The room was not lit, and the curtains were not drawn tightly.
Light filtered through the gaps in the sheer curtains, weaving a fine net on the wooden floor.
A faint fragrance wafted in the room, the special milky scent of the children's body wash.
Xu Tingyu took two steps forward and then silently stopped.
On the bedside table of the big bed, there was still an anime-themed water cup with some leftover milk in it.
Two storybooks were scattered nearby, one of which was "The Little Tadpoles Look for Their Mother".
A pang shot through her heart, and she turned her gaze back to the little one.
The little one who would sweetly call her "Mommy" in his sleep was lying there sprawled out, not covered by a quilt, only a small blanket over his tummy.
Half of a chubby little leg peeked out from the edge of the blanket, and there was a light brown scab on his ankle.
Xu Tingyu immediately stepped forward, wanting to take a closer look at the scar, but afraid of hurting him, so she could only kneel gingerly beside the bed.
The child's eyelashes cast a crow-feather-like shadow on his eyelids, fluttering gently with his breathing.
Xu Tingyu studied his features carefully.
He had a full forehead, and his nose bridge already showed signs of being high. His lips were thin, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. His tawny hair looked soft.
No matter how she looked at it, he had Qi Shifeng's contours with a bit of her own features.
The room was very quiet, and Xu Tingyu realized she was counting his breaths.
She couldn't help but reach out her hand to feel his long, gentle breaths, which fluttered across the back of her hand like dandelion fluff.
She didn't know how much time had passed when the little one suddenly turned over.
Xu Tingyu quickly withdrew her hand and held her breath, seeing the faint blue veins on his other ankle.
All those missed growing pains suddenly took shape like cotton threads, climbing up her eye sockets along the light and weaving a spider-web-like sheen on the surface of her iris.
When another tear dropped onto the bedsheet, Xu Tingyu's lips had already landed on his forehead.
The salty liquid meandered along the grooves of his nose bridge, forming a tiny galaxy that finally disappeared into the newly grown fluff behind the child's ear.
This was her child, the child she had given birth to with anticipation and love.
And she had missed so many years. She was such an irresponsible mother.
She had even let those people slander his identity, saying he was the result of a scheme.
While she was drowning in this self - blame and sense of亏欠, the door opened again, and someone quietly walked in.
When Qi Shifeng saw Xu Tingyu kneeling in front of the bed looking at Youyou, his heart still gave a sharp tug.
She looked heart - broken, and she was so cautious, as if the one lying there was her whole life.
Perhaps it was mother - child telepathy. Youyou let out a soft grunt and then slowly opened his eyes.
Xu Tingyu was nervous, or rather, at a loss.
She thought it was her who had woken him up, but she didn't know how to make it up. She looked extremely flustered.
When Youyou opened his eyes and saw Xu Tingyu in front of him, he seemed to be stunned.
Their eyes met. Xu Tingyu looked at him, a bit worried.
Did he recognize her? Would he be scared?
Would her sudden appearance disrupt his life?
She shouldn't have been so selfish. She should have been more careful before doing this.
Although she really loved this surprise, she was even more worried that Youyou would get hurt.
Just as she was thinking about how to introduce herself without scaring the child, a huge surprise suddenly appeared on Youyou's face.
"Mommy, it's really Mommy."
He immediately sat up and threw himself into Xu Tingyu's arms.
It turned out that his momentary daze was not confusion or unfamiliarity with Xu Tingyu.
It was because he couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
After realizing that Xu Tingyu was really in front of him, his surprise was uncontrollable.
Xu Tingyu was stunned for a moment before she remembered to respond.
She trembled slightly as if she had never hugged anyone before and wrapped her arms around this tiny body.
As tears slid down uncontrollably, Xu Tingyu heard Youyou say sweetly, "Mommy, I missed you so much."
He didn't even bother to ask why she hadn't come to see him. He just told her how much he missed her.
Xu Tingyu's heart felt like it was soaked in lemonade, sometimes extremely bitter and sometimes so sweet that she felt like fainting.
The mother and son hugged tightly for a while. When Xu Tingyu let him go, she found that he was also crying.
The handsome little one seemed afraid that she would worry, so he even cried with a smile.
How could she deserve such a considerate child?
"I'm sorry, Youyou. It's all Mommy's fault. Mommy is not a good mother."
She apologized, and her heart was filled with guilt again.
However, Youyou gently wiped away her tears with his small, soft hands and said seriously, "No, Mommy is very good. I love Mommy very much."
Xu Tingyu felt even more heart - broken. "Don't you blame Mommy for not coming to see you for so long? Mommy didn't even accompany you."
Youyou shook his head. "I was a bit sad, but Daddy said that Mommy loves me very much but can't come to see me. Mommy is the one who suffers more."
"If I blame Mommy, then Mommy will be even more pitiful. I don't want Mommy to be pitiful. I know Mommy didn't come to see me for a reason."
"Daddy said that Mommy just got lost for a while. When Mommy clears the clouds and finds her way again, she will never be separated from Youyou again."
"I believe Daddy, and I believe Mommy. So, Mommy, don't cry. If you cry, Youyou will want to cry, and Daddy will cry too."
He kept wiping away Xu Tingyu's tears.
Hearing this, Qi Shifeng suddenly let out a soft laugh. "Nonsense. Daddy won't cry."
He said his son was talking nonsense, but he tilted his head back to hold back his tears.
Xu Tingyu's heart melted completely. She hugged her son again and couldn't help but look back at Qi Shifeng.
The man was standing there, dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants.
The simple outfit gave him an air of uprightness.
Seeing Xu Tingyu looking at him, he strode over, put his long arms around them both, and pulled them into his embrace.
"It's a day of reunion. Why are you all crying?"
He lowered his head and kissed them both on the face.
Xu Tingyu immediately nervously looked at Youyou.
Wasn't it said that Youyou had a good relationship with Du Jiran? Would doing this in front of the child make him confused?
However, Youyou showed no reaction. He even looked at her with a big smile, as if he had seen this scene many times.
"Mommy, you haven't kissed me yet."
He leaned his face towards Xu Tingyu.
No one could resist such a cute little face.
Xu Tingyu immediately kissed him.
She even held his face and kissed him on both cheeks.
Youyou was very kind - hearted. After being kissed, he pointed at his father who was looking on eagerly.
"Daddy is still waiting in line."
The next second, Qi Shifeng felt the person in his arms stiffen.
He knew Xu Tingyu would surely find an excuse to refuse, but he didn't expect her to just pause for a moment and then turn her head and kiss him.
A smile welled up in his eyes.
Since she was like this, he wouldn't be polite either.