Chapter 27

After crying, An Xiang quickly composed herself. She casually wiped away her tears, then stared straight at An Zimo with red, swollen eyes, her tone stronger than ever before. "You... come with me to apologize to Mr. Pei."

An Zimo snapped out of his shock, turned his face away, and remained as stubborn as ever. "I'm not going."

"An Zimo." An Xiang forcibly turned his little face back, making him meet her eyes. "I won't allow you to grow into a rude, vicious child. If you won't come apologize with me, I'll carry you out to the lobby and spank you right now."

"You wouldn't dare!"

An Xiang was even more domineering than him. "Just watch me."

An Zimo had never accepted threats, but faced with those open, honest eyes, he could not help but hesitate.

She dared to spank him today, and she would dare to spank him in front of strangers.

After all... it was not as if she had never hit him in front of other people before.

An Zimo's heart went cold.

He did not understand what he had done wrong. That strange man had been the one to meddle first; he had been the one acting aggressively. Everything An Zimo had done at the time had been perfectly justified.

If shouting counted as a mistake, then every vegetable vendor yelling in the street ought to apologize to him.

"I'll give you a few more seconds. Are you going or not?"

An Zimo clicked his tongue, grinding his little teeth hard. At last, he unwillingly gave in. "Fine, I'll go after I change clothes." He said, "You can't expect someone not to change clothes, can you?"

They were both still wearing swimsuits, so they really could not meet a guest like this.

An Xiang released An Zimo, went back to change into clean clothes, roughly blow-dried her hair until it was half-dry, then dragged An Zimo toward Building Seventeen, where Pei Yizhou was staying.

Buildings One through Twenty were all high-end VIP areas. An Xiang was stopped as soon as she approached.

"Sorry, please show your VIP card."

An Xiang looked inside. "I'm looking for Mr. Pei Yizhou. Is he in there now?"

"Mr. Pei has gone to the racetrack. If you're looking for him, you can rent a car to get there."

The manor was huge, and the racetrack was far from the residential area. To make things convenient for guests, quiet, eco-friendly open-top cars were available throughout the grounds.

An Zimo pulled a long face. "We don't have to go over there, right?" The moment he finished speaking, An Xiang shot him a sharp look.

He fell silent, his disgust for his mother deepening another layer.

After thanking them, An Xiang rented a car and climbed in while holding An Zimo.

The little car was very comfortable.

As it bumped along, An Zimo's resentment reached its peak. Thinking back to the man's excessively handsome face and expensive outfit, he suddenly realized something, his expression dawning with understanding.

"You never wanted me to apologize." An Zimo propped his cheek on one hand, his childish voice full of sarcasm and cruelty. "You just wanted to use this chance to get close to that man, didn't you?"

An Xiang pressed her lips together, her expression colder than before.

"You saw that he was rich, so you used me as an excuse. You finally caught an opportunity, so of course you didn't want to waste it."

An Zimo was certain that most people in this world were vain and greedy for wealth.

In this life, An Xiang could no longer use him as a tool to make money. Since that was the case, she had to find herself another cash machine, and when he thought about it carefully, that man was the best choice.

An Xiang's silence was the best answer.

Feeling that he had guessed right, he snickered and turned Mind Reading up to its highest volume, wanting to hear her panic and embarrassment right away so he could mock her again.

But—

[Why can my son think on that level? I really am an idiot. He thought of something that never even occurred to me.]

[Could my son actually be a genius?]

[Do all three-year-olds say things like that?]

The way An Xiang looked at An Zimo suddenly took on a hint of scrutiny.

A chill ran down his back, and he slowly turned his little head away.

[Forget it. He probably just watches too many TV dramas.]

[I really need to teach him a lesson.]

"Momo, Mommy doesn't want other people to dislike you."

An Zimo frowned. "What does it have to do with me whether other people like me or not?"

"I don't want people's first thought when they mention you to be that you have no manners." An Xiang patted his head. "You're clearly... a very well-behaved child."

Momo was very well-behaved.

She knew he might not like coffins, but he still slept with her; he was afraid of troubling her, so despite being so young, he bathed himself; he must have been bored staying in the shop with her every day, yet he had never fussed about wanting to go out and play.

