Mu Mu wasn't afraid when she saw his dark face; she just smiled and reached out for a hug.
Bai Le sighed and reached out to hug him.
Xi Yan tilted the black umbrella slightly towards them, glanced at her watch—it was still early—and asked, "Have you had lunch?"
While teasing Mu Mu Bai Le said, "No."
So the two went to the Dingyu Building in the city center. The building soared into the clouds, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.
Mu Mu wasn't scared at all. She pressed her face against the glass window, breathing on it as if she had discovered something new and interesting.
"This kid is really brave." Bai Le didn't even dare to look at the scenery below; just one glance made him dizzy.
Xi Yan had just finished ordering when he looked at them and nodded. "A little."
"It wasn't just a little bit. Last time Wu Hua came to visit, I was tossed around in and out of his shoes, which scared me half to death. But he just kept giggling, and when he saw my expression, he laughed even harder."
Xi Yan smiled slightly, "He probably just thinks it's funny."
The revolving restaurant wasn't crowded; there were only a few people scattered around, and the atmosphere was very quiet, probably because the price tag kept most people away.
Mu Mu sat in the high chair but was restless, playing with the rattle in her hand while trying to snuggle up to Bai Le.
"Stop fooling around, let Daddy eat for a while, then he'll play with you later."
Mu Mu pouted, looking aggrieved, and hung her head listlessly, but she didn't force him to hug her.
Xi Yan frowned slightly, reached out and hugged him, holding him with one arm and moving the dishes on the table towards Bai Le with the other.
"I'll hold him, you eat first."
Mu Mu nestled in Xi Yan's arms, then finally settled down, lying on his shoulder and sleeping soundly with her fingers in her mouth.
"I knew something was wrong with him, turns out he just wanted to sleep." Bai Le chuckled, knowing that kids often acted differently around bedtime.
Xi Yan gently put one arm around Mu Mu, "Children need to take a nap."
In the end Xi Yan didn't eat much. Although he said he wasn't hungry, Bai Le was still a little worried. He reached out and hugged Lele, then forced him to eat some more before he stopped.
On Saturday, Bai Le planned to take Mu Mu out with Xi Yan. He chose Ocean Park as the destination, thinking that children would love the animals.
He dressed Mu Mu in a light yellow outfit with a cartoon lion on it, and then put a matching hat on him to keep him from getting sunburned.
Ocean Park was bustling with people, including couples and young couples with their children. Xi Yan, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, stood expressionless in front of the huge whale statue in the center, holding a child in one arm.
"Alright, alright." Bai Le excitedly showed him the photos she had just taken.
Xi Yan glanced at it indifferently and then looked away, seemingly uninterested.
Looking at his cold, handsome face in the photo, Bai Le clicked his tongue and said, "Why don't you smile? Look how happy your son is."
Xi Yan glanced down at Mu Mu a few times. Mu Mu was sucking his finger and staring intently at the ice cream in someone else's hand, drooling incessantly, some of it even dripping onto his shirt.
He frowned, shifted his position, tucked Mu Mu under his arm, then tossed Bai Le a "Wait a minute" before walking away.
Not long after, Xi Yan returned carrying Mu Mu, holding an ice cream in his hand. Mu Mu stared intently at the ice cream, making pitiful gurgling sounds.
Bai Le assumed he had bought ice cream for Mu Mu and was about to frown and speak when he saw Xi Yan hand him the ice cream and say calmly, "Let's go."
Bai Le: "..."
Mu Mu's expression was as if struck by lightning. She watched as the ice cream was handed to Bai Le, her eyes widening slightly, her usual smile vanishing, and she stood there dumbfounded, as if she hadn't reacted at all.
"I thought you bought it for Mu Mu."
Xi Yan shook his head. "How could that be? He can't eat this; it'll give him diarrhea."
"Waaaaah!" Mu Mu, who had been tucked under his arm, finally burst into tears, her face streaked with tears of grievance. "Bad... bad darling."
While comforting him, Bai Le corrected him, "It's 'father,' not 'fake relative.'"
Mu Mu has rarely cried so heartbrokenly since birth. His personality is nothing like Xi Yan's, but it's not like Bai Le's either. He always has a smiling face and rarely cries like other children.
In the end, they bought Mu Mu another dinosaur balloon, and only then did he stop crying, looking aggrieved. He leaned on Xi Yan's shoulder, clutching the balloon tightly in his hand.
Seeing his teary-eyed look, Bai Le, while biting into her ice cream, said to Xi Yan, "Why are you teasing him?"
Xi Yan frowned slightly. "I wasn't teasing him."
Bai Le choked. Indeed, Xi Yan would never have deliberately made the child cry. The ice cream melted a bit too quickly and dripped onto his hands, making them sticky.
"Tsk."
Bai Le was about to look for some tissues, before he could react, a hand reached out and gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue.
Xi Yan was seen holding Mu Mu in one arm, while using the other hand to slowly wipe the sticky ice cream off himself, his expression indifferent.
Be careful.
After speaking, he had Bai Le reach out and wipe his hands clean, doing so as if it were a completely natural thing in his mind.
Bai Le blushed, feeling completely treated like a child.
Looking at the real child, Mu Mu was secretly glancing at the ice cream in her hand while sucking her fingers. When she realized she had been caught peeking, she quickly turned her head away.
Once inside the aquarium, Bai Le noticed that Mu Mu wasn't very interested in the colorful fish and jellyfish; she clearly preferred the fierce-looking sharks and all sorts of strangely shaped and frightening-looking unfamiliar fish.
While watching the performance, Bai Le watched the huge beluga whale leap up and then fall back down, splashing water everywhere. Not to mention Mu Mu, even he was completely mesmerized.