169 Across the Window

"Yuwei, you really are such a 'good' mommy." Lin Chenxi said this, sounding partly as if he were reproaching her for her indulgence, and partly as though he meant it sincerely.

Xia Yuwei blinked at him, her eyes curving into smiles. "Oh, it's a rare treat to come out like this, I couldn't help myself. Seeing Yufan eat with such relish truly makes me happy. I couldn't care less about anything else..."

Ah, this was probably the heartfelt devotion of a mother. At that moment, Lin Chenxi wanted to say that perhaps Yufan needed a father as well...

***

Inside the car, Lu Yichen rolled down the window, rested his elbow on the frame, and massaged his temples.

Outside was the parking lot. Relatively quiet. Relatively dim. In the distance, lights spilled over.

He raised his eyes to look at the seafood food stall inside the large display window of the JuXian Restaurant not far away. The crowd was still just as large. Was the food really that delicious? Everyone wore a look of contented satisfaction. Perhaps that kind of joy was something he would never possess...

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

He saw Xia Yuwei, Xia Yufan, and Lin Chenxi walking hand in hand, the child in the middle. The three of them looked like the most ordinary family, laughing happily. From time to time, they exchanged words, Xia Yuwei's eyes crinkled into sweet crescents—a far cry from the coldness and anger she always showed him.

Oh, so she could smile so joyfully for anyone else, but blooming a smile for him alone was an impossibility.

He took out his phone and dialed her number. Through the shop window, he could see her reaching for her phone. It seemed as though she recognized his name; he watched her smiling face freeze. She hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

Her voice was icy.

"Where are you? What are you doing?" Lu Yichen asked her.

"I..." Xia Yuwei glanced at Xia Yufan, then at Lin Chenxi. "I'm having dinner."

"Who are you having dinner with?"

"With a friend." Xia Yuwei was growing annoyed. Did he call just to cross-examine her?

"A friend—male or female?" he continued to press.

"Both male and female!" she retorted unhappily. "What on earth do you want by asking so much? If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." With that, she disconnected the call abruptly. She looked at the screen of her phone, appearing quite displeased. Only when the man beside her spoke to her did her smile return.

Clutching his phone, Lu Yichen could hear the beating of his own heart. It was the sound of a heart breaking.

This was the woman Lu Yichen stubbornly loved.

No matter how hard he tried, how much he loved her, or how he explained himself to her, she now firmly locked him out, flirting and playing ambiguously with one man after another, relishing every moment of it. Xia Yuwei, were you always destined to be such a butterfly?

Was she simply brought into existence to cause him pain? She wouldn't even tell him that Xia Yufan was his son; she refused to acknowledge it to him.

If he hadn't accidentally caught sight of Xia Yufan's birth date on his passport this morning, who knew when he would have ever learned the truth that Xia Yufan was his child? Was he supposed to rely on Xia Yuwei to tell him herself? That was likely impossible, seeing as she was bent on keeping the secret hidden, making it crystal clear that she had no intention of letting father and son recognize each other.

He had wanted Xia Yuwei to reveal the truth to him of her own accord. But a woman like this only knew how to bring him pain and disappointment—and forever acted as though she had no idea she was torturing him.

Yet with this other man, she could openly let him hold their son's hand and share a meal in a place like this.

In her eyes, what was he supposed to be?

A burst of youthful passion, her former husband, and nothing more?

***

Xia Yuwei, Xia Yufan, and Lin Chenxi carried their food back toward their table, only to discover that an extra man had appeared beside Lin Jinxi. The four-seater now occupied five people.

"Jinxi!" Xia Yuwei called out to Lin Jinxi from afar.

Seeing the newcomers arrive, Shao Minghan tactfully stood up, realizing there was no prospect of romance for today. Although he was skilled at playing games and Lin Jinxi admired him to no end in that regard, it did not mean she would fall in love with him just like that; he still needed time. He recognized Xia Yuwei, whereas Xia Yuwei only remembered him as a customer, smiling and greeting him warmly.

"Lin Jinxi, aren't you going to introduce your friends to me?" Shao Minghan said to Lin Jinxi.

"Is that really necessary?" Lin Jinxi felt utterly helpless against this man's tenacious spirit. How on earth had she carelessly provoked such a 'kind-hearted' pest?

"Hmm?" Although Shao Minghan had risen to his feet, he showed no intention of leaving. Truth be told, he wanted to ask on Lu Yichen's behalf what kind of relationship existed between this pair of adults and the child.

"Fine. This is my older brother, and that is my future sister-in-law. As for the little one, his name is Xia Yufan." Lin Jinxi had no choice but to point them out and introduce them one by one.

"Jinxi..." Hearing Lin Jinxi's frivolous introductions, Xia Yuwei cast a reproachful look at her. However, she didn't say much in front of an outsider. This little girl spoke utter nonsense; she would need to give her a thorough 'lesson' once they got back.

"This is Mr. Shao Minghan." Lin Jinxi then introduced Shao Minghan to the others, hoping this would finally satisfy him enough to leave.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shao Minghan took his leave, just as expected.

***

On the drive back after dropping off Shao Minghan, Lu Yichen listened in silence as Shao Minghan chatted away.

Xia Yuwei, oh Xia Yuwei. Since you treat me this way, why should I invest my heart in you?

Since you show me no affection, why should I offer you my sincerity? When it comes to playing games, how could you ever hope to be my match?