9: Moving with the Little One
Flustered, Ye Susu apologized to the little one, and hearing the mission prompt only made her gasp harder.
The child’s current mood: low?
Guiltily, she looked at Ye Xun. The hand she had been about to use to pat his head hesitantly withdrew.
“Cub, I… was just muddled from sleep.”
A bad sleeping posture, she had never managed to fix it over all these years.
“When I have more money later, I’ll buy you your own little bed, okay?”
On just the second day, she had almost made the little one cry because of her sleeping position. Ye Susu pressed her forehead, overwhelmed with guilt.
Remembering how scared the child had been of her yesterday, she was afraid that touching him now would only make him more upset.
Biting her lip, she could only offer an apologetic smile.
“I’ll go make you breakfast.”
Ye Xun kept his head down, small hands clutching the blanket, not uttering a word.
Only after Ye Susu got up and hurried to wash up did he gaze blankly at the pale, yellowish wall, his dark grape-like eyes finally revealing a trace of lingering sorrow.
When he woke up that morning, he felt a slight weight on his chest. Turning his head, he realized it was Ye Susu’s arm draped over him, resting on his body.
At that moment, he almost stopped breathing, feeling as if his little heart were about to leap out of his throat.
So, this feeling of being hugged by Mommy was called ‘very happy.’
It was the first time he had ever known it.
In the past, Ye Susu had never been like this.
Even at night, they slept under separate blankets. Every morning when he woke up, she was always far away from him.
He had held his breath, too afraid to even shift for fear of waking her.
But before long, she still woke up.
He hadn’t even had time to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep before she jolted awake in alarm, snatched back the arm that was ‘holding him,’ and practically fled!
She still didn’t like him…
Ye Xun lowered his gaze, disappointment and sadness written all over his deflated, dejected little face.
Even when Ye Susu finished washing up and peeked into the room to ask how many small fish he wanted, he just shook his head gloomily.
“Cub…”
Ye Susu wanted to cheer him up with the dried fish, but it didn’t work.
Ye Xun slowly climbed out of bed, head hung low, and obediently folded his small blanket.
It was as if a tangible shadow had settled over the little one’s small frame.
As the culprit, Ye Susu didn’t dare go in, anxiously pacing outside.
Finally, after the little one finished brushing his teeth, Ye Susu approached with a cheerful smile, holding a bowl of porridge. She cracked the last boiled egg and placed it on the table.
But Ye Xun just shook his head gloomily. “I’ll just have the porridge… that’s enough. Mommy, you have the egg.”
He pushed the egg back toward her.
Ye Susu pressed her lips together.
Even the tuna porridge he had loved just the day before was now eaten listlessly.
Low.
That one word seemed written all over the little one.
Ye Susu, a first-time mom, was so worried she felt like shedding fur.
“No appetite?”
“Anywhere feeling unwell?”
Ye Xun looked up at her, then shook his head.
Picking up his spoon, he quietly ate his breakfast, refusing to say another word.
Ye Susu felt her head throb; even the dried fish in her mouth seemed to lose its flavor.
Thankfully, her phone chimed, rescuing the awkward situation.
“Susu, you want me to come to your new place? I can see little Ye Xun?”
“Ah! I could cry… Wait, what should I bring for little Ye Xun? What does he like? Oh my, it’s my first time meeting the little treasure, I’m so excited but also a bit nervous!”
As soon as the call connected, Xia Ningmeng’s rapid-fire voice poured through.
Ye Susu winced and held the phone a bit farther away.
She glanced at little Ye Xun in front of her.
“Hold on, let me… ask.”
She wasn’t sure about the little one’s preferences either, especially since he was in low spirits today.
“Ah, don’t ask! If you ask, how can I surprise the little treasure? This is my first time giving him a gift—please don’t ask!”
Xia Ningmeng’s machine-gun chatter fired off again.
Her voice was loud enough for Ye Xun to hear clearly.
He had just finished his last spoonful of porridge and was about to stand up when he froze.
His somewhat dull little face started turning red from behind his ears, the blush spreading all the way to his chubby cheeks.
Little… treasure…?
The three words completely filled Ye Xun’s little mind.
His throat seemed to tighten. He mulled over the term twice in his head before lifting his gaze in disbelief toward Ye Susu.
Just then, he saw her smiling at him, her eyes as warm as yesterday—softer than before, like a cozy blanket.
Even his feet, which didn’t quite reach the floor, paused for a moment.
Yesterday, Mommy had called him Xunbao.
At first, he thought she didn’t want to call him Ye Xun in public, to avoid letting others know he had no dad and could only take her surname.
But… Xunbao… searching for a little treasure?
His little face went blank. The two curly tufts of hair on his fluffy head swayed clumsily in the breeze from the window.
“Alright, I won’t ask. Do your best, then.”
Ye Susu spoke while effortlessly smoothing down the little tuft of hair that had popped up on Ye Xun’s head.
She leaned back to inspect. Mmh, sleek fur—her little one was pretty again.
Satisfied, she nodded and continued into the phone, “We’re moving this morning and should arrive there around eleven.”
“Got it!”
Ye Susu chuckled, hung up, then reached over to take the bowl from the child’s hand.
“Leave it.”
“No need to wash it today. We have help.”
Ye Xun looked up, a hint of confusion on his little face.
Ye Susu puffed her cheeks slightly.
She wasn’t planning to tidy up the house, fully intending to leave the mess for that scheming Ye Wan to clean up as a sort of revenge. Whether Ye Wan threw things away or kept them—she didn’t care.
But saying that to the little one might set a bad example.
