Volume One, Chapter 134: With You in It, It’s Sweet Enough!

Ding!
The elevator doors opened.
Lou Ye stepped out, holding the already asleep Lu Xiaomu in his arms.
Sang Wan followed closely behind.

They had set off at noon, and the three had played at the amusement park until dusk, only leaving when stars began to twinkle in the sky.
Lu Xiaomu had barely finished her meal before her head began to bob like a little chick pecking the ground.
Despite rushing, they still didn’t make it home in time.
Lu Xiaomu fell asleep halfway there.

When they got off the car, Sang Wan wanted to carry her, but Lou Ye pulled her away, taking Lu Xiaomu himself.
Watching Lou Ye’s upright figure, Sang Wan heard the whispered words Lu Xiaomu had said to her in the restaurant earlier:
“Mama, I like Uncle Ye.”
“Why?”
“Because he likes Mama, and Mama likes him too. And he plays with me.”

Sang Wan paused.

The door opened.
They stepped inside.

2S, meowing, came running over, familiar with the place and trying to jump up.
But when it saw Lou Ye holding Lu Xiaomu, it immediately stopped, instead circling around his pant leg.

Lou Ye placed Lu Xiaomu on the bed and casually picked up 2S as he stood.
He glanced back at Sang Wan with an unmistakable look of pride in his eyes.
Sang Wan smiled gently.

Since Lu Xiaomu was already asleep, there was no need to wake him for a bath.
Sang Wan carefully changed Lu Xiaomu’s clothes, wiping his face, hands, and feet with a warm towel.
Throughout, Lou Ye leaned against the bedroom door, watching.
The warmth and smile in his eyes gradually faded.
As if lost in thought, Lou Ye turned and left.

“Lou Ye…”
Sang Wan sensed something, quickening her steps to catch up and grabbing his sleeve. “What’s wrong?”
Lou Ye remained silent.
Sang Wan changed her approach: “How about I make you a cake?”
Lou Ye’s steps halted.
He looked back to see the gentle warmth on Sang Wan’s face, eyes filled with cautious tenderness—seeming to want to ask why he was upset but afraid to touch his pain.
So she softly switched to offering cake, trying to soothe him.

The dark, silent memories in Lou Ye’s mind began to recede.
The thorns and jagged edges in his heart gradually softened under her gentle gaze.
“Okay!”

But when Sang Wan pulled flour and eggs from the cabinet, Lou Ye hesitated again.
Taking care of a child was no easy task.
Even without doing much, just accompanying him from here to there, playing this and that, left him utterly exhausted.
Not to mention constantly answering his endless questions.
Lou Ye disliked children.

But he had to admit, Lu Xiaomu—sometimes mischievous, sometimes well-behaved—was very much like his younger self.
And on that day at the amusement park, through countless moments of irritation, whenever he looked back, he saw Sang Wan’s consistent gentle smile.

Tired?
Certainly.
But Sang Wan said, “I’m his mother!”

“I’m full…”
Full of tenderness.

Lou Ye put everything back as it was, lowered his head to enfold Sang Wan, resting his chin in the hollow of her shoulder.
She could sense his unexplained melancholy.

Sang Wan turned around and embraced him.
“I’ll make you sweet rice wine to drink, okay?”
“Sweet?”
“Yes, very sweet. I’ll cook it longer and add some sugar—it’ll be fragrant and delicious.”
“…Let me hold you a little longer first!”
“Okay!”

“Sang Wan…”
“Hmm?”
“In the future, let’s not have children, okay?”

???
Sang Wan froze.
Their one-month trial period had just ended a few days ago.
The trial wasn’t even over yet, and he was already talking about not having children?
She sensed something odd about Lou Ye today, but didn’t dare ask what was wrong, nor why.

After a moment, Sang Wan lifted her eyes to look at Lou Ye.
Slowly realizing what she had said, she caught a fleeting embarrassment flash in his eyes.
He only tightened his hold on her, refusing to meet her gaze.

Sang Wan smiled softly and pushed him gently.
“Go wait for me in the dining room, it’ll be ready soon…”

She ushered Lou Ye out of the kitchen, then took the jar of rice wine from the fridge, igniting the stove to boil water and brew the rice wine.
As the rice wine simmered, a faint aroma of wine floated throughout the living room.

Watching Sang Wan’s back, Lou Ye’s usually silent eyes gradually warmed.

“All done…”
When Sang Wan brought over the bowl, the scent was inviting—aromas of wine and sweetness.
Looking down, white rice grains, red goji berries, and yellow egg flower swirled simply yet perfectly, sending all the fragrance deep into the heart.

“Drink up…”
Handing Lou Ye the spoon, Sang Wan spoke gently, “Drink it all, warm your belly, then get a good night’s sleep. Lou Ye, thank you for today.”

If it were before, Sang Wan never would have imagined that one day she’d raise a child with a man other than Lu Jinnian.
For the past six years, including the pregnancy year, she had mostly been alone.
Until Lu Xiaomu was born, she cared for the child alone on weekdays.
On weekends, either the three of them went to Su Baohui’s place, or Su Baohui and Lu Zhiyi went to the Lu family villa.
She not only took care of the child but also busied herself preparing lunch and dinner.
Opportunities for the three of them to go out alone were scarce.
And Lu Xiaomu remembered even fewer moments.
So every time they painted a family portrait, it was always the scene of flying kites on the villa’s lawn.

In such a noisy and crowded place as the amusement park, Lu Jinnian would never have joined.
But Lou Ye had stayed with them the whole day.
No, also last night.
He even played chess with Lu Xiaomu.
No wonder Lu Xiaomu’s eyes had sparkled as she said she liked Uncle Ye.

“Sweet?”
Lou Ye drank spoonful after spoonful, expressionless—neither showing like nor dislike.
Sang Wan asked.
Lou Ye shook his head.
Sang Wan frowned.
She had added a big spoonful of sugar just now.
Still not sweet?

“Then I’ll add more…”
Sang Wan rose to get the sugar jar.
Lou Ye grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace.
He kissed her.
The kiss carried the scent of rice wine, mingled with his own breath.
Sang Wan could easily taste the sweetness of the soup.
It was already very sweet.

“Just right now…”
Lou Ye smiled triumphantly, kissing her again.
“With you added, it’s sweet enough!”

Sang Wan: …

The kiss bore no trace of desire, yet each gentle peck seemed to peel away a layer of exhaustion from her heart.

When Lou Ye left, the moment the door closed, Sang Wan felt the living room grow cold.
Returning to the bedroom, she saw her phone light up.

[Interest +2.]

Sang Wan: !!!

When the ringtone chimed, Sang Wan opened her eyes, almost mistaking it for Monday morning’s alarm.
She met Lu Xiaomu’s sleepy gaze and the smile that blossomed when she woke.

“It must be Daddy…”
Lu Xiaomu ran barefoot to the living room and answered the call on her smartwatch.
“Hello, Daddy… Yes, I’m home. Oh, okay!”

She ran back, looking anxious as she peered into Sang Wan’s face.
“Mama, Daddy said he’s bringing breakfast for us.”

???

Sang Wan was taken aback.
“No need for him to bring it!”

The doorbell rang. Ding dong.

She half-expected it to be Lu Jinnian, since he’d just called.
Yet she feared it might be Lou Ye.
Even more, she dreaded the two meeting in the hallway.

Sang Wan quickly changed clothes and went to open the door.