Entering a Split Personality — Chapter 25

He had a feeling that this bastard Qin Su was setting him up again!

But how could he let him get away with it?!

Xiao He raised an eyebrow. “You know I’m gay, and you still want me to find a woman and start a family? Isn’t this making things difficult for me?”

Two days earlier he was still purely straight, and two days later, he turned gay so confidently. Qin Su...had his throat stopped up before he could speak. 

Xiao He cleared his throat and continued, “Don’t worry, I can take good care of him. I definitely won’t let having an incomplete family give him emotional trauma. Besides, your argument isn’t correct. There’s millions of children with single parents in the world, so how could growing up that way be bad? To the contrary, many of them grow up wonderfully, becoming far more strong, independent and responsible than children with both parents!”

Qin Su was silent for a moment, adjusted his glasses as was his habit, and finally sighed softly and said, “What you said isn’t wrong.”

Indeed, Xiao He wasn’t wrong, but Qin Su understood a little more than he did. Fan Shen had never lacked the qualities of strength or independence. What he lacked was...some more common character traits.

Like trust, dependence, or...love.

But there were some things that if said too early, would lead to the opposite effect.

Since Xiao He wanted to raise him well, then he could go do it. After all, in this world, there wasn’t anyone more suited to Fan Shen than him.

If even he couldn’t do it, then there was no one else in the world who could.

Once Xiao He and Qin Su reached an agreement, they started to make some other preparations.

Since he’d vowed to raise his child well, he had to do it seriously.

But he really didn’t have any experience in this area, so he had to study.

Qin Su: “I can’t help you with this. I’ve never dealt with children before.”

Xiao He: “...”

“Please, who was expecting you to pass down your wisdom?” Xiao He sighed. “Could you trouble yourself to find some books for me?”

Qin Su was silent for a moment, then turned and left.

Not ten minutes later, Qin Su returned, holding a huge box. He put in front of Xiao He.

Xiao He opened it for a look, and couldn’t help being left speechless. “You really work fast.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Xiao He: “...” I was just talking casually, I really wasn’t praising you!

But forget it, he didn’t have time to pursue this topic with him. He had to hurry and flip through these books, and then go back and look after the kid.

But when he opened one for a look, he was flabbergasted!

The Attachment Parenting Book was slightly thinner than The New Chinese Dictionary, and Childcare Classics was a little thinner than a Chinese-English dictionary. There were also Dr. Spock On Parenting, The Parenting Bible, The Third Year Determines A Child’s Lifetime, A Good Mother Is Better Than a Good Teacher, Who Took Away The Child's Happiness, Children’s Art, What Young Parents Should Do, and Be Considerate of Your Child...

Xiao He was struck dumb. “Can I finish all this in a lifetime?!”

Qin Su gave a slight cough. “The mission is quite arduous this time. If you can complete it, we can consider giving you a million-yuan supplement to your salary…”

Xiao He waved a hand and said proudly, “It’s fine, it’s fine, would I notice something like a million yuan?”

Qin Su: “...”

Xiao He didn’t pay him any more attention, and started flipping through the books. Little Fan Shen was only six or seven months old right now, right at the time when he needed the most care. He gave the parenting guidelines a thorough read during this time, and with difficulty, he managed to get a general idea of what to do. 

Then he returned to the mental world.

Actually, bringing up a child really wasn’t an easy matter. It was troublesome for any new mother, not to mention a man like Xiao He.

But Xiao He was very lucky. Little Fan Shen was really well-behaved. He was born cute and delicate, and he had a quiet character. He almost never cried unless he had to.

And little Fan Shen really liked him, which gave Xiao He a great sense of accomplishment.

Other people couldn’t even think of touching Fan Shen, but as soon as he saw Xiao He, he’d immediately turn docile. He’d stare at Xiao He with big eyes filled with pure and open joy.

Xiao He’s heart would melt into a puddle, and he couldn’t wait to hug him and kiss his tender little cheek all over. 

And little Fan Shen cooperated with him. Every time Xiao He kissed him, he’d give a gurgling laugh. A child’s laughter was definitely the most pleasant and pure music in the world. Xiao He learned this through experience.

Four months in the mental world were four days in reality. The days didn’t pass effortlessly for Xiao He, but they were rich and satisfying.

When little Fan Shen was a year old and called him “Dad” for the first time, Xiao He was so excited he wished he could jump three feet high.

It was a little embarrassing, but Xiao He sincerely felt that he could shoulder this title.

Holding the little fellow and throwing him up high, Xiao He said with crinkled eyes, “Son!”

The little baby giggled. “Da.”

“Son!”

“Da.”

“Son! Son!”

“Da, da.”

How smart! His eyes full of pleasant surprise, Xiao He kissed Fan Shen's soft forehead with excitement.

Little Fan Shen blinked his big eyes, and with a smack, he kissed Xiao He on the mouth.

Xiao He was a little startled, and at the next moment, he was so happy he almost didn’t know which way was up.

If he had a child for real, then there was no need to doubt that it definitely had to be as cute as little Fan Shen!

Time passed quickly in a busy and fulfilling manner, and Xiao He’s life settled down completely.

Two years later, he’d put down roots in this mental world and made it his home.

He didn’t have a past here, so he could copy all the novels he’d written in reality and publish them again. And this time he had experience, so he fixed a lot of errors and inadequate areas from before, achieving better results. 

