The air in the underground garage was filled with a faint smell of dust and gasoline. Pei Ran asked the system uncertainly, “Is she waiting for me?”
System: “Looks like it? Otherwise, why would she keep staring at you? Maybe she’s planning to take you along to pick up your daughter and go to the amusement park.”
Pei Ran thought the system made sense, so she hesitantly took a few steps toward Zhou Yang.
When she was about two or three meters away, Pei Ran noticed that Zhou Yang’s face looked very dark. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were pressed into a tight line. Pei Ran quickly stopped in her tracks.
Pei Ran: “The expression on her face doesn’t look like she wants to wait for me. I must have misunderstood.” With that, she turned around, preparing to drive her own car instead.
“Get in,” Zhou Yang suddenly spoke up, calling out to stop her.
Pei Ran was stunned: “Huh?”
“Aren’t you going to pick up Niannian?” Zhou Yang’s voice drifted over from ahead, carrying a trace of sarcasm. “Your car was repossessed by Zhao Wanqing. What, didn’t she tell you?”
Pei Ran opened her mouth, wanting to say “I can take a taxi,” but swallowed the words back down before they could leave her lips.
Because she saw that Zhou Yang had already opened the driver’s side door and was leaning one hand on the doorframe, turning her head to look at her. That posture, combined with that cold, detached face, was indescribably captivating.
In that moment, a flicker of desire rose up inside Pei Ran, and as if possessed, she actually followed her over.
Opening the front passenger door and sitting inside, Pei Ran caught a whiff of that familiar cold fir perfume scent, crisp with a hint of warmth, just like the feeling Zhou Yang gave her. Outwardly, she said she never wanted to see her again, yet in action, she was giving her checks and driving her to pick up their daughter.
Maybe the system was right. Zhou Yang hadn’t completely gotten over her ex-wife after all.
Zhou Yang started the car, the roar of the engine sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet garage. Neither of them spoke, and the silence inside the car became somewhat awkward.
Pei Ran stole a glance at Zhou Yang’s side profile and noticed that her eyes were fixed straight ahead the entire time. Her expression was so indifferent that it seemed as if she were driving an empty car, completely ignoring the person sitting in the passenger seat.
Pei Ran sighed in her heart and decided to take the initiative to break the silence.
“Niannian… how has she been lately?”
Zhou Yang’s fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Instead of answering Pei Ran’s question, she countered with one of her own.
Pei Ran was left speechless.
She didn’t know.
Or rather, in Pei Ran’s current memories, there was no information about this daughter at all. She only knew that Zhou Nian was the daughter of the original body owner and Zhou Yang, roughly four or five years old this year. Beyond that, she knew nothing.
Soon, Zhou Yang answered for her: “Two months ago.”
Her voice was as cold as tempered ice. “The last time you voluntarily asked to see her was because Zhao Wanqing had a sudden whim and wanted to see what her rival’s daughter looked like.”
Zhou Nian was the daughter of Pei Ran and Zhou Yang, whereas Zhao Wanqing’s company and Zhou Yang’s company were competitors. Zhao Wanqing meddling with Zhou Nian was clearly up to no good, yet Pei Ran, as a biological mother, was actually willing to joke with her daughter’s personal safety just to curry favor with her benefactor.
Pei Ran felt as if someone had dealt a heavy blow directly to her chest.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized sincerely on behalf of the former Pei Ran.
However, Zhou Yang didn’t spare her even a single glance.
“You don’t need to say sorry to me.” Her tone remained freezing. “You just need to play the role of a proper mother in front of Niannian. She doesn’t know what kind of person you really are. In her heart, mom is the best person in the whole world. Please don’t break that illusion.”
Pei Ran’s nose suddenly felt a bit sore.
She was clearly a task-binder/host, and the emotions of this body had nothing to do with her, but the surging feelings felt so real that she felt as though she were “Pei Ran” herself.
“I won’t,” she said, her voice a bit hoarse. “Niannian is my daughter. I won’t let her down.”
Zhou Yang didn’t speak again.
The car drove on the road for about twenty minutes before turning into a luxurious villa area. The buildings here were not tall, with wide spacing between them. A few locust trees were planted in the open spaces between the houses, their autumn leaves half-yellowed, rustling as they fell with the breeze.
