Chapter 110: Baby, It’s Been So Long

Ruan Li, just waking up, didn’t quite grasp what he meant. Her mind didn’t go there right away.

When Lingying was first born, she got sick. Although the doctor said it was nothing serious, babies don’t sleep deeply and often cry in the middle of the night. Lingying insisted on being held to sleep; as soon as they laid her down, she would cry.

During that period, Ruan Li and Fu Huaizhou took turns staying awake at night although, to be precise, it was Fu Huaizhou who pulled the all nighters. Ruan Li, after feeding Lingying, would collapse in exhaustion, leaving Fu Huaizhou to cradle Lingying to sleep.

“Is Lingying sick?” Ruan Li’s voice carried a hint of worry. It had become a habit any mention of sleepless nights would make her wonder if Lingying was ill again.

The little girl, hearing her name, crawled over from the bed and lightly patted Ruan Li’s back, speaking in her sweet, gentle voice.

“Mama, Lingying is not sick.”

Seeing the rosy cheeks of the little one eased Ruan Li’s worry. She used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Lingying’s forehead.

“What were you just doing? You’re all sweaty.”

Lingying pointed at her dad’s shoulder. “Playing there.”

Ruan Li understood. Before she had her daughter, she never imagined that the usually cold and detached Fu Huaizhou would act like a regular dad letting his child play on his shoulders.

Later that evening, Ruan Li was about to bathe little Lingying. Since her sister’s arrival, Fu Chengjing had lost his right to have his mother bathe him. Ruan Li, holding Lingying, looked over at the boy playing with a cat on the bed, thinking he might feel left out. She asked directly

“Baby Jing, do you want to bathe yourself, or should Mommy help you?”

Fu Chengjing was surprised. After a moment, his chubby cheeks flushed slightly, and he quickly shook his head.

“I’ll do it myself. All the kids in kindergarten bathe by themselves.”

Ruan Li knew he had his pride. Ever since he could remember, not even a servant had helped him bathe, so she let him be.

While in the bathroom, she could hear Fu Chengjing chatting with Fu Huaizhou in the master bedroom, mostly about kindergarten. Though Fu Huaizhou didn’t speak much, he responded to each of Fu Chengjing’s stories.

Fu Chengjing was enthusiastically talking about making a model airplane with Lu Tingyan during craft class. They were planning to give it to his little uncle.

“Shi Xun?” Fu Huaizhou responded, “Why give it to him?”

“Because he likes it. I broke one at his house last time.”

Ruan Li thought about the boy who had appeared at Lingying’s grabbing ceremony. Compared to Fu Chengjing’s sharper, more rebellious features, the other boy had a gentler look.

“Lingying, why did you let that boy hold you that day?” Ruan Li was curious, especially since the two families didn’t have much history together.

Lingying, playing with the little duck in the tub, seemed to think for a while before slowly answering

“Pretty!”

Ruan Li couldn’t help but laugh. Who said Lingying wasn’t like her? Besides their similar features, they both had a preference for good looks.

Back then, if it hadn’t been for Fu Huaizhou’s cold and restrained face standing out among a group of young men trying too hard to show off, she wouldn’t have sought him out first.

After all, anything could be fake in this world, but a good looking face truly makes people happy.

After the bath, Ruan Li watched as Fu Huaizhou picked up Lingying, kicking Fu Chengjing out of the master bedroom in the process, leaving her a bit confused.

It wasn’t until he locked the master bedroom door, the loose bathrobe on his body hinting at his intentions, that she realized what he was planning.

Fu Huaizhou leaned down and scooped her off the bed, carrying her to the bathroom and setting her on the sink counter.

“Chengjing might not need you, but I do,” he said, guiding her hand to the collar of his robe.

Under her palm, she felt his solid muscles, moving with each breath.

Ruan Li’s face turned bright red. Ever since the later months of her pregnancy with Yingying and her birth, they had been sleeping in the master bedroom, leaving their married life in a sort of void.

“Wash yourself,” Ruan Li said, feeling weak in the knees.

Fu Huaizhou chuckled at her shyness.

“Baby, after all this time, how can you still be embarrassed?”

Before she could answer, he kissed her, his tongue pushing past her lips, swallowing her soft protests.

The bathroom filled with steamy warmth, discarded sleepwear piling up on the counter.

At the most crucial moment, Ruan Li quickly stopped him, pressing her hands against his shoulders to push him away.

“Do you even realize how bad that is for your health?” The man, breathing heavily from being interrupted, nuzzled against her neck.

Ruan Li was genuinely hesitant she had developed a bit of a phobia of bathrooms since both of her children had been conceived there. It seemed too coincidental.

“Use protection,” she said, playfully kicking his thigh with her foot, “There are some in the drawer.”

But Fu Huaizhou seemed to ignore her suggestion, his hand grasping her ankle.

Ruan Li’s mind grew foggy with sensation, and she half-heartedly cursed him, “Fu Huaizhou… you jerk…”

He laughed softly, “Keep cursing, I like it.”

…

The bathroom was a mess. When Ruan Li was completely drained, he finally carried her out and even ended up bathing her himself.

She lay under the covers, too tired to move, while he gently massaged her sore back.

“You just want to make me drink that bitter herbal medicine. You’re so annoying,” she muttered, her voice still carrying a teasing lilt.

Fu Huaizhou took her hand, massaging it gently. “Does it hurt?”

Thinking back to how he didn’t even use protection, she got angry again, pouting and ranting, “Men are all the same! They make promises, but when they get caught up in the moment, they only care about themselves.”

He laughed at her little outburst, his arm pulling her waist close.

“You don’t need to drink any medicine.”

She snorted, “Well, I’m not having any more kids. If you want more, you can go find someone else to have them.”

She didn’t get to finish as he silenced her with another kiss, swatting her bottom playfully. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

His hand moved to her lower abdomen, massaging away the tension from earlier. “No need for protection, no need for medicine.”

“I got a vasectomy.”