It is such a good coincidence that it was the weekend. Most families are out, spending quality time to make up for the busy weekdays they had.
Bai Tingfeng and his family walked into a crowded mall. Thankfully, Shen Yuan had the foresight to shroud him and his family with an illusion spell that disguised their real faces.
Their family of three blended into the crowd like fish swimming into the water. They window shopped first, before they headed to the bookstore where they picked up supplies for Yanyan.
Yanyan was the happiest since he and his parent could go around without anyone stopping or looking at them with such attention. He is only having fun.
"Papa! Papa! I want this and this and this!" Yanyan excitedly brought piles of notebooks in front of his father. They are just like any notebooks that kids love— the ones with popular cartoon characters as their covers.
Bai Tingfeng could not help but smile. It is fun seeing their son getting excited over simple things. It makes him want to spoil him rotten. "Take everything you want. I will buy it for you."
"Yey!" Yanyan almost jumped, triumphant.
"Hey! Hey!" Shen Yuan quickly put a stop to his son’s joy. "While we do have the money to splurge on anything our heart desires, it is not right to mindlessly buy excessive things. We don’t say "take everything you want in this family." We only get things that we need."
The celestial fox spirit gazed down at his son. "Remember that, baby."
Yanyan puffed out his cheeks but nodded. "Okay, Daddy... but what’s the difference if I just take the stuff I need instead of buying all the notebooks I want?"
"That’s an excellent question, Yanyan! Taking what you need is super smart—and that’s better than just buying everything you want. See, if we only take what we need, we don’t waste anything, and there’s more left for other people too." Shen Yuan leans forward and whispers. "And guess what? Notebooks don’t like being left unused. They get bored! So, we pick the ones we’ll use and make them happy!"
Yanyan’s eyes brightened. "Okay, Daddy. I understand that now."
The little boy giggled like a tiny devil. "But Daddy is so silly to think that notebooks get bored. They are not people or animals!"
Shen Yuan stood up, his knuckles on his hips, looking sour. "This smarty-pants. Where did you learn to reason out to your Daddy, huh?"
He lightly pinched his son’s fleshy cheeks, but his son nimbly dodged him. "Of course, Daddy. It was you! Hehehe."
Yanyan hid behind his Papa Tingfeng while sticking his tongue. Because of this playful stunt, Bai Tingfeng and Shen Yuan were left staring at each other.
The celestial fox spirit is still sulking. He is not mad. Just playing hard to get.
On the other hand, Bai Tingfeng is just looking at him like a tamed puppy. Slightly pouting and his smile hidden behind his smile,
"What?" Shen Yuan asked, feigning irritation.
"What?" Bai Tingfeng asked back.
"You!" The celestial fox spirit widened his eyes threateningly.
But Bai Tingfeng only played innocent and fired back, "Me?"
If Shen Yuan had not been angry earlier, then he is now moderately irritated. He bet that they look like fools to those people who see their jokes.
"I swear on all nine of my majestic tails, Master Bai—are you trying to get on my nerves today? Did I miss the national ’Annoy Shen Yuan’ holiday or something?"
Confused and concerned, Bai Tingfeng reached out to hold his husband’s arms. "No. I am... just trying to be funny. If I annoy you, then I am sorry. It was never my intention."
Shen Yuan cocked his eyebrow, "Seriously?"
"Seriously," the alpha said gently, his voice steady but soft. "Then, are we okay now?"
"I will think about—" Shen Yuan’s stalling statement was abruptly cut short when Bai Tingfeng caught him by surprise. The wide distance between them was shortened clumsily as the man "accidentally" stumbled forward.
"Yanyan?!" Bai Tingfeng called his naughty son, who is behind this.
"Papa! Just kiss Daddy already! It is always effective with you, so it should be effective with him too!" Yanyan cheekily smiled as he pushed his Papa’s butt.
Shen Yuan is no Virgin Mary, but he is blushing right now. Even a shameless fox like him will feel shame when his son points out his flirtatious ways like this.
He shot Bai Tingfeng "the stare", to which the latter only responded with his irresistible charm.
"This is not intentional... But I must admit I like this," The man’s hand touching his skin feels hotter now more than ever.
Shit... Shen Yuan feels like he’s going mad. He was irritated just a moment ago, yet now he just wants to leap on his husband and smother him with kisses.
However, civilized people do not behave that way in front of their children or public places—particularly not in a bookstore where returning students go in and out to buy school supplies.
