Xu Xiuhe had Shen Yin go take a shower first, while he took little Xu Yunzheng to another bathroom.
It wasn't Xu Xiuhe's first time bathing the sleeping Xu Yunzheng, so he was more at ease this time around. He was feeling a bit proud of himself when suddenly, Xu Yunzheng opened his eyes in the tub.
"Papa, find Mama," Xu Yunzheng said sleepily.
"Good boy, Mama is also taking a shower. You can find her after she's done," Xu Xiuhe reassured him.
Xu Yunzheng closed his eyes again and dozed off in the tub. Xu Xiuhe quickly steadied him, worried that he might fall into the water if he slept too deeply.
After Shen Yin had showered and dried her hair in the bedroom, Xu Xiuhe finally brought Xu Yunzheng out of the bathroom.
"You two go to sleep first. I'll take a shower now," he said.
After Xu Xiuhe went in, Shen Yin tucked Xu Yunzheng in with a light blanket and lay down beside him.
Perhaps from exhaustion, before Xu Xiuhe even came out, the mother and son were sound asleep on the bed.
It was a tranquil night, with no moon outside, only twinkling stars visible through the window. After closing it, Xu Xiuhe quietly lay down beside Xu Yunzheng.
How fortunate he was, this cold and aloof man, to have such warmth around him. How fortunate he was to have found such a good wife.
They slept well through the night, and surprisingly, little Xu Yunzheng was the first to wake up in the morning.
"Flower, flower," he said, lying in bed and looking left and right, his big eyes playing with his own fingers.
Suddenly, his hand smacked Xu Xiuhe's face with a pat.
Xu Xiuhe opened his eyes, dazed and confused as to why he had been slapped first thing in the morning.
"Flower, Xu Yunzheng wants flower," the little one declared.
Understanding, Xu Xiuhe got up, changed his clothes in the closet, then came back and grabbed Xu Yunzheng to take him in too.
"Xu Yunzheng, you can't just hit people, you know," he scolded, holding the boy under his armpits with both hands, Xu Yunzheng's body dangling uncomfortably as he kicked his legs.
"What clothes do you want to wear?" Xu Xiuhe asked, freeing one hand to point at Xu Yunzheng's little wardrobe.
"Wah wah wah, want Mama," Xu Yunzheng cried.
"A little man doesn't cry. Mama is sleeping, we can't bother her now," Xu Xiuhe said firmly.
Xu Yunzheng stopped crying. "Papa, want flower."
"Alright, Papa will get the flower first, but before that, you need to get dressed."
Not waiting for Xu Yunzheng's preference, Xu Xiuhe grabbed a white t-shirt and black cargo pants from the wardrobe and put them on the boy.
After getting dressed, Xu Xiuhe carried Xu Yunzheng out, tiptoed to the living room, took out his phone and called Liu Bo.
"Liu Bo, bring Xu Yunzheng's flower to Qinghe Villa."
Hanging up, Xu Xiuhe took Xu Yunzheng downstairs. There were many breakfast stalls on this street, so he bought some food.
On the way back, they ran into Mrs. Su.
"Xu Yunzheng, say good morning to Grandma," Xu Xiuhe instructed.
"Good morning, Grandma," Xu Yunzheng said sweetly.
"Good morning. Out buying breakfast?" Mrs. Su asked.
"Yes, just bought some, heading back now," Xu Xiuhe replied coolly, as he did with unfamiliar people.
"What about your wife?" Mrs. Su inquired further.
"Still sleeping," Xu Xiuhe answered shortly.
"Oh, a young lady came looking for your wife last night. She seemed familiar, like that Zhou Man from before," Mrs. Su recounted with a smile.
Zhou Man? Xu Xiuhe vaguely recalled Shen Yin mentioning her before but wasn't clear on who she was or why she would be looking for his wife now. He grew concerned that Shen Yin might not be able to handle it alone.
When they arrived at Qinghe Villa, the studio staff were already there. Xu Xiuhe carried Xu Yunzheng upstairs to find Shen Yin coming out of the bedroom.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked groggily.
"Didn't want you to be tired. Sleep in a bit more," Xu Xiuhe replied.
"I'm awake now."
"Alright, come eat first then."
After breakfast, Liu Bo called to say he had delivered the flower and tied it to the door handle before leaving.
"Aren't you going to work today?" Shen Yin asked, as Xu Xiuhe would normally be at the company by now.
"I said we're dating today," he answered playfully, making Shen Yin blush.
"What's dating? Xu Yunzheng wants to date too," the little one chimed in.
"Xu Yunzheng, you're too young for dating. Dating is being together with someone you like. You can only date when you're 18," Xu Xiuhe explained patiently.
"Xu Yunzheng likes Mama, Xu Yunzheng wants to date Mama," the boy declared innocently.
Xu Xiuhe's face darkened. "Xu Yunzheng, dating is not for children. And you can't date Mama - Mama can only date Papa, understand?"
Shen Yin gave Xu Xiuhe a kick under the table, but he just smiled at her in response.
After the meal, Shen Yin started painting while Xu Xiuhe watched over Xu Yunzheng beside her.
"Don't you have work to do? You're the CEO, shouldn't you be busy?" Shen Yin asked, feeling self-conscious being watched.
"Not busy, I have Assistant Liu," Xu Xiuhe brushed it off nonchalantly.
The phone on the table rang, and Shen Yin answered it.
"Boss, there's a dog outside our door that keeps barking. Whose dog is this?" the person on the other end questioned.
Shen Yin looked puzzled. "A dog?" Then her gaze turned to Xu Xiuhe.
"Xu Yunzheng wanted his flower, so I had Assistant Liu bring it over," he explained.
Shen Yin spoke into the phone, "It's the dog I'm raising. Why is it barking so much? I'll go down and check."
Hanging up, she told Xu Xiuhe, "Li Huanhuan said the flower keeps barking. I'll go take a look."
Shen Yin put on shoes to head downstairs, but the cautious Xu Xiuhe followed with Xu Yunzheng in his arms.
Downstairs, Li Huanhuan stood by the door. "This doggy won't stop barking. I didn't dare go out since it's tied to the door handle."
Xu Xiuhe carried Xu Yunzheng out and looked around. To the right of the villa, a woman was peeking out from behind the wall.
"Come out," Xu Xiuhe ordered coldly.
The woman cautiously emerged from behind the wall.
"What's your business here?" he asked bluntly, guessing this sneaky woman could be Zhou Man, which made his tone unfriendly.
Intimidated by the large dog, Zhou Man slowly approached.
The flower started barking more aggressively and louder than before, sounding quite fierce now.
The woman, in a tight black dress, came closer. "Hello, this is my friend's shop. I want to know if she's here," she said tentatively, clearly afraid to get closer because of the dog. It was quite a comical sight.
Shen Yin also came out and saw Zhou Man, unsurprised since she had anticipated Zhou Man might come looking for her after the call last night.
