“Jingwan, have you gotten the money?”
Qu Qingyu looked at the people in his surroundings but could only lower his voice to coax the missy on the other end, “Trust me. I really need money now. Rest assured; I definitely didn’t do anything sorry toward you.”
“How much do you want?”
“One million.”
“So much? Where will I find that much for you?” Although she was already mentally prepared, she was still surprised by the amount.
“You must trust me; I truly need it now.”
“I’ll try asking mom for it, so just wait a bit; I’ll hang up if there isn’t anything else.”
“Mhm, okay. Hurry; I’ll wait for you.”
She hung up and quickly phoned her mother. She spent a lot of effort before she managed to ask for a million but did not mention who needed it.
When Pei Ge was done with her yoga and returned to the living room, she noticed that her two cute children were lying on their stomach at the carpet and reading a children’s book while her other son was missing.
“An An, did you see your brother?”
“No.” The boy shook his head; he tried to recall if his brother had appeared this afternoon.
After retrieving water from the fridge and taking a few gulps, his mother continued asking, “Is he upstairs?”
“Mommy, I saw little brother enter Auntie Qu’s room.” Ran Ran looked up and blinked her large eyes at her.
“Then, what did your auntie call him for?”
“I don’t know.” The girl shook her head.
“Do you want me to go call Ping An down?” The older boy stood up and asked.
“No need, no need. Let him play upstairs.” She stopped drinking water and smiled at her son. “I was just asking because I didn’t see him downstairs with you guys.”
“Okay, mommy.” He nodded.
When she finally saw Ji Chi again, it was evening. The setting sun dyed the sky red as it hung there with a handful of floating clouds.
Qu Jingwan entered the door holding a sweaty boy.
“Little brother, where did you go?” The girl jogged and pulled to her brother’s hand. “Why are you so dirty?”
“We went to the amusement park.” The missy told her.
Holding a towel, the latter’s hands shook. The look of desolation that flashed in her eyes did not escape the other. Receiving the towel from her, the missy waved at the boy. “Baby, come here; I’ll wipe your sweat for you, then bring you for a shower.”
The boy first looked at Pei Ge, who was standing behind her, before walking over.
“Look; you’re so sweaty and dirty after riding the roller-coaster. Shall I bring you to take a shower later?”
“Okay.” He nodded.
“You guys went to the amusement park?” Upon hearing that, his sister excitedly stood beside him. “What’s fun there?”
“There’s so lots of fun stuff there. It has the Ferris wheel—”
Qu Jingwan interrupted him. “Baby, let’s go; we’ll take a shower upstairs first before coming down to eat.”
Before he could reply, she held his hand and led him upstairs.
“Mommy, why is auntie treating little brother so good?” Ran Ran blinked her large and beautiful eyes, asking curiously as she watched the two leave.
“Let’s not care about this. Let’s go; I’ll slice an apple for you guys.”
Pei Ge felt uneasy upon hearing her daughter’s words. What is she planning?
When it was almost bedtime, she was folding clothes on the bed when the boy opened the door and walked in. “I… I came to get my stuff.”
She looked up at him and asked, “Aren’t you sleeping here with me today?”
“No.” The child shook his head. “I will not be sleeping here tonight and not in the future, too.”
“Are you going to sleep with your auntie?” She frowned. She had yet to spend time properly with him, and Qu Jingwan was already about to steal him from her side.
The boy picked up his things. His gaze was cautious and his voice was not as hesitant as before. Instead, he became resolute and stern. “Yes.” With that, he quickly ran out of her room sans a backward glance.
“Ping An.” She chased after her son but knocked into a well-built figure.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ji Ziming frowned, feeling perplexed when he saw her this nervous. “Did you quarrel with Ji Chi?”
“I didn’t. I didn’t quarrel with him at all.” She watched the boy enter that lady’s room. The instant the door closed, her tears almost fell, too.
“Then, what happened to you?”
“I don’t know what happened, but Ping An went out with Qu Jingwan this afternoon. They went to the amusement park, and when he returned, he was already like that. He just took his clothes and ran to sleep in her room. Why did you hold me back? I have to chase after him and get him back.” She tried to get out of his grip; alas, her strength was much worse than his.
The man turned to look in the direction of the other woman’s room as his dark eyes deepened. He then pushed Pei Ge back into their room. “He won’t come back with you even if you pull him out now.”
“No, he is my son. Mine!” His woman choked as tears dripped down from her eyes.
Feeling heartache, he gently patted her back and kept consoling her. “Don’t be afraid. You still have me. He’ll remember that his mother is you and not Qu Jingwan eventually. This is only temporary.”
“Really?” She leaned against his chest, her tears drenching it.
“Yes, trust me; I’ll make sure he does.” His eyes glinted coldly, making one unable to see the emotions in them.
“I’m afraid.” Pei Ge wept in a low voice.
“Don’t be afraid. You still have me. Give Ji Chi some time.”
“I’m very afraid that he won’t remember that I’m his mother. I’m very afraid that he’ll truly forget me.”
“You need to give the boy more time. Have you forgotten why we called Qu Jingwan here?” He continued consoling her in his magnetic voice. “She came to our house only to make the boy stop crying. As long as he doesn’t cry, his eyes will get better slowly. When he’s finally recovered, he’ll naturally remember you.”
“Okay.”
Once she finally stopped crying, the man released her, only to find that her makeup was mostly smudged and that there were traces of it on his chest.
Pei Ge eyed the stain on his clothes. Recalling that this was an expensive handcrafted suit, she could not help but reproach herself. “Sorry for dirtying your clothes.”
He raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears.
“You’re much more important than a piece of clothing.”
