Her son was not a baby. Why would he suddenly ask for baby milk powder?
“My son, dearest, why do you want to drink milk made from baby milk powder?”
Hearing his mother’s voice, Fu Tingyu got a fright of his life, causing the spoonful of baby milk powder in his hands to spill all over the table.
“Are you alright? You’ve spilt it all. You really should be more careful, my dear.” Mu Shengwan arrived at her son’s side, admonishing him gently.
Just then, a small head popped out from Fu Tingyu’s side and stared at Mu Shengwan curiously.
Mu Shengwan was startled upon catching sight of the young girl who had suddenly appeared.
How did she appear out of thin air?
The little ball of sunshine was not afraid of strangers, just as a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. Tugging at the hem of Fu Tingyu’s shirt, she warbled excitedly, “Milk! Milk!” The young girl’s voice was sweet and filled with childish innocence.
A tender smile tugged at Fu Tingyu’s lips as he peered down at the child clinging onto him.
However, the smile on his lips did not last for long. His mother was eyeing him expectantly, and it would not do for him to ignore her. “It’s for her to drink,” Fu Tingyu said, speaking as if it were a matter of fact.
Mu Shengwan was roused from her stupor by her son’s words.
The young girl, whose milky complexion resembled a glutinous rice ball, was one of those everyone adored.
Mu Shengwan was no exception. The moment she laid eyes on the girl, she instantly took a liking for her.
“My son, where did you find this cute little cinnamon roll?”
“I picked her up on the way here.”
“… Picked her up?”
Fu Tingyu responded very seriously, “I want to keep her. She is mine from now on.”
“…” Mu Shengwan, “My son, a girl is not an object – she is not an item to be discarded the moment you grow tired of her. If you intend to adopt her, it’ll be a commitment for life.”
“I don’t think of her as an object. How can objects compare to her?” Fu Tingyu nodded sagely.
“Very well. If that is your decision, I shall not interfere. After all, my son is not someone ordinary people can compare to.”
Though she appeared supportive of her son’s actions, Mu Shengwan reserved a small measure of scepticism. In her eyes, Fu Tingyu was still a brat. What would a brat know about the responsibilities entailed in adopting a child?
“I’ll eat and live with her, just like my parents,” Fu Tingyu said simply.
Mu Shengwan’s mouth twitched. What was this child of hers thinking?
“Mother, don’t you think she is very likeable?” Fu Tingyu asked.
“I won’t deny that she is. It wouldn’t be bad if we were to adopt her.”
A passionate fire welled up from with him. Enthusiastically, he said, “Mother, I will take it you have given me your seal of approval. If so, you wouldn’t mind if I were to take care of her from now on, would you?”
“Give me a few days. I’ll inform you of my decision then.”
“Okay.”
The young girl’s origins were revealed the very next day.
The girl’s parents posted news of their daughter’s disappearance with a photo attached. Several news stations were quick to catch wind of this piece of information, and soon it became headlines across the country.
With great reluctance, Fu Tingyu parted with the little girl feeling more than a little downtrodden.
He had taken great pains gaining the little girl’s trust only for her to be sent away. It was not fair!
On the day the girl was returned to her biological parents, Fu Beichen punished his son by starving him for the day and forcing him to recite the family’s code a thousand times; he was even grounded! The punishment he received was light in comparison to what he could have received.
He could not even say goodbye!
…
…
…
Ye Luo, who had been waiting outside the whole night, stared at the hotel with an inscrutable expression.
On the previous two occasions, the Fourth Young Master was quick to return. Yet, today, the Young Master had not come back despite the brightening skies.
Had the Young Master finally given in to his true nature?
In the hotel…
Fu Tingyu slept on the sofa that night. As long as he could stay by his wife’s side, he did not care about the small details.
When he got up, the first thing he did was call Ye Luo and ask him to send a fresh set of clothes over.
Afterwards, he prepared breakfast.
When Qin Shu woke up, she found no trace of Fu Tingyu. Doubt flashed in her eyes. Since he was not around, she decided to wash up.
