Early next morning, dawn’s rays passed through the gaps between the motley branches and leaves and spilled onto the windowsill. Ye Zhen woke up from dreamland and opened her eyes. She blankly looked at the ceiling. Once she was fully awake, she immediately thought of Zhouzhou.

She remembered checking Zhouzhou’s temperature last night.

Incapable of focusing on too many things at once, Ye Zhen lifted up her blanket and got out of bed. On her way out of the room, she draped an outer layer over her shoulders and saw a post-in on the bedside table. Each stroke on the post-it was seriously written and the ink penetrated through the paper.

-- Zhouzhou’s temperature is normal. Don’t worry. The movie matter has come to an end for the time being. You’ve been working hard lately. Take the week off and rest at home.

Ye Zhen didn’t have any memory of returning to the bedroom last night. Lu Beichuan probably carried her back, but she didn’t think too much of it. Preoccupied with thoughts of Zhouzhou, she put the note in the drawer and walked over Zhouzhou’s room, which was right next door. Nanny Yue was currently feeding Zhouzhou milk.

Ye Zhen stroked Zhouzhou’s forehead and whispered, “Nanny Yue, how’s Zhouzhou’s temperature?”

Nanny Yue smiled. “Don’t worry. The doctor checked this morning. There’s no serious issues.”

Ye Zhen sighed in relief and held her hand out for the milk bottle. “Give it to me.”

Nanny Yue took the milk bottle out of Zhouzhou’s mouth. Zhouzhou, who had his hands around the milk bottle and had been drinking the milk with shut eyes, sucked on empty air. Not getting any milk, he smacked his lips. Unhappy, he pouted and was about to cry.

Ye Zhen hastily took him from Nanny Yue. Holding this little ancestor, she carefully coaxed him, “Baby, don’t cry. Mom is here.”

The little dumpling was small and thin. During this age when he was so fragile, Ye Zhen was worried that he would bump into or knock against something. She didn’t even dare to use too much strength in holding him for fear that she would hurt him.

Zhouzhou, who had been about to cry, immediately smiled when he saw Ye Zhen. He hugged Ye Zhen’s neck like a monkey and wouldn’t let go. Scared, Ye Zhen hurriedly put her arms behind Zhouzhou’s neck and waist to prevent him from accidentally falling back and getting hurt.

The little fellow didn’t take Ye Zhen’s nervous motherly mindset into consideration at all. Opening his mouth, he giggled. He was radiant with delight. Saliva flowed down from the corners of his mouth as he stared at Ye Zhen with a pair of big eyes that were as bright as stars. Ye Zhen’s nervous expression was reflected in his pure and limpid eyes. He laughed even more like a silly, little fool.

Ye Zhen could only silently think to herself that this was her son and bring the milk bottle to Zhouzhou’s mouth. “Be good and finish the milk. Mom will stay at home to spend the day with you.”

Zhouzhou was a little rascal. Hearing the words, he perceptively held the milk bottle and quietly drank the milk. He didn’t need anyone to fuss over him at all.

After finishing the last drop, Zhouzhou presented both sides of the milk bottle to Ye Zhen as if it was treasure.

“So well-behaved! You finished it all!” Ye Zhen took a glance and kissed Zhouzhou’s cheek. The scent of milk and a baby’s tender chubby face made Ye Zhen kiss his cheek again. “Mom will stay at home to keep baby company. Okay?”

It might have been the tone of Ye Zhen’s voice or her kisses. Zhouzhou happily gesticulated with his limbs before hugging Ye Zhen’s neck and looking very dependent.

Ye Zhen wanted to go wash her face, brush her teeth, and change her clothes, but that little ancestor wouldn’t let go of her neck. As soon as she tried to pull his arm away, he would open his mouth and loudly cry.

Mother Lu, who had been eating breakfast downstairs, heard Zhouzhou crying and rushed upstairs.

Zhouzhou was truly well-behaved in front of outsiders usually. He wouldn’t cry or fuss. When people tried to tease him, he would ignore them. He was so quiet that there was a period of time when Mother Lu wasn’t able to sleep well. She feared that there was something wrong with him. She had brought him to the hospital to check. It was only after the doctor said there was nothing wrong with Zhouzhou that Mother Lu finally put down her worries.

Later on, they discovered that Zhouzhou behaved this way in front of everyone except Ye Zhen. When Ye Zhen was around, he acted like a little money that wanted to wreak havoc. Whenever Ye Zhen held him, he wouldn’t let go. Once Ye Zhen wanted to leave, he would bawl as if the sky was going to fall. He sounded so pitiful. Mother Lu’s heart felt as if it was breaking when she heard him like that. No matter how they tried to coax him, it was ineffective. However, as long as Ye Zhen really left, this little monkey spirit would wipe his tears, ignore everyone else, and go play by himself.