"Ehem." The little moment of the family of three was interrupted by a fellow shopper who intended to take something from the shelf before them.
That was an effective ice breaker— or should it be cold water that extinguished the fire spreading in Shen Yuan’s loins? He heaved a heavy sigh and pulled his husband and son away from there.
Damn, he really needs a time off now. It seems like his head is in the gutter, and this is not a good thing.
"Let’s focus on shopping in the meantime." Shen Yuan told his husband and son.
Bai Tingfeng and Yanyan exchanged looks, and like good boys that they are, they nodded their heads.
The family of three soon roamed the mall in leisure as they bought everything Yanyan would need this coming school year.
Shen Yuan filled his head with thoughts about pencils, crayons, pencil cases, watercolors, and white socks and white undergarments for their son.
Now, he knew he preached about reasonable consumption and all, but in his defense, this was his son’s very first schooling. It wouldn’t hurt if he made everything all brand new for his son this one time.
Three hours later, after they successfully picked up stuff from several stores, the family of three entered a popular fast-food restaurant.
Mister Fancy-pants Bai Tingfeng would never set foot in such a humble place. In fact, until now, he had never tasted the greasy goodness of the fast-food meal.
It was Shen Yuan’s persistent suggestion that he is here, and he is not sure whether he regrets it or not.
"Ahh, the crazy long lines, cheap food, and disappointingly small portions, it feels like it’s been forever since I last been here," Shen Yuan said with an exaggerated exhale. He breathed in as if he were devouring the air, as if it were food.
"Just the smell alone is giving a hint that the food they serve is good. Not to mention those turnip heads," Shen Yuan pointed at the kids. "You will know a restaurant is good if children love to eat there. Believe me, you will not regret this."
"Wow, Daddy," Yanyan uttered, staring awestruck at the full fast-food restaurant.
The little boy is amused at the sheer number of children inside the place. His childish desire to have a playmate was instantly ignited the moment he saw them.
It’s as if he is hypnotized; Yanyan just realized he was taking his first step to run.
"Wait, son." Fortunately, Bai Tingfeng was quick to pull him back before he ran free. "Do not run around inside restaurants. You might bump into someone and accidentally spill their drinks."
His alpha father pointed at the people holding trays of food.
"Also, watch where you step, baby. The floor might be wet and super slippery—you don’t want to end up falling on your butt." Shen Yuan, of course, had to chime in with his brand of parenting.
Yanyan was getting ready for school anyway, so they figured now was a good time to sneak in a little life lesson on being more aware of his surroundings.
A child with well-honed situational awareness is a hundred times safer than a child who blindly obeys.
Thankfully, Yanyan is the kind of child who absorbs everything that is being taught to him.
Yanyan looked at the floor signage propped nearby, and he finally understood what his Daddy was talking about. He reclaimed his spot between his parents and held their hands.
"We’ll take a family bucket, five large fries, three chicken burgers, and some ice cream," Shen Yuan rattled off like he was spitting bars. Bai Tingfeng and Yanyan stared at him, wide-eyed, like he just solved cancer with a fast-food order.
The service crew receiving his order was amused by the two. She recited the order and assembled it, uncontrollably smiling. "You have such a cute family, sir. Please enjoy your meal!"
Amused, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. He paid for his order using his card while Bai Tingfeng skillfully took the tray for him.
"What is up with the two of you? It is painfully obvious that this is your first time eating here," Shen Yuan said to Bai Tingfeng. A silly smile could never hide on his face.
For Bai Tingfeng, this smile is like a rain shower in his arid desert of a heart. It seems like they are okay now! "Can’t help it. You look amazing rapping our orders."
Shen Yuan laughed. The last dissatisfaction with Bai Tingfeng disappeared. "You are down bad, Tingfeng. You must be starved."
Shen Yuan guided his family to an empty table. Bai Tingfeng neatly placed the food in front of his loved ones. His heart was lighter than ever. This is how he wanted to spend his day, with a calm mind and a happy heart.
His eyes, as he looked at Shen Yuan, became more mellow.
"Here is your burger, Yuan." Bai Tingfeng placed the burger in front of his omega. But who would have thought that doing so would get another strong reaction from his husband? This time, it is a little bit bigger than when he implied Shen Yuan’s tails as a comforter.
"Bai Tingfeng! Wait! What are you putting in front of me?" Shen Yuan’s pitch was higher than he intended. He was pinching his nose as if shit was served to his plate. "It is so stinky!"