Volume One, Chapter 83: Qin Minshu Throws Herself Into His Arms

Huo Cong was taking a shower in the bathroom, and Ye Sheng didn't dare go far. In a new environment, everyone feels a sense of unfamiliarity, especially children. She sat in the living room, knitting a scarf, listening attentively for any sounds, not in a hurry to wash up herself.

The scarf was being made for her sister-in-law. This year, Sister Se had asked for a bright red one, saying she wanted a lively, auspicious color for her zodiac year. Thinking about her brother Ye Zhun and Yin Se, who had been going through cycles of breaking up and getting back together for years, with no clear decision even now, Ye Sheng wondered if they were planning to spend their lives in this endless quarrel.

There was only a little finishing left on the scarf, and Ye Sheng worked swiftly with her needles. Handicrafts were a habit she had developed as a child; this mechanical kind of work required little thought and was very soothing for her.

The doorbell rang, and Ye Sheng got up to answer it.

Xiao Bei stood there in a fluffy little panda pajama set, looking unbearably adorable. "Hi, Sheng Sheng, can we come in?"

"Come on in," Ye Sheng said, flicking one of his panda ears playfully. She got slippers for the two of them. She exchanged a glance with Huo Lintong, and both of them smiled.

The two of them were wearing matching loungewear—white on top and black on the bottom—looking for all the world like a couple. It was a coincidence that they had chosen the same style, while Huo Xiao Bei had brought an identical set as a gift for Huo Cong.

...So, when Huo Cong came out of the shower, he was promptly dressed up by Huo Xiao Bei as a little blue duck.

Only after putting it on did Huo Cong begin to complain, frowning. "What is this supposed to be?"

"A duck," Huo Xiao Bei replied, tugging at the little feet on the pajama pockets, thinking Huo Cong looked impossibly cute dressed this way.

Huo Cong looked at him. "And what are you?"

"Panda," said Huo Xiao Bei.

"Why are you a panda and I'm a duck?" Huo Cong was puzzled.

"What's wrong, you don't like it?" Huo Xiao Bei blinked his eyes earnestly. "I also have a pink pig set. Do you want that instead?"

Faced with a choice between a pig and a duck, young master Huo Cong ultimately chose to be a duck.

The television was on in the living room. Huo Cong and Huo Xiao Bei, dressed in cartoon pajamas, sat on the sofa watching cartoons, each holding a bowl of steamed milk pudding—made by Huo Lintong.

Ye Sheng, seated at the dining table, was just about to start eating hers when Huo Lintong came over with a medical kit and sat down beside her.

"Spoon in your left hand, give me your right hand," he said.

Ye Sheng was slightly taken aback before realizing that Brother Lin intended to treat her wounds. "It's just a few scratches, they've already healed," she said. She hadn't thought much of the injuries on the back of her hand.

"Nail polish is full of bacteria, it needs to be disinfected," Huo Lintong insisted, ignoring her protests. He dipped a cotton swab in iodine and carefully tended her wounds, his expression serious. "Such beautiful hands mustn’t be left with scars."

Ye Sheng suddenly looked up, taking in Brother Lin's gentle but meticulous face, his features calm, yet his eyes deeply set.

Her fingers were held firmly, and after the medication was applied, he lowered his head and gently blew on the back of her hand...

Her heart, cold for so long, was suddenly scorched.

Ye Sheng bit her lip.

"Does it hurt?" Huo Lintong looked up, his gaze deep, somehow different from usual.

Ye Sheng felt a lump in her throat and didn’t dare meet his eyes.

"No, it doesn't hurt."

—

In the morning, Ye Sheng asked Huo Cong to call Huo Mingtian.

Hearing his son's normal voice, and learning that he’d slept well, Huo Mingtian felt both relieved and a little wistful. He himself had slept poorly the night before, thinking about his son—and about her.

"Where's your mother?" Huo Mingtian asked. Huo Cong, not as talkative as Huo Xiao Bei, silently handed the phone to Ye Sheng.

Ye Sheng was crouching to straighten out Huo Cong's wrinkled pants, the phone clamped between her shoulder and ear. "Go ahead," she said.

For some reason, just hearing her voice made Huo Mingtian react in an unsettling way. He shifted a little, waited a couple of seconds, and asked, "Have you... have you both eaten? Do you want me to come pick you up? I could bring you some breakfast?"

Ye Sheng replied coolly, "No need, we have breakfast here. After we eat, I'll take Cong'er to school. You go take care of your own business."

Huo Mingtian could hear them leaving, and then heard Huo Xiao Bei's voice, which made him frown.

"Are you taking Cong'er to Grandpa Jiu’s for breakfast?"

"Yes," Ye Sheng replied, calling out "Brother Lin," just to make sure the person on the other end of the line knew—this was your grandfather, not mine.

Huo Mingtian was silent.

Breakfast tasted more and more bitter. After a few bites, Huo Mingtian went to the office, determined to finish his work quickly and take Ye Sheng and their son out for dinner that evening.

He had just walked into his office when a soft, warm figure threw herself into his arms, wrapping herself around his neck.

"Mingtian, pay attention to me..."