Chapter 17

An Xiang was very busy today.

The little shop had suddenly received quite a few orders, all from the same location. Though they were deliveries, it was nearby, so it would not take much time.

She finished juicing the fruit, carefully packed everything into the delivery box, then carried the bag to the door to change her shoes.

"Momo, Mommy has to go out again. I'll be back soon, so be good and watch TV, okay?" To coax her child into behaving, An Xiang deliberately added a cute little particle to her words.

However, An Zimo did not play along. He idly pressed the remote with one finger, his eyes never leaving the screen.

An Xiang knew her son was not the type to make trouble for no reason, so she felt reassured for the moment. Carrying the juice, she hurried to Huaxing Entertainment across from the apartment complex.

The towering building before her seemed to stretch endlessly upward. The four words Huaxing Entertainment were the most eye-catching sign on the entire street.

She had also heard of the brilliance Huaxing had built.

This century-old company had become an industry leader in a short period of time. Beyond entertainment, it had dominated other markets with astonishing achievements, monopolizing one industry after another. Huaxing had gradually seeped into everyday life, becoming a brand the public could not do without.

The news did not reveal much personal information about Huaxing's chairman. The media only said he was unconventional and extremely low-key.

The box of juice felt somewhat heavy in her hands.

To lighten the burden, An Xiang carried it with both hands as she entered the building.

The company did not allow delivery workers inside, so she stopped at the front desk, placed the box on it, and said, "Hello, this is the juice you ordered."

The payment had already been made. She took out the drinks and was about to leave when the receptionist suddenly called out to her.

"Could you help deliver this to the chairman's office on the fortieth floor?" She separated out one bottle of juice and asked An Xiang with a smile.

An Xiang was confused. "The chairman?"

"Yes." It was a request from upstairs. The receptionist also found it strange, but she did not dare say so directly.

"Sorry for the trouble. Just explain the reason to the elevator attendant over there, and she'll swipe her card and take you straight to the fortieth floor."

An Xiang looked hesitant, but in the end, she reluctantly carried the juice toward the elevators.

"Hey, delivery personnel aren't allowed upstairs."

Before An Xiang could even step into the elevator, someone stopped her.

She was probably a Huaxing office worker, with exquisite makeup and a strong perfume scent that seemed to have seeped into her blood.

"The receptionist asked me to go to the fortieth floor." An Xiang tightened her grip on the bag and explained slowly.

The woman let out a laugh. "The fortieth floor is the president's office. You definitely can't go up there."

"But..."

"How about this? Give it to me, and I'll deliver it for you."

An Xiang thought it over and felt that would work. Going up and then coming back down would take time, and Zimo was still home alone. She truly did not feel comfortable leaving him by himself for that long.

"Then sorry for the trouble." An Xiang handed her the juice, thanked her politely, and turned to leave.

The young office worker looked at the juice in her hand, raised her brows, and stepped into the elevator in high heels.

She lightly adjusted her hair in the reflection on the wall, then said to the elevator attendant without turning around, "Fortieth floor, thank you."

The elevator rose slowly and arrived at the top floor.

To enter the chairman's office, she still had to pass through Secretary Zhao's work area. Before she could get close, she was stopped.

"President Pei is preparing for a meeting. You..."

She lifted the bag of drinks and smiled seductively. "Did President Pei order juice? I brought it for him."

Secretary Zhao's throat tightened as she slowly sat down and contacted Pei Yizhou.

"President Pei, the juice you ordered..." Secretary Zhao's brows were tightly furrowed as she watched the woman posing flirtatiously behind her, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

"Has it been delivered?"

"It was brought over by Xiao Wang from Human Resources..."

The voice on the other end suddenly fell silent, leaving only the man's calm, suppressed breathing.

Secretary Zhao did not even dare breathe loudly. Her fingertips dug into her palm as she anxiously waited for Pei Yizhou to speak again.

The brief dozen seconds were inexplicably difficult to endure. The woman who had brought the juice also sensed that something was wrong. Her initial excitement at the thought of meeting him slowly turned into nervousness beneath the stretching silence.

"No need." Pei Yizhou pressed his lips together. His three words were exceptionally cold. "Tell them that they are not to leave their posts during work hours. Give them a demerit if one is warranted."

