The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 433 - 435. Young Master Fu Who Opposes Daddy

Chapter 433: 435. Young Master Fu Who Opposes Daddy

Fu Hengyi accidentally turned his head and met Shen Qinglan’s tender gaze. He returned a smile to Shen Qinglan and continued playing with his son.

Most of the time, he was a good father, with unprecedented patience for Anan. Of course, this was only when his son wasn’t competing with him for his wife’s attention.

At night, Shen Qinglan got Anan’s crib ready. Fu Hengyi came out of the bathroom and saw this, frowning, "Is Anan sleeping with us tonight?"

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Yes, Aunt Liu has caught a cold these past few days, so she shouldn’t take care of Anan. And Aunt Zhao is getting older, let her rest at night."

"Actually, he could sleep by himself." He rarely came back home, and he had to leave early the next morning. He had been looking forward to having a thorough chat with his wife tonight, but now they had an extra little light bulb.

"Fu Hengyi, he’s only nine months old." Shen Qinglan emphasized, implying only someone as carefree as him would be comfortable letting such a small child sleep alone.

"Wife, it’s been over twenty days since I’ve seen you." Fu Hengyi said with a pitiful expression, his eyes full of reproach.

Shen Qinglan couldn’t help laughing at the sight of a grown man a meter eighty tall giving her such a woeful look, "Fu Hengyi, your son is so young, and you’re jealous of a little baby? Don’t you have any shame?" Shen Qinglan said, incredulous.

Fu Hengyi’s face was a picture of justification, "No shame, no wife."

Shen Qinglan turned back to continue making the bed, choosing to ignore the ridiculous man.

Feeling ignored, Fu Hengyi stepped forward to embrace Shen Qinglan, circling her in his arms, "Wife, I have to go back and won’t return for a month. Don’t you want to have a deep conversation with me?" His breath on Shen Qinglan’s neck caused her body to tense up.

A hint of a smile appeared in Fu Hengyi’s eyes, and he took Shen Qinglan’s earlobe into his mouth. Shen Qinglan’s body grew even tenser.

Sensing the change in her body, Fu Hengyi spoke softly, "Wife, you’ve missed me too, haven’t you?" His deliberately lowered voice was seductive, like a feather lightly brushing over Shen Qinglan’s heart.

Shen Qinglan’s face darkened slightly, turning to face Fu Hengyi, "Anan must sleep with us tonight."

"Then let’s go to the bathroom after Anan falls asleep." Fu Hengyi stepped back. Shen Qinglan hesitated, but after meeting Fu Hengyi’s eyes, she ultimately nodded.

Having received his wife’s affirmative answer, Fu Hengyi was satisfied and let her go, "I’ll lull our son to sleep, you go take a bath."

Watching Fu Hengyi suddenly become proactive, Shen Qinglan couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

Anan was particularly excited today. It was already around nine o’clock at night, but he showed no signs of sleepiness, with bright eyes wiggling in his Daddy’s arms. Fu Hengyi’s face grew dark—was this little guy doing this on purpose?

"Does he usually sleep this late?" Fu Hengyi asked Shen Qinglan.

Leaning against the headboard and flipping through a book, Shen Qinglan replied, "Usually, he’s asleep by eight."

Fu Hengyi, holding his son in his arms and looking at him with disdain, asked, "So what’s he excited about today?"

"Probably because he’s happy Daddy is back," Shen Qinglan said casually, but there was a touch of schadenfreude in her eyes.

Fu Hengyi placed his son in the crib. Anan sat up making noises, but Fu Hengyi pressed him down to continue lying down, then picked up a book and began to tell a story.

Shen Qinglan was full of smiles as she watched Fu Hengyi try to lull their son to sleep.

It was almost ten o’clock before Anan finally fell asleep. By that time, Shen Qinglan had already nodded off. Fu Hengyi looked at his wife sleeping soundly and felt very depressed. He got into bed and pulled Shen Qinglan into his arms, closed his eyes but couldn’t sleep, his heart felt like it was on fire.

Shen Qinglan was woken up by Fu Hengyi’s movements. She opened her eyes, shifted slightly, and Fu Hengyi immediately opened his as well, turning on the lamp.

"Wife, you’re awake?" Fu Hengyi asked tenderly.

Shen Qinglan glanced at the time, it was already close to one in the morning, "Why aren’t you asleep?"

