Joy bit on the cotton candy. He had pondered for a brief moment before he nodded his head and said, “I want to go inside and play.”
Zhao Youlin thought to herself, ‘He has truly caught me by surprise. Why didn’t I realize that this brat was actually this bold any sooner?’
Mu Tingfeng had been overhearing the mother-son duo’s conversation at the side quietly. When he noticed the slight change in Zhao Youlin’s expression as soon as she heard Joy’s response, a sort of emotion obviously appeared in his eyes.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Upon hearing Mu Tingfeng’s words, Zhao Youlin immediately turned her head around and glared at him. ‘Darn it! What the hell is this rascal talking about? Who says that I fear ghosts?’ In fact, she had never feared such things!
When Joy heard Mu Tingfeng’s words, he also followed suit and said, “Mommy, don’t be afraid. I’m here as well. I would protect you.”
Zhao Youlin thought to herself, ‘Why do I have a sense that Joy had been brought down by a certain one?!’
In the end, Zhao Youlin succumbed under Joy’s gaze. She heaved a sigh and entered the pitch-black haunted house with Joy together with Mu Tingfeng.
In the dark cave, only some dim and faint lights were turned on for them to see clearly the path beneath their footsteps so that they at least would not trip.
Amidst dim lights and shadows, a sense of bone-chilling eeriness and creepiness crept down their spines.
Under the dim and faint light, Joy widened his large eyes and looked carefully at the pathway in front of him. Meanwhile, Zhao Youlin was very focused on Joy who was walking in front of her. The mother-son pair each had their own thoughts in mind that they did not notice there was another man gradually approaching them until…
The sudden soft touch on Zhao Youlin’s side of her face caught her by surprise. She nearly screamed out in place. Her body turned stiff and she looked at the side, only to be greeted by a familiar handsome face.
“Mu! Ting! Feng!” Zhao Youlin deliberately spoke in a low voice. However, her voice carried an obvious hint of anger.
Mu Tingfeng reluctantly straightened his body in fondness. He seemed like he still had not had enough of it and pouted his lips. He ignored Zhao Youlin’s furious response and said, “You kissed him just now.”
What he actually meant was that Zhao Youlin had just kissed Joy, but not him. So, now he was asking it back on his own.
Him? Was he referring to Joy? She vaguely recalled that she had kissed Joy a while ago…
The next moment, Zhao Youlin fell speechless. Was this guy jealous of his own son?!
Zhao Youlin rolled her eyes at Mu Tingfeng fiercely. She then went over to Joy.
Luckily, the inside of the cave was pitch-black. Otherwise, Mu Tingfeng certainly could notice her reddened face as a result of her anger and embarassment.
Mu Tingfeng, who had successfully stolen a kiss from Zhao Youlin, did not bother with her angry glare. He was in a good mood and the corners of his lips curved upward. Likewise, he also walked over to the mother-son pair.
A gust of wind blew in out of nowhere. As the wind hit the hard solid cliff, it gave out a creepy sound like a ghost’s scream and this made them have goosebumps.
Suddenly, a dark shadow jerked out from the side. It had messy long black hair. Its face was as white as a ghost and crimson blood was streaming down from its eyes.
Joy, who was at the front of the line, was the first to be frightened. His small face turned ghastly pale. He turned around and threw himself into the person behind him without caring much less who the person was. He clung to the person’s thigh tightly, not willing to let it go even if it had to cost him his life while screaming in tears, “Ahh! Mommy, it’s very scary!”
“Joy…” Zhao Youlin’s concerned voice rose. But, her voice did not come from above him. Instead, it came from the side.
“Eh?” Joy was stunned. Only then did he realize the thigh that he had been clinging to was… different from usual… It felt harder and was not as soft as his mother’s.
Joy tilted his head in puzzlement. He looked in the direction of the thigh that he had been holding to and gradually looked up. Finally, he saw the true appearance of the owner of the thigh he had been clinging to.
“Ahhh…” Joy sucked in a cold breath and stared at his hand which he had been holding Mu Tingfeng’s thigh. Just as he wondered if he should let it go, he was rooted to the spot helplessly. He stared still at Mu Tingfeng with his large eyes.
In fact, Mu Tingfeng was equally as shocked as Joy.
Originally, he thought that he would follow behind the two quietly and watch over them. He never thought that this munchkin would throw himself at him and even cling on his thigh, not willing to let go at all costs.
When he met the child’s bizarre gaze the moment Joy looked up, Mu Tingfeng instantly knew that this child had lunged at the wrong person,
Mu Tingfeng contemplated for a while before he gradually bent his body down.
While Joy was thinking about how he should escape from this, suddenly, he felt that the shadow above his head was moving. He looked up and saw Mu Tingfeng’s face was approaching him. He was so scared that he immediately closed his eyes. He was afraid that Mu Tingfeng would strike him.
However, instead of feeling the pain, Joy felt a pair of huge and warm hands gently go through his armpits and slowly hold him off the ground.
Joy opened his eyes in panic as he felt the sudden weightlessness. The next moment, he was greeted by the sight of a face, so close so that their noses were touching.
The man’s face was still as cold and hard as he had been in his impression. The man looked very serious, but his hand… as Joy was in his embrace, he felt it very warm as well as having a sense of… security.
Joy hesitated for a while before he tentatively touched Mu Tingfeng’s shoulders. After he was convinced that Mu Tingfeng was not angry, only then did he slightly act bolder by wrapping his arms around Mu Tingfeng’s neck.
After doing all this, he found that Mu Tingfeng did not look unhappy. Joy completely let down his guard. He wrapped his arms around Mu Tingfeng’s neck tightly. His eyes sparkled with happiness and he indulged himself in this embrace which he was fond of.
This person was taller and stronger than his mother. Therefore, his arms were much larger than his mother’s. His hands were much larger than hers.
This person could easily wrap Joy entirely into his arms without leaving a gap. Without knowing why, Joy felt very happy… very happy as he nestled in his embrace.
Mu Tingfeng’s move stiffened slightly because of Joy’s action. The milky scent that only belonged to a child slowly entered into his nostrils via the breeze and spread to other parts of his body.
The child in his arms was very soft and huggable. He was so soft that Mu Tingfeng could not help but worry that he might hurt him if he exerted slightly more force on him.
This was not Mu Tingfeng’s first time hugging a child. However, he never even once felt like this when he hugged a child. A child in his arms which he had been so protective over and he was incredibly comfortable with.
The speed of his heart rate increased as he felt the child’s breath in the crook of his neck. He felt the blood flowing through his entire body boiling uncontrollably.
This child was his son. He had his bloodline in this world and was the closest person to him!
Zhao Youlin had been observing this quietly at the side. Her expression had changed from initial surprise to helplessness and… relief.
In fact, what she had told him about Duan Yarong not being at home and so she had to take Joy out because she was worried about him being bored at home were all but lies and excuses.