Even when she went out to deliver food, Momo obediently stayed by himself.

He did not dare ask for toys casually; he did not dare cling to her and act spoiled. He had none of the bad habits other children had.

Momo was not a bad child. An Xiang knew that, but...

"It doesn't matter how you treat me, because I'm your mommy. No matter how excessive you are, I won't truly hold a grudge against you or abandon you." The tip of An Xiang's nose reddened, and her voice choked up again. "But you can't just take out your resentment on other people. They don't owe you anything. That includes Pei Nuo and Mr. Pei. Neither of them owes you anything, so what gives you the right to treat them so rudely?"

Faced with her questioning, An Zimo clenched his fists and said nothing.

A breath caught in An Xiang's chest.

Just then, she suddenly understood what the word "mother" truly meant.

Whether An Zimo hated her, cursed her, or wanted to kill her, those were choices he made himself. But as his mother, she had to take responsibility for the mistakes her child made.

An Xiang had thought that as long as she spoiled him and treated him well, he would open his heart and accept her.

But she had been wrong.

Blind indulgence would only make him more arrogant and self-important. Maybe he would even turn into one of those bratty children shown on television every day, and once he grew older, he would end up making headlines in the social news.

She absolutely could not let her son become like that!

An Xiang had made up her mind. She would no longer try to please him or indulge him. Since she was his mother, she would educate him when needed, and if she needed to hit him, she would not hold back. She would be a mother, but she would also be a strict teacher. As for what An Zimo thought of her, that was his own business.

As long as he could live openly and honorably in the future, that would be the best repayment she could ask for.

As for whether he hated her... she no longer cared.

Starting today, starting now, she would no longer be a good mommy!

She was going to evolve into a demon mommy!! The super fierce kind!

With that thought, An Xiang glared fiercely at her son again.

"..."

Every word of An Xiang's inner thoughts poured into his ears.

He was speechless, yet inexplicably angry.

Hit him if she wanted, scold him if she wanted. If he ever admitted defeat and knelt on the ground calling her Mommy, then he would lose.

"Guest, we've arrived at the racetrack."

An Xiang dragged An Zimo out of the car, only to be stopped again as they were about to enter.

"Sorry, Area A has been reserved. You can't enter."

An Xiang had been turned away twice in a row, and An Zimo laughed out loud beside her without giving her any face.

"I'm looking for Mr. Pei Yizhou. Could you ask whether he's available to see me right now?"

The attendant looked troubled, but eventually nodded and went into the racetrack, leaving An Xiang to wait patiently at the entrance.

He returned quickly, opened the gate, and gestured invitingly. "Please follow me."

Greenfield Manor's racetrack was vast, its tender green grass stretching beyond sight.

Several sleek, powerful horses ran freely across the plain, their manes dancing in the wind.

She followed the attendant to the rest area. As soon as she arrived, a reddish-brown horse galloped straight toward the fence.

It was a purebred Orlov Racehorse, elegant in form and strong in build. Its coat gleamed darkly and beautifully under the direct sunlight.

Orlov Horses were famously gentle and lively. Separated by the iron fence, it lowered its head and leaned close, affectionately seeking An Xiang's touch.

"Looking for me?" The man's voice was low and crisp, and An Xiang immediately turned her gaze to Pei Yizhou.

The man on horseback wore a fitted black riding suit. He held the reins tightly in both hands, his back straight, his eyes lowered. Backlit by the sun, he resembled a medieval nobleman—refined and distant.

"Wait for me. I'll be right out." Pei Yizhou handed the horse over to its caretaker, removed his helmet, and walked toward her.

"No way, Pei Yizhou. You're running off already?"

A provoking voice came from the distance.

The voice sounded like someone An Xiang knew, but it was too far away, and the sunlight was too glaring for her to make out who it was.

An Xiang did not investigate further and turned her attention back.

"Let's go over there." Pei Yizhou glanced at An Zimo in her arms and received a disdainful, contemptuous eye-roll in return.

...What an unlikeable, rude little brat.

There was no way his genes could be this terrible.

Pei Yizhou's thoughts were complicated. He walked calmly beside her, shielding her from the various gazes around the racetrack.

