Chapter 37 SJC
Shen Jinnian’s bedroom was more than twice the size of the nursery. The decor was simple yet luxurious, the cool grey tones giving the room a distinctly chilly atmosphere. But the little yellow duck baby bottle on the nightstand broke the heavy mood perfectly.
Shen Jinnian led Gu Yan past a transparent partition and picked up the little rascal who was rolling around on the carpet.
He shoved the baby into Gu Yan’s arms. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be his dad? Starting today, you’re his one and only dad. This time, I’m willingly losing to you.”
Before Gu Yan could react, the soft little cub with snot and tears was stuffed into his arms.
All that snot and tears smeared across his clothes, leaving a large damp patch.
Gu Yan pulled out a couple of tissues and did his best to clean the messy little guy up.
The baby's eyes were red and swollen from crying. He pitifully hooked Gu Yan's neck with one hand and rubbed his body into Shen Jinnian's arms.
He clearly sensed that Shen Jinnian was upset and was trying to make peace.
But to his surprise, Shen Jinnian took a step back.
Seeing the awkward standoff between the two, Gu Yan sighed helplessly and suggested, “If it really won’t work, I’ll sleep on the floor. You can take the bed with the baby.”
“That won’t do,” Shen Jinnian replied, stepping to the side and pointing out the oversized floating bed in the center of the room.
The bedframe was a good half meter off the ground—one careless move and someone could roll under it.
Gu Yan now didn’t even have the option of sleeping on the floor.
Gu Yan: “……”
There was really no way out. He couldn’t very well sleep under the bed with the baby.
So, he left the decision to Shen Jinnian.
The baby was also eagerly waiting for Shen Jinnian's consent.
Two pairs of bright eyes, one big and one small, flashed with hope, looking at him in unison.
It made Shen Jinnian’s skin crawl. He glared at Gu Yan and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I asked you here to help coax him, not to join forces with him against me.”
“It’s simple,” Gu Yan said softly, gently rocking the still-sobbing baby in his arms. “You’re the person he knows best. Once he cries himself tired, he’ll naturally come to you to sleep.”
Shen Jinnian looked at Gu Yan like he was insane.
He had thought Gu Yan would act like a doting mother—play with the baby, tell him a long story, slowly lull him to sleep, and eventually hand him back once he was calm.
But what Gu Yan was telling him now… was to just let the baby cry it out?
Let him cry until he passed out?
Shen Jinnian realized he wasn’t nearly as heartless as Gu Yan.
The baby, sensing that the two dads hadn’t come to an agreement, started to pout again. Tears began falling like someone had turned on a faucet.
Shen Jinnian gave in.
If he had to listen to one more minute of that wailing, his ears might explode.
Might as well surrender.
He went into the walk-in closet, found a loose-fitting winter robe and tossed it to Gu Yan. Then he took out a pale yellow pajama set for the baby. “You two go take a bath. After you’re done, bring him here to sleep.”
The baby sniffled and, with his eyes still red, gave Shen Jinnian a big grin—so wide that he accidentally blew a snot bubble.
Shen Jinnian sighed, defeated, and poked the baby’s nose with one finger. “Just this once.”
The baby giggled and smacked a loud kiss on Shen Jinnian’s fingertip. Then, all sweet and soft, he called out, “Pa~”
A classic case of getting his way and then acting cute.
Shen Jinnian couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed. After all, it was his own child.
He sighed again and reminded Gu Yan, “You can’t come out unless you bathe for at least half an hour.”
"Okay." Gu Yan took on the heavy responsibility.
He carried the child into the master bathroom.
Once the door closed, the bedroom and bathroom became two separate spaces.
He washed the baby's face first and didn't rush to take a bath.
Instead, he held the baby face-to-face in his arms and softly lectured him, “You’re not allowed to make Daddy angry like that again.”
The baby choked back his sobs and reached out a tiny finger to poke Gu Yan’s chin. “PaPa, sleep..”
He just wanted Papa to come sleep with them too.
“I know you were trying to help me convince your daddy.” Gu Yan gently wiped the teardrop hanging on the edge of the baby’s eye and continued softly, “But crying like this is exhausting. Your eyes hurt, don’t they?”
The baby lowered his head and didn’t say a word.
He seemed to be reflecting on his mistake.
Gu Yan’s heart melted at how cute and obedient the baby was. He gently stroked the baby’s soft hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“No more crying next time, okay?” Gu Yan coaxed him patiently and explained, “Winning Daddy over is my job. You just need to grow up happy and healthy.”
The baby blinked his eyes at him.
Gu Yan scooped the little one up. “Alright, time for a bath.”
——
Shen Jinnian was worried Gu Yan would secretly fill the child’s head with nonsense.
He perked up his ears to eavesdrop on what was happening in the bathroom—but the downside of building the house with such solid materials was that not a single sound could get through.
