10: The child’s moods is a roller coaster
The shoe cabinet, when opened, revealed two neat rows of slippers—pinks and blues, large and small, a complete set.
Ye Susu blinked in surprise, then took out two pairs. She handed a small blue pair to the little one and kept the large pink ones for herself.
Ye Xun lowered his head to take them, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
Last time, he saw Xiao Pang and his mother wearing matching shoes and clothes—Xiao Pang said they were mother-son outfits.
But even with slippers, Ye Susu didn’t want to wear the same color as him.
Silently, he put them on, holding his old small slippers in his hand without a word.
“Thanks.”
Ye Susu cheerfully thanked the man and slipped one foot into a slipper.
But with her right hand holding the child and her body twisted to face the man, standing on one foot, she struggled to keep her balance and wobbled dangerously.
Ye Xun tried to reach out and steady her, but his small hand was too short and weak, letting out only a worried gasp.
Ye Susu, clutching the slipper and about to fall, quickly let go of the child’s sleeve to avoid pulling him down too.
Just as she braced herself, closing her eyes, the next second, her nose bumped into something firm yet fuzzy, carrying a faint grassy scent!
Her hands reached out, feeling it.
Her eyes instantly glazed over.
This texture… this scent… it was utterly feline-heavenly…
But Li Yun frowned.
He looked down at the woman nestled against him.
She was petite, with a slender waist that seemed to fit entirely within his grasp.
Her long, fluttering eyelashes cast delicate shadows across her fair cheeks, her eyes seemingly shut-in fear.
But the next moment, he felt her small hand brush against his chest, sending a tingling sensation through him… He immediately furrowed his brow and let her go.
Stepping back, he put distance between them in an instant.
Yet, a faint, elusive… fishy aroma lingered around his nose. With each breath, it filled his chest—not fishy or coarse, but carrying the sweet, savory scent of fried fish oil, reminiscent of Linglong Residence’s signature dish.
Li Yun couldn’t help but give the small woman before him another complicated glance.
Ye Susu, now without support, regretfully pursed her lips.
Looking at the cable-knit sweater so close yet off-limits, she felt an empty pang in her heart.
Later, she’d go online to buy gloves for the little one… and maybe a cable-knit sweater for him too.
That way, she could openly snuggle with the little one while playing with the fuzzy yarn…
With that thought, a hopeful, blissful smile spread across her face.
“Thank you.”
Li Yun gave a slight, impassive nod.
Acknowledging the thanks.
But in his mind, he tagged her as ‘clumsy’ and ‘indeed the type to flirt with men.’
He glanced at the still-silent child beside him, who seemed a bit tense, and tried to soften his tone.
“I’ve sent the door code to your WeChat. I’ll be home today, but feel free to move around.”
Then, noticing the suitcases Ye Susu had brought in, his dark eyes narrowed slightly.
For moving luggage, two suitcases were far too little.
Just the reading materials recommended by child development experts for a child his age came to nearly a hundred books, not to mention various educational toys.
Clearly, she had none of those.
“Except for my room and the study, you’re welcome to use items in the shared areas. Just put them back after use.”
Li Yun glanced at Ye Xun and added another sentence.
Ye Susu nodded immediately, thinking he truly was a natural-born cat servant—so accommodating.
“Alright, you focus on your work. We’ll be very quiet and won’t disturb you.”
Li Yun hummed in acknowledgment. He was about to mention that she could use the ingredients in the kitchen fridge when he noticed two faintly visible rice bags inside her backpack.
The room Ye Susu rented was on the second floor, next to his.
But the kitchen and fridge were on the first floor.
He watched as she carried two bags of what looked like five-kilogram rice into the kitchen and stored them in an empty cabinet.
Then, from her backpack, she took out several cans, a bag of vegetables, two boxes of eggs bundled together on discount… and a plastic bag emitting that same fishy aroma from earlier.
He raised a hand and pressed his temples.
“We stopped by the market on our way here.”
Seeing his puzzled look, Ye Susu smiled and explained.
“I noticed a big sale today while browsing yesterday.”
“Mr. Li, would you like to join us for lunch?”
She was quite generous.
But Li Yun glanced at the discounted items she’d brought out and couldn’t help but look away.
