Chapter 94 (End of Main Text)

Qin Yuan felt like Empress Lü Zhi, who had given birth to a useless son. No matter how shrewd and intelligent she was, she couldn't help her son being a hopeless case.

After making a scene for several days, Qin Yuan, having come to terms with reality, was completely disheartened and decided to give up.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. She is fifty-two years old and no longer young. Rather than wasting her energy fighting, she should live the rest of her life peacefully.

Thinking this way, Qin Yuan's restless and unwilling mood gradually calmed down. He turned a deaf ear to what was going on and let Xia Jianming and Xia Chuan do whatever they wanted.

The Xia family father and son, who have always been at odds, showed an unprecedented level of harmony and tacit understanding when it came to winning over Xu Qingyan.

The father and son, who barely exchanged three words a month, would occasionally get together and whisper among themselves.

One, for the sake of their family business, and the other, for the sake of their own freedom, relentlessly tried to please and get close to Xu Qingyan.

Although they failed each time, it did not dampen the fighting spirit of the father and son. With their steps in sync and their goals aligned, the Xia family father and son became more courageous with each setback.

After several failures, Xia Chuan finally turned his attention to those close to Xu Qingyan.

He Nianzhu is the first to be eliminated; the two of them loathe each other and are destined for a dead end.

Since the eldest sister-in-law Jiang Yan and Xu Qingyan are a harmonious couple, they can also be ruled out.

There's also the legendary Xiao Bao, whom I've never even met. After thinking it over, only Xu Yirou seems to be the most suitable.

Not to mention that Xia Chuan already liked her quite a bit, he had been curious about her relationship with Xu Qingyan for a long time.

The little girl seems to have a lot of say in the He family.

With the Xia family's arrangement, Xia Xiaoshan successfully stayed in China and enrolled in the kindergarten where Xu Yirou and Paopao were. Through long-term contact, the friendship between the three children progressed rapidly.

The stronger the bond between the cubs, the more advantageous it is for Xia Chuan.

As Xia Xiaoshan's guardian, he could openly accompany his younger brother to the Xu family as a guest, to become familiar with his half-brother and make his presence known.

Every time he came, He Nianzhu would put on a long face, and the two of them would exchange sarcastic remarks, as if afraid that others wouldn't notice their discord.

He Nianzhu was quick-witted and sharp-tongued, her sharp tongue was known for its ability to infuriate people. At first, Xia Chuan was often left dizzy with anger.

But as the number of confrontations increased, Xia Chuan quickly developed a thick skin.

He Nianzhu: %&*@#￥！ #……

Xia Chuan: Watching the stars, the moon, and the snow.

He sipped his tea with a smile.

He Nianzhu: ...

What are you laughing at, you shameless bastard!

No one could fail to see through Xia Chuan's scheme, but He Nianzhu was helpless against him. One cannot hit a smiling face, especially when the other party is the guardian of the cub's mother's best friend.

The three siblings will not interfere with their mother's freedom to make friends.

After some time, Jiang Yan, who was away filming, returned to Beijing after finishing her movie and had a lively celebration at her villa that evening.

That night, Paopao and Jiang Yan slept together. The mother and daughter, who had been separated for a long time, lay on the same bed, whispering sweet nothings.

Xu Yirou slept alone in the bedroom, while He Nianzhu stood guard beside her with a fairy tale book.

Just as Xu Yirou was about to fall asleep, she suddenly woke up, looked at him with her bright black eyes, and asked the question that had been buried in her heart for a long time.

"Erbao, why don't you like the mountains?"

"Did the mountains bully you?"

He Nianzhu, of course, wouldn't tell her the real reason, and vaguely replied, "It's probably because our magnetic fields don't match. Anyway, I didn't like him the first time I saw him."

Xu Yirou: "Oh..."

Seemingly believing her son's explanation, she asked again after a while:

"What about Da Bao? Why doesn't Da Bao like the mountains either?"

