Volume 1, Chapter 30: Mommy and Daddy Sleep with Baby

Cheng Qian did not bother thinking about how to resolve the issues at hand; instead, she gave him a cold shoulder. Did she really think that just because she had borne a son, she could rest easy?

"Daddy, I want to watch Peppa Pig." Xiaoye ran over, and the man pulled him up to sit on his lap.

The boy’s small hand immediately pointed at the computer screen, making his request.

Li Zhinan opened the media player, navigated to the history, and started the sixth episode of Peppa Pig.

Xiaoye began to watch it happily.

Li Zhinan pressed his fingers against his thin lips, a somber look lingering in the depths of his eyes.

At 7:30, the housekeeper came upstairs to call them for dinner. Cheng Qian went down first.

Li Zhinan followed with his son in his arms. Cheng Qian sat at the table, still checking messages on her phone.

Ji Nan had sent an invitation to a conference.

It was a medical science symposium organized by a group of experts and scholars, inviting professionals from various fields for academic exchange.

Ji Nan added a note: "Xiao Qian, take a look at the conference agenda. It will be of great help to your current research."

Cheng Qian opened the brochure. Indeed, one of the sessions focused on pulmonary studies.

As Li Zhinan added food to his son's bowl, his cold gaze frequently drifted to the woman across from him.

Since returning from her studies abroad, she had changed significantly; her phone never left her hand, and she always seemed preoccupied with work.

Cheng Qian began replying to the work-related messages.

Xiaoye picked out the vegetables he disliked, his little mouth pouting. "I don't want to eat green vegetables. They don't taste good."

Li Zhinan coaxed him in a low voice, "Be a good boy. Eating more green vegetables is better for your health."

"No!" Xiaoye was a rebellious little one. Li Zhinan had always found this trait, which he believed the boy inherited from Cheng Qian, to be quite a headache.

"If you eat just three pieces, Daddy will watch three more episodes of Peppa Pig with you. How about that?" Li Zhinan said gently.

The little one blinked his beautiful, large eyes, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Okay, then."

Cheng Qian glanced across the table. Li Zhinan seemed to have more patience for coaxing their son than he did for her.

Halfway through the meal, Cheng Qian spoke up. "I’m going to be very busy with work lately, and I’d like to invite my aunt to come stay with us to help look after Xiaoye."

A flash of suspicion crossed Li Zhinan’s handsome face. "Isn't your aunt abroad?"

"She has returned to the country," Cheng Qian replied. "I want her to accompany Xiaoye to and from school in the future."

Li Zhinan’s sharp brows furrowed. "Is your aunt willing to look after a child?"

Cheng Qian nodded. "Yes, I’ve already discussed it with her. She is willing. Mom has to look after Xiaowei, so she definitely doesn't have time, and the housekeepers have their own duties. Now that Xiaoye is starting school, pick-ups and drop-offs will become a major issue. Even though we have a driver, he still needs someone he likes and trusts by his side."

"Can't you stop working?" Li Zhinan asked calmly. "This family doesn't lack the money you earn."

Cheng Qian’s fair face turned pale.

Li Zhinan seemed to have made up his mind. "I don't think it's necessary for you to continue working. Just take care of the family."

Cheng Qian had once suspected that Li Zhinan was a chauvinist, given his strong and overbearing personality. Now, it seemed her suspicion was correct.

"I’m sorry, but I won't give up my work," Cheng Qian said coldly. "I will spend time with the child after I get off work."

Li Zhinan mocked her lightly. "Does work make you happy?"

Cheng Qian nodded. "Yes, it does."

"Is it the work that makes you happy, or is it something else that comes with the work?" Li Zhinan suddenly sounded cynical.

Cheng Qian didn’t understand what he meant, nor did she care to.

She had her reasons for arranging for her aunt to come and look after Xiaoye. She wanted to find someone she trusted and felt close to, someone who could continue to help her take care of the child after they divorced.

Therefore, starting to cultivate the bond between Xiaoye and her aunt now was the best course of action.

