Chapter 26

After a brief rest, strength gradually returned to her limbs.

Hearing the question, An Xiang weakly raised her hand. "I... I'm the parent."

The chill in Pei Yizhou's expression was instantly replaced by astonishment.

His pupils contracted, disbelief written all over his face. "You...?"

"Mm." An Xiang gave a slight nod, looking at the pool again as she murmured softly, "Little duck..."

The rubber duck that had been left behind in the pool drifted with the water. Pei Yizhou temporarily set aside his surprise and, under An Xiang's astonished gaze, went back into the water and retrieved it.

"Here." He shook the droplets from his hair and handed her the yellow duck.

An Xiang accepted it blankly.

Perhaps because it had gotten wet, the little duck would no longer squeak no matter how she pressed it.

Her lashes lowered, and her lips pressed stubbornly into a straight line. There was disappointment on her face, dimness, and an indescribable sorrow that finally turned into tears, silently sliding from the corners of her eyes.

An Xiang turned her head and wiped away the tears that had fallen without her noticing. She held the little duck out to An Zimo, her voice as gentle as ever. "Here. Don't throw it away again."

An Zimo did not take it.

[So sad...]

[Why is my son acting like this?]

[It's so sad...]

Her heart was weeping along with her. An Zimo heard it all clearly and, without meaning to, secretly glanced at the subtle changes in her expression from the corner of his eye.

An Xiang ignored his coldness and silently put the toy away.

Her calf still hurt badly, and she probably would not be able to walk for a while.

She bent over, slowly applying pressure with her palm and continuously massaging the painful spot to ease the unbearable numbness.

"Do you need me to call a doctor?"

"No." An Xiang shook her head. "Thank you for saving me, Mr. Pei."

If Pei Yizhou had not happened to pass by, she might have died here today. Even if she was destined to die someday, she did not want to die for such an absurd reason.

An Zimo's earlier gaze suddenly surfaced in her mind.

It had been cold to the bone, devoid of human feeling. He had looked at her as though she were an ant, and also an enemy.

An Xiang had no doubt that her son had wanted her to die.

She had seen that kind of look on far too many people.

Her mother, her father, her cousins.

But she had never imagined that one day, even her only son would look at her with such hatred.

She did not feel chilled to the heart. She was only sad.

Intense sorrow churned like waves, pressing against her chest until she could barely breathe.

An Xiang wanted to cry, yet she had no choice but to hold it in.

Her rosy lower lip was nearly bitten through, and her eyes were even redder than before.

How could An Zimo not hear what she had said?

Did he regret it? No.

It was just...

As he looked at An Xiang's pale face, an indescribable feeling suddenly welled up within him. It was a little uncomfortable, but more than that, it was an inexplicable irritation.

"Is this your mommy?" Pei Yizhou looked at An Zimo, his sharp eyes seeming almost capable of seeing through his soul.

An Zimo turned his head away, unwilling to respond.

"The security office is right up ahead. When you saw someone fall into the water, why didn't you go get help?" Pei Yizhou did not believe that An Zimo was simply too young to understand such things.

An Zimo's soul told him that he was not an ordinary child.

At that moment, he had truly wanted his mother to drown and die.

Vicious, sinister—a rotten seed.

Pei Yizhou's tone was aggressive. Under the questioning, An Zimo felt anger rise for no reason. He frowned, glared fiercely back at him, and spat out four words. "None of your damn business."

An Xiang's face paled. When she looked at Pei Yizhou beside her, he was clearly displeased.

"An Zimo, apologize." It was the first time An Xiang had called him by his full name. Beneath her calm tone was anger she was desperately suppressing.

"I won't." An Zimo's expression was cutting. "Who does he think he is? What right does he have to interfere with what I do?"

An Xiang stared at him, each word forced out through clenched teeth. "Apologize. To. Him."

This was the first time An Xiang had spoken to him so fiercely in all these days.

Her tone and expression suddenly overlapped with the vicious face in his memories. Waves of horrifying memories pressed down on An Zimo until his nerves ached.

"I won't!!!" An Zimo clenched both fists and roared as if he had lost his mind. "You have no right to control me! You have no right to make me apologize either! I like being like this! If you have the guts, hit me! Otherwise, shut up!!"

The small commotion here had already drawn the attention of quite a few people.

An Zimo's eyes were full of hostility, and his twisted, ferocious face made An Xiang feel as though she did not know him.

Pei Yizhou had remained silent at the side, his deep eyes observing him in secret.

The black mist surrounding An Zimo's body was even thicker than when he had first seen it, faintly tangled with traces of dark red.

He was struggling.

"Mr. Pei, would it be convenient for me to have your contact information?" The cramps in her leg had eased somewhat. An Xiang carefully rose from her seat, her eyes faintly red.

Pei Yizhou withdrew his gaze and said, "I live in Building Seventeen."

