16yo Jin Zixuan is tasked with babysitting Xianxian for the day, and things go--well.
He's at the Jiang household to court the girl he has a crush on, but she goes running out to help her mom with an errand, and he blurts out, "I can take care of Xianxian." #XianXianSeason
As soon as the words leave his mouth, he regrets it and panics. What is he saying!! He has no experience with children!! DOES he have a lot of siblings? Yes. BUT HAS HE EVER HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THEM? Not like this.
He glances at Xianxian, who has a
bunny plushie arm in his mouth. He is teething and slobbering. Xianxian gives him a most indifferent look.
"Are you sure, A-Xuan?" Jiang Yanli asks.
JZX is internally screaming. She looks so cute!! And he can't be THAT bad with kids, right? This'll impress her.
"Yes," he says through his teeth, grinning too widely.
She beams, her eyes sparkling. He feels heat rush up his neck. "Thank you! I'll be as quick as possible!"
She kisses Xianxian goodbye and then says, "Oh, A-Xuan?"
"Y-yes?"
"Xianxian's friend might be dropped off by his uncle, too. I was supposed to watch both of them, but..well, you know how my mother is! Always has her hands full and..."
He can't hear the rest of what she says over his realization that: there will be not one but two babies.
"Maybe you can get a friend over to help?" JYL asks him as she's one foot out the door. Her mother is honking outside, waiting.
"Uh, yeah!" he says. (He has no friends. But he doesn't say this.) "Xianxian and I will be okay!"
"Good!" She holds his gaze for a moment.
His heart skips a beat. He gulps. "Go, go, you'll be late!"
"Thank you," she says, her voice clarion.
He wants to scream into his hands as she walks out the door. He is so in love with this girl.
But when he looks up, Xianxian is oddly still.
Then Xianxian starts to wail.
"shhhh shhhhh" JZX says, helplessly holding his hands out, as though these gestures will do anything.
Xianxian continues to wail, the bunny arm dropping out of his mouth. His mouth gets so big, oh my god! JZX is kind of impressed.
He's snapped out of his marveling when his ears start throbbing from the sheer DECIBEL POWER of Xianxian. "Okokok," he says frantically, picking up Xianxian under the arms like he's seen people do and holding him about two feet away from his face. "Sh, please."
Xianxian's mouth immediately closes and he looks at JZX with oddly intelligent eyes, appraising.
JZX feels like he's being scrutinized by a being he has underestimated. He stares back.
And then Xianxian puts his lips together and trills, spit flying into JZX's face.
Did I say that things go well? I meant: "things go...well,..."
to be continued!
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