"Wife, I can’t sleep." Fu Hengyi straightened up, signaling to Shen Qinglan the reason for his insomnia. Shen Qinglan felt the heat from someone’s body, her face lined with black threads, "Fu Hengyi, what did you eat tonight?"

Fu Hengyi was also aggrieved, with an innocent face looking at Shen Qinglan, "I wanted to eat you, but you were asleep." His tone was filled with grievance.

Shen Qinglan sighed, then put her hand around his neck, "We can’t do it here."

Fu Hengyi’s eyes brightened, he sat up, and lifted Shen Qinglan in his arms, "Let’s go to the bathroom."

An hour later, when they emerged from the bathroom, Shen Qinglan rubbed her sore waist, glared at the man who was contentedly lying in bed, then wrapped herself up like a silkworm pupa and fell deeply asleep.

Fu Hengyi held Shen Qinglan and contentedly fell asleep as well.

The next morning, when Shen Qinglan got up, there was no sign of Fu Hengyi on the bed. She touched the nearby sheets, which had already cooled, indicating that Fu Hengyi had left quite a while ago.

Shen Qinglan got up to check on Anan. Anan was wide-eyed, playing with his own little feet. Shen Qinglan reached out to check his diaper — dry. It must have been changed by Fu Hengyi after he got up.

She went to the restroom to freshen up, came out to feed Anan his milk, and then carried Anan downstairs.

"Qinglan, you’re awake. There was a call for you just now," Aunt Zhao said with a smile upon seeing Shen Qinglan.

"Who was it?" People usually called her mobile phone, and it was rare for them to call the house phone.

"It was your friend named Fang Tong," Aunt Zhao replied.

Shen Qinglan placed Anan in his walker, then got up to go upstairs to fetch her phone. Picking it up, she realized it was turned off, no wonder Fang Tong had called the house. She found a charger and plugged it in.

"Fang Tong, did you call me?" Shen Qinglan returned Fang Tong’s call.

"Uh-huh, I came back to the country last night, was thinking of asking you and Xiao Xuan out to get together today. Do you have time today?"

"Yes, have you talked to Xiao Xuan?"

"Not yet, I called you first. If it’s okay with you, let’s all go to my place today. You haven’t been to my new house yet, right? Bring Anan along; I haven’t seen him in so long."

"Okay, you contact Xiao Xuan. I’ll be at your house by eleven-thirty."

"That’s settled then. My mom will come over to cook for us today," Fang Tong said with a laugh. Their cooking skills were all on par — mediocre at best. Relying on them to cook would mean eating a culinary disaster.

Yu Xiaoxuan was idly at home and was definitely up for Fang Tong’s invitation. After the call, she had her driver take her to Fang Tong’s new house.

The house was one that Fang Tong and Li Bomming bought after getting married. It was located in a high-end community in Beijing, not far from Fang Tong’s parents’ home. Li Bomming chose this location when buying the house, considering it convenient for taking care of Fang Tong’s parents.

Shen Qinglan greeted Old Sir Fu before leaving with Anan. Anan sat in his child car seat — likely aware that they were going out — and was happily babbling the entire way, occasionally calling out ’mommy’, brimming with joy.

Li Bomming came down to greet Shen Qinglan when she arrived. Seeing Shen Qinglan holding a child in one hand and carrying a bag in the other, somewhat inconvenient, he offered, "May I help you hold the child?"

"No need, he isn’t heavy; I can hold him," Shen Qinglan replied with a smile.

Fang Tong’s home was on the sixteenth floor. When she opened the door and saw Anan in Shen Qinglan’s arms, her eyes immediately lit up. She took Anan and smothered him with kisses, "Anan, godmother missed you so much, did you miss godmother?"

Anan was not very familiar with Fang Tong, but she didn’t cry either; she just frowned, looking a bit unhappy. Fang Tong chuckled and said, "After not seeing Anan for several months, she doesn’t recognize me anymore."

Then, holding Anan, she sat down on the sofa. Anan was more familiar with Yu Xiaoxuan and smiled broadly at the sight of her. Yu Xiaoxuan instantly cocked her eyebrows triumphantly at Fang Tong, "See, my dear godson really loves me. All my doting has paid off."

She didn’t reach out to hold Anan, just leaned in and kissed her on the little cheek; Fang Tong couldn’t be bothered to argue with a pregnant woman.

