All around them were parents who had brought their children out to play.
Yun Shifei glanced at them, then at herself and Cheng Lie, and suddenly thought they, too, looked just like a couple of parents bringing their child out to play.
Ah, what was she thinking again?
"Are you two here with your kid as well?" Just then, a woman nearby, who was watching her child, started chatting with Yun Shifei out of boredom.
Haha, how could what she was thinking pop up in reality just like that?
Yun Shifei shook her head. "No."
The woman gave Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie a once-over, then smiled awkwardly, "Ah yes, makes sense. You’re both so young, it wouldn’t make sense for you to be parents already. But are you two a couple?"
Yun Shifei quickly waved her hands. "No, no, not at all."
Ugh, how awkward! She was so embarrassed her face might as well turn red.
She turned back, only to see Cheng Lie’s face calm as ever.
Yun Shifei thought, how can he be so composed? Unable to resist, she carefully asked, "Cheng Lie, that woman said we’re a couple—why didn’t you correct her?"
A little fool learning to probe, huh? Cheng Lie raised an eyebrow, though his face remained as expressionless as always. He asked in return, "Do *you* think we’re not?"
Yun Shifei was rendered speechless. But since she had already asked, maybe... maybe she should try probing a little further?
So she threw out another question: "What are we, then?"
"Do you think we’re not a couple right now?"
Yun Shifei’s heart betrayed her, pounding furiously once more.
She looked at Cheng Lie in disbelief. "A-are we? Does this... count?"
The autumn breeze blew gently—dry and cool—sweeping her hair back. Cheng Lie’s hand instinctively twitched, wanting to grab her hair to keep it in place.
Their gazes locked. Cheng Lie didn’t say another word, wanting her to figure it out for herself.
She was always —self-doubting, insecure, and lacking courage.
He wanted her to become braver.
Yun Shifei’s breathing slowed, as if the whole world had entered slow motion, leaving only her brain whirring at full speed.
If he was saying such things, should she just seize the moment and confess? But... he had only just recovered from his illness. Did he even understand what love is?
She was still mulling it over when suddenly, her sleeve was tugged by a small hand.
Yun Shifei lowered her head and saw Fang Kaiyi holding onto her clothes. He said to her, "Big sister, I’m tired. I want to go home."
Yun Shifei snapped out of her daze, immediately crouching down to look at Fang Kaiyi. "Tired? But we still have so many games left to play. Don’t you want to try a few more?"
Seeing the child appear out of nowhere to disrupt the moment, Cheng Lie’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold gleam flashing through them. This kid... how inconvenient.
If not for his interruption, she might have finally spoken what was in her heart.
But now, with this sudden disruption, trying to make her open up again would be almost impossible.
Fang Kaiyi still shook his head. His gaze shifted briefly to his left, before quickly averting his eyes again.
Yun Shifei, being perceptive, sensed something was off and followed his gaze. Updates are released by noveⅼfire.net
That’s when she saw a familiar face.
It was a woman in her thirties, someone she’d seen before in a photo in the director’s office. She was with a boy who looked about two years older than Fang Kaiyi.
The woman held a stick of cotton candy, trying to hand it to the boy. But the boy wasn’t having it at all. He glared and shouted, "I told you, I want Superman! I want Superman! You didn’t buy it for me! I’m not eating this stupid cotton candy!"
The voice of a child is often penetrating, drawing the attention of those nearby.
The woman tried to calm the boy gently. "Once your dad comes back, he’ll buy it for you. Things at this amusement park are overpriced and poor quality—it’s not worth it."
"I don’t care! You’re a bad woman! If you don’t buy it for me, I’ll beat you up!"
As he shouted, the boy actually raised his hand to hit her.
Fang Kaiyi, watching from the side, finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He ran up and pushed the boy.
"Don’t you dare bully my mom!"
"Who are you?" The boy glowered at Fang Kaiyi, looking like he was ready to fight.
Fang Kaiyi was smaller, partly due to his poor nutrition from not eating properly. Standing next to the other boy, he looked like he was a whole size smaller.
If they actually fought, Fang Kaiyi would definitely lose.
Yun Shifei, watching with alarm, quickly stepped in to separate the two kids.
By this time, the woman also recognized Fang Kaiyi. She looked surprised. "Xiao Yi, what are you doing here?"
"Mom!" Fang Kaiyi called out to her.
"Mom?" The other boy stared back and forth between Fang Kaiyi and the woman. "So, this is your son?"
"Xiao Hao, no, you’re my son," the woman quickly said.
Fang Kaiyi froze at her words.
Yun Shifei was stunned as well.
She had heard before that after Fang Kaiyi’s parents divorced, his mother remarried and abandoned him.
But back then, she thought it was only out of necessity, because of poverty. No mother would willingly give up her own child. Of course, her own mom was an exception to that logic.
But now, it seemed even Fang Kaiyi had experienced something similar.
"How could you do this? Xiao Yi is your child too!" Yun Shifei said angrily.
"Young lady, you’re the one who brought him out of the orphanage, aren’t you?" The woman turned her attention to Yun Shifei. From her words, it was clear she wanted Yun Shifei to take Fang Kaiyi away and stop bothering her.
Yun Shifei thought the woman’s words were absurd. She could tell the woman just wanted Fang Kaiyi gone, as if his presence was offensive.
Yun Shifei could feel the deep sadness welling up in Fang Kaiyi.
"He’s finally gotten a chance to see his mom," Yun Shifei said softly, holding Fang Kaiyi’s small hand tightly, trying her best to offer him some warmth.
But the woman said, "He’s an orphan now. Young lady, since you’re familiar with him, you must know I’ve remarried. I already have a stepson and a newborn baby at home. How could I possibly take care of so many people?"
Her tone might have sounded like she was helpless, but her face betrayed no such emotion.
This woman clearly had no feelings left for her own child.
After speaking, the woman took her stepson by the hand and walked away.
Fang Kaiyi, still unwilling to give up, called out, "Mom!"
But the woman didn’t even pause in her steps.
Yun Shifei suddenly felt a deep, crushing sadness. In that moment, she was reminded of the time Xu Ya chose Yun Sisi and left the Yun Family.
In those days, she had felt the same suffocating pain that Fang Kaiyi was experiencing now.
No, perhaps Fang Kaiyi’s pain was even greater.
At least back then, she had already been wounded and numbed by Xu Ya’s actions.
But Fang Kaiyi still believed that his parents loved him.
You could hear it in the way he had called out "Mom" just now.
"Xiao Yi, let’s go. Big sister will take you to have some fries and burgers, isn’t that what you’ve always been wanting?" Yun Shifei said, gently patting his head, trying to distract him.