Even if her three children, whom she raised from childhood, hid their emotions perfectly, she could still detect subtle changes.

He Nianzhu laughed and said, "Mom, my older brother is cold and indifferent to everyone except us."

“That’s different.” Xu Yirou shook her head, her tone very firm. “Dabao doesn’t smile at others because he’s introverted and shy, and he doesn’t smile at Dashan because he doesn’t like him.”

She poked her little hand out from under the covers and touched her chest.

"I can feel it here."

The mother cub's language is immature and her vocabulary is limited. She cannot accurately describe her feelings and can only express them through actions.

He Nianzhu lowered his eyes and casually helped Xu Yirou tuck the blanket in: "Maybe so, I don't know anything about my brother's matter."

Thinking of her eldest son's taciturn nature, Xu Yirou nodded without doubt: "Then I'll ask him tomorrow."

After saying that, he yawned sleepily, tilted his head to the side, and fell asleep.

Little did she know that the cub was forgetful, and Xu Yirou forgot about it the very next day.

One day, she was invited to the Xia family's house. In the afternoon, Da Bao came to pick her up and took her home. She happened to run into Xia Jianming, who was rushing back.

Xia Jianming's hawk-like eyes brightened slightly, the corners of his aged eyes curved into a smile, and his solemn voice carried a hint of joy:

"Qingyan."

Xu Qingyan remained indifferent and did not respond.

Confused, Xu Yirou glanced at her son and whispered, "Dabao, this old man is calling you."

Xu Qingyan glanced at Xia Jianming indifferently and responded with a "Mm" in agreement with her mother.

Ever since Xia Chuan revealed Xu Qingyan's true identity, Xia Jianming has watched every episode of "My Dear Baby" without missing a single one, all in order to learn more about the people around his son.

He had seen Xu Qingyan's clips on the show and knew that he doted on this little 'Queen,' so he was extremely kind and gentle to Xu Yirou at this moment.

He bent down, looking like a kind elder: "Hello Rou Rou, welcome to our home. Did you have fun at Grandpa's house today?"

"I'm so happy!" The little girl stood up straight, her braids swaying gently behind her head. "Xiaoshan treated me to lots of delicious food, and he even taught me how to play video games!"

This is the first time in my forty-five years that I've played a game popular with young people, and the experience was fantastic.

Xu Qingyan didn't want her mother to have any contact with Xia Jianming, so she took Xu Yirou's hand and prepared to leave.

"Qingyan, give me ten minutes, let's talk."

Xu Qingyan ignored him and kept walking.

"Dabao, Grandpa is calling you, why aren't you answering?"

Xu Yirou frowned, not quite understanding.

Xia Jianming stepped forward slowly. The tall, imposing middle-aged man's eyes were piercing: "Don't you want to know about your biological mother? Don't you want to see her?"

An unexpected question is like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples that are difficult to quell.

Xu Yirou was stunned.

Da Bao's...biological mother...

The five-year-old girl stared blankly, her little mind trying to analyze and process the news.

Xu Qingyan couldn't help but tighten her grip on her mother's small hand, her gaze fixed on Xia Jianming as cold as if it had been tempered with ice, and said, word by word, "I only have one mother, her name is Xu Yirou, and I also only have one father, his name is He Ting."

After saying this, he didn't linger any longer, bent down, picked up his five-year-old mother, and strode away.

Xia Jianming's pupils trembled slightly. He took two steps and stopped at the doorway, staring at the back of the figure that looked almost identical to his own in his youth, and roared in resentment and anger:

"Qingyan! I am your father!"

"I am your biological father, you can't deny me—!"

Xu Yirou, who was holding her son's neck, was startled. Her round, clear eyes met Xia Jianming's pained and embarrassed face.

The arms around her small body tightened unconsciously, and Xu Qingyan's gentle, murmur-like comforting words reached her ears.

"Mom, I am your child."

"Always."

