A Cub Just Wants to Snag a Big Shot on a "X-Change" Variety Show! - Chapter 2

Holding Baby Shen, Shen Ling stood expressionless under the shade of a tree. He was wearing the basketball shoes the tot had specifically “pointed out,” while the early summer cicadas buzzed annoyingly in his ears.

He suspected his brain had malfunctioned. Otherwise, why would he actually put on these shoes, hop the wall to the neighboring high school, and wait for the court to clear just to play a game for Shen Xiaoman to watch?

What could a one-year-old possibly understand?

Shen Ling turned decisively. “Back to the dorm.”

“Ah! Ah-wu!” Shen Xiaoman immediately flailed his limbs, attempting a full-blown tantrum.

Yang Jun walked over carrying two bottles of mineral water. “Hey, don’t leave. Since we’re already here… Ling-ge, you haven’t played in ages, right? You’ve been so busy working lately that the guys at the high school are going crazy missing you.”

Though Shen Ling was young, he often came to the high school to play streetball. He was tall and possessed such superior skills that even high school athletes specializing in basketball couldn’t get the upper hand. Everyone loved having him as a sparring partner.

Right now, the athletes were doing basic fitness drills. Shen Ling planned to jump in for a couple of rounds during the practice match later; honestly, his hands were itching to play.

“No way, is there an inspection today? Who are those guys?” Yang Jun stared confusedly at a spot nearby.

The Shen brothers looked up simultaneously.

Standing on the court were over a dozen tall high school students, mostly boys in jerseys. They were tanned dark from the sun and, for some reason, had gathered into a neat, disciplined line with their hands behind their backs.

A PE teacher in a gray tracksuit stood at the front, calling roll from a register. Beside him were three middle-aged men.

Shen Ling didn’t recognize them. He guessed they were leaders from some educational bureau on an inspection tour; otherwise, it was hard to explain why these “wild monkeys” of athletes were acting like terrified quails.

“No game today,” Shen Ling said.

Xiaoman’s eyes widened. If you don’t play basketball, what are you going to do? Go back to the dorm and keep planning that trip to the south? No way, no way!

Xiaoman didn’t know the exact ceiling of his brother’s talent, but being a regular athlete was a great path! Get a teaching certificate, become a PE teacher—it would even make finding a wife easier during blind dates!

The baby’s mental calculator was clicking away. Unfortunately, he couldn’t speak, and Shen Ling couldn’t understand a lick of it!

Tears, tears… who understands the baby’s sorrow!

“Shen Ling!” the PE teacher called out from a distance.

Shen Ling pointed at himself in surprise. The teacher gestured for him to come over. “Yes, you! Your skills are great—come be a sparring partner!”

Yang Jun seized the chance and immediately volunteered to take the baby. But Shen Ling gave him a disdainful, sinister look. “Do you even know how to hold him, Yang Jun? If you drop him, do you know how I’ll beat you? Hmm?”

That sentence successfully made Yang Jun hesitate. Uh, he really couldn’t guarantee safety. And his Ling-ge’s hands were indeed ruthless…

In those few seconds of hesitation, Shen Ling had already walked off with the baby.

The PE teacher stared at the approaching tot with surprise. “Where’d the kid come from, Shen Ling?”

“My brother.” Shen Ling held the baby by the armpits and held him out. “Teacher, have you ever raised a kid? Hold him for me for a bit?”

“A-wu—” Without a second thought, Xiaoman immediately tilted his head and acted cute, his stubby limbs paddling the air as he made vague, babyish sounds.

Always utilize your “Cutie Superpower” to the fullest! Win them over first!

The athletes behind Shen Ling poked their heads out, their curiosity exploding as they exchanged excited glances.

“This…” The teacher looked a bit troubled. He still had to call names.

“I’ll do it. I’m more familiar with babies than basketballs right now,” said one of the strange middle-aged men. He wore glasses and looked very kind and cheerful. When he reached out, you could see the clear outline of muscles—this was no “embroidery pillow” who sat in an office all day.

Shen Ling hesitated but eventually handed the baby over.

And so, Xiaoman lay in the stranger’s arms, staring intently at his brother on the court. He watched Shen Ling dribble with agility, dodging players and occasionally pulling off a powerful dunk, controlling the ball almost the entire time.

Even though the baby didn’t fully understand the game, he thought: So cool!

The baby’s eyes turned into stars. If this were filmed and put online, how many people would fall for him!

“I think this middle-schooler is a prime prospect.”

“The one he’s playing against isn’t bad either—yeah, the one with the eyebrow piercing.”

“You can see their basics are lacking; they need proper training.”

“Perfect for the youth training camp. There’s huge room for growth.”

