While Xu Qin was having a conversation with his father, Xu Ming on the other hand was brought to Xu Mei's bedroom.
Xu Qin's and Xu Mei's rooms were right next to each other on the same floor as him.
Since both father and daughter were morning people whereas Su Ming liked to sleep in, the three rarely bumped into each other during the daytime.
Unless it was intentional from the Su Ming's side.
In short, Xu Mei never had her Mom step inside her room which resulted in Xu Ming's current situation.
Arriving in front of the room, Xu Ming slightly arched an eyebrow.
The door to the little girl's room had a built-in small door specifically designed for little kids. Xu Ming was not sure whether this was how normal households designed the doors for small children or not, therefore, it slightly piqued his interest.
In the meantime, Xu Mei smoothly grabbed the door handle and held it down to open the door with not much effort just like how adults usually did.
She excitedly entered her room and then quickly turned around to urge her mother to come in.
However, upon seeing the small door could barely reach her mother's chest, she belatedly realized that her mother couldn't possibly walk through this door like her.
Why am I so stupid not to think of this?!
Xu Mei became increasingly flustered worrying that her Mom might be dissatisfied with her thoughtless action.
Yet, before she was able to say anything her mother slowly crouched down as she observed the little door.
"This is quite thoughtful."
As Xu Ming put down these words he unhurriedly slipped in through the small door without bothering to open the bigger door.
Xu Mei was stunned silly after seeing her Mom come in without any complaint. Soon afterward, her small fair face was full of smiles as she busily started to introduce her room.
"That is my bed!"
"These toys were bought by Big Grandpa!"
"These plants were bought by Grandpa!"
"These art supplies were bought by Grandma!"
"These children's books were bought by Uncle Wei!"
"These clothes, shoes, accessories, and bags were made by Aunt Ling!"
"The furniture and decorations were all from Daddy!"
The mother did not participate in anything.
Was what was on Xu Ming's mind as he gazed at the enthusiastic kid before him.
"Mom, what do you think about my room?!"
Xu Ming issued a soft En as he shifted his line of sight to silently eye the room.
The room was neither big nor small, it was just right for a small child like her. The wallpaper was a soft color palette and filled with cute doodles.
The bed was big enough for her to roll around without needing to be worried about having her fall off while she was sleeping.
There was a small table and chair for her to study. Not-so-high bookshelves packed with books mounted on the wall in the shape of a tree.
The room had sufficient sunlight shining through the windows near the table. Three small pot plants were placed on the window sill and they seemed to be watered not long ago.
With this arrangement, the little girl could take a break from her studies to look at the plants as well as outside the window to see a beautiful view of the garden and the lake.
The floor was covered with soft carpets and after a brief observation, there was no sharp edge on any of the furniture to prevent any sort of accidents from happening.
One could discern that so many thoughts have been put while decorating this room.
Xu Ming wordlessly walked to a wall to look at the doodles. All of a sudden, his pants suddenly got grabbed and tugged in a certain direction by the little ball.
"Mom, you need to start from over there!"
Xu Ming did not resist and allowed himself to be 'dragged' to another location.
Xu Mei happily pointed at a drawing of a man in a business suit sitting down on a wooden bench smiling at the little girl who was sitting in the classroom.
It was not hard to figure out who they were but Xu Ming still patiently listened to the little girl's explanation.
"This drawing is about my first day at school!"
Xu Ming played along and posed a question, "Why is your Dad there?"
Xu Mei had a look of embarrassment on her face as she replied in a small voice, "... I was a bit scared."
Secretly peeking a glance at her mother who patiently stared back at her, she gained more courage to continue, "So Daddy wait for me outside until the school is over."
After saying this, she was afraid of being misunderstood as a troublesome kid, therefore, she hurriedly added, "But it was only on the first day!"
Knowing that the little girl was not that comfortable with him, Xu Ming gave her praise to ease the atmosphere, "You are quite brave."
"... Really?" Xu Mei asked with eyes full of anticipation.
To her reply, Xu Ming gave a light En.
"Then what was your first day at school like?"
... What was it like?
Xu Ming wordlessly lowered his eyes. It has been such a very long time that he was not supposed to remember it.
Yet... He remembered it as clear as day.
That day, it was raining. The sky was dark, the raindrops were cold, the thunders were loud and the wind was chilly.
He... Stood there watching other children being picked up by their parents who came rushing with an umbrella in their hands.
"I am sorry... It happened a long time ago so you couldn't possibly remember it."
Xu Mei uneasily spoke up after seeing her mother suddenly go quiet.
Xu Ming, having been brought back to the present retained his composure. He lightly said, "No, just like you, I am fine on my own."
Hearing this, Xu Mei flashed him a huge smile, "So I take after you then!"
