031: Double-Bed Family Suite
Sang Zhao was nervous and Xia Moye was nervous too.
One cat and one dog were both busy feeling guilty, so the atmosphere went quiet all of a sudden.
They had been making a racket just a moment ago. Now that everything went still, Tang Yu could not help feeling puzzled.
Puzzled or not though, he was in a pretty good mood.
Every time Sang Zhao praised him, he felt happy.
On the surface, Tang Yu looked like a polished, rational, serious CEO, but he actually ate this stuff right up. Whenever Sang Zhao casually scratched at him with a throwaway compliment, it just so happened to land right on Tang Yu’s most secretly delighted spot.
Smiling to himself, Tang Yu said to the two people who “didn’t eat chocolate”:
“There’s more in the seat-back pocket, you know. There are cheese sticks too.”
Last time he had driven them, he had already noticed how much the two of them liked cheese sticks. So for this trip, of course Tang Yu had again stocked two bags in the seat pockets.
Xia Moye reached out to rummage, and sure enough, there they were. He quickly thanked Tang Yu, his head bobbing up and down with excitement.
Then he scooted forward, tore one open, and pushed the cheese stick up to Sang Zhao’s cheek, trying to ingratiate himself.
“It’s a cheese stick, meow. Uncle, you eat the cheese, I’ll eat the stick.”
This Ye Ye dog was blatantly trying to butter him up! Hmph, did he think Sang Zhao responded to that kind of thing? He was a mighty little cat, okay!
Sang Zhao made a weird little sound and gave him a big thumbs-up.
“You’re so stick-stick, wow~~”
Tang Yu was helpless.
“Don’t mess around. There are two bags, right? One each, okay?”
His voice was clear and his tone was gentle.
And that was when Sang Zhao realized something: Tang Yu really did always use an even more careful, even more protective attitude with him than with Xia Moye.
Once that awareness hit, Sang Zhao was honestly delighted.
He did not think, “Ah, but the other one is just a kid, is this really okay?”
No, he did not.
He very righteously believed that he was the one who most deserved to be loved.
If the whole world were biased, that would be perfect.
If every bit of bias tilted toward him, then he would be the most beloved little cat in the world, the one and only king of Cat Kingdom!
It was because Tang Yu always treated him with that kind of careful, precious patience that he felt Tang Yu was like a shining piece of gold, a gentle, good-hearted ear of sweet corn.
So of course Sang Zhao agreed right away.
“Then I’ll eat, I’ll eat.”
He took the bag of cheese sticks from Xia Moye, tore it open, peeled one out, and held the smooth cheese stick aloft.
He said it was for himself, but he did not eat it.
Instead, he watched for his chance, made sure not to block Tang Yu’s view of the road, and pushed the cheese stick right up to Tang Yu’s mouth.
Tang Yu was delighted. His eyes lit up so bright he could’ve moonlighted as a high beam for the car in the next lane.
He opened his mouth very “reservedly,” bit down, and tried to pull the cheese back with him.
Then he realized Sang Zhao was not letting go.
With the cheese in his mouth, he could not really talk, and his eyes were on the traffic, not on Sang Zhao. All he managed was a muffled little sound.
“Hong?”
Sang Zhao calmly directed him.
“You have to bite the whole thing off. I’m taking the stick back. Otherwise how are you supposed to eat if you’re still holding the stick in your teeth?”
Very reasonable!
Tang Yu took it all in one bite, slid it off the stick, and kept driving with his eyes on the road, chewing away.
The cheese stick was faintly milky, smooth and rich, with a pleasantly springy texture when he chewed. It was not too sweet, not greasy at all.
No wonder kids liked it so much. Even adults could really enjoy it.
By the time Tang Yu finished his, Xia Moye’s was still going. Ye Ye the doggo had torn open one stick and was carefully licking it all over, treating it like a lollipop.
Sang Zhao told him he was eating it in a very disgusting way, but Tang Yu on the other hand, soothed him, telling Xia Moye it was fine and that he should just relax and eat however he wanted.
Tang Yu, the financially secure and emotionally generous adult, said,
“I put two big shopping bags of snacks in the trunk for you two. Eat as much as you want. If you finish them, we’ll just buy more.”
He said it very casually, but the money and thoughtfulness that slipped out between the lines were enough to conquer every penniless little yaoguai.
