Chapter 40: Softness

There are many things in this world that cannot be changed just by hard work or prayer—like what happened to Dad, and the same goes for Mom.

It’s just as Yan Dong said back then—I was like someone drowning, struggling desperately, but no matter which way I tried, nothing made any difference, and there wasn’t even a glimmer of hope.

If Uncle Yan hadn’t given us that life-saving money at the time, I probably wouldn’t even be in this world anymore.

Even though he never once brought up the matter of repayment, once Mom’s health stabilized, I still took the initiative to talk to Uncle Yan about working for him to pay off our debt.

At first, Uncle Yan didn’t agree to let me do such a thing. In his eyes, my studies were far more important than anything like this.

But after I insisted again and again, Uncle Yan finally shook his head and chose to compromise.

“Sigh, since this is the decision you and your mother made, I won’t say anything more. How about this: my good-for-nothing son is repeating his year at school this year. Girl, just go keep an eye on him for me, will you?”

“Okay, I understand, Uncle Yan.”

“You can discuss the details with the secretary in a bit. It’s just that my son is hard to get along with. If you really can’t handle it, I won’t blame you.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Yan. As long as it’s something you ask me to do, I’ll do it, no matter what it is.”

At first, I didn’t take Uncle Yan’s warning seriously. After all, I’d met all sorts of people over the years. But on my very first day working with Yan Dong, I regretted it.

How could there be someone like him in this world? There wasn’t a single thing about him that matched with anyone else. If it weren’t for wanting to repay Uncle Yan, I probably would’ve flipped out at him on the very first day.

But even someone as heartless as him sometimes showed a lonely expression, sometimes sitting quietly by the window, lost in thought as he stared outside.

Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder—what was Yan Dong thinking about during those dazed moments?

“Lin Yunxia, I know exactly what that feeling is like.”

Yan Dong suddenly spoke, disrupting my thoughts, his voice heavy as if weighed down by a lead block soaked in water.

The mobile game screen was still paused on the Wangzhe Glory victory results, but his eyes staring at the screen were so hollow, they looked like bottomless black holes.

Had he gone through something similar before?

I remembered the day he got his tooth pulled, he mentioned his mother when he was young—Yan Madam had also been hospitalized for a long time back then.

I see. No wonder.

Yan Dong was actually someone who valued family just as much as I did. Whether it was taking me to the amusement park for photos that day, or even now.

Come to think of it, I’d never really faced this person in front of me seriously before, had I?

“Young Master.”

“What is it?”

“Little Duo Duo is looking at you.”

I never raised my head to look at Yan Dong’s expression. My fingertips just gently traced the smooth, delicate skin on Baby’s face. Seeing the peaceful smile on Baby’s face, I couldn’t help but let my lips curl upward.

Yan Dong, sitting beside me, noticed Duo Duo’s happy smile, and his mood clearly lifted. He even let out a long, satisfied breath.

“Thank goodness, this little rascal is finally acting normal.”

“Mm, but just now, Young Master seemed a little out of sorts.”

“Don’t give me that. You didn’t even look up, so how could you tell I lost my composure? Enough already, what were we even talking about? If I hang around you too long, I’ll end up catching your gloomy mood.”

When those chubby, lotus-root arms of the baby wrapped around his index finger, the smile on Yan Dong’s face deepened. At some point, his curled-up long legs were pressed side by side with mine on the warm cashmere carpet. The scent of cedar mixed with milk lingered at the tip of my nose, making me feel strangely relaxed today.

“It’s five twenty.” He suddenly reminded me as he played with the baby.

I gazed out the window at the gradually brightening Neon, indulging myself for once as I sank into the sofa.

Usually at this time, I’d be squeezing into the subway with other workers, calculating how many delivery orders I could make tonight or buried in PPTs. But right now, I was just relishing the soft, warm weight in my arms.

Maybe my unusual behavior startled Yan Dong, because his tone suddenly softened. He poked my knee with a game controller. “Well, this is rare. You’re always right on the dot, grabbing your bucket and rushing off to deliver warmth all over the city.” Yan Dong’s raised eyebrow made his bangs shift. “Finally figured out you want to be a full-time nanny?”

His teasing tone abruptly broke off when he saw me gently caressing the baby’s cheek.

I guessed Yan Dong must have remembered what happened last night—when I took the new phone case he gave me and said I had to hurry back to deliver food, he frowned and kicked the shoe cabinet. “Lin, are you a damn robot? Just got out of the Police Station and you’re off to deliver food? Careful you don’t work yourself to death—no one’s gonna clean up your corpse!”

He hadn’t said a single decent word at the time, but at least it was better than all the nonsense he used to spout.

The mother and Baby in my arms rubbed their eyes and snuggled closer to me. Looking at this adorable little Baby, my mood pretty good, I turned my face and gave Yan Dong sitting beside me a faint smile. “I just suddenly wanted to rest today. Is that not allowed?”

Yan Dong’s expression looked a little lost, but seeing me relaxed, he just raised an eyebrow. “Sometimes I really can’t figure out what goes on in your head.”

“Same to you.”

As dusk deepened, the little girl finally fell asleep in my arms. Maybe it was the baby’s milky scent that made people relax—before I knew it, I’d nodded off too.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized someone had covered me with a blanket at some point. The person responsible was now curled up on the sofa, phone in hand, dominating the game, and for once, he didn’t have the sound on.

“18:05. So I just slept for about fifteen minutes.”

“You even have to calculate how long you nap, Lin Yunxia? You really are a damn robot.”

“Compared to the Young Master, who can be at 100% game mode all day, I’m nowhere close.”

We hadn’t exchanged more than a couple of sentences when the security door unlocking sound rang out, and the familiar Lavender Scent from my bag drifted in before the person even appeared.

It was a sisterly woman who seemed very easy to get along with, because her bright smile was truly warm.

“Thanks for your hard work, Xia Xia~”

“You know me?”

“Of course! Let me introduce myself, I’m Yan Qi. Uncle’s always mentioning you, Xia Xia.” The way she looked at me reminded me of a professor in the lab examining a petri dish. “You’re even cuter in person than in the photos. Dongzi, you really need to work on your photo skills.”

“What photos?”

“Of course, the photo you sent me the other day!” She took out her phone and pulled up the last picture Yan Dong took of me at that abandoned amusement park. In the photo, I was resting my chin in my hand, staring at him as he walked toward me, and my eyes actually had a touch of…

Softness?

Even though I didn’t really want to admit it, that was the truth. It’s just that Yan Dong’s caption under the photo was really something else.

“Looks dumb and dazed.”