"Understood." Secretary Zhao put down the phone and let out a long breath.

Pei Yizhou's behavior today was far too abnormal.

Secretary Zhao could not figure it out. She left the juice behind and notified the Human Resources supervisor to give the woman a minor demerit.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

Inside the office, the back of the black leather chair faced Secretary Zhao.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive. The documents on the desk had not been opened since they were delivered.

Secretary Zhao could tell that the chairman was in a bad mood.

Nervously, she placed the juice on the desk and spoke quietly. "President Pei, I've put the juice here."

Pei Yizhou turned his chair halfway around, resting his cheek lightly on his knuckles. His long eyes swept over the drink on the desk, and his gaze darkened.

"Do you know where this juice shop is located?"

"Xiao Chen said it's in Pinshang Apartments across the street. I don't know the exact location, but if you need it, I can ask them for the address."

He gave a low hum, which counted as approval.

Only after Secretary Zhao left did Pei Yizhou pick up the juice.

There was quite a lot of ice in it. Cold droplets condensed on the cup, the liquid was beautiful, and tiny diced peaches swayed gently inside.

Pei Yizhou's Adam's apple bobbed. He inserted the straw and slowly took a sip.

The juice's distinctive icy sensation spread through his mouth, accompanied by another flavor he had never experienced before.

Was it the sweetness people often talked about?

Or the bitterness Pei Chen hated most?

Pei Yizhou did not know.

Everything he knew about scents came from other people's descriptions. Yet no matter how they described them, it was destined to be futile for Pei Yizhou, who had lost his sense of smell from birth.

Why could he taste this cup of juice?

Had his sense of taste returned? Or was there another reason?

Pei Yizhou opened the drawer and took out a piece of gum, popping it into his mouth.

Bland and tasteless, as always.

He took another sip of juice, and an indescribable sensation bloomed over his tongue.

In the end, he reached a conclusion—perhaps only that girl was his sense of taste.

It was very strange.

The feeling in his heart could not be described in words.

It was like a solitary tree that had slept in the deep sea for ages, suddenly encountering a ray of light and desperately wanting to break through the darkness to glimpse that mystery.

Perhaps she no longer remembered him. Or perhaps she was terrified because of what had happened that night.

At that moment, Pei Yizhou, who had originally wanted to see her, suddenly fell into confusion.

He was not sure.

He was not sure whether his appearance would trouble that innocent girl, or whether it would bring her harm.

Pei Yizhou tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and did not open them for a long time.

Perhaps not meeting was the best solution. After all... all his impulses that night had been sins he never should have had.

**

An Xiang knew nothing about Pei Yizhou's existence. She peacefully mixed juice in the flavor Pei Chen liked, and she had even chosen a name for it: Customer Number One.

Five in the afternoon.

An Xiang closed the shop and took An Zimo to Rainbow Kindergarten, which Pei Chen had recommended.

Just as Pei Chen had said, Rainbow Kindergarten was only fifteen minutes from the apartments. By the time they arrived, school had long since ended, and the enormous playground was empty.

"Hello, you must be Miss An Xiang, the one Pei Chen mentioned."

When she entered the office, a kind-looking dean came forward to greet her.

"Hello, I'm the dean of Rainbow Kindergarten. My name is Tan Zongping. You can call me Dean Tan." He lowered his head and bent down, smiling at An Zimo. "You must be the little one enrolling in our school. You're so cute."

An Zimo ignored the compliment. He stood gloomily behind An Xiang without even giving the man a pleasant expression.

Dean Tan looked awkward and said to An Xiang, "The child is a little shy."

"Yes." An Xiang rubbed An Zimo's soft hair. "Our Momo was diagnosed with underdeveloped brain development when he was born. Maybe it has something to do with that."

She did not choose to hide it. She told Dean Tan everything about An Zimo's childhood illness. Since she had decided to send him to school, she naturally had to make certain necessary matters clear, so as not to cause trouble for others later.

"Going to school was something he suggested himself, but I'm not sure whether he can adapt to kindergarten life." An Zimo was far too quiet. None of the liveliness and innocence children were supposed to have could be seen in him.

