Over the next ten-plus minutes, Song Jianye petted every one of the free-roaming animals. Then she took some photos, but only of the animals, not of herself.
"Let’s go," Song Jianye said quietly, walking over to him.
"You don’t want to look around anymore?"
"We only bought one cup of coffee. I feel bad staying here for too long."
"The owner would probably love for you to stay longer. What’s there to be embarrassed about?"
’This 210-month-old baby is a little too sensitive.’
’If I were the owner, I’d want her to stay all day. She’d probably attract more customers.’
"Even so, I don’t want to stay. Let’s head back."
Since Song Jianye felt too awkward to stay, Chen Yuan didn’t press the issue. Besides, his mission was accomplished.
’Why do I feel like such a scumbag?’
After leaving the underground mall, the two of them returned to campus.
Chen Yuan had intended to take her to meet up with Wang Chuyue and Cao Yumeng, but she said she was going to the library instead.
’Such a good girl, doesn’t even need her "daddy" to worry about her...’
After Song Jianye headed back to campus, Chen Yuan caught a ride to Jiang Wanyi’s place.
"Your dark circles are so heavy."
Jiang Wanyi’s skin was very fair, which made the dark circles under her eyes stand out.
Still, her gray tank top and loose-fitting pants gave her a comfortable, domestic look.
"I barely slept at all last night. Every time she cried, I had to get up to feed her and then burp her. I don’t even know how I made it through the night."
"Just hang in there for a few more months. Around their first birthday, babies start sleeping for longer stretches. You’ll finally be able to get a decent night’s sleep."
"By the time she turns one, I’ll probably be dead from exhaustion."
"You should ask your friends. Maybe one of them knows a reliable nanny. You definitely can’t do this all by yourself."
"Yeah, I’m already looking for one."
Chen Yuan entered the apartment and noticed two iced Americanos on the table. One was empty, and the other was half-finished. He guessed she had been surviving the morning on coffee.
"Ya ya ya... eee eee..."
Seeing Chen Yuan, Mili stretched out her arms.
Chen Yuan had no resistance to her charms. The sight of Mili made him want to pick her up and snuggle, pressing his cheek against hers. But if he were being honest, the urge to get close to Song Jianye was even stronger.
’They’re both babies, just with a different number of months,’ he mused. ’There’s nothing wrong with wanting to snuggle.’
Watching Chen Yuan pick up the baby and playfully coo at her, Jiang Wanyi had the strange illusion that he was the child’s father.
After they played for a while, Chen Yuan noticed how quiet the apartment had become. He turned to see Jiang Wanyi fast asleep on the sofa.
She had no prior experience with babies, and after a completely sleepless night, not even iced Americanos could stave off her exhaustion.
Chen Yuan found the small blanket meant for the baby, intending to cover Jiang Wanyi with it.
But the blanket was too small. After some consideration, Chen Yuan chose to just cover her navel.
A lifelong obsession for every person from China.
After a sleepless night, Jiang Wanyi was sleeping very deeply. Her breathing was even, punctuated by soft snores.
She was beautiful even in sleep. Lying on her side, the position pressed her ample chest together, creating a deep, distinct cleavage. The full allure of a mature woman was on vivid display.
A short while later, the baby got hungry.
Chen Yuan expertly prepared the formula. Cradling Mili in the crook of his arm, he quietly watched her drink from her bottle.
’No wonder so many men want daughters. The more I look at her, the more I adore her.’
After she finished eating, he burped her, and Mili fell asleep in his arms.
Just like the day before, Chen Yuan carried the baby into the bedroom and laid her on a small quilt. He removed her diaper, then gently covered her lower body with a thin blanket. All done.
DONG DONG DONG—
A sudden knock came at the door, and Chen Yuan immediately went to get it.
Jiang Wanyi and the baby were both asleep; it wouldn’t do to wake them.
When he opened the door, he found a deliveryman from JD.com. Outside were several large boxes—the playpen and crawling mat he had ordered yesterday had arrived.
Chen Yuan made a shushing gesture and quietly brought the boxes inside.
He gently closed the door and turned around to find Jiang Wanyi awake.
"Did I wake you?"
"I was so exhausted I just dozed off," Jiang Wanyi said apologetically.
"It’s fine. You should get some more rest. The baby’s asleep too, and there’s nothing that needs doing."
"That little nap helped a lot. I feel much better. Let me wash some fruit for you. I completely forgot to play host."
"Don’t worry about it."
Chen Yuan patted the box beside him. "Should I open this?"
"Yeah, let’s go ahead and set it up for her now."
Chen Yuan started unpacking the boxes while Jiang Wanyi went to wash the fruit, which she then brought over to him.
"I need some scissors, or a box cutter would be even better."
"I’ll go get one."
Jiang Wanyi found a box cutter and handed it to Chen Yuan.
He opened the playpen box. Inside were individual panels and an assortment of small connecting parts.
In addition, there was a small slide and a simple rocking horse, both of which came disassembled and required assembly.
Jiang Wanyi felt a headache coming on. She wasn’t very good with her hands.
"Have some fruit first. There’s no rush to get this done."
"It’s fine, this won’t be a problem."
Chen Yuan picked up a strawberry and took a bite. It was surprisingly sweet.
One look at the playpen panels and accessories was all it took for Chen Yuan to figure out how to assemble it.
Guys generally have more of a knack for this sort of thing than girls. Besides, it wasn’t technical at all—it was so easy you could figure it out just by looking at it. Anyone with hands could do it.
He worked quickly, assembling the playpen in just over ten minutes. The next step was to secure the screws.
With the playpen done, all that was left were the small slide and the rocking horse. They weren’t very difficult either; he just had to follow the instructions.
"Do you need me to do anything?"
Jiang Wanyi stood nearby, wanting to help but not sure how.
"You don’t need to do anything. Just stand by and watch."
Afraid she might just get in the way, Jiang Wanyi stayed put and quietly watched Chen Yuan work.
As she watched, she found herself thinking that Chen Yuan was an incredibly capable young man, far more reliable than she had imagined.
Jiang Wanyi recalled a term she’d seen on Douyin recently.
Boyfriend material.
So many young men these days were delicate and frail. They lacked any masculine presence when they spoke, and they’d cry and scream over a tiny paper cut, some even shedding actual tears.
Chen Yuan was around their age, but he was completely different. He was truly impressive.
Unsure of what else to do, Jiang Wanyi ordered a cold drink for Chen Yuan and kept watch nearby, ready to assist at a moment’s notice.
Whenever Chen Yuan needed a tool, she would hand it to him. The two of them cooperated with a surprising degree of tacit understanding.
Half an hour later, both the small slide and the rocking horse were fully assembled.
"The quality is actually pretty good," Chen Yuan said. "It’s very sturdy. It should be perfectly safe for her to play on."
"My daughter is pretty energetic. I’m worried she won’t be able to sit still."
"Then let her crawl on the floor. At her age, she needs the practice anyway."
"Okay, I’ll listen to you."
With the playpen assembled, the two of them started laying out the crawling mat together.
At one point, Chen Yuan glanced over at Jiang Wanyi. She was kneeling on the floor to spread out the mat, and from that angle, her chest hung down, revealing a truly astonishing size.
"You brat, get back to work."
Jiang Wanyi sat down on the newly laid mat, and Chen Yuan grinned as he went back to work.
She, however, seemed a bit distracted.
Last night, she had resolved to talk to Chen Yuan about helping her induce lactation, but now she was starting to lose her nerve, unsure how to even begin the conversation...