Zhou Yang parked the car and turned off the engine.
Through the car window, Pei Ran saw a tiny figure standing at the villa’s entrance. The little girl was wearing a pink jacket, her hair tied up in two small pigtails, clutching a plush rabbit in her arms while standing on tiptoe and peering over toward them.
When she saw the car, her eyes lit up instantly, like two lit-up stars.
“Mommy!”
Zhou Nian ran over at a trot. Pei Ran hurriedly pushed open the car door and crouched down, catching the tiny body as it threw itself into her arms. Soft, warm, and carrying a milky fragrance, she felt like a piece of freshly baked bread.
“Niannian missed Mommy,” Zhou Nian buried her face in the crook of Pei Ran’s neck, her voice muffled and tinged with a little grievance. “Mommy said she would pick Niannian up at ten o’clock, but now it’s already ten twenty.”
Pei Ran’s heart completely melted.
“I’m sorry, Mommy is late.” She reached out to stroke Niannian’s hair, her voice turning soft involuntarily. “How about Mommy doesn’t be late next time?”
“Really?” Niannian raised her head, her round, shiny eyes looking at Pei Ran, filled with cautious expectation.
“Really.”
Niannian suddenly burst out laughing, smiling very sweetly to reveal a neat row of tiny milk teeth. Then she turned her head, saw Zhou Yang stepping down from the driver’s seat, and called out sweetly once more: “Mommy!”
Zhou Yang walked over, reached out, and gently touched Niannian’s head. Her movements were very light, and her eyes held a gentleness that Pei Ran had never seen before.
“Get in the car,” Zhou Yang said. “Let’s go to the amusement park.”
Niannian let out a cheer, bouncing up and down in place twice out of excitement before being lifted into the car by Pei Ran. In the child safety seat in the back, Niannian skillfully climbed in and sat down herself. While Pei Ran helped her fasten the seatbelt, she kept looking up at Pei Ran, the corners of her mouth and eyes curved happily, looking like a little cat that had stolen a fish.
“Mommy looks so pretty today,” Niannian suddenly said.
Pei Ran froze for a moment, then smiled: “Niannian is very pretty too.”
“Niannian is telling the truth,” Zhou Nian said solemnly. “Mommy used to wear shiny clothes all the time, which Niannian didn’t like. These white clothes today look good; Mommy looks like a princess wearing this.”
Pei Ran looked down at the cream-white trench coat she was wearing and suddenly felt that this piece of clothing was indeed quite nice.
The car started moving, and Niannian chattered in the back about the things that happened at kindergarten. She said she drew a picture today depicting Mommy taking her to the amusement park. She also mentioned that her desk mate Xiaojie stole her eraser, but later returned it, so she forgave him.
Children spoke without much logic, saying whatever came to mind, but Pei Ran didn’t find it annoying at all. Listening to Niannian’s voice, the corners of her mouth remained curved up naturally, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace in her heart.
Zhou Yang glanced at Niannian through the rearview mirror, then looked at Pei Ran in the front passenger seat, a fleeting moment of gentleness passing through her eyes.
Arriving at the amusement park, Niannian was like a little bird released from its cage, dragging Pei Ran’s hand and running around everywhere. First she wanted to ride the carousel, then the mini train, followed by the bumper cars. Pei Ran accompanied her to play each one, while Zhou Yang followed behind at a modest distance, holding Niannian’s jacket and the plush rabbit in her hands.
“Mommy! I want that one!” Niannian suddenly stopped, pointing to a cotton candy stall by the roadside.
Pink cotton candy, shaped like a big, fluffy cloud.
Pei Ran looked at the price: fifty cents. She subconsciously reached out to feel her pockets, then froze. She had no money. “Pei Ran’s” cards had already been suspended by Zhao Wanqing, and she probably couldn’t gather even a single yuan from her entire body right now.
Her face flushed hot, not wanting to show the embarrassment of having no money in front of her daughter.
“Here,” a hand reached out from the side, handing a one-yuan coin to the stall owner, adding, “Make it two.”
Pei Ran looked up and saw Zhou Yang standing beside her, her expression still maintaining that cold, indifferent look with no readable emotion. But they stood very close, so close that Pei Ran could almost smell the cold fir fragrance on her.
