"Zhouzhou likes me, so he talked to me," Wu Yaxi said vaguely while eating pastries across the table.
"Zhouzhou talked to you?" Zhang Xuehan was somewhat surprised.
Wu Yaxi nodded, "Yes, Zhouzhou talked to me today. Mom said that little Zhouzhou is shy and doesn’t like to talk, but once he likes me, he started talking to me."
As soon as Wu Yaxi finished speaking, Xiao Yu shouted excitedly, "I want Zhouzhou to like me too, I want Zhouzhou to talk to me too!"
Zhang Xuehan said, "Then you have to take good care of your little brother and not bully him, so that Zhouzhou will like you."
"Mm, I will definitely make Zhouzhou talk to me!" Xiao Yu was full of fighting spirit, as if on a mission.
All of a sudden, Zhao Yingling said from across the table, "So Zhouzhou can talk, huh? I thought he couldn’t speak."
A smile was on Zhao Yingling’s face as she said this, it seemed just like a joke during a casual chat, but her words felt utterly humorless.
For a moment, the atmosphere at the dining table froze, even the kids sensed the change and fell silent.
"No, Zhouzhou can talk, it’s just that his language development is delayed, he needs more practice," Ye Wanwan broke the unsettling silence.
Her voice betrayed little emotional change, only her smile faded slightly.
She turned her head and softly said to Zhouzhou, "Eat."
Most times, kids are sensitive, and even more adept than adults at picking up on social cues; the abrupt silence indeed made the little ones nervous for a moment.
But when Zhouzhou saw his mother smiling at him, he immediately felt safe. He smiled back faintly at Ye Wan and took a small bite of the custard bun.
"I mean, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just haven’t heard Zhouzhou speak before, and was really surprised when I heard Xixi say it," Zhao Yingling hurriedly explained.
Ye Wanwan raised her eyes to look at Zhao Yingling across from her, unsure whether she was being deliberate or just socially inept.
She could accept the latter at any other time, but not when it involved Zhouzhou.
Ye Wanwan didn’t say much, just remarked softly, "Let’s have breakfast. The production crew will be here soon."
For a while, only the clinking of cutlery could be heard at the table; the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward, yet not completely, or perhaps it was just Zhao Yingling who felt awkward.
Most comments in the live chat room were mocking Zhao Yingling for being brainless.
"I don’t know how she could say that!"
"Maybe it’s not Zhenzhen who has a fever but Zhao Yingling with her big dumb head?"
"I really dislike people who don’t know the boundaries of speech. We’re all mothers; don’t they understand babies are not to be joked about?"
"What joke? Isn’t it a fact that the little dummy can’t speak?"
"Our Yingying didn’t say anything bad, look, she noticed before but kept silent, worried about hurting Mrs. Shen’s fragile heart until she found out Shen Wenzhou can talk. Obviously, she was happy for Mrs. Shen, what a pity she wasn’t appreciated!"
"@ZhaoYinglingOfficialFanclub, are these really your fans? They’re smearing the name of your idol right now. If so, you better expel them from the fandom fast!"