Chapter 97 If Childhood Friends Line After a busy day at work...
After a busy day at work, because of her father's strict order to take good care of their newborn baby, Liu Rumeng felt that since there were nannies and postpartum caregivers to take care of them, why was it necessary to send the two of them home to act as door gods?
However, the power of the group was entirely in his father's hands, and Liu Rumeng dared not defy his father unless absolutely necessary. During this period, he went home almost every day and lived under the same roof with Wu Xiuying. The two of them endured each other's presence with a heavy heart, which annoyed him so much that he felt irritable and restless as soon as he got off work.
Wu Xiuying must feel the same way. The two of them are probably just incompatible. Although Wu Xiuying has been returning to the villa every day recently, she has been coming back later and later. Liu Rumeng has also chosen to work overtime without prior arrangement.
He came back today, but it was already completely dark.
Liu Rumeng rubbed her brows and noticed that someone had been living in the villa next door at some point, and the bright lights shone through.
To live in this villa, one needs not only sufficient financial resources but also connections. Liu Rumeng counted the people in her circle who might move here, and couldn't help but feel a little curious.
The car drove into the garage, and Liu Rumeng went upstairs via the garage elevator.
The maid took off his coat, and he lazily put on slippers, casually asking, "Did anyone come to visit from next door today?"
The maid noticed the light was on next door and bowed slightly, saying, "Sir, no one has come to visit next door today."
Liu Rumeng waved her hand and sat down on the sofa. The villa was quiet. If Wu Xiuying had come back, it would definitely not be so quiet.
After eating some washed fruit, Liu Rumeng felt bored and asked the maid, "Is the young master asleep?"
Although he didn't care much about his son, Liu Rumeng still liked to tease him when she was bored because he was well-behaved and had a lovely appearance.
The maid said respectfully, "Young Master just drank milk, I don't know if he's asleep or not."
Liu Rumeng planned to go up and see his only child, Liu Duanhe. His father gave him the formal name, but he was allowed to choose the nickname. Liu Rumeng simply named him Xiao He, which was easy to pronounce and not easy to forget.
Upon arriving at the nursery, Liu Rumeng simply opened the door and went inside.
The nanny was gently coaxing Liu Duanhe to sleep, her face full of a tender smile, affectionately patting and rocking the crib.
Liu Duanhe hummed softly without crying or fussing, his little hands clutching the nanny's sleeve. His bright, black grape-like eyes sparkled. Although he was still young and an infant whose development was not yet complete, you could already see the basic features of his face. He was so fair and cute that he could be a New Year's picture doll on a calendar.
The nanny had taken care of many children and was very experienced. She knew very well how difficult it was to take care of children, especially newborns. However, she rarely encountered a child as easy to take care of as Liu Duanhe.
She cries when she's hungry, and she does the same when her diaper is changed. She's very self-disciplined and rarely cries. She crawls around on her own when she's not busy, but she usually stays in one place and doesn't crawl around everywhere. She's so easy to take care of.
Therefore, she showed more patience and affection towards Liu Duanhe, and devoted herself to him exceptionally. Of course, work and genuine affection are different. Although she was very dedicated to her work and taking care of the child, when she genuinely liked someone, she could think of all sorts of things that she would never have thought of before.
Hearing the door open, the nanny looked up and saw the male head of the household.
She carefully got up, not wanting to disturb Liu Duanhe, who was already sleepy.
Liu Rumeng paused, then asked, "Is Xiao He asleep?"
The nanny glanced at the crib and saw that Liu Duanhe had clearly perked up and was looking ahead.
"Sir, the young master has woken up."
Her words were exceptionally artful. Thinking about it deeply, she was awake? How did she wake up? Was she awakened by the sound of him opening the door and speaking?
The nanny's answer was actually a subtle reminder. She had noticed during her few months with the family that Liu Duanhe's parents hardly cared about him, after all, he was their biological child.
The nanny didn't expect them to drastically change their attitude and shower Liu Duanhe with affection, but at least they should put on a show of concern and care.
Liu Rumeng's abilities are average, but her ability to read people is quite good. However, she only uses her ability to read people to the point of being worthy and valuable.
The nanny he hired to take care of the child was naturally not included in this category. Liu Rumeng smiled gently and casually said, "Awake? Let me see you."
He was very polite and friendly, but in reality, he didn't listen to anything the nanny said.
Having worked for so many families, she knew when to stop and not to meddle in other people's affairs, especially in such a wealthy family. She swallowed her words and reached out to pick up Liu Duanhe, saying, "Okay."
