Apocalypse Baby: The Beloved of the Parenting Show

[My new story, After Getting the Cannon Fodder Script, I Married a Powerful Big Shot, is now live. If you're interested, give it a look, my dears!]

Luo Yu was an unlucky little boy. He was born ten years after the apocalypse. He lived through just five years of that era of scarcity before getting lost during a massive beast horde battle.

When he opened his eyes again, his body had somehow regressed. In the mirror, he saw chubby little hands and a round face. Even on tiptoe, he barely came up to an adult's knees, and he waddled like a penguin when he walked.

The auntie in front of him said he was only three and a half.

-

But none of that was a problem.

This wasn't the apocalypse. There were no mutated monsters with jaws stretched wide, no zombie armies ready to attack at any moment, and no vines that might burst out of the ground at any time.

Instead, there were golden round pancakes hanging in the sky, flowers and little green plants everywhere, and steaming food that made his mouth water.

He also had a somewhat dysfunctional family: a father who never showed his face, a gentle and beautiful mother who often disappeared, an older brother who always wore a cold expression and ignored everything, and an older sister with purple hair who was constantly looking for a chance to beat him up.

The auntie said it was all because of Luo Yu, because he was a child with something wrong with his brain.

But after he spoke his first words, his brother could no longer keep a straight face, his sister became obsessed with cuddling the baby, his mother joined a parenting reality show so she could spend more time with him, and his invisible father flew home overnight.

*

On the show, Luo Yu was the kind of child other people's parents dreamed of. When the other children threw tantrums about getting up, he had already folded his own little blanket.

When the other children fussed over their meals, he turned the show into a food-streaming program.

Just before filming ended,

Tangtang, Guanguan, and Qiqi: "I want to sleep with Xiao Yu!"

A certain famous little terror who wouldn't let go of him: "No! Xiao Yu can only sleep with me."

Little Luo Yu blinked his big round eyes. "No. I already promised Mommy."

The little terror: "Then I'll get in line. None of you are allowed to."

The next day, another little head appeared in Luo Yu's bed. The little terror held him like a baby and sang a horribly off-key nursery rhyme...

On camera, the little boy in cartoon pajamas was nestled in his arms. His glossy black hair was flattened by his pajamas, and his delicate, doll-like face was tucked inside the gaping mouth of a dinosaur.

Comments:

"As expected, you have to start catching your wife when she's little. Childhood sweethearts are just too cute!"

"Another day of being tricked into wanting a baby. How can I get an angelic little one like this?"

"The rainbow-colored sack is ready. This must be the fastest way to get a pretty little baby."

Luo Yu: The little one is well-behaved, but Auntie, you mustn't commit a crime!

Bonus Scene:

Little Luo Yu had a problem lately. The production crew had assigned a new task: a family visit on set, and his mother had given him the chance to choose who would come.

But... Xiao Yu was having a hard time deciding. Whichever person he chose, the two left out would get mad. He pinched his fingers and started making phone calls.

Luo Dad: "Sweetheart, I just bought you a plot of land. When the amusement park is built, you can go on every ride."

Luo Sister: "Xiao Yuyu, wait for me. Not a single baby is getting away. Just wait till I come over and cuddle you all, ha ha ha!"

Luo Brother: "Xiao Yu, didn't you say last time that you wanted strawberry pudding? I'll make you some next time we meet."

Little Luo Yu: "Big Brother is the best. Xiao Yu loves you so much."

After hanging up, Little Luo Yu even wiped away his drool. This time, he would pick Big Brother!

[Reading Guide]

* A warm, everyday story about raising a child. The early chapters focus on growing up. There will be no intimate behavior involving minors.

* The love interest is Xiao Shen. He appears on the parenting reality show, around Chapter 10.

Theme: A little darling's life as the beloved child of the whole family.