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Chapter 68.2
Like the Song family, the Meng family also didn’t hold a full-month celebration for Baby Panda when he turned one month old. They wanted to wait until he was a bit older to celebrate.
When Baby Panda was nearly three months old, they finally prepared a big full-month celebration, after all, he was the first grandchild of both the Meng and Xu families.
Baby Panda was deficient in fire according to traditional Chinese medicine, so after discussing with Xu’s father, Meng’s father decided on the name Meng Yucheng.
Of course, everyone was more accustomed to calling him Baby Panda now.
At three months old, babies can lift their heads and smile, but it was quite strange that Baby Panda didn’t smile much. He only grinned occasionally at Xu Yuan, revealing his pink gums.
He rarely smiled at anyone else, not even at Meng Zhengrong, not giving him any face.
What was even more troublesome was that he had developed a little expression; Song Yu once took several photos, and when he opened the album, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Look, your baby’s expression is so interesting,” Song Yu pointed to one of the pictures. “Doesn’t it look like he’s saying, ‘You bunch of country bumpkins, don’t take pictures of me?’”
Although Baby Panda could hardly do much at this age, Meng Zhengrong had noticed that his baby was quite independent.
He ignored many people. In contrast, Song Ci’s son was very sociable; he would smile happily whether familiar or unfamiliar people held him.
Baby Panda was different. While he wouldn’t resist being held by strangers, he generally wouldn’t look at anyone else.
Baby Panda was also quite demanding. He loved being held, especially by Meng Zhengrong. However, at three months old, he was no longer that little six or seven-pound bundle of flesh; he had grown chubby and fair.
He insisted on being carried around the villa nonstop. Meng Zhengrong guessed that Baby Panda was eager to see the outside world.
It seemed he already recognized his room. Whenever Meng Zhengrong showed signs of wanting to go back to their room, Baby Panda would open his mouth and fake-cry for a few seconds.
In summary, he was completely absorbed in playing and had no intention of going back to sleep.
Meng Zhengrong kept his phone in his pocket and checked it every night. By the end of the day, he had walked at least ten thousand steps.
It was important to note that he usually hardly walked at all during his workdays; all his steps were devoted to his son.
Baby Panda was a very clever baby. He preferred drinking breast milk and hadn’t been weaned yet. Just as Meng’s mother had said, during the postpartum period, he was an angel; once Xu Yuan came out of confinement, he was no longer fitting the angel description.
Sometimes when Xu Yuan was very tired, the nurses and postpartum caretakers didn’t dare to disturb her and would turn to Meng Zhengrong for help.
Meng Zhengrong didn’t want to disturb Xu Yuan either, so he browsed Weibo and finally came up with what he thought was a good solution.
He dug a hole in a soft bun and fit it over the milk bottle.
Experience speaks volumes; this method worked well. Although Baby Panda thought the taste was a bit different, the texture was about the same. He opened his eyes, glanced at his dad, and then decided to just blink one eye at a time.
Many years later, when Baby Panda loved eating buns and steamed buns, he would wonder how he had become so down-to-earth.
Of course, that was a story for later.
==
After Baby Panda’s full-month celebration, it just so happened that Shen Li went into labor as well. Due to her condition, the doctors did not recommend a natural birth, so she had a cesarean section and gave birth to a daughter.
Song Chaowen was so happy that he held a lottery on Weibo, giving away money.
Some people on Weibo joked that since Baby Panda was three months old, he would surely have a beautiful girlfriend in the future. Song Gongju had a wealthy and handsome boyfriend right from birth, and these two babies were life’s winners.
Song Chaowen ignored such comments, fearing that taking them seriously would make him angry.
No one could touch his daughter! Talk about boyfriends and girlfriends? That was absolutely out of the question!
Song Chaowen’s daughter was deficient in water, and after both sets of parents discussed, they named her Song Yinong, with the nickname Nongnong.
After Shen Li and Nongnong were discharged from the hospital, Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong took Baby Panda to visit them.
Baby Panda didn’t show much interest in Nongnong; instead, he was very curious about the goldfish in the Song family’s fish tank, insisting that Meng Zhengrong carry him over to take a look. When Meng Zhengrong wouldn’t hold him, he pretended to cry.
Song Chaowen sighed, “Men probably only have a few years in their lives when they show interest in beauty. My stunning daughter can’t even compete with a goldfish for his attention.”
Meng Zhengrong’s expression was complex. “Stunning?”
He glanced at Nongnong, who was sleeping with her eyes closed, and thought to himself, come on, how is that related to being stunning?
“What about ‘a beauty that can topple a nation’?” Song Chaowen raised an eyebrow.
Meng Zhengrong replied, “I’ve never claimed my Baby Panda is a handsome lad.”
The two men exchanged glances but ultimately said nothing more. Complimenting two babies who only knew how to drink milk felt a bit childish.
“By the way, I heard you turned down that big blockbuster. Is it because you don’t have time?” Meng Zhengrong casually asked, recalling a news article he had seen. Two grown men holding babies in front of a fish tank needed something to talk about.
Song Chaowen sighed, “It’s not that I don’t have time; it’s that I can’t.”
“How so?” Meng Zhengrong inquired.