Just as she was about to step out of the bathroom, she walked into the tall figure of a man standing at the door. Who else could it have been other than Fu Tingyu?
He had changed into a new suit. It was well-tailored but not ironed.
“Babe, breakfast is ready. You should eat before it gets cold.” Fu Tingyu said softly. He wanted to smile at her, but he feared she would think he was fishing for compliments.
Qin Shu ignored him and walked straight into the dining room.
A piping hot breakfast, freshly prepared, was laid out on the dining table.
As soon as she stepped into the dining room, Qin Shu smelt the fragrance of millet porridge.
She picked a chair she liked and sat down, scooping spoonfuls of the tasty porridge into her mouth, a tiny bit at a time.
Fu Tingyu sat in the seat opposite hers. Judging from the look on her face, he could tell how much Qin Shu enjoyed the meal he had prepared.
Recalling how she had been going out these past few days, Fu Tingyu offered a suggestion, “Babe, do you want to go out and have some fun? I’ll go with you.”
Qin Shu ignored him.
Fu Tingyu was not angry at being ignored. He ate a few mouthfuls of rice and said, “Have you been to the Century Gardens? Lucaya’s gardens are famed across the world. Would you like to go and take a look?”
Qin Shu did not deign a response.
Fu Tingyu pursed his lips. “Oh right, Babe, have you thought of a name for the baby?”
Qin Shu paused for a fraction of a second before continuing her meal.
Being ignored once again, Fu Tingyu remained silent, deciding to keep his peace while she ate.
After eating, Qin Shu walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. She picked up her laptop and balanced it on her lap.
In the past, Qin Shu had no problems propping up a laptop on her lap.
But now, as her stomach grew bigger and bigger, it became harder and harder for her to type on the keyboard.
Fu Tingyu looked in the direction of the living room. After eating breakfast in silence, he called the hotel staff to clean up the empty plates.
At this moment, his phone rang.
He took out his phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Qin Feng.
Answering the phone, he heard Qin Feng’s voice. “Where are you? Have you found Ling Bao?”
Fu Tingyu paused. “I found her.”
“Really?” Qin Feng was thrilled. “Where is she? Let me speak to her.”
Fu Tingyu frowned. “I’m at a hotel.”
He sent the hotel’s address to Qin Feng.
After sending it, he put away his phone and walked into the living room.
Seeing Qin Shu seated on the sofa, Fu Tingyu took the opportunity to sit beside her.
Qin Shu did not look at him and continued typing away on her computer.
Fu Tingyu stared at her helplessly. Up close, he noticed how thin she had become.
A month away from her, and she had lost weight. Why did not she take better care of herself?
However, no matter what he said, it was useless.
“Babe, Qin Feng called just now. He said he wanted to talk to you.”
Qin Shu’s hands stopped moving. Qin Feng was coming?
She and Qin Feng were fellow disciples.
Could it be that he wanted to talk to her about what happened on Mount Qi?
A knock sounded at the door not a while later.
It was probably Qin Feng.
“I’ll go get the door.” To no surprise, Qin Feng stood outside, waiting.
“Come in.”
Qin Feng obliged readily. He saw a woman sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, a laptop propped over them.
The woman’s bulging stomach was plain for all to see.
Black hair fell on her shoulders, covering half of her face.
With her head lowered, her features were indistinguishable.
Fu Tingyu closed the door behind them. He shot Qin Feng a wary glance, noticing how his eyes were glued on her motionless form. Coughed lightly, he said, “Please have a seat.”
Only then did Qin Feng react. He walked over and sat down on the seat opposite Qin Shu.
Qin Shu looked up for the first time since Qin Feng entered the room. She was already acquainted with him. Outside of being surprised, she showed no other emotion on her face. Qin Shu still was not sure where they stood, and their relationship was tenuous at best.
However, Qin Feng was different. It was his first time meeting Qin Shu. Previously, she had masqueraded as a man, dressing up in men’s clothes and wearing make-up to modify her features. Now that he could see her completely bare-faced, he was shocked.
It is often said that as a person grows up, their appearances change, save for the shape of their eyebrows, and the light in their eyes.
