chuckled and placed some shredded carrots on his plate.

"Then Uncle will eat the green ones, and Wenxin will eat the red ones. Deal?"

"The red ones are worse than the green ones," Shen Wenxin grumbled. "I want to hear a bedtime story."

"Sure." I agreed before realizing what I had done. Looking up, I saw Shen Junshan frowning slightly. Feeling awkward, I quickly added, "Maybe I can come back during the day next time and tell you a story then?"

But Shen Wenxin was as stubborn as his father. "I want to hear it after my bath."

"But…"

There was no swaying this little mule. He was adamant. "Papa promised! No buts!"

"If you don’t eat properly, there won’t be any stories." Shen Junshan, the tyrant, finally relented, and I sighed in relief.

——————

I originally came to tutor the eldest young master, but I ended up becoming the youngest one’s personal storyteller instead.

Standing before Shen Wenxin’s colorful bookshelf, I flipped through the storybooks.

Wrapped in his blanket, Shen Wenxin blinked up at me. "Papa, Papa. Have you picked one yet?"

I was never good at choosing, so I simply sat beside his bed. "What do you want to hear, Wenxin?"

"I want to hear… the story of the fish-tailed princess!"

"That’s ‘The Little Mermaid’." I pinched his chubby cheek. "Alright, let’s do it."

"Once upon a time, deep in the ocean, the sea god had a beloved youngest daughter…" I gently patted his small body as I recounted the familiar tale.

"…In the end, the little mermaid turned into seafoam and disappeared into the morning light."

I yawned, but Shen Wenxin was still full of energy. He tugged at my sleeve and asked, “Why did the mermaid turn into sea foam?”

I propped my head up and coaxed him, “Because the prince didn’t say he loved her.”

“Why didn’t the prince say it?”

I thought for a moment. “Because no one brought it up.”

Shen Wenxin’s little head seemed to be filled with endless questions. “Then why didn’t the mermaid ask?”

“Because she couldn’t speak,” I said, pretending to be troubled as I pouted. “She traded her voice for human legs.”

“She could have used gestures! Or drawn pictures!” Shen Wenxin’s little face lit up with excitement, as if he had uncovered some grand secret. “If she had drawn a picture to tell the prince, he would have fallen in love with her! Then she wouldn’t have turned into sea foam, and they could have lived happily ever after. The mermaid was so silly.”

I chuckled at his innocent logic and patted his soft hair.

“That’s right. Our Xin Xin is the smart one.”

His excitement soon faded, and he fell asleep faster than I expected.

I tucked him in and couldn’t resist giving his little cheek a gentle kiss.

“Sweet dreams.”

Leaving Shen Wenxin’s bedroom, I glanced at the clock. It was only a little past eight—early for a child’s bedtime.

Shen Junshan saw me come out and stood up from the couch. I blinked in confusion. “Why are you sitting here?”

“Thank you.”

I snapped out of my daze. “It’s nothing. Well, it’s getting late. I should head home now.”

“I’ll take you.”

“No, no need.” Seeing him reach for his coat, I quickly declined. “There are still buses at this hour. No need to trouble yourself.”

Before he could say anything else, I gathered my things and hurried out the door. It was as if I was afraid he’d chase after me—like I was running from a ghost. I only let out a sigh of relief when I reached the locked iron gate.

“Whew—”

As I walked alone toward the bus stop, Shen Wenxin’s words suddenly came back to me.

I chuckled to myself like a fool.

How could the Sea God's little daughter be a fool?

She didn’t ask because she was afraid—afraid that the prince truly loved the human princess, afraid that his feelings for her weren’t strong enough to overcome his fear and aversion to mermaids.

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