Mo Hanche, dressed in a sharply tailored suit, stood on the cobblestone path, scanning the courtyard.
It was now filled with potted plants, and flowers had been planted in the once barren ground. Not far ahead, the mother and three children had glanced at him when he got out of the car, then the kids casually called out “Dad” before ignoring him again.
He went inside first. After changing his clothes and coming downstairs, he saw the mother and children entering the house in a lively, playful mood.
All four of them were covered in mud and dried grass. The three children had dirty faces and messy hair, each holding succulents. The woman’s white skirt had turned completely earthy brown. When they saw him, the laughter immediately stopped.
Mo Hanche frowned. Did he look like he ate people?
The three children stepped forward and held out their plants.
Mo Beiyu: “Dad, this peach egg for you.”
Mo Nanqing: “This little green one is for you.”
Mo Dongchen: “This one is called Bear’s Paw, for Dad.”
Mo Hanche: “……”
He didn’t want any of them.
Peach egg, little green one, Bear’s Paw… what a selection. Only the peach egg was somewhat acceptable—the others were ugly.
Expressionless, he accepted the succulents. His gaze shifted to Song Wenxi, who turned her head and brushed nonexistent dust off her clothes with her hat.
“Alright kids, let’s go upstairs and take a bath.”
The three children trotted upstairs. Just as she was about to leave, Mo Dongchen tugged at her dress. They looked at each other.
“Mom… can you help me bathe?”
In kindergarten, many kids had their parents help them bathe, but he and his brothers always did it themselves.
Seeing their dirty little faces and those hopeful eyes, Song Wenxi couldn’t refuse.
“Alright. Go back to your room first. I’ll come in a bit.”
The three children ran back to their room happily. Song Wenxi quickly searched online for parenting guides. A single video explained how to bathe children clearly and step-by-step.
When she went in, the children had already prepared the water. At first, they were shy and awkward, but soon they were competing to have her wash their hair. She was a bit clumsy, moving gently and carefully, and it took quite a while before she finished cleaning them up.
The three little mud monkeys turned back into soft, adorable children and ran downstairs happily. She returned to her room to wash up.
Nanny Zhao was preparing dinner downstairs, feeling lighter as she listened to the children’s voices.
The whole afternoon was filled with laughter, something that had never happened before.
The madam must have finally decided to become a proper mother. That’s good.
In the study, Mo Hanche looked at the three potted succulents on his desk and took photos with his phone. The sounds of children downstairs stirred something faint in his usually calm heart.
In his social media feed, the children’s succulents looked better than his. And those sunflowers they had… maybe his bedroom balcony also needed a pot of sunflowers.
..
Dinner was a rare full family meal of five.
Mo Hanche sat at the head of the table. The three children were on the left, Song Wenxi on the right. The atmosphere was quiet.
Compared to the elegant and refined eating manner of the father and children, Song Wenxi ate rather casually.
Mo Dongchen noticed she was enjoying vegetables and looked at the green peppers in front of her. For the first time, he spoke up actively:
“Mom… I… I also want to eat green peppers.”
The room went silent.
All movement stopped.
Mo Beiyu and Mo Nanqing looked at their younger brother, then at Song Wenxi. Mo Hanche also raised his gaze.
Four pairs of eyes made Song Wenxi feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Then try it. It’s sweet green pepper, not spicy.”
She gave him a piece. Seeing the other two children’s expectant looks, she also served them. Since they liked it, she simply moved the whole dish closer to them.
Mo Hanche silently chewed his chicken. It tasted bland.
After dinner, the children quickly became sleepy and went upstairs to bed.
They had spent the entire day full of unusual experiences—uneasy in the morning, excited at the flower market, playing wildly in the afternoon, digging in the yard. Their natural childish energy had fully emerged.
“Mom…”
Mo Dongchen murmured in his sleep.
Song Wenxi paused while tucking him in, gently brushing his nose. Her heart softened.
Her room had already been renovated that day, but it needed 24 hours of ventilation after painting. After hesitating, she hugged a pillow and went to the neighboring room.
Mo Hanche came out of the bathroom just as she entered.
Their eyes met.
For the first time, Song Wenxi saw him face-to-face clearly.
Sharp eyebrows, refined features, noble and distant aura—he was undeniably handsome.
No wonder all three children were so good-looking. Clearly, their father contributed half the genetics.
The novel described him as cold and emotionless, a work machine with no feelings, like an ice robot until he “shutdown” in death.
According to the original host’s memory, they had been married for over five years but spent less than a month together in total. Living under the same roof, they were basically strangers.
She had barely even remembered what he looked like.
It was almost absurd.
With a face like this, he could easily dominate the entertainment industry. What was the original host thinking?
And those abs… those defined arms… perfect human specimen.
Her heated stare made Mo Hanche feel his calm completely collapse. He quickly grabbed clothes and went back into the bathroom.
After changing, he saw his reflection in the mirror and felt unexpectedly flustered.
“Pathetic,” he muttered.
Thinking of the woman outside, his expression turned cold.
Coming into his room repeatedly, staring openly at a half-naked man without embarrassment—did she have no shame?
Recalling rumors about her, his eyes turned icy.
When he came out again, she was sitting on the edge of the bed holding a pillow.
“What do you want?” he asked coldly.
“So cold.”
“I want to sleep. My room is being repainted, I’m borrowing your room for one night.”
There were other rooms in the villa, but none were ready. It wasn’t worth the trouble for one night.
Mo Hanche said casually, “You can sleep on the sofa.”
“You’re really something.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m sleeping here!”
His temple twitched. She was still as willful as ever, but there was none of the usual disgust in her eyes.
He finally gave in and went to the study.
The next morning, Song Wenxi woke up late.
The children were already in class. Mo Hanche had gone to work.
She went downstairs for breakfast, when faint piano sounds came from upstairs.
She paused mid-bite.
The piano room was soundproof, but today the music could be heard faintly downstairs.
Strange.
Thinking about it, Song Wenxi had never once asked how Yun Qingman’s teaching was going, nor how the children were progressing.
Hiring a tutor had never been about nurturing interests—it was simply because neglectful parents didn’t want to deal with their children on weekends.
In truth, both parents had been extremely indifferent.
She walked upstairs.
The piano room door was half open. Yun Qingman’s voice was sharp and impatient.
“I taught you this last week. I told you to review yesterday, and this is what you play today? What is this? Useless!”
“Wrong! Are you starving? No sound at all!”
“Pay attention to your hands! The rhythm is broken!”
“…”
Mo Nanqing sat at the piano, his small body trembling. His hands were red, and his tear-filled eyes—so similar to Song Wenxi’s—dropped onto the white keys.
Mo Beiyu sat stiffly, biting his finger.
Mo Dongchen trembled slightly, looking toward the door.
The door was open.
He was afraid of disturbing his mother…