According to Aunt Liu, after Zhi Lang woke up, he had been sulking in his room, unwilling to come out.
Chi Wei opened the door to the children’s room and saw Zhi Lang lying on the desk, lost in thought.
Beside him was a broken photo frame.
That frame had been custom-made by Chi Wei earlier, containing a family portrait drawn by Zhi Lang himself.
Zhi Lang cherished it deeply and had always kept the painting on his bedside table.
But now, the frame was shattered, the painting torn to pieces, and debris scattered all over the floor.
Chi Wei was startled: “Zhi Lang, are you okay? Who did this?”
“I did it myself,” Zhi Lang mumbled.
Chi Wei pulled up a stool and sat down beside him: “Can you tell Mom why?”
“Dad doesn’t like Zhi Lang, so Zhi Lang won’t like him either!” Yan Zhilang said.
The tone was like that of a child throwing a tantrum, something not to be taken seriously, but as Chi Wei looked at his swollen eyes, a decision gradually formed in her heart.
Chi Wei hugged Yan Zhilang and asked, “If, Zhi Lang, I mean if, you don’t like Dad, and Mom takes you away from him, would you be willing?”
Naturally, the matter of divorce had to be discussed with Zhi Lang as well. Chi Wei hadn’t planned to tell him so early, but this seemed like a good opportunity, so she decided to test his thoughts.
Yan Zhilang looked at Chi Wei somewhat confused: “What does ‘leaving’ mean? Does that mean Zhi Lang won’t have a dad anymore?”
“You could think of it that way, but Mom will be very, very good to you and give you all the love Dad would have given you too. Would you be willing?” Chi Wei added.
Yan Zhilang tilted his head, seeming to think for a moment, then quickly wrapped his arms around Chi Wei’s waist and said, “Zhi Lang will listen to Mom. Wherever Mom is, Zhi Lang will be there too.”
Hearing his clear answer, Chi Wei felt a heavy weight lift from her heart.
She had been somewhat worried about how to persuade him if Zhi Lang disagreed, to make him less resistant.
Now, that concern was unnecessary.
However, the fact that Zhi Lang agreed so quickly also indicated, from another perspective, that Yan Jingheng truly didn’t care much about Zhi Lang, to the point where Zhi Lang felt it didn’t make much difference whether he had a father or not.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy, so Chi Wei brought out some newly bought toys: “Mom bought you a new toy train and a Transformer. Come see if you like them.”
Yan Zhilang didn’t take them. Instead, he looked into Chi Wei’s eyes and suddenly asked, “Mom, why does Dad like Qiao Shiyue so much?”
Chi Wei was taken aback. Looking into Zhi Lang’s earnest eyes, she knew that, for a child, his father’s opinion still mattered.
She didn’t want to let Zhi Lang hear anything unpleasant, so she said, “Because her father passed away, and your dad feels sorry for her.
Zhi Lang, you don’t need to pay too much attention to Qiao Shiyue. In Mom’s eyes, you will always be the best.”
Zhi Lang didn’t say anything more.
Chi Wei wasn’t sure if he had taken her words to heart.
Knowing that seeing Qiao Shiyue made Zhi Lang uncomfortable, Chi Wei decided to take him to the company with her in the afternoon.
In the evening, Yan Jingheng personally came to the company to pick Chi Wei up from work.
He had specially reserved a restaurant and took Zhi Lang out for dinner.
He had also bought toys and clothes for Zhi Lang in advance.
But this time, Zhi Lang did not actively approach Yan Jingheng as he usually did. Instead, he clung to Chi Wei's hand, half of his body hidden behind her, appearing somewhat wary.
His completely different demeanor made Yan Jingheng frown slightly. He asked, "Is Zhi Lang blaming Daddy? Daddy knows that these past few days, because of Yueyue, I haven’t been able to pay much attention to you. Daddy apologizes to you. But Yueyue is a girl, and she just lost her father. She needs companionship right now. Zhi Lang is a little man and won’t argue with a little girl, right?" As he spoke, he handed over the toy in his hand.
Before Zhi Lang could respond, Chi Wei pushed his hand away. "If your purpose today is to make Zhi Lang give in to Qiao Shiyue, then take your things back."
"Wei Wei, what do you mean by that? You know very well that Sister Fei…"
"Yes, I know Sister Fei raised you, and you want to repay her. That’s your business. But my son doesn’t need to please others because of your gratitude. Yan Jingheng, Zhi Lang is my bottom line. I absolutely will not allow you to use him to please Qiao Shiyue." Chi Wei directly interrupted Yan Jingheng.
Yan Jingheng furrowed his brows. "Wei Wei, the two children are close in age. When they play together, what’s there to please or not please? Aren’t you being too serious? Yueyue really likes Zhi Lang. This afternoon, when Zhi Lang wasn’t around, she asked several times where he was. Why do you have to interfere in matters between children?"
"Say whatever you want. All I know is that Zhi Lang doesn’t like playing with her. I’ll take Zhi Lang with me to work these days, and please don’t force him to do things he doesn’t want to do anymore," Chi Wei said.
Yan Jingheng looked at Chi Wei, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. It seemed he rarely saw Chi Wei being so firm. He was a few years older than her, and back then, he was the one who pulled her out of adversity. Chi Wei had always trusted him deeply, discussing everything with him rather than making decisions on her own like this.
After a brief moment of surprise, Yan Jingheng quickly regained his composure. Perhaps it was because he had been too focused on Sister Fei and had neglected her, which led her to protest in this way.
