“You just said you…” Zhao Youlin pointed at Mu Tingfeng and was eagerly hoping to hear a refutation from him to confirm what she had heard was just her own hallucination.
Mu Tingfeng was unhappy. He frowned as if he was not satisfied with Zhao Youlin’s surprised look. Why was she so surprised when he showed his affection for her?
“I said, I am courting you.”
“Courting me? Mu Tingfeng, do you have a few screws loose in your head? Courting me?” Zhao Youlin looked like she had just heard the greatest joke on Earth.
Mu Tinfeng’s expression turned black. All his life, this was his first time pursuing someone so intently, only to be turned down in the end!
Just as he was about to explain himself, Zhao Youlin’s expression turned fierce. A sharp look appeared in her eyes, and there was also a trace of bone-chilling firmness and resolution in them as she abruptly met his gaze.
“Did you forget who was the one who abandoned Joy and me in the first place? What do you want now by doing all these tricks? Is there something you want from Joy and me? Or do you regret it now? You think that the Mu family should have a rightful heir and so, you want to bring back Joy, right?”
Joy buried himself in Zhao Youlin’s arms. Upon hearing Zhao Youlin’s words, his face turned pale. He tightened his arms around Zhao Youlin’s neck, just like a koala bear holding tightly onto Zhao Youlin, as if she was the last straw for him to hold onto from falling into the abyss.
“No! No! Mommy, don’t leave me… I want to stay with you… I don’t want others! I don’t want others… Mommy, don’t leave me… I’ll be a good boy, I’ll be a good boy…”
Joy’s abrupt shouts startled the two who were in the midst of an argument, especially Zhao Youlin. She never thought her sarcastic remarks to Mu Tingfeng had triggered her precious son’s sensitive emotions.
Zhao Youlin felt her rhythm being thrown off by Joy’s cries. She glared at Mu Tingfeng, then urgently lowered her head to comfort Joy, “Good boy, Joy, good boy. I didn’t say that I didn’t want you. I love you more than anything else. How could I not want you, Joy? Good boy, don’t cry. You don’t look cute when you cry.”
“Mommy, I want you, I only want you…” The child was utterly terrified this time. He sniffed. His eyes were red and he grabbed the cloth on Zhao Youlin’s shoulders with his small hands, not letting go even if it costed his life. His teary face showed that he had grown very attached to Zhao Youlin.
Zhao Youlin’s heart melted when she saw his current appearance. At that moment, she seemed to have totally forgotten about the man standing before her. She lowered her head and kissed Joy’s chubby cheeks while saying all sorts of comforting words.
When he saw how intimate the mother-son pair were and how it was impossible for anyone to get between them, Mu Tingfeng’s heart was a little moved. Without knowing what he had in his mind, he subconsciously raised his hand and reached out to Joy in Zhao Youlin’s arms.
“What are you doing?!” Zhao Youlin questioned Mu Tingfeng in a fit of rage. He was immediately snapped out of his daze, and his already outstretched hand froze mid-air; it was just a few centimeters away from Joy.
“Mommy…” Joy’s eyes were clearly filled with fear. He unwittingly moved closer into Zhao Youlin’s arms and leaned against her body.
Zhao Youlin appeared wary. She hugged her child tightly in her arms and instinctively took a few steps back. She was grim-faced and looked as if she would go all out to fight him if Mu Tingfeng so much as dared to take one step closer to them.
When Mu Tingfeng looked at the mother-son pair who perceived him as some kind of monster, a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes. He said bitterly, “I-I… I just wanted to touch him.”
How hilarious was that? Joy was clearly his own flesh and blood. His son had grown up so much, yet he had never touched him, much less hugged him…
A hint of puzzlement flashed in Zhao Youlin’s eyes. She thought to herself. ‘Could my guess be true? The man’s target is actually… Joy?!’
As Zhao Youlin thought of this, Zhao Youlin’s hostility toward Mu Tingfeng deepened. She could give whatever Mu Tingfeng wanted except for Joy.
Joy was her life. If Mu Tingfeng wanted him, he must go over her dead body!
“You don’t have to pretend to be nice. Joy was doing fine without a father before. Likewise, he doesn’t need an unnecessary father in the future!”
Zhao Youlin was merciless in her words. Mu Tingfeng’s face turned pale. He wanted to say something, but something seemed to have stuck in his throat, and he could not find himself saying a single word.
By the time Xia Zhetao arrived in a hurry with the huge bouquet, he was greeted by the awkward atmosphere between the two.
He pushed the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. Mighty Secretary Xia had a lot of experience attending various banquets, and he keenly sensed that there was something unusual. Upon watching the sight before him, he was immediately enlightened.
‘The president has very low emotional intelligence. He must have said something that provoked the former Mrs. President! Tsk, tsk, tsk… It’s time for me to make a grand entrance and save the day!’
Mighty Secretary Xia discreetly felt smug about himself and without saying a word, he dashed over to the front of Zhao Youlin and stuffed the heavy bouquet between the two. He grinned as he said, “Former… Ms. Zhao, President Mu has bought 99 roses for you. He personally picked the flowers for you in the flower shop just now. Look, how beautiful it is!”
Xia Zhetao thought all women were driven by emotions. No matter how angry she was, the moment she was given such a huge bouquet of roses filled with an air of romanticism, her towering rage would subside within an instant and be gone forever.
Sadly, unbeknownst to him, the woman before him was unfortunately out of this range.
Zhao Youlin swept a glance at the roses in Xia Zhetao’s hand in disdain. Then, she turned back and looked at Mu Tingfeng. She sneered. “I don’t care what’s the purpose of currying favor with me by sending flowers daily. I just want to tell you that if you ever have the thought of taking Joy back to the Mu family, I won’t let you!”
‘W-What’s going on?!’ Xia Zhetao was taken aback by Zhao Youlin’s sudden outburst.
Mu Tingfeng’s eyes sparkled. He opened his mouth as if he was about to defend himself. But Zhao Youlin interrupted him once again.
“Mu Tingfeng, don’t forget that you have given up on Joy by signing the agreement yourself. Joy has nothing to do with you now. Regardless of whether you regret it, please don’t come to bother us in the future! Remarry me? Let me tell you, if you want to remarry me, you must first please my son. Otherwise, forget about it. Joy cries each time he sees your stoic face, much less think about staying under the same roof in the future. In addition, if I remember correctly, you still have Ms. Su, right? Ms. Su is pregnant with your child now. So, please at least get your acting done properly. Handle her first before you want to talk about remarrying me!”
‘W-What…?! The president has a mistress on the side?! Moreover, the mistress is already pregnant with his child?! No way! This is way too much!’ He needed some time to calm himself.
