When Xu Zixi got home yesterday, she actually took to heart the speculation that Yan Yincheng had mentioned.
She carefully recalled and found that indeed every time Yan Yincheng showed up in the laboratory, Professor He would quietly avoid him.
Although she didn't sense anything amiss from the other person, she thought it was still necessary to remind him again that she was married and had a child.
The 20 - minute drive wasn't long. Soon they arrived at the laboratory. When Xu Zixi led the bouncing Xu Yixuan into the laboratory, Bai Xuanhe wasn't there.
The others were all surprised and curious when they saw that she had brought a child today. But with just one glance, they were charmed by the beautiful and well - behaved Xu Yixuan and couldn't help but gather around to say hello to him.
"Hi, little one. What's your name? How old are you this year?"
"You're so pretty. It seems you take after Mr. Yan more!"
When Bai Xuanhe stepped into the laboratory, what he heard was Xu Yixuan's loud self - introduction:
"Hello, uncles and aunts. My name is Xu Yixuan. I'm five and a half years old. I also have a younger brother named Yan Jingxu. We're twins, but he went to an exhibition with my daddy today and didn't come, so I'm the only one here!"
He paused for a moment, then continued walking inside.
When the others noticed him, they greeted him loudly, "Professor He, you're here!"
Xu Zixi and Xu Yixuan also turned around together. Their gazes met in the air. Bai Xuanhe's expression didn't change much. Xu Zixi smiled and patted Xu Yixuan's little head, saying:
"Baby, this is Mommy's teacher. Quickly say hello to Uncle He."
Xu Yixuan curiously sized up Bai Xuanhe and obediently said, "Hello, Uncle He."
Bai Xuanhe tightened his grip on the umbrella slightly and nodded in response, "Hello."
After that, just like usual, everyone got busy with their own things.
Xu Zixi held Xu Yixuan in her arms and taught him to recognize the equipment and reagents in the laboratory, telling him what he could touch and what he couldn't. After making sure he remembered everything, she also started working on the experiment she hadn't finished yesterday.
Xu Yixuan knew that the research his mother was doing was to treat his father's eyes. Without anyone watching him, he didn't make a fuss. He just sat obediently on the chair, swinging his legs and propping his chin up, watching everyone do experiments with great interest.
As he watched, he suddenly noticed that Uncle He always looked up to peek at his mommy. Sometimes he would stare for several minutes. And his mommy, being too focused, never noticed this.
Xu Yixuan rolled his eyes. He carefully jumped off the chair, walked around to Bai Xuanhe's side, and reached out to tug at his clothes.
Bai Xuanhe felt a tug on his clothes. He lowered his head and saw Xu Yixuan's face, which was as if carved from the same mold as Yan Yincheng's, a face he hated.
"Uncle He, can I sit next to you and watch you?" Xu Yixuan asked.
The child's gaze was clean and innocent, his eyes black and white. When he looked at him, there was only a faint curiosity, not fear. Unlike the children in the organization...
Bai Xuanhe's eyes darkened. He said, "As you wish."
Xu Yixuan climbed onto the empty chair next to him, swung his legs, propped his chin up, and shifted his observation from his mommy to Bai Xuanhe.
With Xu Yixuan staring at him, Bai Xuanhe really couldn't look up at the opposite side during the experiment breaks. He could only lower his head and do his own thing.
Actually, he didn't know when he started developing this habit. But by the time he noticed it, everything had already gotten out of control.
He liked watching her look at the cultured bacteria intently, liked watching her frown in distress, and liked watching her bright eyes when she made a new discovery.
Whenever this happened, he could hear his heart beating so vividly, reminding him that he was a living person, not a tool in the organization that only knew how to do experiments and deal with codes all day long.
In the three months since he entered the laboratory, he had been constantly thinking about what Alex had said to him.
Let go of the meaningless hatred, make yourself happier, and have a happy life like an ordinary person.
Before, he thought this was extremely ridiculous, but now, he began to have a glimmer of recognition and an unrealistic yearning.
He hated that man with the surname Yan. He didn't want to see her run towards that man with a smile and love in her eyes. He didn't want to see the charming light in her eyes when she saw that man.
This morbid state of mind made him more silent than ever, but it seemed that no one had ever noticed this. Even she never let her gaze stay on him for more than three seconds.
Today, she even brought the child here and made the child call him Uncle He.
Did she notice something?
His breath caught. He pressed down hard on his hand, and too much reagent dripped. The sample in his hand was completely ruined. He frowned tightly and was about to take another sample to start over when a childish voice came from the side.
"Uncle He, you look unhappy."
Bai Xuanhe was stunned and looked to his side. Xu Yixuan was lying on the table looking at him, his long eyelashes fluttering.
"You just looked so sad."
As Xu Yixuan said, he suddenly remembered something. He jumped off the chair, rummaged through his little bag, then walked towards Bai Xuanhe and opened his palm.
In his small palm were several beautifully - wrapped candies.
"Uncle He, my mommy said that when you're unhappy, just eat a piece of candy. These are all my candies. I'll give them all to you. Try them. They're very sweet!"
Bai Xuanhe clenched his fist tightly by his side, trying hard to control the intense emotions surging in his heart.
"Uncle He~" The child raised his hand a little higher.
Bai Xuanhe reached out and took the three candies from Xu Yixuan's palm. He didn't notice that his fingers were trembling badly.
But the observant Xu Yixuan noticed the abnormality of his fingers. His soft and warm little hand held Bai Xuanhe's fair and knuckle - prominent hand.
"Uncle He, why do you have so many wounds on your fingers? Did you get hurt during the experiment just now, so your hand is shaking so much?"
"It's okay. It won't hurt if you blow on it. Xuanxuan will blow on it for you." With that, he pursed his lips and gently blew on Bai Xuanhe's fingers. The warm breath on his fingers made Bai Xuanhe's heart tremble.
The child smiled again, his eyes curving into two crescents: "Does it still hurt?"
Bai Xuanhe was about to answer when suddenly a terrified and urgent voice rang out in the laboratory:
"Xuanxuan!"
This voice woke up most of the people in the laboratory. Including Xu Zixi, they all looked up in the direction of the voice.
Alex stood at the door, his face pale as he said to Xu Yixuan:
"Xuanxuan, come to me."
Xu Yixuan was extremely happy to see him. He immediately let go of Bai Xuanhe's hand and ran towards Alex. Throwing himself into his arms, Xu Yixuan wrapped his arms around his neck and said with a smile:
"Teacher Feifei, you're here! Xuanxuan has been waiting for you for a long time!"
Alex tried hard to raise the corners of his lips, pretending to be natural, but the force with which he hugged Xu Yixuan was so great that the child frowned. He didn't dare to look up at Bai Xuanhe's reaction at all. He just lowered his eyes and said:
"Xuanxuan, will Teacher Feifei take you to learn how to do experiments, okay?"
Xu Yixuan laughed, "Okay, okay!"
Alex carried him and turned around to leave in a hurry. The others just smiled, thinking that he was just happy to see Xu Yixuan here, then lowered their heads and continued to be busy.
No one noticed that Bai Xuanhe stood there, tightly clutching his hand full of small scars.