He paced barefoot on the soft carpet, anxious. When the minute hand finally moved halfway around the clock, instead of rushing to the bathroom, he lay down under the blanket and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Gu Yan finished bathing the child and came out of the bathroom, only to see Shen Jinnian lying on the edge of the bed.
There was clearly one more pillow on the bed than before, and even the blankets had increased—randomly tossed at the foot of the bed.
Gu Yan’s lips curled into a small smile.
He stepped over to Shen Jinnian’s side of the bed.
As soon as the mattress dipped under his weight, Shen Jinnian turned over under the blanket and, acting like he’d just been disturbed from sleep, mumbled vaguely, “He needs milk before bed.”
Gu Yan’s gaze landed on the milk bottle on the nightstand.
He tested it with the back of his hand—it was still warm. Just right for the baby to drink now.
It was probably something Shen Jinnian had just prepared.
Gu Yan had seen how Shen Jinnian fed the child before—he would just stuff the bottle straight into the baby’s hands, letting the little one feed himself.
So he did the same, handing the bottle directly to the baby.
Sure enough, the little one turned to the side and wrapped his hands tightly around the bottle, sucking eagerly with loud gulps.
From this angle, the baby’s brows and eyes looked very much like Shen Jinnian’s.
It made Gu Yan’s heart soften.
After the baby finished his milk, Gu Yan washed the bottle.
He had just gotten into bed when Shen Jinnian suddenly called out, “Change his diaper.”
Gu Yan had no idea where Shen Jinnian kept the baby supplies.
He glanced around the room but didn’t spot any diapers. “Where do I find them?”
Shen Jinnian sat up and leaned against the headboard. “All the baby stuff is in the nursery, of course.”
“Alright, I’ll go get them,” Gu Yan said, shifting the baby closer to Shen Jinnian so he wouldn’t accidentally roll off the bed.
Shen Jinnian caught every detail of that careful gesture.
He hadn’t expected Gu Yan to be so attentive when it came to taking care of the child.
After making sure everything was safe, Gu Yan immediately got up and headed to the nursery.
The nanny, who was cleaning up, saw him coming out of Shen Jinnian’s master bedroom in a different set of clothes and immediately lit up with joy, looking genuinely pleased.
She hurried after him and asked with a smile, “You two made up?”
Gu Yan didn’t know how to explain that he and Shen Jinnian were still clean and unmarried.
When he stayed silent, the nanny seemed to get the hint.
She patted Gu Yan on the shoulder and encouraged him cheerfully, “Don’t give up! If you got into Xiao Shen’s bed this time, next time you’ll get into Xiao Shen himself.”
Gu Yan felt his head buzzing and went blank.
Shen Jinnian led Gu Yan past a transparent partition and picked up the little rascal who was rolling around on the carpet.
He shoved the baby into Gu Yan’s arms. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be his dad? Starting today, you’re his one and only dad. This time, I’m willingly losing to you.”
Before Gu Yan could react, the soft little cub with snot and tears was stuffed into his arms.
All that snot and tears smeared across his clothes, leaving a large damp patch.
Gu Yan pulled out a couple of tissues and did his best to clean the messy little guy up.
The baby's eyes were red and swollen from crying. He pitifully hooked Gu Yan's neck with one hand and rubbed his body into Shen Jinnian's arms.
He clearly sensed that Shen Jinnian was upset and was trying to make peace.
But to his surprise, Shen Jinnian took a step back.
Seeing the awkward standoff between the two, Gu Yan sighed helplessly and suggested, “If it really won’t work, I’ll sleep on the floor. You can take the bed with the baby.”
“That won’t do,” Shen Jinnian replied, stepping to the side and pointing out the oversized floating bed in the center of the room.
The bedframe was a good half meter off the ground—one careless move and someone could roll under it.
Gu Yan now didn’t even have the option of sleeping on the floor.
Gu Yan: “……”
There was really no way out. He couldn’t very well sleep under the bed with the baby.
So, he left the decision to Shen Jinnian.
The baby was also eagerly waiting for Shen Jinnian's consent.
Two pairs of bright eyes, one big and one small, flashed with hope, looking at him in unison.
It made Shen Jinnian’s skin crawl. He glared at Gu Yan and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I asked you here to help coax him, not to join forces with him against me.”
“It’s simple,” Gu Yan said softly, gently rocking the still-sobbing baby in his arms. “You’re the person he knows best. Once he cries himself tired, he’ll naturally come to you to sleep.”
Shen Jinnian looked at Gu Yan like he was insane.
He had thought Gu Yan would act like a doting mother—play with the baby, tell him a long story, slowly lull him to sleep, and eventually hand him back once he was calm.
But what Gu Yan was telling him now… was to just let the baby cry it out?
Let him cry until he passed out?
Shen Jinnian realized he wasn’t nearly as heartless as Gu Yan.
The baby, sensing that the two dads hadn’t come to an agreement, started to pout again. Tears began falling like someone had turned on a faucet.
Shen Jinnian gave in.