Sang Zhao softened his voice. He used that kittenish, soft, slightly squeaky tone that only came out at two in the morning when he wanted a midnight snack in his cat days, and called out, full of feeling,
“Gege is so good!”
Xia Moye, meanwhile, was about ready to stick his head out the car window and gobble wind, his mouth wide open in pure doggy joy.
“Uncle is the best uncle in the whole world! When I grow up, I’m going to work for you, Uncle!”
The little grade-school dog had spoken his dream straight from his happy little heart.
Tang Yu: …
That was not quite what he was hoping for. Say something sweeter, okay? Calling him “jiuma” again would be fine too…
They drove for two hours. After parking in the underground garage of the resort hotel, they headed upstairs and found the group gathering in the lobby.
Xia Moye was small, but his legs moved fast. As soon as he saw his classmates in the distance, he bounded off, running and jumping.
“Aaah, I’m here! It’s me!! Class monitor, you’re here too?”
Sang Zhao and Tang Yu followed a bit more slowly, catching up a step or two later.
The kids were playing in a noisy knot. The adults sat or stood nearby, chatting and keeping an eye on them.
Staff sat at a sign-in table, checking people in.
“This must be the parent of student Xia Moye, right? You’re the child’s…?”
“I’m his Jiujui.”
The staff member nodded, then looked to Tang Yu.
“And you are…?”
Tang Yu blurted out, “I’m Uncle Tang.”
“Ah, I see, I see,” she said.
Jiujui, and tangshu. Jiujui and nephew, tangshu and nephew. So what exactly was the relationship between jiujui and tangshu…?
She confused herself and simply stopped thinking about it, gesturing toward the sign-in form instead.
The moment he saw he had to write to sign in, Sang Zhao stepped back.
His schooling was limited. He could not even type properly, never mind writing characters; his handwriting was nothing but ghostly scribbles.
So he dodged the pen the staff member held out, took a half step back, and indicated that Tang Yu should handle it.
Tang Yu was not technically a parent, just pretending to be one. He bent over the table and carefully filled in the form.
He wrote all three of their names, then let out a thoughtful little hum and called Sang Zhao over to look.
“Sang Zhao, look. Here, they want a team name.”
The staff member nodded with a smile.
“Yes, we need the parents and children to come up with a team name together. Only after you’ve decided on a name can you officially enter camp. For the next three days, you’ll be moving around as a team.”
“Parents and kids are family, of course, but once we switch to team names, that also means you’ll be teammates and friends.”
She explained,
“During camp, parents and kids need to cooperate. All of the parent-child activities are team competitions. Work together and win some honorary childhood memories that belong just to your team!”
Then she encouraged them, looking at Sang Zhao and Tang Yu with bright, approving eyes.
“Jiayou!”
“So,” she went on, “talk it over with your little one. What kind of name would be representative and easy to cheer?”
As she spoke, her encouraging gaze kept flicking back and forth between Tang Yu and Sang Zhao.
…Don’t look at me, Sang Zhao thought. I’m illiterate!
What kind of childhood-honor-memory team name was a little cat supposed to come up with?!
By this time, Xia Moye had finished greeting his friends and came running back.
When he heard the explanation, this pup was very on the ball.
Tugging on Tang Yu’s shirt hem, he tilted his head back and suggested,
“Let’s be Team Cat Cat.”
Tang Yu crouched down so they were at eye level and smiled.
“Eh? But don’t you like Paw Patrol, Little Ye?”
Xia Moye nodded obediently at him, then looked past Tang Yu until his eyes met Sang Zhao’s.
He broke into a silly grin, his little millet-grain teeth all lined up in a neat row as he said in a loud, clear voice,
“I like cats. I like Cat Cat.”
Sang Zhao let out two smug little hums.
That’s right. Cats are the best. Cats can conquer every last marshmallow-fluff little dog!
After sign-in, they were allowed to go back to their suite to rest a bit, but Xia Moye dashed off to play with his friends again.
Since Tang Yu and Sang Zhao had nothing else to do, they just hung around nearby and waited.
Sitting on the lobby sofa, Sang Zhao played on his phone while a chorus of kid voices chirped in his ears.
First, they talked about mobile games, then some new gacha blind-box thing. One boy said he had a duplicate card and that he would give it to Xia Moye.
