Fu Tingyu did not do anything else after the kiss. He was afraid he might accidentally brush against her wound, so he let her rest in peace.

Qin Shu closed her eyes, feigning sleep, her heart racing.

One kiss… and she was putty in his hands.

Male lust led people astray!

She cursed herself in her heart several times before succumbing to sleep.

The day Qin Shu was discharged from the hospital, fine weather greeted her.

Long Size, Long Qingyue, and Long Muyan sent them off to the airport.

Before she left, Qin Shu said everything that she needed to say.

She promised Long Size that she would find his mother and bring her back to see him.

She also invited Long Muyan to stay with them in Jiangcheng, offering to take him on a city tour.

Han Xiao and Hua Wuyan did not follow her to the imperial city but went straight back to Qi Hua.

–

On the plane…

Xiao Jiu wanted to sit with his mother. So when they boarded the plane and arrived at their seats in first-class, he fought tooth and nail to take the seat beside hers. However, as soon as he sat down, his father picked him up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him over to the opposite seat, messing up his impeccably styled hair.

Xiao Jiu brushed his tangled strands unhappily, complaining, “Mom! Daddy is bullying me again!”

Qin Shu felt sorry for her son. Tilting her head to her husband seated next to her, she said, “He’s only a few years old. Can’t you be gentler with him?”

Fu Tingyu answered, “A man’s gentility is for one’s wife, not their sons.”

“…”

“If you’re so heartless, be careful he won’t take care of you in old age,” Qin Shu said.

“Do I need it?” Fu Tingyu looked at Xiao Jiu. He was already five years old. Thinking about how he looked when he was five years old, Fu Tingyu said, “He’s already five. What do you think?”

Qin Shu: “…”

What was she supposed to think of their five-year-old son?

Xiao Jiu stared at his father before turning to his mother. “I hope Daddy will leave me alone. Five-year-olds need a lot of personal space.” Since his father wanted to play the ‘mature, independent card’, he would play along!

Qin Shu nearly burst out laughing but held it in

Fu Tingyu quirked his brows. “Why would you need so much personal space?”

Xiao Jiu smirked, sidestepping the question with his own. “Father, when will I have a younger brother?”

A question flashed in Qin Shu’s mind. Why did he not want a younger sister?

Fu Tingyu knew what Xiao Jiu was thinking and snorted coldly. “Have you seen your Uncle?”

Xiao Jiu tilted his head. He did not understand what Fu Tingyu meant. “What’s wrong with my Uncle?”

Fu Tingyu asked, “Who is in charge of the Fu family now?”

“Father,” Xiao Jiu answered quickly. The smart Xiao Jiu reacted quickly. Fu Tingyu was in charge of the Fu family; therefore, he was also its head.

Xiao Jiu’s uncle went to study martial arts for almost four years and only returned last year.

He heard that his uncle planned to start his own game company next year because Xiao Jiu enjoyed playing games.

Even if Fu Tingyu gave him a younger brother, it would not change his status as the next in line as family head.

Xiao Jiu bowed his head, crestfallen. Having a younger brother would not change things.

Qin Shu saw Xiao Jiu’s drooping shoulders and thought about how he would have to shoulder the entire Fu family in the future. She could not help but worry. The burden of leading the family would fall on his shoulders when he grew up.

If they had a second child, the siblings could share the burden. Xiao Jiu was a responsible young boy, but there was only so much he could handle alone.

“Your mother and I don’t plan to have a second child.” Fu Tingyu’s succinct response put an end to the conversation.

Xiao Jiu: “…”

As expected, it was a very Fu Tingyu-like answer.

Qin Shu sent her husband a thoughtful look. It had been a few years since she birthed Xiao Jiu, but he still remembered the words said in that delivery room.

Giving birth to a child was a pain unlike any other, but it was something she would never regret. The chance of holding her child in her hands was more than enough to offset the pain she had to experience.

She had been busy these few years and did not have time to think about having a second child.

