Ye Wanwan was wondering as she came out of the bedroom and went to Zhouzhou’s children’s room.
Just as the door opened, the two figures sitting on the children’s bed turned their heads to look at Ye Wanwan, with Zhouzhou being the first to call out, "Mommy!"
"Aren’t you putting Zhouzhou to sleep?" Ye Wanwan asked, somewhat puzzled. What was happening?
Shen Yi, looking at Zhouzhou who was about to get off the bed, said in a slightly deep voice, "He refuses to sleep."
By this time, Zhouzhou had already climbed down from the bed and quickly ran to the door to hug Ye Wanwan’s legs.
Zhouzhou wasn’t wearing shoes, so Ye Wanwan picked him up and then asked softly, "Why isn’t Zhouzhou sleeping? It’s bedtime now."
Zhouzhou, hugging Ye Wanwan’s neck, said in a babyish voice, "Want Mommy."
"Do you want Mommy to tell you a story?" Ye Wanwan asked.
Zhouzhou shook his head vigorously and said clearly, "No!"
Though he was only saying one or two words at a time, Zhouzhou had already said quite a few words today, so Ye Wanwan wasn’t as excited as she normally would be hearing him speak.
Just as she was about to ask Zhouzhou, he continued, "Sleep together!"
"Do you want to sleep with Mommy?" Ye Wanwan guessed Zhouzhou’s meaning.
"Mhm!" Zhouzhou nodded hard again.
Knowing that Zhouzhou wanted to sleep with her, Ye Wanwan looked at Shen Yi, who was frowning slightly, seemingly a bit disapproving.
"How about letting Zhouzhou sleep with us?" Ye Wanwan suggested to Shen Yi in a negotiable tone.
Shen Yi said, "He is already two years old. He can sleep on his own."
"But except for last night, he has never slept with us before," Ye Wanwan said in a coquettish manner.
Seeing that Shen Yi remained silent, Ye Wanwan continued to cajole, "Let him sleep with us just for tonight, okay?"
Shen Yi wouldn’t budge, partly because Zhouzhou was two years old and it was really time that he should be sleeping on his own, and also because Zhouzhou had always been sleeping by himself before.
The second reason, of course, was that he felt Ye Wanwan’s attention was all focused on Zhouzhou; now, even for sleeping, she wanted to take Zhouzhou with them, leaving no time for them as a couple to be alone.
"Just for tonight!" Ye Wanwan went over to Shen Yi and acted coy.
Shen Yi was utterly immune to her act, so Ye Wanwan tried to persuade Zhouzhou, "Zhouzhou, call Daddy. If you call Daddy, he will agree to let you sleep with Mommy."
Zhouzhou still clung to Ye Wanwan without letting go, but his eyes were on his dad. As Ye Wanwan urged Zhouzhou on, Shen Yi also looked at Zhouzhou.
Finally, Zhouzhou did not disappoint and called out, "Daddy."
Zhouzhou’s voice was soft and cute, and the call really went straight to Shen Yi’s heart.
"Look, look, our Zhouzhou is calling you!" Ye Wanwan, who had been called "Mommy" by Zhouzhou all day, was now excited to hear Zhouzhou call "Daddy" for the first time and began to tug at Shen Yi’s arm.
Zhouzhou, as if encouraged, opened his little mouth and kept babbling, "Daddy daddy..."
Shen Yi laughed helplessly and finally compromised, "I surrender to you both!"
"Yay!" Ye Wanwan was delighted and coaxed Zhouzhou, "Daddy agreed, go give Daddy a kiss!"