He and ‘The third eldest has integrity’ dealt with each other more and more often, and he sometimes put out a few drawings earmarked for family expenses. In this way, he had a simple life where he was comfortably well-off.

Today, he and little Fan Shen had finished taking a bath, and just when he’d coaxed the little guy to sleep, his cellphone jingled. 

After Xiao he opened WeChat, The third eldest’s loud voice came through. “Little He, I have a big order, will you take it? The price is considerable!”

Xiao He was afraid of waking up the child, so he quickly lowered the volume, then typed out a reply. “What’s the request?”

He had to save money. Having a child wasn’t the same as being alone. He had a stable income right now, and a good amount of surplus money on hand, but as Fan Shen grew up, the places where he had to spend money would only increase. If he could save a little more then he would.

The third eldest’s voice was a little mysterious. “He, this time there’s a bit of a drop in morality, but don’t think about it too much. Young people these days all like this, so we have to cater to the market!”

Xiao He really hadn’t thought too much about it, but he was startled once he heard the request.

The third eldest went on persuading him. “It’s nothing much, just draw the boy like he’s a flat-chested girl and it’ll be fine. The scale isn’t large either, it’s just up and down once and that’s it. It doesn’t expose any of his private parts. You can take it from there.”

On his end of the line, Xiao He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn’t thought that he'd receive an order like this in this mental world.

Actually, it wasn’t much. Xiao He had a proper attitude toward drawing.

If the clothes were on it was a drawing, and if the clothes were off it was a drawing all the same.

There wasn’t much of an intrinsic difference. To him, it was all a pleasure.

He enjoyed sketching fine clothes, and he enjoyed portraying the lines of the human body as well.

It was just that...drawing a pair of men in the middle of making love was really a bit embarrassing, what should he do!

The third eldest’s voice was still hovering by his ear. “Don’t think about it too much, it’s only a drawing. You’re already a man with a son, what are you still afraid of? The price this time really isn’t low, let me tell you…”

“Fine.” Xiao He smiled and said, “I’ll take it. I’ll show you a rough sketch in five days.”

The voice on the other end of the line was full of pleasant surprise. “Great! Little He, you’re so reliable!” 

Xiao He: Being reliable means a drop in morality? Third eldest, why does your name have ‘integrity’ in it? You clearly don’t have any integrity!

They’d settled on the time, and Xiao He didn’t like to delay things. He cleaned up and started planning the drawing out. 

If it were before, he’d honestly just draw a man and a flat-chested girl, but now...he wouldn’t be that silly.

Xiao He wouldn’t forget his experience with Ayr for all his life.

Every time he was free, he couldn’t resist sketching a few strokes. After such a long time, he’d drawn a lot of versions of Ayr.

The graceful glance when they first met, the time when they sat across from each other in the carriage drinking, and every minute they spent together in that gorgeous palace. 

An ordinary person would only be able to keep these memories in mind and constantly savor them.

But Xiao He was fortunate in that he could draw all of them.

But reconstructing them wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

In his mind, they would gradually fade as time elapsed, but once they were made concrete, they would become everlasting.

He couldn’t forget them, and he couldn’t leave them behind. He could only look at them and keep reminiscing.

Xiao He didn’t sleep all night. He looked at the two men on the drawing paper, and couldn’t help but sigh.

If he gave this to third eldest, he’d probably think he’d gone crazy.

Of course, he couldn’t give it to anyone. 

This was his own secret, and he wouldn’t share it with anyone.

Just as he was about to put it away, a little fellow walked over in a wobbling line.

His soft voice was as tender and sweet as cotton candy. “Daddy.”

Xiao He saw him, and his eyes instantly crinkled. “Awake? Come here, I’ll give you a hug.” 

Little Fan Shen was already almost three years old. He still looked babyish, but his features had opened up and turned more delicate, while his skin was softer, carrying the innocent adorableness that little kids had. He seriously made the hearts of everyone who saw him quiver.

That was the tendency to be moved by beautiful things, innate to human nature.

Xiao He took him up in a hug. Little Fan Shen tilted his head, and saw the drawing, exposed under the first weak rays of morning.

The scale of this drawing really wasn’t small. Xiao He couldn’t help but blush slightly at having someone see it, and he wanted to cover it up at once.

But who knew that little Fan Shen would just insist on seeing it.

As a typical case of a doting father, Xiao He didn’t have any ability to resist him.

His son wanted to do something for once, so he really couldn’t refuse.

Little Fan Shen succeeded in moving aside his dad’s hand, and looked at the drawing again.

His eyes crinkled, he pointed at the boy lying on the bottom and shouted, “Daddy.” 

Xiao He was startled, but he immediately relaxed again. He was thinking about it too much. Little Fan Shen hadn’t reached three years of age yet, how could he understand this!

He must just be curious because he’d seen his dad.

Little Fan Shen’s cute, delicate finger moved around on the drawing, and after a while, he saw the silver-haired elf kissing his daddy on top.

“Who’s that?”

The little guy asked him a puzzled question. Xiao He’s heart moved slightly, and for some God-known reason, he said, “That’s Mommy.” 

***

3 hours and 26 minutes for 2,161 words, or 9.5 minutes for every 100 words. An increase in rate by 0.8 minutes. Remember when I was glad that this book's chapters only had 4 or 5 pages, compared to Runaway Guide's 7? Well...it's caught up. Come to think of it, Ayyshadow complained that Runaway Guide's chapters had grown in length too.

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