Yan Jingheng said, "Wei Wei, perhaps it’s true that I didn’t consider things carefully enough, causing you to misunderstand me. If you feel better having Zhi Lang by your side, I have no objections. I’m just worried that you’ll be overwhelmed, having to work and take care of Zhi Lang at the same time. How about arranging for a maid to accompany you to the company to look after Zhi Lang?"
He casually pushed the cut steak toward Chi Wei, still wearing the gentle and considerate expression she had loved all these years. However, due to the argument, some time had passed, and the steak on the plate had already turned cold—much like Chi Wei’s warmth toward him.
Chi Wei said, "No need to trouble yourself. Zhi Lang has always been well-behaved. Taking care of him won’t be a hassle." She had already made plans to have someone look at houses in the next few days. Soon, she could use the excuse of taking care of Zhi Lang to gradually move out of Jiahe Jingting.
Throughout the meal, Yan Jingheng made an effort to mend his relationship with Zhi Lang. Although Zhi Lang didn’t respond much verbally, he still accepted the toy Yan Jingheng had bought for him. Children are naturally fickle, and Chi Wei felt it was unrealistic to expect him to completely give up on Yan Jingheng as his father all at once.
She did not stop him either.
By the time the car pulled into Jiahe Jingting, it was already half past nine in the evening.
The living room was brightly lit.
A small figure was crouched by the entrance, clutching a rabbit plushie. As soon as she spotted Yan Jingheng's car, she immediately dashed over.
The car screeched to a sudden halt, tires grinding against the pavement with a piercing sound. Chi Wei's first instinct was to wrap her arms around Yan Zhilang, preventing his head from hitting the car window.
Before she could say anything, Yan Jingheng had already opened the door and stepped out, scooping the terrified Qiao Shiyue into his arms.
Qiao Mingfei also rushed out of the house belatedly and immediately scolded Qiao Shiyue, "You child, why are you always so troublesome?"
"Sorry, Mommy. Yueyue just missed Uncle Yan too much," Qiao Shiyue sobbed, curling up obediently in Yan Jingheng's embrace as she apologized.
Yan Jingheng said, "Forget it, Sister Fei. She didn't mean it. Don't be too hard on her."
Qiao Mingfei replied, "Jingheng, you can't always spoil her like this. Look how clingy she is to you now—what will we do in the future?"
"What's there to worry about? The Yan family isn't afraid of one more mouth to feed. If Yueyue likes sticking to me, she can just stay at home." Seeing Qiao Mingfei's conflicted expression, Yan Jingheng quickly reassured her.
A helpless smile also appeared on Qiao Mingfei's face. The atmosphere among the three of them was incredibly harmonious, as if they were a close-knit family of three.
It seemed Yan Jingheng had also forgotten that his wife and son were still in the car.
Chi Wei stepped out of the car holding Yan Zhilang, her gaze fixed on Qiao Mingfei. "Sister Fei, I know you have a special debt of gratitude with Jingheng. Ever since you came to Jiahe Jingting, I've never asked you to do anything.
But Qiao Shiyue is your child. Keeping an eye on your own child should be your responsibility, right?
I don’t want something like today to happen again. If she continues to run around recklessly without any discipline in the future, I won’t mind stepping in to manage her for you."
"Wei Wei, what are you doing?" Yan Jingheng asked.
The harmonious atmosphere was torn apart by Chi Wei's words. Qiao Mingfei's expression froze completely, while Qiao Shiyue looked timidly at Chi Wei.
Chi Wei said, "I'm doing this for her own good. Today, you managed to brake in time, so no disaster occurred.
But can you guarantee you’ll always be this timely?
What if she keeps rushing toward moving cars without any regard? If something really happens, who will take responsibility?"
Fortunately, it was Yan Jingheng driving today, Chi Wei thought. If it had been her driving back, not to mention whether she could have avoided Qiao Shiyue in time, even in a situation like this, if Qiao Shiyue had been frightened, she would have become the target of everyone's blame.
Chi Wei's concerns were entirely reasonable. Yan Jingheng hesitated for a moment and finally stopped siding with Qiao Shiyue, instead earnestly lecturing her.
Chi Wei only glanced at them briefly before losing interest. She simply carried Zhi Lang back into the house.
Zhi Lang had also been a little frightened. Chi Wei spent a full half-hour telling him stories before he finally fell asleep.
However, his sleep was restless. Chi Wei stayed by his bedside, occasionally noticing his slightly furrowed brows and faint murmurs in his dreams.
Chi Wei’s heart ached as she watched him. That very night, she asked Ruan Yichun to help her look for a house.
Ruan Yichun was Chi Wei’s close friend from university and the only classmate she had kept in touch with after graduation. Their bond was naturally unbreakable.
Upon hearing Chi Wei's intention to move out, Ruan Yichun was particularly surprised.
Unable to explain clearly in just a few words, Chi Wei had no choice but to arrange a meeting with Ruan Yichun for the next day.
Coming out of Zhi Lang's room, Chi Wei happened to see Yan Jingheng also emerging from Qiao Shiyue's room, with Qiao Mingfei following closely behind. As soon as Qiao Mingfei spotted Chi Wei, she immediately explained, "Madam, please don't overthink it. Just now, Yueyue insisted on holding onto Jingheng and wouldn't let go. Jingheng was concerned about the young master, so he put her down and came right out.
How is the young master now? Has he fallen asleep?"
Chi Wei had no idea what they had been doing in Qiao Shiyue's room. She simply felt that Qiao Mingfei's deliberate explanation seemed rather insincere. She replied, "If Sister Fei truly feels guilty, then you should educate your own child properly."