That day, there was hardly any wind, perfect for letting nearly two-month-old Wan Wan get some fresh air. Su Su picked her up and kissed her little cheek, “Mommy’s little baby, let’s go to the yard.”
The little one was tiny and delicate. In summer, she did not wear shoes, her little feet exposed. Even when measured, they were not as long as a finger. Everything about her was small and chubby, soft beyond words in one’s arms.
No wonder people call their children “heart and soul.” Such a tiny being truly deserves that name.
With the nanny pushing the stroller, they headed into the yard.
Zai Zai stayed beside Su Su. Seeing his mother holding his sister, he seemed a little upset, staring at Su Su with longing eyes.
After just two steps, he ran up, hugged her leg, tugged at her pants, and looked up, “Hug, hug.”
Su Su had no choice but to squat down while holding Wan Wan, “Zai Zai, how about you hold Mommy’s hand and walk? Your sister can’t walk yet, so Mommy has to carry her.”
Zai Zai pouted and refused, “Mommy, hug, hug.”
He usually liked his little sister, but he was still too young. When his mother showed affection to the baby, he would fuss. It was not that he did not want his mother to love his sister, he just always wanted a little more attention for himself.
Su Su could not bear to see that aggrieved expression on his adorable face, but she really could not carry both Wan Wan and Zai Zai at the same time.
After thinking about it, she decided to put Wan Wan in the stroller first. But before she could even set her down, Wan Wan started to cry. “Oh, oh, don’t cry, Wan Wan, Mommy is holding you.”
And so Zai Zai burst into tears too…
In the end, it was Qu Qingwei who came over and soothed him.
Qu Qingwei said she had to leave the house for something and asked Su Su to take care of the two children. Su Su was not very confident, but she could not delay her mother’s matters, so she told her to go quickly and that she would take good care of the two little ones.
Su Su soothed Wan Wan to sleep and placed her in the stroller.
Zai Zai stayed beside her, tugging at her pant leg the whole time. Seeing that his mother had finally put his sister down, he immediately threw himself into her arms, asking to be held.
Su Su could not bear to ignore this little darling anymore. His babyish face looked just like Gu Shao’s, but he was far more lovable. “It’s Mommy’s fault for holding your sister just now and not you. How about Mommy plays with Zai Zai for a while?”
She picked him up, but after holding him for a while, her arms grew sore.
These two little ancestors were really exhausting to take care of. She did not know what Gu Shao and the original owner were thinking, having the two children so close in age.
Just then, Ning Ke arrived, holding Bai Ningyue’s hand.
The moment Zai Zai saw Bai Ningyue, he wanted to go to him. Su Su held him tightly and would not let him go.
When Bai Ningyue saw Zai Zai, a smile appeared on his usually serious little face, a kind of pure joy unique to children.
Even though Su Su knew from the novel that the two of them would become childhood friends, she had not expected their friendship to start this early.
Bai Ningyue wanted to go over to Zai Zai, but when he saw Su Su, he did not dare. He just stood there, holding his mother’s hand without moving.
Children are very sensitive to danger. Since Su Su was wary of him, he felt afraid of her, even though she still had a smile on her face.
“Miss Ning and Ningyue are here? Please, have a seat.”
The yard was arranged in a childlike, playful style, with two hanging chairs and fabric chairs and stools elsewhere. Extra cleaning staff came daily, so everything was kept very tidy.
“You can just call me Ning Ke,” Ning Ke said. She did not notice that Su Su did not want Zai Zai to play with Ningyue, nor would she imagine such a thing.
Usually, if someone does not let their child play with another child, it is because that family has poor character. Ning Ke and Bai Xinyan were of similar background to Su Su and Gu Shao, and both families were well-mannered. There was no reason for Su Su to keep Zai Zai away from Ningyue.
Ning Ke said, “Ningyue takes after his father, naturally reserved and not fond of playing with other children. He only plays with Zai Zai. Today, when he didn’t see Zai Zai outside, he got unhappy and insisted on dragging me here. I didn’t expect him to remember the way, he walked all the way to your door and stopped.”
Su Su thought to herself, as expected of the male lead in the original novel, truly gifted, already able to recognize the way at such a young age.
With such a powerful halo around him, Su Su became even more determined not to let Zai Zai get involved with him.
