I Just Started College, How Could I Become a Part-Time Papa?!

Chapter 132: Chapter 85: Mine can be pinched up, can yours?

”Come on, get up by yourself. Let’s keep going.”

Encouraged by Chen Yuan, Zhao Wen Cheng picked himself up off the ground, grabbed the small soccer ball, and went back to their game of kicking and goalkeeping.

In that moment, Fang Youqing became keenly aware of how important a father figure was in a family.

If she had been the one comforting him, her first instinct would have been to pick him up and dust him off. But Chen Yuan didn’t do that. He just stood there, letting him face this small setback on his own.

Her son’s reaction was quite good, too. He didn’t cry. He just got up and continued playing with Chen Yuan.

He fell several more times while they played, once even landing flat on his back. But through it all, Chen Yuan consistently used encouragement to get the boy to pick himself up.

’I definitely couldn’t do that,’ she thought. ’I would have rushed over to help him up long ago.’

Their game lasted for about half an hour before Zhao Wen Cheng started to get tired of it. Chen Yuan also felt it was about time to move on to something else.

”Aren’t you going to play a little longer?”

Fang Youqing thought this game was good for him and wanted them to play a bit more.

”He’s probably bored of it. We can go play something else. You can’t rush these things,” Chen Yuan said with a smile.

”Besides, I think you’ve fallen into a bit of a trap.”

”What trap?” Fang Youqing asked.

”In your mind, it seems you’ve already decided that he has a problem. But he doesn’t, not really. We’re just trying to prevent that tendency from developing.”

Hearing Chen Yuan’s explanation was a sudden epiphany for Fang Youqing. She realized she really had been overthinking things.

’That’s right!’

’How could my precious son have a problem?!’

”Run!”

Chen Yuan suddenly urged, ”A swing just freed up! Go grab it!”

Chen Yuan gave him a gentle push from behind. Zhao Wen Cheng snapped to it and ran toward the swing, claiming the one made from a tire.

Just then, an old woman arrived with a little girl in tow. Their initial target had also been the empty swing, but Zhao Wen Cheng had been faster.

”Can I have a turn?”

The little girl was very outgoing, speaking up before the adult had a chance to.

Looking at the girl, Zhao Wen Cheng’s expression was a little reluctant. He shuffled on the swing a few times, preparing to get up.

Chen Yuan walked over and squatted down.

”Do you want to play on the swing?”

Zhao Wen Cheng nodded.

”Then tell the little girl, ’I’ll let you have it after I play for a little while.’”

Zhao Wen Cheng was a bit shy and clammed up in front of girls.

Chen Yuan clicked his tongue. ’This won’t do,’ he thought. ’If this keeps up, he’ll grow up to be a total simp.’

”If you don’t say it, you’ll have to get off. I can’t help you with this one.”

Zhao Wen Cheng was still hesitant. He looked at the little girl and said quietly,

”I’ll let you have it after I play for a little while.”

Rejected, the little girl looked a bit unhappy and turned back to her grandmother.

”Tell the little boy thank you, and that you’ll play in a little while.” The old woman was very reasonable and didn’t make a fuss.

”Thank you, little boy.”

Chen Yuan stood behind the swing, pushing it gently. Standing nearby, Fang Youqing realized that Chen Yuan really had a knack for teaching children.

Before, he never would have refused someone like that, especially a girl.

”How old is your child?” the little girl’s grandmother asked.

”Twenty-four months.”

”Our little one is six months older than yours.”

The old woman replied casually, then said to Fang Youqing,

”They always say boys look like their mothers. Your son really looks just like you.”

”A lot of people say that. They say we have the same nose and eyes,” Fang Youqing chatted idly.

”His mouth is a little like his father’s, but overall, he still takes after you.”

’She’s met his father before?’

That was Fang Youqing’s first reaction, but she quickly realized the woman must have misunderstood her relationship with Chen Yuan.

”This is my younger brother, not the child’s father.”

’Why do they all say the same thing?’

”Oh, so he’s the child’s uncle. No wonder their mouths look so similar.”

Fang Youqing looked over at Chen Yuan. She hadn’t really noticed before, but now that she was looking, she could see a slight resemblance.

’Chen Yuan is handsome, too. It’s not a bad thing for him to look like him.’

After playing for a little while longer, Zhao Wen Cheng seemed to get bored. He gave the swing to the little girl, wanting to go play on the slide.

”Let’s go play on the slide.”

Zhao Wen Cheng said, pulling on Chen Yuan’s arm.

Standing off to the side, Fang Youqing noticed a problem.

Ever since Chen Yuan arrived, her son hadn’t come to her for anything. If he had a problem, he went to Chen Yuan. If he wanted to play with something, he went to Chen Yuan first. She, his mother, was being completely ignored.

’Don’t they say sons are closer to their mothers? Chen Yuan isn’t even his dad yet, so how did they get so close?’

”Before you go play on the slide, Uncle has something to tell you.”

”Okay.”

”From now on, you need to learn to say no to people. You have to refuse them decisively, understand?”

Zhao Wen Cheng squirmed a little. ”I feel bad refusing.”

”You don’t have to feel bad. For example, if someone wants to play with your toy, but you don’t want to share it, you can just say no.”

”But Mommy said I have to learn to share.”

”Sharing is on the condition that you aren’t sacrificing your own interests.”

Chen Yuan realized that was probably too complicated for the boy, so he rephrased it: ”You can share when you want to share. When you don’t want to share, you don’t have to.”

”I get it.”

”Alright, go on and play.”

Zhao Wen Cheng ran off to play, while Chen Yuan and Fang Youqing watched from the side to make sure he was safe.

”Our ideas on this are a little different. From now on, we’ll go with your way of teaching him,” Chen Yuan said.

”No, I think it’s great. His personality isn’t like mine at all. It’s actually a bit like Ningning’s.”