Chapter 26

The little one yawned and soon drifted off to sleep. Watching her peaceful face, Sheng Zexi felt sleepy too, hoping for sweet dreams.

The next day, Sheng Zexi and Xu Ai quickly settled on the best kindergarten in the city for their child. Before enrolling, Nuo Nuo excitedly told Pei Zhen about her upcoming kindergarten.

Pei Zhen, surprised and delighted, exclaimed, “Nuo Nuo, that’s great! My mom said I’d also be going to the same kindergarten. We’ll be classmates!”

Nuo Nuo was thrilled. “Really? We can go to the same kindergarten together?”

Pei Zhen nodded, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement. “Yes, we’ll be in the same class.”

Nuo Nuo, overjoyed, asked, “Can we go together on the registration day?”

Pei Zhen wasn’t sure but promised to ask his mom, “I’ll ask my mom tonight.”

Nuo Nuo’s eyes shone like little light bulbs. “I’ll ask my mommy too.”

Both children ran to their mothers to ask. Xu Ai saw no reason to object and agreed, “Sure.”

Their friendship and shared excitement made the transition to kindergarten even more special.

Pei Zhen’s mother also had no objections, so on the day of kindergarten registration, the adults took the two little ones together.

The bulletin board listed the children’s classes, and after confirming their class, the kids could go find their teachers to register.

Sheng Zexi and Xu Ai accompanied their daughter. As they searched for her name on the bulletin board, they both simultaneously spotted Pei Zhen’s name.

“Pei Zhen is in Class 2.”

Their voices overlapped, surprising both of them. Xu Ai quickly looked away, her mind blank, as she continued searching for Nuo Nuo’s name. However, Sheng Zexi’s smiling face lingered clearly in her mind. Sheng Zexi, too, refocused on the bulletin board, though he was slightly distracted by the subtle scent of Xu Ai’s perfume.

Pei Zhen’s mother was the first to find Nuo Nuo’s name, exclaiming, “Your Nuo Nuo is in the same class as my Pei Zhen!”

Xu Ai confirmed this and then they all headed to the homeroom teacher’s office. The teacher gave each set of parents a form to fill out, and the three parents sat together to complete it. Meanwhile, Nuo Nuo and Pei Zhen, finding the form-filling boring, began discussing the playground outside.

“That slide looks so fun, I want to play on it.”

“There are so many books in the hallway, more than at my house. This place seems interesting.”

Mostly, it was Nuo Nuo talking, with Pei Zhen occasionally chiming in.

Sheng Zexi was in charge of filling out the form. The teacher, noticing Xu Ai was free, struck up a conversation. She admired the two adorable children, especially Nuo Nuo, whom she found extremely endearing. “Your Nuo Nuo seems very lively. She should adapt well to kindergarten life.”

Sheng Zexi was writing down Nuo Nuo’s weakness: prone to crying.

To better understand each child’s personality, the teacher planned to discuss the form details with the parents later. Xu Ai, embarrassed by the praise and seeing what Sheng Zexi had written, nervously explained, “Nuo Nuo is lively now, but she can be quite the crybaby.”

Xu Ai found it hard to admit, knowing many people dislike children who cry easily. However, the teacher found Nuo Nuo’s crying endearing, saying, “Nuo Nuo is so cute. She must look adorable even when she cries.”

Xu Ai couldn’t deny that, though it could be frustrating at times. The teacher, being professional, reassured her, “It’s fine if she cries. Nuo Nuo is still young. Once she gets used to kindergarten, she’ll love it here. There are lots of friends and fun activities, and she’ll have a happy childhood.”

After quickly filling out the form and chatting a bit more, Pei Zhen and Nuo Nuo parted ways.

Pei Zhen had dinner plans at his grandparents’ house, while Nuo Nuo was off to buy school supplies with her parents. However, they unexpectedly ran into familiar faces at the stationery store. Sheng Zexi’s younger half brother and stepmother.

Neither Sheng Zexi nor Xu Ai wanted to see them. Xu Ai instinctively glanced at Sheng Zexi’s face, noting his displeasure. She pretended not to notice his mood.

Nuo Nuo, deep in thought about her school supplies, noticed the tense atmosphere and looked up, puzzled. The animosity between the adults was palpable. Ling Tuo continued talking to his mother after a cold glance, while Sheng Zexi picked up Nuo Nuo and walked past them.

Xu Ai took a moment to observe Ling Tuo’s mother. Despite being over fifty, she still looked elegant, which explained Sheng Zexi’s father’s enduring affection for her. However, Xu Ai couldn’t warm up to her due to their conflicting positions.

Ling Tuo’s mother acknowledged Xu Ai with a gentle nod, making Xu Ai uncomfortable. As they walked away, Ling Tuo called out, “Brother, when I returned recently, Father asked you to come home. Why did you refuse? Don’t you want to come home?”

Ling Tuo’s eyes were cold. Years ago, he had felt guilty towards Sheng Zexi, but Sheng Zexi’s aggressiveness had eroded all goodwill, leaving them adversarial.

Sheng Zexi coldly replied, “You don’t deserve it.”

Then he walked away with his wife and child.

Xu Ai, though reluctant to meddle in Sheng Zexi’s family affairs, thought about the possibility of him facing financial ruin and decided to ask, “Do you hate him?”

Sheng Zexi, surprised by her concern, stopped and looked at her beautiful face, chuckling softly, “There’s no point in hating.”

This ambiguous statement left Xu Ai somewhat perplexed by Sheng Zexi’s meaning, but she didn’t dwell on it. Sheng Zexi was a person of strong opinions, and it was unlikely that she could influence his thoughts.

She spoke up only for the sake of Nuo Nuo and because Sheng Zexi had helped her before.

Xu Ai said, “I just wanted to say that revenge never ends. Even if you clash with him in the future, I hope you can think about your family and not let hatred destroy everything, including yourself.”

Sheng Zexi: “?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Standing near the restroom, Xu Ai avoided answering and said, “I need to use the bathroom.” She then turned to Nuo Nuo and asked, “Do you want to go?”

Nuo Nuo shook her head. “No, I don’t want to.”

Xu Ai went by herself, leaving Sheng Zexi deep in thought.

His sharp intuition told him that Xu Ai might know something. However, since she avoided the question, he had no clue.

Nuo Nuo, sensitive as children often are, noticed her father’s displeasure with the uncle and the sudden change in his mood. She said, “Daddy, do you really dislike those two people? I’ll dislike them too, because they made you unhappy.”

Sheng Zexi, initially in a bad mood, was amused by Nuo Nuo’s words. He felt like he was being treated as a child, which, surprisingly, felt good.

“How much do you dislike them?” he asked.

Nuo Nuo replied, “Daddy, however much you want me to dislike them, that’s how much I’ll dislike them.”