Chapter 97: Husband

Ruan Li burst into laughter, almost doubling over, upon hearing his sulky tone.

“He didn’t mean to,” she said, bending down to pick up the little boy who was clinging to her leg. Finally, there was a trace of a smile on Little Chengjing’s face, enough to make drool drip from his mouth which his father, with his quick reflexes and impassive face, immediately wiped away with a tissue.

“Where did you play today?” Ruan Li asked, carrying him upstairs for a bath.

Little Chengjing clumsily pointed to the right, and Ruan Li quickly understood, “You went to Uncle’s house, huh?”

To Little Chengjing, the left meant his grandparents’ house, the right meant Uncle’s house, and if he went with Fu Huaizhou to the office, he wouldn’t point anywhere at all.

Ruan Li adjusted the water temperature and gently washed his delicate skin. Ever since he was born, Little Chengjing had been eerily calm rarely crying, and when he did, it was just quiet tears, making him even more heartbreaking. He was always so well-behaved, never crawling or moving around on his own. Ruan Li had once remarked how his temperament was exactly the same as when he was in her womb so quiet it was almost unsettling.

When he was five or six months old, Ruan Li and Fu Huaizhou even took him to a doctor. The result was that he was perfectly healthy and he cooperated very well with the doctor’s examinations.

The doctor reassured them that every child’s personality is different, and that it’s even possible for him to become more active as he grows older. Only then did Ruan Li relax.

“Now you’re all clean, stay on the bed, okay?” she said, placing the little boy in pajamas on the bed and handing him a toy to play with.

Little Chengjing obediently stayed within the boundaries of the bed.

At home, their daily routine followed the same pattern: the “high-demand” baby Chengjing had to have his mother give him a bath, while his high-demand father, Fu Huaizhou, always insisted on helping Ruan Li with hers. Then, he would bathe himself. Finally, the family of three would gather in the master bedroom for playtime before bed.

As Ruan Li sat by the bed drying her hair, she thought about what Chen Jing had said earlier about the variety show and brought it up to Fu Huaizhou. “Chen Jie asked today if I’d be interested in taking Xiao Jing on a reality show.”

Fu Huaizhou glanced at the child, who was staring intently in their direction, and responded calmly, “Ask him yourself.”

Ruan Li turned around and held the little boy in her arms, speaking gently, “Little Jing, do you want to go on a show with Mommy? It means that people will film our daily life together.”

Little Chengjing bit his finger, struggling to understand.

His father interjected at just the right moment, “It means your mom would be able to stay at home with you.”

At that, the little boy immediately nodded, reaching out with his arms to hug Ruan Li’s shoulders. Ruan Li was a bit surprised she had thought that little Jing’s quiet nature would make him dislike interacting with others especially having strangers in their home.

But Fu Huaizhou had already seen through everything, his eyes tinged with amusement though his tone remained neutral, “But Fu Chengjing, if you keep clinging to your mom like that, it’ll all be filmed, and when you grow up, people will tease you for it.”

Ruan Li shot him a glare and lightly smacked his hand away.

The little boy, who had just been excited, immediately looked deflated. Fu Huaizhou raised an eyebrow slightly whether little Jing did it on purpose or not, he clearly understood. He even knew that being so clingy to his mother was a bit embarrassing.

“Alright, forget it,” Ruan Li said, holding back a smile. After all, the little boy did have a sense of pride. He had a particularly strong sense of dignity and would always choose a moment when no one was watching to shed any tears if he got upset.

If he grew up and saw footage of himself clinging to his mother, it would definitely count as high-definition blackmail material.

Since Fu Chengjing learned to walk, Fu Huaizhou had only allowed him to play on the master bed for a few hours after his bath. When it was time to sleep, he had to go back to his own nursery.

The worst crying episode in little Chengjing’s one-year history was over this rule, but his father’s tactics were too strong to resist.

Lying on the bed, Ruan Li played with her hair absently. “Fu Huaizhou.”

“Hm?” He responded while getting into bed, having just tucked their son in next door.

“Why isn’t little Jing talking yet?” Ruan Li had done the math normally, by this age, a child would be babbling or making sounds.

But little Chengjing was completely silent. Aside from crying, he only communicated with gestures or eye signals and never made baby noises.

Fu Huaizhou didn’t seem worried. “Maybe he’s just lazy.”

“You’re the lazy one,” she teased, swatting his shoulder. “Talking doesn’t take much effort. What if he’s not developing properly?”

“Do you want to take him to the hospital again?” she asked, concerned.

He understood that she was a first-time mom and had a thousand worries, but to him, little Chengjing seemed far too sharp to be slow-witted.

“No need,” Fu Huaizhou said, drawing her closer. “He might just start talking in a few days.”

“I don’t remember much from when I was little, but I was always smart,” she said, watching him. “Were you slow when you were young?”

He glanced at her with a faint expression. If little Chengjing’s quietness was hereditary, it likely came from him. He had been so reserved as a child that his own grandmother often complained. She’d hoped the youngest would be more lively after raising two older sons, but he ended up being the quietest of them all.

“I was smarter than Shi Mu, skipped grades, and got special admission. When you were just a kid, I already had dual degrees,” Fu Huaizhou said calmly, though he rarely boasted. He had been labeled the next business prodigy of the capital in his youth.

“Then why isn’t he talking?” Ruan Li still looked worried, wondering if something was wrong emotionally.

She gave him a pleading look, suspecting that he might know something she didn’t. “Do you have any ideas?”

Fu Huaizhou shook his head. “Just let it be. Doesn’t he seem bright to you?”

“Honey…” she said softly, calling him the way she always did when she wanted something from him.

As expected, the usually composed man showed some reaction. His arms tightened around her waist, his breath warm.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his large hand moving under the blanket. Ruan Li’s body was even more alluring than when they first met, to the point where one hand couldn’t even encompass her waist.

She was slightly breathless under his teasing. “Stop… I’m being serious.”

He leaned in and silenced her protests with a kiss. “This is serious too, darling.”

“Within a month, I’ll get Fu Chengjing to talk.”