The two spent the afternoon at the aquarium, their outing finally concluding with a phone call.
"An'an, we've had our fill of fun, and your father's calling. Let's go," Fang Miaomiao waved to Wen Yan'an, who was not far away.
"Okay."
As the two exited the aquarium, they saw Xin Xuanlai stepping out of a car.
"It's you. Where's Da Chen?"
"Master Wen sent Da Chen back in his own car. Good afternoon, young master."
"Good afternoon, Brother Xuanlai."
They got into the car.
"Did you have fun?" Wen Zhiyan handed over two wet wipes.
"Not bad."
"Thank you, Dad."
Wen Zhiyan watched Wen Yan'an obediently wipe the sweat from his face. An'an seemed a little different.
"We saw the dolphins. Because it was Friday, there weren't many people, and the staff even let us get up close to interact with them," Fang Miaomiao said, her eyes sparkling with a smile. "You wouldn't believe it, An'an got sprayed with water by a dolphin. Good thing we were wearing raincoats, or we would have been soaked."
"You got sprayed too?"
Wen Yan'an nodded. "Mom saw me get sprayed by a dolphin and laughed. Then another dolphin directly sprayed Mom."
"An'an, do you like the sea?"
"Yes."
When he spoke of the sea, Wen Yan'an's eyes were full of light. "They're so beautiful. An'an likes them very much."
Hearing this, Wen Zhiyan's lips curved slightly. "Then you can learn to swim now. It'll be difficult to learn to dive later if you don't."
"Dad?" Wen Yan'an looked at Wen Zhiyan in surprise. "What did you just say?"
"Where did the polite address come from?"
"Dad, what did you say just now?"
"Learning games, and when you grow up, you can learn diving and similar sports. If you don't learn to swim now, the later sports will be tough."
"Can I, can I really?"
"Why not?"
Hearing this, Wen Yan'an's eyes welled up.
Now it was Wen Zhiyan's turn to be at a loss. He looked at Wen Yan'an, confused, then sought help from Fang Miaomiao.
Fang Miaomiao couldn't help but let out a giggle. "You two, are you trying to make me laugh to death?"
"I'm not."
"Mom, you shouldn't say that."
"So, are you two going to play guessing games, or should I be the interpreter?"
Fang Miaomiao realized there was a significant problem between the father and son. Both were people who couldn't get out a few words in half a day. No wonder Wen Yan'an had been reticent before. Their interaction was less like father and son and more like strangers living under the same roof.
"Grandma said I can't learn these things, that it's a waste of time," Wen Yan'an said dejectedly, his shoulders drooping.
"When was this?"
Wen Zhiyan's voice stopped abruptly. A few years ago, after he learned about An'an, he pulled himself together and took over the Wen Corporation. An'an was raised by his parents at the Imperial Garden, and he would visit a few times on weekends.
It wasn't until An'an grew older and they noticed he was clearly different from other children that he brought An'an to live with him. After several years of coexistence, while their interactions weren't cold, they were limited to brief exchanges.
Furthermore, since the doctor said An'an had no issues, he let An'an develop on his own. He had always thought An'an was quiet and preferred to be alone in his room, as the doctor had said—it was innate.
But today's words made him feel something was amiss.
Wen Yan'an shook his head. "I don't remember."
Hearing this, Fang Miaomiao hugged Wen Yan'an protectively, then glared at Wen Zhiyan.
Wen Zhiyan felt guilty and let Fang Miaomiao glare at him. "Miaomiao, I didn't know about these things."
"Then you know now."
Wen Zhiyan was silent for a moment. "An'an, you don't need to worry about Grandpa and Grandma, okay? You can go and learn what you like, whatever you want to learn."
Wen Yan'an hugged Fang Miaomiao and remained silent.
Wen Zhiyan looked at Fang Miaomiao for help.
Fang Miaomiao glanced at him. "An'an, don't mind them. We can go learn swimming later, okay? Your mom isn't good at much else, but she can cheer others on. I can do that."
"Mom isn't learning with me?"
"Your mom knows how to swim, so I'll cheer for you from the side. With my cheers, you'll definitely learn quickly."
She knew how to swim. In her previous life, when she was a newcomer, she was bullied by the leading actress on set. In one scene, because of the leading actress, she had to jump into the water repeatedly. It was fine at first; as soon as she jumped in, security personnel would pull her out.
The last time, all the security personnel around had disappeared. She thrashed in the water, the suffocating feeling of drowning washing over her. The agitated lake water splashed against her, and the sensation of floating left her struggling instinctively. She kept yelling for help in the water, begging for someone to assist her, but there was no one. No one on the scene came to save her.
After that film, she found an agent and signed up for swimming lessons.
She never wanted to experience the feeling of suffocating in the water again after that one time.
"Hmph."
"Are you being silly?" Fang Miaomiao patted Wen Yan'an's shoulder when she heard his huff. "Your mom only knows how to swim, not teach. For something professional like this, you definitely need to find a professional to help, okay?"
"Besides, look how lazy your mom is. To go to your swimming lessons, I have to drag myself out of my comfortable bed to cheer for you. That's already a lot, alright? Don't push your luck."
"Really?"
"Otherwise?" Fang Miaomiao deftly passed the topic to Wen Zhiyan, who showed a sliver of paternal love. "Don't you believe me? Ask your dad."
"Dad?"
Under Fang Miaomiao's influence, Wen Yan'an's personality had become significantly more lively.
"What your mother said is right. Everyone has their specialty. If you want to learn to swim, you naturally need to find a professional to teach you," Wen Zhiyan glanced at Fang Miaomiao. "And your mother accompanying you every day is also very taxing. You're a little man, you can't make your mother work so hard, understand?"
Wen Yan'an thought for a moment, then looked at Fang Miaomiao with a hint of grievance. "I'm sorry, Mom. I wasn't thinking clearly just now. I don't actually want you to work so hard."
"Okay, okay."
Seeing his wronged face, which looked like it could burst into tears at any moment, Fang Miaomiao's head started to ache. She quickly comforted him. "How could that be? I'm overjoyed to be able to go to swimming lessons with An'an. Compared to my bed, An'an is definitely more important, right? Don't listen to your dad's nonsense."
Saying that, Fang Miaomiao shot Wen Zhiyan a glare. This man, she asked him to persuade and comfort An'an, but he ended up making the child cry. He's useless.
Wen Zhiyan gave an awkward smile. He could handle other things, but comforting children was indeed a bit too much for him.