Chapter 5: Still Want to Play with Mom

The anger in Shen Boyan gradually faded away. He didn’t speak, but stooped down with a dignified air, carefully cupping Little Mumu’s face in his hand, checking his condition seriously.

After confirming that Little Mumu was fine, he paused for a moment, then looked up at Gu Nanyan with his cold, piercing gaze. “I misunderstood you. I apologize.”

She hadn’t harmed Little Mumu; instead, she had saved him.

Listening to the man’s deep, magnetic voice, Gu Nanyan was momentarily stunned.

He… was apologizing to her?

Gu Nanyan immediately bit her lip, forcing two drops of tears to well up in her eyes, her voice quivering with grievance as she responded, “I know that I was very disliked in the past, but now I’ve realized my mistakes. I’ve told you before, I will be a good wife and mother. Little Mumu is my own son, and I would never hurt him, not in the past, and never in the future.”

“Past…” Shen Boyan seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, a mocking smile curving the corner of his mouth.

He looked at Gu Nanyan, but when he saw her with tears in her eyes, looking so pitiful and innocent, his expression froze once again.

He pressed his lips together, his deep black eyes swirling with a flicker of doubt.

Gu Nanyan, of course, knew that Qin Yuwei had been constantly fabricating stories about her wanting to harm Little Mumu in front of him. But despite all the drama, it was clear that even the original Gu Nanyan, no matter how unreasonable, would never harm her own son.

So, if Shen Boyan thought carefully, he would realize that she had never hurt Little Mumu, not even once.

As for whether Qin Yuwei’s words were true or false, it was impossible to verify—he could only choose to believe or not.

“What happened to Little Mumu?”

Qin Yuwei hurriedly rushed in, immediately kneeling by Little Mumu’s side and anxiously inspecting him, “Little Mumu, are you alright? I heard someone… I was so scared…”

Gu Nanyan instinctively looked toward the door.

A maid who was serving Little Mumu met her gaze and immediately lowered her head, her expression full of guilt.

“He just choked on a piece of fruit, but he’s fine now.”

Shen Boyan coldly stood up, glancing at his watch. “Since Teacher Qin is here, you can take Little Mumu to do his homework.”

With that, he walked past Gu Nanyan without sparing her another glance.

Gu Nanyan watched his cold back, furrowing her brows slightly.

He still trusted Qin Yuwei more than he trusted her.

Well, of course…

If it were so easy for him to suspect Qin Yuwei, then all the sacrifices she’d made over the years would be in vain, wouldn’t they?

“Daddy…”

A soft and cute voice suddenly sounded, and Little Mumu called out to Shen Boyan.

Shen Boyan immediately turned back to look at his son. “Hm?”

“Can I… play with… Mommy… a little longer?” Little Mumu stretched out his tiny hand, pointing directly at Gu Nanyan.

Gu Nanyan stared at him, unable to believe it, her eyes brimming with unspeakable excitement.

Little Mumu… had he just called her “Mom”?

At that moment, Qin Yuwei, who was kneeling in front of Little Mumu, widened her eyes in shock, her face instantly turning a deep shade of jealousy.

He actually called Gu Nanyan “Mom”?

How could this be?

She had always told him that Gu Nanyan would hurt him…

This ungrateful little thing!

“Little Mumu, you still have a lot of homework to do tonight,” Qin Yuwei quickly suppressed her anger, forcing a smile as she said to him.

Little Mumu, clearly afraid of her, lowered his head without responding.

“Let him play a little longer. He can do his homework in half an hour.”

Before Gu Nanyan could say anything, Shen Boyan spoke up.

Afterward, he glanced at Gu Nanyan with a complex look in his eyes and then turned, walking away.

As soon as Shen Boyan left, Gu Nanyan eagerly walked over to Little Mumu. “Little Mumu, I can play with you for another half an hour. What do you want to play?”

Despite how unwilling she was, Qin Yuwei had to obey Shen Boyan’s words. She reluctantly stood up with a grim expression, watching as Gu Nanyan began playing with Little Mumu.

Even though she spent more time with Little Mumu, now she felt like an outsider.

Gu Nanyan had never spent time with him… and yet in just one day, Little Mumu had already grown so close to her!

Could this be what they called “blood-related affection”?

It was unfair…

It was completely unfair!

She would never let Gu Nanyan stay in the Shen family for long.

The next morning.

The first thing Gu Nanyan did upon waking was pinch her thigh hard.

She immediately winced in pain.

After massaging the sore spot, she got up and went to her well-organized closet to pick out clothes.

Today, she chose a light blue dress.

Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail using a matching blue hairband.

Perhaps because she had rested well the night before, Gu Nanyan noticed that her face looked a bit more vibrant when she gazed into the mirror.

When she went downstairs, the maid was about to bring her breakfast upstairs.

“I told you, I will eat in the dining room from now on,” Gu Nanyan said, preparing to head to the dining room. But the maid stopped her and said, “Madam, this breakfast was ordered by the Young Master for you.”

Gu Nanyan froze in her tracks.

…What did this mean?

Was Shen Boyan not allowing her to eat in the dining room?

“The Young Master should have already finished his breakfast and is preparing to leave,” the maid added.

Gu Nanyan thought for a moment. “Then, please bring my breakfast to the garden.”

Spring had arrived in March, and the scenery was just perfect.

The garden was blooming with flowers, and Gu Nanyan chose to have breakfast under the wisteria trellis.

The maid set out the delicate dishes on a small table beneath the flowers, but Gu Nanyan, with a fork and knife in hand, had no appetite.

Meanwhile, in the dining room.

Shen Boyan, Little Mumu, and Qin Yuwei were already seated at the table. Shen Boyan, however, did not let anyone start eating.

Breakfast was delayed by about five minutes, and Shen Boyan’s face darkened as he coldly said, “Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

Qin Yuwei replied brightly, but when she lowered her head to eat, a smug smile danced in her eyes.

In the garden, Gu Nanyan waited for a long time but didn’t see Shen Boyan leave for work.

Instead, she saw him walking out of the dining room, holding Little Mumu in his arms.

Qin Yuwei and the father-son duo walked under the golden sunshine. The sight of them together made it seem like they were a family of three.

Gu Nanyan stared at this scene, but her face was filled with complete helplessness.

She looked immediately toward the servant who had been attending to her meal. The servant clearly didn’t dare to meet her gaze and lowered their head in silence.

Gu Nanyan slammed the fork and knife onto the table.

So, now the Shen family was completely controlled by Qin Yuwei.

Shen Boyan must have heard the noise and glanced at her direction coldly before continuing to walk with Little Mumu.

Little Mumu had an early education class today. When the teacher arrived to pick him up, Shen Boyan handed Little Mumu over to the teacher and then returned to the main house to change clothes and head out.

He changed into a sharp black suit, and his naturally cold demeanor suited the dark color perfectly. His handsome face was always expressionless, and every move seemed to push people away.

When Qin Yuwei saw him coming out, she immediately attached herself to him with enthusiasm. “Young Master Shen, don’t worry about work. After Little Mumu finishes his class, I will pick him up.”

Shen Boyan said nothing, merely nodding coldly.

However, after a few steps, Gu Nanyan’s petite figure suddenly blocked his way. With red eyes, she looked at him innocently. “Boyan, the servant said you didn’t want to have breakfast with me, so you arranged my breakfast outside. I don’t like eating in the garden… Can we… eat dinner together later?”