Chapter 113: It Was Her Arrogance

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: It Was Her Arrogance

’Was she really doing Nan Yi a favor by so self-righteously ending that relationship for him?’

Nan Zhi looked at the oblivious Nan Yi.

"Yiyi, aren’t you curious who your father is?"

Nan Yi, lost in his own thoughts, was taken aback by the sudden, sensitive question.

Nan Zhi watched him quietly.

Nan Yi quickly recovered.

"No."

"Actually..."

"Mom, I’m a little sleepy. I think I’ll go take a bath now."

Nan Yi was obviously changing the subject.

But Nan Zhi didn’t want to press the issue, so she got up to get his pajamas.

When Nan Yi came out from his bath, the mother and son, by unspoken agreement, didn’t bring the matter up again.

Although the small bed in the little restaurant’s second-floor attic was cramped, Nan Zhi had piled it high with thick, soft bedding.

All the sheets and duvet covers had been dried in the sun, carrying the fresh scent of laundry detergent and sunlight.

Scrubbed clean and smelling fresh, Nan Yi tumbled into bed and nuzzled his little face against the pure cotton sheets.

Then he found a comfortable position and nestled into Nan Zhi’s embrace.

Nan Zhi stroked his head, then his face.

As docile as a kitten, Nan Yi closed his eyes in contentment.

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but smile.

She asked softly,

"Feeling a little happier now?"

But Nan Yi was silent for a long time.

So long that Nan Zhi thought he had already fallen asleep.

Suddenly, she heard Nan Yi call out,

"Mom."

"Hm?"

"Could you... like other people a little less?"

"What?"

Nan Zhi thought she had misheard.

Nan Yi deliberately turned his face away, not daring to look at his mother.

But his small hand clutched the hem of Nan Zhi’s shirt tightly.

He mustered up his courage and said,

"I-I’m not being selfish, and I’m not telling you not to like other people, but... but could you like them just a little, little bit less? Just a little bit is enough, and... and..."

In that instant, Nan Zhi threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"Yiyi, you’re the person I love most. No one in this world will ever be more important to me than you."

Nan Yi’s small body stiffened slightly.

In the darkness, where he couldn’t see her, Nan Zhi’s eyes grew red as her heart reeled with shock.

Before hearing Nan Yi’s heartfelt confession, she had dismissed his jealous behavior as nothing more than a child’s normal possessiveness.

It was like how most children don’t like seeing their mothers hug other kids. She had seen it as a plea for attention, as simple childishness that would naturally fade as he grew older and his attachment to her lessened.

So she hadn’t paid it much mind.

But she was wrong.

Nan Yi’s problem was far more serious than she had imagined—

He was plagued by insecurity.

Perhaps it was because when they filmed the last season of the show, their daily lives had revolved solely around each other.

And though Fu Chao and Qing Xi had joined them later, it hadn’t been for long.

This time was completely different.

Nan Zhi had suggested that everyone work together, bringing them all into a group from morning till night.

For Nan Yi, whose world was so small and barren, it felt like too many people had suddenly flooded into their lives, making things feel terribly crowded and squeezing him out.

And so, panic and anxiety began to surface...

’How arrogant she had been!’

’To think that in just over a month, she could heal a child who had been traumatized for three whole years by a Tactician acting in the name of "mother"!’

’The damage was done, and it would take a very long time for the wounds to truly heal.’

They still had a long road to walk together.

"I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on."

Nan Zhi promised solemnly.

This time, it was Nan Yi’s turn to be surprised.

The feeling he had right then was probably like this—

He had only asked for a single piece of candy, but his mother had given him an entire candy castle!

It was so sweet, so wonderful. He felt as if he were falling into a cloud of cotton candy, completely enveloped by happiness.

"Y-You don’t have to apologize."

Nan Yi lowered his eyes, his fan-like lashes resting on his cheeks.

A faint blush spread across his cheeks, and he looked terribly shy.

Nan Zhi chuckled.

"What’s there to be shy about? I’m your mother. If there’s something you want, just say so! I’ll do my best to give it to you!"

"I just want you, Mom."

-

The next day, Nan Zhi deliberately woke up even earlier than usual.

After quickly washing up, she went into the kitchen—her most familiar territory—and stood before the cutting board.

First, she added soy sauce, pepper, chicken bouillon, and white sugar to the minced pork to season it.

She would normally add minced scallion and ginger, but considering Nan Yi didn’t like them, she used scallion-ginger infused water instead.

She stirred the mixture vigorously with chopsticks until it became thick and sticky, then added the aspic.

She had prepared the aspic the day before, simmering pork skins in a rich stock for five hours until all the collagen had rendered into the broth, then straining and chilling it until solidified.

The aspic had to be minced and mixed evenly into the filling to ensure the soup wouldn’t separate from the meat as it cooked.

Next, she kneaded flour and warm water into a smooth dough, pulled off small pieces, rolled them into thin wrappers, and began filling them.

Nan Zhi worked quickly. Her slender fingers flew like butterflies, forming precisely eighteen pleats on each dumpling before sealing it at the top. The little buns, no bigger than water chestnuts, stood proudly on the board, their even, beautiful pleats fanning out like blooming petals.

Nan Zhi made just enough for the two of them. Once she was done wrapping, she placed the soup dumplings in the steamer.

While they were steaming, she also prepared some soy milk.

Just as the fragrance began to waft from the steamer, the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of footsteps sounded on the stairs.

You could tell Nan Yi was in a good mood; his steps were light and rhythmic, and he didn’t stumble once. He ran steadily up behind Nan Zhi and stood on his tiptoes, peering happily into the steamer.

"What are we having for breakfast?"

"Soup dumplings."

Previously, Nan Zhi wouldn’t have explained any further.

After so many years in the Otherworld, she had grown accustomed to being cautious with her words, to doing more and saying less.

But now, for Nan Yi’s sake, she had to change her ways.

So, she continued her explanation.

"Yesterday, when we were watching TV, weren’t you drooling over the soup dumplings in that documentary? So I made them especially for you today... Hmm, just for you."

Nan Yi’s eyes went wide, struck by a powerful wave of happiness.

"F-For me?"

Every word his mother spoke seemed to lift him up and carry him into the clouds.

Nan Zhi nodded with a beaming smile.

Nan Yi was so happy he couldn’t help but hop in place twice!

It was probably due not only to his genuine love for soup dumplings, but also to the knowledge that this was a sign of Nan Zhi’s special, exclusive affection for him.

But not two seconds later, he hesitated.

"What about them...?"

"This is just for the two of us."

At this, Nan Yi’s eyes grew even wider.

He looked at the full steamer, then back at Nan Zhi.

As if he couldn’t believe it.

Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow at him—

’I’ll cook for whoever I want!’

"Come on, the soup dumplings are ready. We should eat them while they’re hot. Oh, and there’s soy milk."

Nan Zhi lifted the lid of the steamer, and a billow of hot steam, thick with the rich aroma of the dumplings, rolled upward.

The small, delicate soup dumplings lay nestled in the steamer, their skins a crystalline, semi-translucent white. They were so thin you could see the soup moving within, an absolutely mouth-watering sight.

However, Nan Zhi was afraid Nan Yi would burn himself, so she let them cool for a moment before placing a dish of rose-scented vinegar with shredded ginger in front of him.

"Go on, eat."