Chapter 285: The Object of Coquetry

But what Chen Mo wanted to be now was a reliable man who could let the woman he loved act spoiled and carefree, a reliable father who could let his children act spoiled and carefree with him.

The door clicked shut, leaving the faint scent of his mother’s perfume to quietly linger and spread in the entryway.

Chen Mo stood with his back against the door for a moment. He could almost still feel the warm, soft touch of his mother’s palm on his cheek. That long-lost feeling of being cherished like a child, tinged with a bittersweet warmth, settled heavily in his heart.

He let out a soft sigh, carefully folding away the emotions of their parting and tucking them into the softest corner of his heart.

Turning around, he found the living room steeped in tranquility.

Sunlight streamed through the half-open blinds, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the floor. Tiny dust motes danced leisurely in the sunbeams.

Su Yuqing was standing quietly by the sofa, unconsciously pinching a corner of the Comprehensive Guide for College Freshmen, her gentle gaze fixed on him.

She had clearly heard the final exchange between mother and son outside the door. Her limpid eyes were filled with understanding and a barely perceptible trace of heartache for him.

"Is... she gone?" she asked softly, her voice barely a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the quiet.

"Yeah, her flight’s this afternoon." Chen Mo nodded and walked toward her, a gentle smile naturally spreading across his face as he tried to dispel the fine dust of departure from the air.

He came to stand before Su Yuqing and naturally reached out, gently brushing aside a strand of hair on her cheek that had been stirred by the fan’s breeze. The touch of his fingertips carried a comforting warmth. "My mom’s just like that—always a whirlwind."

"She’s so good to you," Su Yuqing said, looking up at him with a gaze full of pure envy and warmth.

She gently placed the book on the sofa, then raised her hands and, as if cupping a fragile treasure, softly held Chen Mo’s face.

Her fingertips were cool, but her movements were filled with a careful tenderness and a clumsy imitation—she was mimicking Chen Xi’s earlier gesture.

"Are you... okay?"

Chen Mo froze for a second, then an immense wave of warmth instantly enveloped him.

He didn’t pull away. Instead, he lowered his head slightly so she could hold his face more easily, his deep eyes reflecting her concerned little face.

’Just a moment ago, I was thinking I had no one to act spoiled with anymore,’ he thought. ’But now I realize I seem to have overlooked someone very important.’

’With Su Yuqing, he could actually let his guard down and act a little spoiled now and then.’

"I’m fine, of course I am," he said in a low voice, a hint of barely-there hoarseness in his tone. "It’s just... it’s been a long time since I had a proper talk with my mom. It feels a little... well, a little strange, but I miss it."

He was being honest, a self-deprecating smile on his face.

As he spoke, he lay down on the sofa, naturally resting his head on Su Yuqing’s lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a posture reminiscent of a small child acting spoiled with their mother.

But for them, it was just a bit of playful intimacy between lovers.

Su Yuqing looked down at the sincere vulnerability in his eyes, and her own heart softened.

With a doting expression, she gently traced the contours of his cheek with her fingertips, as if sketching him, but more so, as if conveying silent comfort.

"I think your mom is adorable. Her eyes were red when she left. She loves you very much."

"I know. I just used to get upset that they weren’t around, but that’s just how I thought when I was a kid," Chen Mo said with a smile. He raised his hand to cover Su Yuqing’s as it caressed his cheek, enveloping it in his own warm palm and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Parents have their own difficulties..."

"I understand that now." Chen Mo’s head was close to Su Yuqing’s stomach, his voice coming out muffled. "Honestly, as long as I see they’re healthy and happy, I don’t ask for anything more."

"That really is more important than anything. And with your mom’s personality, she should be someone who’s easily satisfied and finds happiness easily, right?" Su Yuqing was quite envious of Chen Xi’s disposition.

Chen Mo nodded. "That’s for sure. This time, she got to hear the ’fated match’ confirmation she was hoping for, and she was over the moon."

At the mention of the words "fated match," two crimson clouds reappeared on Su Yuqing’s cheeks. She shyly lowered her gaze but didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she let him hold it, her fingertips rubbing gently against his cheek in a dependent response.

The Dream-Seeking Jade she kept close to her skin also seemed to grow slightly warm, pressing comfortingly against her heart through the thin fabric of her clothes.

Without his mother, the "life of the party," present, the living room was left to just the two of them. That quiet intimacy, tinged with a hint of exploration and sweetness, once again filled the space, but this time it carried a sense of stability, as if the dust had finally settled.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Chen Mo broke the brief silence. He was still hugging Su Yuqing’s pliant waist, inhaling her fresh scent as he spoke with a smile. "My mom’s not here, so there’s no one to treat us anymore. We’ll have to cook for ourselves."

It was already approaching noon, but Chen Mo and Su Yuqing had just freeloaded a meal from Chen Xi, so they didn’t need to worry about lunch. They only needed to think about an afternoon snack and dinner.

"Okay! What do you want to eat? I’ll cook tonight!" Su Yuqing was eager to go, seemingly wanting to use her actions to fill the small sense of loss in Chen Mo’s heart after his parents’ departure.

Chen Mo looked up at her sparkling eyes. A thought struck him, and he suddenly remembered something. He smiled and said, "There should still be some pork ribs and corn in the fridge, right? I remember... you seem to really like pork rib and corn soup?"

Su Yuqing looked at him, a little surprised. "How did you know?"

She did indeed love the sweet, comforting pork rib and corn soup. Especially when she was tired or troubled, a bowl of hot soup always brought her an inexplicable sense of comfort.

But she didn’t think she had ever specifically mentioned it to him.

On her last birthday, because there were other drinks, her mother had made her longevity noodle soup instead, so there hadn’t been any pork rib and corn soup.

Chen Mo just smiled and didn’t explain.

It was from when Chen Mo had visited her home before. Her mother, though she had lost her mind, would still occasionally make a pot of pork rib and corn soup for her.

Unfortunately, back then, she couldn’t bring herself to drink it.

After settling their dinner plans, the two of them lapsed into a quiet silence.

Su Yuqing simply let Chen Mo continue to lie on her lap, his arms around her waist, as he gradually drifted off to sleep.

Watching him fall asleep so peacefully on her lap, Su Yuqing also felt an indescribable sense of peace in her heart.

With a look of adoration on her face, she gently stroked Chen Mo’s back, hoping he would sleep even more soundly.

Soon, as her hand continued its slow, patting motion, her own eyelids began to grow heavy. As she closed her eyes, the jade pendant nestled against her chest seemed to emit a faint glow.