Upon hearing this, Xie Yizhao pressed his lips together imperceptibly and asked with a subtle tone, “Really? I didn’t notice.”
Lu Xi couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
She finally understood where Xie Heng got his tsundere personality from.
Sitting down on the sofa, she kept smiling at him, her bright eyes shimmering like stars. “Mr. Xie, have you ever heard of the phrase ‘the more you try to cover up, the more obvious it becomes’?”
Xie Yizhao hummed in response, raising an eyebrow at her. “I think I’ve heard it before, but I don’t quite understand. Could you explain it to me, Madam?”
Was he joking with her? Lu Xi blinked, deciding to skip the pretense and go straight to the point. Clearing her throat, she said, “It means that you and your son are both tsundere—clearly wanting to be close to each other but pretending not to care.”
No wonder their relationship had been so strained before.
But to say Xie Yizhao and Xie Heng had a terrible relationship wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Rather, they simply weren’t familiar with each other. Living under the same roof, they barely communicated, and whenever they sat together, even the air around them seemed to freeze.
That was Lu Xi’s impression when she had first arrived.
But lately, things had improved.
Even though they still didn’t talk much when sitting together, the atmosphere wasn’t as awkward as before.
Hearing her words, Xie Yizhao’s gaze paused, and he frowned slightly, as if seriously considering what she had said.
One good thing about this man was that he wasn’t arrogant. He could listen to others and reflect on their words.
Taking advantage of his moment of silence, Lu Xi suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, the picture of baby Heng with a pacifier, do you still have it?”
Xie Yizhao snapped out of his thoughts, momentarily stunned before chuckling. “Wait a moment.”
He went downstairs to his study, retrieved an old phone, plugged it in to charge, and after a few minutes, powered it on. He transferred the photo to his current phone and sent it to Lu Xi before even returning to the bedroom.
So when he walked back in a minute later, he was greeted by the sight of Lu Xi half-lying on the sofa, wearing a doting, love-struck smile.
She had expected it to be cute, but not this cute!
Lu Xi had seen plenty of Xie Heng’s childhood photos—at different ages, from babyhood to adolescence. Around middle school, his growth spurt had kicked in, and his chubby baby face had gradually disappeared, making him look cooler. But no matter what stage he was in, Lu Xi always found him adorable.
However, this particular photo—perhaps because she had never seen it before—hit her right in the heart.
In the picture, baby Xie Heng was sleeping on his side, hugging a plush teddy bear almost as big as himself. His chubby little body was wrapped in a diaper, and he had a pacifier in his mouth, his lips slightly wet.
His eyes were closed, and his lashes were so long that they looked unreal.
“He really looks like a little angel,” Lu Xi murmured, gently tapping the photo with her finger, her eyes sparkling. “I just want to hug him, pinch his cheeks, snatch away his teddy bear and pacifier, and make him cry!”
Xie Yizhao had been listening, finding her reaction rather sweet—until she suddenly switched gears. He blinked in surprise, then chuckled helplessly. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to make him cry.”
Lu Xi blinked back. “Why not?”
Xie Yizhao said, “He used to cry all the time. If he woke up and didn’t see anyone, he cried. If he was hungry, he cried. If he was full, he cried. If people spoke too loudly, he cried. If no one spoke to him, he cried.”
Pfft—
Who would have thought that the little crybaby would grow up into a fierce fighter?
Truly, kids change so much as they grow.
Lu Xi suddenly felt a little regretful. She had missed out on his baby years, and now she could only look at old photos. She hadn’t been there to hold him when he cried.
She glanced at Xie Yizhao and suddenly felt unfairly treated.
Now she understood why he had been jealous earlier.
As they reminisced, Xie Yizhao’s usually stern face softened. “Actually, when he was little, Xiao Heng was very close to me.”
Lu Xi’s eyelids twitched, and she shot him an annoyed glare.
Saying that in front of her, wasn’t he just showing off?
Clearing her throat, she said nonchalantly, “Oh? But he likes me more now.”
Go ahead, be jealous again!
Xie Yizhao : “……”
He fell silent, lowering his gaze to look at her.
When he wasn’t talking or smiling, his expression was quite serious. If it were anyone else, they would probably tread carefully around him.
But Lu Xi wasn’t afraid. She got up, suppressing a smile, and headed for the bed.
Just as she was about to climb in, she was suddenly scooped up by the waist.
She gasped in surprise, but quickly gave up struggling. Instead, she pointed at the bed with an imperious expression. “Perfect timing. I’m too tired to walk—carry me over.”
Xie Yizhao glanced at the short distance between the sofa and the bed, pressed his lips together, then let out a low chuckle. Obediently, he carried her over.
Instead of leaving, he sat down beside her.
The bed was soft, and Lu Xi was light, so when he sat down, she naturally rolled slightly toward him.
Looking down at her, Xie Yizhao seemed like he wanted to say something. But then he recalled her smug expression earlier—both adorable and infuriating—so instead, he reached out and pinched her cheek. “You little ingrate.”
It was unclear whether he was talking about Xie Heng or about her.
Lu Xi simply pretended not to understand and changed the subject. “So, do you support it or not?”
Xie Yizhao: “I don’t know. What do you think?”
Lu Xi puffed up her cheeks, scrutinized him from head to toe, then huffed and turned her back on him.
