Chapter 66: Not Fond of Children

Shen Yunhe forcefully put Su Jian in the car, fastened her seatbelt, and locked the doors. Su Jian angrily turned her head and ignored him. Shen Yunhe sighed helplessly and started driving to pick up the kids.

At the school entrance, there was an old man selling colorful balloons hanging from his bicycle. Su Jian knocked on the window, her eyes bright with excitement.

“I want one of those!”

“Okay, stay in the car and be good. I’ll go buy it for you.”

“Alright, go ahead!” Su Jian waved her hand dismissively, her curious eyes fixed on the outside.

Shen Yunhe didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in the car, but with so many people outside, he couldn’t just let her out. After getting out of the car, he locked the doors immediately.

Su Jian, who had planned to escape as soon as he stepped out, froze. She banged on the window.

“Don’t lock the door! Why are you like this? Let me out!”

Shen Yunhe quickly bought four balloons and returned to the car, handing one to her. Su Jian took it and took a bite.

“Don’t think that just because you bought me something delicious, I’ll forgive you. I’m still really angry!”

Shen Yunhe, in a tone almost like soothing a child, calmed her down.

“Be good. Stop being so difficult. I’ll go down and wait for the kids to finish school.”

“Hmph!” Su Jian angrily sat in the car, munching. “I want to get out!”

“No! It’s too crowded outside. I’ll come back to you once I pick up the kids.”

Shen Yunhe got out to pick up the kids. The three children came out just in time and rushed towards their father with excitement.

“Dad!”

“Let’s go home.” Shen Yunhe took their backpacks and helped them into the car. Jiang Huirou saw her mother sitting in the front seat and eagerly leaned over.

“Mom, you came with Dad to pick us up!”

Su Jian didn’t like the children. They annoyed her. After finishing her snack, she tossed the stick aside, closed her eyes, and ignored them.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Jiang Huaijin noticed that his mother seemed different from usual.

Shen Yunhe handed the three children their things. “Mom’s too tired. Let her rest for a bit. Be good and don’t disturb her.”

“Okay.”

The three children quietly sat in the back, no longer speaking. Once they got home, Shen Yunhe helped Su Jian out of the car. Su Jian curiously looked around the house.

“I’ve been here before,” Su Jian said.

“Huh? When?” Shen Yunhe thought this was Su Jian’s first time here. Could it be that Su Jian had been here before and he just hadn’t noticed?

Su Jian tilted her head, thinking for a moment.

“I’m not sure, I was a bit dazed, just walked around the yard for a bit and didn’t feel anything.”

Shen Yunhe felt regretful for not noticing her strange behavior sooner, which led to her current mental state being so serious.

“Sit on the sofa and play for a bit. I’ll go make dinner.”

Su Jian sat on the sofa, curiously surveying the house. Once the three children finished their homework, they ran over to sit with her.

“Mom, what are you looking at?”

Jiang Huirou hooked her arm around Su Jian’s, affectionately rubbing against her. Su Jian pulled her arm away and sat farther down.

“Don’t lean on me. You’re so annoying!”

“Mom, what’s wrong? I’m your daughter.”

This was the first time Jiang Huirou had been pushed away by her mother, and she pouted with tears welling in her eyes. Seeing this, Jiang Huaiyu didn’t dare to go up and hug her, and Jiang Huaijin stared at her with confusion.

Su Jian looked at the three children surrounding her and, feeling irritated, ran out to the yard.

“Mom, where are you going?”

The three children loudly shouted and chased after her. Shen Yunhe heard their voices and quickly turned off the stove to go outside to check.

“What’s wrong?”

When he ran outside, he saw the three children surrounding Su Jian, calling her “Mom” as they clung to her. Su Jian, feeling annoyed by their persistence, pushed them away. The children stumbled backward, looking up at her in disbelief.

“Mom, woo woo woo…”

Jiang Huirou sat down on the grass, crying pitifully.

“Mom doesn’t love me anymore, Mom doesn’t love me anymore. I’m not Mommy’s favorite baby anymore…”

“Rou!” Shen Yunhe’s heart ached as he picked up his daughter and gently comforted her.

“Be good, don’t be mad at Mom. She’s sick, she didn’t mean it!”

“Dad, Mom doesn’t love me anymore, woo woo woo…”

Even Jiang Huaiyu, usually the most energetic, quietly stayed by her dad’s side, staring at her mom with a sad expression.

“Dad, what’s wrong with Mom?”

Jiang Huaijin had a feeling that this wasn’t his mom. His mom loved them. She would never treat them this way.

Su Jian turned and ran to the front gate, only to find it tightly shut and unable to open. She angrily turned around and glared at the father and children.

“Open the door for me! I want to go out and play!”

Shen Yunhe, slightly irritated, couldn’t help but feel upset. Su Jian had hurt the children’s feelings, but she didn’t seem to care and just wanted to go out and play.

Was she really Jiang Banyue? The Jiang Banyue who loved the children so much?

He didn’t respond to her and patiently comforted the three children until they calmed down, then he took them to the dining table for dinner.

“Go ahead and eat. I’ll go check on Mom.”

“Papa, hurry and bring Mom over to eat, don’t let her go hungry.”

Jiang Huirou sniffled and told her dad in a nasal voice. Despite being pushed away by her mom, she still loved her deeply.

“Okay, you guys eat first.”

Shen Yunhe quickly went outside to check on Su Jian, worried that she might run away on her own. When he reached the yard, he saw her playing on the swing, and he sighed with relief.

“Su Jian, it’s time to eat!”

Su Jian bit her lip and turned her head away in a sulking manner.

“I’m not eating. I want to go out!”

“What are you going out for?”

“To play, I want to go out and play!” Su Jian jumped off the swing and pointed toward the gate.

“Open the gate!”

“No!” Shen Yunhe patiently coaxed her. “Be good, eat first, and I’ll take you out to play after we finish eating.”

“No! I want to go by myself. I don’t want you to follow me and control me! You’re so annoying!”

“Jiang Banyue!” Shen Yunhe’s frustration grew, but he tried to suppress it.

“I’m Su Jian. Who’s Jiang Banyue?” Su Jian didn’t understand who he was calling.

Shen Yunhe coldly replied, “I don’t care if you’re Su Jian or Jiang Banyue, as long as you’re the mother of my children, I can’t ignore you!”

Su Jian was so frustrated, her chest tightening.

“Are you crazy? I told you, I’m not the kids’ mother. I’ve never had children! And I don’t like kids!”

Shen Yunhe turned his head, his throat tight with emotion. He was relieved that the children weren’t there, otherwise, hearing these words from their mom would have broken their hearts.

“Don’t say things like that about not liking children. The kids will really be hurt.”

Su Jian felt wronged too. Out of nowhere, the three kids were calling her “Mom.”

“What does that have to do with me? They were the ones clinging to me. I had to push them away!”

“You are their mother. They like being close to you. That’s just the nature of mother-child bonds.”

Shen Yunhe decided that he would take her to see a psychologist again. He had to get Jiang Banyue back. With Su Jian in this state, he didn’t feel comfortable letting her be with the children at all.