Ye Ye was thrilled. If his tail had been out, that wagging could’ve doubled as a baton for clubbing his classmates.
After a while, one kid lowered his voice like he was sharing a secret.
“There’s a little kid here, you know. Super cute.”
“But we’re kids,” Xia Moye said in bafflement.
Another classmate jumped in.
“Not us. Over there, look over there. They’re not with the camp, they’re here on their own trip as a family.”
“I asked when I came in. They’re staying for a whole week.”
The class monitor had also seen that younger child. She loved cute things and cupped her cheeks in admiration.
“The little di di in that family is really adorable, like a little puppy.”
Everyone else might have let that pass, but that was the part that Xia Moye could not accept.
He puffed out his cheeks.
“More like a little puppy than me?”
Listening in from the side, Sang Zhao: …?
Wake up. Wake up. What are you even talking about?
The class monitor glanced at him.
“You’re obviously not like a puppy.”
“Yes I am! I super am! I look like a little white dog, a big white bear, don’t I?”
Sang Zhao could not hold back anymore. He yanked his phone out of his pocket and cut in hurriedly,
“Hey, kids, do you want some chocolate?”
Shut up, you silly dog, shut up. If they keep going, what’s next? Are you going to transform into a dog right here so everyone can pet you?
Tang Yu, having finished socializing with the other parents, came back just in time to hear Xia Moye trying to forcibly make his classmates admit he was the doggiest of them all.
A line suddenly popped into his head.
Dogs can’t eat chocolate.
Well, fair enough. He chuckled to himself.
A kid who can’t have chocolate but still insists his classmates acknowledge that he resembles a puppy the most… could it be that, deep down, he truly believes he is a puppy?
Hahaha, kids these days were too adorable.
A moment later, he saw something even cuter.
A little kid of about three or four, still wobbly on his feet, toddled over.
He wore a bowl-cut that lay neatly against his scalp. His eyes were huge, his cheeks plump and round in a perfect C-curve. He looked like a stylized, chibi little Q-version game mob.
Without a word, he came straight up to Sang Zhao and grabbed his hand.
Sang Zhao looked down.
“…Hm?”
The child tilted his head back to stare up at him with big, round, shining eyes and said nothing.
Perplexed, Sang Zhao quietly drew his hand out of the boy’s grasp.
Hey now, you can’t just casually grab a cat’s paw like that.
The anticipated meltdown did not happen.
The little boy just stood there, raised both hands to his own cheeks, and started furiously rubbing his face.
Both hands worked together, pushing his cheeks up so they puffed out.
He rubbed in half circles, then full circles, fingers sliding past his eyes, eyebrows, and the top of his head, then down to his ears, making sure every part of his head got equal rubbing time.
Every so often, he would pause and look at Sang Zhao with hopeful, shining eyes. Those big round pupils never left him, not for one second.
It was very cute, like he was earnestly performing some kind of moe routine. It was just…
Just a pity that Sang Zhao had absolutely no idea what this was supposed to be.
He hesitated.
“…Excuse me, what exactly are you kneading over there?”
Was that face dough? Or was he supposed to be dough?
Tang Yu had seen everything. He was overwhelmed by the cuteness.
Not so much the child’s but mostly it was how adorably confused Sang Zhao looked that got him, especially when he even said “excuse me” to a three-year-old. Such a polite young man.
“Maybe it’s just a habit,” Tang Yu said, coming over to talk to him.
Up close, the little boy really was very pretty, like a traditional New Year print baby.
The group of grade-schoolers swarmed around them.
For kids, anyone younger than themselves was practically a rare exotic creature.
They gathered around the toddler, greeting him and then whispering to each other.
“Yeah, that’s him! Isn’t he so puppy-like?”
“How is he like a puppy? He doesn’t have puppy ears or a puppy tail.”
“It’s just the feeling. He really feels like a little puppy. So well-behaved, right?”
Unable to win against the majority, Xia Moye shrank back behind Sang Zhao and tugged on the hem of his shirt, peeking around his back to glare at the toddler.
Seeing this, Sang Zhao had no choice but to drag him over to a quiet corner.
“What’s wrong? You were so happy just a minute ago.”
“I’m the one who looks like a puppy,” Xia Moye said, wiping his face and stomping his foot. “There’s already a Ye Ye, so why do we need another puppy?”