"Boming, we’re out of drinks at home. Go down and buy some beverages," Fu Fanghua’s voice came from the kitchen. Li Boming responded and looked towards Shen Qinglan and Yu Xiaoxuan, "What would you like to drink?"

"Beer," blurted out Yu Xiaoxuan without thinking, and then realized that she was pregnant and had long given up alcohol. Sheepishly she added, "I mean, anything but alcohol is fine."

Li Boming smiled, "Then I’ll just pick something out myself."

He grabbed his coat and headed out, but Fang Tong quickly followed him, "Boming, wait up."

Li Boming was about to take the elevator downstairs when he saw Fang Tong coming after him, so he quickly held the elevator door, "Why did you come out?"

Fang Tong glared at him playfully, "You’re going out to buy things and didn’t even bring your wallet." She handed the wallet over to him.

Li Boming took the wallet and, seeing that Fang Tong had come out without a coat, hurried her back inside, "It’s cold outside; don’t catch a cold. Go back in."

"Mm, and pick up some fruit on your way back. Don’t forget the apples; Anan likes mashed apples."

"Sure, what about you? Would strawberries be okay?"

"Whatever you choose for the rest is fine."

Li Boming drove to the nearest supermarket, where the food was fresher. As he was picking out fruit, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a woman looking at him with surprise, "Boming, it really is you! I thought I was seeing things."

Li Boming recognized her and smiled back, "You’re Tong Yushi? Long time no see."

Tong Yushi smiled as well, "Indeed, it’s been a long time. You went back to China right after graduation, and we haven’t seen each other since." She glanced at Li Boming’s shopping cart, "Are you living around here now?"

"Yeah."

"What a coincidence! I also live around here now. Which complex do you live in? Maybe we’re in the same one."

Li Boming named the complex and Tong Yushi’s eyes lit up with even more surprise, "We really must be fated! The first acquaintance I run into after returning to China is you, and now we live in the same complex. I happen to be cooking for myself today; would I have the honor of inviting you over to my place to taste my cooking?"

Li Boming politely smiled, "Sorry, but I have guests at home today, and my wife is waiting for me there. I should be getting back."

Tong Yushi’s eyes flashed with surprise, "You’re married? When did that happen?"

"It’s been over a year now."

The smile in Tong Yushi’s eyes faded, "How come you never mentioned it? Surely our old classmates from the U.S. don’t know about your marriage?"

"The wedding was small, mostly just relatives from both sides. We didn’t make a big fuss." Li Boming omitted the fact that he had only invited close classmates from the U.S. He glanced at his watch, "It’s getting late; I should be going."

Tong Yushi managed a smile, "Alright, next time bring your wife along and we can catch up. By the way, you probably don’t have my local contact information, right? Let’s exchange details so it’s easier to keep in touch."

Li Boming didn’t refuse, and after exchanging contact information, he headed to the checkout counter.

Tong Yushi watched as Li Bo Ming’s figure receded into the distance, only after a long while did she retract her gaze, glanced at the cell phone in her hand, then called an American classmate, "Hey, John, it’s me, Winnie. I wanted to ask you something, do you remember Li?... Yeah, did you know he got married?... Oh, you didn’t know either, huh? No worries, I was just asking casually. If you come to Beijing, give me a call, I’ll pick you up and definitely keep you company. Alright, let’s leave it at that for now, go ahead if you’re busy."

**

Li Bo Ming quickly forgot about running into Tong Yushi.

Tong Yushi was a classmate of his when he was studying in the United States, and because they were both Chinese, they were more familiar with each other than with the average classmate, but they weren’t particularly close.

When he got home, Fu Fanghua had already started to bring dishes out from the kitchen. Shen Qinglan was about to help when Fu Fanghua chased her out of the kitchen, "Qinglan, just go chat with Tongtong in the living room, Auntie here is enough to handle the kitchen."

"Auntie, let me help you bring the dishes out."

"No need, no need, there are just a few dishes, Auntie can handle it by herself, you go on out. The kitchen is full of grease smoke, I don’t want your clothes to end up smelling of it."

As Fu Fanghua spoke, she caught a glimpse of Li Bo Ming returning and called out to him, "Bo Ming, come help carry the dishes out."

Li Bo Ming brought in some fruit, "I’ll wash the fruit, you carry out the dishes," Fu Fanghua directed.

"Okay, Mom."

"Ladies, it’s time to eat." Fu Fanghua called out to the three of them.