“His sense of teamwork is also very strong. Rare to see.”

“Teacher, could you come here? What is that middle-schooler’s name?”

The baby’s ears immediately perked up. What? What? Scouted?

Xiaoman worked his tiny brain hard, retrieving memories of basketball from his past life. Was it a club? A city or provincial team? These must be coaches!

“Oh, his name is Shen Ling. He used to be on the city team and won a championship at the provincial level,” the PE teacher said in a low voice. “But the kid thinks sports have no future. He thinks he can’t make money from it, so he’s not interested in learning.”

“That’s quite a pragmatic outlook,” the coaches began to discuss.

They avoided the students but couldn’t avoid the baby. No one suspected a one-year-old was eavesdropping—and that he was worried sick!

Agh, my idiot brother! A golden opportunity is right in front of you, but you don’t cherish it. I really want to smack his butt!

Half an hour passed. Shen Ling had played against almost every student. High-level confrontation exposed weaknesses and highlighted strengths. Shen Ling was like a benchmark; every athlete who played him felt ashamed, trembling with fear that the coaches would scold them.

The PE teacher called out two names plus Shen Ling, bringing them before the coaching staff. He told them they could go to the provincial youth training camp. If they performed well, they’d have a chance to stay for national competitions.

The two students besides Shen Ling were so excited they could hardly breathe. For athletes in a county high school, it was nearly impossible to stand out, especially in team sports. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!

If they were lucky and had the strength to win national awards, they could pursue the path of a high-level athlete, which had much more prospect than a simple physical education exam.

The two agreed without a second thought.

“And you?” The three provincial coaches turned their gaze to Shen Ling. He was the biggest unexpected harvest of their trip.

The baby also looked at him expectantly.

“I’ll pass,” Shen Ling shook his head.

“Ah! Ah!” Xiaoman was the first to get frantic.

The baby reached out his fleshy hands toward Shen Ling, flapping them urgently. When Shen Ling reached out to take him, the baby suddenly acted displeased, hiding his hands behind his back.

“Shen Xiaoman.” Shen Ling intentionally darkened his face.

Xiaoman then wailed and babbled, grabbing Shen Ling’s clothes and pulling with all his might. Shen Ling was forced to lean down until he felt a soft touch on his cheek—

Shen Ling froze.

His eyes widened slightly, and the spot where he was kissed immediately turned scorching hot. Soon, his entire face was red. All the annoyance and jealousy from being rejected a moment ago vanished into thin air.

Feigning composure, he said, “Xiaoman, time to go home.”

To his surprise, Xiaoman was still unhappy. He didn’t want to leave the coach’s arms, but he didn’t want his brother to leave either. He almost tried to pull their hands together. The baby was so anxious his nose was sweating.

This made the coach holding him roar with laughter. “I think the baby is trying to convince you to come with me. Shen Ling, why don’t you go back and think about it? We’ll wait for your news.”

“A-wu!” The baby shouted happily. That’s exactly what I mean!

“…” Shen Ling looked at his brother with a complicated expression.

The next day at noon, after eating the meal Yang Jun brought, Shen Ling sat with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, playing with a lighter.

Xiaoman sat beside him with his legs splayed, holding a small rubber ball designed to look like a basketball that the coach had given him. He held it with both hands, drooling as he gnawed on it happily—

Like hell he was!

He didn’t actually like gnawing on balls; a baby like that looks stupid. He was just pretending to be interested in basketball, hmph! This was the only way to conquer his brother—make him lose himself in the baby’s passion and cuteness until he finally chose basketball as a career!

As expected, his brother was now torn between going south to work or staying to play ball. Unfortunately, Xiaoman didn’t get to hear the final decision.

As the other students returned for their midday nap, Shen Ling picked up the baby and took him to the school gate.

Xiaoman immediately spotted a tall, thin woman in simple clothes outside. Even without makeup, her beautiful bone structure was evident. She was peering into the school and waved when she saw Shen Ling.

The baby stared at her, his mouth hanging open foolishly. It was only when the woman took him into her arms that he snapped out of it.

“Wa… ah… Ma-ma, Ma-ma-ma…” Xiaoman stammered, his face turning red. As he called out, he suddenly buried his face in her shoulder and began to wail.

Xu Shan: “?” She shot a razor-sharp look at Shen Ling.

Shen Ling: “…Don’t look at me like that. He ate and slept well in my dorm; he was happy every day. How should I know why he’s crying now?”

Xu Shan was also confused. she knew her eldest son had a knack for childcare; the baby was always well-behaved with him. She waved it off. “Forget it, go back and sleep. What are your plans after the exams? Coming back to the village?”