Of course, An Xiang wanted her son to experience group life and make good friends, but she was even more afraid that he would struggle to fit into the environment.

"I see..." Dean Tan nodded thoughtfully and crouched beside An Zimo. "Do you want to go to kindergarten?"

An Zimo curled his lips and gave a perfunctory grunt.

"It seems he just doesn't like talking. How about this? If you're worried, let him attend for a while and see how it goes. If it truly doesn't work out, we can make other arrangements." Dean Tan stood up again. "I'll show you around so you can get familiar with the place."

An Xiang nodded and followed behind Dean Tan.

This kindergarten was twice the size of an ordinary one. The playground was divided into a large playground and a small playground, and there was also a garden and an artificial beach behind it. The classrooms were next to one another, but the soundproofing was good enough that lessons would not affect each other.

Both the environment and facilities were excellent, completely matching what An Xiang had hoped for.

Strangely, only one classroom stood off by itself in a corner, looking especially conspicuous.

"Dean Tan, is that also a classroom?" An Xiang asked, pointing at the room at the end of the hallway.

"Yes." Dean Tan nodded. "The children in that class are all problem students, so they were placed there separately."

As he spoke, a little head peeked out from behind the door.

It was a little girl.

She wore two pretty bun pigtails. Her face was round, her eyes were big, and her skin was fair and tender. She was as beautiful as a doll.

The little girl was not afraid when she saw strangers. Chewing on a finger and holding a cloth doll, she walked out from inside.

"It's Nuo Nuo."

Pei Nuonuo blinked, slowly shuffled over to them, tipped her head back, and gave An Xiang a shy smile. "Hello, big sister~"

Then she looked at An Zimo.

She studied him for a few moments and seemed to take a liking to him. Generously, she held out her cloth doll, her tiny voice soft and sweet. "You can play with it~"

An Zimo kept his hands in his pockets and did not accept it.

"Momo..." An Xiang gently tugged on her son's sleeve.

He frowned, irritation rising in his heart. With a slap, he knocked the doll to the ground and continued standing there with a cold expression.

The white doll rolled twice across the floor, its snow-white rabbit ears picking up several streaks of dust.

Pei Nuonuo froze at first, then her lips trembled as she burst into loud tears.

"Why did you make her cry?!"

Along with the shout, a little boy around her age ran out from the room and, with lightning speed, shoved An Zimo to the ground.

The shove was quite forceful. Caught off guard, An Zimo landed hard on his bottom.

—He had been hit.

After being stunned for a few seconds, An Zimo clenched his teeth, balled his fists, sprang up, and pounced on the boy, pinning him to the ground and hammering him with punches.

An Xiang was dumbfounded by the sudden scene.

The little boy was no pushover either. His fighting ability was clearly not something a child his age should possess. Unwilling to be beaten, he viciously scratched An Zimo's face with his little hands. That clean, pretty face quickly became filthy during the struggle, practically unrecognizable.

No matter how he hit or scratched him, An Zimo refused to let go, each punch landing harder than the last.

Seeing that the fight was growing fierce and deadlocked, An Xiang and Dean Tan did not dare delay. One from each side, they pulled apart the two children tangled together.

With his arms held, An Zimo panted heavily and glared viciously at the other child, his legs kicking wildly through the air.

The boy refused to be outdone, grunting nonstop as he struggled with all his strength against the restraint.

"Let go of me—!"

"He bullied my sister!"

"If you've got guts, come over here! I'll beat you to death!!"

The boy started roaring, his face flushed bright red with anger.

"Enough, Pei Yan!" Dean Tan gripped Pei Yan tightly and refused to let go. His expression darkened, and his previously gentle tone became stern. "If you keep this up, I'm calling your parents."

The words calling your parents were extremely effective. Pei Yan immediately went quiet.

Dean Tan released Pei Yan and apologized profusely to An Xiang. "Sorry, this child is a little disobedient."

It would have been better if he had not apologized. His apology only made An Xiang feel worse.

"Not at all, not at all. Momo was the one who bullied her first." An Xiang pushed An Zimo forward. "Go apologize to your friend."

Apologize, my ass.

Pushed to the front, An Zimo crossed his arms over his chest, his lips pressed into a straight line.