Shen Qinglan sat down at the dining table with her son, looked at the table filled with delicious dishes, and smiled at Fu Fanghua, "Auntie, thank you for all this hard work."

Fu Fanghua waved her hand, "What hard work? It’s just some home cooking. I made them according to what Tongtong told me; I don’t even know if you’ll like them."

"Auntie, just by looking, I can tell your dishes are delicious." Yu Xiaoxuan grinned, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the dishes on the table.

Fu Fanghua also thoughtfully prepared a bowl of egg custard for Anan. Shen Qinglan fed her son a few spoonfuls first, "Qinglan, why don’t you hand the child over to me so you can eat."

"Auntie, it’s fine, Anan gets full quickly; he had his milk before we left."

Anan smacked his lips, holding a mouthful of egg custard without swallowing, fixated on watching the others eat at the table, especially staring at Shen Qinglan’s chopsticks without even blinking.

"Ha ha, Qinglan, Anan wants to eat too," Yu Xiaoxuan noticed this scene and laughed.

Shen Qinglan looked down at her son and smiled helplessly, "Nowadays, when he eats, he’s just like this, not focused at all."

"All kids are like that, Tongtong was the same when she was little," Fu Fanghua joined in. "At this age, kids are really curious about everything. I remember when Tongtong was four or five, I went out to buy groceries and she stayed at home alone. She ended up sneaking some of her daddy’s bayberry wine and ate the bayberries. She got drunk and slept for a whole day and night. It nearly scared me to death."

"Mom." Fang Tong called out, and Li Bo Ming chuckled softly.

"That’s right, Bo Ming was there too. The two of them got drunk and were sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep."

Both Li Bo Ming and Fang Tong still remembered this incident, as their parents brought up this embarrassing story from their childhood every now and then. Even if they had forgotten, they were reminded to remember it.

Li Bo Ming was slightly embarrassed.

Yu Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but laugh outright, "Ha ha, Fang Tong, I wouldn’t have guessed you were such a glutton when you were a kid."

Fang Tong snorted, picked up some food with her chopsticks, and put it in Yu Xiaoxuan’s bowl, "Eat, it won’t shut you up though."

Yu Xiaoxuan ate a bite cheerfully, "Auntie, what other interesting stories do you have about Fang Tong’s childhood? Tell us about them."

"Boy, that’s quite a lot. Don’t let her quiet demeanor fool you now, but as a kid, she was just like a little monkey. Bo Ming should know about this, as they grew up together, always playing as a pair, even getting into trouble together. I still remember, Bo Ming’s father had a set of very valuable bowls, and these two mischievous kids said they were playing ’campfire cooking’ or something, and placed a bowl over the fire to heat it. As a result, they cracked the bowl open, and the whole set became worthless."

"Mom, the ribs taste great today. Try some." Li Bo Ming placed a rib into Fu Fangfang’s bowl, speaking gently. In reality, he didn’t mind his mother-in-law telling these stories, but didn’t she realize that Fang Tong was about to bury her face in her rice bowl?

Fu Fangfang glanced at her daughter, who was embarrassed, and said nothing more, "Eat up, everyone, eat up."

"Mommy." Anan tugged at Shen Qinglan’s sleeve, calling out to her, his eyes pleading as he watched Shen Qinglan holding her chopsticks. When Shen Qinglan looked at him, Anan called out "Mom" again, and Shen Qinglan looked at him sympathetically.

"Qinglan, why don’t you let him try some of this fish? I haven’t added anything else, it’s quite plain, he should be able to eat it," Fu Fangfang said, not able to resist when she saw Anan’s big eyes.

Shen Qinglan looked at her son and picked out a small piece of fish meat from the bowl, carefully removing the bones, then fed it to him. Anan had been watching his mother’s moves, and as soon as Shen Qinglan’s chopsticks approached his mouth, he opened up eagerly.

Anan had actually started eating fish a month ago, but his meals were always prepared separately.

Anan’s teeth hadn’t fully grown in yet, but the fish was soft and tender, so digestion wouldn’t be a problem.

After having a bite, Anan continued to look at Shen Qinglan with longing eyes, clearly wanting more. At this moment, Yu Xiaoxuan’s chopsticks reached out, "Anan darling, come, your godmother has some here."

Anan glanced at the fish on Yu Xiaoxuan’s chopsticks and looked away. Yu Xiaoxuan turned to Fang Tong, looking bewildered, "Was I just rejected by my godson?"