As the mother of two little treasures, she felt happier than anyone when they were happy, and more anxious than anyone when they cried. If they were to end up with the same fate as in the book, she would definitely lose her mind.
She absolutely could not let Zai Zai and Wan Wan get entangled in Bai Ningyue and Fan Siyu’s affairs again. Only by avoiding them could her children live safely and peacefully.
Ning Ke bent down and crouched in front of Bai Ningyue. Her temperament was outstanding, and when she smiled, she appeared especially elegant. She gently said to him, “Ningyue, this is Aunt Su Su, say hello.”
Bai Ningyue was nudged forward by Ning Ke to stand in front of Su Su. His large, dark eyes looked timid as he softly called out, “Auntie,” his baby voice slightly unclear.
Su Su smiled at him, then looked at Ning Ke and said somewhat distantly, “Ningyue is very smart, Zai Zai still cannot say two-character words.”
Ning Ke shook her head and said that was not the case, “I think Zai Zai is quite clever. When he plays outside, everyone likes to tease him. He is just learning to speak, and he is also one and a half months younger than Ningyue. When he reaches Ningyue’s age, he will be able to speak too.”
Su Su did not respond. Ning Ke noticed Wan Wan’s stroller and smiled, her eyes full of warmth. No one could dislike a newborn baby. They were like little angels, bringing joy to anyone who saw them.
Ning Ke let go of Bai Ningyue, “Ningyue, didn’t you come to find Zai Zai? Go play with him. I will go take a look at little sister Wan Wan.”
As she spoke, she walked toward the stroller and looked down through the mesh cover. Wan Wan was sleeping with rosy cheeks, incredibly adorable.
She looked up and softly said to Su Su, “Such a cute baby. The last time I saw her, she had just been born. It has only been a little over a month, and she has already grown so much. Her brows, eyes, and nose all resemble you.”
Su Su smiled without replying. While Ningyue and Zai Zai were playing, she was determined to insert herself between them as much as possible, trying to make her presence felt and reduce their interaction.
She asked the nanny to bring a soft ball from the toy room. It was light, easy for children to kick, and would not hurt them.
The nanny handed the ball to Su Su. Bai Ningyue and Zai Zai stared at the little ball in her hands, their eyes shining brightly.
“Mommy, Mommy.”
Ningyue also called out “Auntie,” though not very fluently.
Su Su laughed, “You two little rascals already like playing with a ball at such a young age?”
Ning Ke, who was bending over to look at Wan Wan, smiled, “Yes, Ningyue does not like to talk much, but when he plays, he gets very energetic. Ever since we bought him a small ball, the house has been a mess. He kicks it everywhere he goes, making his father so angry that he wants to spank him.”
“Then when he gets to middle school or high school, he will probably have a bunch of admirers. Boys who play basketball are very attractive, and your Ningyue is so good-looking.”
“Haha, isn’t Zai Zai the same? When the time comes, let them attend the same school. I wonder who will become the school heartthrob, haha.” Just imagining that scene made her laugh.
What Ning Ke said reminded Su Su that since their families lived so close in the same neighborhood, it might be hard to avoid Bai Ningyue when they were young. But once they started elementary school, it would be easy to avoid him, as long as they did not attend the same school. By then, they would form their own circles and gradually drift apart.
However, Zai Zai’s issue was not entirely about Bai Ningyue. Fan Siyu was the real root of the problem. If Zai Zai never encountered Fan Siyu, he would not become the catalyst for her relationship with Bai Ningyue.
If Zai Zai never fell for Fan Siyu, then there would be no problem at all.
Keeping Zai Zai away from Fan Siyu was the real priority.
And compared to Zai Zai, it was Wan Wan who truly needed to avoid Bai Ningyue.
In the book, Bai Ningyue and Gu Zai were childhood friends. Whenever Gu Zai went to find Bai Ningyue, his younger sister Gu Wan would follow along, calling out “Brother Ningyue, Brother Ningyue.” By the time she came of age, she had already fallen in love with him.
Su Su still remembered a classic scene from the book. When Fan Siyu went to find Bai Ningyue, she saw Gu Wan holding onto his arm.
At that time, Fan Siyu had thought Bai Ningyue liked her, but seeing him so close with the popular actress Gu Wan made her furious. She thought to herself that she had not expected him to be that kind of person, and was glad she had not fallen for him.
