After Bankruptcy, the Billionaire Asked Me to Marry Him!
Chapter 327 I’ll Cry with You

Chapter 327: Chapter 327 I’ll Cry with You

"Of course!"

Fu Yanci ruffled Ye Li’s hair with a playful smile. "If some woman suddenly shows up in a regular family claiming she’s carrying your kid, you’d need to confirm it too. Let alone the Fu Family."

"It’s already been confirmed!"

Ye Li nodded at Fu Yanci’s words, but couldn’t help shaking her head. "I have to say, she really botched what could’ve been a winning hand! Incredible, truly!"

As her words fell, Ye Li’s phone chimed with a crisp ’ding.’

She opened it to find a message from Xiao Bao.

[Ye Xiaoli, are you there?]

Ye Li waved the phone at Fu Yanci and replied with a smile, [No, I’m not.]

Then, the girl leapt down the corridor, her footsteps echoing as she ran forward, knocking on a door. "Brother Mu! Brother Mu! Calling Brother Mu!"

Xiao Bao opened the door, his face puffed up with anger, as if saying, "You devious woman!" But visibly, there were no traces of crying or sadness.

Past the figures of the tall and small pair holding hands and walking inside, scattered Lego pieces in countless fractured parts littered the floor.

Fu Yanci’s expression slightly softened.

By afternoon, the Maybach rolled out of the narrow alley, heading straight toward an equestrian center in the suburbs.

...

When Fu Yanci mounted a sleek, glossy black horse and bent down to lift Xiao Bao onto it to ride together,

in a villa in the east of the city, Du Yunshuang was looking at Lin Kerou with a worried expression. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Nothing."

Her eyes slightly reddened, her voice hoarse, but Lin Kerou’s expression remained exceptionally calm. "He’s just a five-year-old child. What could he possibly know? What he sees, what he hears, it’s all what the people around him tell him. Fu Yanci..."

Lin Kerou shook her head. "He’s an upright man. Even if he has deep resentment and hatred toward me, out of consideration that I’m Xiao Bao’s mother, he’d still hold his tongue. But what I’m truly afraid of..."

"You’re talking about Ye Li?"

Du Yunshuang immediately caught on. "I knew it, it must be her stirring up trouble!"

She was filled with indignation and began to grumble under her breath. "People always said that the young lady of the Ye Family was sweet and demure. I never paid much attention before. But now, I’ve seen it for myself! She hasn’t been married to Yanci for long, and she’s already managed to win Old Mrs. Fu’s favor as if she’s a treasure. She must’ve realized that both Old Mrs. Fu and Yanci care about Xiao Bao, so she’s deliberately playing to their concerns. ’Catch the chief first to capture the band’—how could old sayings ever be wrong? She’s a shrewd one!"

Sighing, Du Yunshuang threw Lin Kerou an exasperated look. "And you, since this is true, you should’ve come back earlier. Spend some time winning Xiao Bao over, and wouldn’t everything else fall into place naturally? And now, look at the mess..."

Lin Kerou’s face darkened.

She had made a mistake!

She had overestimated Fu Yanci and underestimated Ye Li.

In the Fu Family, men often married late, especially those who assumed the position of the family head, for whom marriage was of utmost importance.

If not, Fu Mingzhen wouldn’t still be single at nearly thirty.

She thought Fu Yanci would consider marriage seriously only when he approached his thirties, or that he’d choose a well-matched lady from a family of comparable standing among the Imperial Capital’s rich families for a union.

But to her surprise, without a single sound, he had resolved to get married swiftly and decisively.

By the time she heard about the matchmaking event Old Mrs. Fu had hosted at Fu Garden, Fu Yanci and Ye Li were already registered and had brought her home.

How maddening!!!

"Why the rush?"

Though fury roiled in her heart, Lin Kerou maintained a calm façade, lifting her eyes to look at Du Yunshuang. "Aunt Yun, nothing in this world is ever set in stone!"

Du Yunshuang’s gaze faltered.

