Having experienced much upheaval at home and having seen his father bury younger people far too many times, he had grown used to partings of life and death. This had led him to take a more detached view of life and the world, not taking anything too seriously or too much to heart.
Whether it was pretending to be Ye Xingbei's husband or offering to be Ye Yiyang's father, it was all on a whim – a casual suggestion. He saw it as a way to rid himself of the mundane side of life by engaging in some random mischief. If it turned out to be fun, he'd do more of it. If not, they would part on good terms.
But now, being stared at by the pure, trusting eyes of the little one, he felt a spontaneous strong surge of emotion.
He wanted to protect this child's purity and trust.
He longed for this child to always look at him with that same clean, trusting gaze.