She realized that Xie Yizhao had changed recently. Changed for the worse.
A chuckle came from behind her.
“Oh, right,” Lu Xi suddenly thought of something and turned to remind Xie Yizhao, “Don’t tell him you sent his photo. Otherwise, he’ll come asking me for mine.”
With that, she opened her tablet and continued watching her drama.
She trusted Xie Yizhao too much, believing he wouldn’t betray her. More importantly, those father and son didn’t usually chat much, so there was no chance of her secret being exposed.
But she overlooked one thing.
Xie Yizhao didn’t immediately agree to her request.
The next morning, Lu Xi was still sound asleep, unaware that the person beside her had already ruthlessly betrayed her.
As usual, Xie Yizhao went for a morning run, and Xie Heng left early for school. The father and son met on the stairs.
Normally, when Xie Heng saw his Dad, he wouldn’t even say greetings. He would just tilt his chin up, shove his hands in his pockets, and walk past quickly.
But this time, his pace slowed unconsciously, even falling slightly behind Xie Yizhao. In an awkward tone, tinged with the grogginess of sleep, he called out, “Dad.”
Xie Yizhao glanced back at him. “What time did you sleep last night?”
Xie Heng no longer needed to hide the fact that he was studying hard. He answered bluntly, “Around midnight.” After a pause, he glanced at his Dad’s silent profile and added, “I was doing practice papers, not playing games.”
Xie Yizhao smirked. “I know.”
Not only did he know, he had heard it.
Back when Xie Heng played games, there was always some noise.
Now, though, he was just as loud, if not louder.
Last night, after Lu Xi had fallen asleep, Xie Yizhao could still hear him downstairs.
—”Ugh, this is so hard!”
—”When I master this, I’m tearing up all these stupid papers!”
And so on.
Xie Yizhao wanted to laugh but somehow couldn’t. He simply nodded slightly and continued downstairs.
Lately, Xie Heng had been having breakfast at home before heading to school. When they reached the first floor, Xie Yizhao was heading out, while Xie Heng was about to turn toward the dining room.
“Wait a second.”
Xie Yizhao gave him a look, hesitated, then asked, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Xie Heng had completely forgotten about his verbal agreement with Lu Xi the night before. Even if he had remembered, he wouldn’t have thought she’d act so fast. His mind jumped straight to what happened at the police station.
Oh, right…
His Dad had taken care of things for him last night but hadn’t lectured him yet.
No matter the reason, he had gotten into a fight and wasted his Dad’s time.
The boy clenched his fingers slightly.
He should probably apologize.
“Well, uh… I was in the wrong for fighting yesterday. If this happens again, I’ll try to find Ms. Lu instead.”
Xie Yizhao : “…”
He couldn’t help it. He shot Xie Heng an exasperated look.
Xie Heng shrank back slightly, stunned.
His Dad was never one to show emotions openly. In all his years growing up, Xie Heng had never seen his Dad slam the table in anger. If his Dad was displeased, just one glance from his Dad was enough to make a person nervous from head to toe.
But… what did he say wrong?
The boy looked genuinely confused.
Xie Yizhao raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
“Huh?” Xie Heng thought about it, then cautiously added, “I’ll fight less in the future?”
Not fighting at all was impossible. Even if he didn’t pick fights, people would still mess with him. He wasn’t about to lie.
Xie Yizhao took a deep breath, pressing down the complicated emotions in his chest. He couldn’t be bothered to look at him anymore.
This unfilial son…
If he stared at this brat any longer, he might just smack the brat on the head to see if any water would spill out.
As he turned to leave, something suddenly occurred to him.
In a casual tone, he said, “Oh, by the way, last night I sent your Mom the pictures of you wearing a diaper and sucking on a pacifier.”
Xie Heng’s eyes widened. “Huh? Awesome! She lied to me. She hasn’t even sent her photo to me yet!”
“Is that so?” Xie Yizhao’s lips curled slightly, his mood instantly improving. “Ask her for them when you get home tonight.”
His Dad didn’t need to remind him—Xie Heng was definitely going to demand her photos. He wasn’t about to let someone else see his childhood embarrassments for free.
All day at school, this was on his mind.
As soon as he got home that evening, he went straight to the study.
Even his knocking was more urgent than usual.
Lu Xi opened the door and saw the boy standing there, looking less than pleased. He held out his hand toward her.
She raised an eyebrow. “If you’re asking for money, go find your Dad.”
Xie Heng snorted. “Don’t try to fool me, I already know. Hurry up and send me the photos.”
Lu Xi: “…”
By the time she reacted, her first instinct was to play dumb. But after taking a good look at him—his backpack still slung over his shoulders, clearly having come straight here after school—she realized he had been planning this all along.
Not just planning… probably even strategizing.
She pressed her lips together.
No need to ask, she already knew who had told him.
Unbelievable. That old man actually sold her out just to get closer to his son?
Blocked in the study, Lu Xi suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness.
She had been betrayed.
Lu Xi glanced at the brat in front of her. She knew him too well. If she refused now, he would pester her to death.
“I need a few days to find them. I’ll pick a good one and send it to you,” she sighed in defeat.
Xie Heng thought for a moment. He didn’t push her too hard and simply nodded. “How many days?”
“Three.”
That finally got rid of him.
Lu Xi let out a breath of relief.