Chapter 190: with translation of chapter title

If side story: Not counting as newbie, the newbie parents

If side story: Not counting as newbie, the newbie parents

It's after marriage.

Warm golden morning light, without pulling the tightly drawn curtains, sneaked in through the gap, quietly peeking at the cozy interior.

Last night the young couple fooled around until relatively late, so that by the time the sun was high, both were still sound asleep.

"Knock knock knock."

A series of intermittent knocking sounds broke the silence.

Pei Du was the first to open his eyes.

Shu Shu in his arms was also awakened by the noise, she tiredly turned over and buried her face in his neck.

He soothingly embraced his wife, Pei Du glanced toward the door, his brows slightly furrowed.

During this period, besides ourselves and Yinyin, there was no one else at home.

Our two children have already graduated from university, each busy with their own affairs.

Our daughter has served as the concertmaster of the Berlin Su Orchestra for several consecutive years, and is undergoing closed-door training in preparation for the next international music festival, returning home only this weekend.

Our son, in his third year of college, teamed up with a few like-minded senior schoolmates to set up a small investment-banking studio, which has grown from humble beginnings to a proper operation.

That boy who once dyed his hair red, yellow, and blue and had a boisterous personality now wears suits, is called 'Boss' by outsiders, and is constantly on the go.

Moreover, to acquire a legacy company, he has been on a business trip out of town for over a month.

So, who is knocking at the door?

Is it Da Fu?

The living-room balcony has an automatic feeder and a toilet; that dog, all over soft cream-colored fur, has long outgrown its puppy mischief and will no longer scratch at the door.

Pei Du kissed Shu Shu's ear, tucked the blanket around her, then got up.

Bringing his doubts, he opened the door, lowered his head slightly, and Pei Du met a pair of innocent black eyes.

A barefoot little boy in cartoon-print pajamas, eyes still sleepy, stepped forward and hugged his thigh, looking up and speaking in a childish voice.

"Dad."

"?"

What should I call him?

Looking at the unfamiliar yet somehow familiar little radish-head before him, Pei Du instinctively hesitated and asked, "You are...?"

As soon as his words fell, the little radish-head's hand stiffened, as if bewildered by Pei Du's obviously cold tone; his face fell hurt, he stepped back two steps, and the two tufts of hair that had stood up from just waking trembled.

He stared at Pei Du, his glassy eyes welling up, then his mouth twisted and he burst into a wail.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?!"

The child's crying startled Shu Shu into sitting up in bed.

"Mom!" Upon hearing Shu Shu's voice, the little radish-head pattered into the bedroom, launched himself like a small cannonball into Shu Shu's arms, and loudly tattled, "Mommy, Daddy doesn't know me anymore, waa waa waa."

"Ah?"

Shu Shu was also startled by that "Mom".

Mainly because she currently doesn't have such a young offspring, but when her gaze fell on the little radish-head's face, she was stunned in disbelief.

"Xiao, Xiao Chen?"

Shu Lingchen.

To be precise, it's the childhood Shu Lingchen.

Before Shu Shu could react to this situation, another youthful voice sounded from the room.

"Dad."

Shu Shu and Pei Du turned their heads at the same time.

A little girl wearing the same cartoon pajamas as Shu Lingchen, clutching a stuffed bear, with her hair loose, walked over; she familiarly climbed up and snuggled against Shu Shu, her voice soft.

"Mom, good morning."

Pei Du, sharing Shu Shu's disbelief, exclaimed in surprise, "Muyin?"

Shu Shu: "Who?"

A daughter?!

Shu Shu glanced at the little girl, then at the still-sobbing miniature Shu Lingchen, she forced a smile and asked them, "Um, baby, may I ask how old you are this year?"

The two little radish-heads in unison said, "Three and a half years old."

"Like that." Shu Shu nodded as if calm, then looked at Pei Du and said in a serious tone, "Xiao Du, staying up late really is a bad thing."

We're so tired we're having hallucinations.

Having said that, Shu Shu lay back down as if no one else were there, pulling the blanket over herself and closing her eyes to self-hypnotize: "Surely it's my way of getting up that's wrong, hmm, it must be..."

About a few seconds later, Shu Shu's forehead was touched; she opened her eyes to see her daughter leaning against the pillow, her pretty little face full of concern for her.

"Mom, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Ah......

Shu Shu instantly felt her heart struck, going soft as mush.

So this cannot be an illusion!

The light-blocking curtains were all pulled open.