By now, Mother Lu understood this rascal’s routine, so she didn’t feel bad for him at all and was no longer concerned.

“Zhenzhen, you can go wash up and change clothes. I’ll watch him.”

Ye Zhen was deeply worried while she held Zhouzhou, who had a face full of tears. She didn’t know what was wrong with him. He wouldn’t stop crying no matter how she coaxed him. She glanced at Mother Lu and back at the crying Zhouzhou. “I’ll go change clothes then. Mom, keep a close eye on Zhouzhou.”

“En, go ahead.”

Right after Ye Zhen put Zhouzhou down on the crib. Zhouzhou immediately turned over and bawled as he looked at Ye Zhen from the crib. Pea-sized tears fell from his eyes. He insistently pulled on Ye Zhen’s clothing to keep her from leaving.

Not knowing the truth, Ye Zhen assumed that Zhouzhou hadn’t fully recovered and wasn’t feeling well. “Mom, what’s wrong with Zhouzhou? Is he not feeling well? Is the doctor still here?”

Mother Lu looked at her rascally grandson. She walked over and pulled Ye Zhen away. “It’s fine. Go change clothes. I’ll have Nanny Yue call the doctor over.”

Ye Zhen looked at Zhouzhou a few more times. He looked as if they were never going to see each other again. “Okay, I’ll go then.”

Once Ye Zhen left the room and the door was closed, the little fellow’s crying gradually died down. Perhaps, he knew that Ye Zhen had really left. Now that the person he wanted to cry in front of was gone, he stopped crying. Hiccuping and with his butt sticking out, his back figure looked so pitiful.

Mother Lu sat down across from him and seriously looked at him.

“Lu Zhifei, you’re just a little kid. How do you have so many tricks already? Starting from today, grandma is going to set the basic rules down. You’re not allowed to act pitiful anymore in front of your mom.”

There was no movement.

Mother Lu touched his head and nudged it towards her. She continued to say, “Zhouzhou, turn around and look at grandma!”

Zhouzhou shrugged his little body. With wobbly lips, he turned to silently stared at Mother Lu with teary eyes.

Those were truly exquisite and crystal-clear eyes. They looked like fathomless black glass that had been washed in water. A single glance was enough to make you fall in love. When he looked at you with such a pitiful and teary eyes, how could you not find him pitiful?

Mother Lu’s heart softened. She could only bear to say a few words of reproach before giving in. She quickly picked him up. “Zhouzhou, be good. Don’t cry. Grandma will take you to find mom right away.”

Fortunately, Ye Zhen had finished changing. Mother Lu waited outside the bathroom while holding Zhouzhou. Watching his mom washing up, Zhouzhou laughed.

Ye Zhen naturally ended up eating breakfast under Zhouzhou’s gaze. Holding Zhouzhou with one hand, she ate breakfast using her other hand. Eating breakfast this way took her nearly an hour.

After breakfast, they went to the living room. The weather was fairly warm, and there was a thick carpet covering the living room’s bright marble tiles. Stepping on the carpet felt soft and warm and wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feet. The carpet was piled with children’s toys. Mother Lu placed Zhouzhou on the carpet and let him play by himself.

However, Zhouzhou wasn’t interested in those toys at all. He cheerfully crawled towards Ye Zhen. Holding Ye Zhen’s foot, he looked up and smiled. Ye Zhen picked him up to play with him, but once he was nestled in her arms, he didn’t want to move.

Mother Lu told her that recently Zhouzhou had been ignoring everyone and didn’t like to move around. All he did every day was sleep and drink milk. When she picked him, he would fall asleep in the next second. Other kids his age were already crawling around, but he spent his day lazily lounging in bed. Several strands of Mother Lu’s hair had turned white recently.

Ye Zhen was really worried that this little guy would grow up to be a bum.

“Zhouzhou, how about we build something with your blocks?”

Zhouzhou paid no heed to her. He was perfectly content with lying in Ye Zhen’s arms, holding his milk bottle.

Ye Zhen coaxed him until her lips turned dry, but the little brat still wouldn’t move. He was a lazy little fellow. Vexed, Ye Zhen swatted his little but twice. Perhaps, his diaper was too thick, or maybe he was too chubby. The little brat wasn’t afraid of the pain and even grinned at her.

Ye Zhen truly felt helpless. Taking care of a child was much harder than resolving issues related to a movie. Just as she was about to bring Zhouzhou upstairs, she heard Zhouzhou, who had a grip on her pants, raise his head and call out something that sounded like, “Mama.”

Ye Zhen didn’t immediately notice. She crouched down and picked up Zhouzhou.