Pei Nuo was still crying, and he found it irritating. His fierce gaze swept over her.

That look was extremely intimidating.

Pei Nuo's crying stopped abruptly. Her eyes rimmed red, she looked at An Zimo, pursed her lips, then immediately shrank behind Pei Yan, sniffling pitifully. "...Big brother, he... he glared at me." Afraid An Zimo would hear her, the little girl made her soft crying voice as quiet as possible.

Pei Yan ground his little teeth hard, and the anger in his heart flared up again.

"You dared glare at my sister!!!"

Pei Yan lunged like a little bear and clung to An Zimo. Opening his mouth, he bit down on his shoulder without another word.

Bite him to death.

Eat this stinking bug.

You bullied my sister, so don't even think about leaving alive.

All those malicious words gathered into a river, frantically stimulating An Zimo's nerves. Finally, the anger in his heart reached its peak. He grabbed Pei Yan by the hair, yanked him away, and threw a punch at his face.

Crack.

Blood flowed from his mouth, and a little tooth fell out as well.

Pei Yan covered his mouth without reacting for a long moment. After three seconds of silence, he threw back his head and wailed.

"My tooth fell out!!!"

Pei Yan screamed in pain, tears pouring uncontrollably down his face.

His tooth was gone.

His prized sharp little tooth was gone!!!

The more Pei Yan thought about it, the sadder he became, crying even louder than Pei Nuo.

It had all happened too quickly. Even the two adults had no chance to stop it.

An Zimo kicked Pei Yan away and covered his bitten, aching shoulder, letting out a disdainful snort.

A little brat like him thought he could fight An Zimo?

Keep dreaming.

"Waaah, my tooth... You..." Pei Yan's eyes brimmed with tears, and his words came out muffled. "You knocked out my toothy..."

An Zimo licked his sore teeth and looked down at him. "So what?"

Arrogant.

Outrageous.

Vile.

Rude.

Pei Yan slapped every label he could think of onto An Zimo, wishing he could rush over and bite him to death right then.

Watching the two children deadlocked in confrontation, An Xiang was on the verge of a breakdown.

No matter how hard she racked her brains, she never imagined her son would get into a fight with another child before he had even started kindergarten!!

This kindergarten probably... probably wasn't going to work out, was it?

An Xiang's heart began to break.

Dean Tan wore a helpless expression as well. This child did not look like an autistic child with impaired brain development at all. He was clearly a troublesome kid, no better than Pei Yan.

"Momo, apologize right now."

An Zimo shoved his little hands into his pockets, tossed his little head back, and showed not the slightest remorse.

"Then go stand in the corner." An Xiang pressed her lips together and pointed toward the wall.

As if he had not heard her, An Zimo left the group with a blank expression and squatted alone beneath a tree some distance away.

Her head began to ache, and she gently pressed her fingers to her temples.

Naturally, they could not just leave under these circumstances.

An Xiang walked over and crouched before the two children. She pulled out a wet wipe from her bag and wiped the blood from Pei Yan's face, carefully lifting his chin with her fingertips. "Come on, open your mouth and let me see."

Pei Yan sniffled as he opened his mouth.

The missing tooth was beside his front tooth. On closer inspection, his front tooth was a little loose too. He was probably at the age when he was losing his baby teeth.

"It's okay, it's okay. Go rinse up first." An Xiang looked at Dean Tan. "Where's the sink? I'll take him to wash up."

"It's fine, I'll take him." Dean Tan seemed accustomed to situations like this. With a calm expression, he took Pei Yan by the hand and led him away to wash up.

Other than An Zimo, who was playing with leaves in the distance, only An Xiang and Pei Nuo remained in the yard.

The little girl had cried herself tired. Sniffling, she wiped at the bunny ears that had been dirtied with her little hands.

An Xiang felt even guiltier and apologized softly. "I'm sorry. Our Momo got your little bunny dirty."

"I-It's okay." Although Pei Nuo was upset, she still forgave An Zimo in her soft, gentle way. She raised her head, her tear-washed eyes even more glistening. "Big sister, is his name Momo?"

"Mm-hmm, his name is An Zimo."