Fang Tong gave her a brief glance, providing a confirming answer, "Yes."

Yu Xiaoxuan looked hurt, "Anan, you just adored me a moment ago and now you’re rejecting me. You heartless little guy."

Anan was fixated on Shen Qinglan’s chopsticks, not sparing a moment to attend to her, not even giving her the corner of his eye. Yu Xiaoxuan pouted, "Hmph, ignoring me, I’ll let it go, I’m an adult and won’t be petty with a child."

Fang Tong watched the scene unfold, a faint envy appearing in her eyes. Li Bo Ming noticed and made a mental note.

Shen Qinglan didn’t feed Anan much fish, just a few bites and then stopped.

Anan continued to paw at Shen Qinglan’s hand, wanting more, "No more, you’ve had enough today. Eat any more and you’ll get an upset stomach," Shen Qinglan said sternly.

Just a couple of days ago, Old Sir Fu had fed the child quite a bit of food, which upset Anan’s stomach so much he had diarrhea for a day, scaring Old Sir Fu pale.

Anan blinked his big eyes at Shen Qinglan, not entirely understanding what his mother meant, but he knew the gist and looked at her as if to say, "Mommy, you’re mean."

Shen Qinglan wasn’t the least bit moved, holding her son firmly in her arms, focusing on her own meal.

After the meal, the three of them sat on the sofa chatting, while Li Bo Ming went to help Fu Fangfang clean up the dishes.

"Qinglan, Anan will be one in three months. Are we going to have a big birthday celebration?" Yu Xiaoxuan asked, looking at Anan on the sofa, intently playing with a little yellow duck.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Grandfather says we should."

It made sense; this was the only child in the fourth generation of both the Shen and Fu families, so of course his first birthday would be a significant event, "By then, I should have finished my confinement period, and definitely won’t miss it."

It was now February, and Yu Xiaoxuan’s due date was at the beginning of March, which was less than a month away.

"Have you booked the hospital room?" Shen Qinglan asked with concern.

"It’s all booked. Han Yi had it prepared three months ahead of time, and the month-long nanny is also hired. Now we’re just waiting for this ball to drop, and then I can relax. These last few months have really been suffocating me. Once the baby is born, I’m going to have a serious weight loss spree."

Yu Xiaoxuan patted her round belly.

Her sudden action startled Fang Tong, who grabbed her hand, "My ancestor, take it easy, please. If anything happens to you at my place, Han Yi will skin me alive."

Yu Xiaoxuan rolled her eyes, "I’m not that fragile, and my baby is strong too." As she said this, Yu Xiaoxuan looked towards Shen Qinglan with a mischievous smile, "Qinglan, if I give birth to a daughter, I’ll match her with your son."

Her eyes shone as she looked at Anan, and Shen Qinglan chuckled, "Are you so certain you’re having a daughter?"

"Even if it’s a son, it’s no big deal. I’ll wait for you to have a second child. With you and Mr. Fu’s genes, your daughter is bound to be a beauty. I naturally have to reserve her in advance."

"Yu Xiaoxuan, do you think I’m air? In the future, Qinglan’s daughter is meant for my son," Fang Tong said calmly.

Yu Xiaoxuan rolled her eyes again, "It’ll be ages before your son is even born. Among the three of us, you’re the most indecisive."

"Hmph, I call this a late bloomer. Maybe you’ll have a son this time, and Qinglan isn’t planning on a second child for a few years. By the time my son is born, he’ll be just the right age to match with Qinglan’s princess. A childhood sweetheart romance—how can your son compare to that?"

Yu Xiaoxuan became agitated, "Fang Tong, if you dare compete with me for a daughter-in-law, I’ll fight you to the end."

Seeing that the two were about to start bickering again, Shen Qinglan, with a face full of helplessness, said, "Enough, stop arguing. When did I ever say I wanted a second child?"

Both suddenly stopped their quarrel and looked at her together, "Why wouldn’t you want one?"

"Yeah, Qinglan, you and Mr. Fu both look outstanding and are intelligent; refusing to have more children with such excellent genes is a waste of resources. It’s shameful, you know?" Yu Xiaoxuan was genuinely eager to become in-laws with Shen Qinglan, having coveted the good looks of Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi for a long time. Naturally, she was even more desirous of their children born from such superior genetics.