“Thank you,” Pei Ran said in a quiet voice.
Zhou Yang didn’t look at her as she took the cotton candy from the owner. One was given to Niannian, and the other was handed to Pei Ran.
Pei Ran hadn’t expected to get one for herself as well. Blushing, she accepted the cotton candy and whispered, “Thank you” once more.
Hearing her express thanks so politely, Zhou Yang felt an empty sensation in her heart. The intimate connection that used to exist between her and Pei Ran had ultimately become a thing of the past after all.
Niannian happily took the cotton candy and stuck out her little tongue to take a lick. A bit of pink sugar thread stuck to the tip of her nose, making her look utterly adorable.
“Mommy, take a bite too!” Niannian held the cotton candy up in front of Zhou Yang.
Zhou Yang hesitated for a second before leaning down to take a small bite. A sweet flavor dissolved inside her mouth.
“Is it tasty?” Niannian asked, tilting her head up.
“It’s tasty,” Zhou Yang said.
Niannian smiled contentedly. Looking at Pei Ran on her left and Zhou Yang on her right, she suddenly said something that caused both adults to freeze in place: “Niannian really likes how things are right now. Having two moms together makes Niannian so happy.”
Pei Ran’s heart gave a sudden, sharp wrench.
She turned to look at Zhou Yang and noticed that the rims of her eyes seemed slightly red, though it vanished in an instant, fast enough to feel like an illusion.
“Let’s go,” Zhou Yang said, her voice carrying a barely perceptible raspy edge. “There’s still one more ride left to play.”
Having played the entire day, Niannian’s energy had been boundless, hardly resembling a five-year-old child. But by around four in the afternoon, she finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Sitting on Pei Ran’s lap, holding her plush rabbit, her eyes fluttered, looking like two butterfly wings about to close.
“Sleepy?” Pei Ran looked down and asked.
“Not sleepy,” Niannian said, letting out a big yawn right after.
Pei Ran couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out to pull Niannian into her arms, gently patting her back. Niannian nuzzled against Pei Ran’s chest, found a comfortable posture, and curled up like a little kitten, falling asleep within seconds.
Zhou Yang walked over from the side, holding Niannian’s small blanket. Seeing Niannian sleeping in Pei Ran’s arms, her movements paused for a moment before she passed the blanket over.
“Cover her up so she doesn’t catch a cold.”
Pei Ran took the blanket and carefully laid it over Niannian.
Autumn evenings arrived early; by four-thirty, the sun began to sink downward. The residual glow of the setting sun spilled over the amusement park, coating everything in a layer of golden light. In the distance, the Ferris wheel turned slowly under the sunset, resembling a quiet wheel of time.
Neither of them made a move to leave.
Zhou Yang stood beside Pei Ran with both hands stuffed into her pants pockets, looking off into the distance, lost in thought. As the wind blew past, it lifted the stray hairs on her forehead before settling them back down.
Pei Ran stole a glance at her.
The sunlight of the setting sun fell upon Zhou Yang’s side profile. Her long eyelashes cast a small, fan-shaped shadow under her eyes, softening her cold, sharp contours significantly. Pei Ran’s heart suddenly skipped an uncontrollable beat; she quickly averted her gaze, her ears turning somewhat hot.
Just as she was wondering whether to say something, the tiny figure in her arms moved.
Niannian rolled over, her small hand unconsciously gripping Pei Ran’s collar, mumbling: “Mommy, don’t go… stay with Niannian more…”
The voice was very tiny and slurred, likely talking in her sleep.
Pei Ran’s eyes turned red in an instant. This tiny child, even in her dreams, was afraid of being abandoned by her mother.
Pei Ran lowered her head and planted a gentle kiss on Niannian’s forehead. “Mommy won’t go.”
In her sleep, Niannian seemed to have heard it; her hand gripping the collar loosened up a bit, and the expression on her tiny face became much more serene.
Standing to the side, Zhou Yang took all of this in.
Her expression remained that same cold facade, but inside her pants pocket, her knuckles had clenched until they turned pale.
