Chapter 39

The morning air was damp, and the sun was not yet scorching.

An Xiang strapped An Zimo's little backpack onto him and led him toward Rainbow Kindergarten.

The kindergarten was only a few minutes away, and they arrived in the blink of an eye.

Many cars were parked out front. Children entered in small groups, two or three at a time. Since adults were not allowed inside, An Xiang stopped after walking An Zimo to the entrance.

"Momo, you have to listen to your teacher, okay?"

An Zimo's gaze wandered elsewhere as he gave a cold, indifferent nod.

She crouched before him and raised a hand to straighten the crooked collar at his chest. Still worried, she said, "If Yaya falls out, remember to tell the teacher."

"Okay."

"You have to eat your fill at lunch. Don't be too embarrassed to eat."

"Mm."

"Don't kick off your blanket during nap time. I'll come pick you up tonight."

"..."

"You're so annoying." An Zimo finally ran out of patience, pulled free of her hand, and headed inside.

Watching her son's thin little figure leave without a hint of reluctance, An Xiang could no longer hold it in and quietly began to cry.

Hearing her sobs, An Zimo frowned and turned to look at her.

"Hey..." Confusion showed through his tightly furrowed little brows. He could not understand why An Xiang had suddenly started crying for no reason.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Go on in." She sniffled twice and rubbed her stinging eyes. "Remember to behave. You can't bully the other children..." Although An Zimo was disobedient, disliked talking, and never listened to anyone, setting all that aside, he was still just a simple little baby.

It was the first time she had been separated from her baby.

Thinking about him having to live alone at kindergarten made her heart ache terribly.

"Hey, don't cry." An Zimo frowned as he walked over. "It looks really ugly."

"...But I'm afraid you won't do well." An Xiang covered her face and choked back sobs. An Zimo did not fit in and had been bullied in the village. There would definitely be naughty children at kindergarten too. If he got bullied, he would not say anything even after going home.

She kept crying, and the adults and children nearby kept staring.

Some children who had originally been crying and acting spoiled because they did not want to go to kindergarten were instantly distracted by her. They stopped crying and muttered softly to their parents, "Mommy, look. That big sister is still crying."

"Is that big sister that little brother's parent?"

"Probably..."

The people around them whispered among themselves, and An Zimo felt humiliated.

He fumbled through his pockets in a panic. After searching for a long while, he finally found the handkerchief An Xiang had stuffed into his backpack that morning. He had disliked it and not wanted to bring it then, but he had not expected it to come in handy so soon.

With an awkward expression, An Zimo held out the handkerchief. "Here."

An Xiang looked through tear-blurred eyes at his tiny hand, then at her son's excessively beautiful face. Her lips trembled, and she cried even harder.

"Momo, let's not go to kindergarten, okay?!"

Her son was so good and sensible. She did not want to be separated from her baby.

The thought of being alone at home from now on made An Xiang feel even more wronged, helpless, miserable, and like crying.

An Zimo's brow twitched violently. The adults and children around them were all laughing, treating them entirely as a spectacle.

"We're closing the doors soon. Children, hurry back to your classrooms." The vice principal spoke up nearby. She noticed An Zimo and said, "Little friend, did you just transfer here today? You can't keep clinging to your mommy."

"..." Who exactly was clinging to whom?!

An Zimo turned around. "Wait a moment. I need to comfort my mom."

The vice principal froze, only then noticing An Xiang clutching An Zimo and crying her heart out. She pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh before turning back to greet the other children.

"Stop crying. You're already such a big adult." Annoyed, An Zimo pulled free of her hand. After thinking for a moment, he used the little handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face, his tone awkward. "Look, none of the other parents are crying. What are you crying for?"

An Xiang's nose and eyes were red. Rubbing her eyes, she said pitifully, "The other parents are used to it."

"Then get used to it too." An Zimo growled impatiently, growing increasingly irritated. "I'm going to school. You're not allowed to cry anymore. People will laugh at me if they see you."

"Mm, I won't cry anymore."

An Xiang held back her tears. Her gaze shifted, and she saw a little boy in the distance kissing his mother goodbye.

Her face filled with envy. She looked at An Zimo's gloomy little face and immediately felt disappointed.

"Did you remember everything I just said?" Her voice was hoarse with tears as she asked again, still worried.

"I remembered. Hurry home."

"It's okay. I'll go after I watch you go inside."

An Zimo's brow furrowed even more tightly. "I'll watch you go home before I go in."

An Xiang's tear-filled eyes were misty. She slowed her breathing and said slowly, "You can't bear to part with Mommy either?" A flash of delight passed through her eyes after she spoke.

An Zimo scoffed and turned his head away. "I'm just afraid that after I leave, you'll squat here and cry again. It's embarrassing."

"Oh..." Dejected, she lowered her head and left the kindergarten, looking back every few steps.

Only after she had finally left did An Zimo tug on his backpack straps and enter the classroom.

Once the child had left, the small milk tea shop instantly felt much emptier.

There were not many customers in the shop either. After being busy for a while, things became quiet again. By noon, An Xiang had idly sprawled on the table for a while before going grocery shopping, cooking, and squeezing a glass of juice.

She packed the food into an insulated container, took the juice in her left hand and the container in her right, then headed to Huaxing across the street.

An Xiang had a pass, so she went straight through security. Just as she was about to enter the elevator, someone stopped her.

