While Han Zhixin carefully bathed him, the boy had his eyes glued to the man the entire time.
This was the first time he had ever bathed a child; hence, he was very careful throughout the bath.
Han Zhixin always thought that children were toilsome when he worked at the hospital, but he couldn't say the same about this one.
He was understanding, adorable, and cute.
"Little one, is the water warm enough?"
Tang Xun, who had his eyes stuck on the man's face, finally reacted. He felt embarrassed about getting caught again, so he looked down and shyly nodded his head.
Once in a while, Han Zhixin saw the little bun sneakily looking at him with bright red cheeks.
He was pleasantly amused by his behavior.
"What are you looking at?" he teased, and he softly stroked his nose with soap bubbles.
The little bun was stunned by the act, and when soapy water tickled his nose, a series of sneezes followed.
Han Zhixin, who wanted to tease him some more, was startled by this.
"Alright, that's enough bathing for today." He decisively stated
He carried him up and wrapped him in a baby blue towel.
The little bun, who was still processing the teasing, looked at Han Zhixin with wide eyes, feeling aggrieved by the shortened bath time.
He stared at the face, which had a concerned look, and couldn't help but break into a smile. He snaked his arms around Han Zhixin's neck and felt satisfied.
'This person is the best candidate for being his father. He'll observe him some more before finalizing.' He thought to himself and nodded, calculating his next move.
The man was startled and almost stopped, but he quickly composed himself and walked towards the dresser drawer.
He had so many unanswered questions going through his head, but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries.
Yet, he didn't realize that he had already overstepped his limits when he shamelessly entered a woman's house, flirted with her, and also bathed her son.
The little bun slid down from the man's arms and opened his clothes drawer.
Tang Xun had a thoughtful look when he glanced through his clothes.
'Mama always says that clothes are like weapons, so I need to choose carefully.'
He remembered the day when his mother was attending a party and looked so pretty in that dress. He too wanted to go with her, so he asked curiously.
"Mama, you look so pretty. Where are you going?"
At first, Tang Li Mei smiled at him and carried him in her arms.
But when they stood in front of the mirror, her expression became serious.
"Tang Xun, always remember that it's not only money and your status that makes people wary of you but also how you carry yourself."
The little bun looked at the reflection of his mother confusedly. He knew his mother was serious when she called him 'Tang Xun' but he couldn't get his head around what she had just said.
Tang Li Mei chuckled at the little one's adorable expression and sat him on the dressing table. She kneeled and smiled at him.
"Just think of it like an exam; you study to get good marks, right? That's your weapon. Just like that, this is a weapon for me. In the future, whenever you are in a situation where you need to prepare yourself for any important situations or situations that are difficult, you have to choose your weapons carefully, okay?"
The little boy thought to himself before asking.
"So, Mama has an exam today? Xun'er thought Mama was going to a party." He innocently stated
Tang Li Mei giggled; she didn't know what to say to him anymore.
"Yes, this party is also an exam for Mama, so I'm weaponizing myself." She smirked and explained.
"Then what's Xun'er's weapon?"
Tang Li Mei laughed at his question.
"That's something my baby needs to figure out on his own." She teased.
At first, when his mother said this, he couldn't understand the word 'weapons' but when he realized the meaning and the weight it carried, he understood and felt what his mother said was correct.
He soon figured out that because of his looks and if he behaved adorably, the elders would give in to him. He tried this first with Grandma Lan, and to his surprise, it was a success.
And that's how Tang Xun was in the process of being brainwashed into becoming black-bellied.
Han Zhixin closely looked at the little one's adorable face, not missing a single action while he chose his clothes.
A sad smile appeared on his face. On one hand, he felt glad about how Tang Xun could take care of himself; and on the other, he couldn't imagine a four-year-old acting so maturely.
'He must have forced himself to grow up fast so that at least his mother could be worry-free when it concerns him.'
Once the little one was done getting dressed, Han Zhixin stared at him for a while before swiftly carrying the little bun in his arms.
He couldn't help it.
The little one looked so innocent and adorable in his white t-shirt and blue denim shorts.
Tang Xun, who was a little startled at first, composed himself before smiling slyly.
If he keeps at it like this, he is sure he will have a father in no time.
-------------------
Tang Li Mei cracked open the door to her room and looked around the hallway.
"It's safe" she exhaled, heaving a sigh of relief.
Just as she breathed out, she was dumbstruck when she felt two pairs of eyes on her.
She stiffly turned her head to her right to find a pair of adorable grey eyes and a pair of pale blue eyes weirdly staring at her.
Her lips twitched, and she cursed herself for behaving so childishly.
'This devil—it's all because of him!' Tang Li Mei felt that if this man stayed for a few more hours at her house, her son would lose all the respect he had for her.
"Mama?"
The little bun called out to her in hesitation. His mother's face was as red as a tomato.
"Yes, baby? Are you on your way to have breakfast?" She asked, looking at the little bun.
The little boy nodded his head and held out his hands to her. Tang Li Mei smiled and carried him while walking towards the staircase.
Han Zhixin chuckled lightly at her shy behavior.
He was elated to see her so bothered since it also meant she was becoming more aware of him.
The little bun sneakily looked at the two of them with gleaming eyes.
Han Zhixin walked and leaned his head towards her.
"Xiao Mei, good morning!" He greeted her with a wide smile.
Tang Li Mei was startled and almost lost her balance, but she steadied herself quickly.
Han Zhixin tensed and quickly extended his hand, but stopped midway when he received a glare from the woman.
"Good morning," she replied stiffly.
The man couldn't help but smile at her when she glared.
She looked so adorable.
Tang Li Mei rolled her eyes at him.
'Here we go, it's that stupid smile again." She cursed.
'It's a jinx, and she was sure that one day it was going to cause a series of problems for her!' She was already tormented by it.
'No no no!!! I need to distance myself from this perverted devil for my own safety; otherwise, with that disastrous smile…' She didn't even want to think about it.
"Are you okay? Did I startle you?" Han Zhixin smirked.
Tang Li Mei's eyes twitched, but she could only nod to answer. Oh boy, she was way more than just startled.
'Ahhhhhh!!!!! This perverted, devilish bastard is at it again!!' Tang Li Mei took a deep breath to calm herself and walked down the stairs, followed by a man who looked very pleased and was plotting behind her back.