Her heartbeat grew stronger, but now its rhythm was different from before.
Earlier, it was out of nervousness, embarrassment, and disappointment.
Now, however, it transformed into bewilderment, surprise, and a fleeting joy beyond her control!
Returning to the stove, she poured the remaining wontons in, then mother and son started cooking together.
With the wontons ready, the man who had gone into the bedroom to change his clothes emerged. Ye Ning heard his footsteps and looked up in his direction. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
He was dressed casually, having taken off the suit, in a light grey cotton V-neck long-sleeved top paired with dark blue casual pants, tall and elegant, handsome as a deity. Not only did it not reduce his graceful nobility, but it also added a bit of softness, no longer as cold and sharp as before.
"Dad, you’re out, come sit here, this bowl is yours." Seeing him finally come out, the child who had already started eating at the table exclaimed joyfully.
"Sit here, this one doesn’t have cilantro!"
Ye Ning replied in agreement, and then the two adults and a child, after so many days, finally sat down to eat together again. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
In strict terms, the last time Ye Ning truly ate with the father and son while fully conscious was that night before she went to find Ou Yuze.
That night, she made that decision and then brought Xiaobao over.
On that very night, she cooked another meal for the father and son and gave herself to him once more after so many years.
Afterwards, it was only until now that the three of them officially sat together!
Had she forgotten those days after regaining consciousness?
No, she remembered them, but the sweeter those days were, the more she dared not think about them now, fearing that thinking too much would break her resolve, causing her to crumble instantly.
The three of them sat together, the sounds of eating started to echo in the dining room, though mostly from Xiaobao and her; the man made virtually no sound.
His manners were impeccable, never making noise while eating, consuming the food elegantly and slowly, as if delicacies held no allure for such a person. Only once did he lift a spoon to taste something from the bowl before continuing to read his newspaper.
Darn it, reading a newspaper at this hour?
Ye Ning heard her son slurping noisily beside her, relishing it, and felt a sense of accomplishment, so she, too, began to eat.
After about twenty minutes, Ye Ning finished eating. Looking at her son next to her, she saw he was nearly done as well, so she sat there, ready to clean up and head back once he finished.
But when she glanced at the man opposite her again, she noticed his bowl was hardly touched.
Why wasn’t he eating? Wasn’t he hungry?
Or did he eat outside before coming home so late?
Ye Ning’s eyes dimmed for a moment, and the warmth she felt from eating earlier quickly faded.
Carrying the finished child to play elsewhere, she gathered the dishes from the table, finally standing in front of him: "Young Master, are you going to eat this? If not, I’ll throw it away; I don’t want it to mold since you won’t wash the dishes after I leave."
Her tone was unhappy, sounding sharp and assertive.