“Little guy, mommy loves you so much! Let mommy pinch your cheeks!”
She pulled her hand out of Mu Yazhe’s grip to pinch each of her son’s delicate cheeks.
She was neither harsh nor gentle. Youyou’s face did not show a hint of resistance at her action; instead, he affectionately said, “Mommy, you are so energetic. You don’t seem to be an injured patient at all!”
“Mommy isn’t a patient in the first place.”
“Mommy, gentler, gentler!”
…
As the mother and son bickered, the man’s shoulders shook fervently for a split second.
Feeling the loss of warmth in his palm, he was jolted awake from his sleep.
The man lifted his head as his cold eyes opened wide. The moment his blurry vision refocused, he saw her hugging their son as she pinched his cheeks wantonly.
Youyou showed no signs of resistance to this, though. Nestling in her arms contentedly, he let her pinch and rub his cheeks however she wanted while producing melodious and soft giggles.
A warm smile spread on the little lad’s face, which was as fair as porcelain.
Witnessing this, the man’s anxious heart gradually eased.
Earlier, he had a dream.
In his dream, he was standing with her on a single-log bridge. Under the bridge were the gushing waves of a river. He held onto her hand tightly as they cautiously walked across it.
Suddenly, her grip loosened, and she fell off the bridge into the waters below.
He awoke with a start, only to realize that it was nothing but a nightmare at the sight of the mother-son pair.
It was a false alarm.
Little Yichen was also jolted awake by the pair’s bickering. Raising his sleepy head, his sight was greeted by the duo embracing and horsing around. He flushed slightly as his dashing brows knitted.
“Mommy!” he called out with a brittle voice.
She shifted her gaze from her younger son to her older son. Seeing that he was awake, her eyes turned into crescents as she gently said, “Little Yichen, you are awake!”
“Uh-huh!” He pursed his lips shyly upon the realization that he had fallen asleep and said guiltily, “I’m with mommy this whole time. I was just a bit tired, so I accidentally fell asleep!”
She was deeply touched by his claim. At the same time, she also felt a little heartache for him.
“You must be tired! Do you want to sleep some more?”
“No! I want to accompany mommy now. Does your face hurt still, mommy?”
He came close to his mother. A pair of large and glistening eyes blinked at her as he inspected the swollen half of her face. “The swelling has subsided a little, but it is still swollen.”
“It must be painful!” Youyou pouted indignantly. “Speaking of which, stupid mommy, what happened to you?! How did your face end up like this from just filming a show?”
After a pause, his eyes slowly narrowed and he asked suspiciously, “Could it be that there’s someone on set bullying mommy?”
Her smile stiffened. Beside her, Little Yichen also voiced out his suspicion. “I also find it to be strange. Daddy said that mommy had gotten hurt during filming; I don’t believe that at all!”
“It’s obvious that there is a handprint on mommy’s face. Someone seemed to have hit her.”
“Uh-huh! I saw it, too. Five bloody finger marks! Mommy, is there someone on set bullying you?”
The two little boys approached her with an air of suspicion. The two palm-sized faces came up close; their bright eyes were filled with doubt as they looked at her.
Her heart thumped in her chest.
These two little guys had such sharp instincts.