Chapter 4.2

The family of three walked out of the office building. Cheng Yu glanced sideways at Du Lingyun. He noticed her gaze, turned his head to look at her, his starry eyes holding a smile.

Cheng Yu felt her heart flutter and her breath shorten under his gaze. She pursed her lips. “You should have gone on the picnic with Miss Zhou.”

Her voice was low, clearly not wanting Yangyang to hear. Du Lingyun also lowered his volume.

“Why? Are you angry?” The smile in his starry eyes deepened.

Her heart skipped a beat. “I mean, I only made a bento for one person.” Clearly not enough to eat, and…

Before Cheng Yu could figure out what the “and” was, Du Lingyun’s calm voice rose.

“Actually, I never intended to accept her invitation from the start.”

“Is that so?” She snorted coldly, remembering how Zhou Liwen had stood intimately beside him earlier. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart.

“I was just escorting her and Yangyang downstairs.” He clarified.

She turned her head away, her face full of disbelief, her cherry lips pursing again.

He looked at her pursing lips with fresh interest. How had he never noticed this little habit before? Without words, it revealed a cat-like small stubbornness. It looked… a bit cute.

Du Lingyun watched, unable to resist reaching out. His palm cupped her delicate chin, turning her face to meet his.

“Believe me. I will not have any ambiguity with other women behind your back. Not before, and now… even less.”

Was he assuring her? Had he seen that she was jealous?

Cheng Yu felt somewhat embarrassed, somewhat flustered, and somewhat confused in a way she could not sort out. She stared at him in a daze. “I took it upon myself to come to your company to find you. You’re not angry?”

He smiled faintly. “You came to bring me food, to show concern for me. Why would I be angry?”

But Deng Ruofan had said that doing this was a woman checking up on a man.

Cheng Yu lowered her eyes, her heart in turmoil. For a moment, she did not know how to react. Fortunately, Yangyang rescued her.

“Daddy, Mommy, what are you talking about?”

The child raised his head, curiously staring at his parents whispering above his head.

The two came back to their senses at the same time, exchanging a tacit glance.

“We were saying…”

“To lift Yangyang like this…”

“And swing him!”

Saying that, the two cooperated. They simultaneously gripped Yangyang’s small hands and pulled hard, letting the child’s small body swing up off the ground between them.

“Ah!” Yangyang screamed excitedly.

“Is it fun?”

“Fun!”

“Then one more time!”

“Ah! Haha!”

The child’s joyful laughter echoed in the air, lingering for a long time.

In a corner of the bustling city district, there was a small park with vigorous and tall old banyan trees and blooming rose bushes, like a pure land hidden in the worldly noise.

Du Lingyun spread out the picnic blanket he had just bought temporarily under the tree, inviting Cheng Yu and Yangyang to sit down.

Cheng Yu worried there would not be enough food, so she went to a fast food restaurant to buy burgers and fries. However, the big and small males both looked down on the bought food, competing to grab the bento she had made herself.

The sweet and sour cherry pork that the father and son both loved was bitten into Du Lingyun’s mouth. Yangyang’s small hand reached too slowly and missed it. He immediately became unhappy, pouting his small mouth and whining.

“Daddy bad! That meat is mine.”

“Who said it’s yours? Didn’t you hear Mommy say it? This bento is what she ‘specially’ made for Daddy.” Du Lingyun deliberately emphasized.

“I… when did I?” Knowing Du Lingyun was teasing their son, Cheng Yu still blushed uncontrollably, weakly protesting in a small voice. “I clearly said it was just ‘on the way’.”

Du Lingyun glanced sideways at her.

She immediately fell silent, her cherry lips slightly pouting like Yangyang’s, with a touch of defiance.

Du Lingyun saw her unintentionally revealed coquettishness. He felt his heartstrings stir. Smiling, he used chopsticks to pick up a piece of sweet and sour cherry pork and bring it to his son’s mouth.

Yangyang let out a cheer, opening his mouth wide to bite it down, chewing contentedly.

Du Lingyun picked up another piece. This time, he brought it to Cheng Yu’s lips. She was stunned.

“No need. You two eat.”

But he insisted on not withdrawing the chopsticks. The fragrant and soft sweet and sour meat touched her lips, leaving a glossy sheen of oil. Watching it, he felt somewhat dazed. In that instant, he actually thought her lips looked even more translucent and appetizing than the half cherry embedded in the meat.

“Eat a bite.” He said, his voice unconsciously turning low and husky.

She shook her head.

“Be good.” His starry eyes held a smile, as if coaxing her.

Her heart trembled. She did not know why, but she opened her mouth obediently, eating the meat. Yet she forgot to chew, one cheek bulging.

Yangyang saw it and clapped his small hands, laughing. “Haha, Mommy looks like a frog like this.”

What?!

Cheng Yu was startled, looking at the child laughing innocently.

Yangyang puffed out both cheeks hard like her, his black grape-like eyes spinning.

“Fine! You laugh at Mommy being a frog. You’re the little frog!” Cheng Yu pretended to pinch Yangyang’s cheeks, her force light, not hurting at all.

Yangyang knew Mommy was just playing with him and laughed even more happily. His laughter was crisp and pleasant like bells.