Shu Shu and Pei Du stood side by side; on the bed sat the well-behaved miniature son and daughter, the young couple exchanged a glance, passing a message between their eyes.

After waking up, their two originally adult offspring had turned into this year's three-and-a-half-year-old tots.

Such an unimaginable thing——

Shu Shu propped her chin, pondered solemnly for a few seconds, then directly squatted down and kissed each child's soft cheek, her voice clear.

Good morning, my little ones.

Just a short while, less than ten minutes, had passed.

Shu Shu then took Pei Du's hand and together they accepted their identity as parents of a pair of three-and-a-half-year-old boy-girl twins.

Ahhh, so cute, so cute.

Shu Shu simply couldn't put them down, alternatingly cherishing the two little ones, and while enjoying the affectionate little Lingchen, Lingchen had difficulty remembering the matter: "Mom, I and my sister are going to be late for kindergarten."

Shu Shu wondered: "Kindergarten?"

Xiao Mu Yin nodded, giving a reminding tone: "Mm-hmm, Mom, today is the first day my brother and I go to kindergarten."

At this point, Pei Du, who had gone out to look around, returned to the bedroom.

He discovered they were still in the home from before last night, except that the house now obviously had many more children's items, and the décor was also warmer.

The young couple suddenly became dad and mom, but the problem was obviously not big, because both of them were experienced newcomers who had 'been through' the novice parent stage, so handling children was easy for them.

Let's wash up first.

Pei Du placed the children's slippers he was holding in front of Xiao Lingchen, but Xiao Lingchen didn't go to put them on, wiggling his bare feet and naturally reaching out his hands to Pei Du.

Daddy, hold me.

Pei Du froze at the words; he certainly had enough experience with children, but that was all from his daughter before—he had held his daughter many times, yet had never held his son at this young age.

The man bent down, embraced his son, and at the moment of lifting him, he couldn't help but pause slightly.

As it turned out, the feeling was the same as holding his daughter.

The same small, light body, the same little hands would spontaneously cling to his neck.

But it also seemed not the same; to him it was different.

A strange emotion filled Pei Du's heart; he held his son, his arms steady, and then spoke to his son in a gentle voice.

"Xiao Chen, from now on remember to wear your shoes, okay?"

At the washbasin.

Two small figures stood on a step stool, each holding the same cartoon toothbrush and brushing their teeth on their own.

"Sister, look at brother, look at brother!"

Xiao Lingchen brushed and brushed, then showed his sister a transparent bubble he had blown, using the foam covering his mouth.

Xiao Mu Yin's peach-blossom eyes, just like Shu Shu's, blinked and blinked, full of admiration for her brother.

"Brother, are you awesome?"

"Awesome."

In his sister's admiring gaze, Xiao Lingchen's bubble in his mouth grew bigger and bigger.

Da Fu had somehow sneaked in; the white-furred dog grinned, circling around their feet, and Xiao Lingchen, understanding, turned around and also showed the dog the bubble he had blown.

Then with a "pop".

The bubble was deliberately blown apart, water splashing onto the dog's face; it seemed to find this fun, excitedly jumping in place, which made the siblings laugh out loud.

Behind them, Shu Shu rested her head on Pei Du's shoulder, looking happily at this warm scene before her.

She remembered that Xiao Lingchen, as a child, loved playing the bubble-blowing game while brushing his teeth, but back then he mostly played with his own reflection in the mirror, and only she was his audience.

"Mom, am I awesome?"

Xiao Lingchen turned his head, wearing an eager-to-be-praised expression.

Shu Shu gave a thumbs-up: "Super awesome."

Like wanting to balance a bowl of water, Xiao Lingchen, satisfied, looked toward Pei Du: "Dad, am I awesome?"

"Mm, very awesome."

Pei Du walked over and respectively picked up a towel to wipe his son's and daughter's faces.

Washing up finished.

Shu Shu's eyes sparkled: "What do the little ones want to eat for breakfast?"

Xiao Lingchen raised his hand: "Dad's egg pancakes!"

Compared to her brother's loud voice, Xiao Mu Yin was quieter, but couldn't hide her liveliness: "Mom's corn rice balls."

Shu Shu clapped her hands: "Approved!"

After eating the simple breakfast, they prepared to go out.

Xiao Lingchen pulled Pei Du to the wardrobe, having him pick out what to wear for his first day at kindergarten.

Xiao Mu Yin sat before Shu Shu, quietly waiting for Mom to comb her hair.

