003. Mom’s Genes Are Great!

Back inside, the two children were sound asleep. The man bent over for a moment to observe them, his usually sharp eyes surprisingly softened.

After a long look, he turned and sat down on a stool.

Wen Shiyang followed cautiously. Honestly, she was a little afraid of this man.

In her memories, the original owner wasn’t afraid of him and had even tried to seduce him to secure her position as his true wife.

But Wen Shiyang was different. She had seen many people — emperors with supreme authority, generals commanding battlefields, cunning ministers, and countless ordinary folk.

So she could tell at a glance that this man carried an aura unlike anyone else. He had taken lives before; a natural, commanding presence radiated from him.

Intimidating, chilling, yet magnetic.

In her previous life, she had been the top courtesan of Chang’an. When the world adored her, she was untouchable; when it didn’t, she was like a beggar ant.

That taught her never to rely on anyone. She knew from childhood: rely on yourself, not others — mountains may crumble, people may flee.

In her last life, she had built her own reputation in Chang’an. In this life, she naturally wouldn’t pin her hopes on a man, especially not one she couldn’t read or predict — a terrifying man.

“Sit,” the man said suddenly, his voice low and hoarse.

He had been in the army, and yesterday morning, he received a telegram saying his wife had fallen into the river and that he should return home to handle the funeral.

Hearing the news, he hadn’t even changed clothes, rushing straight to the train station to buy the earliest available ticket.

He had been on the train nearly a whole day and night.

Now, the dark circles under his eyes were noticeable.

Wen Shiyang met his icy, frosty gaze for a second, then quickly looked away, obediently sitting beside him.

With someone like this, compliance meant survival, defiance meant death — a lesson she understood well.

And she didn’t want to die just yet.

In the original owner’s memory, this man rarely returned home. So why this time? Could it really be because of the river incident?

“Um… how did you manage to come back?” Wen Shiyang asked cautiously, stealing a glance and quickly looking away, afraid to meet his gaze again.

She was fearless in general, but she could not handle this cold, unpredictable, hard-to-read personality.

How annoying! Why did he just suddenly come back out of the blue?

She muttered her displeasure silently.

The man sat upright, cleared his throat, and said simply: “Came to see.”

Just four words, revealing nothing else.

This man truly spoke so little!

Wen Shiyang pouted in mild frustration.

Although she wasn’t a chatterbox, spending a lifetime with such a man? Absolutely not. Just thinking about it was excruciating!

She quietly shifted her gaze to the two sleeping little ones on the bed, cupping their plump cheeks. She couldn’t comprehend how such a cold, icy man could father such adorable children.

It was incredible!

Surely, their mother’s genes were strong!

The two of them sat there awkwardly, neither starting a conversation.

The man remained upright, and Wen Shiyang stole glances, noticing he hadn’t moved for a long while.

Such stamina was truly extraordinary.

When daylight finally came, the two children woke up, having slept the soundest they had in years — no nightmares, only sweet dreams.

Wen Shiyang thought of giving them a surprise.

As the children awoke, she grabbed Lu Qingyan’s arm and nudged him out of the room.

Her fingers were delicate, white, and soft, and the skin he touched seemed to burn slightly.

Lu Qingyan’s temples throbbed sharply.

In the courtyard, Wen Shiyang first gestured for silence, then gave him a pleading look.

Now, not only his temples but his entire heart throbbed.

Lu Qingyan didn’t understand at first, but when Wen Shiyang instructed him, he obediently followed.

“Dabao, Xiaobao, today there’s a surprise for you! Guess what it is — if you’re right, there’s a reward!”

Wen Shiyang smiled brightly at them, cheerful like a child herself.

The man watched from the side, and the corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Dabao and Xiaobao glanced at each other. Something seemed different about Wen Shiyang, but seeing how kind she was to them, they felt as if all her past misdeeds could be forgiven in an instant.

It wasn’t that they didn’t remember, but that they craved a mother’s love and yearned for her affection.

“Dabao, you guess first.” Seeing their silence, Wen Shiyang looked at Dabao expectantly.

He shook his head, pressed his lips together, and lowered his head. “I don’t know. I can’t guess.”

Surprises were far removed from their lives.

Xiaobao raised his hand eagerly. “Mom, is it peach crisps?”

Yesterday, the peach crisps had been delicious, but they had eaten too fast. Waking up this morning, they had already forgotten the taste. They wanted to enjoy that joy again.

“Nope,” Wen Shiyang shook her head with a small, proud smile.

She then watched them give one wrong answer after another, and her delight grew brighter.

Shaking her head, she said, “All wrong! Then it’s time to reveal the surprise!”

“Make sure to close your eyes.”

Stepping back, she winked at Lu Qingyan outside, signaling him to get ready.

Lu Qingyan looked at her, suddenly feeling that the young girl before him seemed much older now.

Thinking back, when he rescued her, she had just turned eighteen.

Now, she was twenty-one.

The thought of her being twenty-one made his dark eyes briefly harden, though he quickly returned to his usual calm.

“Come in,” Wen Shiyang signaled.

The man nodded slightly, straightened his uniform, and strode in confidently.

Wen Shiyang looked pleased, eyes bright with excitement as she gazed at the two little ones on the bed: “You can open your eyes now!”

She knew the children had been longing for Lu Qingyan’s return, a feeling she could truly empathize with.

“Ah! It’s Dad!”

Xiaobao’s eyes sparkled as he grabbed Dabao’s hand on the bed, stomping his tiny feet in excitement. “Brother, Dad’s back!”

“I know.” Dabao glanced at Lu Qingyan, eyes full of stubbornness and restraint.

He appeared calm, less surprised than Xiaobao, though his gradually reddening eyes betrayed his emotions.

Over the years, apart from sending money on time, Lu Qingyan had never come to see them. He wasn’t present when their stepmother beat or mistreated them. He wasn’t a good father.

He hated him!

“Dad, hug!” Xiaobao stretched his arms for an embrace.

“Yes, Dad, hug.”

Lu Qingyan observed Dabao’s mood, then scooped both children into his arms.

Xiaobao nestled against his neck like a little cat, while Dabao sat upright, stern, refusing to meet his gaze.

Wen Shiyang watched the scene, feeling moved.

“You two haven’t had a proper meeting in a long time. Go on, talk to each other. I’ll go to the kitchen to cook,” she said, unwilling to disturb this loving moment.

Wen Shiyang was not only skilled in arts, chess, and literature, but also quite proficient in cooking and baking.

At the Moon Pavilion, many sisters would only eat her food, finding others’ cooking hard to appreciate.

Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, the man also came out of the room. Wen Shiyang turned in surprise. “You’re coming out too? Aren’t you going to stay with them?”

If her memory was correct, this man had barely returned in over a year. Last time, he had only glanced at the children before rushing back to the army, barely speaking to them.

“I am,” Lu Qingyan said, looking at her earnestly.