Chapter 918: Chapter 898
His gaze darkened.
Did she think she could make him succumb like this?
Was she underestimating his willpower?
Gripping the wireless mouse, he continued staring at the computer screen.
To suppress his anger, he furiously took down two mini bosses in the game.
Hmph, still angry?
Even after all this, he was still ignoring her.
Jiayi tried to tease him for a while, but seeing that he still wouldn’t respond, she got tired and puffed up her cheeks in frustration, preparing to jump off his lap: "So boring! Go ahead and keep playing your game."
As she started to leave, the last trace of his anger vanished completely, and a fiery glint appeared in his eyes.
After all this, she still wanted him to keep playing games!?
With a sudden motion, he stood up, picked her up, and walked away from the computer.
She let out a startled cry, but before she could say anything, he was already heading toward the master bedroom next to the study, holding her tightly.
"Hey, hey, hey—stop, you—you—put me down..."
"Before making moves like that, you should’ve considered the consequences."
"What are you talking about? I just didn’t want you to stay upset."
Her protests were completely ignored!
He raised a wicked eyebrow, then kicked the bedroom door open—not too hard, not too lightly.
*
By the time she climbed out of bed the next morning, it was already close to ten o’clock.
He had been the one upset—so why was she the one who couldn’t get out of bed the next day?
Every day, after calming the little ones, she had to soothe the big one too. What a tough life.
Jiayi supported her aching waist, her entire body feeling as if she’d been through a beating, and sighed deeply in frustration.
Still, at least there were results.
At the very least, Huo Zhenyang had agreed to let Little Doubao stay at Disheng for a few days.
Thinking about the newly-arrived Little Doubao at Disheng, Jiayi quickly washed up, changed her clothes, and rushed downstairs.
The three Little Baozis, led by Auntie Li, had already had breakfast and were sprawled haphazardly across the carpet in the living room.
Zaizai and Xinxin were playing with toys, while Little Doubao quietly watched TV.
When Little Doubao saw Jiayi coming downstairs, he shifted his gaze from the TV screen to her, as if curious about why she’d gotten up so late.
Zaizai continued playing with his toys, casually remarking as if he’d seen it a hundred times before: "Dou Shabao cousin, you better get used to it. Anytime Dad’s company isn’t busy and he comes home early, Mom will always sleep in super late the next morning."
"Zaizai." Jiayi’s face flushed, and she sternly scolded the little one for talking nonsense.
Walking up to the three, Jiayi reached out and gently ruffled Little Doubao’s hair: "Did you sleep well last night? Are you feeling comfortable here?"
Auntie Li had arranged Little Doubao’s room next to Zaizai and Xinxin’s.
Little Doubao said nothing. His large eyes simply gazed at Jiayi, filled with innocence and tranquility like a newborn.
Jiayi knew he must have slept well. Feeling relieved, she looked into Little Doubao’s clear and pure eyes, much happier and more content than she had been yesterday at the hotel, and let out a gentle sigh.
After playing alongside the three kids for a bit on the plush carpet, Jiayi stood up: "Zaizai, Xinxin, you two take good care of your cousin Little Doubao and play nicely with him. Don’t bully him. Mommy needs to work now." There was still a little bit of the costume design draft left to finish.
Zaizai and Xinxin didn’t mind, but as Jiayi was about to leave, Little Doubao suddenly reached out and tugged at the corner of her shirt.
Jiayi froze for a second, her heart aching yet warm.
She understood that Little Doubao had already started to trust her, relying on her deeply.
Children have the clearest eyes in the world, often seeing more truth than adults about who truly cares for them.
Having lived with foster parents until the age of four or five, only to be sent back to the orphanage afterward, Little Doubao had suffered a double blow.
Little Doubao probably couldn’t understand why he kept being abandoned by families, nor could he figure out what he’d done wrong.
That’s why, whenever he met someone he liked and felt they were about to leave, his reflex was to panic, afraid of being abandoned once again.
Kneeling down, she gently said, "I’m not leaving. I’ll just be next door working. Zaizai and Xinxin will play with you, okay? Zaizai is your cousin, and apart from me, everyone in this house really likes you and welcomes you."
Zaizai and Xinxin enthusiastically came over to reach for Little Doubao.
Little Doubao, surrounded by the two little ones, finally showed a faint blush and let go of Jiayi’s tightly-gripped shirt corner.
Though he allowed Jiayi to leave, Little Doubao still watched her retreating figure with reluctance.
Zaizai looked at his cousin’s expression and generously blurted out, "Dou Shabao cousin, you like my mommy so much, why don’t I share her with you a little, okay?"
Little Doubao curiously and expectantly looked at his cousin.
Seeing him so serious, Zaizai added boldly, "I’ll share a quarter with you!"
Xinxin crawled over, puzzled: "Brother Ting, why not share half instead of a quarter?"
"My mommy spends half her time with me and the other half with my daddy. Asking Daddy to give up Mommy is impossible! So now I’ll give half of my share to Dou Shabao cousin. That means both Dou Shabao cousin and I get a quarter of Mommy’s time each!"
Xinxin counted on her chubby fingers for a while, then opened her little mouth: "...Brother Ting, your math is really good."
"Dou Shabao cousin, from now on, my mommy is your quarter-mommy. So cheer up, okay? Be happy!"
Zaizai casually patted Little Doubao on the shoulder.
Little Doubao’s pale, thin face flushed slightly, and the corners of his lips curled up.
**
After staying at the Huo Family for just two or three days, Little Doubao had almost completely adjusted. Though he still hadn’t spoken, his personality had clearly brightened; he was getting along better and better with his playmates Zaizai and Xinxin.
Xinxin had been staying at the Huo Family for quite some time.
On the day the Gan Family came to take Xinxin back to the north, Little Doubao and Zaizai both went to see her off. Watching her leave for the plane made him visibly downcast.
Jiayi knew this kind of reaction meant Little Doubao was becoming more emotionally responsive to the world around him—a significant improvement for someone with autism.
Whenever Huo Zhenyang came home and saw Little Doubao, even though he didn’t talk much, his expression softened for the first time.
Jiayi understood that this was already a big step for him.
With his personality, even if he wanted to treat his nephew a little better, he couldn’t possibly be overly affectionate.
