Chapter 55: Clean Up

Zhu Jia followed Chen Tingyan to the underground parking lot, where his cool motorcycle was taking up an entire parking space.

Chen Tingyan handed her a women’s helmet, “Try this on, see if it fits?”

Zhu Jia adjusted the size after putting it on, “It’s fine, it fits perfectly. You actually bought a women’s helmet?”

Chen Tingyan scratched his nose, “Yeah, my mom said she wanted to ride too, so I bought it.”

Zhu Jia used all her strength to climb onto the motorcycle, “Is your mom very tall too? She can just easily sit on it?”

Chen Tingyan paused for a moment, “Yeah, I guess so.”

With Zhu Jia’s phone set to the navigation, Chen Tingyan drove fast, and in just fifteen minutes, they arrived at the residential complex where Zhu Jia lived.

Zhu Jia patted her rapidly beating heart. This was even faster than when Lao Xu drove her.

At the villa gate, Zhu Jia weakly climbed off the motorcycle, “Thank you, I’ll return this to you.”

She took off the helmet and was about to hand it to him when she saw Chen Tingyan also get off the motorcycle.

“What’s up? Is there something else?”

Chen Tingyan walked in front of her, looking at her with intense eyes, “It’s my birthday today, can you fulfill one more wish for me?”

“A wish? If it’s within my ability…”

Before Zhu Jia could finish, Chen Tingyan stepped forward and tightly embraced her.

His embrace was warm, filled with the intense sincerity of a young man.

Zhu Jia stiffened, not daring to move. She heard him whisper in her ear, “Thank you for the birthday gift.”

Chen Tingyan released her and stood up straight, smiling at her, his eyes shining like stars, “I’m really happy today, it’s my birthday.”

Zhu Jia frowned, feeling a bit awkward, “Hmm… I’m glad you’re happy.” But it didn’t seem like such a big deal; it was just a pen.

Chen Tingyan looked at her meaningfully, then stepped onto his motorcycle with long strides. After a low rumble, he sped off.

At that moment, a black silhouette stood motionless in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the villa, not knowing how long it had been there…

Mo Yichen stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the villa. The room was lit only by a desk lamp. He had just checked on Xiao Wen, who was fast asleep, and returned to his own room.

For some reason, he was feeling a bit restless tonight. He stood in front of the window, wanting to call Zhu Jia to ask where she was and if she needed him to pick her up.

They hadn’t seen each other for a couple of days, and he wasn’t sure if Zhu Jia was purposely avoiding him. If she was, then he needed to do better.

The roar of a motorcycle suddenly broke the silence of the quiet neighborhood, especially since the motorcycle had parked right in front of his house.

Mo Yichen looked down from the third floor. He saw a familiar figure sitting on the back of the motorcycle. Even in the dim light of the streetlamp, he immediately recognized her.

He coldly watched as Zhu Jia got off the back of the boy’s motorcycle, wearing a women’s helmet that fit her perfectly, a matching set with the boy’s helmet.

She expertly removed the helmet and handed it back to him, clearly not the first time she had done this.

She waved goodbye to the boy, but he stopped the motorcycle, walked up to her, and without a word, embraced her.

Mo Yichen’s eyes narrowed. Even he had never hugged Zhu Jia like that. His fists clenched, and the atmosphere around him shifted from cold as a snow mountain to boiling with volcanic fury in an instant.

He watched as the boy finally let go of Zhu Jia, reluctant to part, and they said goodbye. The scene felt like a young couple secretly meeting in the night, racing against time to part before being caught by their parents.

Jealousy spread across Mo Yichen’s face, and he felt a burning, suffocating fire sear his chest.

He watched as Zhu Jia walked briskly back into her house. Mo Yichen turned and silently walked into his room, standing in front of a smooth mirror.

He was like a well-hidden vampire, unable to resist releasing his bloodthirsty nature.

Looking at his red eyes in the mirror, he suddenly swung his fist without warning. The glass shattered with a loud crash, and the sharp shards sliced into his fingers, blood immediately oozing out.

It seemed like he didn’t feel the pain. He let the blood drip from his hand, falling onto the dark wooden floor, staining it with crimson spots, like a horrific crime scene.

He coldly stared at the broken mirror, feeling as though his own reflection had shattered into countless pieces.

Shattered. Good. He didn’t want to see what he had become.

Mo Yichen sat by the window quietly, smoking. It had been a long time since he smoked at home. His fingers gently tapped the table, and the wound on his hand had already scabbed over, leaving a ghastly scar on his beautiful fingers.

He exhaled a puff of smoke. The reason he hadn’t acted earlier was because he felt there was no need, but now, he would show no mercy.

Anyone who coveted her, he would clean up thoroughly.

The next morning, when Zhu Jia woke up, she found Xiao Wen lying in his crib, staring at her.

“Mom… Mom,” Xiao Wen smiled, showing a few big white teeth.

Zhu Jia’s heart warmed as she rushed over to pick him up from the crib.

“Mommy has been really busy lately, I can’t be with you every day like before. Have you been good at home?”

Xiao Wen didn’t answer, so Zhu Jia pinched his cheek, “Tell me, have you been good?”

Xiao Wen babbled and mimicked, “Good, good.”

Zhu Jia smiled and patted his head, “Let’s go brush your teeth now.”

Since Xiao Wen got his first tooth, Zhu Jia has been brushing his teeth every morning and evening. At first, she used a fingertip toothbrush, but now she used a regular soft-bristled children’s toothbrush.

She squeezed a pea-sized amount of grape-flavored fluoride toothpaste onto Xiao Wen’s toothbrush and carefully cleaned each tooth.

Xiao Wen had already gotten used to it, opening his mouth wide for her to do whatever she wanted.