If he had to listen to one more minute of that wailing, his ears might explode.
Might as well surrender.
He went into the walk-in closet, found a loose-fitting winter robe and tossed it to Gu Yan. Then he took out a pale yellow pajama set for the baby. “You two go take a bath. After you’re done, bring him here to sleep.”
The baby sniffled and, with his eyes still red, gave Shen Jinnian a big grin—so wide that he accidentally blew a snot bubble.
Shen Jinnian sighed, defeated, and poked the baby’s nose with one finger. “Just this once.”
The baby giggled and smacked a loud kiss on Shen Jinnian’s fingertip. Then, all sweet and soft, he called out, “Pa~”
A classic case of getting his way and then acting cute.
Shen Jinnian couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed. After all, it was his own child.
He sighed again and reminded Gu Yan, “You can’t come out unless you bathe for at least half an hour.”
"Okay." Gu Yan took on the heavy responsibility.
He carried the child into the master bathroom.
Once the door closed, the bedroom and bathroom became two separate spaces.
He washed the baby's face first and didn't rush to take a bath.
Instead, he held the baby face-to-face in his arms and softly lectured him, “You’re not allowed to make Daddy angry like that again.”
The baby choked back his sobs and reached out a tiny finger to poke Gu Yan’s chin. “PaPa, sleep..”
He just wanted Papa to come sleep with them too.
“I know you were trying to help me convince your daddy.” Gu Yan gently wiped the teardrop hanging on the edge of the baby’s eye and continued softly, “But crying like this is exhausting. Your eyes hurt, don’t they?”
The baby lowered his head and didn’t say a word.
He seemed to be reflecting on his mistake.
Gu Yan’s heart melted at how cute and obedient the baby was. He gently stroked the baby’s soft hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“No more crying next time, okay?” Gu Yan coaxed him patiently and explained, “Winning Daddy over is my job. You just need to grow up happy and healthy.”
The baby blinked his eyes at him.
Gu Yan scooped the little one up. “Alright, time for a bath.”
——
Shen Jinnian was worried Gu Yan would secretly fill the child’s head with nonsense.
He perked up his ears to eavesdrop on what was happening in the bathroom—but the downside of building the house with such solid materials was that not a single sound could get through.
He paced barefoot on the soft carpet, anxious. When the minute hand finally moved halfway around the clock, instead of rushing to the bathroom, he lay down under the blanket and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Gu Yan finished bathing the child and came out of the bathroom, only to see Shen Jinnian lying on the edge of the bed.
There was clearly one more pillow on the bed than before, and even the blankets had increased—randomly tossed at the foot of the bed.
Gu Yan’s lips curled into a small smile.
He stepped over to Shen Jinnian’s side of the bed.
As soon as the mattress dipped under his weight, Shen Jinnian turned over under the blanket and, acting like he’d just been disturbed from sleep, mumbled vaguely, “He needs milk before bed.”
Gu Yan’s gaze landed on the milk bottle on the nightstand.
He tested it with the back of his hand—it was still warm. Just right for the baby to drink now.
It was probably something Shen Jinnian had just prepared.
Gu Yan had seen how Shen Jinnian fed the child before—he would just stuff the bottle straight into the baby’s hands, letting the little one feed himself.
So he did the same, handing the bottle directly to the baby.
Sure enough, the little one turned to the side and wrapped his hands tightly around the bottle, sucking eagerly with loud gulps.
From this angle, the baby’s brows and eyes looked very much like Shen Jinnian’s.
It made Gu Yan’s heart soften.
After the baby finished his milk, Gu Yan washed the bottle.
He had just gotten into bed when Shen Jinnian suddenly called out, “Change his diaper.”
Gu Yan had no idea where Shen Jinnian kept the baby supplies.
He glanced around the room but didn’t spot any diapers. “Where do I find them?”
Shen Jinnian sat up and leaned against the headboard. “All the baby stuff is in the nursery, of course.”
“Alright, I’ll go get them,” Gu Yan said, shifting the baby closer to Shen Jinnian so he wouldn’t accidentally roll off the bed.
Shen Jinnian caught every detail of that careful gesture.
He hadn’t expected Gu Yan to be so attentive when it came to taking care of the child.
After making sure everything was safe, Gu Yan immediately got up and headed to the nursery.
The nanny, who was cleaning up, saw him coming out of Shen Jinnian’s master bedroom in a different set of clothes and immediately lit up with joy, looking genuinely pleased.
She hurried after him and asked with a smile, “You two made up?”
Gu Yan didn’t know how to explain that he and Shen Jinnian were still clean and unmarried.
When he stayed silent, the nanny seemed to get the hint.
She patted Gu Yan on the shoulder and encouraged him cheerfully, “Don’t give up! If you got into Xiao Shen’s bed this time, next time you’ll get into Xiao Shen himself.”
Gu Yan felt his head buzzing and went blank.
Comments
Post a Comment