She had long stopped begging for her genuine heart. But as long as she could cooperate with her to play the illusion of a harmonious family and give Niannian a complete home, she was willing, just like Zhao Wanqing, to keep spending money on Pei Ran until she grew old, until she passed away.
When Niannian woke up, it was already getting dark.
The lights throughout the amusement park lit up one after another in multi-colored hues, turning the nighttime park into a fairytale world. Opening her eyes to see the colorful lights overhead, Niannian let out an excited “Wow!” her earlier sleepiness vanishing instantly.
“Mommy! Lights! So many lights!” She pointed at the sky and shouted with excitement.
Zhou Yang walked over: “Time to go back; it’s getting late.”
Niannian’s face instantly slumped.
Reluctantly holding Pei Ran’s hand, she walked toward the exit. When they reached the gate of the amusement park, she suddenly stopped, looking at Pei Ran, then looking at Zhou Yang. Her mouth opened and closed as if hesitating over something.
“What’s wrong?” Pei Ran crouched down to ask her.
Niannian bit her lip, hesitating for a good while before saying softly, “Mommy, can Niannian… sleep with Mommy tonight?”
Pei Ran froze.
“Niannian hasn’t slept with Mommy for a long, long time.”
Normally, Zhou Nian wouldn’t dare make any overly demanding requests to Pei Ran, but she felt that today’s Pei Ran was very different, which gave her the courage to try asking.
Niannian’s voice was tiny, laced with a hint of grievance: “Last time on Niannian’s birthday, Mommy promised to come stay with Niannian, but Mommy didn’t come. The time before that, when Niannian was sick, Mommy also said she would visit Niannian, but Mommy didn’t come either…”
Niannian finally summoned the courage to speak her mind: “Niannian wants both mommies to sleep with me!” She looked at Pei Ran, then looked at Zhou Yang, her eyes filled with cautious expectation. “Can we?”
The air suddenly went still.
Pei Ran didn’t know how to answer. Subconsciously looking toward Zhou Yang, she saw her brow slightly furrowed and her lips pressed together even tighter.
“Niannian,” Zhou Yang crouched down, keeping her voice as soft as possible, “Mommy still has to work tomorrow. Tonight…”
Before Zhou Yang could finish her words of refusal, tears began welling up in Niannian’s eyes, causing both Zhou Yang and Pei Ran’s hearts to ache deeply.
System: “This is a great opportunity! Aren’t you worried about not having a chance to get close to Zhou Yang? Sleeping together, two people like dry wood and fire; who knows, one day sparks might ignite, and you’ll end up rolling together, naturally reconciling…”
Pei Ran cursed in her mind: “Can’t you stop being so filthy-minded? There’s still a child here…”
However, she knew the system was right. Right now, there was no better opportunity to get close to Zhou Yang than this.
Thinking of this, Pei Ran said in a firm tone: “Then tonight, Mommy will sleep with Niannian.”
Niannian’s eyes lit up instantly, but she immediately looked over at Zhou Yang again, asking eagerly: “What about Big Mommy? Will Big Mommy sleep with Niannian too?”
Zhou Yang remained silent for a few seconds.
Looking at Niannian’s large eyes brimming with tears, with wet tear tracks still undried on the tip of her nose, the words of refusal ultimately failed to leave her mouth.
“…Okay.” Zhou Yang’s voice was very low, so low it was almost inaudible.
Niannian released a huge cheer, rushing forward to hug Zhou Yang’s leg, then rushing back to hug Pei Ran’s leg, so thrilled she was like a frolicking puppy.
“Niannian likes Mommy the most! The most, most!”
Pei Ran: “Oh? Then which mommy do you like the most?”
“Mommy is mean! Niannian likes both mommies the absolute most!”
Zhou Yang straightened her body, her gaze passing over the top of Niannian’s head to land on Pei Ran. Those eyes contained many complex emotions, helplessness, compromise, and things that Pei Ran couldn’t quite read.
“Let’s go,” she said, turning to walk toward where the car was parked.
Pei Ran held Niannian’s hand and followed behind, watching Zhou Yang’s back. The streetlights stretched her shadow very, very long, inadvertently overlapping with Pei Ran’s shadow.
Looking at that overlapped shadow, the corner of Pei Ran’s mouth curved up slightly.
Did she… not hate her quite as much anymore?