latelenovela Chapter 489 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (100)
Chapter 489 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (100)
"What's wrong?" Lu Liruan thought for a moment, then asked.
She knew exactly what the child meant. She hadn't wanted to say anything, but seeing the child so distressed made Lu Liruan, who knew the truth, feel uneasy.
If Liao Tingyuan were here, she would probably be better at persuading the child than she is.
It was those words he said last time that made the child lower his guard a little.
Teacher Liao has this inexplicable affability. Back then, Lu Liruan naturally told him about her past. Now that she thinks about it... Liao Tingyuan used to be a kindergarten teacher. He really treated her like a child!
The child hesitated for a moment after hearing Lu Liruan's question, but then turned around, looked at the girl next to him, took a big bite of the popsicle, and grimaced from the cold.
"I……"
"Ok?"
"Who do you think of?" Lu Liruan asked first when she saw him hesitate.
"Let me think... Mom," the child replied hesitantly.
Lu Liruan thought to herself, "No wonder the child can't think of anything. In this kind of family, the child is neither like nor like anyone else!"
Although the woman is strong and a very responsible mother, from Lu Liruan's perspective, she also has a bad temper and is sometimes too strict with her children.
Although it's for the child's own good, the child is so old... Lu Liruan was also a child once, and because of her own experiences, she has a better memory of her childhood than others.
Parents' emotions have a great influence on their children, and it's not something you can hide from them. Lu Liruan knew from a young age that her family was not well, so she was always careful and worried, afraid that she would become a poor child without a home, like in a storybook.
Moreover, the woman didn't start out rebelling; she endured this oppressive life for quite some time due to the influence of her family and parents.
If you were to ask what kind of child you hope they will be...
Lu Liruan hopes that this child will be strong-willed and independent from a young age, not be affected by his childhood experiences, and be able to walk firmly towards a better future together with his mother.
But Lu Liruan couldn't tell these things to the children.
I could only stuff another potato chip into my mouth.
"You don't need to think of yourself as someone else~ Didn't your teachers at school say that everyone is an independent individual? Do you know what independence means?"
"Hmm..." The child shook his head and then nodded: "The teachers at school didn't mention it."
"That's because you're still too young, so your teachers haven't told you yet. I think you're very sensible, like a little adult, so I told you before your school teachers did~" Lu Liruan said in a serious tone, making up a bunch of nonsense.
Her earnest expression made the child involuntarily nod and listen carefully to what she said.
This older sister... and the older brother who isn't here today, they don't treat him like a child, which makes the child feel valued.
Moreover, after he told his mother what they had taught him last time, she did seem to be in a much better mood and was less prone to anger. During this time, the child clearly felt that life at home had become happy again, a happiness that belonged only to him and his mother.
But this happiness seems to have been shattered again today.
Although he was still not quite sure what had happened.
But he also understood what "dead" meant.
The police officer told Mom that Dad had died.
His mother looked terrifying. The police officer asked her a lot of questions. Although his mother had locked him in the bedroom, he could vaguely hear her crying and saying something as she cried.
A policewoman even came to ask me a question.
For example, ask yourself, when was the last time I saw my father?
What is Dad like at home?
He also asked his father if he had ever hit him, and whether he liked his father.
He answered them all.
When the police officers left, Mom was still standing at the door. She pulled him to her side and asked, "Are you done asking questions now? Can you please not ask my child anymore?"
He didn't know what was going on, but he still felt a little scared.
Because Mom seemed particularly nervous.
But when he asked his mother, she wouldn't tell him anything, which made him feel even more uneasy. Today, when he talked to his mother, she just kept hugging him.
He told his mother he wanted to go down to the yard to play. His mother usually accompanies him, but today she readily agreed.
They gave him money and told him to buy whatever he wanted.
He went downstairs, but he didn't feel happy at all.
Because his mother's face clearly showed that she was very sad, he felt that after he left the house, his mother might cry alone in secret.
