go home
A hint of surprise flashed in Meng Yun's eyes. Perhaps it had been a long time since he had received any news about Yu Xi, so when he saw Yu Xi calling, his first reaction was to freeze in place, so flustered that he forgot what he should do next.
It wasn't until the nanny who brought the baby food noticed him staring blankly at his phone that she reminded him, "Mr. Meng, your phone."
She pointed to her still-vibrating phone, "It's a call from President Yu, please answer it."
"Baby, I'll hold you for now, you go ahead with your work." She put down the baby food she had just made and took Meng Qingze from Meng Yun's arms. "I just finished making baby food for Zeze, I'll feed him."
Meng Yun finally realized what was happening, but she still couldn't suppress her excitement. Whether the call was good or bad, as long as it was Yu Xi calling, it at least meant that she was starting to be willing to communicate with him.
"Hello?" Meng Yun spoke first as she swiped up to answer the call, afraid that Yu Xi would hesitate and hang up. The other person remained silent for a long time.
The call lasted for several minutes, until the screen showed more than three minutes had passed before Yu Xi murmured, "I want to know how the child is doing lately?"
"Is he... alright?"
Her tone carried a hint of detachment, clearly indicating that she hadn't truly accepted the child from the bottom of her heart.
Meng Yun understood this feeling all too well; he was all too familiar with the feeling of not being valued or fully accepted from birth.
But he didn't want Meng Qingze to suffer the same pain he had felt when he was neglected, so he said with a smile, "Zeze is doing well. He can call me 'Mom' now. I've been showing him your photos, and he points to them and calls me 'Mom.' I think he'll be very happy to see you."
Meng Yun spoke cautiously, anticipating Yu Xi's reaction on the other end of the phone and trying to guess her feelings from her tone, waiting for her answer.
"I'm planning to be discharged from the hospital soon, so please bring the child back home. Thank you for taking care of him these past few days."
Meng Yun quickly denied it, "No, I really like Zeze, he's a very cute little dumpling."
“I’ve documented his growth stages, with photos and videos. Would you like to see them?” He gestured for the aunt to bring another phone. “I’ve saved all of these on a phone specifically for recording Zeze’s growth. Would you like me to take them with you?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xi was visibly stunned for a few seconds before blurting out, "Okay, bring them along too."
Her tone remained cold, as if she were performing a routine work task. Yu Xi didn't want to look into the child's eyes—eyes exactly like Meng Chou's.
It was as if seeing him would bring back the painful memories of the car accident, constantly reminding her that Meng Chou had passed away.
Seeing that she wasn't too opposed to things with children, Meng Yun pressed further, "Then can I go and stay with him for a while to take care of him?"
Given their not-so-close family relationship, Meng Yun explained, "I only go to see him every day at noon. I'm afraid he won't adapt well to a new place all at once, so..."
"Is it okay?" he asked, almost pleadingly.
Yu Xi answered without hesitation, "Sure!"
She was constantly struggling between resisting and wanting to accept the child, and in that struggle, she no longer cared about these details.
The discharge procedures were all completed one after another. She stood in the middle of the ward. She had lived in this suite for almost a year, and many of her belongings had been moved out of the villa and brought back.
As she left, Yu Xi felt no reluctance in her eyes, only a startling realization that she had never properly looked at the house during all this time.
What's familiar is its layout, but what's unfamiliar is every corner of this place.
Apart from that window, the curtains really haven't been moved since her talk with the head of the psychology department. Sometimes Yu Xi started to doubt herself, wondering if she had been mentally repressed for too long and was starting to hallucinate.
She stared intently at the window, and also at herself, through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, stubbornly sitting by the window, waiting for the curtains to flutter.
Meng Chou never went into her dreams again. The only chance he could see her these days was when he sat by the window every day, holding the square photo frame, staring blankly at the person in the photo.
"Mr. Yu, everything is packed and has already started being delivered to the villa," said Zhang Jinhua, the housekeeper, handing over a stack of reports. "The discharge papers and everything you need are all here."
"Thank you for your hard work. My assistant took the day off today, otherwise I wouldn't have made you come to the hospital to do all this." Yu Xi walked up to her, took the things from her, and only glanced at them briefly. "Meng Yun will bring the child over this afternoon. Let's prepare another room."
Zhang Jinhua asked considerately, "Do you need me to buy some more baby formula and toys?"
Her words were filled with joy. From the day she joined the company, she had been working for this family, taking care of Yu Xi and Meng Chou's daily needs.
