Which One of You Is the Doll?

It was mid-August.

The weather was already hot.

The Shen family had taken care of everything abroad and finally set off for home.

One morning, the sun was shining just right.

In the garden of a luxurious villa, clusters of green grass and hydrangeas glowed pink and blue in the sunlight.

A little boy with very fair skin sat quietly on the lawn.

His eyes were dark, but showed little emotion. Sitting alone on the grass, he dug at the soil with a shovel.

He had not been digging long when a poised woman walked over to Gu Zhuoling. She crouched down and stroked the back of his head with her soft hand. "A-Ling, Mommy has time today. Is there anywhere you'd like to go? How about Mommy goes with you?"

Gu Zhuoling did not speak or look back. He simply kept digging in silence.

Mrs. Gu was already used to her son's tendency to ignore people.

After Gu Zhuoling was born, neither of his parents had stopped working. Mr. Gu had countless matters to handle at the Gu Group every day, while Mrs. Gu was the chief designer for a luxury brand.

They made sure to come home every evening to spend some time with their son, but during the day, of course, his care was left to a dedicated nanny.

Their busy work schedules often left them paying too little attention to their child. Though they came home every day, when work got busy, they sometimes felt it wouldn't matter if they came back a little later just that once, and so one day became another. On the rare occasions they came home early, they would only sit beside their son and watch him do things before a phone call hurried them away.

So, by the time they gradually noticed that their son did not like to talk, he was already five.

The couple realized something was wrong and took him to a psychologist, only then learning that he had some psychological issues.

Because he was young and lacked his parents' guidance, he had become a little too immersed in his own world.

Returning to the present, Mrs. Gu sighed but said nothing. She simply sat quietly behind Gu Zhuoling, watching her son skillfully turn the soil, plant seeds, and then carefully cover them with earth.

Just then, the nanny came over and said softly, "Madam, a new family moved in next door yesterday. The lady of the house has come to visit today with her son."

At that, Gu Zhuoling, who was beside Mrs. Gu, raised his head and glanced at the nanny. Though he quickly lowered it and went back to what he was doing, Mrs. Gu still caught a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

The new family next door.

A son.

Gu Zhuoling knew.

Over the past two days, plenty of movers and cleaners had been coming and going next door. Last night, while sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in his room, Gu Zhuoling had seen a car like the one his parents liked to ride in pull up next door. A couple had gotten out, followed by a little boy.

He was about the same age as Gu Zhuoling. The streetlights in the villa complex were not especially bright late at night, but Gu Zhuoling could make out roughly what he looked like.

His eyes were big and bright, and his cheeks were chubby. The boy had been muttering to himself and seemed excited.

Gu Zhuoling did not know what the boy was excited about. All he knew was that the boy was plump and waddled like a penguin when he walked.

"Would A-Ling like to meet the new little boy? How about coming with Mommy to greet them?"

Mrs. Gu asked tentatively. She watched her son's back for a few seconds as he continued digging, seemingly making no other move.

The hope that had just risen in her fell again.

She was just about to get up when she saw Gu Zhuoling put his shovel aside and stand up. He carefully patted the dirt off himself, then looked up at her.

He wanted to see his new friend.

For once, Mrs. Gu understood what her son wanted. She was astonished, but did not keep their guests waiting long, smiling as she took her son's hand.

By the time the two reached the sitting room, the housekeeper had already shown the visitors in.

"Madam, these two are..."

"Wanqing?"

"...Jingyi?"

Shen Xinde: Baby! My adorable baby!

Shen Xinde stared without blinking at the boy holding the hand of the gentle, graceful woman. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt and solid black overalls, and he had jet-black hair and cool, fair skin. Though his face was expressionless, he was still a child, and his slightly chubby little face made him look like a delicate doll.

Gu Zhuoling was staring at Shen Xinde too.

He really was chubby.

He had a fair little face and a small, red, pouting mouth. His eyes were big, and his eyelashes were very, very long, fluttering as he blinked. Because of his poor health, his hair was not pure black, but it still looked especially beautiful.

He wore carefully coordinated pale-yellow overalls. The legs were not long and were quite loose, with two slightly plump, lotus-root-like legs showing beneath them. He looked every bit like a doll who had been doted on as he grew up.

Mrs. Gu, Zhou Jingyi, and Mrs. Shen, Xia Wanqing, had been university classmates. Both had actually studied design, but after graduating with their bachelor's degrees, they had gone in different directions.

Though they had been classmates, they had not had much contact and were not close. Now, meeting here as old classmates, they were both pleasantly surprised.

Playing the hostess, Zhou Jingyi first led her son over to sit down and told the servants to prepare tea and refreshments. "Wanqing, I never imagined you had a child already. I didn't even know when you got married."

"My husband and I didn't plan a big wedding. Later, after Xinde was born, we lived abroad for two years because of his health. We only came back last night, and today I thought I'd visit the neighbors. I never expected the two of us to have such a strong connection..." Xia Wanqing replied with a smile. As she spoke, she patted Shen Xinde's head. "Xinde, this is Mommy's university classmate. Say hello and call her Auntie."

Only then did Shen Xinde look away from Gu Zhuoling. He reached out and took Zhou Jingyi's hand, his little mouth spreading into a grin. "A... Auntie, good morning!"

"Oh, Xinde, you're such a good boy. Come, this is your big brother. His name is Gu Zhuoling." Zhou Jingyi had not expected her son to respond. She raised her brows, intending to explain her son's situation to Xia Wanqing.

Unexpectedly, a little hand gripped hers. Zhou Jingyi turned and saw her son staring at the Shen family's youngest son. He said softly, "Garden."

Zhou Jingyi thought it over. "Does A-Ling want to take little brother to the garden to play?"

What? Since when was her son so warm and hospitable? No, cool and hospitable?

Zhou Jingyi was a little slow to react. She glanced at Shen Xinde, then at her own son.

Shen Xinde was exceptionally good-looking, and he was not timid even in a stranger's home. Any family would have been very fond of him, and Zhou Jingyi liked such adorable children too. The endearing little fellow was still smiling as he stared at Gu Zhuoling, and the tips of Gu Zhuoling's ears seemed to have turned a little red under his gaze.

Understanding dawned on her, and Zhou Jingyi looked up at Xia Wanqing in silent question.

"If the children want to play together, let them. It's just that my Xinde's health isn't very good..." Xia Wanqing had no objection, of course. She was happy to see Shen Xinde adapt and quickly settle in here, and making friends was a good way to do that.

"Don't worry, I'll have someone watch them." Zhou Jingyi was delighted too. She turned and patted her son's head. "Little brother isn't in good health, so will A-Ling look after him carefully?"

Gu Zhuoling glanced at his mother, then at Shen Xinde, and gave a very slight nod.