Du Lingyun sat to the side, drinking the loving pear water his wife had stewed, watching his wife and son play together. He felt not only his dry and itchy throat moistened, but his long-parched heart was like meeting sweet rain after a drought.

He was lost in thought when Yangyang noticed. Taking advantage of his distraction, he snatched a marinated egg from the bento box, hurriedly stuffing it into his mouth, then smiling triumphantly at Daddy, indicating that the marinated egg Daddy also loved had been taken by him first.

Du Lingyun was not angry at all, only finding it amusing. His large hand formed a fist, playfully tapping his son’s head.

Yangyang dodged while turning to Mommy for comfort. “Mommy, it hurts!”

“Does it hurt?” Though seeing the child was just acting spoiled, Cheng Yu still cooperated seriously. “Come, Mommy will rub it for you. Daddy bad. We ignore him.”

“Mommy, Yangyang wants his own bento in the future too.” Yangyang saw his mother’s gentle demeanor, his small heart comforted, becoming bolder. “Okay? In the future, Mommy make bento for Yangyang too. Then Yangyang won’t have to fight with Daddy.”

“Okay, Mommy will make bento for you. Guaranteed to be even better than Daddy’s bento.”

“Mm mm!” Yangyang nodded happily. After thinking, he added. “Mommy, Daddy not bad. Don’t be angry with him.”

The child’s tone was slightly timid. Cheng Yu was stunned, lowering her eyes. From Yangyang’s gaze, she saw a trace of unease and tension.

Yangyang noticed his mother’s probing look. His small heart pounded chaotically for a while. Still, he gathered courage and said softly. “You won’t fight anymore in the future, okay?”

Cheng Yu’s heart tightened. She could not help looking at the man beside her.

Du Lingyun was also looking at her. His ink-dark eyes were like deep pools, hiding some complex emotion.

“Mommy?” Seeing his mother not answer for a long time, Yangyang became more panicked. His small hand tugged her sleeve, his eyes full of expectation and pleading.

Cheng Yu could not bear to see such eyes, even more could not bear to disappoint the child’s sincere heart. “Okay, Mommy promises you. In the future, I won’t fight with Daddy anymore.”

When saying this, she felt quite uncomfortable and did not dare look at Du Lingyun, so she did not know that when the man heard her promise, his ink-dark eyes instantly lit up with brilliance.

He looked deeply at her, as if wanting to see into the depths of her soul.

The family of three talked and laughed, spending a short but joyful time.

Lunch break had long ended. Du Lingyun had to prepare to return to the company.

Yangyang squatted not far away, curiously watching a nest of ants moving house, his small mouth muttering childish words. Cheng Yu was responsible for packing the remaining food back into the bag one by one. Du Lingyun rolled up the picnic blanket.

Soon, everything was cleaned up.

Du Lingyun proactively took the bag from Cheng Yu’s hand. “You take Yangyang home later. Carrying this is inconvenient. In the evening, I’ll drive and bring it home.”

Cheng Yu smiled brightly. “Okay, thank you.”

Looking at his wife’s sincere and sweet smile, Du Lingyun was momentarily lost in thought. It took effort to find his voice again.

“The one who should say thank you is me.” He slightly lowered his eyes, his voice low and husky. “You don’t know how much I envied others when I saw their wives bringing things to their husbands before.”

Sensing the melancholy in his words, Cheng Yu’s heartstrings tightened.

Du Lingyun seemed to feel he had unintentionally revealed too much emotion. He pulled his lips into a smile, pretending lightness. “But now, I also have someone who cares for me like this.”

Cheng Yu’s ears suddenly turned red. “Who, who cares for you! I just… came on the way.”

“The pear water was also stewed on the way. The bento was also made on the way.” He teased, continuing her words.

Annoyed, she glared at him. Unknowingly, her eyes revealed a touch of coquettish anger.

Du Lingyun watched, his chest warming slightly. “Thank you, Lanxi. I am very happy. Since we got married, this is the first time I have been this happy.”

“It’s just bringing a bento.” She whispered softly, not daring to meet his fervent gaze.

“This means you thought of me. It means you… have me in your heart.” His voice was low, rich, and gentle, softly plucking at her heartstrings.

This fool!

Cheng Yu could not stop her heartbeat from accelerating.

Was it necessary to be moved to this extent over such a simple little thing?

Just how had Jian Lanxi treated him before? Why did she not know how to cherish such a good man?

If in the past, all her efforts toward Deng Ruofan had received such sincere responses, their marriage would not have ended up like that.

Thinking this, Cheng Yu could not help feeling a touch of melancholy. She raised her head to look at the man in front of her, only to see him also smiling at her, his gaze warm like spring sunlight.

She felt warm inside.

Feelings are reciprocal. Marriage requires both sides to give in order to last long. Happiness cannot be achieved through one-sided effort alone.

Without equal return, no matter how much passion, one day it will cool.

And this man was worth her giving warmth to. She hoped to heal all the wounds in his heart, hoped to become a supporting strength for him in his loneliness.

Just like that day, when he held up that umbrella to shield her from the wind and rain…

“In the future, let’s get along well like this, okay?” She raised her eyes to look at him, asking seriously.

He nodded, smiling warmly, his demeanor humble and refined like jade.