"What?"

"What?"

"DINK (Double Income No Kids)," Zhong Tingyue explained. "That means getting married but not having children. What do you think of this suggestion, Mom?"

Gao Ruoyun was silent for a few seconds: "If you dare to say such a thing again, I'll put you back in my stomach."

He then hung up the phone and said to Yang Meina's mother, "I really don't know what people are thinking these days. They only get married but don't have children."

Yang Meina's mother criticized, "That's typical hooliganism!"

“Yes!” Several of the women next to me nodded.

"Ruyun, you must be careful, lest Yueyue really go down that path."

Gao Ruyun said in a deep voice, "If Zhong Tingyue dares to do that, I dare to kill her."

... ...

After hanging up the phone, Zhong Tingyue touched her neck and felt a chill, as if a knife was held to her throat.

Are you still childless?

"We're not going to be childless anymore." Zhong Tingyue shook her head, a hint of worry appearing on her beautiful face. "But I'm still worried about what to do with children?"

Since Liu Zhe came to her home, she hasn't had a single day of peace. She has always preferred quiet, but this kid puts on a "concert" at night and crawls all over the house during the day, never stopping for a moment.

She feels she has infant phobia.

Chu Fang shrugged; there was nothing he could do.

The downpour stopped by noon. The dark clouds dispersed, the sun shone, and the weather was fine. Chu Fang carried Liu Zhe out for a walk, with Zhong Tingyue holding his arm. They looked like a happy family of three.

"Please wait a moment, you two." Suddenly, a woman called out to them, handing them a flyer. "Would you like to participate in our parent-child training? It's organized by the government and it's free."

Chu Fang and Zhong Tingyue looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Since I have nothing else to do anyway, attending the training is a way to pass the time.

Upon arriving at the training venue, where there were many parents and children, the woman stopped Chu Fang, saying, "Sir, this place is full of mothers. It's not convenient for fathers to come in. You can go over and listen to a lecture about fathers."

Chu Fang handed Liu Zhe over to Zhong Tingyue, and the two parted ways.

Zhong Tingyue was puzzled: "Huh? Just me?"

At home, it was usually Chu Fang who took care of Liu Zhe; she rarely touched Liu Zhe.

The woman led Zhong Tingyue into the room, where a teacher was giving a lesson upstairs, and many mothers and children were below.

Zhong Tingyue sat on the cushion, listening to the teacher's lecture while fiddling with the child in her arms.

Liu Zhe was having a lot of fun at first, and he was very curious about everything around him, but as time went by, he got bored, pouted, and cried.

"Oh dear, why are you crying again?" Zhong Tingyue felt a headache coming on.

She tried everything but still couldn't stop her child from crying.

The lecturer came down and said, "That's not how you coax a child."

He then took Liu Zhe from Zhong Tingyue's arms and gently coaxed him. In no time, he calmed Liu Zhe down, and the latter smiled.

Zhong Tingyue was surprised: "How can a child be so easily coaxed?"

"There's a technique to it."

The teacher then taught Zhong Tingyue techniques for soothing children. Zhong Tingyue listened attentively; she is a very smart person and quickly learned the relevant techniques.

After Chu Fang finished listening to the lecture, he saw Zhong Tingyue carrying Liu Zhe out. She said to him excitedly, "Mr. Chu, I'll perform an acrobatic act for you."

"What?"

Zhong Tingyue's pretty face darkened: "Cry!"

Liu Zhe, who was in her arms, burst into tears immediately.

She hummed a song and swayed her body, saying, "Laugh!"

Liu Zhe suddenly laughed.

And so, under Zhong Tingyue's direction, Liu Zhe cried and laughed, feeling both amused and exasperated, as if a switch had been flipped in his body.

"Hey, kids seem pretty fun." Zhong Tingyue changed her mind.

Over the next few days, Zhong Tingyue attended the parent-child training. After the training, she quickly mastered the relevant skills and was able to deal with Liu Zhe skillfully. As she spent more time with Liu Zhe, she grew to like children more and more.

For the first few days, Chu Fang was taking care of the child, but in the following days, Zhong Tingyue took over, holding the child at all times, whether at home or at work, she had to take Liu Zhe with her.

Seeing this, Chu Fang even felt a little jealous: "Can't you just hug me?"

“You’re heavier than me.” Zhong Tingyue rolled her eyes, then went to tease Liu Zhe again.

Zhong Rou patted his shoulder: "Brother-in-law, give up. You are no longer the man my sister loves the most. Liu Zhe is."

Chu Fang: "Oh, thank you for letting me know."

"Don't mention it, we're all brothers."

Zhong Tingyue grew increasingly fond of Liu Zhe, even taking him to bed at night, while Chu Fang was relegated to the sofa.

In the dead of night, he gazed at the night sky and exclaimed, "What kind of mess is this?!"

"How about we just stay childless?"

"So my kids won't steal my woman!"

Just then, a phone call came in. It was Liu Kai, Liu's cousin, who said loudly, "Cousin, your cousin and I have finished our trip and will come to pick up Liu Zhe tomorrow."

Chu Fang was overjoyed.

When Zhong Tingyue heard this news, the sky seemed to fall: "No way!"

"This is someone else's child."

"Is there any evidence?" Zhong Tingyue asked, her neck stiff.

Chu Fang: "..."

He never expected that Zhong Tingyue, who was afraid of children just a few days ago, would now like children so much.

This change is too big.

Zhong Tingyue kicked him out the door: "What use is a man like you?"

Then Zhong Tingyue lay on the bed, gazing at Liu Zhe sleeping soundly in the crib, occasionally poking Liu Zhe's smooth cheeks and making dazed noises.

She took out her phone and took many, many photos.

“Sigh!” Zhong Tingyue sat up straight, her brows furrowed. “Tomorrow you will be going back to your real parents’ home, and we will eventually have to part ways.”

"No, I can't let you leave."

"Then what should I do?"

Zhong Tingyue posted a question on Zhihu: How can I make someone else's child my child? I need help urgently.