| BYSG | Secret Feelings | 91 | Extra 6
That evening, a family of four went to the supermarket together. Ning Que felt slightly better only after buying a new bag of pine nuts.
No one noticed the ups and downs of his emotions.
It couldn’t be helped—snacks for the two children at home were shared, and even the adults would occasionally have some. Once they were finished, they would simply buy more, especially with nut-based snacks, which were also used to entertain guests.
After that, whenever his younger brother’s friends came over to play, Ning Que would grab a handful of pine nuts and stuff them into his pocket before heading off to his extracurricular classes.
…
Life in kindergarten passed by joyfully.
One thing that troubled the teacher was that little Shen Yu had gotten used to sleeping with Cheng Xiaofei by his side. Without Cheng Xiaofei, he found it very difficult to fall asleep, so the teacher had to gradually help him transition.
—Learning to sleep independently is an essential step in a young child’s growth.
Not long after, Cheng Xiaofei brought a fluffy hamster plush toy to kindergarten and gave it to little Shen Yu.
That afternoon, Shen Yu obediently hugged the hamster plushie and fell asleep on his own.
Although he fell asleep later than the other children, being able to sleep by himself was already a great achievement.
…
Time quickly passed, and autumn turned into winter. The kindergarten children were bundled up like little adorable rice dumplings.
On New Year's Day, the teacher organized a small performance and invited the children's parents to watch. Cheng Mofei's parents, Shen Xunyan, and Ning Boren all attended, while Ning Que was taken by his grandparents to celebrate the holiday.
The stage was decorated like a forest, and each child dressed up as a cute little animal.
The teacher gently narrated from the side, "In the forest, there lived a group of carefree little animals. They were the best of friends."
Little Shen Yu wore a headband with tiny hamster ears on top of his head, and a soft, round tail behind him.
When the teacher called his name, he quickly ran onto the stage with his short little legs, spun around in a circle, and pretended to nibble on sunflower seeds like a hamster—clumsy and adorable.
Cheng Xiaofei, on the other hand, wore black animal ears and a tail. When he smiled, a sharp little canine tooth peeked out, making him look very much like a little wolf cub.
Besides them, there was also a child dressed as a puppy, with droopy puppy ears on top of his head and a tail similar to Cheng Xiaofei’s.
After the performance, the children gathered and played together.
Shen Yu really liked puppies. A neighbor near his house had a cute white dog that always wagged its tail at him whenever they met. Enthralled, he reached out and gently pinched the puppy child’s ears before curiously patting his tail.
The puppy child was a little shy and simply let Shen Yu touch him without resisting.
Seeing this from the side, Cheng Xiaofei suddenly felt a bit annoyed for some unknown reason. He grabbed Shen Yu’s hand and said, “You can touch my ears and tail too. Mine are just as soft.”
Little Shen Yu was stunned for a moment and hesitantly explained, "But I like puppies."
Cheng Xiaofei struggled briefly with his pride as a wolf before decisively declaring, "I’m actually a wolfdog, which is still a type of dog."
Shen Yu blinked hesitantly. "Really?"
"Really! If you don’t believe me, touch and see. It’s just like a puppy’s." Cheng Xiaofei grabbed his hand and placed it on his own ears.
Shen Yu gently touched his pointed ears.
He knew that some puppies had floppy ears, while others had ears that stood up.
"And my tail too, you should feel it." Cheng Xiaofei guided his hand to his tail.
Sure enough, the tail felt very similar to a puppy’s.
So Brother Fei is a wolfdog!
Shen Yu beamed with joy and stuck to Cheng Xiaofei, no longer interested in touching the puppy child's ears and tail.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ning Boren snapped several photos of the little ones.
Among them, there was one picture where the little wolfdog and little hamster held hands, leaning close together and smiling at the camera. Many years later, a certain someone named Cheng would set that very photo as his phone’s lock screen wallpaper.
…
After New Year's Day, the winter holiday and Lunar New Year came quickly.
The two little ones had become so close that they were now allowed to have sleepovers at each other’s homes.
That day, after playing together all afternoon, it was time for Shen Yu to go home but he was reluctant to leave.
Seeing this, Cheng Mofei’s mother suggested, "Why don’t we let Xiao Yu stay over? I’ll take him home once they’ve had enough fun."
The moment she finished speaking, Cheng Xiaofei eagerly grabbed Shen Yu’s hand and chimed in, "Auntie, let Xiao Yu sleep at my house tonight!"
