He suddenly looked up, his innocent eyes, untainted by the dust of the world, stared at her blankly.
This was the first time he had noticed her, paid attention to her, and a great joy surged in An Ruo’s heart.
"Kangkang, can you understand what I’m saying?" she asked eagerly with a smile.
He looked away again, continuing to eat. It was as if that brief glance had been just an illusion.
An Ruo felt a bit disappointed, but still very happy. That he had noticed her meant his condition couldn’t be that severe.
Once he had finished eating, she picked him up to take him upstairs for a bath and rest.
Just as she left, a servant whispered to Aunt Zhou, "The child looks so much like the Young Lady, do you think it’s possible that he is the Young Lady’s child?"
Privately, they all referred to An Ruo as the Young Lady, but only addressed her as Miss An to her face.
The fact that An Ruo and the young master’s child had passed away was no longer a secret; everyone knew about it.
Now, with this servant speculating as such, the implications were self-evident. She meant to suggest that this was a child An Ruo had with another man.
Aunt Zhou frowned and said coldly, "Don’t talk nonsense! If he were the child of the young master and the Young Lady, wouldn’t the young master know?"
She deliberately pretended to misunderstand the other’s words.
The servant nodded sheepishly, but persisted insistently, "But the Young Lady insists on adopting this child and likes him so much, and they look alike. Don’t you find that strange? To me, it’s too much of a coincidence."
"I’ve already told you he’s not the young master and Young Lady’s child. The child just resembles the Young Lady a bit. Where does he look like the young master? In fact, the child looks like the Young Lady’s brother, that’s why she likes him so much and insists on adopting him." Aunt Zhou continued to play dumb.
"It’s not unusual for a nephew to look like his uncle. Some children, they just don’t resemble their parents and instead look like..."
"It seems you have too much time on your hands. If Housekeeper Tao hears this, you might be out of a job."
Frightened by Aunt Zhou’s warning, the servant dared not say more and shut up to go about her work seriously.
When Tang Yuchen returned home, he felt the different atmosphere.
He knew that An Ruo had brought the child back.
He went upstairs and gently pushed open the bedroom door, instantly seeing two figures, one large and one small, lying on the bed.
An Ruo was turned away from him, slightly curled up. From his angle, he could only see half of the child’s small body.
The boy nestled against An Ruo, her hand gently cradling his body—they looked as harmonious as mother and son, sleeping sweetly.
The sight hurt the man’s eyes, and he turned away, leaving in a hurry.
The child nestled in An Ruo’s arms should have been theirs, not someone else’s. He resented that another child had taken the place of his own.
But his child was gone, gone...
The jealous man went to the study, sitting there alone in sorrow, remembering his deceased son.
If only he were still alive, how wonderful it would be. He would have given him everything, made him the happiest child in the world.
When An Ruo woke from her nap, she noticed that Kangkang was already awake.
He had crawled up into a sitting position and was busily playing with his foot.
"Kangkang, you’re such a good boy, waking up without crying," An Ruo said as she hugged his body, all smiles.
Kangkang ignored her, but she kissed his cheek happily on her own accord.
"My good baby, from now on, I am your mom, remember, I’m Mom."
As she spoke these words, An Ruo’s eyes welled with warmth, and she felt an urge to cry.