Gu Wan instinctively felt hostility toward Fan Siyu, so she held Bai Ningyue even closer and deliberately raised her voice to call him “Brother Ningyue,” making sure Fan Siyu heard it.
Bai Ningyue did not have a sister of his own, so he had always treated Gu Zai’s sister as his own younger sister, and did not think much of it.
This caused Fan Siyu to misunderstand for a long time.
…
Su Su frowned deeply. Wan Wan already had her own older brother, she did not need to be treated as someone else’s sister.
She called Ning Ke over, who was still looking at Wan Wan, “Ning Ke, let’s play ball with the kids together.”
“Sure.”
Su Su stood on one side with Zai Zai, while Ning Ke stood on the other with Bai Ningyue. With deliberate intent, Su Su intercepted every ball Bai Ningyue kicked toward Zai Zai, cutting off their interaction. In the end, it turned into Su Su and Bai Ningyue playing, while Zai Zai and Ning Ke stood to the side watching.
In the yard, there were occasional bursts of laughter, from a chubby little toddler and a beautiful young mother.
If Su Su did not know the future described in the book, she might have thought this was a relaxed and pleasant day. But she did know.
It was only when Wan Wan woke up and suddenly started crying that Su Su hurriedly stopped, washed her hands, and went to pick up the baby.
When Bai Ningyue saw that Auntie had left, he unconsciously followed her, walking up to Su Su as she held Wan Wan.
Ning Ke called out to him, “Ningyue, come over and wash your hands with Zai Zai.”
Zai Zai was not shy with strangers. When Ning Ke led him to wash his hands, he followed along. Ningyue glanced at Su Su, then ran back to his mother.
From behind them, Su Su said, “Sorry to trouble you,” referring to Ning Ke helping Zai Zai wash his hands.
Ning Ke said it was nothing.
Soon, the two little boys, with clean hands and faces, came running back and stopped in front of Su Su.
Su Su was sitting on a low stool holding Wan Wan, and the two boys leaned in, just able to see her.
Zai Zai tried to touch Wan Wan’s face to look at his sister. Su Su moved his hand aside, “Do not hurt your sister.”
“Sister.”
Unable to resist Zai Zai, Su Su adjusted Wan Wan’s position.
Unexpectedly, this allowed Wan Wan to see Bai Ningyue. She stared at the unfamiliar boy for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
Su Su was speechless… could such a small baby already have preferences, or did Bai Ningyue simply look friendly?
She sighed inwardly, Bai Ningyue really was trouble.
But Ning Ke said, “Oh, Ningyue, it seems little sister Wan Wan likes you very much.”
Su Su quickly explained, “Wan Wan likes to smile, she smiles whenever she sees a new face.”
Ning Ke did not pay attention to that and said to Bai Ningyue, who was eagerly staring at the cute baby, “Ningyue, do you want to give little sister a kiss?”
Bai Ningyue listened to his mother, leaned in, and kissed Wan Wan’s cheek. Then he widened his eyes to look at her again, and Wan Wan showed her toothless smile once more.
Zai Zai also wanted to kiss his sister.
Su Su said, “Then Zai Zai can give your sister a kiss too.”
Zai Zai leaned in, but just like last time, Wan Wan almost cried and refused to let him kiss her.
Su Su thought to herself that Wan Wan really was not giving her doting brother any face…
…
Seeing that it was mealtime, Ning Ke prepared to take Bai Ningyue home, “Ningyue, let’s go home.”
Unexpectedly, Bai Ningyue stood still. When Ning Ke tried to pull him, he leaned back.
“What is it, Ningyue? Do you not want to leave?” Ning Ke asked patiently.
Su Su also looked at him and noticed that he suddenly leaned closer to her, standing on tiptoe.
Ning Ke suddenly burst into laughter, “Ningyue, do you want to give Auntie a kiss?”
“Ah?” Su Su was a bit surprised. She lowered her head with some effort, and the little boy really did plant a kiss on her cheek.
Ning Ke said, “You played ball with him just now, he was very happy. You should know Ningyue is not a child who likes getting close to others.”
Su Su watched the little boy run off and found it a bit amusing.
Then she looked at Zai Zai. Their faces were still so innocent, so young and pure, yet once they grew up, they could change so easily.