“Mama…”

This time, Ye Zhen clearly heard him softly calling out “mama”. It sounded very close to “mama”, but his pronunciation wasn’t standard, the tone was off.

“Zhouzhou? Did you say mama?”

Zhouzhou giggled. He opened his mouth and called out, “mama” again.

“Mom!” Ye Zhen’s surprise only lasted for a moment. With her heart leaping and feeling utmost joy, she yelled upstairs, “Mom! Zhouzhou said mama!”

Mother Lu rushed downstairs. “He said mama? Zhouzhou, call grandma. Come, say grandma.”

“Mama…”

“Mom! Did you hear that?”

“I heard it!” Mother Lu smiled. “Zhouzhou’s smarter than Beichuan. Beichuan didn’t say mom until he was one year old. Our Zhouzhou isn’t even one yet and already knows how to say mama. He’ll definitely be even better than his dad when he grows up! Isn’t that right, Zhouzhou?”

Zhouzhou smiled at Mother Lu and spat out a bubble.

At the mention of Lu Beichuan, Ye Zhen hastily called Lu Beichuan. She wanted to share this news with him as soon as possible.

In Lu Corporation’s conference room, Lu Beichuan was listening to the CFO talk about this quarter’s financial report with furrowed brows. The atmosphere in the conference room was extremely quiet and oppressive. Everyone was holding their breath. Other than the sound of the CFO speaking, there was no other sound in the room.

Suddenly, a phone vibrated.

The screen on Lu Beichuan’s phone lit up. The caller was Ye Zhen.

The CFO stopped talking, and everyone looked at Lu Beichuan.

Lu Beichuan briefly considered before answering the call.

“Zhouzhou said mama! Listen!” Ye Zhen’s delighted voice came from the phone. Her voice was especially clear in the totally silent conference room.

Everyone’s expression stiffened. Soon after, they looked away and lowered their heads.

Lu Beichuan expressionlessly stood up. He swept his gaze over everyone. “Ten minute break.”

After saying that, he strode out of the conference room. The remaining people took a long exhale in relief.

Outside the conference room, Lu Beichuan’s expression softened as he held the phone to his ear. The corners of his lips were curved up as he listened to Ye Zhen chattering.

“Zhouzhou, say mama for dad to hear!”

He had no problem saying it earlier, but now that Ye Zhen brought the phone in front of him, he wouldn’t say a word.

“He was saying it earlier…” Ye Zhen mumbled, looking thwarted.

“Mama…”

The gloom on Ye Zhen’s face immediately scattered like clouds moving aside to show the sun. She said with delight, “Did you hear that?!”

“I heard.” There was a warm and pampering smile on Lu Beichuan’s face. “I heard Zhouzhou say mama. Congratulations.”

Ye Zhen was smiling so hard that she was speechless. For an inexplicable reason, she wanted to cry.

It was at this moment, hearing her son calling her mom, that she felt all her efforts and hard work was worth it. It was worth it to do her best to protect him and love him. The hardship of her pregnancy was still vivid in her memory. Just thinking about the pain of childbirth made her rather die than go through that again. But now, she thought it was all worth it.

The evening, Lu Beichuan deliberately stopped working early and came home. Right after stepping into the villa, he was greeted with the sound of happiness and laughter.

Lu Beichuan had a tiring day at work, but he couldn’t help curving the corners of his lips. All that exhaustion was dispersed by those happy sounds.

“Beichuan, why are you home so early? Have you eaten yet? I’ll have someone warm up the food.”

Lu Beichuan took off his jacket and tossed it on the sofa. “Mom, don’t bother with that. I already ate at work. Where Zhenzhen?”

“She went upstairs.” Mother Lu lightly smiled. “Zhouzhou can say mom now. Zhenzhen’s been happy all day. Go upstairs and keep her company.”

Lu Beichuan understood Mother Lu’s meaning. There was no crack in his usual expressionless face as he nodded and went upstairs.

Inside the room and on the bed, Ye Zhen was currently teaching Zhouzhou to recognize images of animals.

“This is a big tiger, this is a little lion…”

Hearing the smile couldn’t be hidden in Ye Zhen’s voice, Lu Beichuan lowered his head and couldn’t help laughing. He strode into the room and saw Ye Zhen holding Zhouzhou while pointing at the cartoon animals in the picture book.

“Mr. Lu, you’re back so early today. Not busy?”

“It’s okay.” Lu Beichuan sat down next to Ye Zhen and listened to Ye Zhen continuing to teach Zhouzhou.

