"Little troublemaker, you never take anything seriously," Xia Shuyi said as she tapped Shen Lang on the forehead with her fair finger.
"I'm only like this in front of you, Sister Xia," Shen Lang replied, pretending to be sincere. "I'm too shy to even talk to other girls."
"Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that," Xia Shuyi said with a quirky glance at Shen Lang.
"Alright, it's almost seven. I need to take Mengmeng to school," Xia Shuyi said, sitting up in bed, revealing her smooth, fair skin as she reached for her clothes, unfazed by Shen Lang's stare.
They were already close, and Shen Lang had been hands-on. Xia Shuyi was no longer shy about it. Instead, she felt a bit proud that she could captivate a young man in his twenties like this.
"Tsk, tsk. Sister Xia, did you lie about your age?" Shen Lang said, openly admiring her smooth, youthful skin. "Are you really 36? I'd believe you if you said you were 20!"
"Smooth talker... Get dressed and get up," Xia Shuyi said, rolling her eyes at him, but she couldn't hide her smile.
After dressing, Xia Shuyi gently nudged the little girl, "Mengmeng, get up and brush your teeth. You'll be late for kindergarten."
"Mom, I don't want to go to school. I want to stay with Brother Shen," Mengmeng protested.
"No way. Brother Shen has things to do. Get up, or I'll spank you," Xia Shuyi said sternly.
Mengmeng, now awake, clung lazily to Shen Lang's arm and looked at him with big, sleepy eyes. "Brother Shen, can you be my dad?"
Shen Lang was stunned, and Xia Shuyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mengmeng, what are you saying? Brother Shen is too young to be your dad."
But she was secretly watching Shen Lang's reaction.
"But all my classmates at kindergarten have dads, except me," Mengmeng said sadly. "Every time there's a parent-child event, everyone has a dad except me."
Kids grow up fast these days. Mengmeng, having lost her dad early, was more mature than her peers. She knew her mom had a lot of money and was worried that bad men might take advantage of her, so she never asked for a new dad. But since Shen Lang moved in, Xia Shuyi had been happier and often talked about him, so Mengmeng sensed her mom liked him.
Mengmeng liked Shen Lang too and innocently wished he could be her dad, not knowing it wasn't that simple.
Sitting on Shen Lang's lap, Mengmeng earnestly explained, "Brother Shen, my mom has lots of money, cars, and houses. If you become my dad, all this will be yours."
"And everyone says my mom is very pretty, like a movie star. You won't regret it, right, Mom?" she added, looking proudly at Xia Shuyi.
Xia Shuyi gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond, but she was watching Shen Lang closely.
She wanted to know what he thought about their relationship.
Shen Lang pinched Mengmeng's cheek, not choosing any of the prepared responses, and casually said, "Of course, I can."
"Really?" Mengmeng's eyes lit up with joy. "Brother Shen, you really want to be my dad?"
"Of course. Brother Shen likes your mom and you very much, so I'd love to be your dad," Shen Lang said, smiling.
"Yay, I have a dad!" Mengmeng cheered, then asked excitedly, "Can I call you dad now?"
Shen Lang nodded, "Sure!"
"Hehe, Dad!" Mengmeng said, then corrected herself, "Just dad, not Brother Shen."
"Yes, dad."
"Good girl. Now go brush your teeth and wash your face. Mommy will take you to kindergarten," Shen Lang said.
"Okay!" Mengmeng ran off to the bathroom in her fluffy slippers.
After the lively little girl left, the room fell silent, and Shen Lang started dressing.
"Shen," Xia Shuyi said, feeling a mix of emotions, "how about I make breakfast for us three?"
She emphasized "us three" to hint at her feelings.
Shen Lang calmly refused, "I have things to do later, so I can't stay."
"Oh, right. It's getting late," Xia Shuyi said with a forced smile. "If you stay, Mengmeng might not want to go to kindergarten. It's okay, go ahead."
Shen Lang didn't respond and continued dressing.
Xia Shuyi sat on the bed, her face showing no emotion. She watched him quietly, lips tightly pressed together.
"Sister Xia," Shen Lang said, dressed and looking at the downcast Xia Shuyi with interest, "can you still have kids?"