Children's hair is fine and soft; the daughter's hair, naturally thick, Shu Shu gathered in her hands, gently combing it bit by bit, then tied it into twin buns with a small elastic.

"Can the little ones tie this strawberry hairband?"

"Sure~"

Xiao Mu Yin nodded, her small hands holding a mirror, silently mouthing "wow" as she admired Mom combing her hair.

The interior of the black sedan was spacious.

Pei Du drove with navigation, while Shu Shu kept her eyes on the rearview mirror above, watching the son and daughter seated left and right in the back row's child safety seats interacting, their childish chatter continuing all the way.

No matter how you look, it's never enough.

Not long after, they smoothly arrived at their destination.

On the first day of school, the kindergarten had freshly decorated the school to welcome the children, making it especially lively and childlike, with teachers greeting students at the entrance.

Among them was Teacher Li; although she had already seen the good looks of the two students' parents on the day of enrollment procedures, looking again she would still be stunned.

Two children with shark plush toy backpacks held hands in the middle, while the two adults each held one child's hand walking at their sides.

What a sight to behold, this family of four.

"Are they Xiao Lingchen and Xiao Lingyu?"

Shu Shu stared blankly, almost thinking she had misheard.

Shu Lingyu, Lingyu.

That was the name she gave her daughter after learning the baby in her womb was a dragon‑phoenix twin.

Pei Du, standing beside her, noticed Shu Shu's distraction; his gaze fell on the teacher's roster, his eyes darkening as he instantly understood what was happening.

"Teacher, I still have another name."

Teacher Li chuckled and took over: "I know, you also have a little name called Mu Yin, because your mother's name contains the character 'yin', right? When your parents first brought Lingyu to kindergarten, you told me, and I remembered."

Xiao Mu Yin nodded seriously: "Mm‑hm."

Teacher Li reached out: "All right, Lingchen and Lingyu, say goodbye to Mom and Dad; I'm taking you to the classroom now."

The two little radish heads obediently followed, but after just two steps with Teacher Li, Shu Lingchen suddenly let go of the teacher's hand, turned and ran toward Pei Du.

This scene was common at the kindergarten in the morning; everyone thought the child was reluctant to leave his parents and didn't want to go to school.

But Shu Lingchen didn't cry or throw a tantrum.

It was clear the son had something to say; Pei Du had already half‑squatted, adopting a patient listening posture.

"What's up, little Chen?"

Shu Lingchen walked two steps closer to Pei Du and asked: "When school ends, will you and Mom come pick me and my sister up together?"

"Yeah, I will."

Even after getting the answer, Shu Lingchen stood where he was, fidgeting and unwilling to follow the teacher.

Shu Shu leaned close to Pei Du's ear and hinted: "From this morning until now, he's been really clingy to you."

While brushing his teeth, while eating breakfast, while changing clothes.

Shu Shu had mentioned to Pei Du that Shu Lingchen was especially clingy as a child.

In other words, he's a child born with a lack of security, so back then Shu Shu never joked with him about things like "You're a baby Mom picked up from the trash" or "Other babies look so well‑behaved, Mom wants to swap babies."

Pei Du almost instantly realized the crux of the problem lay in that morning's question to his son: "Who are you?"

This hadn't passed for Shu Lingyu; in a child's pure, innocent view, his beloved father suddenly looked at him strangely and coldly, which was both heartbreaking and frightening.

Indeed.

After fidgeting, little Lingyu asked Pei Du again, this time with a worried expression: "……Dad, when school ends, will you still recognize me?"

"Dad will recognize little Chen."

Sourness and guilt intertwined in his chest; Pei Du gently bumped his forehead against his son's, solemnly expressing his apology.

"Little Chen, sorry, this morning was my fault; that wasn't my intention."

"I knew it!" Shu Lingchen pondered for a few seconds, then said: "……Well, I forgive Dad, but Dad has to promise me there won't be another time you don't recognize me."

"Okay, Dad promises you, there won't be another time."

With that, the worry on Shu Lingchen's face finally cleared; he reached out his little hand to Pei Du.

"Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise."

One big, one small pinky hooked together.

Kindergartens all have parent groups; teachers often post updates about the children's in‑class activities.

That day, Teacher Li shared in the group the various works the kids made in arts and crafts.

Shu Shu scrolled to her daughter's.

The daughter had molded a little brown bear out of clay; at a glance it was the stuffed bear she liked to hug when she slept.

Shu Shu's heart softened as she saved the picture to her phone, preparing to see what her son had made.

