Chapter 19: I Want a New Father

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Except for his appearance, he didn’t resemble a six-year-old baby at all,” Gu Ci said.

“Why don’t you like such a cute baby?” Gu Ci asked.

But Lu Zhiyuan seemed not to hear, unable to voice his hidden jealousy. The family of three went to watch a Marvel blockbuster movie. Gu Ziyu saw a little child holding popcorn and pouted at Gu Ci, “Sister, I want some too!”

“Okay!” Gu Ci asked Lu Zhiyuan to go and line up to buy popcorn. Lu Zhiyuan wore a hat and a mask, covering himself up completely, afraid of being recognized. He queued up and bought popcorn, along with two cups of cola.

Gu Ziyu happily sipped the ice-cold cola, squinting his beautiful peach blossom eyes, visibly content.

The three of them entered the movie theater, with Gu Ziyu sitting in the middle, his mother on the left, and his father on the right. Although he constantly teased Lu Zhiyuan, it didn’t hinder Gu Ziyu from feeling fulfilled.

This pleasant atmosphere persisted until Lu Zhiyuan continuously spoiled the plot for the mother and son.

The movie had been released in Europe and America for a week, and he had already seen the international version. As he watched, he kept spoiling the plot for them, especially for a villain character that Gu Ci liked.

Lu Zhiyuan said, “He dies in the end.”

Gu Ci exclaimed, “Shut up!”

“You like these bulky types?” Lu Zhiyuan said expressionlessly, “Their physique is deliberately built by gaining fat and then bulking up. They have no sense of strength or aesthetic.”

Gu Ci retorted, “I find it quite aesthetic, and they have plenty of strength.”

“I could knock him out with a single punch!” Explosiveness is the most terrifying aspect of Formula 1 drivers, and they possess immense core strength as well.

There was a racing scene in the movie, and Lu Zhiyuan took the opportunity to educate Gu Ci, “This plot is ridiculous. With that kind of inertia, the driver’s neck would have snapped, and yet they land safely. It defies all common sense.”

“Are their bones made of reinforced steel? How did they survive?” he continued.

“The muscle guy you like is about to die soon,” Lu Zhiyuan added.

Gu Ziyu sighed in frustration and silently munched on his popcorn, making a crunchy sound. He never wanted to watch a movie with his father again.

A man sitting in the front row couldn’t take it anymore and angrily turned around, shouting, “Can you please shut up and stop spoiling the movie?”

A woman also lashed out at Gu Ci, saying, “Can’t you control your husband?”

Lu Zhiyuan was puzzled, “Husband?”

Gu Ci remained expressionless and said, “Sorry, we don’t know him. We just so happened to be placed together.”

Lu Zhiyuan fell silent.

Gu Ziyu happily munched on his popcorn, feeling content now that it was finally quiet. In the next moment, the villain was beaten up like a hornet’s nest, confirming his demise. Due to Lu Zhiyuan’s spoilers, the surrounding audience had mixed emotions and lost their sense of anticipation.

The three of them left the movie theater, with Gu Ci holding Gu Ziyu’s hand but maintaining a safe distance. Lu Zhiyuan, who had always been popular, experienced being ignored for the first time.

“Are we going home?” Gu Ziyu, a self-proclaimed homebody, wanted to continue being a happy recluse at home after watching the movie.

“Don’t you want to go shopping?” Gu Ci asked.

“No, I don’t want to!” Gu Ziyu replied firmly.

“Since we’re out, how about we take you to the amusement park?” Gu Ci suggested. Lu Zhiyuan’s eyes revealed disdain, and Gu Ziyu immediately changed his mind. “Okay then, brother. If you don’t like it, you can go home first.”

“I also enjoy amusement parks,” Lu Zhiyuan said.

Gu Ziyu thought to himself, “Did Dad intentionally decide to be a third wheel?”