And this young couple of employers have never shortchanged her in terms of salary or benefits.
After spending several years together, Zhang Jinhua had long considered Yu Xi as family. Knowing what had happened to her, her worries and anxieties were no less than Meng Jinxian's.
She had been hoping that Yu Xi would accept the child, so she was naturally happy to hear that the child was coming back.
Yu Xi remained calm as she walked out of the room, saying, "Auntie, you can buy whatever you want. I don't know what children would like."
Zhang Jinhua smiled and readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go to the mall to take a look later."
"Actually, I've been researching how to make teething biscuits and baby food all along, thinking that one day when my child comes home, I can make him something delicious."
Overwhelmed with joy, she blurted out everything that was on her mind. Only later did she realize that she had caught up with Yu Xi and was observing her emotions.
Yu Xi simply said, "It's fine."
Those who love her are paying close attention to her emotions, always being careful not to hurt her or cause her to fall into another emotional turmoil.
A month before Yu Xi was discharged from the hospital, she called Zhang Jinhua and the other housekeepers and nannies in the house, asking them to pack up all the things Meng Chou had used and store them in the study he used to frequent.
The study was locked from then on, and along with the Talking Tom keychain, it was sealed in a box, lying quietly in the corner, waiting for Yu Xin to open it again someday.
—
The car pulled up and stopped in front of the familiar gate. Everyone in the villa stood in the garden, watching her get out of the car. There was no cheering or jumping for joy, but they opened the door for her like long-lost relatives.
As Yu Xi stepped into the house, she hesitated for a moment. Looking at the living room, where the decorations, furniture, and even the layout were unchanged, sadness slowly crept into her heart.
Everything Meng Chou used is gone, yet everything here tells the story of their past.
Her gaze fell on the dining table, and she could almost see them sitting together, leisurely eating and chatting about interesting things—a heartwarming scene. It felt like it had all happened just yesterday.
"The black tea is ready, and there are freshly baked cookies in the kitchen, all your favorites." Zhang Jinhua pulled her inside, trying to divert Yu Xi's attention. "Look, Manager Ji sent over gladiolus again today, and it's already been arranged and put in a vase."
Yu Xi walked in, twirling a flower petal, and asked casually, "He came by today?"
“Mr. Ji came by this morning. Knowing that you hadn’t returned yet, he sat for a while, left the flowers, and then left.”
Did he say anything?
Zhang Jinhua recalled, "He asked me to send my regards to President Yu, saying that he hoped President Yu would be happier to see the flowers."
As they were talking, the doorbell rang. Yu Xi remained seated on the sofa, not getting up.
At this moment, she was unwilling to entertain any visitors, fearing that they already knew she had just been discharged from the hospital.
Seeing that Jin Xuexiao did not go bankrupt as they had expected, but instead was revived through her persistence, the shareholders who had previously lost their footing silently continued to go about their work as if nothing had ever happened.
Yu Xi understood them; in a life-or-death crisis, people always think of themselves.
"Xiaojun, you've come over." Zhang Jinhua praised the child the moment she saw her, "Look how lovable they are, so cute."
She reached out and tried to hug Meng Qingze. He wasn't shy at all and let Zhang Jinhua hug him like that, without even a hint of wanting to cry.
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful!" she said, turning away and quietly wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Seeing the child reminded her of the deceased Meng Chou. Afraid that she would cry and be seen, Zhang Jinhua quickly invited him into the house, saying, "Quick, come in quickly."
"President Yu, Xiaoyun and the others are back."
Yu Xi was listless, with no joy on her face. When she saw Meng Qingze in Zhang Jinhua's arms, she quickly looked away and didn't even dare to look closely at the child's appearance.
Deep down, she was still tired of the child and didn't want to see him.
Meng Yun had been observing her emotional changes since he entered the room. Seeing her like this was within his expectations. He did not intend for Yu Xi to accept the child on their first meeting.
Family ties can be cultivated over time. The bond between blood relatives can never be severed or broken, which is something that emotions cannot compare to.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry I arrived earlier than agreed." Meng Yun sat down in the corner of the sofa furthest away from her. Zhang Jinhua had already taken the child upstairs.
Yu Xi held her forehead with one hand, her face still calm and composed. "No need to apologize. It doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later."
Yes, if she doesn't care, it doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later.
Meng Yun took out the phone that recorded Meng Qingze's growth and placed it on the table. "I want to share some things about Zeze. You can look at these videos and photos. I record them every day."
"Do you think I'd be interested in these things right now?" she asked abruptly.
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