——By now, he had already been corrected and no longer called Shen Yu "Little Hamster Brother."
"Mommy…." Shen Yu blinked his big eyes at Shen Xunyan, his gaze carrying a pleading, coquettish look.
Shen Xunyan had no way to refuse and could only agree.
After spending about half a year interacting with the Cheng family, she indeed felt reassured enough to let Shen Yu stay over at Cheng Xiaofei’s house.
Once Shen Xunyan left, the two little ones continued playing in the yard for a while, enjoying the snow until dinnertime.
Cheng Mofei’s father prepared dinner.
Cheng Xiaofei enthusiastically picked out food for Shen Yu, piling his small bowl into a tiny mountain of food.
Not long after, Shen Yu leaned back, rubbing his round little belly, letting out a long, satisfied burp.
Seeing this, Cheng Mofei’s mother quickly brought something to help with digestion.
After watching two episodes of Big-Eared Rabbit, snow began to fall outside the window again. The two little ones immediately pressed themselves against the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the snowfall with fascination.
Since it was too cold at night, Cheng Mofei’s mother wouldn’t let them go outside to play in the snow for fear that they’d catch a cold. So, they could only stare longingly through the glass.
Seeing their disappointment, Cheng Mofei’s mother sat down at the piano and started playing, while Cheng Mofei’s father read newspapers and magazines on the sofa.
The two little ones swung their little feet to the rhythm of the music.
It was an age free of worries.
…
Later that night, Cheng Mofei’s mother filled the bathtub with warm water and bathed the two little ones.
Since her son was too mischievous, he couldn’t help splashing water on purpose. Before long, he and Shen Yu were playing around in the bathtub, sending water flying everywhere. By the end, both of their heads were completely soaked.
Cheng Mofei’s parents had no choice but to grab a hairdryer each and take turns drying the two freshly washed little troublemakers.
After the bath, Shen Yu changed into some of Cheng Xiaofei’s old clothes, which happened to fit him perfectly.
At this age, children grew quickly—one blink, and the sleeves were too short. Many clothes that had only been worn a few times would soon be outgrown.
Once their hair was dry, the two little ones obediently crawled under the blankets.
Cheng Xiaofei took the initiative to pick up a storybook and began reading a bedtime story to Shen Yu, playing the role of a responsible big brother as he gently lulled him to sleep.
Cheng Mofei’s parents watched this scene unfold, their hearts melting at the sight.
…
By now, Cheng Xiaofei was already able to sleep alone in his children’s room, and Shen Yu, after months of practice at kindergarten, had also learned to sleep separately from adults.
Only after both little ones had drifted off to sleep did Cheng Mofei’s parents quietly leave the room.
The next morning, the first thing Cheng Mofei’s parents did after waking up was check on the two little ones in the children's room.
At this age, kids went to bed early and woke up early. More than once, the adults were still asleep while Cheng Xiaofei had already gotten up, washed up on his own, made himself a warm cup of milk, and turned on the TV. Cheng Mofei’s father had even joked that in a few years, Xiaofei might start making breakfast for them.
However, as soon as they opened the door, they were hit with a visual shock.
Shen Yu was sitting obediently on the bed while Cheng Xiaofei was helping him put on a princess dress.
The dress had belonged to Cheng Xiaofei’s cousin, Cheng Zhiyu. She had dirtied her clothes during a meal once and had to change into one of Cheng Xiaofei’s old outfits.
After being washed, the dress had been left in Cheng Xiaofei’s wardrobe and forgotten.
Since Cheng Zhiyu had plenty of dresses, she didn’t want it back, and instead of throwing it away, they had planned to gather more of Xiaofei’s outgrown clothes and donate them together.
Although Cheng Zhiyu was over a year younger than Shen Yu, girls at that age often grew faster, and their height sometimes surpassed boys. Additionally, due to differences in body size between northern and southern children, the dress was relatively loose—surprisingly, it fit Shen Yu just fine.
But Shen Yu is a boy! How could he be wearing a dress?!
Although… although he did look really adorable… Ahem.
Cheng Mofei’s mother immediately stepped forward to stop them.
Cheng Xiaofei, looking completely innocent, explained, “We’re playing pretend. I’m the dad, Xiao Yu is the mom, and moms wear dresses, isn’t that normal?”
Shen Yu nodded along earnestly, clearly showing that he wasn’t being forced into it.
