Xu Zhijun thought her waving hand was a response to liking him, and his gaze toward Long Bao grew even more tender.
“I like Long Bao too.”
Lu Jingyi coughed and said, “Hurry up and sweep the floor. Mom will be cooking soon, so you can help tend the fire.”
“Alright.” Xu Zhijun continued sweeping.
He occasionally glanced up at Long Bao, thinking of Xiao Tao, who was always sleeping and would only cry when occasionally awake.
Unlike Long Bao, who was born fair and tender, Xiao Tao remained wrinkled and reddish all over.
No wonder elders often showed favoritism.
Even he preferred Long Bao more.
Xu Zhijun quickened his pace to finish sweeping, dumped the trash with a dustpan, then stepped forward, clapping his hands and saying, “Long Bao, let Daddy hold you.”
[Hit, hit!]
Lu Jingyi didn’t stop him.
Consider it Long Bao helping her collect a little interest.
Lu Jingyi said, “Be careful when you hold him.”
“Don’t worry.” Xu Zhijun carefully picked up Long Bao.
Remembering the slap from last night, he still felt a lingering fear, so he lowered the child a bit, making sure those little hands couldn’t reach him, then gently swayed and said, “Long Bao, you seem to have gained weight.”
Long Bao raised a hand to try.
[Arms too short.]
[Can’t reach.]
Hearing the frustrated Xiao Nai Yin, Lu Jingyi burst out laughing.
This child is just too adorable.
As she looked up, her eyes met Xu Zhijun’s.
Xu Zhijun stared intently at her, his throat moving slightly.
He coughed, his voice a bit hoarse, “Jingyi, you’ve become even more beautiful after giving birth.”
Lu Jingyi’s smile froze on her face.
It felt like she had swallowed a fly.
How could Xu Zhijun be so disgusting—loving someone else in his heart yet still able to have a child with her.
Her face instantly turned cold. “Xu Zhijun, you…”
Before she could finish, Xu Zhijun suddenly jumped up.
Lu Jingyi noticed the fabric over his chest had darkened. He was holding Long Bao with one hand while frantically shaking the other in the air.
Xu Zhijun exclaimed, “Long Bao peed!”
Hearing the commotion, Wang Pei rushed in and took Long Bao from him. “Oh, my Little Dragon Treasure, why are you so mischievous?”
Though she said this, Wang Pei nearly laughed aloud at the sight of Xu Zhijun’s disheveled state.
“This child, how could he pee on you? Go change your clothes quickly.”
Xu Zhijun stared at Long Bao, who was squinting with laughter.
He was furious but couldn’t bring himself to be angry with a child not even a month old.
Xu Zhijun hurriedly turned and left for another room to change.
Wang Pei pinched Little Dragon Treasure’s cheek. “Well done.”
[I want to teach the bad guy who bullies Mom a lesson.]
Wang Pei looked at her daughter anxiously. “Did Xu Zhijun just bully you?”
Lu Jingyi’s expression was full of disgust. “He… he wanted to…”
As someone who had been through it all, Wang Pei understood immediately and whispered urgently, “You haven’t finished your postpartum month yet—you absolutely must not do that sort of thing.”
Lu Jingyi said bitterly, “Forget not finishing the month, even the sight of him disgusts me now.”
Wang Pei deftly changed the diaper while saying, “I’ll stay in the room more these days so you won’t have to be alone with him.”
“Mm.” Lu Jingyi nodded.
Wang Pei had already changed Long Bao into clean clothes and placed him beside her. “Our Long Bao is amazing, so young and already knows how to protect Mom.”
Long Bao clenched his tiny fist. [I’ll beat him up when I grow up.]
Lu Jingyi clenched her small fist, “My little darling.”
Just then, Su Yaqin’s voice suddenly came from outside the door, “Auntie, are you home?”
Upon hearing this, Wang Pei hurried out and saw Su Yaqin standing at the doorway carrying some items.
After not seeing her for a few days, the girl had dark circles under her eyes and seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
“Auntie.”
Wang Pei quickly walked over, touched her arm, and said, “Child, how have you lost so much weight in just a few days?”
“Something happened these past few days, so I couldn’t come pick Jingyi up when she was discharged from the hospital.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything when you came. Hurry inside, Jingyi and Long Bao are in there. Stay for dinner tonight—I’ll make your favorite meatballs.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Wang Pei brought her into the room and then called Xu Zhijun to the kitchen to help with cooking.
Xu Zhijun, who had just changed his clothes, had no choice but to set them aside and wait to wash them after the meal.
In the room.
Lu Jingyi looked at the haggard Su Yaqin and quickly took her hand, saying, “You’ve lost so much weight in just a few days. Has your husband been mistreating you?”
Su Yaqin’s eyes reddened, “Jingyi, he really tampered with the birth control. If it weren’t for… how could he do such a thing!”
Lu Jingyi held her hand sympathetically, “It’s better to find out now than after getting pregnant. What do you plan to do?”
“I don’t know. He’s been so good to me all these years, always picking me up and dropping me off from work. You know that—everyone at the hospital envies me. I also know his parents have been pressuring him a lot over the years, and he’s under stress. Would it be too harsh to divorce him over this?”
Lu Jingyi sighed and patted her hand, “I understand how you feel.”
“He even knelt down and apologized to me, saying he would never do it again, that he would never pressure me anymore, and that he wants to live a good life with me. I should let it go, but I just can’t feel at ease.”
Lu Jingyi grew alert, “He knelt down?”
Su Yaqin nodded tearfully, “They say a man’s pride is worth gold, yet he was willing to go that far for me. He must truly regret it.”
Lu Jingyi didn’t know what to say.
She thought of how Xu Zhijun had also knelt to apologize yesterday.
Something felt off to her.
[He’s willing to give up his self-respect, which means what he wants is more important than his pride.]
[Since kneeling didn’t work, he’s already called his parents over.]
Lu Jingyi froze for a moment, then suddenly everything became clear.
Just like Xu Zhijun, he was willing to kneel and apologize because he couldn’t bear to lose her family’s money and the support for his career.
So Yaqin’s husband was the same.
Su Yaqin’s crying stopped abruptly.
He called his parents over?
“What should I do now?” Su Yaqin said helplessly.
Lu Jingyi gripped her hand tightly, silently offering support, “Take it one step at a time. No matter what, you must not get pregnant. The fault lies with his family. If you really don’t want to stay with them, separate from him. I’ll always help you.”
Su Yaqin nodded, wiping her tears, “Jingyi, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Lu Jingyi patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t dwell on it anymore. Stay for dinner at my place, then play with Long Bao for a while. When you’re ready to go back, I’ll have my mom take you home.”
“Okay.”
Though Su Yaqin still seemed a bit distracted, she had calmed down.
Lu Jingyi told her about how Long Bao had slapped Xu Zhijun, successfully making Su Yaqin laugh.
Watching her laugh, Lu Jingyi sighed inwardly.
How had their marriages ended up in such a mess?
Fortunately, although Yaqin was soft-natured, she was open to advice and had a brother who wholeheartedly supported her.