He teased her a few times, then suddenly had a whimsical idea and said, "Let me try hugging her."
The nanny was actually a little uneasy about letting Liu Rumeng hold the baby, but she had no right to refuse.
Sure enough, Liu Rumeng's holding posture was incorrect, causing Liu Duanhe to struggle instinctively due to discomfort.
Nannies who have held babies a lot naturally have experience and know how to hold a baby without making the baby uncomfortable. Liu Rumeng is different. Other parents would learn how to hold a baby in advance, but Liu Rumeng didn't even have the intention to learn.
Seeing Liu Duanhe struggling and clearly uncomfortable, he politely said from a distance, "You carry him."
After saying that, she handed Liu Duanhe to the nanny to hold, played with his hand for a while, and then let go and left.
The nanny looked at the now fully awake Liu Duanhe with a wry smile. She stroked his smooth, black hair and sighed, "Poor little thing, go to sleep."
The next day, after Liu Rumeng got up and had breakfast with Wu Xiuying, she was getting ready to go out to work when she heard the doorbell ring.
He hadn't forgotten the neighbors who had moved into the villa next door. After signaling the servant to open the door, it turned out to be a stranger.
When Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang saw a servant dressed in a clearly uniform open the door, they looked inside.
Liu Rumeng had already gotten up and walked to the door, smiling warmly, "You must be our new neighbors who moved in next door."
Seeing Liu Rumeng's enthusiasm, Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang smiled and handed the box of snacks to the maid beside them. "We just moved here and haven't been in the capital for many years. We hope you can give us your guidance."
"These are snacks made by our family chef. They are all local specialties. Please try them."
Liu Rumeng's smile deepened. "It's not a matter of giving advice. Our two families should keep in touch more often in the future. After all, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."
The two villas are not close to each other. This area of villas is exclusively sold to the wealthy and powerful, and the privacy is excellent. The villas are far apart, and with the gardens, lakes and ponds in the villa yards, it takes about five minutes to drive there.
The two lowered their stance for two reasons. Firstly, they had arrived in Beijing earlier than planned thanks to the introduction of a powerful figure. As newcomers, they naturally wanted to inquire about the situation. Secondly, the Liu family was powerful and, under the current control of Old Master Liu, was at its zenith. They were also local bullies, so flattery was not the point; it was more of a gesture of goodwill.
Liu Rumeng clearly fell for it, and Wu Xiuying also got up and came over. The two of them were always a model couple in public, so now that someone had come to their home, they naturally had to put on an act.
As the nanny was carrying Liu Duanhe out of the elevator, she saw a well-dressed couple at the door and immediately wanted to take Liu Duanhe back.
Zhang Yuxiang could see clearly and asked with a smile, "Is this your child? How many months old is he?"
The beautiful and charming woman said, "His birthday is in June, so he's not even a year old yet."
After hearing what Wu Xiuying said, Zhang Yuxiang exclaimed with delight, "What a coincidence! My son's birthday is in March, so I'm less than a year older than him. We can play together!"
Liu Rumeng readily agreed, "That's a good idea. We're busy with work, so it's perfect for the two kids to play together and look after each other."
After chatting for a while, Liu Rumeng learned about the background of the new neighbors. She was both surprised and somewhat expected. The couple, named Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang, were rising stars in the business world. According to their father, they were very promising in the semiconductor industry.
Although Liu Rumeng didn't like listening to his father's lectures, he trusted his father's judgment. He thought his father had great potential, so his future development must be at least good. He immediately began to calculate how to benefit from it with satisfaction.
The nanny had already approached the group, and Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang also looked down at her, intending to praise the child regardless of how he was doing, offering a bit of commercial flattery.
However, after seeing what the child looked like, both of them were startled.
There's no other reason than that the child in front of me is just too outstanding in appearance. Although children of this age generally can't distinguish between beauty and ugliness, and being ugly now doesn't necessarily mean they'll be ugly later, it's still quite obvious whether someone is too good-looking or too ugly, and you can tell from their natural features.
The child in front of me is exceptionally beautiful, with thick eyelashes, prominent double eyelids, big eyes, fair skin, delicate features, and a clean-cut, adorable appearance.
Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang, who were just there for business, couldn't take their eyes off the baby. They had both recently given birth and had seen many children in the hospital. Their child was considered good-looking by ordinary standards, but they never expected to see such a beautiful baby.
Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying, who just introduced themselves, are probably of average appearance. How did they give birth to such a beautiful baby?
The two stared longingly, especially wanting to hug him.
Seeing so many people staring at him and surrounding him, Liu Duanhe showed no fear whatsoever. He suddenly laughed, opened his arms, and wanted to hug them, thus beginning to show his clingy nature.
Zhang Yuxiang couldn't help but look at Wu Xiuying, "Can I hold your child?"
Wu Xiuying didn't care about Liu Duanhe at all, and without any hesitation, she readily agreed, saying, "Sure."
Zhang Yuxiang keenly noticed Wu Xiuying's indifference and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. However, she was not someone who had never seen the ways of the world and knew that the depth of the relationship between parents and children varied from family to family; some had a good relationship, while others had a bad one.
On the contrary, the nanny was very careful when handing the child over to her, which showed that she cared a lot about the child.
Liu Duanhe turned his head left and right to look at the person looking at him, looking very curious. His baby cheeks were chubby and cute, which melted Zhang Yuxiang's heart.
She took Liu Duanhe's arms with perfect technique, clearly showing she was an expert, which put the nanny at ease.
Liu Duanhe happily climbed up to Zhang Yuxiang's neck. His chubby, white arms, like lotus roots, were soft and fleshy, and he nestled against her. He was very familiar with her and not afraid of people at all.
In her excitement, Zhang Yuxiang even considered taking the child away; the child was as cute as a kitten.
It wasn't until their alarm clocks rang, signaling their departure for work, that the two reluctantly said goodbye to Liu Duanhe.
She said in a high-pitched voice, "Goodbye, baby. Your aunt and uncle will come to play with you again next time."
"There's a little boy at your uncle and aunt's house, so the baby can play with him. Wouldn't that be great?"
Liu Duanhe obligingly raised his little fist and excitedly replied, "Ahhh!"
After finishing his speech with lingering enthusiasm, he politely bid farewell to Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying.
Although Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying did not like Liu Duanhe, they knew that Liu Duanhe was indeed a lovable child, and they had no objection to the two of them teasing Liu Duanhe for so long.
Before Liu Duanhe was born, the couple thought that now that they had settled down and had a child, Liu Yireng should entrust them with important responsibilities and gradually hand over the company to them. Unexpectedly, Liu Yireng went back on his word, saying that they were not capable enough. As a result, they could not simply push Liu Duanhe back, and could only swallow this loss. This left a knot in their hearts, and they were very cold towards Liu Duanhe.
After seeing Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang off, the two stopped smiling, ignored each other with blank expressions, and went to work by their respective cars.
The next day, Zhang Yuxiang took a day off and came to play with Liu Duanhe for a while, which made her increasingly fond of him.
A month later, thanks to Liu Duanhe, Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang, especially Zhang Yuxiang, had become quite familiar with each other.
So when Zhang Yuxiang suggested bringing her children to play with Liu Duanhe, he readily agreed, as always.
This was the first time Feng Xingyun had met Liu Duanhe, who was almost a year younger than him.
Almost two years old, Feng Xingyun had completely lost his babyishness. He put on a serious face and acted like a little adult. He didn't want to be carried and walked in by himself. Liu Duanhe, who was being held by the nanny, looked down at the approaching older brother with curiosity.
Upon seeing Zhang Yuxiang, whom he always played with, he immediately cried out, "Auntie, Auntie, hug me!"
Zhang Yuxiang immediately agreed with a beaming smile, her voice picking up along with Liu Duanhe's, "Yes, yes, Auntie will come and hug the baby right away."
Although she had learned Liu Duanhe's nickname over the past month, she still preferred the nickname "Baby," which was cute, affectionate, and suited Liu Duanhe perfectly.
Feng Xingyun stared intently at Liu Duanhe, who was being held in his mother's arms.
Zhang Yuxiang saw this and, although she was holding Liu Duanhe, she still kept some of her attention on Feng Xingyun.
Thinking that Feng Xingyun was jealous and wanted to hug her for the first time ever, she immediately picked him up as well.
He called him by his nickname, "Chaoyun, this is my younger brother, his name is Liu Duanhe, and his nickname is Xiaohe."
Zhang Yuxiang came from a poor rural background. Although she was admitted to university and started a successful career thanks to her excellent academic performance, she still had a lot of strength and could easily carry two children.
This time, Feng Xingyun didn't resist like a little adult before. Instead, he suddenly leaned closer to Liu Duanhe and exclaimed clearly, "My little brother is so handsome! I want to marry him!"
