Chapter 7: The School Bully (7)

“You will take care of the child by yourself without our help? You’re living off my money—try surviving without it! You can’t even support yourself!” Mr. Zai had clashed with his son for years and knew exactly what would provoke him.

However, Zai Ye remained calm. He glanced at his mother and said suddenly, “Though I know you don’t like me as your son and want to leave your inheritance to your illegitimate child, saying this so openly in front of my mom shows you’ve already made up your mind.”

Mrs. Wen, who had reluctantly sided with Zai Yan until now, changed her expression instantly, her gaze toward him shifting dramatically.

“Zai Yan, what did we agree on when we divorced? What did you promise when fighting for Xiao Ye’s custody? Let me tell you—everything meant for Xiao Ye cannot be reduced by even a fraction, or you’ll have me to deal with!” Mrs. Wen’s eyes blazed with fury.

That overwhelming anger and fighting spirit made Zai Ye quietly edge away.

Mr. Zai hadn’t expected his attempt to provoke his son would backfire, landing himself in trouble instead. Seeing his ex-wife’s murderous expression, he weakly explained, “That’s not what I meant. I was just trying to scare Zai Ye. He’s my son after all—how could I not care about him…”

“Now you remember he’s your son? Look how you’ve raised him all these years! You’re eighty percent responsible for how he turned out! How dare you say such things!”

Old grievances surged alongside new ones as Mrs. Wen completely forgot her usual composure and shouted, “I was too far away to know, but weren’t you aware? Didn’t you know how the child came to be? He was already two when you found him! You had time for mistresses but no time for your child!”

Mr. Zai felt embarrassed by her words: “That’s all ancient history. Why bring it up again? What, are you going to argue about this for the rest of your life? This is exactly why I couldn’t stand your hysteria!”

Mrs. Wen: “How many mistresses you have is none of my business, but Xiao Ye is your only heir—don’t you dare give his inheritance to anyone else!”

Mr. Zai: “I already said I spoke without thinking.”

Mrs. Wen: “Since it slipped out so easily, dare you say you’ve never thought about it?!”

Having successfully shifted their focus and caused internal strife, Zai Ye had already left the battlefield and went to the fridge for water. Opening it, he found they were out of mineral water and hadn’t restocked. Only half a bottle of cola remained—Yu Qian’s cola.

He stared at it for a moment before taking it out and unscrewing the cap.

The “psssht” of the cola made both former spouses turn their heads simultaneously.

As Zai Ye was about to drink, he noticed their attention and said, “Don’t mind me, please continue.”

Mrs. Wen and Mr. Zai: “…”

Eventually, Mr. Zai left first. While putting on his shoes at the door, his face looked even longer than when he arrived. “I’ll look into the child’s mother’s situation and help handle the identity documents. Since raising a child is expensive, I’ll transfer some money to the card specifically for my granddaughter’s use.”

Zai Ye: “Oh, while I don’t think you’re a good father, if you give your granddaughter more money, she might consider you a decent grandfather.”

Mr. Zai’s expression became indescribable. He seemed to want to say something more but couldn’t be bothered. Finally, he glanced toward the living room and left.

Zai Ye returned to the living room where only his mother Mrs. Wen remained. He specifically noticed her slippers were properly back on her feet.

Without Mr. Zai present, and having vented her anger earlier, she now appeared as gentle as usual.

“Xiao Ye, you’ve grown up. When he spoke like that earlier, I thought you’d get angry.”

Indeed, if it were the past him, he might have argued with Zai Yan. But now he had matured. That day at school, watching his classmates worry about homework and relationships while he searched for daycare centers, he suddenly felt like he had grown up.

“Xiao Ye, I need to tell you something. I’m planning to move the whole family back home,” Mrs. Wen said.

Zai Ye paused as he was sitting down, then gave a mild “mm” in response.

He didn’t ask why, and Mrs. Wen continued, “Fallen leaves return to their roots – we’ll have to return eventually. Once we live closer, if you’re willing, you can bring the child to stay at my place sometimes, or bring her over to play.”

Zai Ye didn’t respond with whether that was possible, only stating: “Her name is Xiao Qian.”

“Xiao Qian?” Wen Ling smiled slightly. “Good, she’s a lovely child. But Xiao Ye, you know raising a child isn’t easy. You’ll face many troubles and difficulties ahead. If possible, I hope I can help you.”

She felt guilty toward him—Zai Ye knew. In her previous marriage, she had been a victim, and at that time she could barely take care of herself, let alone him.

“…Stop worrying about me, live your own life well.” Though the meaning was similar to before, his tone was notably gentler.

Zai Ye heard soft sobbing.

Without looking up, he took the cola bottle and poured his mother a glass.

Mrs. Wen’s voice trembled as she reminded him, “Don’t let the child drink too much cola; carbonated drinks are bad for teeth. You shouldn’t drink too much either.”

