Chapter 47

A light rain fell that night. Pei Yizhou hadn't brought an umbrella, and when he knocked and entered, a thin mist of rain clung to his shoulders. The faintly cold dampness carried across the short distance to An Xiang.

She hurried to get a towel for him, but the man refused.

Pei Yizhou changed his shoes and entered, immediately spotting An Zimo sitting on the floor, scribbling in his sketchbook.

When the child stayed silent, he did look rather well-behaved.

Pei Yizhou strode over and, without a word, picked him up by the collar. An Zimo didn't even have time to struggle before Pei Yizhou carried him into the study.

Bang.

The door closed, and Pei Yizhou locked it behind them.

"What are you doing?" An Zimo looked up at him, obvious displeasure in his expression.

Pei Yizhou didn't answer. He lifted An Zimo onto the chair in front of the desk, held his shoulder to keep him from moving, then turned on the computer, found a video, and pressed play.

The surveillance camera happened to face the intersection.

An Zimo frowned in confusion. Though impatient, he had no way to break free, so he reluctantly continued watching.

Through the footage, An Zimo saw a suspicious-looking man enter an alley, followed shortly by a woman. He vaguely felt that her figure looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, it was An Xiang.

"Why are you showing me this?"

He had no interest in where others went or what they did. Just as he was about to leave, the hand on his shoulder tightened.

"Keep watching."

Pei Yizhou's tone was forceful, giving him no chance to resist.

An Zimo took a deep breath and unwillingly kept watching.

The screen remained still for a long time. An Zimo crossed his arms, his two dangling little feet swinging widely from anxiety.

Suddenly, the footage began to flicker.

An Xiang ran out of the alley in a panic. A shadow flashed past, and in the next second, An Xiang was pinned to the ground.

The attack came abruptly and urgently. The man assaulted her like a madman. Even without sound, An Zimo could clearly sense An Xiang's terror and helplessness through the footage, along with her desperate desire to live.

That lunatic chased her for a long time before the video abruptly ended.

An Zimo tilted his chin up slightly, still not understanding. "Why are you showing me this?"

His childish face was full of calm. His eyes were dark and bright, yet as still as a dead sea. It was as if the video had not affected him at all, as if the woman who had nearly died onscreen were merely an unimportant stranger.

Pei Yizhou slowly sat down. The color of An Zimo's utterly unruffled soul told him that the video had not stirred even the slightest emotion in him.

"The day you ran away from home, your mommy looked for you for a long time."

An Zimo paused. "Oh."

Pei Yizhou continued, "The lunatic who attacked her wasn't human. He was a half-blood who had recently escaped from a psychiatric hospital. Your mommy found your little bear charm in his pocket and thought something had happened to you because of it."

An Zimo raised a brow. "I threw it away on purpose."

Pei Yizhou's gaze instantly darkened, his lips pressing into a straight line.

He heard Pei Yizhou's rising anger, yet his expression remained completely unmoved.

Suppressing his fury, Pei Yizhou said word by word, "You nearly got your mommy killed."

"But that doll was in the way." An Zimo looked utterly unconcerned. "There was nothing wrong with throwing it away."

Pei Yizhou said nothing.

An Zimo's lashes trembled faintly as the corner of his lips curled up. "I understand. Uncle Pei showed me this video because you wanted me to feel guilty? You wanted me to treat Mommy better and apologize to her because of this?"

"You haven't realized what the problem is at all."

An Zimo leaned back in the chair, his little feet swaying. "If we're talking about who nearly got her killed, then you bear a great deal of responsibility. You gave her the wrong information, which was why she went there. If she hadn't gone there, she naturally wouldn't have encountered that lunatic. I can't predict the future. Throwing away a toy was just a casual little thing, like throwing away trash. You can't label me as the murderer who nearly caused her death indirectly."

An Zimo's logic was clear as he continued, "Besides, rather than blaming me, you should blame the culprit and the negligent staff. If they hadn't let that lunatic escape, no one would have been hurt. And the matter has already happened. Showing me this video is meaningless."

An Zimo glanced at the screen.

To him, revisiting something that had already happened was simply a waste of time.

"An Zimo, the person in that video isn't someone else. She's your mother."

An Zimo gave him an indifferent look. "Even if I were the one in the video, I would say the same thing."

Pei Yizhou stared into his eyes, trying to find even a trace of human feeling in them, but there was nothing.

What he saw was coldness, calmness, and indifference.

An Zimo wasn't an ordinary three-year-old child. He didn't even possess the emotions a normal person should have. It would be more accurate to say that he felt nothing toward the outside world.

"Momo, what if your mother had died that day?"

An Zimo said, "Everyone dies."

Nothing could last forever except time.

Any form of death was merely the beginning of another cycle. He had died once before. He didn't fear death, much less care about whether others lived or died.

"Fine." Pei Yizhou was rendered speechless. He crouched in front of his son and gently placed a large hand on his head. "Tomorrow, I'll contact a doctor and take you to see one."

An Zimo's entire little face twisted up. "I don't think I'm sick." At first, he had been worried about his teeth, but that had already been explained. Aside from that, all his other physical indicators were normal. There was no need to waste time getting examined.

