Chapter 4: Parent-Child Time

When the servant knocked on the door to call Gu Nan Yan for dinner, she had just finished closing her computer.

She stood up and stretched lazily, then looked out the window. It was almost dark.

The lights in the mansion had been turned on, and the evening breeze was chilly, adding a sense of emptiness.

She opened the door, and the servant stood at the entrance with a meal tray, respectfully waiting.

Gu Nan Yan paused for a moment before remembering that the original owner didn’t want to eat dinner with Shen Boyan, so every meal was brought to her room by the servants.

“No need to bring food up.from now on, I’ll eat in the dining room.”

With that, Gu Nan Yan walked past the servant and headed downstairs.

The servant stood there for a moment, not reacting, and by the time she snapped out of it, Gu Nan Yan had already disappeared.

The servant stared at the direction Gu Nan Yan had gone, looking utterly confused.

In the dining room.

At the large dining table, Shen Boyan sat alone on one side in a black suit, eating.

Opposite him sat Xiao Mumu, who looked just like him. The little guy wore a bib with a small dinosaur design, holding a small spoon with his chubby hands, eating his meal in big bites.

Qin Yuwei sat beside Xiao Mumu, occasionally guiding him on how to eat, while sneaking glances at the handsome man across from her. Every time she lowered her head to eat, a happy smile clearly appeared on her face.

Gu Nan Yan seemed like an uninvited guest as she barged in.

“Add another set of utensils.”

She sat down next to Shen Boyan with a smile and spoke to the servant by the table.

When Qin Yuwei saw her, she froze on the spot.

The servant, however, dared not say anything and looked toward Shen Boyan.

Shen Boyan had stopped eating. His aura immediately grew heavier. He pursed his thin lips, remaining silent, and the temperature in the dining room quickly dropped.

“As Xiao Mumu’s mother, I shouldn’t be denied the right to sit at the table and eat, should I?” Gu Nan Yan could sense Shen Boyan’s irritation and restraint. She smiled gently as she asked him.

Sure enough, the phrase “Xiao Mumu’s mother” was very effective. Shen Boyan said nothing but merely glanced at the servant. The servant immediately set an extra set of utensils for Gu Nan Yan.

“Clink.”

Qin Yuwei, seeing that Shen Boyan had allowed the servant to add utensils for Gu Nan Yan, dropped her knife and fork into her plate with a loud, harsh noise.

She hurriedly picked them up. Before she could think of an excuse, Gu Nan Yan’s voice rang out, “What’s wrong, Teacher Qin? Am I disturbing you by eating with my family in the dining room? Or do you think you’re more deserving of sitting here than me?”

“N-no… It’s not that…” Qin Yuwei looked innocently at Shen Boyan. “Young Master Shen, I just… slipped.”

Shen Boyan furrowed his brow tightly and didn’t respond to either of them.

Xiao Mumu, who had been eating obediently, slowed down when he saw Gu Nan Yan.

His big, round eyes glanced at her several times in secret.

Although Teacher Qin had always said this woman was very scary, Dad had said that this person was his mom.

Gu Nan Yan naturally noticed her son’s gaze.

When the little guy looked at her again, she gave him a gentle, affectionate smile.

Xiao Mumu seemed to have never seen her smile at him before, and he froze for a moment.

“Xiao Mumu, stop being so naughty and eat properly.” Qin Yuwei suddenly picked up some vegetables with chopsticks and added them to Xiao Mumu’s plate. “If you don’t finish these, you can’t play with your toys.”

Xiao Mumu glanced at her, clearly feeling a bit scared. He lowered his head and ate obediently.

“Teacher Qin, does Xiao Mumu have a set amount to eat? Do you decide how much he eats?” Gu Nan Yan asked, her smile fading as she questioned her.

Qin Yuwei’s expression froze again. She quickly squeezed out a smile and looked at Gu Nan Yan. “Of course, there’s a set amount. It’s just that vegetables can be eaten more to supplement vitamins.”

“I see he has plenty of vegetables on his plate. There’s no need for you to add more. And by the way, are your chopsticks clean?” Gu Nan Yan was not polite at all.

