Chapter 40

Drinking this cup of milk tea was exceptionally difficult for Sheng Zexi.

Xu Ai noticed his unpleasant expression but found it a bit amusing. After all, it was rare to see Sheng Zexi looking so miserable, so she pretended not to see it and happily sipped her own milk tea.

After finishing, Sheng Zexi told her he needed to go to the restroom. Xu Ai waved him off, saying, “Go ahead.”

Once he left, she couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

Haha, Sheng Zexi’s expression just now was too funny!

Sheng Zexi didn’t take long. When he came back, Xu Ai quickly composed herself and pretended to care, asking, “Are you okay?”

Sheng Zexi, valuing his pride, wouldn’t admit anything was wrong and replied, “I’m fine.”

Xu Ai nodded and turned to watch the children in the amusement park, innocently blinking her eyes. Then she seemed a bit troubled as she complained, “That girl is having so much fun; I wonder when she’ll be willing to come out.”

Sheng Zexi glanced at the sign nearby and said, “It closes at ten. Nuo Nuo will be out in twenty minutes.”

“Oh.”

Xu Ai then held her milk tea straw and lowered her head to fiddle with her phone.

At ten, the children reluctantly emerged from the park.

Xu Ai had cleverly finished her milk tea before her little treasure came out, but Nuo Nuo was sharp-eyed and had already seen them. As soon as she emerged, she accused her mother, “Mommy, I saw you drinking milk tea earlier!”

Xu Ai didn’t mind her seeing it and said, “Mommy has already finished.”

There were quite a few people at the milk tea shop next door. Nuo Nuo stared in that direction, wanting to drag her mother over.

“You finished, but I haven’t. Mommy, buy me some!”

The little girl was so happy playing that her hair tie had gone askew. Xu Ai fixed her hair, picked her up, and firmly refused, “It’s not good for little kids to drink so much milk tea.”

Nuo Nuo pouted, “But you’re drinking it too!”

“Mommy is an adult.”

“Why can adults drink it but I can’t? I want some too!”

Ever since starting kindergarten, the little one has become much more articulate. Xu Ai pinched her little nose and said, “No, little kids shouldn’t drink so much milk tea.”

At that moment, Xu Ai forgot that their little darling used to be a crybaby. When she saw Nuo Nuo’s eyes turn red, those buried memories were suddenly awakened.

Of course, she didn’t immediately try to comfort her. Noticing Sheng Zexi next to her, she hesitated not at all and directly stuffed their daughter into his arms, retreating a safe distance. “Whoever’s daughter it is, that person is responsible for comforting her.”

Sheng Zexi: “…”

He looked down at Nuo Nuo in his arms. Her eyes were red like a little rabbit.

The little one had been very good lately and hadn’t cried as much as before. Now, because of a cup of milk tea, she was back to crying. It was truly…

Sheng Zexi comforted her, saying, “Milk tea isn’t healthy. Daddy will buy you milk, okay? We won’t drink milk tea.”

Nuo Nuo shook her head vigorously, her little voice carrying a crying tone, looking extremely pitiful: “You both secretly drank milk tea without taking me!”

Xu Ai immediately retorted from the side, “But you were busy playing inside, and we didn’t go with you!”

Xu Ai used “we,” which sounded very persuasive to Sheng Zexi.

While crying, Nuo Nuo didn’t forget to argue back, “It’s obviously you two who didn’t want to go with me. I didn’t stop you from coming!”

Xu Ai: “But you saw us drinking. You were too busy playing to come out. Can you blame us?”

Nuo Nuo was still a child and couldn’t argue with her mother. So she just “wailed” in Sheng Zexi’s arms, her tears falling onto his clothes.

Xu Ai didn’t indulge Nuo Nuo. Knowing that Sheng Zexi usually spoiled their daughter, she immediately threatened him, “You’re not allowed to spoil her. I want her to see that not all of a child’s wishes must be fulfilled.”

Nuo Nuo, with tears streaming down her face, complained, “Bad Mommy!”

Xu Ai replied, “Yes, I’m a bad Mommy!”