She still had to find her mother. Only after could she spare the time to think of a second child.

–

On the other side…

President Ba had just boarded the plane and was a little airsick. His petite body nestled in Ye Luo’s arms, unmoving. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Ye Luo’s large, calloused hands.

Ye Luo knew that President Ba was airsick and did not give him any dried fish to eat. He did not want to add to President Ba’s discomfort, instead opting to rub the small feline’s back, hoping it would soothe the poor cat.

Ye Qing sat opposite Ye Luo and watched him comfort President Ba. In disbelief, Ye Qing wondered if the person before him was the Ye Luo he knew.

Although they were both members of the Ye family, they seldom met outside a handful of occasions. They both had many responsibilities, which prevented them from meeting each other.

In the past, Ye Luo was famous for being violent. He only knew how to speak with his fists. Ye Luo was so fierce he scared most women before they even approached. How could someone like him be so… caring?

Since they left the hotel, President Ba had not leapt out of Ye Luo’s arms, comfortably snuggling in his warm embrace. It gave people the impression that he was cradling a baby. There was no trace of disdain or impatience on his cold and stern face.

President Ba was small and cute, behaving like a tsundere even though it was very clingy by nature. He did not look like a match for the cold, rough and violent man that was Ye Luo. Yet, he did not seem to be out of place at all.

Ye Qing could not help but ask, “Ye Luo, it’s not easy cleaning up after President Ba, is it?”

Ye Luo looked up with his lips pursed, only saying two words in response, “It’s okay.”

Ye Qing continued his line of questioning, “Does President Ba still sit on the wall?”

Ye Luo shook his head to say that he did not. He eyed President Ba’s indolent figure.

Ye Qing asked again, “Then would you still knock over a plate of fish for him?”

Ye Luo answered, “He’ll eat it in a heartbeat.”

“What about taking a bath?”

“He’s very well behaved.”

“Is he still running away with you?”

“He’d rather hug me.”

“Does he still pull your hair when you sleep?”

“He crawls under the covers.”

Ye Qing did not give up. There had to be something that would prove his point. “Do you often have the urge to beat President Ba up?”

“It’s quite fun,” Ye Luo answered, sounding more relaxed than ever.

Ye Qing was rendered speechless. If even Ye Luo did not feel the urge to beat him up, it could only mean that President Ba was behaving as he should: cute, cuddly, and obedient.

When angered, President Ba would scratch Ye Luo’s clothes, and his claws would leave marks.

He would also bare his teeth at Ye Luo, revealing his sharp teeth to show that he was angry.

Similarly, he would climb a tree because of a small dried fish and show Ye Luo his butt if he was particularly angry. (He did not climb up the wall because it was too low, and Ye Luo could easily catch him. President Ba was, if nothing else, a resourceful cat, learned and wise. He would not allow Ye Luo to catch him so easily.)

When he was unhappy, he would hide under the blanket without drying his hair in the shower, leaving Ye Luo no place to sleep.

Although he would not tug at Ye Luo’s hair, he would sleep on top of Ye Luo’s chest!

–

It was four o’clock in the afternoon when they arrived at the imperial city.

Two hours later, Qi Manor.

In the living room…

Gu Yan received the news that Fu Tingyu and Qin Shu were coming, so he delayed his return to Jiangcheng by a day.

Jun Li sat in the living room. Su Ying had helped him there. He did not look much different, still as thin as before, his clothes hanging on his painfully thin frame. What should have fit him like a glove now hung loosely around his shoulders, draping him in voluminous fabric.

His pale complexion, paired with his lifeless purple eyes, made him look gaunt and much older than he was.

This Jun Li was what greeted Qin Shu when she walked into the living room. He had changed a lot since they first met.

The moment Gu Yan saw Fu Tingyu, he stepped forward with his arms outstretched, trying to hug him. He could not conceal his excitement. “You’re finally back. Everyone has been looking for you like crazy.”