Тhаt еvеning, Wu Мangmang rеmаinеd аt thе hillside villa.
Thоugh lоve was swеet and раssiоnаtе, fаmilial bonds wеre equally irreplасeаble—еsресiallу whеn Воss Wu аnd Ms. Liu wоre such kindly smilеs.
"Whаt arе you up tо?" Lu Sui callеd just as Wu Mаngmаng wаs рlауing building blоcks with Wù Dàndàn.
"Kееping Dàndàn соmрanу," Wu Mаngmаng repliеd.
"Оh." Aftеr that single syllаble from Lu Sui, a lоng silеnсe strеtched ovеr thе linе.
It toоk Wu Маngmаng а mоment tо dеciрher thе underlying mеssagе: "Yоu'd rаther sреnd timе with Dàndàn thаn with me." She cоuldn't help but laugh into the рhone, moving tо the window аnd lowеring hеr voiсe. "I miss you."
"If you miss me, come out then," Lu Sui finally spoke up.
The clock on the wall pointed exactly to eight. Wu Mangmang glanced at it and said, "Ms. Liu and the others went out. It's just me and Dàndàn at home—I have to stay with him."
"Just half an hour," Lu Sui insisted.
"Is half an hour enough?" Wu Mangmang cooed.
Of course, half an hour was nowhere near enough.
Lu Sui had driven himself over, his black car parked in the wooded area around the bend. It took Wu Mangmang a while to spot it.
Though lovers in the throes of passion could chat about the weather for half an hour, they were far more captivated by wordless exchanges.
From the moment Wu Mangmang got into the car until now, Lu Sui hadn't uttered a single sentence to her.
On a moonless night with the wind howling, deep in the woods where silence reigned, not indulging in a little mischief would surely drive a person mad.
Wu Mangmang felt that while Lu Sui appeared aloof on the surface, as if nothing could stir his interest, he was actually a complete "hollow enthusiast."
Starting from the clavicular fossa, down to the décolletage, then to the butterfly valley and spinal groove on her back, circling around to her navel—every hollow and dip held a particular fascination for him.
Wu Mangmang checked her watch, panting, "Half an hour's up. I have to go back—I promised Dàndàn I'd tuck him in."
"How old is he that he still needs someone to tuck him in?" Lu Sui sat up behind her, nibbling gently on her shoulder. "Boys shouldn't be raised like that."
Wu Mangmang shrugged his mouth away, grabbed her clothes, and pulled them on. "Boss Wu and Ms. Liu have been swamped lately—they hardly have any time for him."
Wù Dàndàn's room was filled with Lego blocks, a sight Wu Mangmang couldn't bear to ignore. "He's still young and really needs company."
Lu Sui wrapped his arms around her waist, refusing to let her go. "Come back to the Lu residence with me."
"No," Wu Mangmang firmly refused.
"Then I'll go back to your place with you," Lu Sui countered.
Wu Mangmang wore an expression of utter disbelief, as if thinking, "Did I hear that right?"
"Is it really necessary?" she couldn't help asking. In her mind, Lu Sui had always been a man of astonishing self-control.
Lu Sui remained silent, his expression dark.
In the end, Wu Mangmang still returned to the Wu residence hand in hand with Lu Sui.
That little imp Wù Dàndàn was sharp as a tack, having long mastered the art of reading people. The moment he saw Lu Sui, he obediently called out, "Brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law, play blocks with me," Wù Dàndàn requested, then turned to Wu Mangmang with a pitiful look. "Sis, can I borrow brother-in-law for a bit?"Wu Mangmang grew up playing with Barbie dolls, and her specialty as an adult is porcelain restoration. Whenever Wù Dàndàn asked her to assemble building blocks, she would always end up creating either a long-necked beauty vase or a round-bellied celestial globe vase, leaving Wù Dàndàn utterly speechless.
Now that Wù Dàndàn had caught Lu Sui, he naturally wouldn’t let him go.
“You can only play until nine-thirty at the latest,” Wu Mangmang told Wù Dàndàn.
While Lu Sui helped Wù Dàndàn assemble a robotic dog, Wu Mangmang sat nearby reviewing documents. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, and they would secretly hold hands or steal a kiss while Wù Dàndàn was focused on his task. Time slipped away quietly and beautifully in those moments.
In the morning, when Boss Wu and Ms. Liu sat in the dining room and saw Lu Sui coming downstairs, Ms. Liu was so startled that she knocked over her milk glass.
Lu Sui’s expression remained calm, but Wu Mangmang could still detect a hint of discomfort in his subtle expressions.
After breakfast, Wu Mangmang saw Lu Sui off and couldn’t resist teasing him, “Today, did you feel like a son-in-law who married into the family?”
Lu Sui replied with a faint sarcasm, “Are you sure it’s the son-in-law?”