Pei Nuo pursed her lips. "He's so mean. Meaner... meaner than my brother."

The little girl was adorable. Even when she was angry, she was sweet and delicate.

An Xiang could not help softening. She gently wiped away the tear tracks on Pei Nuo's face with a wet wipe, then took out a sticky note from her backpack and drew a little rabbit on it with the black pen she carried with her.

"This is for you."

The hand-drawn little rabbit looked simple and adorable, its chubby little paws hugging a tiny star.

Children were such innocent, adorable creatures. They were incredibly easy to please, and any small thing could bring a smile to their faces.

Pei Nuo wiped away her tears and rubbed her dirty little paws against her dress before accepting the small note.

"Big sister, you draw so well~"

An Xiang patted her little head. "The next time we meet, I'll give you a new bunny, okay?"

Pei Nuo nodded and carefully tucked the drawing of the little rabbit into her pocket like a treasure.

An Xiang looked up and only then noticed that the classroom behind Pei Nuo had just five or six desks. It was completely empty; they were probably the only two children left.

"Where are your mommy and daddy?"

At the question, Pei Nuo lowered her lashes, and her expression abruptly fell. "...Nuo Nuo doesn't have a mommy or daddy anymore." She pressed her lips together after saying that, tears welling in her eyes without falling.

An Xiang froze, suddenly at a loss.

"But it's okay. We still have Great-Grandpa." Two dimples appeared on Pei Nuo's face. "Great-Grandpa takes care of us, but... but he's very busy too."

As she spoke, her expression dimmed again.

Pity filled An Xiang's eyes, and she felt the little girl was even more pitiful.

If they called him Great-Grandpa, he was probably already very old. Who knew when he might leave the two children behind and pass away?

She sighed quietly and patted the little girl's head again to comfort her.

By then, Dean Tan had finished washing Pei Yan's face.

An Xiang had not noticed earlier, but now she realized Pei Yan and Pei Nuo looked incredibly alike. They were clearly twins.

He was still unhappy, trailing listlessly beside Dean Tan.

"Do you need to go to the hospital? I can come with you."

An Zimo had been at fault first. As his parent, she had to take responsibility.

"It's fine." Dean Tan waved her off. "Pei Yan happens to be losing his baby teeth. This was just a coincidence, so don't take it to heart."

Dean Tan's attitude was too strange, making An Xiang even more uneasy.

"Actually, it's normal for children to roughhouse. To be honest, Pei Yan gets into fights with people every day." Dean Tan had long since grown used to it. To him, losing a tooth was nothing at all.

"Then..." Dean Tan paused. "Have you decided? Do you want Momo to enroll?"

An Xiang looked at An Zimo, who was still squatting behind the tree, then at Pei Yan, whose tooth had been knocked out. For a moment, she could not make up her mind.

An Zimo's temperament really was unstable.

He had clashed with Pei Yan today. There was no telling if he would quarrel with someone else tomorrow. At that point, forget attending kindergarten—she might have to take injured children to the doctor every day.

"I think I'd better give it some more thought." After thinking it over for a long while, An Xiang ultimately decided to consider it carefully.

Dean Tan did not press her. After all, no one had expected something like this to happen on the first day.

During the silence, a black sedan pulled up at the entrance.

Pei Nuo's eyes lit up at once, and she leaped three feet into the air.

"Great-Grandpa!" She spread her arms and ran toward the car.

Great-Grandpa?

Hearing that title, An Xiang abruptly turned around.

Not far away, Pei Nuo bounced around beside the car, her little face overflowing with happy smiles.

An Xiang inexplicably began to feel nervous, her heart pounding.

S-Since she could meet the old man, she should properly apologize and make amends. Whatever needed to be resolved, they would resolve it.

After all, her son had dirtied the little girl's bunny and knocked out her brother's tooth first...

An Xiang stared ahead, waiting nervously for the old man to get out of the car.

An Zimo: I'm a little brat. Deal with it if you don't like it.

There was a small bug in the previous chapter. I accidentally wrote Pei Chen as the youngest, but it has been fixed!

They really meet in the next chapter!! Please don't hit me, QWQ.

There'll be another update tonight. Five hundred red packets for this chapter; everyone who comments on these two chapters will get one.