Xu Tingyu's eyes were blurry with tears. In the hazy light, she only saw Qi Shifeng in his pajamas.
She didn't even notice that his clothes were in disarray, revealing a large expanse of his well - defined chest muscles.
If she had looked more closely, she would have noticed that his hair was also messy, the corners of his eyes were red, and his dark pupils were fixed on her intently, as if suppressing something.
But now all her thoughts were on Youyou. She looked up at Qi Shifeng like a panicked little deer.
"What should I do, Qi Shifeng?"
The end of her voice calling his name trembled slightly, as if she were coquettishly hitting someone's heart.
Qi Shifeng's prominent Adam's apple rolled. It was a deliberate suppression, yet wrapped in a sexy desire. It seemed that just hearing her call his name made him lose control of his emotions.
He didn't say a word. Instead, he just squatted down, picked up Youyou, and walked into the children's room.
Xu Tingyu was still squatting on the ground. The wind his walking stirred up, and the hem of his clothes brushed against her cheek. It was very gentle, but it felt like a heavy slap.
He was angry and didn't want to talk to her.
Even though he showed nothing, she was quite sure of this.
She stayed in the same squatting position for a while before standing up with the support of the wall and slowly walking into the room.
Qi Shifeng was sitting on the edge of the bed. One leg was crossed, and the other was propped on the carpet. Youyou was sitting on his lap.
"What's wrong? Tell Dad."
He wiped away Youyou's tears. His voice was deep and gentle.
Youyou sniffled twice and finally calmed down. "There was no one at home. Mom and Dad both said they didn't want me anymore. Auntie said she would throw me into the sea."
"When?"
Qi Shifeng was still very gentle, and he even responded smoothly.
Youyou was a bit confused by the question. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "Just now."
Xu Tingyu, who was listening on the side, was a bit anxious. She quickly took two steps forward and tried to calm her tone. "Youyou, which auntie?"
Could it be that one of the housekeepers had scared the child?
But all the housekeepers in the Qi family were carefully selected and had worked there for many years. Normally, such a problem shouldn't occur.
When Youyou saw Xu Tingyu, he tried to throw himself into her arms.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he was grabbed back by Qi Shifeng. "Which auntie?"
Youyou thought for a while. "Auntie Xie Yu."
As soon as he said this, both Xu Tingyu and Qi Shifeng were stunned. Especially Xu Tingyu, who even broke out in a cold sweat.
Wasn't Xie Yu still in the hospital?
Qi Shifeng was more experienced. He touched Youyou's forehead and wiped away the sweat on his forehead from crying.
"Auntie Xie Yu didn't come to our house. Mom and Dad won't not want you either. You were just having a nightmare."
There was not a trace of impatience in his tone, nor a hint of a smile. He was still as patient, gentle, and meticulous as ever.
Youyou stared at Qi Shifeng for a long time before asking again, "Really? Mom and Dad really won't not want me?"
"Of course. Mom and Dad love Youyou the most and will never not want Youyou."
Qi Shifeng kept giving his son a sense of security.
Xu Tingyu, standing beside them, felt as if there was a lump of cotton in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.
Qi Shifeng had always been by Youyou's side, taking such good care of him. He must have given Youyou enough sense of security.
But Youyou still had nightmares. Was it because of her?
Because he had never had his mother's company since childhood, even though his father had given him so much love, deep down in his heart, he still lacked a sense of security, right?
She was overwhelmed by guilt and heartache. She subconsciously took a step closer to the father - son duo, but instead of reaching out to take Youyou, she just stroked his back.
"Youyou, Mom has never not wanted you. You are the most precious person in Mom's heart. Mom loves you the most."
"I'm really sorry that Mom wasn't with you before. Mom won't do that again in the future."
She didn't know how to comfort the child. Just like before, she clumsily expressed her love and apology.
Hearing her voice, Youyou immediately climbed off Qi Shifeng, stood on the bed, and hugged her waist.
"Mom, Youyou loves you too. I forgave Mom a long time ago. Mom, don't apologize anymore."
"It's Youyou who had a nightmare and couldn't tell the difference between reality and dream. I called Mom and made Mom worry. It's Youyou who should apologize."
Youyou looked up at Xu Tingyu with a small face, and there were still tears in the corners of his eyes. He looked extremely pitiful.
The more Xu Tingyu looked at him, the more heart - broken she felt. Her nose soured, and she was about to cry again.
Qi Shifeng quickly grabbed Youyou back to his side. "Tell Dad, did you see the news about Auntie Xie Yu during the day?"
Youyou didn't have any extracurricular classes this afternoon, so he went home early and played with the tablet for a while.
Qi Shifeng had been in the bedroom and didn't come out, so he didn't know what Youyou had been looking at.
But having such a dream suddenly meant that he must have seen the news.
Sure enough, Youyou nodded. "The news said that Auntie Xie Yu had a car accident and fell into the river. She's still being rescued in the hospital."
As he said this, Youyou shrank into Qi Shifeng's arms, as if he was really scared.
"Yes, she's still in the hospital, so she won't come to our house. Mom and Dad will always protect Youyou. No one can hurt Youyou."
Qi Shifeng gently comforted him for a while, then carried him into the bathroom and washed his face.
"Now, you go to sleep obediently. Mom and Dad will both stay with you, okay?"
He tucked Youyou back into the quilt and stroked his little face.
Youyou nodded and then looked at Xu Tingyu, who was a bit in a daze. "Mom, do you have anything to do today? Can you stay here with Youyou?"
Xu Tingyu quickly nodded. "Yes, I can stay with Youyou."
"That's great. Dad said Mom has been very busy recently and told me not to bother Mom casually. So even when I was sick, I didn't dare to tell Mom."
Youyou pouted.
Actually, he was a bit sad that Mom didn't come to see him. But Dad said that Mom had her own work to do and was already very busy.
If she came to see him after work, she wouldn't be able to rest well and would get sick.
He didn't want Mom to get sick, so he didn't dare to tell Mom that he was sick on the phone.
Xu Tingyu caught the word "sick". Her face turned even paler. "Sick? When was that? Where did you feel uncomfortable? How are you now?"
Hearing her series of questions, Youyou finally laughed.
"Hehe, Dad was right. Mom will definitely be very worried when she knows. I've already drunk the sweet medicine. I'm fine now. I don't have a runny nose anymore."
He was so obedient, and his tone was a bit proud. His words directly broke Xu Tingyu's psychological defense.
She was really the most unqualified mother. She didn't even know that her son was sick. The child was afraid of making her worry and didn't dare to tell her.
She also didn't know how to comfort the child. When the child cried, she could only cry along.
She was a failure. She was really a failure.