Then she saw Teacher Li's message: "【Lingyu's mom, Lingyu says his work needs to be kept secret, don't post it; he wants to give Mom and Dad a surprise after school. 'Cover face' 'Cover face'】."

Hiss.

How could one sense from Teacher Li's two emojis that this surprise might not be so great?

Only when they went to the school gate to pick up the children did Shu Shu understand why Teacher Li had "covered face."

The young couple saw their soft‑and‑cute daughter being led out by a radish‑head of the same height, sporting a head of five‑colored hair.

And that colorful radish‑head was none other than their son.

"Mom and Dad, ding ding ding ding, look at my new hair!"

Little Lingyu proudly spun in front of Shu Shu and Pei Du, showing off his arts‑and‑crafts project—a head of fake hair made by gluing colored paper strips one by one onto his scalp.

Shu Shu: "……"

What a huge surprise.

Shu Shu's mind was forced to conjure up some familiar, vision‑darkening images.

She asked her son who inspired this "work."

Shu Lingyu patted his chest, face full of pride: "I came up with it myself!"

Shu Shu: "."

So the chuunibyo phase can arrive early, and this early!

"Mom, does my new hair look good?"

Striking while the child's confidence is still being explored is not allowed; Shu Shu endured and endured, finally squeezing out two words: "Not bad."

Shu Lingyu turned to ask Pei Du's opinion.

The reply: "Looks good."

"Then Dad, next time I come home I'll make you one like this."

"Sure."

Shu Shu: "."

Shu Shu, holding her daughter, gave Pei Du a look that said, "Just spoil him."

"Once you make it for Daddy, you can't make it for Mommy again."

After the meal, they took a walk to digest.

The family of four unknowingly wandered to the nearby mall.

It happened to be a weekend, so the mall was crowded; the spot near the exhibition hall on the first floor was especially lively, with a crowd gathered there, as if promoting some smart home appliance.

As they passed by, Xiao Mu Yin suddenly stopped, as if looking for something, and called out, "Daddy."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Shu Shu lowered her head to look at her daughter, gestured to Pei Du beside her, and said, "Daddy's right here."

Xiao Mu Yin glanced at Pei Du, her face showing a puzzled expression, and pointed her little hand into the crowd.

"Daddy's in there too."

Only then did Shu Shu and Pei Du turn their attention to the exhibition hall, where they heard the host on stage saying:

"This is our company's newly launched AI assistant, called Xiao Du."

"It can connect via Bluetooth to all smart home appliances; for example, if you want to watch TV at home, you don't need to lift a finger—just call out 'Xiao Du, Xiao Du' from afar, and the TV will turn on."

"……"

So this is Xiao Du.

Xiao Du, Xiao Du.

Xiao Mu Yin thought they were calling Pei Du, after all, that's how her mother calls Daddy.

Coincidentally, many of the appliances at home already supported smart systems, so Shu Shu found the product interesting and bought two units that same day, bringing them home.

Thus, the next day, Shu Shu's calls began to echo around the house.

"Xiao Du, Xiao Du, help me turn on the air conditioner to twenty‑six degrees."

At that moment, Pei Du, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, hurried out to look for the air‑conditioner remote.

Then he heard a beep, and the air conditioner switched on by itself.

Shu Shu pointed at the newly purchased AI assistant and laughed, "This smart assistant is actually quite fun."

Pei Du lowered his lashes, realizing it wasn't calling him.

"Xiao Du, Xiao Du, help me find a popular game livestream."

Pei Du came out of the kitchen for the second time and saw Shu Shu in the living room, intently watching the livestream on the TV screen.

Still, it wasn't calling him.

The man lowered his gaze, his eyes lightly sweeping over the white little box.

Night.

After putting the two kids to sleep, the young couple returned to their own bedroom to rest.

A wall lamp lingered indoors, its warm yellow light fostering a cozy atmosphere.

Pei Du leaned against the headboard, holding a parenting book; the handsome‑looking man had washed up, put on pajamas, and appeared to be studying the book intently, though in fact he hadn't absorbed a single word.

Beside him came Shu Shu's cheerful call:

"Xiao du, xiao du?"

Pei Du's page‑turning fingers froze—this time, too, she must be summoning the AI assistant; his eyelashes twitched as he tried hard to shift his focus back to the book.

"Can you hug me?"

Yesterday, when paying, the salesperson told Shu Shu that the smart assistant had a pet attribute, allowing simple commands to increase interactivity.