That amount of food was barely enough to fill the child’s stomach, let alone an adult’s.
If he joined them, he didn’t know what the mother and child would end up eating.
He wanted to tell her to use the kitchen ingredients freely, but worried it might teach the child the wrong lesson about getting something for nothing, so he held back.
“No need, I have plans.”
Ye Susu gave him a regretful look.
Li Yun watched her expression, which practically screamed ‘he’s missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime meal,’ and once again found himself pressing his fingers to his temple.
After moving the luggage into the room, Ye Susu received a text from Xia Ningmeng.
She would arrive in half an hour.
Quickly bending down, she spoke softly to Ye Xun, “Cub, the aunt who wanted to give you a gift will be here soon. Play with her a little later, okay?”
The child was shy around strangers.
But he needed to get used to it.
With that thought, she checked the mission progress.
[1. Chores completed: 0 minutes]
[2. Child’s mood: Low → Lower.]
Ye Susu: ???
Hold on, what does “lower” mean?
Ye Susu panicked.
Was it because the child didn’t want to meet outsiders?
But she had invited them last night—should she turn them away now?
This was a serious problem!
Sweat beaded on Ye Susu’s forehead. She quickly took out her phone, opened the original owner’s social feed, found various selfies of Xia Ningmeng, and started rambling to the downcast child, introducing her.
“This is Mommy’s good friend from before.”
“Her mom loved sour food while pregnant, so she named her Ningmeng. Everyone envied her cute name back then, but now… well, there are so many ‘lemon jealous’ people these days…”
“Oh, and she used to have poor grades but worked hard and became really impressive. Look, here’s a photo of her studying abroad…”
She chattered on, not caring how much the little one actually absorbed, just hoping to ease his negative emotions.
Li Yun, who had been about to return to his room, paused his long legs, his tall figure stopping outside their door.
When this woman spoke to the child, her voice softened by half a tone—gentle and tender, much more pleasant than the high-pitched chatter during her livestreams.
At least from what he could see, she didn’t seem to be the type who ‘always lost her temper with the child’ as mentioned in the investigation report.
But maybe that was just an act for his benefit.
Li Yun withdrew his gaze, frowning slightly.
He walked over to the small sitting area on the second floor, took a newly brought book, and sat in a single armchair beside it.
His slender fingers turned to the first page—How to Get Along with Children.
Ye Susu rambled at Ye Xun for quite a while, but the child’s mood didn’t improve. Helpless, she could only start cleaning the new room first to complete Mission 1.
Shortly before hitting the half-hour mark, Xia Ningmeng arrived punctually.
By Ye Susu’s standards, this was what humans would call a ‘beauty in the curvy category’—a bit plump but with rather adorable cat-like eyes.
Her shoulder-length hair was lightly permed into loose waves, with subtle hints of dark purple highlights tucked within, adding a playful touch.
But at the moment, Xia Ningmeng’s face was filled with nervousness and excitement, and she seemed rather restless inside the room.
She had arrived carrying an oversized toy gift box in one hand and an equally large fruit basket in the other, her expression one of ‘how could I have brought so little’ regret.
At first glance, Ye Susu felt an affinity for her.
What an honest human.
Ye Susu guided her to the vanity chair beside the room and offered an appeasing smile to the overly quiet child in the corner.
Please improve the child’s mood!
“This is Ye Xun, the little treasure you’ve been wanting to meet~”
As soon as she spoke, she snapped both people in the room back to attention.
The older one finally snapped out of her ‘my friend finally introduced her child to me’ relief. Looking up, her eyes lit up at the sight of the soft, adorable little one.
The younger one, however, was stunned by the tender way she said “little treasure.”
Ye Xun’s little face flushed red. He fidgeted, rubbing his small feet against the floor.
Ye Susu glanced at the update—[Mood: Lower → Low]—and let out a sigh of relief.
Relaxed, she patted Ye Xun’s small shoulder. “This is your Auntie Ningmeng.”
“A… Auntie, hello.”
Ye Xun knew he had to be polite.
Though shy, clutching the hem of his pants, he still managed to call out softly. After speaking, he felt his voice had been too quiet, possibly embarrassing Ye Susu, and lowered his head dejectedly again.
But that soft, gentle greeting utterly melted Xia Ningmeng.