Feeling wronged, Nuo Nuo buried her face in her father’s embrace, crying.

Sheng Zexi held her and took her to a convenience store to buy milk. “Daddy will buy you some milk.”

With her eyes red and her nose running, Nuo Nuo shook her head vigorously, “I don’t want milk!”

Xu Ai chimed in, “If she doesn’t want it, then don’t buy it. Let her not have even milk to drink.”

Nuo Nuo, furious, wanted to hit her mother: “Bad Mommy, woo woo woo!”

In the end, Sheng Zexi still took Nuo Nuo to buy milk. After returning home, Nuo Nuo was still angry with her mother and refused to sleep with her, taking her little pillow and stuffed toy to her father’s room.

Since she wouldn’t sleep with her, Xu Ai was happy to have some peace. She knew her little one well. Despite being angry tonight, by tomorrow, she’d be back like a little tail, happily trying to please her again.

After Nuo Nuo went to Sheng Zexi’s room, Xu Ai watched some TV in her own room. Feeling a bit hungry, she went downstairs to the fridge to grab a piece of bread, turning on the TV while she ate. Not long after, she saw Sheng Zexi coming down the stairs, wearing cream-colored pajamas.

Xu Ai glanced at her own nightgown, which was the same color, and even the material was similar. It almost felt like they were wearing a couple outfits.

Then, her thoughts quickly veered off course.

Since she had decided not to divorce the father of her child, they should have a sex life, right? She wasn’t the kind of woman who had no desires. Sleeping with Sheng Zexi wouldn’t be a loss for her.

While she was lost in these thoughts, Sheng Zexi approached her and said, “The child is asleep.”

Xu Ai asked, “Did I seem very fierce today?”

Sheng Zexi recalled, “Not really.”

Xu Ai also felt it was okay. “You have to discipline children. Otherwise, they’ll become unruly in the future. Although we don’t lack money, if we manage the child well from a young age, it will save us a lot of trouble later on, right?”

Having her mind wandering off, Xu Ai felt a bit hesitant to look directly at Sheng Zexi.

Sheng Zexi agreed, “Yes, rewards should be given when deserved, and punishments should be enforced when necessary.”

Xu Ai felt a sense of comfort knowing that Sheng Zexi’s parenting philosophy aligned with hers. After all, if Sheng Zexi were a troublesome partner, she might have become irritated.

At this moment, Xu Ai found Sheng Zexi quite agreeable. However, remembering how he had treated her in the past, she felt that giving in too easily to him might make her seem too accommodating. She thought it wouldn’t do. She needed Sheng Zexi to please her first. Only when she was satisfied would she be willing to move back into the same room with him.

She looked up at Sheng Zexi and said, “But if I take the role of a strict mother and you play the lenient father, isn’t that a bit unfair?”

Her nightgown was quite thin and smooth-looking. Being a man and one who hadn’t had intimate relations in a long time, seeing her sitting there like this naturally made him have thoughts. But since their relationship had only just begun to thaw, if he wanted to take it a step further, he would have to put in more effort.

Suppressing the depths in his eyes, Sheng Zexi said, “Then next time, you can be the kind mother, and I’ll be the strict father.”

“Forget it.” Xu Ai didn’t want to appease her when she was already angry. With Sheng Zexi around to soothe her, she could freely express her feelings when Nuo Nuo threw a tantrum, not needing to comfort her herself.

Comforting a child was more exhausting!

Feeling tired, she yawned, finished her piece of bread, stretched, and headed upstairs. “I’m full. I’m going to sleep now. Good night.”

“Okay, good night.”

After watching her go upstairs, Sheng Zexi went to the dining room to drink a glass of cold water before heading upstairs.

Originally, he hadn’t planned to come downstairs. He just wanted to go to the study. But seeing her downstairs, he unconsciously came down.

Returning to the room, he tucked the little one, who was sleeping soundly like a little pig, into bed. Suddenly, he felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. It seemed that the first time Nuo Nuo had come to his room, it was because she had quarreled with her mother and had hidden in his room.

It didn’t feel like it had been too long ago.

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Ayalee: Happy New Year, everyone! 🎊