Chapter 3.1

When Zhou Liwen called, Du Lingyun was in a meeting with his team members. He acted decisively and swiftly, issuing several instructions in a row and ending the meeting as quickly as possible.

After everyone left, Du Lingyun closed his laptop while instructing the round-faced man beside him.

“Weihao, keep an eye on the progress for me in the meantime. Something came up at home. I’m heading back first.”

Wang Weihao was over thirty years old, yet he had a round, baby-like face. Following beside Du Lingyun, who was younger than him, he actually looked like a little brother. But having earned a PhD from Stanford University in the United States, he had no choice but to admire Du Lingyun, because although the other had never studied abroad, his abilities surpassed his own. Several of the company’s most profitable systems were led by him in development, and now he was actively challenging the latest artificial intelligence.

“What’s wrong? Could it be your wife…” caused some trouble again?

Mentioning Du Lingyun’s wife was enough to give anyone a headache—a classic princess syndrome case. Relying on her background, she never lifted a finger at home. Not long ago, she had no idea what got into her, but she made several scenes at the company, stirring up all sorts of rumors and completely embarrassing Du Lingyun, a grown man.

As his team member and close buddy, Wang Weihao could not help but shed a tear of sympathy. What a good, outstanding man his brother was! How did he end up saddled with such an ungrateful woman?

“It’s not Lanxi.” Thinking of his wife’s elegant smile that morning, her slightly fawning demeanor, and that table of dishes she had meticulously prepared early in the morning, Du Lingyun instinctively wanted to defend her. “It’s Yangyang.”

“What’s wrong with Yangyang?” Wang Weihao asked worriedly. “Isn’t my cousin taking care of him?”

Du Lingyun did not explain. “Anyway, I need to go back and check. For tonight, trouble you to lead everyone in overtime.”

“Sigh, when the devil boss gives the order, what can us team members do? We’ll just work overtime! Even if we’re exhausted to the point of needing IV drips, we’ll accept it… But when the project succeeds, you have to fight for more bonuses for all of us.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let the company shortchange you all.” Du Lingyun was a man of his word; he would rather take less for himself than let his subordinates’ hard work go unrewarded.

This was something Wang Weihao completely believed. He had never disappointed those who followed him.

After giving instructions, Du Lingyun took the elevator to the underground garage and drove out in his white Lexus RX, which he had bought just two years ago. He originally chose this SUV for the convenience of taking the whole family on weekend outings, but it had never been used for that purpose.

Du Lingyun smiled bitterly with astringency, started the engine, and sped home smoothly like flowing clouds and water. As soon as he entered the door, he heard a childish scream.

His heart tightened. He strode quickly toward the source of the sound.

Zhou Liwen had called to say that Lanxi insisted on keeping Yangyang at home, and Yangyang did not object. His mind had been in turmoil, deeply afraid that in a moment of impulse, she would commit another grave mistake.

But thinking of the playful breakfast she made for Yangyang that morning, and how excited and happy Yangyang’s smile had been then, he hesitated again—should he give her one more chance?

Was he the one who was wrong?

If Yangyang got hurt again, he swore he would strangle her with his own hands…

A ruthless glint flashed in Du Lingyun’s eyes, his expression turning sinister. He rushed to Yangyang’s room and kicked open the half-closed door. But the scene that met his eyes made him freeze.

It was not the violent scene he had imagined. The mother and son were in the middle of a pillow fight. Yangyang laughed and screamed while dodging the pillow Mommy gently threw at him, and he retaliated with a soft pillow of his own in his arms.

“Got you!”

“No, Mommy, that tickles! It tickles so much, haha…” Yangyang gasped for breath. His small body was completely enveloped in Mommy’s arms as she pretended to tickle under his armpits. The mother and son laughed together in a heap, Yangyang’s little face flushed red, his eyes brighter than Du Lingyun had ever seen as a father.

“Yangyang…” Du Lingyun murmured softly, watching the woman hug and fiercely kiss their son’s cheeks, and the son returning several wet kisses. His eyes could not help but sting with unshed tears.

When had Yangyang ever been able to play so happily with Mommy? He knew very well this was the deepest wish in his son’s heart—a wish he had never dared to voice or even think about.

At this moment, he actually felt like crying…

“Daddy is back!” Yangyang noticed him first and came running over with a laugh.

Cheng Yu also saw him. For a moment, she felt at a loss, awkwardly smoothing her messy hair and the wrinkles on her dress.

She must look like a crazy woman right now.

She felt a bit embarrassed, yet she did not regret playing with Yangyang like this. Seeing the child’s incomparably bright smile, no matter how disheveled she looked, it was worth it.

“You’re back. Have you eaten?” She smiled slightly awkwardly and asked softly.