"Wait, you're not an employee here, are you?" The security guard studied her suspiciously. "Show me your work ID."

An Xiang hurriedly showed him the card. "I... I have this."

The thin black card was reserved for the chairman.

The expressions of the employees passing by changed instantly, and the way they looked at her became strange.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

"I gave it to her."

The security guard froze. "C-Chairman?"

"Mm." Pei Yizhou nodded expressionlessly. The cold distance in his features made people instinctively keep their distance.

"She can come and go freely from now on. You don't need to worry about her."

At those words, the expressions of the people around them grew even stranger.

Pei Yizhou completely ignored their stares and led her into the elevator.

The elevator rose slowly. There were only the two of them in the enclosed space.

An Xiang could not help tightening her grip on the insulated container, secretly glancing to the side.

He was very tall, and the black suit suited him exceptionally well.

The lines of his profile were perfect. His eye sockets were slightly deep, and his jaw was habitually tense.

His face was certainly handsome, but it was too distant and cold. If not for An Zimo, An Xiang might never have come into contact with someone like him.

"Why do you keep looking at me?"

Her stare was too obvious, and Pei Yizhou lowered his head to look at her.

Unlike his earlier indifference, there was a smile in his eyes now, with a hint of gentleness in it.

"What are you holding?"

An Xiang suddenly came to her senses. "Juice." She pressed her lips together and muttered softly, "...Food."

Pei Yizhou chuckled. "I seem to remember only ordering juice."

"Mm..." An Xiang did not know how to explain it. Her eyes drifted for a long time before she slowly said, "You can't... taste anyone else's food."

Making food for one person was making food, and making food for two people was also making food.

Besides, now that An Zimo had gone to school, cooking only for herself felt somewhat lonely. Pei Yizhou had helped her a great deal, and making an extra dish would not take much time.

Pei Yizhou said nothing. His mist-dark eyes fixed on her porcelain-white cheek. After a moment, he lowered his gaze and suppressed the emotions that threatened to surface.

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the top floor.

An Xiang followed him into the office and set the things down. "Then... then I'll head back first. Eat before you get busy. Leave the containers here, and I'll come get them tonight."

An Xiang had packed a lot. There was more than enough food for two people.

He called out to her. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I wanted to bring this to you first." If she ate first, the food might get cold and affect the taste.

Her expression was very serious when she said this. Pei Yizhou's heart stirred, countless thoughts flashing through his mind before all of them turned into a warmth like spring rain.

His girl cared about him.

Pei Yizhou hid his smile, his voice calm. "Then sit down and eat with me. I can't finish all this by myself."

"Huh?" An Xiang froze and hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no. I'll disturb you."

"You won't." Pei Yizhou did not give her a chance to refuse. "It would be wasteful if we can't finish it. Besides, you'll be alone when you go back anyway."

That was true.

Momo could no longer have lunch with her every day.

An Xiang became dejected in an instant and sat heavily on the sofa. "...But I only prepared one pair of chopsticks."

"It's fine. I'll have someone get some from the cafeteria."

Pei Yizhou told Secretary Zhao, and before long, Secretary Zhao brought bowls and chopsticks into the office.

Seeing the extra girl in the office, Secretary Zhao was stunned for several seconds. She swallowed, set down the bowls and chopsticks, and left calmly. The next second, she sprinted to her desk and began furiously typing away.

[Secretary Zhao: Our President Pei is dating someone, isn't he AHHHHHHHHHH!]

[Planning Department - Xiao Li: Holy shit? Really?!]

[Secretary Zhao: Really! They're eating together! It's that girl who delivered milk tea before!!]

[Human Resources - Xiao Wang: Ahhh, that sweet little girl who looked like a peach? I even wanted to pursue her.]

[Art Department - Xiao Gao: No way. Isn't our President Pei frigid?]

[Planning Department - Xiao Li: I suddenly remembered... this seems to be the work group.]

[Everyone: ...]

Every department wildly gossiped about their boss's love life. Pei Yizhou knew nothing about it as he happily sampled his "little wife's" loving lunch.

"This is a little intense. Is it spicy?" Pei Yizhou truly was not used to chili peppers. Just a little made his cheeks flush red.

"Then I won't add chili next time. Eat this, it isn't spicy." An Xiang put a meatball into his bowl, then immediately realized that serving him food like that was too impolite.

"Sorry." Just as she was about to take the meatball back, Pei Yizhou suddenly stopped her. Naturally, he accepted the meatball and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

He did not seem to mind at all.

An Xiang bit her chopsticks and silently lowered her head to eat.

"Did Zimo go to kindergarten today?"

"Mm." An Xiang nodded.

"You must not be used to it."

"Mm!" An Xiang nodded heavily, looking like she wanted to cry again.

Pei Yizhou raised a hand and touched her head, his expression gentle. "Then come see me every day at noon. I happen to be alone too."

Her hair was very soft, like silk.

An Xiang was immersed in missing her son and did not react at all.

Pei Yizhou touched her a few more times before reluctantly withdrawing his hand.

Looking at his fingertips, still carrying a faint fragrance, Pei Yizhou raised his brows confidently.

The moon is easiest to reach from a rooftop by the water. It was only a matter of time before An Xiang became his wife.

Pei Chen: Funny, I was thinking the same thing.