“Mommy, please let daddy stay in our house!” The little boy implored on behalf of his daddy.
“Xiao Ze, our house is too small to accommodate him.”
“Not really! If you think it’s too crowded with the three of us sharing a bed, then I’ll sleep in my own small bed tonight. You and daddy can share a bed.” The little boy had it all figured out.
Gong Yexiao gave the little boy a peck while praising him, “Our son’s arrangement is very reasonable.”
Cheng Liyue was about to go crazy. “Absolutely not.”
“Daddy, let’s go and play with my toys, okay? Let’s not disturb mommy while she’s cooking!”
“Alright.” The man readily agreed.
Cheng Liyue’s cheeks heated up. In the afternoon, she had some doubts whether Gong Yexiao truly cared for her son, but they have now been dispelled. She felt relieved. As long as Gong Yexiao was sincere towards her son and showered the little one with his love, she could actually tolerate this man.
She would let him and her son foster their affections for each other so long as he did not cross her bottom line. After all, her son had already known about his father’s existence. There was no reason for her not to let them meet.
Cheng Liyue opened another bag of noodles and placed them in the pot. She was planning on adding another portion.
In the living room, Gong Yexiao looked around this small unit. The furnishings were rather simple but it could be seen that this woman had put in effort to decorate the place, adding warmth to it.
“Daddy, this is my bedroom.” The little boy opened the door his room. A small children’s bed was arranged alongside the wall. A pile of toys were stacked on the rug that was laid next to the bed.
“Daddy, do you want to see our photo album? There are photos of me when I was little!” The little boy wanted his daddy to know more about him.
Gong Yexiao naturally wanted to find out about the moments that he had missed out on. He gave him a nod and let out a chuckle. “Yes, show it to me.”
“En!” The little fellow walked to Cheng Liyue’s room and pulled open the drawer. He reached in and took out the album.
Gong Yexiao received the photo album and flipped open the cover. The first photo was of her holding onto her newborn son. She was dressed in a hospital gown. Her head was lowered as she gazed tenderly at the little boy who was wrapped in a towel lying in her arms.
Gong Yexiao stilled in shock. Staring at his son in the photo, warmth flooded his heart. And then there was this woman. Although she appeared disheveled with her hair in disarray, her face glowed making her looked beautiful and lovely.
“This was when I was born. Mommy said she did not have it easy when she gave birth to me.” His eyes misted over as he looked at this photo of his mommy, his heart aching.
Gong Yexiao flipped through the album. There were all photos of his son after he was born. Some were individual shots of his son, some were of the mother-son pair. It was evident from each photo that this woman was very attentive towards her son. In every photo, Cheng Yuze was dressed up adorably. His chubby looks, coupled with that innocent and unrestrained grin was proof enough that he had been cared for properly by this woman.
Gong Yexiao’s heart softened. Coming to the end of the album, he now had a better grasp of Cheng Liyue’s character as a mother. She was, at any rate, a qualified and competent mother.
Closing the album, Gong Yexiao reached out to caress the little boy’s head. “Don’t you worry. From now on, daddy will always be with you and will never be separated from you.”
“En!” The little boy bobbed his head. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around his daddy’s neck.
The delicious aroma of food drifted out from the kitchen. Cheng Liyue brought out a small bowl and two bigger bowls and divided the noodles into three portions.
Smelling food, the little boy was the first to rush over. Gong Yexiao followed behind the little boy, the expression on his face was inscrutable. He gazed at the woman who was setting the table, wearing a blue floral print apron. She had changed into a long, loose-fitting shirt with her long hair tied in a loose ponytail. Standing under the light, she exuded a virtuous air.
Cheng Liyue cast a glance at her son and turn to fix her eyes on the approaching man. His presence seemed to make the room smaller.
“Have some noodles.” Cheng Liyue said. She untied her apron and sat down at the table, placing the bowl with the largest portion towards him.
Although Gong Yexiao had not tasted it yet, the aroma itself was enough to whet his appetite. He sat down and saw Cheng Liyue who was holding onto the little boy’s bowl, blowing on the steaming noodles for the child. She was very considerate towards the little fellow.
“Mommy, I’ll do it myself. You must be hungry too.” The little boy felt sorry and took his bowl from her.
Cheng Liyue gently warned, “Alright. Be careful when you eat. Make sure not to scald your tongue.”
“En!” The little boy picked up his chopsticks and grabbed some noodles with it. Puffing up his cheeks, he exerted all his strength as he blew on it twice before putting it into his mouth.
Gong Yexiao gave a quiet laugh as he gazed fondly at his son.
Cheng Liyue curved her lips into a smile. Looking up, her gaze met that of the man sitting across her. Their gentle smiles lingered in their eyes. As he looked at her, his gaze turned bold, seductive and dangerous.
Cheng Liyue averted her eyes, refusing to meet his.
But a blush crept up her cheeks.
The man was calm and composed as he fixed his gaze on her and smiled wickedly.
Cheng Liyue thought: this was her home, why should she be afraid of him? She raised her head and shot him a glare.
But this only caused his grin to widen. This woman was quite amusing.
All the while the little boy had been blowing on his noodles and did not notice the silent interactions going on between his daddy and mommy.
Gong Yexiao lowered his head to have a taste. Cheng Liyue stole a glance at him while he took the first bite fearing that it would not suit the taste of this rich young master. But it appeared that he did not dislike it as he immediately took another bite. Apparently, it was to his liking.
Cheng Liyue was also starving. She lowered her head to eat while checking on the little fellow from time to time. In the silence, a harmonious atmosphere settled upon the family of three.
Once they were done with their dinner and the utensils were washed up, it was already half past eight. Wiping her hands dry, Cheng Liyue came out of the kitchen and saw the man sitting on the sofa playing building blocks with his son.
The little boy looked up and said, “Mommy, I want to build a castle that looks as good as daddy’s.”
Cheng Liyue smiled and then said to him, “Head to your room and build it. I need to talk to your daddy for a while.”
Seeing that his daddy and mommy were going to whisper sweet nothings to each other again, he obediently took the bucket containing his building blocks to his room and shut the door.
After her son had closed his door, Cheng Liyue placed both hands on her waist. She fixed the impassive man who was seated on the sofa with a stare, as his intense gaze settled on her.
“Gong Yexiao, you’ve had your dinner. Shouldn’t you be on your way now? I don’t want to chase you out in front of my son.” Cheng Liyue said.
Gong Yexiao arched his brow. “Who said I was leaving? I’m staying the night.”
“There’s no room for you to sleep.”
“I don’t mind sleeping in your room.” The man replied, unperturbed.
Cheng Liyue gritted her teeth. “But I mind. I don’t like men sleeping in my bed.”
“It’s no use even if you dislike it. I’ll be sleeping in your bed tonight.” The man was used to having his way. He did not know how to smooth things over.
Cheng Liyue’s beautiful face was drawn tight. It really was not that easy for her to chase him out. She nibbled on her lip. “Alright, you can stay for just one night. But starting tomorrow, you can’t be here anymore.”
She yielded. It’s not that big of a deal. She would just sleep on the sofa tonight.Chapter 51: A Family of Three