This included the "hug" command, among others.

The smooth paper page was creased with a noticeable line.

"Xiao du, xiao du, kiss me—"

Before the last syllable even faded, Pei Du had already turned his head, his unmistakably jealous gaze locking directly onto Shu Shu's smiling, peach‑blossom eyes.

Pei Du startled, then realized that Shu Shu's two calls to the AI assistant had gone unanswered.

He looked at that white box.

"It… why isn't it responding to you?"

"It certainly won't respond to me, because it's not called Xiao Du—I wasn't calling it." Shu Shu climbed onto Pei Du's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and with a rather forlorn expression said, "It's my Xiao Du who's ignoring me."

"He won't hug me, nor kiss me."

After a moment's eye contact, Pei Du saw the slyness hidden in Shu Shu's gaze; the next second he tossed aside the book in his hand, reached to encircle her waist, and, amid Shu Shu's uncontainable smiling eyes, leaned in to press his lips to her soft ones.

"……Mm."

"Pei Du, turn off the light!"

"Yinyin."

"I don't want to hear you call me that."

The man's low, magnetic voice, laced with a coaxing tone, murmured softly between their lips.

"We're married… my wife."

The next day.

The two kids who wanted to watch cartoons learned from Daddy that the newly purchased AI assistant at home had been renamed Xiao Bai.

One ordinary afternoon.

Shu Shu, on a whim, flipped through the family's physical photo album and discovered that its original contents had undergone a huge change as the two kids grew to three and a half years old.

At the start of the album, there were only Shu Shu, Pei Du, and Big Fortune—two people and one dog.

That was when they were dating.

In the picture, two cheeks, each half‑drawn with lipstick to form a heart, were pressed together affectionately, laughing brightly at the camera.

Below the caption read: "Celebrating 100 days of love!"

It is the time of the proposal.

The girl's fair hand was held dearly in a broad palm, a sparkling diamond ring on one of her fingers.

Note: After I said I do, someone burst into tears; those unaware thought I had rejected him!

It is the time of the wedding.

A pristine, beautiful wedding dress, a sharply tailored dark suit.

Note: Us.

Later, the album became four people and a dog.

It is shortly after the two babies were born.

The background was a bedroom with warm, soft lighting; Shu Shu sat cross-legged on the bed, pointing at Pei Du behind her. The man wore loungewear, his gaze gentle as he looked at the two children in the baby bed, his profile giving a sense of security.

Note: Xiao Du, great at soothing babies.

……

After that, there were many, many photos about the recording.

What is recorded is them; no, more accurately, it's like recording them living in another timeline without having experienced separation.

This feeling is truly wonderful.

Shu Shu held the album, carefully examining each photo, with Pei Du beside her accompanying her.

Until she turned to one of those photos.

The note below is:

Ah, this idiot, finally found the voice recorder I hid.

That voice recorder holding her confession song, the one Pei Du missed.

Shu Shu felt as if pulled back to a memory fragment; at that time, her heart pounding, she hid the voice recorder in Pei Du's book, hoping he would find it yet shy about him finding it.

That was a feeling unique to her girlhood; later it was accompanied by regret over the missed chance, and the appearance of this recorded album in her hand seemed to offer a chance to soothe that regret and reveal it anew.

Shu Shu had nothing to be embarrassed about; she wanted Pei Du to know how much she liked him.

"Xiao Du, this voice recorder—"

Pei Du: "She met someone, she liked him, especially liked him—it's the kind of liking where you want to hide him away, so that no one else can see him but yourself."

"……" Shu Shu stared in astonishment at Pei Du's dark eyes with a faint smile: "How do you know this tune? When did you find out?"

Seeing his wife's stunned expression from surprise, Pei Du took the opportunity to lean in and touch the corner of her lips, saying: "After we got married."

Pei Du told Shu Shu that after their marriage, he had indirectly asked their daughter about the moment she and her mother recognized each other.

The trigger was that voice recorder.

Shu Shu realized something and exclaimed: "So that's why you one day inexplicably started giggling foolishly, and kept giggling foolishly for a whole month—it was because of the voice recorder!"

She was still puzzled then, asking Pei Du what he was laughing about; he said nothing, just kept hugging and clinging to her, repeating over and over.

"I also really like Yinyin."

That explains it.

How to put it?

After her surprise, Shu Shu felt it wasn't really surprising—this person is basically a sly one, how could he let slip any detail he didn't want to let slip?

Long time no see, happy new year?? ＜?