Seeing that Cheng Qian remained silent, his gaze darkened. Usually, it was the guilty ones who stayed silent.

"I don't agree to letting your aunt come here to look after Xiaoye," Li Zhinan said in a deep voice.

"Why?" Cheng Qian’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at the man; had he guessed her intentions?

"There is no 'why.' He is our child, so we should look after him together." Li Zhinan’s reasoning was quite sound.

Cheng Qian nodded. "That is true, but we both have work to attend to, and the child gets out of school quite early. Someone needs to be there during that time to pick him up and look after him."

"We can hire a professional nanny," Li Zhinan said calmly. "I can even arrange a team dedicated to his care."

"I don't agree," Cheng Qian immediately rejected the suggestion.

"Isn't a professional nanny more qualified than your aunt?" Li Zhinan frowned.

"A nanny is professional, yes, but having someone he trusts by his side will put my mind at ease," Cheng Qian stated her reason.

Li Zhinan felt a surge of irritation, so he looked down at his son. "Then let Xiaoye decide for himself."

Cheng Qian asked her son gently, "Xiaoye, would you like your great-aunt to come and look after you?"

Xiaoye, while eating his meat, blinked his large eyes and nodded. "Yes, I want Great-Aunt."

Cheng Qian felt a wave of relief and smiled. "Good boy."

Li Zhinan was surprised. Had his son met Cheng Qian’s aunt many times? Why did he agree so readily?

"Son, who do you want to stay at home and play with you?" Li Zhinan changed his strategy.

Xiaoye looked at Cheng Qian, then at Li Zhinan. With his mouth greasy, he said, "I want Mommy and Daddy to be at home with me."

Cheng Qian let out a soft laugh upon hearing this. Li Zhinan had asked a pointless question.

"Xiaoye, who do you want to pick you up and drop you off at school?" The man’s expression was tense.

The little one was getting annoyed by the questions. He pouted and said, "I want Daddy and Mommy to come together."

Li Zhinan: "..."

The child was too young; communication was ineffective.

Li Zhinan was momentarily at a loss. He set down his chopsticks and asked his son seriously once more, "Xiaoye, do you really want your great-aunt to come and take care of you?"

Xiaoye didn't even look up as he nodded. "I do."

Cheng Qian said calmly, "Alright, it’s settled then."

Li Zhinan was unhappy, but he had no reason to object further.

After dinner, once Li Zhinan had watched three episodes of Peppa Pig with his son, he said, "Xiaoye, do you want to sleep with Mommy and Daddy?"

Xiaoye looked at him and nodded. "I do."

"Then tell Mommy that in a minute, understand?" Li Zhinan coaxed him gently.

"Okay!"

Cheng Qian had been reading for a while before coming over to take her son for a bath.

In the bathtub, the little one washed his hair. His wet, black hair was shiny, and Cheng Qian combed it back with her hands.

His full forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth looked even more like Li Zhinan’s—he was a complete miniature replica.

Cheng Qian’s expression froze for a moment. In the next second, she reached out and hurriedly ruffled the boy’s hair.

Xiaoye looked at his mother in confusion. She had just carefully combed it back, and now she had made it all messy again.

Cheng Qian carried her fresh, sweet-smelling son back to bed. His body was filled with the scent of shower gel, no longer carrying that annoying rose perfume scent.

So, Li Zhinan had taken her to see Cheng Yan again this afternoon.

It felt like a thorn had been pricked into her heart; it couldn't be pulled out, and it would cause her pain every now and then.

This feeling was truly exhausting. It would be much simpler to just get a divorce.

"Mommy, I want Daddy to come and sleep here," the little one said, rolling on the bed twice before looking longingly at the door and pointing with his small finger. "Let Daddy come too."

Cheng Qian was stunned. Why was her son making such a request today?

"The babies in the cartoons all sleep with their mommies and daddies, and I want to too." The little one’s stubborn streak emerged. His eyes turned red with urgency as he shouted, "Daddy... Daddy, come over here quickly!"

"Yes, I'm coming!"

A deep male voice echoed from the hallway.