Shen Ling glanced at the baby and muttered vaguely, “Haven’t decided yet. We’ll see.”

Xiaoman cried until his head throbbed, sobbing against his mother’s neck. His tears and snot covered Xu Shan’s shoulder, but she just smiled helplessly and patted his back.

“Do you miss Mama that much? Such a good baby, Mama loves you.” Xu Shan kissed his cheek, her heart feeling as sweet as honey. Who could refuse a baby’s favoritism?

Xiaoman sighed in his heart. Of course I miss you. I’m a baby who has experienced life and death. He was truly afraid he would wake up and find his rebirth was just a beautiful dream.

Xu Shan took him on a bus to the hospital, but she didn’t go inside. Instead, she strapped the baby to her body and stopped by a small cold-noodle cart at the hospital entrance. She smiled at an older woman waiting there. “Sister Liu, thanks for watching the stand for me! You can take the money from the sales just now! I’ll pack a lunch for you!”

Sister Liu waved her off. “Oh, no! My mother-in-law is being looked after by you in the ward; I can’t thank you enough. Watching the stand for a bit is nothing!”

Xiaoman tilted his head, watching the two politely decline each other’s offers. So Mama used to sell cold noodles? It looks delicious, slurp.

His mother was so clever—helping other stall owners look after their family members in the same ward while entrusting her stand to them. A total win-win.

In the end, no money was exchanged, but Xu Shan insisted on giving her a free bowl of noodles. Her movements were swift; having a baby strapped to her didn’t hinder her at all. She poured on red chili oil, sesame sauce, and vinegar, sprinkled shredded carrots and cucumbers, and stirred vigorously. A refreshing, spicy fragrance wafted out.

Sister Liu took the noodles and swallowed hard. “You’re really brave letting me watch the stand. Aren’t you afraid I’ll steal your recipe? These noodles smell amazing!”

Xu Shan laughed heartily. “Ha! The essence of my noodles is this red chili oil sesame sauce—my own secret recipe. No one can steal it even if they want to.”

The baby’s ears perked up again! Secret recipe!

That sounds like a business opportunity. His mother’s cooking was indeed great; he had to think of a way to use it to make big money, so his mother wouldn’t die because she couldn’t afford treatment like in the old life!

In his previous life, after his mother died of brain cancer, everything Xiaoman ate tasted like wax. He dreamed of eating her cooking one more time. This time, he would work hard to ensure he could eat it for a lifetime!

His brother, his mother, his father, and the friends in the village… he didn’t want to see any more tragedies.

Thinking about being just a weak, milk-drinking tot, Xiaoman felt a bit worried. But finally, he took a deep breath and summoned his courage.

The road is long, but the baby won’t panic!

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

It was early summer, and Maomaotou Village, nestled halfway up the mountain, remained cool. Mountain streams gurgled, and small fish and shrimp jumped about. A group of young children gathered by the calf-deep water, chattering as they took off their shoes and rolled up their trousers.

“Xiaoman is going to primary school this year! Are you going to the town? You’ll have to take a bus every day.”

“Going to the county is good too. Rent a house and hire a nanny to look after you.”

“Go to the city! There are so many hotels with delicious food! I want to eat there every day!”

“I want to go to Beijing this year. Do you guys want to go? To see the flag-raising.”

The children’s voices were milky, but their words were surprisingly sophisticated. Their wealthy mannerisms didn’t match mountain kids; they sounded more like children from a luxury villa district.

Shen Xiaoman, the center of the conversation, didn’t reply. He was squatting by a pool he’d built with stones in the stream, focusing on catching fish with a net. Another tot poked his shoulder.

“Don’t bother me! I want to catch fish to take home so Mama can cook for me.” Xiaoman pouted without looking up.

To his surprise, the other kids got even more excited.

“Auntie Shan is back! I want to eat the cold noodles made with your family’s handmade spicy sauce!”

“My mama told me to bring fruit to Auntie Shan! She said it’s because of Auntie Shan that our village is so rich now. We used to be so poor we couldn’t even afford food.”

“Brother Xiaoman, take us to see Auntie Shan. Stop catching fish!”

Xiaoman’s head throbbed from the noise of these little “radish heads.” T.T My fish! They’ve all been scared away! Now he couldn’t complete his mission.

“Baby! Xiaoman!” A call came from nearby.

The kids turned and saw a man standing on higher ground. He wore a thin knit sweater and thick glasses. He walked forward a few steps with a limp, waving toward Xiaoman, his gentle, handsome face full of warmth.

“Baby, it’s time to come back for dinner. Your mother specifically told me to tell you she has some good news. Come back and listen.”