“Hello, hello~ Go try the new toy I got you. If you don’t like it, we can exchange it at the store!”
Ye Xun blushed again and whispered that he liked it.
Children shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking.
That’s what Ye Xun had been taught since he was little. Seeing they were about to chat, he obediently carried the gift box to a corner of the room, picked up a storybook, and quietly started flipping through it.
Only after the child had moved away did Xia Ningmeng lower her voice, looking worriedly at her friend who had suddenly moved into such a nice place.
“Susu, after falling out with your cousin and moving out, are you planning to go solo now?”
Seeing the child’s mood was stable, Ye Susu felt relieved.
Only then did she lower her voice and briefly explain what had happened over the past couple of days, including that this lovely little house was actually just a rented room.
Xia Ningmeng gasped after hearing this. “How can someone like Ye Wan exist!”
She eagerly joined the Ye Wan bashing session, but soon enough, she began worrying for Ye Susu again.
“So, after terminating your contract with that agency, can you still use your streaming account? I remember you used to have an alternate account for fun after high school, right? But without connections, it’s really hard to earn money through streaming on your own now.”
She helped Ye Susu spread out the blanket while keeping up the conversation.
Ye Susu searched her memories. “Oh, that account was registered with an old phone number I don’t use anymore. I gave that SIM card to the little one.”
Ye Xun had a phone.
The original owner, addicted to streaming, often forgot to pick him up or drop him off, so she gave him her old phone so he could call if needed.
“That account is probably just filled with inactive followers now.”
Ye Susu waved her hand dismissively.
“Never mind, I don’t have the talent for it anyway. It’s all just a waste of time.”
If streaming could have made her popular, the original owner would have been successful long ago.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
Xia Ningmeng knew her general situation—she hadn’t worked since graduation, so getting a proper job now would be difficult.
But how could she raise a child without earning money?
At this question, Ye Susu’s eyes also glazed over with uncertainty.
“I wasn’t really good at anything before—just sleeping, eating, and being dressed up nicely. Now, the only thing I might be decent at is cooking.”
Xia Ningmeng, who had been about to take a sip of water, nearly choked.
Being dressed up… nicely?
That sounded a bit off.
And when she mentioned being good at cooking, Xia Ningmeng’s teeth practically ached.
“Susu… I watched your last food stream. That homemade beef rice, you almost burned through the bottom of the pot, and the meat was charred. That meal was toxic, completely inedible…”
Xia Ningmeng’s voice grew quieter as she spoke.
Ye Susu stared wide-eyed.
That incident had happened just six months ago.
She immediately stood up.
“Wait right here. I’ll treat you to my cooking at lunch.”
“Huh? No, no—I’ll treat you both to a meal outside instead…”
Xia Ningmeng quickly tried to stop her.
But she wasn’t as fast as Ye Susu.
However, after running a few steps, Ye Susu hurriedly turned back and reassured Ye Xun, “Cub, I’m going to cook. Where did you put that book 100 Days of Delicious Breakfasts? Let me take a look~”
Xia Ningmeng nearly stumbled and dropped to her knees.
Ye Xun also froze for a moment but obediently pulled the book from his small backpack and handed it to her.
“Cub, what would you like for lunch? You pick.”
Ye Susu was bold.
Just after finishing the unpacking earlier, she had completed today’s child-raising cleaning task and earned new parenting points.
Xia Ningmeng groaned and covered her forehead.
Looking at a recipe at the last minute… and calling that a cooking skill? It was almost painful to watch.
Ye Xun glanced at the unfamiliar aunt, then at Ye Susu.
Finally, trying to be supportive, he pointed his small, tender finger at the steamed egg custard.
That one was simple—even he could make it. Mommy should definitely manage, so the aunt wouldn’t look down on her.
As he was thinking this, the next moment, Ye Susu cheerfully swept him into a tight hug.
“Just wait!”
With that, she spirited the book away!
Xia Ningmeng hurried after her, clutching her phone and debating whether to secretly order takeout.
After all, Ye Susu needed to look at a recipe even for steamed eggs.
Meanwhile, Ye Xun stood frozen in place.
Mommy… hugged him?
**
Man: So clumsy.
Woman: Where’s the “clumsy”? (Eyes light up)