When Zhou Liwen called, Du Lingyun was in a meeting with his team. He quickly wrapped up the meeting with a series of decisive instructions.

After everyone left, Du Lingyun closed his laptop and turned to a baby-faced man beside him, saying, “Weihao, keep an eye on the progress for me. I have something to take care of at home, so I’ll head back first.”

Wang Weihao, in his thirties, had a baby face that made him look younger than Du Lingyun. Despite his youthful appearance, he held a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He couldn’t help but admire Du Lingyun, who, despite not having an overseas education, was more capable than him. The company’s most profitable programs were developed under Du Lingyun’s leadership, and he was now actively pursuing the latest advancements in artificial intelligence.

“What happened? Is it your wife again?” Wang Weihao asked, thinking of Du Lingyun’s troublesome wife, who was known for her princess syndrome. She rarely lifted a finger at home and had caused several scenes at the company, damaging Du Lingyun’s reputation.

Wang Weihao felt a pang of sympathy for his friend. Du Lingyun was such a good and talented man, yet he was burdened by such a difficult wife.

“It’s not Lanxi,” Du Lingyun said, recalling his wife’s gentle smile and slightly ingratiating manner from the morning, as well as the elaborate breakfast she had prepared. He felt the need to defend her. “It’s Yangyang.”

“What happened to Yangyang?” Wang Weihao asked with concern. “Isn’t my cousin taking care of him?”

Du Lingyun didn’t explain further. “I need to go check on him. I’ll leave the rest to you for tonight.”

“Sigh, since the boss has spoken, what can we do but work overtime? Even if we’re exhausted and need an IV drip, we’ll do it. But when the project is successful, you better get us some good bonuses,” Wang Weihao joked.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let the company shortchange you,” Du Lingyun assured him. He always made sure his team’s hard work was rewarded.

After giving his instructions, Du Lingyun took the elevator to the underground parking lot and drove his white Lexus RX, which he had bought two years ago. He had originally chosen this SUV for family outings on weekends, but it had never been used for that purpose.

Du Lingyun sighed bitterly, started the engine, and drove home smoothly. As soon as he entered the house, he heard a child’s shrill scream.

His heart raced as he hurried towards the sound. Zhou Liwen had called to say that Lanxi insisted on keeping Yangyang at home, and Yangyang didn’t object. Du Lingyun was worried that Lanxi might do something wrong again.

But remembering the fun breakfast Lanxi had prepared for Yangyang and the child’s excited laughter, he wondered if he should give her another chance.

If Yangyang got hurt again, he swore he would…

Du Lingyun’s eyes darkened with a cold and ruthless expression. He rushed to Yangyang’s room, kicked open the half-closed door, and was surprised by what he saw.

It wasn’t the scene of abuse he had imagined. Instead, mother and son were having a pillow fight. Yangyang laughed and screamed as he dodged the pillows his mother gently threw at him, while also throwing his own pillow back at her.

“Got you!”

“No, Mom, it tickles! It tickles so much, haha…” Yangyang gasped for breath, his small body wrapped in his mother’s arms as she tickled him. The two laughed together, Yangyang’s face flushed and his eyes brighter than Du Lingyun had ever seen.

“Yangyang…” Du Lingyun murmured, watching as the woman hugged Yangyang tightly and kissed his cheeks, with Yangyang returning the kisses. His eyes welled up with tears.

When had Yangyang ever been able to play so happily with his mother? He knew this had always been his son’s deepest wish, one he had never dared to express or even hope for.

At this moment, Du Lingyun felt like he could cry…

“Dad is back!” Yangyang noticed him first and ran over with a smile.

Cheng Yu also saw him and felt a bit flustered. She awkwardly fixed her disheveled hair and smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes.

She must look like a crazy woman right now.














She felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t regret being able to play with Yangyang like this. Seeing the child’s radiant smile made any awkwardness worth it.

“You’re back. Have you eaten?” she asked softly, with a slightly awkward smile.

He stared at her meaningfully. “…Not yet.”

“Then I’ll go prepare something right away.”

Watching his wife hurry away, Du Lingyun’s expression deepened. After a moment, he turned to his son, his voice gentle.

“Yangyang, what did Mom do earlier?”

Dinner was curry beef rice, accompanied by cream of mushroom soup and a refreshing tofu vegetable salad. After the meal, there was a colorful fruit pudding.

Father and son both ate to their heart’s content. Yangyang patted his full little belly, saying he was so full he could burst.

Cheng Yu immediately felt a bit anxious, worried that the child might have indigestion. She took Yangyang’s hand and wanted to go for a walk in the nearby park to aid digestion.

Yangyang held his mother’s hand with one hand and his father’s large hand with the other, insisting that all three of them go together.

The two adults exchanged an awkward glance but didn’t refuse the child’s request. They accompanied him to the nearby small park for a walk.

Watching him chat excitedly with the neighbor’s little dog and then reluctantly say goodbye to the dog, he finally followed his dad and mom back home.

After putting the child to bed and tucking him in, Cheng Yu turned off the light and quietly left the room. To her surprise, she saw Du Lingyun standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes.

She hesitated for a moment, then rushed over. “Let me do it. You don’t have to.”

Du Lingyun glanced at her but continued washing the dishes, skillfully scrubbing and rinsing them.

Cheng Yu watched him in amazement. She hadn’t expected him to help with the dishes after a day’s work. Most men would just want to relax on the couch at this time.

Seeing that she couldn’t help, she stood beside him, taking the clean dishes from him, carefully drying them with a soft cloth, and placing them on the dish rack.

After a long moment, she finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Those injuries on Yangyang’s body, were they… caused by me?”

Du Lingyun was startled by her words, his sharp gaze turning to her.

She bit her lip nervously. “Why… did I do that? When did it start? Why didn’t you stop me?”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but feel some resentment and blame towards this man. He was Yangyang’s father and should have protected his son, right? How could he let his wife abuse the child?

Du Lingyun’s expression darkened. “You weren’t like this before. At most, you were a bit cold towards Yangyang and didn’t want to spend time with him. Three months ago, there might have been some issues at your company, and you were stressed at work. You got drunk at home, and when Yangyang tried to care for you, you flew into a rage and scolded and pinched him…”

Hearing this, Cheng Yu’s heart pounded, and she clenched her fists tightly.