The two moved away from the racing area and arrived at an open-air rest area.

Pei Yizhou gentlemanly pulled out a chair, stepped aside, and extended a hand slightly. "Sit."

"No need. I came to apologize to you." An Xiang put An Zimo down and pushed him toward Pei Yizhou. "Go."

An Zimo stood with both hands in his pockets, his small body as straight as a pine tree.

He lifted his little head high. Completely unafraid of Pei Yizhou's cold aura, he even raised both eyebrows at him fiercely in provocation.

Pei Yizhou fell silent.

His favorability toward An Zimo had dropped below zero.

"An Zimo, hurry up."

An Xiang urged from behind him.

An Zimo rolled his eyes toward the sky, his teeth itching with hatred.

"An Zimo, I don't want to threaten you a second time."

Tch.

He put his hands behind his back, turned his little face aside, and slowly, perfunctorily forced three words out of his mouth. "...Sorry." It was so quiet it sounded like a mosquito buzzing.

An Xiang's expression darkened. "Fix your attitude and say it properly."

Damn it.

Was this ever going to end?!

"Sorry!" He shut his eyes and shouted the three words without any emotion.

An Xiang would not let it go. "What about the form of address?"

The form of address?

An Zimo froze for a long moment. Then, puffing out his cheeks at Pei Yizhou, he unwillingly lowered his head and called out:

"Un... uncle."

?

???

Pei Yizhou, suddenly called uncle, frowned, his feelings somewhat complicated.

An Xiang stopped breathing for a moment, her face flushing red. She grabbed her son's cheek hard and corrected him through clenched teeth. "It's Mister!"

An Zimo wore a gloomy little face. "Is there any essential difference between the two?"

Of course there was!

Calling him uncle turned a perfectly good domineering CEO into some rural coal-mining cadre, instantly aging him thirty years.

An Xiang was completely speechless over her son. She decided that when they got back today, she would properly teach him about forms of address.

No matter what, the fact that her son could apologize was progress.

She pulled An Zimo over, raised her head, and gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Mr. Pei. Momo deliberately shouted at you earlier. I've already disciplined him, so don't worry."

Disciplined?

Pei Yizhou lowered his eyes to look at An Zimo. This child did not seem like someone who could be disciplined.

"I'm also very grateful that you saved me today. I'll definitely thank you personally another day."

"Why another day? I think now is perfect." Before An Xiang had even finished speaking, An Zimo took over. He gave a light snort and said mockingly to Pei Yizhou, "You really should accept her thanks. Otherwise, I'll have been used as an excuse for nothing."

An excuse?

What excuse?

Pei Yizhou looked at An Xiang, curiosity in his eyes.

An Xiang's expression changed drastically. She covered An Zimo's chattering mouth with one hand and lowered her voice in warning. "An Zimo, don't talk nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense. Who travels all this way just to apologize? Everything you said was just an excuse. Calling him Mister or uncle—I think you just like him and want me to acknowledge him as my..."

An Xiang covered up the rest of his words.

Afraid that her son would say something even more outrageous, An Xiang hurriedly dragged him away.

Watching the mother and son bicker in the distance, Pei Yizhou raised an eyebrow. His expression shifted in realization, and an inexplicable delight welled up in his heart.

In that case—

An Xiang was not completely indifferent to him.

Maybe because he had saved her, she wanted to offer herself—

No.

An upright man could not have such filthy thoughts.

Pei Yizhou composed himself. When he looked at An Zimo again, his expression softened somewhat.

—Looking closely, the little brat was actually rather pleasing to the eye.

—Eighty percent of him must have inherited Pei Yizhou's excellent genes.

Pei Yizhou: I've already thought of a name for our second child. As expected of me.

Momo had actually begun to realize something too, but hatred clouded his big confused eyes. Deep down, he was unwilling to accept it and deceived himself (:з"∠)

***

There's one more update.

Starting now, An Xiang will officially be renamed Niohuru An Xiang. [dog head]

Happy Qixi Festival, but what does that have to do with you? Sob, it has nothing to do with me either.

Five hundred red envelopes for this chapter. Today, I'm your date.

Yesterday's results have already been announced. Winners can check their site messages to see how many JJB they received. Love you all.