His mouth turned down, his confusion written all over his face. He was not just “like” a puppy, he was one. How could some other kid look more puppy-like than him?
Was he not the only dog in this crowd?
“What even is this…” Sang Zhao was exasperated, but he could not stop himself from laughing as he teased him.
“Ah, I get it. You’re the type who thinks there isn’t a single bad person in the world, but also no such thing as a good dog either. That it?”
“I thought only golden retrievers were wired like that. Since when are Samoyeds the same?”
Xia Moye patted at the hand that had held the toddler’s, as if trying to slap away the scent.
“Anyway, he’s not puppy-like. Cat Cat only gets one puppy friend, and that’s Ye Ye, right?”
Sang Zhao fell silent, then crouched down with a complicated expression. He put his hands on Xia Moye’s shoulders and started shaking this poor little dog.
“Give me back my pure, innocent marshmallow! Give him back! How did you turn into an evil, jealous marshmallow?!”
He was not great at soothing puppies. In the end, it was Tang Yu who came over and calmed things down once he heard what was going on.
“It’s okay,” Tang Yu said, half crouched as he hugged Xia Moye. Then he mouthed to Sang Zhao over the boy’s head: He’s jealous.
Sang Zhao folded his arms and stared down at the dog.
Curled up in Tang Yu’s arms, Xia Moye tilted his head and rested it on Tang Yu’s shoulder.
He sniffled a little and stubbornly asked, “Uncle, I’m the one who’s puppy-like, right?”
Tang Yu: ??
He had no idea what they were even arguing about, but he still gently corrected him,
“Little Ye is a very handsome little boy.”
“Puppy-like, puppy-like!” Xia Moye insisted.
Just as Tang Yu was about to try again, Sang Zhao decided enough was enough.
He stepped in, bent down, slid an arm around Tang Yu’s waist, and grabbed the back of Xia Moye’s collar with his other hand. With one big heave, he hauled one big and one small, one human and one dog, all the way to their feet.
“…?”
Tang Yu staggered when he was lifted by the waist, barely catching his balance.
…Sang Zhao really is pretty strong, he thought.
Well, of course. Sang Zhao was a burly little cat.
The burly little cat scolded the wicked jealous puppy:
“Alright, you are the most puppy-like, okay? Now go play with your friends. Go, go, go!”
Pouting, Xia Moye waddled back over like a duck.
By the time they rejoined the group, the class monitor and the others had already asked for the toddler’s name.
“He’s called Tata. Isn’t that adorable?”
“Waah, his dad’s here to get him! Tata, bye-bye!”
“We’ll play together sometime, okay?”
Xia Moye said nothing, his cheeks puffed out in obvious dissatisfaction.
Once everyone had arrived, the staff handed out gear, split up room assignments, and sent families off to their suites to change.
Each family got one suite. A typical layout had a bedroom, a living room, a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a little balcony.
The bedroom had one big double bed with a small child’s bed next to it, the standard configuration for a parent-child suite.
Tang Yu had still been quietly hung up on that moment when Sang Zhao had grabbed him around the waist. Hearing the room description now, his brain buzzed.
A double bed… what was that supposed to mean?
Were he and Sang Zhao going to share a room with the child and sleep in the same bed?
The moment he imagined that scenario, he felt like all the blood in his body had rushed to his face. His cheeks, ears, and neck were burning red. His heart was pounding like a drum.
Caught up in his own hopeful panic, he looked up just then and met the staff member’s eyes.
She said professionally and kindly, “Since student Xia Moye is joining you, the hotel has arranged a two-bedroom family suite for your group.”
Behind her, Sang Zhao was thrilled to be different from everyone else.
“Thank you!” he said loudly.
“Wow, that’s awesome!” He poked Tang Yu. “We got an extra room compared to everyone else!”
“…Yeah.” Tang Yu’s face was no longer red, his heart no longer racing. His face had gone a bit green instead.
“Really great. Very professional.”
Once they got to the suite and dropped their things, Sang Zhao happily wandered around for a full tour.
The place was bright and spacious, decorated in a very cozy style.
In the living room there was a hanging chair, a plastic rocking horse, and a little ride-on race car. The race car actually worked.
Sang Zhao squeezed himself into it, most of his upper body hanging out precariously, but once he pressed the pedal it started up, and he drove the car in circles around the living room.