“The female lead for that movie has already been cast. When the director approached me, I turned it down because Xiaoli doesn’t like that actress. She was very paranoid during her pregnancy and often checked my phone. Isn’t it said that postpartum women are prone to depression? I didn’t want to take that role and risk making her unhappy.”
Meng Zhengrong was aware of the situation; the female lead was quite popular and had reportedly pursued Song Chaowen for a long time. Before Song Chaowen announced his relationship, many fans thought she was his girlfriend, so it was natural for Shen Li to care.
“I heard the script is good, and the cast is impressive. It’s hard to come across such great collaborators, directors, and scripts nowadays,” Meng Zhengrong noted.
“Yeah, it’s good, but my wife is more important,” Song Chaowen paused, “You should be careful too. Pay more attention during social events.”
Being a man, Meng Zhengrong understood exactly what Song Chaowen meant.
Whether it was him or Song Chaowen, they were both considered quite appealing to some scheming women. Many people believed that a man is most likely to cheat while his wife is pregnant or breastfeeding, so those with ulterior motives often took advantage of such situations to approach men.
However, a man’s infidelity isn’t determined by timing; it’s related to his inherent character and morals.
Meng Zhengrong suddenly thought of Liu Zi. It was strange, but he genuinely didn’t have those thoughts. Even though he had been feeling pent up for quite some time, he had never considered being with any woman other than Xu Yuan, in any capacity.
So, in this regard, he should be considered competent now, right?
Both Meng Zhengrong and Song Chaowen knew that some actions, once taken, couldn’t be undone.
Knowing what you want and what can or cannot be done is what defines a man.
==
The postpartum nanny and caretaker for Baby Panda were both infected with a cold and had gone home to rest.
Xu Yuan asked the nanny to move Baby Panda’s crib into their room; she wanted to personally take care of him. Since Baby Panda’s birth, she hadn’t truly cared for him that much. Although she was his mother, she was still a novice when it came to looking after a baby. The nannies knew much better how to make the baby comfortable.
Baby Panda clearly knew he had changed rooms and was quite excited. His big eyes looked at Xu Yuan. He had been well taken care of, and now giving him a bath required folding back the rolls on his tummy. Everyone who had seen him said he truly deserved the nickname Baby Panda.
Meng Zhengrong had asked the doctor, and it was fine to resume intimate relations three months after childbirth.
He and Xu Yuan had originally discussed it, planning for a romantic night. When he came out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, he saw Baby Panda’s crib beside their bed and was instantly taken aback, feeling an ominous premonition. He moved closer, and Baby Panda, probably seeing his naked dad for the first time, stared curiously at his flat chest, perhaps wondering why it looked different from his mother’s.
“What’s he doing here?” Meng Zhengrong asked, his tone tense.
Could it be that Xu Yuan forgot about their plans? This was important!
Xu Yuan glanced at him. “He’s sleeping with us tonight. The nanny who was supposed to take care of him was sick and went home. I’m afraid he might cry at night, so I’ll take care of him for a few days.”
…Alright then.
Meng Zhengrong was left speechless, looking at the instigator. Seeing Baby Panda staring at him, he followed his gaze down and, confirming that Baby Panda was indeed looking at his chest, quickly covered himself as if his gaze was an invasion, “What’s this kid staring at?!”
Baby Panda grinned; in Meng Zhengrong’s eyes, it looked like a mocking smile.
Meng Zhengrong covered himself even more tightly, “Don’t look, kid! This isn’t for you to see!”
Baby Panda seemed to sense that his dad was being fierce, pouting and starting to fake-cry.
Xu Yuan shot Meng Zhengrong an exasperated look, scolding, “If he wants to look, let him! Is your chest going to shrink if he sees it?”
Meng Zhengrong reluctantly dropped his hands and opened his chest for Baby Panda to see.
To his surprise, Baby Panda lost interest in his “flat chest” after just a few seconds and promptly turned his gaze away.
Baby Panda was likely too excited to sleep; he was babbling away, trying to communicate with his mom, but unfortunately, Xu Yuan couldn’t understand him.
However, he couldn’t keep this up forever, so Xu Yuan thought about how the nanny would carry Baby Panda and sing him lullabies to help him sleep.
“Your singing is nicer; sing him a lullaby,” she commanded.
Meng Zhengrong didn’t even raise his eyelids, “I can’t.”
He was too annoyed at this kid to feel like singing a lullaby.
Xu Yuan had no choice; seeing that it was getting late and she might as well try. Although her singing was off-key, the baby probably couldn’t tell, right?
So she mustered her courage and started singing, “Sleep tight, my dear baby…”
Baby Panda’s eyes widened, and after listening for a while, he pouted and began to shed tears.
He didn’t dare to cry loudly.
The look in his eyes was both pitiful and adorable.
Meng Zhengrong quickly took out his phone to capture the moment. Baby Panda didn’t like to cry much and had barely cried in this period, usually only fake-crying, especially in front of him.
But now he was really crying while Xu Yuan was singing.
He wanted to laugh but dared not, just staring at Baby Panda, thinking, you little guy, don’t think you can compete for my affection in the future! Hahaha!
**
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