An Xiang remembered it. Limping, she walked over to An Zimo and directly tucked him under her arm by the waist.

An Zimo froze, then began struggling violently the next second. "Put me down!"

"Put me down, did you hear me?!"

An Zimo's emotions were unstable, and he shouted the entire way.

As his mother, An Xiang neither reprimanded nor scolded him. She only quickened her pace and left this troublesome place.

After the mother and son left, Pei Yizhou remained standing there for a long while without moving. It was not until Xu Chuan came over to call him that he finally came back to himself.

"What happened to you?"

Water droplets still dripped from Pei Yizhou's body, making him look rather disheveled.

He lowered his gaze, bent down to pick up the shoes he had kicked away in his haste, pressed his lips tight, and only after a moment said two words. "Nothing."

"I heard someone say that somebody fell into the water over here. Don't tell me you went in to save them?" Xu Chuan's tone carried a hint of teasing. He did not ask further, only patted Pei Yizhou on the shoulder. "The An Family brothers are waiting at the racetrack. Hurry and change clothes. It wouldn't be good to be late."

"Mm, got it." Pei Yizhou answered perfunctorily, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Xu Chuan found it increasingly strange.

Pei Yizhou had always been known for his rationality. How had he become like this after being out of sight for only a short while? Who had made him so distracted?

Xu Chuan did not dare say anything or ask. He reminded him again, "I'll head over first, then. Don't be late."

"Mm."

Pei Yizhou tugged at the shirt clinging stickily to his skin from being wet. His brows furrowed slightly as he turned and headed toward the villa.

He was deep in thought.

Thinking carefully, he had seen An Zimo once before at the mall. At the time, his assistant had said the two looked alike, but Pei Yizhou had not taken it to heart. There were billions of people in the world; it was not strange for some to resemble one another.

But the key was—An Zimo was An Xiang's child.

That child looked only three or four years old. Both his age and the timing matched that night.

An Zimo... could he possibly be his child too?

Pei Yizhou did not dare think further, yet he could not help thinking about it. His mind was instantly overwhelmed by confusion, leaving him unable to think clearly.

**

By then, An Xiang had already returned to the villa with An Zimo.

The moment they entered, An Xiang threw An Zimo onto the sofa.

"What are you doing?!" An Zimo remained utterly unrepentant. Stretching his neck, he shouted at An Xiang, "You want to hit me, right? You just want to hit me, don't you?!"

An Xiang trembled with anger.

She pursed her lips, stepped forward, pinned the child facedown on the sofa, then pulled down his pants. A crisp slap landed on his two round little buttocks.

An Zimo forgot to scream, his eyes widening instantly.

He had imagined his mother whipping him with a leather whip or smashing him with a vase, but he had never imagined she would spank him!!

An Zimo could not feel pain. It did not matter where the slaps landed.

But he had dignity. He cared about pride. His butt was his dignity, his pride.

"Get away from me!"

"Don't touch me!"

An Zimo twisted desperately, but his arms were held down tightly and his legs had no strength. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free. He could only feel, again and again, the crisp sound of slaps landing on his skin.

He could not endure such humiliation. His eyes reddened, his teeth grinding together with a creak. For the first time, he wanted to cry.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"No!"

Very well.

Smack!

One slap.

"Do you know what you did wrong?!"

"No!"

Smack!

Smack! Smack!

Two slaps!

"Do you know what you did wrong!!"

"I-I don't!" An Zimo was stubborn to the core, rebellious to the bone, and unwilling to admit fault even if it killed him.

He turned his head back and gritted out, "If you have the guts, don't hit my butt!"

Humiliated.

Aggrieved.

Miserable.

An Zimo's eyes were red, and his lips trembled from grievance. Yet he still refused to cry, looking stubborn and pitiful.

The very next second after saying that, An Zimo saw An Xiang's reddened eyes as she began sobbing.

An Zimo froze, his lips moving hesitantly. "Hey, why are you crying?"

"An Zimo, I'm your mommy... How could you hope for Mommy to die?" Her voice was hoarse and choked as she covered her face and cried miserably.

Sadness.

Through her inner voice, An Zimo felt that sadness—and... heartache—even more clearly.

But he was obviously the one who had been spanked, and she was the one who had hit him.

Why did she feel heartache?? Why was she crying too??

An Zimo could not understand.

His eyes flickered with profound confusion and shock.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

An Zimo: Thanks for asking. Rebellious children fear nothing—my butt just hurts a little.

**

Xiangxiang hit him! Xiangxiang hit him!

When it came to matters of principle, she would still take action.

In the future, Momo would realize that his mother did not only have kisses—she also had slaps.

When I was little and naughty, my mom would cry while spanking me. (:з"∠)

*

Still two hundred red packets. See you tomorrow.

By the way, another little darling made the "Mommy" juice!! And said it tasted good too!!

I'm shocked. Maybe... I should study milk tea! I might just get rich, so why would I keep writing?