For a moment, Cheng Mofei’s parents were at a loss for words.
At this age, children were just beginning to develop a sense of gender identity. Letting a little boy wear a dress might not be the best idea, but then again, it was just innocent play. Overreacting could do more harm than good.
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Mofei’s mother decided to call Shen Xunyan and ask for her opinion.
As soon as the call was connected, Cheng Mofei’s mother quickly explained what had happened.
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Shen Xunyan's excited voice, “Can you send me a photo?”
…
The result was that the two kids continued their game of house. Shen Yu wore the little dress, playing the role of the mom, while Cheng Xiaofei played the dad.
Cheng Mofei’s mother secretly took a few photos and shared them with Shen Xunyan. Meanwhile, Cheng Mofei’s father was busy preparing breakfast for the four of them.
Once breakfast was almost ready, Cheng Mofei’s mother quickly helped Shen Yu change out of the dress.
Afterward, Cheng Mofei’s mother realized that Shen Yu wasn’t actually that interested in the dress. He was simply enjoying playing with Cheng Xiaofei, and the dress was just part of the fun. She secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Many years later, Cheng Mofei found himself scrolling through the photos of Shen Yu in the dress on his phone. Unable to resist, he ended up ordering a few dresses in Shen Yu's size.
…
Two years passed quickly in the middle and senior kindergarten years.
Although Shen Yu was only six years old, he was incredibly smart and mature, fully capable of starting elementary school. Ning Boren used his connections to arrange for him to start school a year earlier.
As expected, he ended up in the same class as Cheng Xiaofei.
…
When Shen Yu was in elementary school, Shen Xunyan unexpectedly became pregnant. After careful consideration and discussions with Ning Boren, they decided to have the baby.
Shen Yu was ecstatic when he found out he was finally going to be a big brother!
Every day, Shen Yu eagerly anticipated the arrival of his little brother or sister, even pressing his ear against his mother’s belly to listen for movements.
In the end, Ning Yuan was born safely.
She was an adorable little sister.
Ning Yuan was always attached to Shen Yu from a young age. The first word she learned was big brother, and she became Shen Yu's little shadow, following him everywhere.
Ning Que was also kind to her, but since he had already been in Shen Yu’s position as an older sibling, it wasn't as new or exciting for him. So, he didn’t show as much enthusiasm as Shen Yu did.
When Cheng Mofei’s mother heard that Shen Yu had a little sister, she jokingly asked Cheng Xiaofei, “How about I have one for you too?”
Cheng Xiaofei immediately shook his head.
It was because of this little sister that Shen Yu was always busy playing with her and didn’t have much time to hang out with Cheng Xiaofei.
…
Although the "little sister" situation created a bit of a shift, it didn’t affect the bond between the two boys. Over the course of six years in elementary school and three years in junior high, their relationship only grew stronger.
Academically, the two were on par with each other and both managed to get into one of the best high schools in Yancheng City.
However, during junior high, Cheng Xiaofei’s grandmother’s health took a turn for the worse. After seeking treatment abroad, she had to be transferred to hospitals in other cities.
As the start of the school year approached, Cheng Mofei's mother and father had a discussion with Cheng Xiaofei, asking for his opinion. They gave him two options: one was to go with them to the city where his grandmother was receiving treatment, to attend school there, or the other was to stay in Yancheng City and live with Shen Yu, continuing his studies while being close to home.
After discussing it thoroughly, they decided on the latter option.
The curriculum for junior high school was quite different across provinces, and transferring to another city would certainly bring a lot of challenges. The coursework was already heavy, so it seemed better for Cheng Xiaofei to stay in Yancheng City and focus on his studies.
Plus, he could visit his grandmother every month.
So, right before school started, Cheng Xiaofei moved into Shen Yu's house.
Since Ning Yuan was getting older and had her own room, the house was fully occupied, and there was no room left for Cheng Xiaofei. However, Cheng Xiaofei didn’t mind at all.
He moved into Shen Yu’s room, sharing everything with him, meals, living space, and even sleeping on the same bed.
Shen Yu’s room was spacious enough for the two of them, so they weren’t cramped at all. After all, they had shared a bed since they were little. They were very close, like good friends who were more like family.
Shen Yu, however, was hiding a bit of concern in his heart. He wasn’t sure how to express it.
Recently, he had noticed something about himself, he felt like he might not be entirely straight.
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