Belated Romance (Mu Tongrui)

Tongrui had never thought that something like that had happened between her and Lingye.

She looked at him and said, "If I didn't leave the hospital and got to know you at that time, do you think

we'd end up differently?'

Lingye frowned slightly, disapproving of her question. End up differently? He did not think so.

"If I'd gotten to know you, maybe we would've been married earlier instead of three years later.

Nonetheless, there'll only be one result, you marrying me and becoming Mrs. Fu. It was just a matter of

time," Lingye said calmly but firmly.

Siqi, who was sitting beside them, covered her eyes and said cutely, "Ew… Daddy is so cheesy!"

Lingye and Tongrui were taken aback for a moment before they looked at each other and smiled.

Lingye carried Siqi down from the couch and picked up her bag on the floor. "Go do your homework."

Siqi hugged Lingye's neck with her legs dangling as she said, "I don't want to! Daddy, why are you

asking me to do my homework when I only arrived here?! Daddy, are you trying to shoo me away and

do something with Mu?!"

Tongrui was speechless.

Lingye looked at Siqi sternly and said, "You're only a three-year-old child, so what are you talking

about?"

"Hmph! I'm no longer a three-year-old! Grandpa said that I'll be four years old in a few days! I'm a big

girl now!"

Lingye ignored her words and brought her to the study.

Tongrui saw them sitting together as she brought a plate of fruits to the study. Lingye was working on

his laptop while Siqi sat beside him, drawing on paper, her little legs dangling in the air. She would

scratch her face a little sometimes or take a few glances at Lingye's laptop.

Tongrui did not interrupt them. She held the plate of fruits, closed the door, and went to the kitchen to

make dinner.

Lingye always had a light diet due to his bad stomach, and Siqi had been staying with Zhengyuan in

the Fu Manor. Even if she cooked, Tongrui would only make some simple dishes and soup. Recently,

Lingye had been out for business dealings and rarely returned for dinner, so she had been eating

simple meals.

Today, Zhengyuan sent Siqi over. Siqu loved sweet and sour pork ribs and strawberry shortcakes, so

Tongrui had prepared a lot of ingredients. Once she was gone, who would make them for Siqi?

Tongrui's movements paused as she thought about that. After a moment, she thought she was

overthinking it. Even if she left, Auntie Lan would cook for Siqi in the Fu Manor. Moreover, Zhengyuan

loved Siqi, so he'll definitely pamper her.

Besides, he said he was only sending her away to avoid the limelight for some time. It was not like he

disallowed her from ever returning.

Tongrui held the kitchen knife in her hand but could no longer continue chopping the ingredients as her

eyes became teary. She was afraid that she would not be able to return to the North City.

As she was in a daze, a little hand pulled on the corner of her shirt. "Mu!"

Tongrui lowered her head. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"Mu, I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Tongrui handed the plate of fruits to her. "Have some fruits first. I'll bake a strawberry shortcake for you

soon."

"Yay! I can have a strawberry shortcake later! Mu, remember to add more cream and hazelnut

chocolate!"

Tongrui stroked Siqi's head as she said, "Okay, bring the fruits to Daddy and have them with him."

"Mmhm!"

…

After dinner, Siqi made Lingye and Tongrui accompany her to watch some cartoons.

Siqi sat between the two adults, her little head leaning on Lingye for some time and then onto Tongrui

as she watched cartoons intently.

Lingye's long arm rested on the couch and wrapped around Tongrui's shoulders, embracing the mother

and daughter.

Siqi finally got tired and fell asleep on Lingye's thighs. Lingye then turned off the television, carried her

up, and walked toward the bedroom. He sighed and said, "This little one is finally asleep. What's with

the homework her teacher assigned to ask the parents to accompany the child to watch cartoons for

one hour?"

Tongrui felt this homework was not bad and explained, "My mother passed away early, and I really

wanted my dad to accompany me when I was little, but he was always busy with work. Although I know

he had to sacrifice his time for the sake of our family, I still felt a little disappointed in my heart,

especially when he married Shen Qiu. He still loved me, but I always thought he had divided his love

for Shen Qiu and her daughter too. I always sat by the window and thought about how good it would be

if my mother was still around."

After putting Siqi to bed, Lingye turned around to kiss Tongrui's forehead. He said gently, "Why are you

still thinking about the bad memories in the past even after being together with me for so long? Are you

not feeling safe enough with me?"

Tongrui smiled as she hugged him and rubbed her head on his chest. "I just suddenly thought about it.

I'm quite satisfied now. Because of you, so many people care about me and treat me well. Lingye, it's

all thanks to you, so I'm really grateful."

"So many people?" Lingye frowned slightly, feeling a little doubtful.

"Yes. Look, other than you, Siqi also cares about me a lot. She's still so little, but she'll protect me when

facing others. Moreover, there's Father too. Although it seems like he doesn't accept or like me, I can

feel he's protecting me."

Lingye smiled. "If he fears you say this, he'll probably like you even more. He has never been a likable

person."

Tongrui closed her eyes as she leaned on his shoulder. "He's doing everything for our sake."

"Mmhm," Lingye responded calmly and suddenly carried her up. "If you give birth to another grandchild

for him, he'll treat you like a God."

Tongrui was sad in her heart, but she could not help but laugh. "Aren't you exaggerating?"

"Why don't you give it a try?"

"I don't want to." Tongrui blushed.

Lingye carried her to the master bedroom, and they fell into the soft bed. Lingye stared at her with

passionate eyes as he said, "Mrs. Fu, you've already onboard on this, so it's too late for regrets."

"Mm…"

As they kissed, Tongrui opened her eyes slightly and stared at the man before her.

Lingye felt her gaze and opened his eyes to look at her. He asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Tongrui wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "I'm just thinking about you."

"It looks like you're not planning to sleep tonight, huh?"

"Mmhm…"