Xi Yan showed no change in expression at his words, shook his head, and said calmly, "No."
Bai Le carefully observed his expression, still somewhat uneasy. She tugged at his sleeve, hesitant to speak.
Xi Yan looked at him, a faint smile appearing in her eyes, and reached out to pat his head. "It's probably because I wasn't a child back then. Don't overthink it."
Bai Huizhang was standing nearby, noticed their actions, clenched his fist and coughed lightly, trying to make them watch their behavior, at least in front of their elders.
After realizing what was happening, Bai Le immediately pushed Xi Yan away, staring awkwardly at the dishes on the table, not daring to look away.
Even in front of his parents, he felt embarrassed, no matter how thick-skinned he was.
Xi Yan glanced at Bai Huizhang without changing his expression, then slowly reached out and pulled Bai Le under the table.
Bai Le noticed that his hand was gripping hers and tried to shake it off, but found that his strength was so great that she couldn't break free at all.
He could only glare at him fiercely and mouth a reminder, "Watch your step."
Unexpectedly, Xi Yan remained unmoved and seized the opportunity when he relaxed his guard to grasp his hand instead.
Even while doing this, his expression remained calm, and he even chatted with Wu Xueying next to him for a few words.
"Lele, what's wrong? You look terrible."
Bai Le said with difficulty, "I'm fine..."
He immediately shut his mouth after speaking, then stared wide-eyed at Xi Yan.
His palms were slightly itchy, clearly indicating that someone was causing trouble. Xi Yan's fingers teased his palms with displeasure, seemingly finding his slight reaction quite amusing.
Most importantly, despite his actions, his expression remained completely calm and composed. He even glanced over when Wu Xueying expressed concern for him. If Bai Le hadn't missed the faint smile in his eyes, he probably would have thought he genuinely didn't know what had happened.
Bai Le said through gritted teeth, "I just remembered some things."
Bai Yin asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"... nothing."
He was secretly vying with Xi Yan under the table, while Mu Mu, sitting in the stroller beside him, watched this scene, chewing her fingers and tilting her little head with an innocent and naive look on her face.
He pointed under the table, making little noises, and even clapped his hands as if he found it very amusing.
After dinner, everyone went home. The Bai family members naturally went back to their Bai family. Old Master Xi couldn't help but hug Mu Mu one last time before reluctantly getting into his car and leaving.
The night breeze was very cool, and there were many people taking a walk and enjoying the cool air along the riverbank after dinner. The streets were bustling with traffic, and the sound of horns was incessant.
Neither he nor Xi Yan planned to go back. The two walked along the riverbank, where willow branches swayed in the breeze, and many couples were sitting and playing on the benches.
Berlin looked at Mu Mu, who was wriggling in Xi Yan's arms, and then said, "Let me hug you."
Xi Yan thought he wanted to hug him, but instead saw him bend down slightly and place his hands under Mu Mu's arms.
"Daddy is teaching you to walk, Mu Mu can't be lazy and let Daddy carry you all day."
Mu Mu seemed to find it novel to have her feet touch the ground. She didn't make a fuss, but instead huffed and puffed as she swung her short legs and pushed forward with all her might.
Learning to walk requires patience, Bai Le patiently taught him again and again.
As fewer and fewer people gathered around and the traffic on the street gradually disappeared, Bai Le continued to bend over and teach Mu Mu to walk step by step.
"Okay, Mu Mu, give it a try."
Bai Le finally let go of Mu Mu's hand and watched her movements intently.
Mu Mu swayed slightly, then stumbled a few steps before almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Bai Le caught him just in time.
"Mu Mu can walk now! Did you see that?"
Bai Le, holding Mu Mu, turned around and looked at Xi Yan with great excitement.
Xi Yan stood under the warm, dim streetlights, his hands in his pockets, staring at him silently without blinking. A slight smile played on his lips, and a gentle warmth filled his dark eyes.
He watched for as long as he taught.
Author's Note: Waaaaah, are you all angels? Beautiful and kind-hearted angels at that! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-03-13 22:14:04 and 2020-03-14 22:34:57!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmine: us, dalabongba (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qingya 23 bottles; 41578220 15 bottles; Lululu, Yaoyao Today is Cute, Pangpang, Ten Years, Zhouzhou Daren, Rich Hot Pot Restaurant, Your Cat and Dog 10 bottles; Wu Guan is also Third Brother, Hamster Ball Loves Meow Meow, Come ghs, Yumo, Blue & Sky, Grapefruit 5 bottles; Qiaoqiao, Woqing, Qingqing Yiyi 3 bottles; Bingtang Lemon Sour, Ajie is the Best, Falling Snow Turns to Water, Untitled, Cotton Cotton Candy 2 bottles; Love to Eat Oranges, Sunny Day, Vk, Chuanbei Loquat Syrup, Tongxi 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 45
July and August are the height of summer, and the sweltering heat makes people constantly yearn for the cool comfort of air conditioning.
As soon as Bai Le stepped out of the company, he saw Xi Yan holding Mu Mu and waiting for him there. Because the sun was too strong, Xi Yan was unusually holding a black umbrella, probably to prevent Mu Mu from getting sunburned.
Bai Le quickly jogged over. The ground seemed to be radiating heat, and after standing in the sun for just a short while, his head began to feel hot.
"It's so hot!" Bai Le quickly ran to stand under the umbrella. The shade provided cover, and the scorching heat finally disappeared.
"Daddy!"
Mu Mu's face lit up with a big smile as soon as she saw it, revealing her baby teeth.
"It's not 'papa,' it's 'dad.'" Bai Le pretended to look at him with a dark expression and corrected his pronunciation.
From the time Mu Mu began to babble until now, she can utter simple words. Bai Le feels a bit emotional when he thinks about it. They were all wrong back then. The first word Mu Mu learned was not "Papa" or "father," but "Lele."
Because Xi Yan kept calling him Lele when no one else was around, Mu Mu somehow picked it up, and it took Bai Le a long time to correct him before he could call him his own father again.