The family of three went to the amusement park. Both Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ci loved thrilling rides, but it wasn’t suitable for Gu Ziyu, who was only six years old. Many rides were off-limits for him. Gu Ci double-checked with the staff repeatedly, ensuring that Gu Ziyu would be okay and allowed to ride. The staff even scolded her, saying, “You’re such an irresponsible parent, letting such a young child participate in such dangerous activities. What if he gets scared? Take him on the carousel and bumper cars instead.”

Gu Ci felt at a loss for words.

Lu Zhiyuan mercilessly mocked Gu Ziyu, who could only ride the carousel and play bumper cars.

Gu Ziyu wasn’t interested in the carousel and bumper cars either. He had a daring spirit and enjoyed thrilling rides. Gu Ci and Lu Zhiyuan took him to ride a small roller coaster.

While other children were screaming with excitement, this family of three remained expressionless, showing no signs of emotion.

Gu Ci regretted her decision. She shouldn’t have brought Gu Ziyu to the amusement park if he couldn’t experience any joy. Gu Ziyu took a liking to the swinging pendulum ride, but due to his age, he wasn’t allowed to ride it.

Gu Ziyu pouted and vowed, “I’m going to buy this amusement park!”

He would then proceed to chase away all the other visitors so he could play by himself, choosing whichever ride he wanted.

Lu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “You’re young in age, but your ambitions are grand. Do you even know how much it costs to buy an amusement park?”

Gu Ziyu fell silent, and Lu Zhiyuan struck a nerve, saying, “You still rely on me to support you.”

“It’s your… honor to support me,” Gu Ziyu stubbornly changed the responsibility to honor.

“I might as well raise a cat instead.”

“But you don’t like cats.”

“How do you know I don’t like cats?” Lu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Gu Ziyu replied, “If you don’t even like such a cute baby like me, how could you like cats?”

Lu Zhiyuan fell silent.

Gu Ci, with a stern face, said, “If you don’t want to play, let’s leave.”

“We do!” Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ziyu said in unison, showing their perfect understanding.

The family of three stayed at the amusement park until evening, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Gu Ziyu had a great time, playing until he was exhausted and panting heavily. Lu Zhiyuan teased him for having poor endurance. Gu Ziyu looked at Lu Zhiyuan’s fit physique with envy and said, “When I grow up, I’ll be just like you.”

“Little pudgy, from the age of four to eight, I trained for six hours a day. From eight years old until now, I train for 10-12 hours a day. You sleep until you naturally wake up, don’t like going out or being active. You’ll just grow up to be a little fatty,” Lu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow and pointed to a chubby kid not far away. “Like him.”

The chubby kid appeared to be around 150 pounds despite being only 5’3″.

Gu Ziyu angrily put his hands on his hips and blurted out, “Mom, I want to exchange dads!”

Gu Ci was at a loss for words.

Lu Zhiyuan remained silent.

Gu Ci, facing Lu Zhiyuan’s stunned expression, kept a straight face and said, “You’ve upset Gu Ziyu and made him say nonsensical things.”

However, Lu Zhiyuan felt a sense of accomplishment. After all, he managed to infuriate Gu Ziyu, a master of tea art, to the point of losing his composure. It was quite fulfilling. As the sun gradually set and the sunlight disappeared from the horizon, Lu Zhiyuan gazed deeply at the sky.

Gu Ci said, “Let’s go have barbecue for dinner tonight. I made a reservation at a restaurant.”

“Li Jiang contacted me. There’s something to deal with at the company, so I won’t be joining you for dinner,” Lu Zhiyuan said softly. Gu Ci was surprised because she didn’t expect Lu Zhiyuan to refuse, considering both he and Gu Ziyu enjoyed eating barbecue.

Gu Ziyu was also taken aback. He could sense that Lu Zhiyuan truly enjoyed being with them. Gu Ci didn’t insist and replied, “Alright, then we’ll take a taxi later.”

Lu Zhiyuan handed her the keys and said, “Li Jiang will pick me up.”

“Okay!”

As the last glimmers of the sunset disappeared, the sky darkened. Lu Zhiyuan calmly and without looking back, walked away from the amusement park, his figure appearing both cold and cool.