Although little Yueyue was just a child, she was still a girl, and Ren experienced for the first time the crazy enthusiasm of shopping with a girl.
Almost every store they passed, Yueyue would dash excitedly inside and spot clothes she wanted. Initially, Ren was the one leading her by the hand, but it wasn't long before Yueyue was the one pulling him from shop to shop.
Princess dresses, Lolita fashion, magic wands...
They bought many things Yueyue wanted, which made her feel incredibly happy.
"Mr. Ren?" Just as Yueyue was about to pull Ren into another store, two figures emerged.
"Miss Xena?" Ren was a bit startled.
This was the woman he had met on the mountain... the young lady whose help had been crucial in adding some details to his manga.
"Wow, the dancing big sister!" Yueyue sweetly exclaimed. Even though Xenawas was as old as her mother, Yueyue called her 'sister' quite eagerly.
"Hello there." Xena ruffled Yueyue's hair.
Ren smiled, then looked at the young child next to Xena, somewhat surprised: "Is this your child?"
If he remembered correctly, Xena had mentioned she wasn't married. Was it another story of being unmarried and pregnant, just like him?
Why did he think 'another'?
"No," Xena quickly clarified, waving her hand. "She's my sister's child, recently staying at my place, so I brought her here to shop..."
She trailed off as she noticed Ren staring at her, and his gaze seemed a bit off.
Subconsciously, she covered her chest: "Ren?"
Realizing his gaffe, Ren blushed, "Sorry, I was just wondering where you bought that necklace?"
He thought Xena's necklace looked nice and figured Jada would be happy if he bought her one.
"The necklace?" Xena breathed a sigh of relief, having thought Ren was staring at her chest.
Even though he was handsome and a manga artist, he was a married man, and she, as a company owner, was not about to disrupt a family just because she was thinking about marriage.
She then told Ren where to find the necklace.
Upon learning it was available in the same mall, Ren's face lit up with joy. He quickly bid Xena farewell and headed to that floor.
Twenty minutes later, Ren and Yueyue, carrying bags, headed home.
...
That evening, Jada parked her car in the garage, walked up to the door, took out her keys, and opened the front door. Entering the living room, she immediately saw the meal Ren had prepared on the table, feeling a surge of happiness.
"Back already?" Ren brought over a dish with a smile, "Just finished cooking. Let's eat together."
"Okay." Jada set down her bag, washed her face and feet, and then sat at the dining table.
She had grown accustomed to this kind of life without realizing it.
At that moment, Yueyue, smelling the food, came out of her room.
Seeing Jada at the table, Yueyue's eyes brightened, and she quickly ran over, starting to talk about how Ren took her out that day.
"That..."
Just then, Ren interrupted Jada, who was chatting with Yueyue, his tone hesitant.
He had rehearsed a romantic gift-giving scenario in his mind many times, but when the moment came, Ren found he couldn't speak. Mouth agape, he finally pulled out the box with the necklace: "I used the money from my latest paycheck to buy you something."
After speaking, Ren began eating, not daring to look at Jada.
Jada, holding the box, was stunned. She hadn't expected Ren to give her anything.
With a slight smile, Jada opened the box, and a necklace caught her eye.
Seeing Ren eating quietly, Jada felt conflicted.
She wasn't a child; she could tell from Ren's actions that he was trying to pursue her.
And they had already done everything a married couple would do.
But for some reason, she was still afraid of marriage, so she had never brought it up.
After a moment of silence, Jada pushed the necklace towards Ren.
Seeing his disappointed look, Jada smiled and said, "What's wrong? Shouldn't a man help a lady put on her necklace?"
"Ah?" Ren was startled, then quickly stood up and went behind Jada to help her with the necklace.
His heart pounded as he did so.
What did this mean? Did she have feelings for him, or was it just politeness?
"How does it look?" Jada turned to face Ren, pursing her lips and quietly asking
.
"Yeah, very cute," Ren earnestly nodded. "But it's not the necklace that's cute; I think you are."
As soon as he spoke, Jada's cheeks reddened, even feeling a bit warm, as she awkwardly fiddled with her hair…
"Then, what about Yueyue! What about Yueyue!" Yueyue, not understanding the situation, saw her daddy complimenting mommy and forgetting about her, which she did not approve of.
She immediately broke in between them, puffing up indignantly.
This disrupted the atmosphere between Ren and Jada.
They looked at each other, then simultaneously pinched Yueyue's cheeks and said in unison, "Yueyue is also very cute."
"Umm," Yueyue could only mumble with her cheeks pinched.
Just then, Ren's phone rang.
Seeing it was his mother's call, Ren shrugged at Jada and walked into another room: "Hello? Mom, what's up?"
"Ai Ren, why did you send so much money? We can't do anything illegal!" his mother's voice was urgent.
How could she not be?
She saw her son had transferred tens of thousands of yuan into her bank account.
She knew what he earned; where did all this money come from?
"Mom, don't worry, it's legally earned," Ren reassured her, warmed by her concern. "It's from my manga royalties."
"You can draw?" His mother was incredulous.
Did she not know her own son?
"You've never had a drop of artistic talent in your life, how can you draw?"
"I've been learning these past few years," Ren replied, somewhat helplessly. "Don't you know me? I'm a good guy; I wouldn't do anything illegal."
"Daddy!" Just as he was speaking, the door burst open, and Yueyue poked her head in: "Hurry up and eat, Daddy. The food will get cold!"
"Daddy?!"
On the other end of the phone, his mother's voice suddenly rose.
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