Zhang Yuxiang was both surprised and amused. He wondered who had taught him this phrase. His nanny had recently gone home to get married. Could it be that someone had told him this phrase because of this?
She weighed the two children in her hands and teased them, "Chaoyun has to ask her little brother if he agrees."
Feng Xingyun's eyes lit up as he said, "Little brother, I want to marry you!"
Liu Duanhe still didn't understand, tilted his head in confusion, crossed his arms and instinctively wrapped them around Zhang Yuxiang's neck, repeating, "I want to marry her."
Zhang Yuxiang laughed even harder, but Feng Xingyun said seriously, "Mom, my little brother promised me."
She couldn't help but say, "Your brother didn't understand."
Feng Xingyun domineeringly reached out and held Liu Duanhe's face.
"mua!"
"mua!"
"mua!"
After three loud snorts, he even took a bite out of Liu Duanhe, getting saliva all over Liu Duanhe's face. Liu Duanhe was stunned, his bright eyes not even blinking. At such a young age, he had already begun to care about cleanliness.
With his face covered in saliva, he pursed his lips and tears began to fall from his bright eyes. He cried silently, sobbing, looking extremely pitiful, not like a loud, annoying wail.
Large, pearl-like tears fell, wetting her thick, curled eyelashes. She looked so endearing and pitiful, so sensible, that it broke your heart.
Liu Duanhe wiped his face with his sleeve, sobbing as he whispered, "Wipe my face, wipe..."
Zhang Yuxiang felt extremely distressed and immediately put the two children down, squatted down and used a tissue to wipe Liu Duanhe's tears and drool from his face.
"Don't cry, baby. I won't let your brother bite you anymore. He was too mean."
Zhang Yuxiang asked Feng Xingyun, "Chaoyun, how could you bite your younger brother? Apologize to him until he forgives you."
Zhang Yuxiang wouldn't bully a one-year-old child. She had no intention of taking advantage of his young age to fool or appease him. She solemnly demanded that Feng Xingyun apologize and seek forgiveness, and she didn't want a simple apology to suffice.
Fortunately, Feng Xingyun didn't actually bite; it was more like he held it in his mouth. That's why there was a lot of saliva, but it didn't hurt.
After wiping the drool off his face, Liu Duanhe felt much better and stopped crying and started laughing.
When Feng Xingyun saw his beloved younger brother crying, he became nervous and stammered as he explained to Zhang Yuxiang, "I like my younger brother."
He breathed a sigh of relief when Liu Duanhe stopped crying, and solemnly said, "I'm sorry, little brother, please forgive me."
Then he took out his favorite toy from his backpack, handed it to Liu Duanhe, and said seriously, "I'm giving my favorite toy to my little brother so he can play with me."
He raised his hand and carefully wiped away the remaining tears on Liu Duan's face with the child's still soft hand. "Little brother, don't cry. Big brother was wrong."
Seeing that Liu Duanhe was still willing to play with Feng Xingyun, Zhang Yuxiang knew that Liu Duanhe had forgiven her brother, so she let the two of them go play on the side and just watched from the side.
Although they are both busy with work, she and Fenghou both care about their family. No matter how busy they are, they will put aside their never-ending work to spend time with their family.
Especially for children who need the company and love of their family, both parents are generous in expressing their love and providing various forms of education.
The two children became acquainted and played together until they started kindergarten together. Feng Xingyun, who was a year older, started kindergarten first.
Feng Hou and Zhang Yuxiang wanted to cultivate his interpersonal skills and independence from a young age, while Liu Duanhe was busy again. Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying, no longer under Liu Yi's watchful eye, let themselves go and stopped going home.
Liu Duanhe was also sent to kindergarten less than a month later.
During their growth and development, the two children changed almost every day. Zhang Yuxiang had practically watched Liu Duanhe grow up, and she became increasingly attached to him and worried about him more and more.
After discovering that Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying rarely came back, she was also not comfortable letting a child live alone. Although there were nannies and maids to take care of him and he wouldn't go hungry, you can't judge a book by its cover. Without elders around, she just couldn't feel at ease letting a child live alone.
Fortunately, because of her friendship with Liu Rumeng and Wu Xiuying over the past two years, Zhang Yuxiang asked Wu Xiuying and Liu Rumeng to let Liu Duanhe stay at her house when they were not around, so that he could go to school with Feng Xingyun.
Considering that the two are almost never home, it's no different from living there all the time.
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Author's Note: A sweet childhood romance
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