"Sick people never say they're sick. I think you have a serious psychological problem." Pei Yizhou had never treated An Zimo like a child since the day he met him. Concealing things from him was useless. With that annoying mind-reading ability of his, it was better to make things clear from the very beginning, lest the brat cause more trouble again tomorrow.

"Sleep well tonight. Don't think about running away. You can't escape." Pei Yizhou curved his eyes in a faint smile, one that carried both confidence and a hint of mischief.

He gave An Zimo's head one last pat before rising and leaving the study.

The father and son had talked inside for quite some time. An Xiang had no idea what they were discussing and had been waiting anxiously by herself. At last, when Pei Yizhou came out, she limped after him on her injured foot and looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Let's talk over there. You can barely stand." Pei Yizhou put an arm around An Xiang's waist and supported her toward the sofa.

An Xiang's waist was slender, and at such close range, her scent was close as well.

Pei Yizhou couldn't help letting his thoughts wander, though his expression remained composed and calm.

An Xiang sat down, adjusted herself into a comfortable position, and hugged a cushion to her chest. Her expression was urgent. "What did you say to Momo? He didn't act rebellious with you, did he?"

Rebellious was a fitting word. Pei Yizhou pursed his lips and smiled softly, warmth spilling into his eyes.

"No."

An Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"I'm planning to take Zimo to see a psychologist tomorrow."

As soon as Pei Yizhou finished speaking, An Xiang's eyes widened.

"I discovered that he isn't only indifferent toward you. He feels nothing toward anyone, whether strangers, family, or even himself."

An Xiang instinctively clutched the cushion tighter. Her eyes held both confusion and fear.

She didn't fully understand what Pei Yizhou meant, but she knew the seriousness of it.

Seeing that she was about to cry, Pei Yizhou quickly patted her little head and comforted her gently. "It's okay. My friend is an excellent psychologist. If Zimo truly has a problem, we'll find it early and treat it early."

An Xiang couldn't speak. She lowered her head and rubbed her eyes hard, then looked at him after a moment. "Then... then I'll go with you too!"

Pei Yizhou chuckled. "Be good and recover at home. I can go by myself."

An Xiang knew Pei Yizhou was reliable, but she was still worried and wanted to go with him.

But—

An Xiang bit her lip and looked at her injured ankle. Forget walking such a long distance—every night, the pain woke her from sleep.

"Actually, this is a good thing. If Momo really has a problem, then it means he doesn't truly hate you or not want to live with you."

"Then why did he run away from home?"

An Xiang still couldn't understand.

Her son had clearly been very obedient before. Even when she went out to deliver food and left him home alone, nothing happened. Why had he chosen that particular day to run away? He must have encountered some kind of problem, but he refused to tell her. There had never truly been trust between them.

She felt frustrated. Even more frustrating was how she had let her emotions take control and hit him without thinking.

"Momo has his own thoughts. If he doesn't want to tell us, he won't say anything even if we force him."

An Xiang nodded in agreement.

Taking a closer look, she saw that the clock hand had already pointed to eight-thirty. An Xiang couldn't help looking at Pei Yizhou beside her, still dressed in his suit and leather shoes. Her lips moved hesitantly for a long while before she cautiously asked in a soft voice, "You... you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Mm. I came straight here after the meeting ended."

The man's calm, offhand tone only made An Xiang feel worse.

She remembered that there seemed to be some noodles left in the refrigerator, so she got up and prepared to head to the kitchen. "I... I'll cook you some noodles. Wait for me a moment, okay?"

"No need."

Pei Yizhou hurriedly grabbed her wrist. An Xiang's legs were unsteady, and the tug immediately threw her off balance, sending her falling backward. Pei Yizhou swiftly caught her around the waist, and the next second, An Xiang landed securely on the man's lap.

The air fell still for a brief moment.

An Xiang curled up in his arms, too afraid to move. Even through the soft fabric of her loungewear, she could still feel the man's scorching body heat. His chest was solid, and the scent of oolong tea seemed to entice her faintly.

An Xiang blinked her eyes frantically. When she clumsily tried to climb up, she once again forgot about her sprained waist.

She fell back down again and bumped into a soft part of the man's body.

Pei Yizhou's expression changed slightly, his breathing instantly growing uneven.

"M-My waist can't move." An Xiang was almost crying. Worse still, she could clearly feel something pressing against her. It was uncomfortable, and An Xiang involuntarily shifted her body.

"Don't..." Pei Yizhou's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice rough and hoarse. He closed his eyes and restrained the surging desire, steadying his breathing. "Don't move around."

"Oh, I-I won't move." Sitting on his lap, An Xiang was flushed all over.

Pei Yizhou's large hands pressed tightly against her soft waist.

Breathing in her scent, his clear thoughts instantly descended into chaos. Pei Yizhou was reluctant to let go, and all kinds of wild thoughts overtook his reason.

Having just come out of the study, An Zimo walked past them without looking sideways and clearly heard a thought—

So fragrant. I want her.

An Zimo stopped in his tracks and looked over with a complicated expression.

His little face was full of question marks.

—What was he thinking about in front of a child?

An Zimo: What a dirty old pervert.

Pei Yizhou: I got kicked in the balls.

**

There's one more update!!!!!

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