Qin Yuwei instinctively looked at her own chopsticks, her face turning slightly pale.

At that moment, Shen Boyan also lifted his gaze and looked at Xiao Mumu’s plate.

In the well-arranged children’s meal, there were extra amaranth greens.

His expression remained neutral as he spoke, “Xiao Mumu doesn’t like amaranth greens. Please remove them.”

Once he spoke, the servant immediately stepped forward, carefully picking out the amaranth greens Qin Yuwei had added and throwing them into the trash.

This action felt like a hard slap to Qin Yuwei’s face. She sat there, embarrassed, unable to say a word.

Under the table, her fingers were clenched tightly.

Gu Nan Yan…

How dare you embarrass me in front of Shen Boyan.

I won’t let you get away with this!

…

After dinner, Xiao Mumu had an hour to play with his toys in the children’s room.

Although Shen Boyan was very busy managing the Shen Group, he made sure to spend at least half an hour every day playing with Xiao Mumu.

Their rare parent-child time was something even Qin Yuwei didn’t dare to disturb.

When Gu Nan Yan arrived at the children’s room, the servant was just about to deliver fruit.

“Give me the fruit. I’ll take it in,” Gu Nan Yan stopped the servant.

The servant looked at her but instinctively took a step back, a hint of fear in her eyes.

“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m Xiao Mumu’s mother. I’ll take care of anything.” Gu Nan Yan grabbed the fruit platter from the servant’s hands and turned to enter the children’s room.

The servant hurriedly followed. Shen Boyan, who was playing with Xiao Mumu and building blocks, immediately sensed something was off and looked over.

“Young Master Shen… Madam…” The servant lowered her head, unsure how to explain.

Gu Nan Yan spoke first, “As Xiao Mumu’s mother, it’s also my responsibility to accompany him.”

She walked directly over to Xiao Mumu and Shen Boyan, carrying the fruit platter. Seeing the soft, adorable child, she naturally smiled with tenderness and affection, “Xiao Mumu, what are you building?”

“Building… blocks…” The little guy actually answered her obediently.

His face looked a bit unfamiliar, but there was no fear in his expression.

Seeing this, Shen Boyan paused for a few seconds, then looked at the servant. “You can leave now.”

“Yes.”

The servant quickly left. Gu Nan Yan sat next to Xiao Mumu and began helping him build the blocks.

She had once been a Lego enthusiast, so building blocks was very easy for her.

Xiao Mumu watched as she quickly built a blue castle, and his eyes were filled with admiration for his mom.

Mom is so amazing.

She’s even better than Dad.

“Xiao Mumu, it’s time for some fruit,” Shen Boyan said, picking up the fruit platter Gu Nan Yan had placed aside. He forked a piece of apple and held it up to Xiao Mumu’s mouth.

The little guy, while seriously watching his mom build the blocks, obediently opened his mouth and ate the apple.

However, he swallowed too quickly and got choked.

He grabbed his throat, his face turning pale, and looked at Shen Boyan.

Shen Boyan’s expression changed dramatically. “Gu Nan Yan, how could you poison him!”

“What!?” Gu Nan Yan, still focused on building blocks, suddenly turned around. She saw Xiao Mumu clutching his throat, unable to speak.

Shen Boyan was about to pick him up and rush him to the doctor, but Gu Nan Yan quickly snatched the child, holding him in her arms and performing the Heimlich maneuver.

Within ten seconds, Xiao Mumu coughed up the apple that had been stuck in his throat.

Gu Nan Yan put him down, and with a surge of courage, she stood up and shouted at Shen Boyan, “You’re the one who fed Xiao Mumu the apple that got stuck, and now you’re trying to blame me? I’m his mother! How could I poison him? Shen Boyan, you’re such a petty person!”

Shen Boyan, momentarily stunned by her words, stared at the small woman in front of him with reddened eyes.

She wore a simple light green dress, her hair neatly tied at the back of her head. Her fair skin was even paler than usual, and her features were flawless, with no imperfections.

It was the first time he had truly looked at her, and the small woman’s big, round eyes were slightly widened, looking like a cute little beast. It made it hard to be angry at her.