Since his mother didn't want to be seen by him, he decided to stay in the yard a little longer, but unexpectedly ran into his sister again.
Seeing the struggle written all over his little face, Lu Liruan reached out and patted his head: "What I'm about to tell you are things that only adults should know."
“You are an independent person, and your mother is an independent person. Everyone is an independent person, so there is no such thing as you having to be like someone or be the same as someone! If it were that easy to be the same, wouldn’t everyone on the street be the same?” Lu Liruan said in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
But the child clearly took it to heart.
"Sister, don't you resemble anyone?"
"Hmm...more or less. I think I'm just being myself, and you should be yourself too!" Lu Liruan patted the child's shoulder, as if giving him an important assignment.
The child, not understanding why, was moved by her earnestness and nodded vigorously.
Lu Liruan knew what the mistress was worried about. She was probably also worried... whether this child would become... She probably already knew about the man's family.
She also worries about whether she can raise her child well and live a good life, and whether the things that happened in their family will leak out and affect her child's future.
Everything that falls into a mother's heart is like a mountain.
This forced her to consider it constantly.
"Oh, right." Lu Liruan suddenly remembered something.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, popped a potato chip into his mouth, and mumbled, "Oh, right, I found your picture a few days ago!"
The child's attention was immediately drawn: "Huh? What about my picture?"
Lu Liruan found a few photos of children that she had specially saved in her photo album and handed them to him: "Look, isn't this you?"
The child came closer to look, then his eyes lit up: "It's me! How come there's a picture of me here!" He seemed very surprised.
"Didn't you go and help the volunteers rescue the kittens? They took pictures at the time, and when I saw them, I found you in them, so I specifically asked them for the photos!" Lu Liruan shamelessly reversed the cause and effect.
“I told him he’s a really kind kid in our neighborhood,” Lu Liruan said, giving him a thumbs up.
If you don't know how to make a child happy, try praising him first!
Sure enough, the child's attention was diverted, and he showed some embarrassment.
"Should I print the photos out for you?" Lu Liruan thought he probably didn't have a cell phone either.
"Sister, you can send me the photos directly."
Lu Liruan saw the child raise the watch on his wrist.
"This one will do!"
Lu Liruan: ...
Wow, this is so advanced! It's making me feel like I'm falling behind the latest technology at my age.
Lu Liruan added the child as a friend and sent him the photo.
"Mom said a few days ago that she'll allow me to keep a kitten at home someday," the child said excitedly, suddenly remembering the idea.
"That's great!" Lu Liruan gave him a high five.
"I can still use the bowls I left at home!" the child exclaimed excitedly.
"I'll treat the kitten well this time too~" Lu Liruan thought. This kitten that was taken home this time would definitely be a happy kitten, and it would grow up with this child.
"Yes! I will definitely take good care of it!"
Lu Liruan was worried that the child would go out of the yard alone, so she accompanied him to buy snacks, escorted him back to the entrance of the building, and then turned to leave.
A sense of pride filled my heart.
Although she didn't know if what she said would really ease the child's worries, Lu Liruan felt useful because she had the ability to help others...
When she got home, Liao Tingyuan looked somewhat puzzled as he opened the door for her.
"Why are you only getting back now?" Liao Tingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to reply to my messages?"
Lu Liruan suddenly had an idea...
When children come home, do they also get this question and treatment from their mothers as soon as they open the door?
Lu Liruan suddenly laughed when she thought of this.
Liao Tingyuan's appearance seemed rather puzzling.
Lu Liruan thought that when a child comes home and is asked by their mother, they might feel nervous and guilty, but she didn't have to; she was even a little stronger than a child.
"It's nothing, it's nothing! I just think you're really nice, Teacher Liao!" Lu Liruan forced herself to give him a thumbs up, then slipped past him, saying, "Teacher Liao, I bought several bags of potato chips, here are two for you!"