Not just the world, even within the Imperial Capital’s rich families, nothing was certain!

Drama arose every few days.

"But as of now, you seem to be cornered! Ah..."

Du Yunshuang let out one sigh after another.

Lin Kerou’s expression was indifferent.

Cornered?

Not necessarily!

From beginning to end, Xiao Bao had uttered not a word, not even meeting her eyes.

A faint smile flashed across Lin Kerou’s eyes.

If he hated her, there’d be fire in his eyes.

If he ignored her, she’d appear as no more than a stranger to him, irrelevant.

But in the end, he was still a child, unable to conceal his feelings from his eyes or heart.

He was both fearful of her and yearning for her, his mind tangled and confused, unsure of how to face her. That’s why he kept his head lowered the entire time, refusing to look at her, wasn’t it?

In that case, he must have taken in at least some of her tearful complaints.

The fact that he didn’t outright reject her was already her greatest victory today.

As for Fu Yanci...

Lin Kerou turned her gaze toward the window.

There’s always tomorrow!

She had money, and she had time.

With such a long, lonely life ahead, she could afford to wait!

"Muzhi, Mom knows she was wrong, Mom really knows she was wrong... I’m sorry, so sorry!"

"Why don’t you just die!!! Why did you have to survive? Why???"

"Muzhi, don’t hate Mom, please?"

"Fu Muzhi, I hate you! Heaven, why are you tormenting me like this, why!"

"Waaaah..."

"Ahhhh..."

Two voices.

One was sobbing softly, sorrowful and helpless.

The other was filled with hateful venom, desperate and furious.

Their overlapping cries rang out, making his head throb with pain.

Clutching a pillow tightly, Xiao Bao curled up into the corner of his bed.

The carved redwood bed, which never once wobbled no matter how much he jumped on it, now inexplicably felt like a cage made of barbed wire.

A dark and vast cage shrinking bit by bit, as if he were back in that house where no one came to save him no matter how much he screamed and cried.

Dad, Dad, where are you?

Save me, save me...

Is there anyone?

Save me...

An anguished voice roared in his head, but his throat felt as though it were choked, unable to let out a single sound.

The gritting friction of his own teeth grinding against each other echoed painfully in his ears. He watched as the cage above him grew smaller and smaller and smaller, about to become like a web of barbed wire binding him, sinking deep into his flesh.

Someone, anyone—save me...

His lips were on the verge of bleeding from his biting. Xiao Bao kicked wildly, trying to make himself even smaller.

Smaller—if he could just shrink enough, the net wouldn’t catch him.

But the soft surface at his back made it feel as if no matter how much he tried to retreat, he’d never reach the corner of the wall.

Xiao Bao turned his head and froze.

"Brother Mu, this is Da Bai. Da Bai, this is Brother Mu. From now on, make sure to protect him, okay?"

"Brother Mu, don’t listen to your little uncle. Whether you’re a man or a boy, it’s okay to cry when you’re sad. Don’t be afraid—if you feel bad, come find me, I’ll cry with you!"

"Brother Mu, don’t forget to think about me, okay?"

"Brother Mu, see you next week!"

"Brother Mu..."

One bright, crisp voice after another rang like the melodic rhythm of the wooden fish knocking in his great-grandmother’s prayer room.

Or like the wind chimes swaying under the eaves in autumn.

Jingle!

Jingle-jingle!

The clear sound grew louder, pushing away and dispersing the two voices of sobbing or hate until all was quiet.

"Brother Mu... Brother Mu!"

Coming to his senses, the voice sounded even closer.

Knock knock!

Bang bang bang!

"Fu Muzhi, if you don’t respond, I’ll get mad, you know..."

The crisp voice was mixed with the sound of knocking and carried Ye Li’s unique brand of threat.

Completely devoid of menace!

Looking up again, the net that had tried to ensnare him was gone. The terrifying iron cage had vanished!

Gasping for breath, Xiao Bao threw off the covers and jumped off the bed, running toward the door.