Bringing Along a Ball and Hiding from Foreign Devils Chapter 7.1

Part 1 On his first day of work, Ren Zhouyuan felt his head ache a bit. The night before, he had  to deal with An-An who tossed in the middle of the night. And in the morning, he had to send him to kindergarten early. Afterwards, he immediately rushed to the company. Manager He brought him along to several departments to let him meet various people. Finally, he was led to the Curriculum Research and Development Department, this time, to let him work there. An-An's questioning last night made him momentarily panic. Looking back, he found a lot of problems from his words. He recalled the entire night. All along, he couldn't think of where exactly An-An found out that he was his half-mother. Finally, just before bedtime, he got the answer. Thinking of yesterday evening's conversation, Ren Zhouyuan didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. He couldn't directly ask An-An "Why do you know I'm your mother?" Ren Zhouyuan thought about it. Finally, without any better option, he brought up the topic again. "An-An, you asked if Uncle Wenfeng is going to be your 'Father.' But Baba's a guy. Why didn't you ask Baba when he'll get you a Mama?" As soon as An-An heard him mention this matter, his small face wrinkled again. But he thought of just a moment ago, when Ren Zhouyuan repeatedly a.s.sured him that they were simply good friends, and didn't feel so nervous any more. He glanced at Ren Zhouyuan. His expression was asking if it wasn't already obvious. He sighed and, looking like a tiny adult, gradually pointed it out. "An-An has never met Mama. It must be because Baba doesn't like her. An-An and Baba don't look alike, so I must resemble Mama. But Baba likes An-An very much, so Baba definitely doesn't hate Mama's face. So Baba and Mama are probably apart because Baba doesn't like women. So Baba won't give An-An a Mama and will only find another Father for An-An." Ren Zhouyuan: "……" It was reasonable. He even believed it himself. He rubbed his eyes and felt that his head was huge. He organized the words in his mind for a long time before opening: "Baba doesn't like….En, Baba doesn't like women." He paused. He didn't feel the need to hide that from his son. "But this isn't the reason why An-An will not have a Mama." He saw An-An open his eyes suddenly and hesitated. Ultimately, he decided to tell his son the truth while he had the chance. His expression was serious as he locked eyes with An-An*. "Baba is both An-An's Baba and An-An's Mama." After that, he explained to An-An how his stomach got bigger and how he gave birth to him. He also explained how ordinary men couldn't do this. Except for the part about Leonid, he explained everything.

*This was a tricky sentence. It would be more accurate to TL it as: "The emotion in his eyes (眼神/yǎn shén) was serious as he looked at An-An's eyes (双眼/shuāng yǎn). But as I've said before, I'm going to prioritize readability and coherence.

Ren Zhouyuan had always been a bit afraid to tell An-An this fact. Although he gave birth to An-An, and he loved him very much, in the face of this unconventional "Mother," he occasionally recalled the days of his pregnancy and conception. Even he himself felt that it was unimaginable. He didn't expect his son to accept it. Before, he had thought when An-An got older, he would question about his non-existent mother. Maybe one day, he would find out his own history. Would An-An feel disgusted when that time came? Would he think he was a freak? But even if An-An did think so, he wouldn't blame him. Because it was his own selfish choice to give birth to him. However, An-An's reaction surprised Ren Zhouyuan. After listening to Ren Zhouyuan, he stared at him with round eyes. When Ren Zhouyuan thought he was going to ask something, he suddenly threw himself towards him in full force. An-An tightly embraced Ren Zhouyuan's neck while jumping and shouting. "So Baba is only An-An's? And An-An is also only Baba's! An-An doesn't have a Mama, but Baba is exactly An-An's Mama! n.o.body will s.n.a.t.c.h away Baba. Baba is only An-An's!" Ren Zhouyuan blinked. His eyes soon felt wet. He returned An-An's embrace, his arms getting tighter. Although An-An was vague on the ident.i.ty of his father and mother, at one moment, he combined the two into one. He felt his son's love that was without reservation. Even though he was unusual, he still loved him so much and even loved him more than before! Right now, he deeply thought that his choice to give birth to An-An was the most correct thing he had done in his life. Ren Zhouyuan held An-An and kissed him. A kiss all over his forehead, a kiss all over his cheek and a kiss all over his nose. Although An-An felt a bit confused. Why was Baba suddenly so sticky? But as long as Baba felt happy. Therefore, he also bā ji bā ji* on Ren Zhouyuan's face.

*onomatopoeia for smacking the lips

Ren Zhouyuan hugged An-An as they lay in bed. He didn't blink for a moment as he stared at his face while coaxing him to sleep. Once he fell asleep, he suddenly remembered that An-An didn't make any friends in kindergarten. But compared to the things that happened tonight, such a small issue didn't affect An-An's loveliness in his mind. So he temporarily put it out of his mind. He didn't worry about his education until he sat in the office the next day and recalled these things. It really wasn't an ordinary problem. Ren Zhouyuan decided that when he got home, he would strictly educate An-An on playing with other children. But for now, he intended to devote himself to his work first.

TL Note: From now on, I’m keeping the pinyin of some t.i.tles. Like Dad -> Baba. This is to get a more child-like feel when an-An is speaking. I’ll go back to edit the last chapters to reflect this change.

Anyways, this chapter is a giant dose of fluff courtesy of the little bun! Gahhh, my heart!