It wasn’t that Shen Qinglan didn’t want to have more children, but Fu Hengyi simply refused. Since she had given birth, each time they were intimate, Fu Hengyi would take necessary precautions to eliminate any possibility.

If it hadn’t been for Shen Qinglan’s timely discovery, Fu Hengyi would even have planned to get a vasectomy. In the end, it was only because Shen Qinglan threatened to separate from him that he abandoned the idea.

Shen Qinglan wanted to have a second child while she was still young, but since Fu Hengyi was adamantly against it, she could only put the matter aside for now.

"Anan is still young, and right now all I want is to focus on taking care of him. I’m not considering a second child for the time being," Shen Qinglan spoke calmly, naturally omitting the fact that it was Fu Hengyi’s severe trauma from her childbirth that made him refuse to have another.

"Ah, that makes sense. Mr. Fu is hardly ever home, and you’re the one raising the child all by yourself. Having a second child would probably wear you out," Yu Xiaoxuan said understandingly, "Just look at me, even one makes me feel overwhelmed."

"By the way, Fang Tong, seriously, when are you planning to have one? You’ve been married for over a year now," Yu Xiaoxuan turned to Fang Tong.

"I still have a year left in my position at the M-country branch. I’ll consider it after I’m transferred back home," Fang Tong said enviously, but she knew that now was not the right time for a child.

"That’s true. Among the three of us, you’re the busiest. Looking back now, it’s surprising. Initially, among us three, you were the least womanly. In the end, you’ve become a career woman," Yu Xiaoxuan remarked.

"Why is it that you’re particularly full of emotions today?" Fang Tong glanced at her.

Yu Xiaoxuan rubbed her belly, "Maybe it’s because I’m about to become a mom, feeling a bit of prenatal anxiety."

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan looked at her, "Xiao Xuan, giving birth isn’t as difficult as you think. Your pregnancy is healthy according to the doctor, and you shouldn’t have any problem with a natural birth."

"Qinglan, I’m still scared. It turned out everything was normal when you had a check-up too," Yu Xiaoxuan’s voice suddenly lowered.

Shen Qinglan’s eyes flickered. Her childbirth was an accident due to Qin Yan’s secret interference. Obviously, Yu Xiaoxuan wouldn’t encounter the same situation, but she couldn’t say this outright, so she said, "My case was an accident, and the likelihood of that happening is very low. Your luck isn’t that good."

"Qinglan, is giving birth really painful?"

"Not really. I think the level of pain was bearable. And since everyone’s physical condition is different, some people might have a higher threshold for pain."

Hearing this, Yu Xiaoxuan didn’t feel relieved, "It’s over, I’m normally so afraid of pain, I won’t be killed by the pain, will I?"

"Yu Xiaoxuan, look at you, having such a lack of spirit," Fang Tong couldn’t stand it anymore and teased her, "Now you haven’t given birth yet, and you’ve started to scare yourself. When the time really comes, are you going to cry?"

Yu Xiaoxuan rolled her eyes, "Fang Tong, this is easy for you to say while standing up without back pain. It’s not you who’s giving birth, of course, you won’t feel the pain."

"Qinglan wasn’t like this when she gave birth before."

"Is Qinglan an ordinary person? She’s a goddess from heaven, not someone us mere mortals can be compared with."

Seeing the two of them getting more and more ridiculous, Shen Qinglan quickly interrupted them.

The two glanced at each other, snorted coldly, grabbed their heads, and looked away. Shen Qinglan obviously was used to their way of interacting and just smiled without minding it.

Fu Fanghua came out of the kitchen with a fruit platter in hand, "Come on, have some fruit after the meal. The strawberries taste great today; you should all try some."

"Thank you, Auntie, Auntie, please sit down and rest, don’t busy yourself," Yu Xiaoxuan said with a smile.

"I’m going to tidy up the kitchen. You guys eat first." Fu Fanghua said and then left.

Anan’s attention had already been caught by the fruit platter on the table, crawling over to Shen Qinglan’s side, pointing at the fruit platter, "Mommy."

Shen Qinglan took a strawberry from the platter and handed it to him. Anan took it in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. He now had five teeth and eating a strawberry was no problem at all.

Watching Anan eat with eyes narrowed into slits, Fang Tong said with a laugh, "Anan will definitely be a little foodie when he grows up."

Shen Qinglan looked at her son indulgently and pulled out a piece of tissue to wipe away the strawberry juice that was almost dripping.