“This is a little mouse, this is a little rabbit, the little rabbit is so white, both its ears are perked up…”

Lu Beichuan looked at Ye Zhen’s beaming face. Underneath the light, her fair skin was bright, and he could clearly see the fine hairs on her skin. It was said there was an implicit charm to looking at a beauty under artificial light. Caught up in the moment and mostly out of a man’s instinct, Lu Beichuan lightly kissed Ye Zhen’s cheek.

Caught off guard, Ye Zhen didn’t have any look of resistance. She only looked at Lu Beichuan, and then at Zhouzhou. Rather embarrassed, she lowered her voice to say, “What are you doing? Zhouzhou is here!”

Lu Beichuan’s voice was hoarse. “He couldn’t understand anyways.”

“He’s so young. Don’t lead him down the crooked path!”

Zhouzhou, who was being held in Ye Zhen’s arms and who Lu Beichuan said couldn’t understand, stretched his hand out and smacked Lu Beichuan’s face. Baring his teeth, he stared at his dad.

Ye Zhen lowered her head and tried her best to not smile. It was really hard keeping a straight face. “Zhouzhou is still young. He doesn’t know anything, so please don’t lower yourself to his level.”

Zhouzhou’s slap had broken Lu Beichuan out of his mesmerized state. He unhappily stared at Zhouzhou with furrowed brows. The more he looked at him, the more he thought this brat had done that deliberately.

As for the little brat in Lu Beichuan’s eyes, he was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. He stared at him disrespectfully and lazily lied in Ye Zhen’s arms. His gaze was spoiled and prideful. The words, “I have a backer” was practically written on his face.

However, that look was enough for Lu Beichuan to look away. He felt he was being silly. Why get annoyed at something his son did? His son was so little.

“Alright, you took care of Zhouzhou all day. You’re tired and so is Zhouzhou. Give him to me, I’ll bring him to the nursery.”

Ye Zhen had been okay before Lu Beichuan mentioned it, but once he did, her muscles feel stiff all over, especially on her arms and shoulders. She felt soreness at the slightest movement.

“I’ll coax him to sleep. You can take a shower first.”

Lu Beichuan glanced at Zhouzhou, who was lying in Ye Zhen’s arms and walked into the bathroom without saying a word.

About half an hour later, after Zhouzhou had been coaxed to sleep by Ye Zhen and she brought him back to his nursery, Lu Beichuan finally came out of the bathroom. Ye Zhen noticed the time and raised her eyebrows. “Half an hour, why do you take longer to wash up than a woman? Were you trying to wash off an ink stain?”

Lu Beichuan hadn’t dried off yet. His hair was dripping wet, and there was a large wet spot on his pajamas.

He concisely answered, “The hot water is broken.” And left for the study.

Ye Zhen stepped into the bathroom and checked the water.

Huh? There was nothing wrong with the hot water.

***

It was twilight, and the clamorous villa had gradually fallen silent. Lu Beichuan was leaning on the headboard and reading the latest news. Ye Zhen was studying an area of filmmaking that she wasn’t familiar with as a producer. Lu Beichuan would occasionally ask her about what happened during the day and Ye Zhen would answer with a few words.

When 10:30 PM arrived, Ye Zhen yawned and put down the materials in her hands to go to sleep.

Lu Beichuan casually asked, “There’s a function I have to go to in two days. I need to bring a female companion.”

Ye Zhen was very sleepy. She drowsily asked, “When?”

“Next Wednesday.”

“Sure.” Ye Zhen had self-knowledge of her position as Mrs. Lu. “I definitely won’t embarrass you when the time comes.”

Lu Beichuan’s smile was hidden in the light’s shadow and couldn’t be clearly seen.

***

Whether it was her family or her career, everything was going in a good direction. All of the plots in the novel seemed to have been changed. During this time, Ye Zhen was busy with Zhouzhou and work matters related to the movie. Thus, she naturally didn’t pay attention to other people’s affairs.

When Wednesday arrived and she found out who the host for the reception was, she was stunned for a long time.

The reception that Lu Beichuan mentioned was actually a birthday reception. Haibin’s mayor was celebrating his wife’s birthday. The guests were naturally honored to get an invitation and dressed up beautifully. They wanted to glamorously shine at this reception.

Wasn’t this Ye Qing’s opportunity to appear in front of socialites and shine radiantly and elegantly in the novel?

In the novel, that mayor’s wife was very satisfied with Ye Qing’s performance. She had profusely praised Ye Qing for being elegant and well-educated. It was exactly because of this that Lin Zhan and Ye Qing had risen up a level in Haibin. Following Ye Qing’s friendship with the mayor’s wife, the mayor viewed Lin Zhan in a new, favorable light. It would serve as a new starting point for Lin Zhan.

Now that the plot had changed, Ye Zhen was curious if she would see Ye Qing at this reception.