After she left her father and kept her son, President Pei lost control and knelt down.

Pei Hansheng appeared at the study door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

His gaze fell on Qiao Wan's face, and a hint of indescribable gloom flashed in his deep eyes.

Shen Yingtang teased him, "Didn't President Pei say he was going to accompany his mistress to the doctor? Why didn't you come along?"

The man, acting as if he owned the place, said, "This is my house. I'm waiting for my wife to go to sleep."

Shen Yingtang was amused: "Xiao Wan and I are as close as brothers. I know all about your messy affairs. Stop playing the lovey-dovey character in front of me. Just go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and sign the papers as soon as possible. Then we can go our separate ways and go home."

Qiao Wan tugged at Shen Yingtang's hand, saying that Pei Hansheng had a bad temper and was vindictive, so she shouldn't provoke him.

"Xiao Tang, don't leave tonight. Let's take the child home together tomorrow morning."

"Xiao Bao lives in Tanshu."

Pei Hansheng raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying an unyielding force.

His tone was more like an announcement than a discussion.

Qiao Wan felt inexplicably nervous: "Why?"

"He's being watched; he's not safe for the time being."

Qiao Wan thought for a moment, but couldn't seem to find a reason to refuse.

Pei Hansheng approached and took her hand: "You don't need to think about it, just listen to me."

He pulled Qiao Wan into his arms, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't understand, and Qiao Wan avoided his gaze.

He wasn't angry. He lowered his head and bit her lip, then turned and walked out of the study, into the kitchen, set up the pot for boiling medicine, and turned on the fire.

Shen Yingtang secretly glanced at Pei Hansheng's back. The man was wearing a white shirt and trousers, with an extremely superior physique. He was busy in the kitchen, giving off the vibe of a good family man.

"Xiao Wan, don't be fooled by his appearance. No matter how good he is to you, it can't change the fact that he doesn't love you."

Qiao Wan was lost in thought. She had been married to Pei Hansheng for four years, but she still couldn't figure him out. Sometimes, the things he did always exceeded her expectations.

Just like now, he calls her "wife" tenderly, but the next moment he can be cruel and indifferent to her in front of other women.

Only in bed would he be completely open, but it was only physical honesty, without any emotional involvement.

"Xiao Tang, I'm wondering if things would be better if I took the child and left the capital?"

As more and more people discovered Xiao Bao's existence, she felt uneasy.

Shen Yingtang immediately agreed: "As long as you take me with you, we can go anywhere, it won't affect my painting at all."

"It's settled then. We'll find another way after the New Year."

"OK."

Shen Yingtang yawned, feeling extremely sleepy.

Qiao Wan led her to the guest room, got her a blanket, made the bed for her, and told her to get some rest.

She came out into the living room, where the air was filled with the smell of Chinese medicine. Pei Hansheng came out carrying a bowl of medicine: "Come and drink your medicine."

He pulled out a chair on the island counter and pressed Qiao Wan down to sit.

Qiao Wan pinched her nose and finished drinking the medicine. Pei Hansheng then popped a candied fruit into her mouth and picked her up in his arms.

Go upstairs.

Her eyes were lowered, and her thick eyelashes cast beautiful shadows in the depths of her eyes.

"Why do you want Xiaobao to stay, but you won't acknowledge him as your child?"

Pei Hansheng sneered, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

"So what if I admit he is him? Listen carefully, Qiao Wan, I can never forgive you for hiding this from me. The Pei family will not accept this child, and don't try to use him to manipulate me. I just asked him to stay at Tanshu temporarily, I have no other intentions, don't overthink it."

Qiao Wan clenched her fists around his neck.

Pei Hansheng didn't care at all whether the child was his or not, because he didn't acknowledge Xiaobao from the bottom of his heart.

They didn't even give her a chance to explain things clearly.

I'm sorry for causing you trouble.

Pei Hansheng lifted his gaze from her face, his eyes filled with something deep and unyielding.