"Being a foodie is a blessing. The old folks say that having a good appetite is a blessing. Our Anan is obviously blessed," Yu Xiaoxuan actually thought Anan’s way was quite nice.

The three of them chatted in the living room all afternoon until Qinglan took Anan home in the evening, and Yu Xiaoxuan declined Fu Fanghua’s invitation to stay and asked the driver to take her home as well.

"Mom, you should just sleep at home tonight." Fang Tong looked at the time and said.

Fu Fanghua waved her hand, "Nevermind, I’ll go back now. Your dad is home alone today, and I don’t know what he’s eating for dinner, I can’t rest easy if I don’t go back and check on him."

Seeing this, Li Bo Ming picked up his car keys, "Mom, I’ll take you home."

"No need, I can just take a cab myself. Tongtong seldom comes back, and you and your spouse don’t get to spend much time together either, so go rest up."

Li Bo Ming still insisted on taking Fu Fanghua home. Just as he parked the car, he ran into Tong Yushi again.

"Bo Ming, I didn’t expect to see you again. To meet twice in one day—our fate must be really deep," Tong Yushi was quite happy to see Li Bo Ming.

Li Bo Ming smiled politely, "You’re coming back so late?"

Tong Yushi sighed, "Yes, I just returned to the country. This apartment is also newly rented; there are many things that need to be set up myself. After making a meal at noon, I went out again to order the furniture I need. I just returned from outside. And you? Why are you so late?"

"I just took my mother-in-law home," Li Bo Ming said.

Tong Yushi pointed at the building next to them, "Do you also live here?"

"Yes, I live on the sixteenth floor."

"That’s such a coincidence. I live two floors below you, on the fourteenth floor. If I had known we lived so close, I would’ve come to your place for a meal at noon."

"There will be a chance. Are you going up now?"

"Yes, wait for me a second, I need to grab some stuff from the trunk," Tong Yushi said.

Li Bo Ming, who had just lifted his foot, put it back down and waited.

Tong Yushi took a large box from the trunk, and seeing her struggle, Li Bo Ming stepped forward to take the box.

"Thank you, Bo Ming."

"Don’t mention it, it’s on the way."

The elevator reached the fourteenth floor, and Li Bo Ming simply took the box inside for her.

"I’m sorry my place is a bit messy; I’ve just moved in. You can sit down while I get you a glass of water," Tong Yushi hurriedly tidied up the scattered items on the sofa.

Li Bo Ming smiled, "It’s alright. My wife is waiting for me at home; I should go back now."

Tong Yushi’s movements stiffened, and she forced a smile, "Alright then, when my house is set up, I’ll invite you and your wife over."

"Sure," Li Bo Ming casually agreed.

Back home, Fang Tong had already prepared the bathwater for him, "Go and take a bath first. The water is ready, and I’ve put your clothes inside."

Li Bo Ming kissed Fang Tong on the cheek, "Okay, wait for me."

Fang Tong nudged him and continued to make the bed.

Li Bo Ming came out of the bathroom to find Fang Tong already lying in bed. He climbed in from the other side, wrapped his arms around her, and whispered, "Tongtong, let’s have a baby."

Fang Tong looked at him in surprise, "Why the sudden idea to have a baby?" They had agreed at the start of their marriage not to have children for the first three years and to wait until after three years when both their careers were stable.

"Do you want to be a daddy?" Fang Tong asked.

Li Bo Ming shook his head, "Today, seeing you look at Anan, I thought you would really want to have a child."

Fang Tong chuckled lightly, "I do like Anan and envy Qinglan for having a child, but I don’t feel ready to be a mother yet."

"If you’re not ready, then let’s wait another two years."

"Bo Ming, don’t you think I’m too selfish? For the sake of my career, I neglect your feelings."

Li Bo Ming pinched her cheek, "What nonsense are you talking about? We agreed on this matter before, and when I asked you just now, it was only because I thought you now wanted to be a mother, but you were just being considerate of me and thus kept it in your heart."

"Then let’s have a child in two years as originally planned. By the beginning of next year, I should be able to transfer back to the Beijing headquarters. After I return, I’ll be promoted to supervisor. After one more year, when my work is stable again and my mom is almost retired, we can have a child. Then my mom can help take care of the child, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good, I’ll listen to you. But when the time comes, we should still hire a nanny. Mom is getting older, and we can’t hand over all the responsibilities to her. We need to give her time to enjoy her senior years."