Lu Jingyi reacted swiftly, fearing Xu Zhijun might harm the child, and quickly snatched the baby back.
The child’s hand was still waving.
【Aiya, I didn’t get to hit him a few more times.】
Xu Zhijun touched his own face in disbelief, a flash of anger in his eyes.
He had actually been slapped by a child.
Was this the strength a child should possess?
He lowered his head to look at the child waving its arms in Lu Jingyi’s embrace.
Lu Jingyi held Long Bao tightly. “Xu Zhijun, you wouldn’t hold a grudge against a child, would you?”
【Why are you looking at me? I’ll beat you to death when I grow up.】
Lu Jingyi: “…”
Xu Zhijun stared fixedly at Long Bao, then suddenly smiled and said, “Of course I’m not angry. Long Bao is really strong. Jingyi, thank you for raising Long Bao so well.”
Lu Jingyi immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “This child has always been strong. Probably just ate well and had nowhere to expend energy. Since you rarely hold her and she doesn’t recognize you, she accidentally hit you.”
Xu Zhijun nodded.
He accepted this explanation.
He would never imagine, even if beaten to death, that the slap just now was deliberately delivered by the child.
At that moment, Wang Pei knocked and entered carrying a basin of water.
Xu Zhijun quickly stepped aside.
Wang Pei placed the water on the table, glanced at Xu Zhijun and said, “Zhijun, for the next few days, you should stay in the room next door. I’ll sleep with Jingyi.”
“Why?”
Wang Pei: “The baby needs nighttime feedings, which can be disruptive. If it disturbs you, you won’t train well the next day.”
Xu Zhijun now truly had grievances he couldn’t voice.
He couldn’t reveal the excuse he’d used earlier to care for Li Hong, lest Lu Jingyi become suspicious again.
“Alright, I’ll sleep in the next room tonight then. Mom, you and Jingyi rest early.”
With that, he walked out.
Wang Pei wrung out a towel and walked to the bedside. “Long Bao, Grandma is here to wipe you clean and wash your bottom.”
While gathering his things before leaving, Xu Zhijun instinctively glanced back.
Under the dim lamplight, Lu Jingyi’s skin glowed with a faint radiance, her eyes gentle and bright. When she smiled, her entire expression brimmed with maternal warmth.
She seemed even more beautiful than before giving birth.
Lu Jingyi felt his gaze and looked up, meeting his eyes directly.
His stare made her nauseous.
Xu Zhijun: “Rest well. I’ll go to sleep now. Call me if you need anything.”
Wang Pei didn’t look up. “Go ahead.”
After the door closed and footsteps faded into the distance, Wang Pei asked quietly, “I heard noises and rushed in. What happened?”
Long Bao opened her big eyes wide, grinning so hard her gums showed.
【I hit that big bad guy.】
Lu Jingyi helplessly tapped her little nose. “When Xu Zhijun was holding Long Bao earlier, she slapped him.”
Wang Pei immediately gave a thumbs up. “Long Bao, well done!”
“Mom, don’t encourage bad behavior.”
“Long Bao hit a bad person – of course she deserves praise. Long Bao is amazing!”
【Grandma, kisses.】
Lu Jingyi shook her head resignedly.
After everything was settled, Wang Pei turned off the light and they went to sleep.
The night grew deep.
Yet in this late hour, someone remained awake.
Hearing the familiar pattern of three quick knocks followed by a pause, then three more knocks, Li Hong quickly got up.
She hurriedly threw on clothes, put on a hat, wrapped herself thoroughly, and went out.
She opened the door, and the person outside slipped in quickly.
“Zhijun, why are you so late?”
She was about to lean against him but was pushed away before making contact.
Xu Zhijun: “Mother will take care of you from now on. I won’t be coming over.”
“Why!” Li Hong’s voice suddenly rose sharply.
“Keep your voice down!”
Li Hong gritted her teeth and said, “Is it that bitch Lu Jingyi clinging to you? She just can’t stand to see me happy, that slut!”
“I’ve been coming to your place too often these past few days. Someone might have noticed. I’m about to get a promotion soon – if any scandal breaks out now, who knows when the next opportunity will come.”
Upon hearing it was about the promotion, Li Hong immediately relaxed and smiled again. “Alright then. But you can’t forget about me. After my postpartum recovery period, I’ll go see Yunshu. How has Yunshu been lately?”
Xu Zhijun subconsciously raised his hand to touch his face.
Actually, when he was hit earlier, Xu Zhijun had been angry – after all, he had never been slapped in his life.
But after calming down, he thought about how strong his daughter was and felt she would surely achieve great things in the future.
Xu Zhijun’s expression softened as he said: “That child is quite the little tyrant now. She’s surprisingly strong – when I held her, she even gave me a slap.”
“So fierce?” Li Hong rubbed her hands together. “She truly is our daughter.”
“Shut up.” Xu Zhijun’s face changed dramatically. “Don’t ever say that again, or we’re both finished.”
Li Hong was startled by his reaction and realized she had misspoken.
She nodded: “I understand. I won’t say it again. I was just speaking casually with you.”
“From now on, forget about that matter. Just focus on raising Xiao Tao well, treat her as your own daughter. Anyway, Lu Jingyi would never mistreat Long Bao.”
At the mention of Xiao Tao, Li Hong’s face immediately fell.
She replied perfunctorily: “I know, I know. The food Mother makes is too bland – I don’t have enough milk to feed Xiao Tao. Could you talk to your wife and share some of her dishes with me?”
“We’ll discuss that later. It’s not a good time for me to bring it up now. I should go.”
Li Hong watched him leave with reluctant eyes.
After closing the door, Li Hong’s face instantly turned cold.
She walked into the room and directly slapped the sleeping Xiao Tao.
Xiao Tao didn’t wake up, but feeling the pain, she instinctively closed her mouth to cry.
Li Hong said viciously: “It’s all because of your mother! How could there be a slut like her!”
“I’ll beat you to death! It’s all because she stole my man.”
Xiao Tao was born premature and had rarely eaten her fill since birth – even her cries were as faint as a kitten’s.
Li Hong showed no mercy, hitting the child again and again.
Xiao Tao eventually cried herself out of energy, sobbing pitifully.
Only when Li Hong grew tired from hitting did she stop.
She glanced dismissively at Xiao Tao: “I won’t let you die. I want Lu Jingyi to know that her daughter has been suffering right under her nose all these years. The look on her face will be quite entertaining then.”
Li Hong’s distorted face appeared terrifying under the moonlight.
In the following days, Xu Zhijun went for training.
When he returned, he worked extremely hard.
Wang Pei deliberately assigned him strenuous tasks – making him do laundry for the whole family, sweep floors, and empty chamber pots.
Xu Zhijun could maintain his composure in Wang Pei’s presence, but once she left, he would work with a dark expression.
Even Long Bao could see the thick resentment swirling around him.
When Xu Zhijun came in to sweep the floor, Long Bao waved his little fists and watched him sweep with a beaming smile.
Hearing the movement, Xu Zhijun looked up just in time to see Long Bao grinning at him.
The fair-skinned child’s smile revealed shallow dimples, and his eyes curved like crescent moons, radiating the same festive cheer as the New Year paintings of plump babies pasted on doors.
Xu Zhijun’s gaze instantly softened. “Long Bao, you smile as soon as you see Daddy—do you like Daddy that much?”
【I like hitting you.】
Long Bao shook his fists, grinning even more brightly.
Lu Jingyi: “…”