He stared at her meaningfully. “…Not yet.”

“Then I’ll go prepare it right away.”

Watching his wife’s hurried departing back, Du Lingyun’s eyes grew deeper. After a while, he turned to his son, his tone gentle.

“Yangyang, what did Mommy do just now?”

Dinner was beef curry rice, served with creamy mushroom soup and a refreshing tofu vegetable salad. For dessert, there was a colorful fruit pudding.

The father and son both ate to their hearts’ content. Yangyang reached out to pat his full little belly, saying he was so full he was about to burst.

Cheng Yu immediately became a bit nervous, worried about the child having indigestion. She took Yangyang’s hand and wanted to go for a walk in the nearby park to help digestion.

Yangyang held Mommy’s hand with one hand and grabbed Daddy’s big hand with the other, insisting the three of them go together.

The two adults exchanged an awkward glance but neither refused the child’s request. They accompanied him for a walk in the small park nearby.

They watched him chatter a string of childish words to the neighbor’s little dog, and only after reluctantly saying goodbye to the puppy did he follow Daddy and Mommy home.

After putting the child to bed and tucking in his small blanket, when Cheng Yu turned off the light and quietly left the child’s room, she unexpectedly saw Du Lingyun standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes.

She was stunned for a moment, then hurried over. “Put them down. I can wash them.”

Du Lingyun glanced at her but continued his actions, skillfully scrubbing the dishes, rinsing them, all in one smooth motion.

Cheng Yu stared at him in a daze. She had not expected that after working outside all day, he would still be willing to help wash dishes when he got home. Weren’t most men at this time eager to sprawl on the sofa like a couch potato?

Seeing she really could not interfere, she could only stand beside him, taking the clean dishes he washed, carefully wiping them dry with a soft cloth, and placing them on the rack.

After a long while, she finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Those injuries on Yangyang’s body… were they caused by me?”

Hearing this, Du Lingyun froze. His sharp gaze swept toward her.

She pursed her lips bitterly. “Why… would I do that? When did it start? Why didn’t you stop it!”

As she spoke toward the end, she could not help feeling some resentment and blame toward this man. He was Yangyang’s father; he should protect his son, right? How could he allow his wife to abuse the child.

Du Lingyun’s gaze darkened, his expression gloomy. “You weren’t like that before. At most, you were a bit cold toward Yangyang, unwilling to spend time with him. Three months ago, perhaps something happened at your company, some work issues. You got drunk at home. Yangyang wanted to comfort you, but you hysterically scolded him and grabbed him, pinching hard…”

Hearing this, Cheng Yu’s heart was already pounding like a drum. She clenched her hands tightly.

“I was working overtime at the company those few days. Yangyang didn’t tell me either. It was Zhou Liwen who discovered it and told me. Later, when I confronted you, you cried and hugged Yangyang, repeatedly saying sorry. Yangyang also pleaded for you, saying it was because he was naughty that he made Mommy angry… I made you swear that you would never drink at home again and never treat Yangyang like that. You clearly regretted it, but I don’t know why, more than a month later, you got drunk again and hit Yangyang again…”

“That’s too much!” Cheng Yu could not listen anymore. A raging fire burned in her chest. She gritted her teeth angrily. “How could anyone do that?”

Du Lingyun looked at her strangely. Cheng Yu immediately felt embarrassed. In this man’s eyes, weren’t these excessive things exactly what she had done? What right did she have to be so indignantly angry?

“That time, we had a big fight. You went crazy, blaming everything on Yangyang, saying that if not for having him in your belly, you wouldn’t have trapped yourself in this marriage… You hated Yangyang and hated me, making noise about divorcing me.”

Cheng Yu listened with her heart pounding, her throat bitter. “Did you agree?”

“That fight scared Yangyang badly. Though the child is young, he knows what divorce means. He cried, begging Daddy and Mommy not to divorce, saying he wants Daddy and also wants Mommy…” Du Lingyun said, his voice becoming even more hoarse and low. “For the child’s sake, I hoped you would think it over carefully. You didn’t say anything at the time. After a while, one day when you were bathing Yangyang, you reached out and pinched him again…”

Cheng Yu let out a gasp, covering her lips with her hand.

No wonder when she said she would help Yangyang bathe, he had that struggling expression. Yet even if he was that afraid, he still agreed to her.

This child wanted his mommy. Time and again, with his pure and sincere heart, he tried to please his mother, only to be hurt again and again.

Poor child…

Thinking this, a sour ache twisted in Cheng Yu’s heart. Her eyes stung slightly.

“After that day, you ran away from home.” Du Lingyun concluded the explanation faintly.

So that was how it was.

No wonder this man had such a cold attitude toward his wife when he saw her in the hospital.

