He was such a well-mannered and proper kid. Whoever saw him would naturally like him, and Ye Linhan was no exception. However, the moment this kid resembled his younger brother from a different mother, everything seemed to be different.
A wave of darkness swept under his glasses but dissipated quickly. Ye Linhan smiled gently and patted him on the head affectionately. “You’re welcome. Your mommy and I are old friends. Treating you to a cake is no big deal. If you’d like to, next time I can bring you to the theme park.”
“Sure, thank you, Mr. Ye. I will go now.” Little Bean held the fruit cake in his hands and quickly left the shop.
Han Muzi was a little worried. She stood up and watched him get in the car; she was only relieved when the car door was closed. When she was getting ready to leave, Ye Linhan’s voice came out from the back. “You really shouldn’t be this worried. I told you before that I don’t have any bad intentions toward you or the kid.”
Han Muzi remained silent. She froze for a moment then turned around and looked at Ye Linhan nonchalantly.
“So, Vice President Ye, do you also remember me saying that I do not want to be a sacrifice in the fight between you and Ye Moxuan?”
Hearing this, Ye Linhan frowned and looked somewhat helpless. “Is that what you think of me? Five years have passed. If I wanted to fight with him, I would have done it when we were back in the Ye residence. Why would I wait until now?”
“So what do you want now?” Han Muzi let out a dry laugh. “Last time, at the store, I could convince myself to believe that it was a coincidence, but what about now? You got off work, passed the school, saw Little Bean, and decided to bring him to this bakery for some fruit cake? Do you think that he is just an unguarded kid, and that you could buy him off?”
Seeing that he was about to say something, Han Muzi interrupted him. “Don’t rush into explaining. Things might be coincidental, but even then, they wouldn’t happen consecutively. Even if you were to set me up and use me, you should control your emotions and suppress your desires. Don’t do what you just did—showing up here and employing all kinds of methods to get close to me.”
Ye Linhan’s eyes deepened and he did not stop staring at her. “What about him?”
An unanticipated question caught Han Muzi off-guard.
“He also uses all kinds of tricks to come near you. Why have you never thought that he is hiding something? Meanwhile, I’ve only bumped into you a couple of times coincidentally and put up with the people from my company signing a contract with you. Why does that make me someone who uses you and sets you up? Muzi, you are way too biased.”
Han Muzi remained speechless.
“All because… you still love him?”
Han Muzi’s eyes widened. “Stop all this nonsense.”
Ye Linhan took a step forward, and the warm aura around him became somewhat overpowering. “Am I talking nonsense, or are you just afraid to admit it? Is it because you still like him? So no matter what he does to you, or whatever he employs to come near you, you will only think that he is just not giving up. You will never doubt him like how you doubt me, am I right?”
“I…”
“I told you before that I will not hurt you, much less that kid. Even if he is Moxuan’s kid, in my eyes, he is only your kid.”
“You…”
Ye Linhan took another step forward. “If I had any reason to approach you, it would only be because I like you.”
This unexpected confession put Han Muzi in shock.
Like… me? Five years had passed, and he still…
“Back then, you never said a thing before you left. Have you ever thought of how I felt? Even if you did not have any feelings for me back then, we still did spend some time together. Even if I could not be an elder brother to you, I should at least be considered a friend, shouldn’t I?”
Ye Linhan saw how she was withdrawing, so he decided to take another step forward. He was usually a gentle person, but at this moment, he had become domineering.
“If he can, why can’t I? If we were to debate this, I should be more qualified than him. After all, I have never done anything wrong to you.”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless by what Ye Linhan said. She had thought about millions of reasons why he came near her, but definitely not this one, and he even confessed this time around.
“I like you, and that’s why I want to get close to you. If that means I have to use some tricks, that wouldn’t be too much, would it?” After explaining these thoughts, the gentle look on Ye Linhan’s face had resurfaced. He simply stared at her apathetically. “That’s all. The time you promised with Little Bean is up. The kid is waiting for you in the car. Don’t let him wait too long.”
Han Muzi was still in shock. Why did the current Ye Linhan make her feel a little… sad?
“Go.” Ye Linhan held her shoulders softly and helped her walk out of the bakery while saying, “I am not an elder brother to you anymore, so I have the same fighting chance as Ye Moxuan. Although I did not have this chance five years ago, I’m going to do it for myself now. Until the day you and him end up together, I will continue putting in my best effort. So… don’t try to push me away with any other reasons anymore.”
Han Muzi simply let him walk her to the car, and he even opened the car door for her.
“Mommy?” The voice came from Little Bean, and it brought Han Muzi back to her senses. She turned around and took a look at Ye Linhan.
“Remember to fasten your seatbelt. Stay safe on the road.” He smiled gently and closed the car door. Then, he turned around and went back to the bakery to pay the check.
Han Muzi sat in the driver’s seat and was still in shock. Little Bean was still holding the cake and blinking, naively looking at her. “Mommy, what’s going on?”
Han Muzi regained her composure and shook her head. “Nothing. Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
Han Muzi brought Little Bean home. When they were going up the elevator, she could not help but scold him, “I remember telling your teacher at school last time, and your teacher also promised me that they would not let any strangers come and get you. So, what happened today?” She looked at Little Bean. Her eyes were not as gentle as before; they had become stern.
“You went with Mr. Ye yourself, right?” That was because they met before.
Little Bean lifted his head and started looking guilty in the face of Han Muzi’s stern look. “M-Mommy…”
“Am I right?” Han Muzi’s voice also started to sound harsh. Now, she seemed like a strict and difficult mother.
“Mommy…” Little Bean was a little scared and did not dare to speak. His hands that were holding the cake were weighing down.
“Why?” Han Muzi looked at him helplessly. “Even if you have met him before, can’t you tell from what Mommy has done for you? Why did you go with him? Why did you get in his car? I can tell that you did it yourself and he did not force you.”
Little Bean kept his head down, afraid to respond. He silently took the scolding.