Zai Ye: “…” He already knew about the dangers of cola.

After sending his mother off, Zai Ye went to check the room—the child was still sleeping. Earlier she had been wrapped in blankets, but now she had somehow changed position, lying face down with her head poking out of the blankets, hands pressed beneath her body, bottom raised.

What kind of sleeping position was this?

Suddenly, music blasted through the air. Zai Ye quickly muted his phone, glanced at the sleeping child, and seeing she hadn’t moved, took the phone to the bathroom to answer.

“Hey! Zai Ye, Huayun Mountain road tonight—you coming or not?”

For the first time, he found this guy’s voice too loud and turned down the volume. The caller was his friend Ning Zeyi, a motorcycle racer.

They met through racing. Though Zai Ye didn’t pursue racing as a dream like Ning Zeyi, it was still his hobby. Whenever he felt down or bored, riding his bike along mountain roads at high speed could help him throw away all his bad feelings.

Today’s conversation with his parents—though he appeared calm, it had affected him. Right now, he particularly wanted to feel the cold wind while speeding down the road.

“Are you coming or not? You haven’t been out for days! What’ve you been busy with? Your bike must be getting rusty—come on, hurry up!”

“…Coming now.” Zai Ye hung up and gently twisted open the bathroom door.

The child was sleeping deeply; she probably wouldn’t wake up. He’d just ride for two hours and come back, it should be fine.

As he opened the door, Zai Ye’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest seeing the child standing outside the bathroom.

“…Why are you awake?” Zai Ye picked her up and tucked her back into the blankets. “It’s night time, you should be sleeping.”

“Mmm… I haven’t bathed.”

Thinking about how long it would take her to bathe, Zai Ye brushed it off: “You can skip today and bathe tomorrow.”

Unexpectedly, the child stared at him for a while before suddenly declaring: “You’re going to leave me alone to go play.”

Zai Ye: “!”

Yu Qian: “I want to play too.”

Zai Ye: “No way.”

Yu Qian clutched his pants tightly and began her vocal practice, crying loudly.

Zai Ye couldn’t understand how children could switch between sounding like a kettle and an air raid siren so quickly.

Half an hour later, Zai Ye left home carrying the child, going to the garage to get his bike. The bike looked cool—giving an impression of being both powerful yet agile—with smooth lines and a red-black color scheme. When Zai Ye mounted it, his legs looked incredibly long.

But this long-legged handsome youth had a child strapped to his chest. He steadied himself on the bike, checked the straps securing the child, and adjusted her hat carefully.

“Don’t open your mouth to speak, the wind is strong, and don’t move around—understand?”

The excited child pressed against his chest, headbutting him forcefully to show she understood.

The engine rumbled deeply as they started and hit the road.

This was probably the slowest Zai Ye had ever ridden since buying this bike. He maintained this sleep-inducing speed until they reached the foot of Huayun Mountain road.

The place was already packed with various motorcycles. Ning Zeyi’s racing club had reserved the area today for practice and racing, so it was particularly lively with not just racers but many friends who had come to join the excitement.

Ning Zeyi, wearing a stylish racing suit, was talking to someone when he saw Zai Ye approach.

“Zai Ye, you’re here! Want to join our practice race today… what’s that moving thing strapped to your chest?! Wait, why did you bring a child here?! Hold on, whose child is this?!”

Since agreeing to bring Yu Qian out, Zai Ye had maintained an extremely exasperated expression. He didn’t bother explaining to his shocked friend, only saying: “I’m not participating today, just riding two laps before heading back. Don’t mind me.”

The child securely strapped to his chest turned to look at Ning Zeyi, her curious grape-black eyes startling him.

“What the hell, Zai Ye? Everyone else brings their girlfriends to show off, but you bring a kid. Are you crazy?”

Having lost his freedom for nightlife due to childcare, Zai Ye was particularly irritated by this comment: “Mind your own business.”

With that, he pulled down his cap to hide his cold expression, started his bike, and turned onto the mountain road along the line of parked cars.

This was a familiar road—he had ridden here countless times. At his fastest, the roadside lights and tree shadows would blur into strips of color, as if he were racing against time itself rather than other riders.

As his speed increased, he felt a kick at his waist. Zai Ye froze, and the flowing colors around him gradually slowed back into clear tree outlines.

The child was strapped to his chest facing backward. Watching the scenery flash by on the sides, she became inexplicably excited, kicking her legs and making gurgling sounds like bubbling water.

What was she getting so excited about? Hadn’t they agreed on staying quiet?

But Zai Ye unconsciously slowed down.

The night wind rushed through his clothes and hair. Along the empty night mountain road, trees were in bloom, with delicate petals scattered on the ground, crushed under his wheels, their fragrance carried by the wind.

Glancing down quickly, Zai Ye discovered the child was biting a corner of his clothes like a puppy.

Suddenly, Zai Ye’s lips curved into a smile.