Upon entering the bedroom, Qiao Wan found Xiao Bao fast asleep. She removed the pillows that were surrounding the child and lay down beside him.

Pei Hansheng changed into his pajamas and slept on the other side.

He had just lain down when Xiao Bao suddenly woke up, sat up and looked around. The environment was too unfamiliar to him, and he was a little confused.

Fortunately, Mommy was with the baby.

"Mommy, where is this?"

Qiao Wan thought for a moment and said, "This is Uncle Pei's house."

"Oh." Xiao Bao turned around, glanced at the man who was pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, and asked curiously, "But why is Uncle Pei sleeping in the same bed as us? That's not allowed."

He pushed Pei Hansheng with his hand and kicked the man's stomach twice with his small feet.

Xiao Bao doesn't like to sleep with unfamiliar people at night, especially strange men, because he's afraid.

Qiao Wan propped herself up, though she was very tired, she still had to take care of the child's feelings.

"How about Mommy takes you to sleep in the next room?"

Xiao Bao snuggled into Qiao Wan's arms, clinging to her like a koala: "Mmm, okay."

Qiao Wan carried her son out of bed, and Pei Hansheng opened his eyes: "Stop fussing, it's the same wherever you sleep."

Qiao Wan's long, flowing hair cascaded down her back, radiating gentleness and captivating beauty.

"He was scared when someone suddenly appeared."

Pei Hansheng was somewhat annoyed: "Am I a monster? I could eat him."

Qiao Wan felt a lump in her throat, for some reason.

"You don't understand, that's how kids are, they'll sleep with whoever they're closest to at night."

Qiao Wan carried Xiao Bao to the guest room where she usually slept.

Little Bao draped his legs over her, touched her nose and eyes, played with her hair for a while, babbled, and then fell asleep again with his eyes closed.

Qiao Wan was also extremely tired, so she held her son in her arms and fell into a deep sleep.

After a while, the door to the small bedroom clicked open, and Pei Hansheng walked in.

Standing by the bed, he looked down at the two figures on the bed, one large and one small, lost in thought.

His deep-set face disappeared into the shadows, blending into the night, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

After a long while, he went around to the other side of the bed, where there was still a little narrow space left. He lay down, with half of his body hanging off the edge.

Holding Qiao Wan, with the child squeezed between them, a strange tenderness spread through his heart.

……

Early in the morning, Qiao Wan was awakened by the laughter of children beside her.

Xiao Bao wet his pants, so Pei Hansheng carried him to take a bath and wrapped him in a towel before coming out.

The little one was clutching a yellow duck, squeaking it as he said, "Mommy, Uncle Pei's bathtub is so big! I love playing with it."

Pei Hansheng's expression was unusually gentle: "The gym also has a heated swimming pool, would you like to try it out?"

"But Xiao Bao can't swim."

"Easy, you're so smart, you'll learn it in no time."

"Thank you, Uncle Pei." Xiao Bao leaned close to Pei Hansheng's face and kissed him loudly.

Qiao Wan stared blankly, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

With a sparkle in his eyes, Xiao Bao excitedly asked Qiao Wan, "Mommy, can Xiao Bao go swimming with Uncle Pei now?"

Qiao Wan couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she poured cold water on Xiao Bao's enthusiasm.

Pei Hansheng glanced at the time: "I'm afraid it won't work today. Uncle has something to do and needs to go out."

Xiao Bao's smile faded noticeably, but he said sensibly, "It's okay, Uncle Pei, go ahead and get busy."

Pei Hansheng rubbed Xiaobao's head: "I'll ask the teacher to teach you."

He had just changed into his outdoor clothes when Jiang Chunzhi called.

"Hansheng, I'm going to see a psychologist."

"I'll come pick you up now."

Qiao Wan watched his departing figure, then looked at Xiao Bao, her heart aching unbearably.

He shouldn't have brought Xiaobao close to this man. He should have suffered enough on his own; why make the child go through it all again?