“Rinse your mouth, gargle and spit it out.”

Little Wen did it very skillfully, spitting out all the mouthwash and gargling two more times before stopping.

Zhu Jia still remembered when she first started brushing Little Wen’s teeth. He would bite the finger toothbrush fiercely with his teeth and swallow both the toothpaste and mouthwash.

Now, he had made great progress. Zhu Jia patted his head with satisfaction, “Go play now, Mommy needs to brush her teeth.”

Little Wen refused to leave, obediently sitting on the sink, watching Zhu Jia brush her teeth.

After Zhu Jia finished, she picked him up again. Perhaps because she had been spending less time with him lately, Little Wen followed her like a little tail whenever she returned home. Sometimes, when he saw her leave for work, he would look disappointed.

Zhu Jia looked into his eyes and said, “Little Wen, Mommy has to go to work this morning. You stay at home and play with Aunt Pan. I’ll be back at five in the afternoon to paint with you. Mommy promises, I won’t break my word.”

Little Wen looked at her with a pitiful expression.

“Mommy’s work is very meaningful. It not only helps babies like you but also helps many other moms.”

Zhu Jia paused, “Not every mommy and baby in this world lives without worries like us. Mommy’s job is to help them find happiness. Think about it, your good friends Yuan Yuan and Duo Mi, would you share your toys with them?”

Little Wen blinked, somewhat understanding, and nodded.

“Mommy thinks the same way, sharing the good things with other little and big friends so everyone can be happy.”

Although Little Wen didn’t fully understand, he could tell from Zhu Jia’s expression that even though she had been spending less time with him, she still loved him very much.

He hugged her tightly, burying his head in her shoulder.

“Alright, let’s go have breakfast,” Zhu Jia smiled and patted Little Wen’s head as she carried him downstairs.

She saw Mo Yichen sitting at the dining table, drinking coffee and looking at his tablet.

She pursed her lips, still feeling embarrassed about what happened the day before yesterday, until she noticed that his entire right hand was wrapped in bandages.

“Mo Yichen! What happened to your hand?” Zhu Jia walked over to him, frowning.

“It’s nothing, it’s already better.” Mo Yichen hesitated, hiding his injured right hand under the table.

Zhu Jia pouted, “Do you think I’m blind? How can it be better with such a big bandage on it?”

Mo Yichen lowered his eyes, “Actually, yesterday, I went to your little villa. You said there were two design proposals, so I wanted to help you decide which one is better.”

Indeed, the designer had given two proposals, but Zhu Jia felt there were still some unsatisfactory aspects, which was why she hadn’t decided on how to proceed yet.

Mo Yichen showed her the revised design on his tablet, “I looked at the house layout and your design requirements. The basic areas include an office, tea area, shoe-changing area, parent rest area, classroom, sleeping area, and small restroom… The functional areas include a reading area, art area, role-playing area, sensory integration area, play area… and all sorts of outdoor activity areas.”

“I think your areas are too detailed. This way, the space usage isn’t very flexible.”

Zhu Jia placed Little Wen on the children’s chair and sat beside Mo Yichen to listen. Mo Yichen had improved on the original design, making it more detailed and professional than the designer’s proposals.

Zhu Jia silently admired him. No wonder he was a top student; real top students really have the ability to excel at everything.

“This is about it. What do you think of my proposal?”

“Mm… It’s definitely better than the last two.” Zhu Jia’s gaze wandered to his right hand still hidden under the table, “But you still haven’t told me, what happened to your hand?”

A fleeting awkward expression crossed Mo Yichen’s face, “It’s nothing. I accidentally cut my hand on the wall of your villa’s yard.”

“What!? That area is really sharp, I’m planning to replace it all.” Zhu Jia had noticed the fence the first time she went there. It was an old style and a safety hazard. She had planned to have it removed this week.

“It’s fine. I just wanted to help you check the outdoor yard layout.” He paused, “As long as you’re happy with this proposal.”

“Did you get a tetanus shot?” Zhu Jia felt guilty, as Mo Yichen had helped her a lot lately, and now he had hurt his hand for her.

“I’ve already taken care of it, don’t worry.”

Zhu Jia glanced at Mo Yichen’s breakfast bread, “Oh, let me spread some butter on your bread. It’s not convenient for you like this.”

Mo Yichen smiled, “Sure, thank you.”

Zhu Jia carefully spread butter on Mo Yichen’s bread with a knife.

Aunt Pan was feeding Little Wen breakfast at the table next to them. Today, they were having yam egg yolk noodles and waffles.

Not far away, Aunt Liu had her brows tightly furrowed, looking incredulous.

At 1 AM last night, Mo Yichen had asked her to clean his room. A large mirror had shattered all over the floor, and there were small bloodstains on the ground.

Aunt Liu was startled, thinking a thief had entered. When she saw Mo Yichen sitting on the couch smoking, she noticed the blood on his fingers.

She had spent a full hour cleaning up the room.

She glanced at Mo Yichen’s injury again. He had scratched two fingers, but the bleeding had stopped, so it wasn’t serious. Yet today, for some reason, he had wrapped his entire hand, making it look like a severe injury.

What surprised her most was that Mo Yichen had told her not to tell Madam Zhu Jia anything about last night…

Aunt Liu decided not to speak to Zhu Jia for the next few days, so she wouldn’t accidentally slip up.

After breakfast, Zhu Jia hurried out to meet Teacher Jiang to discuss matters. They had agreed to meet at the coffee shop where they had met before.

“I’m going to participate in the teacher interviews?”

“Yes, Teacher Jiang. I think the composition of the teaching department is crucial. Our HR isn’t an expert in this field, so it would be better if you could oversee it. Besides, you’ll be training the early childhood teachers in the teaching department later. Think of it as choosing your apprentices.”