"Mom, do you like Dad?" Wen Yan'an asked, nestled in Fang Miaomiao's arms, looking up at her.
"Yes, I do," Fang Miaomiao said, glancing at the comic book Wen Yan'an was engrossed in. "Don't stare, turn the page."
Wen Yan'an immediately turned to the next page.
"Mom."
"Hmm?"
After a long hesitation, Wen Yan'an asked, "Then do you like me?"
Fang Miaomiao froze and then looked down at the little one in her arms. "Why do you ask?"
Wen Yan'an pursed his lips and remained silent.
Fang Miaomiao rubbed his head. She remembered.
In the novel, Wen Yan'an had always lacked a sense of security. In the beginning, she had only wanted to coexist peacefully with the child.
She hadn't expected a series of events to disrupt this balance.
Goodness, could An'an think she would compete with him for his father's affection?
This thought made Fang Miaomiao's heart skip a beat.
Seeing Fang Miaomiao's silence, Wen Yan'an pulled away from her embrace.
"An'an, I'm sorry."
So, she only liked him because of his father, right?
Upon hearing the apology, Wen Yan'an's body trembled.
Fang Miaomiao was shocked and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, An'an. I confessed to your father without your consent. I should have asked you first."
"It's okay, Mom. Can you give me just a little bit of the love you have for Dad?" Wen Yan'an said softly, his head bowed.
Fang Miaomiao still heard him.
"Why just a little bit? An'an calls me Mom and is so good to me. Why only a little bit?"
She became a mother painlessly, and An'an was so obedient and considerate.
In her previous life, she had loved looking at dolls, thinking about having an obedient child.
Unexpectedly, a deep-seated wish from her past life was fulfilled in this one.
Seeing his silence, Fang Miaomiao knew the little one had misunderstood.
She pulled Wen Yan'an to face her and sat down. "An'an, please look at me. Thank you."
Wen Yan'an obediently looked up.
As expected, he was crying.
Tears welled up in his eyes but didn't fall.
He cried so silently, his eyes red, like a little rabbit.
Fang Miaomiao felt like laughing, but it seemed a bit unethical to do so now.
She decided to comfort him first before laughing.
"An'an, why do you think I don't like you?"
"On TV, they say that once you have a stepmother, you have a stepfather. Since Mom has Dad, she won't like me anymore."
Whenever there were many people at the manor, they would secretly whisper that if Dad found another woman, he would have other children, and then Dad wouldn't like him anymore.
He could bear it if Dad didn't like him, but he didn't want Mom to dislike him.
Did Mom liking Dad now mean she would only like Dad in the future and not him?
Fang Miaomiao paused, then reached out and ruffled Wen Yan'an's hair. "An'an, can I tell you a secret?"
"What?" Wen Yan'an asked, trying to hide his disappointment.
"Actually, Mom likes you more, An'an."
Wen Yan'an looked at Fang Miaomiao, whose eyes seemed to sparkle, and asked in a hoarse voice, disbelievingly, "What did you just say?"
"I like An'an more," Fang Miaomiao said with a smile. "An'an, you're so cute, obedient, and smart. Anyone would like you."
"I'm quiet and don't talk much."
"Geniuses are often solitary. Besides, you have me now, don't you?" Fang Miaomiao raised an eyebrow. "Or do you think your mom talks too much and you don't like it?"
"No, never."
He was already overjoyed that Mom was willing to talk to him, so how could he dislike her?
Fang Miaomiao stepped forward and hugged Wen Yan'an. "An'an, you're truly outstanding."
When she was his age, she had been running around on some hillside, and according to her grandmother, she was like a wild monkey, running around everywhere all day.
"Mom," Wen Yan'an snuggled obediently into Fang Miaomiao's arms. "An'an likes you very much too."
Fang Miaomiao dotingly poked Wen Yan'an's nose. "Don't overthink things anymore, okay?"
She had to talk a lot today.
"Okay," Wen Yan'an nodded obediently. "Then Mom, who do you like more, me or Dad?"
Fang Miaomiao: "..."
Why would a child ask such a dangerous question?
But facing An'an, Fang Miaomiao flashed an eight-toothed smile and replied with certainty, "Do I even need to ask? It's definitely An'an. An'an is the most important person in my heart."
After her persistent efforts, she finally managed to pacify the jealous child. To prevent him from asking any more terrifying questions, she decisively said, "Alright, play by yourself. Your mom needs to make dinner."
"Okay."
Sighing with relief, she left the bedroom.
She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw Wen Zhiyan sitting in the living room. Immediately, a sense of guilt washed over her. "You, why are you here?"
"Thinking. Waiting for you."
"What?" Fang Miaomiao didn't quite understand.
"Miaomiao."
The intense gaze made Fang Miaomiao feel like she was being roasted. "Um, I'm making dinner. What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever Miaomiao makes, I'll eat. I'm not picky."
Fang Miaomiao nodded vaguely and rushed into the kitchen.
Help, why did the atmosphere feel so awkward after the confession?
Fang Miaomiao shook her head vigorously, pushing aside these strange emotions before diligently starting to cook.
She made home-style dishes: three dishes and one soup.
Dinner concluded with Wen Zhiyan's constant praise and Wen Yan'an's exclamations of "Great!"
"Miaomiao, Dad wants us to come home sometime?"
"What's up?"
"About my car accident."
Fang Miaomiao's expression turned serious. "Was your car accident deliberate?"
"Miaomiao is so smart."
"Have they figured it out?"
Wen Zhiyan shook his head. "They investigated, but nothing came of it, so I handed it over to the police."
However, this matter was not over.
Fang Miaomiao nodded and then comforted him. "It's okay, it's okay. Unlucky things are in the past. When misfortune ends, good fortune begins."
After all, in the novels she read, the misfortunes of Wen Zhiyan and Wen Yan'an were self-inflicted; there weren't many other disasters.
"But you should still be careful in the future. Who knows if those bad people will try something again?"
"Okay, thank you for your concern, Miaomiao."
The doting tone made Fang Miaomiao touch her nose and quickly change the subject. "When do you plan to go back to the manor?"
Wen Zhiyan's gaze darkened. "No rush."
Fang Miaomiao didn't understand these things either and nodded. "Alright then. You should get some rest, and I'm going back to my room."
Wen Zhiyan seemed to think of something, and the corners of his lips curved upwards. "Okay."
Night.
Wen Zhiyan opened his eyes and watched as Miaomiao, who was closing her eyes, skillfully opened his door, closed it, and got into his bed.
She wrapped herself around him like an octopus, holding him tightly.
That feeling.
It was painful yet joyful.
Wen Zhiyan took a deep breath and dotingly stroked Fang Miaomiao's head. "Goodnight, Miaomiao."