"I only want you to be my mother, and I only want to be your child."

The young man lowered his head slightly, his bangs obscuring the emotions in his eyes; perhaps only a glimpse could be made from his slightly hurried steps.

The car drove smoothly back to the Xu family home. Old Fang, the driver, who was used to the baby's chatter and noise, was very worried and occasionally checked the situation of the big and small children in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

What's wrong with the boss today? Has something sad happened to him, making him as quiet as a chicken?

Xu Yirou lay on the side, her adorable but worried little face reflected in the clear car window.

Sorrow, so much sorrow.

My little feet are sticking up and down.

Xu Qingyan turned his head to look at the back of the little head, and was about to raise his hand to rub the cute head when the cub sensed it and dodged.

His palm suddenly fell into emptiness.

Xu Qingyan was taken aback, her jaw tightened for a moment, and she asked softly, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Xu Yirou grumbled unhappily, only showing her son a profile that was two sizes smaller than Shin-chan's.

Mom is angry.

Seeing this, Xu Qingyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His mother's anger only showed that she cared about him.

An immense sense of security enveloped Xu Qingyan's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air.

Xu Yirou was fuming the whole way home. Before her son could even speak, she slammed onto the table, put her hands on her hips, and preemptively said, "Dabao, what is your crime!"

He Nianzhu, who was curled up on the sofa playing games, suddenly sat up straight.

Hey, what happened??

Did my older brother make Mom angry?

Xu Qingyan looked at He Nianzhu, whose face was clear and bright, and said with a displeased expression, "Go back to your room."

He Nianzhu pretended not to hear and lowered his head to pick at his toes.

Xu Qingyan: ...

He silently withdrew his gaze.

He organized his thoughts, knelt down on one knee at the cub's mother's feet, and asked sincerely, "Mom, can you tell me why you're angry?"

Xu Yirou: "Because you don't trust me!"

"Mom, I don't distrust you. You have always been the person I trust the most."

"No, no! You're still lying to me!"

Xu Qingyan: "Mom..."

"If you really trust me, why didn't you tell me that Da Shan's father is your biological father? Why did you keep such an important thing from me!"

He Nianzhu, who had been gloating, suddenly froze, staring at Xu Qingyan in disbelief.

My brother, what are you doing!

Xu Qingyan calmly explained, "Mom, I don't plan to acknowledge him as my father. I don't recognize him as my father, which is why I didn't tell you about this. I'm sorry."

"These are two different things."

Xu Yirou pouted, rubbed her eyes sadly, and said softly, "I know, I know everything. You think I'm too young to represent your mother to Da Shan's father... You look down on me and are afraid I'll embarrass you."

"No!" Xu Qingyan's emotions rarely fluctuated so much. "Mom, I swear I've never thought of that. Please believe me."

Xu Yirou turned her head away and ignored him, biting her lip and blinking her sore eyes. Small pearls fell down with a clatter.

Her pitiful, tearful appearance broke the hearts of her two sons.

He Nianzhu appeared in front of Xu Qingyan in a flash, shoving him aside as she wiped away his tears and coaxed him:

"Mom, please don't cry, it will break my heart."

"Waaaaah."

"Big brother, that's not right of you. You can't hide it from Mom. She loves the three of us the most. How can you hide it from her? Look at all those tears."

He Nianzhu shirked responsibility quite decisively.

Xu Qingyan gave him a cold glance.

"Waaaaah, Erbao, why are you blaming Dabao? You're not allowed to talk about your brother like that."

Xu Yirou, sobbing, reached out and pinched He Nianzhu: "Do you think Mommy can't tell that the three of you are in cahoots?!"

She sniffled her bright red nose and sobbed, "From...from childhood to adulthood, the three of you have always...always done bad things together, ugh, I know what kind of shit you're going to poop the moment you stick your butts out, hmph~"

She grabbed Erbao's ear and said, "Tell Mommy the truth!"