“I’m sorry.” Cheng Yu murmured softly. Although those terrible things were not done by her, since she had now occupied this identity, she should bear this responsibility.

Du Lingyun stared at her complicatedly. “I can see that you really want to be a good mommy to Yangyang now, and Yangyang likes the current you very much.”

She indeed wanted very much to be a good mommy to Yangyang.

Cheng Yu raised her eyes to look at the man in front of her. Unknowingly, her gaze revealed a trace of longing and hope.

Du Lingyun noticed it and felt a stir in his heart. “A child’s heart is very pure. Because he recognizes you as his mommy, he is willing to forgive you again and again. Even knowing you treat him badly, he still wants to get close to you… But no matter what, injuries are injuries. Wounds on the body may heal, but wounds on the heart may not disappear. Don’t wear away the child’s love for you!”

Cheng Yu nodded vigorously like pounding garlic. “I know, I know. From now on, I absolutely will not hurt Yangyang again. Give me one more chance. I will be good to him!”

He looked deeply into her eyes. “I hope this time, you don’t forget your promise.”

Du Lingyun finished washing the last dish and turned to leave.

Cheng Yu looked at his tall and straight back and could not help calling out. “Du Lingyun, thank you.”

He turned back in surprise.

“Thank you.” She whispered seriously. “I will cherish the chance you give me. Believe me.”

Du Lingyun raised his brows, forcefully suppressing the strange emotion in his heart, and lightly nodded.

Cheng Yu smiled faintly. That smile was like a spring breeze blowing over the water, rippling circles on the surface.

In the following week, Du Lingyun gradually felt that this home was different.

Every day when he returned home, no matter how early or late, there would always be a light on in the house. She would inevitably wait for him at the door, preparing dinner or supper for him, running bathwater, and so on.

The house was cleaned spotlessly every day, without even a speck of dust. His shirts and trousers were ironed perfectly straight. Even his ties and socks were arranged neatly in the wardrobe.

She dismissed the hourly housekeeper. All housework was done by her own hands. And somehow, not only did she place several foliage potted plants around the house, but she also created a small garden on the balcony. White orange blossoms, purple hyacinths, tender yellow phalaenopsis orchids bloomed brilliantly, full of vibrant life.

When did she learn to grow flowers?

Du Lingyun was puzzled. Even more puzzling was that after picking Yangyang up from the nanny’s, she no longer kept distance from the child like before or found him noisy. Instead, she would spend the entire evening patiently playing with Yangyang. When coaxing him to bed, she would even read bedtime stories to him.

She did everything perfectly, without any flaws. Diligent and conscientious. But precisely because it was too perfect, it made him feel somewhat uneasy.

This was too unlike Jian Lanxi, right? He even had an absurd feeling, as if his wife had been secretly replaced by someone else.

Was she going a bit overboard?

Just like now, she was kneeling on the kitchen floor, cleaning the tile grout square by square meticulously. It was already very clean, yet she obsessively kept scrubbing hard.

“Lanxi!” He could not help calling out to her.

She jolted, looked up and saw it was him. She hurriedly tried to stand up, but her legs had gone numb from kneeling, and she could not stand steadily for a moment, swaying.

She quickly reached out to steady herself on the edge of the counter, but her finger accidentally scraped across it, cutting a wound.

“Ah.” She realized something was wrong and withdrew her hand to check. He grabbed it first.

“Be careful!” Seeing blood on her finger, he frowned slightly. “I’ll go get a bandage.”

“No need. It’s just a scratch.”

He ignored her and directly fetched the first aid kit himself.

“I, I can do it myself.” She stammered.

He glanced at her sideways. That look immediately intimidated her. She stood there awkwardly, not moving at all, letting him gently hold her injured finger. He first dabbed the blood with cotton, then applied iodine, and finally put on a bandage.

“Don’t let the wound touch water.” He reminded her. His voice was warm and mellow, stirring her heartstrings.

Why was he being so gentle with her?

She panicked and pulled back her hand. Her heart skipped a beat. Her ear tips faintly turned red.

“I, I know.” Saying that, she picked up the cloth again, wanting to wipe the floor.

His brows furrowed even tighter. He snatched the cloth away. “No need to wipe! The floor isn’t dirty at all.”

But if she did not wipe, what else could she do?

Her gaze shifted, avoiding his overly penetrating eyes. “Then do you want to take a bath? I’ll go run hot water for you.”

He did not respond yes or no, just stared at her. “Is Yangyang asleep?”

“Asleep.”

“Then sit down.” He pointed to the dining table. “I have something to say to you.”

“Oh.” She nodded, but did not go over immediately. First, she poured out two cups of the richly brewed fruit tea from the stove, then carried the tray over.

Translator’s Note: This novel is fully translated and available to read at Kofi Shop .