They were supposed to gather later by the small pool next to the water park for water-safety lessons and a life-jacket demo as their entry activity.
So Tang Yu followed instructions and changed into a black quick-dry swim top and shorts.
When he opened the bedroom door, he saw Sang Zhao driving loops in the toy car while Xia Moye ran behind him, happily “eating wind” and making sound effects.
Tang Yu pressed his fingers to his temple, walked over, and scooped the kid up.
“Come on, where’s your swimsuit? Uncle will help you change.”
He helped Xia Moye get into his swim gear. The swimsuit was navy blue with a roaring dinosaur printed across the chest.
After smoothing out the wrinkles and tidying him up, Tang Yu took his hand and went to look for Sang Zhao.
Sang Zhao had not changed. He was still in a T-shirt and knee-length shorts.
“How are you going to get in the water like that?” Tang Yu asked.
Frowning, Sang Zhao looked extremely reluctant.
“I’m not getting in. I’m just going to sit by the edge.”
He said earnestly, “I can’t swim, and I’m afraid of water.”
Tang Yu’s heart tightened. He immediately took full responsibility for watching the child.
Fortunately, Xia Moye was very well-behaved. He did not fuss at all, and aside from that earlier “am I puppy-like or not” incident, Tang Yu had never seen him in a bad mood.
At the indoor pool, Tang Yu looked very experienced. He had Xia Moye warm up, rinse off his feet, take a shower, then squat at the pool’s edge to play with the water.
The indoor pool was big, connecting to the huge water park that spanned both indoor and outdoor areas.
So in addition to the camp kids and their parents, there were lots of other guests here getting their basic lessons.
The staff and coaches arrived quickly, bringing swim rings and kickboards. They gave a briefing, then started guiding the kids into the water bit by bit.
By that point, Xia Moye was thoroughly hyped.
He was paddling in the shallowest part of the pool in a duck-shaped swim ring. Seeing Sang Zhao come over, he twisted his body and splashed water at him.
Sang Zhao stepped back again and again, dodging the spray.
“Xia Moye!” he shouted.
Tang Yu had gone to get a cold drink and handed it to him now.
“Since you’re already in a swim ring, why don’t you try getting in too?” he suggested.
He added, trying to sound casual, “The kids have coaches watching them. I could teach you.”
“Nope.” Sang Zhao refused on the spot.
“He’s not scared. He can do a dog paddle,” he said, pointing at Xia Moye with righteous confidence. “I can’t. I just want to lie down.”
He waved them off.
“You two go play. I’ll lie on one of the chairs over there and watch.”
So he took his drink, bought a grilled sausage from the nearby snack bar, and stretched out on a lounger near the pool, scrolling videos of funny cats on his phone.
He had not been lying there long when someone sat down on the lounger beside him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sang Zhao saw it was a familiar gege.
He vaguely remembered that this must be the face-kneading child’s dad. That kid’s name… oh right, Tata.
The man had gentle, refined features and sat very quietly. He did not touch his phone, just stared into space as if he were lost in thought.
Sang Zhao sneaked another glance and saw that the man looked half-asleep, his eyes half-closed.
You can even fall asleep here…?
Shaking his head, Sang Zhao looked away and went back to his cat videos.
The next time he looked up and glanced toward the pool, he sucked in a breath of cold air, leaping to his feet in shock.
He stared, dumbfounded, half doubting his entire cat life as his voice trembled on the last syllable.
“Huh? Huh?! Is this normal?!”
He pointed at the water in front of them, looked at the pool, then at the man beside him.
“This, this this! Is this normal?!”
Following his gaze to the water, the man saw a small child floating flat on his back, drifting peacefully past. It was the same little boy who had held Sang Zhao’s hand before: Tata.
Tata lay on the water, stiff and straight and utterly motionless, a toy car balanced on his chest.
His chin was tucked in, his head tilted slightly up, his attention fully focused on the car as he pushed it with one tiny finger.
Just like that, in silence, he floated right past where Sang Zhao stood.
The child was silent. His dad was even more silent. Father and son did not make a sound, but Sang Zhao was about two seconds away from screaming.
“Gege! Your kid! Your kid!!”
IsitRo: Heyaa! I'm back to real world I suppose :') Will be uploading 5 chapters today and tom~
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