So Ye Susu simply smiled. “I’ve already arranged it with someone, Cub. Don’t worry. Once I pack up the blankets, we’ll head out.”
Ye Xun understood—Ye Susu didn’t want to tell him. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, but he quickly hid it and nodded, climbing down from the small chair.
Once on the ground, he felt a tightness in his chest.
Xunbao… Ye Susu hadn’t called him that today either.
That fleeting joy from earlier seemed like bubbles floating in the air—one by one, they popped, and he couldn’t catch a single one even if he tried.
Ye Xun clenched his small fists. When he looked up again, his expression was calm, as if he had never expected anything. He went to the hallway, slung his small backpack over his shoulders, and sat on a chair to wait for Ye Susu.
Ye Susu worked quickly.
She did a final check of the room, taking only what was valuable or essential and leaving everything else behind.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to send Ye Wan a WeChat red envelope.
[Cousin, I’ve sent a red envelope based on the market rate. I think three hours should be enough.]
Ye Susu put away her phone and took one last glance at the room.
Without a trace of nostalgia, she took little Ye Xun’s hand, hoisted a large backpack onto her shoulders, and dragged two oversized suitcases—one in each hand—before closing the door behind her.
“Market rate? Three hours?”
Ye Wan received the WeChat message while already on her way over.
The content of the message baffled her.
But when she arrived at the apartment, her heart sank.
The shoe cabinet outside was mostly empty.
She knocked, but no one answered.
When she finally used her key to get inside, she found the place stripped of belongings.
Stunned, Ye Wan stood frozen in her crocodile-skin heels.
After checking the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, she let out a sharp scream.
“You wretch!”
That hundred-yuan red envelope was clearly sent based on the hourly rate for a cleaner!
Three hours for a hundred yuan—she wanted her to clean up the leftover mess?!
“That crazy woman!”
Just as she was about to call and curse her out again, she received a transfer notification.
[You received a transfer from Ye Susu: Amount 10,000 yuan. Note: Rent plus interest. Keep the change.]
Ye Wan’s delicate eyebrows shot up.
Checking WeChat, she found multiple messages flooding in.
[Ye Wan, wow, your cousin’s new place looks amazing. So jealous!]
[Sister Wan, heard Ye Susu found a sugar daddy and struck it rich? Her new spot looks seriously upscale.]
[Sister Ye, seems like your cousin’s flying high now. Do you have her number? Hook me up!]
The streamer circle wasn’t large.
Having been in the game for a while, Ye Wan knew people across various streaming studios.
But she had no idea what any of them were talking about!
Ye Wan tapped through the unread messages and soon saw the screenshots of social media posts they’d sent her.
She had been busy networking the previous night, entertaining several executives until late, and went straight to bed after getting home, paying no attention to her social feed.
But as she zoomed in on the images, her face instantly paled.
—A duplex cottage, a nine-grid photo set so luxurious it nearly blinded her.
A property like this in the city center would cost at least eight million… Even she couldn’t afford it!
The jealousy Ye Wan had buried for nearly a decade exploded in that instant, nearly making her faint from anger.
She had suppressed Ye Susu for so long, yet this woman who had been a temptress since childhood still managed to land a wealthy man?!
Crash—
In a rage, she picked up a ceramic bowl left on the table and smashed it to the floor.
But her movement was too forceful—her high heel caught in a groove in the flooring, and the next moment, she let out another sharp cry as she stumbled and fell flat on her face!
“Ye… Su… Su!”
Sunday morning was busy with traffic.
Many were heading downtown for dates or taking their kids out.
By the time Ye Susu arrived at the entrance of Haitang Compound, her spirits had soared.
She had received most of the payment from Xianyu and promptly repaid Ye Wan.
Debt-free, she felt lighter, and even the air seemed fresher.
Pressing the crabapple-shaped doorbell, she received a characteristically lazy morning response from the owner.
“Come in.”
The electronic lock clicked open.
A pristine white carpet stretched from the entryway all the way to the living room.
Stepping onto it barefoot felt soft and plush.
Ye Susu’s soles tingled with comfort, and she almost wished she could curl up and nap in the brilliant sunlight by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
But she pinched her nose and snapped out of the temptation.
Standing at the doorway, she took off her backpack and pulled out her and the little one’s slippers.
Placing them neatly on the carpet, she and the child changed into them properly.
In a strange male’s territory, it was best to be respectful.
She didn’t dare drag the suitcases in, afraid of dirtying the clean carpet.
Even a big feline like her valued cleanliness.
But just as she crouched down, about to wipe the suitcase wheels with a tissue, a magnetic voice drifted clearly from above her forehead.
“There are new ones in the shoe cabinet.”
She turned and saw the man’s clean, angular jawline, still sharp as ever.
Below, the Adam’s apple moved slightly as he spoke.
And further down… was that soft, warm, exceptionally gentle-looking cable-knit sweater.
Today it was a deep grayish-blue, making his skin appear even paler and lending him an air of refined elegance, as always, making her feline instincts itch to give that fuzzy chest a few playful swats.
Ye Susu blinked, her eyes shimmering slightly.
Li Yun’s gaze, however, fell on the feet of the mother and child.
The child’s slippers were a bit too large, the soles slightly peeling and curling at the edges.
Ye Susu’s own slippers, though they looked pristine and white far better than the child’s were clearly the disposable kind from hotels. She had actually brought them home and reused them.
His deep eyes darkened a shade.
She truly couldn’t provide the child with a comfortable life.
But she was genuinely poor.
Poor to the point of having no other choice.
**