The gift-giving segment was finally over. To lighten the mood, the Mi brothers took the three little ones to the kitchen to eat fried chicken. Shen Minyan wasn’t entirely in favor of letting his youngest son eat such things, but he wasn’t the type of rigid parent who forbade it entirely. An occasional indulgence was fine. Mi Huan specially picked out a piece of easy-to-bite chicken breast for him. The unique fried flavor exploded in his mouth, and the little guy fell in love with it instantly.
The moment he tasted the fried chicken, the little guy declared it his favorite food, completely forgetting about starch sausages and little rabbit cakes. After finishing their fried chicken, the four little ones who had completed their tasks went back to the living room to continue watching Ultraman, cuddled up next to their parents. It was a heartwarming scene. After dinner, the little ones began to get sleepy one by one.
The first to go was little Su Youli. One second he was giggling, and the next his head had dropped into his father’s lap, his little face turned up as he fell fast asleep. The little guy had walked so much during the day and spent time under the sun. It would have been strange if he weren’t tired.
“Youyou is asleep. I’ll take him up to the room first.” Shen Minyan carried his son and excused himself to the adults in the living room before heading upstairs.
Once in the room, he dampened a towel with warm water, wrung it out, and gently wiped the sleeping little guy’s face and hands. The little guy’s curly hair was pushed back by his father, revealing his smooth little forehead. His little mouth was slightly pouted as he slept, his sleeping posture perfectly obedient. After tucking the little guy into the clean, soft bed, Shen Minyan went to the bathroom to wash up. Then he got into bed, lay down beside his soft, sweet-smelling son, and fell asleep.
The night was peaceful. On the desk by the window lay the beautiful shells the little guy had found for his father that day. Shen Minyan dreamed he was sleeping on a giant shell bed, ten meters wide. The bed was covered in sparkling pearls and rare corals floating in the water. The faint, shimmering light of the sea reflected off the shell, and the shell bed beneath him was incredibly soft. Shen Minyan had never had such a childlike dream before. Beside him, a large, round, pure white pearl radiated warmth, and the heat was gradually increasing. It was such a strange experience. If he could, he really wanted to stay in this dream a little longer.
“…Dad.”
Suddenly, the large shell beside him spoke. Its voice sounded exactly like Youyou’s.
Shen Minyan instinctively turned his head. The pearl, which had been pure white and gleaming just moments ago, was now flushed pink. When he leaned closer, he felt an intense heat radiating from it. The pearl was like a little heater. Shen Minyan’s scalp tingled. He snapped his eyes open and, with the help of the nightlight, saw Youyou’s little face flushed bright red.
“Youyou!”
Shen Minyan was terrified. Although he tried to keep his voice steady, a faint tremor was unmistakable. In an instant, his mind raced through the section in Su Siwen’s childcare manual about handling a child’s midnight fever. Within a minute of waking up, Shen Minyan wrapped the little guy tightly in his blanket, pulled out the little one’s portable carry bag from the suitcase, and called Tang Dou with one hand while quickly contacting the accompanying doctor.
The medical team had been on standby since the show started filming, though they had never been used before. Although the production team had scouted the island in advance, they were still unfamiliar with the local hospital. The island’s hospital had only been established this year due to the increase in tourists, and there were many unknowns. Years of dealing with high-pressure situations allowed Shen Minyan to maintain his composure even when faced with his son’s fever for the first time. Within five minutes, the doctor and Tang Dou had entered the room.
The Shen family’s medical team was naturally top-notch, and he had arranged for a professional pediatrician to travel with them. Tang Dou was also half a doctor, very familiar with Su Youli’s medical history and daily habits. Su Youli’s temperature had reached 38.5°C (101.3°F). The doctor skillfully administered a fever-reducing injection, and they waited quietly for it to take effect. The bedside was crowded with people. Tang Dou sent half of them away, leaving only two pediatricians and Shen Minyan by the bed.
Shen Minyan’s eyes were vacant, almost in a daze. His hand held Youyou’s tightly, never letting go for even a moment. The small figure buried in the blanket breathed softly, his little chest barely rising. The blanket rose and fell gently with each breath. The lively little one from earlier that day now had his little mouth pressed tight, his brows furrowed, his small hands clenched into fists, their palms slightly sweaty. Shen Minyan had never seen Youyou like this before. So weak, so fragile. This little one, soft as a snowball, was delicate and precious. He didn’t dare let go, afraid that if he did, he’d never be able to hold those tiny hands again.
“Chairman Shen, the fever reducer will bring his temperature down soon. Please don’t worry too much.”
Shen Minyan’s voice was hoarse as he responded with a low “Mm.” His eyes, red from being startled awake in the middle of the night, were bloodshot. His pajamas were disheveled, his hair messy. Though he tried to control his expression, the panic was still visible on his face.
“Why did Youyou get a fever… I didn’t take good care of him.”
Tang Dou sat to the side. Hearing this, he didn’t quite know how to respond. Fever in children was actually very common. The doctor didn’t want to add to Shen Minyan’s anxiety, so he patiently explained some possible causes: changes in climate, humidity, food, or even something that happened during the day could trigger a fever. Shen Minyan’s lips pressed into a thin line. The wrinkles between his brows were deeply etched in the lamplight.
At this moment, he wasn’t the all-powerful Chairman Shen, but a father consumed by guilt over his son’s illness. Su Youli’s temperature came down to 37.8°C (100°F). Still a bit high. A low-grade fever of 37-something was uncomfortable even for an adult, let alone a small, fragile child. The little one in the bed began to whimper uncomfortably. The doctor knew he was restless, so he had Shen Minyan hold him and soothe him gently.
“Youyou, Dad is here. Dad is right here.”
The little one wrapped in his small blanket had his eyes closed. His long eyelashes were wet with tears, and a bit of cloudy discharge had formed at the corners of his eyes from the fever. Tang Dou soaked a towel in warm water, wrung it out, and gently wiped him clean. He also wiped the little guy’s face, limbs, back, and the soles of his feet. When the towel touched his feet, the little guy half-opened his eyes, drowsy and listless.
“Dad.”
The little guy called out weakly, his little hand moving inside his father’s large palm.
Seeing him awake, Shen Minyan immediately responded with a soft “Yes,” sniffled twice, and swallowed hard, suppressing the overwhelming emotions inside him.
The little guy hadn’t been sick in a very long time. Even though he had been abandoned in a trash can as a newborn, his two fathers had raised him so well that he had grown into a healthy little boy.
Just vibes, late nights, and coffee keeping this translation project alive. If you want to help fuel the next chapter, Ko-Fi and PayPal are linked below.
![The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/007S8ZIlly1ghl04hyuxyj30hs0owwgu.jpg?resize=85,105 "The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]")
9Autumns On SBMT Chapter 74