Xu Ming did not expect this reaction to come from the little girl. He was genuinely puzzled, "Don't you hate me?"
Xu Mei's smile instantly went stiff. No matter how smart she was, facing this kind of question from her mother she couldn't help but stutter.
"N-No!"
Xu Mei hurriedly denied this question even utilizing both of her hands and head to demonstrate that it was not true.
"Why?" Xu Ming further pressed.
The little girl involuntarily flinched at this question.
Honestly speaking, she did not hate her but she couldn't confidently say that she liked her either.
After all, she did not have any good memories of her Mom...
With this mindset, Xu Mei felt guilty and flustered being asked about this subject.
As a result, her voice was as small as a mosquito due to a lack of courage, "... Because you are my Mom."
Her words fell and the atmosphere was silent. Right as Xu Mei thought that this issue was dropped, her Mom suddenly replied in a serious voice.
"It is okay to say that you don't like me."
Xu Mei's heart immediately dropped at her mother's words. Unblinkingly staring at her mother's face devoid of any emotions, she couldn't interpret what her mother meant by saying those words to her.
She knew that no one wanted to be disliked by others.
She met other kids at school so she knew to this extent. She would feel sad if some kids were to openly show their dislike toward her.
However, she would only be bothered by those whom she wanted to be on nice terms with.
As for those who looked arrogant and rude, she did not care whether they liked her or not.
... Does this go the same for Mom too?
Am I unimportant to her?
At the thought of this, Xu Mei no longer felt excited about spending time with her Mom.
Her eyes started to become watery and just as her tears were about to roll down her cheeks, her Mom unhurriedly parted her lips and spoke something unexpected.
"Kids shouldn't be held accountable for adults' mistakes."
Xu Ming took out his handkerchief as he knelt on one knee to wipe away her tears, "I am a bad... Mother, so it is only reasonable to resent me."
Hearing her explanation, Xu Mei realized that she had misunderstood her Mom. However, her mood was still low after she recalled another matter.
Xu Ming keenly noticed her hesitation, and he patiently said, "Say what you want."
Xu Mei uneasily looked into her Mom's tranquil eyes before ultimately saying what was on her mind, "... You said that you don't like me being a girl. Are you still resenting me?"
Xu Ming gave a light sigh upon hearing this. He did expect to some extent that Su Ming would say this out loud to her daughter regardless of the latter's feelings.
"One couldn't choose your gender or whether to be born or not. It is not your fault, it is all on... Me."
Xu Ming felt a bit vexed by having to shoulder Su Ming's blame. However, he should do at least this much before leaving this kid behind.
He could have left after signing the divorce agreement but he decided to stay solely due to this kid.
He did not want her mother to become a shadow in her life...
Just like him.
Xu Ming did not immerse in his memories for long since they were on the topic of being a woman. He who became a woman against his will slightly frowned, "Still, being a woman is indeed troublesome."
Xu Mei eagerly picked up her small ears in case she missed the reason why her Mom did not want her to be a girl.
"A man carries a son while a woman carries a twin daughter. They are significantly heavier."
Xu Mei: "?...?"
Xu Ming did not elaborate on his words, he simply moved the handkerchief to her nose, "Blow your nose."
Xu Mei obediently did as told. She couldn't help but ask, "What do they mean?"
Xu Ming was not embarrassed and unhesitatingly kicked the ball to the kid's father to handle this matter, "Ask your Dad."
The little girl replied with an oh before temporarily pushing this matter to the side.
Having an open talk with her Mom made that slight discomfort disappear so she excitedly moved to her small table and brought back various color markers.
"Mom, how about you draw something on the wall? Daddy has been drawing them for me!"
Xu Ming was dumbfounded at this discovery. He felt a bit incredulous as he turned to look at those cute doodles on the wall while recalling Xu Qin's tall and mighty appearance.
One glance and you knew that the artist was good so he thought that Xu Qin hired a professional.
The illustration was cute and bubbly even Xu Ming thought that they were pleasing to the eye. Never did he expect that Xu Qin drew them himself.
On the other hand, Xu Mei felt immensely proud of her Daddy's work, she began to explain those pictures, "Daddy said that whenever I have something good to be remembered he will draw them on the wall for me and be reminded of them!"
You can see them before going to sleep and waking up from the rest.
"He is not bad." Xu Ming's indifferent eyes held a hint of appreciation toward the other man.
To be honest, other than Su Ming, Xu Ming found Xu Qin the most unpleasant person in his eyes upon his rebirth.
Whenever they happened to be alone, it was always him who sat down while the man was looking haughtily at him from a higher viewpoint.
He called him shameless during their first meeting.
Denounced him for not wearing the bras.
He even dared to pat his head.
The most important thing was that...
His son is still with him while his is gone forever.