During dinner that evening, Lu Liruan told Liao Tingyuan about her encounter with the children, concluding with a sigh: "Although there's not much I can do, sometimes I wonder if I would be happy if I had the ability to help others?"
"Teacher Liao~" Lu Liruan leaned closer to him and asked, "You've helped me so much, don't you feel like I've made you happier?"
Lu Liruan deliberately asked this question in a cheeky manner, while placing both hands on her chin and opening them to the sides: "Teacher Liao~ Look at me, blooming~"
It was originally just a joke, but Lu Liruan noticed that Liao Tingyuan was looking at her face with a very serious expression, so serious that Lu Liruan didn't know whether to continue teasing him.
"Mmm." Liao Tingyuan pressed down on the backs of her hands, making her place her palms on her face again, and gently shook them: "Happy."
Lu Li and Ruan Mengmeng, why aren't they playing by the rules?
Immediately, Lu Liruan suddenly felt embarrassed. Unusually, her face began to flush and her eyes started to dart around.
Liao Tingyuan continued, "It's not because I'm helping you... Actually, I haven't helped you much. On the contrary, you've performed exceptionally well in this space."
He sighed, his voice as soft as a feather falling on your heart: "Being with Ruan Ruan makes me very happy."
How can he be so good with words!
How come he's suddenly so eloquent!
Why did he...?
Seeing Lu Liruan's stunned expression, Liao Tingyuan pursed his lips, feeling somewhat uneasy himself.
I thought this little girl would be loud and boisterous... but to my surprise, she actually quieted down.
This made the atmosphere between the two of them quite strange for a moment.
Liao Tingyuan patted Lu Liruan's hand and gently pulled her fingers to open her hand from beside her face again.
"……flowering?"
Lu Liruan: ...
Don't try to act cute at a time like this!
Although Lu Liruan didn't know how to react at this moment, she couldn't deny that she was really happy to hear Liao Tingyuan's words.
I'm even happier than when I walked in...
Lu Liruan no longer wanted to delve into why she was so happy.
Anyway... as long as I'm happy, that's all that matters! She told herself.
Liao Tingyuan didn't understand why he suddenly said that...
Perhaps it's because they're about to leave the environment where they're alone together, so they finally said what was on their minds.
"Teacher Liao... does your company say I can go back with you tomorrow?" Lu Liruan asked nervously, sitting on the sofa, completely oblivious to what was on TV.
"Hmm," Liao Tingyuan replied from the kitchen. Lu Liruan had asked this question several times already.
Lu Liruan felt a strange sense of guilt...
It's as if I'm some naive, uneducated young man who's kidnapped a rich family's daughter, acted first and informed her later, made it a fait accompli, and now I'm taking the child to meet her parents...
Oh, the children are the two sources of infection, which is perfect because she and Liao Tingyuan can each hold... no, each carry one.
Lu Liruan didn't know why she had this feeling. Perhaps it was because she learned about Teacher Liao's academic background and past experiences.
Comparing myself to him, if I were to look for a job normally, I really wouldn't be able to be his colleague; my educational background would put me at a disadvantage from the start.
"Your boss won't give me a hard time, will he?"
Lu Liruan asked vaguely while biting into a potato chip.
"Why?" Liao Tingyuan was actually quite puzzled by Lu Liruan's concerns. He had already told her that the company was short-staffed at the moment, and that according to their leader's personality, she would be very welcome if she went there.
Why is Lu Liruan still so nervous?
Liao Tingyuan was indeed unaware of Lu Liruan's "rich, beautiful, and successful woman" mentality, otherwise he would have felt extremely resentful that he could be described as a "rich, beautiful, and successful woman" by a young girl.
"What's your work address? What time are we leaving tomorrow? We won't be late, will we? What should I wear?" Lu Liruan asked, pacing back and forth.
Liao Tingyuan gave her the address.
"Huh?" Lu Liruan checked the map.
"How come... this doesn't seem to be a commercial area, it's a villa area?" Lu Liruan thought she had made a mistake.