Wu Mangmang took half a step back. She had anticipated that Lu Sui might say something like this, but she hadn’t expected him to reveal his intentions so quickly.
However, this was a sensitive topic, and she didn’t want to argue with Lu Sui, so she decided to play dumb.
They had agreed not to rush into marriage, and it had only been a few days.
Wu Mangmang grumbled inwardly, but on the surface, she remained tender and affectionate. She gently pecked Lu Sui on the cheek and said, “I’ll return to the Lu residence this afternoon.”
When Wu Mangmang returned to the Lu residence in the afternoon, she brought along a little follower. Wù Dàndàn had insisted on coming, and since Ms. Liu and the others were busy, Wu Mangmang agreed without hesitation.
“Are you going out?” Wu Mangmang followed Lu Sui into the bedroom and watched him change his shirt. She naturally stepped forward to help him fasten his cufflinks.
Lu Sui hummed in agreement. “Auntie called at noon and invited me to dinner.”
The auntie was undoubtedly Lu Jianan. Upon hearing Lu Sui’s words, Wu Mangmang fell silent. She definitely didn’t want to see Lu Jianan, or at least, she wasn’t mentally prepared for it yet.
However, Wu Mangmang also knew that it would be unfair of her to remain silent on this matter. After helping Lu Sui fasten his cufflinks, she lifted her eyelids and asked, “Do you need me to go?”
“No need,” Lu Sui said, ruffling Wu Mangmang’s hair. “I’ll come back early tonight. Don’t be picky with your food, and don’t set a bad example for Dàndàn.”
“I won’t. He’s even pickier than I am, but I’ll listen to you,” Wu Mangmang said, clinging to Lu Sui’s arm and looking at him pleadingly, her intentions clear.
Lu Sui sighed softly. “But Lu Lin will definitely tell Auntie. You should be prepared.”
“Mm-hmm,” Wu Mangmang nodded vigorously.
When Lu Sui arrived at the private room, Lu Jianan and her husband, along with Lu Lin, were already seated.
Lu Jianan glanced behind Lu Sui but said nothing.
“Did Lu Lin tell you, Auntie?” Lu Sui asked as he took his seat.
“Even if she didn’t, I could have guessed,” Lu Jianan replied. “It seems my efforts in grooming Wu Mangmang back then weren’t in vain.”
Lu Sui had grown up under Lu Jianan’s watchful eye, and she understood his temperament to some extent. If he hadn’t been certain of his feelings, Wu Mangmang would never have been allowed to attend the Christmas banquet at Lu Manor or the Lunar New Year family dinner.This time, Lu Sui and Wu Mangmang getting back together didn’t surprise her at all. In fact, she had been quite shocked when Lu Sui and Wu Mangmang broke up before.
“Why isn’t Mangmang here?” Lu Lin seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble, always bringing up the most sensitive topics.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jianan also looked at Lu Sui.
“She’s still young. Give her some time,” Lu Sui said.
“She’s already twenty-six, isn’t she? That’s hardly young anymore,” Lu Jianan remarked. In truth, she didn’t dislike Wu Mangmang; she just resented her lack of progress.
“In my heart, she’s still young,” Lu Sui insisted.
Lu Jianan raised her chin slightly, looking at Lu Sui. It seemed her nephew was determined to protect Wu Mangmang to the end.
Lu Jianan wasn’t one to meddle unnecessarily. Since Lu Sui treasured her so much, she wouldn’t touch his beloved. “Since you’re back together, shouldn’t you be getting married?”
All three of them straightened their backs, waiting for Lu Sui’s answer. The Lu family hadn’t had a joyous occasion in years.
“No rush. No plans for now,” Lu Sui said.
“No plans?” This time, it was Lu Lin’s turn to be surprised. “You don’t plan to marry Mangmang?”
Lu Sui couldn’t be bothered to respond to Lu Lin’s “stirring the pot.” “That’s my private matter.”
When Lu Sui arrived home, Wu Mangmang was in the side hall helping Wù Dàndàn with his summer homework. Lu Sui leaned against the doorway, watching for a while before Wu Mangmang noticed him.
“You’re back early,” Wu Mangmang said, walking over to tiptoe and kiss Lu Sui on the cheek before pulling him toward where Wù Dàndàn was doing his homework.
“Thank goodness you’re back. Come save me. First-grade homework is surprisingly difficult these days,” Wu Mangmang complained.
As Lu Sui explained the problems to Wù Dàndàn, Wu Mangmang rested her chin on her hand, watching him. She could see that Lu Sui was patient, attentive, and very considerate of the child’s self-esteem. Wu Mangmang couldn’t help but think that Lu Sui would make a wonderful father someday.
With that thought, she felt that if he were to become a father to another woman’s child, she would be reluctant—very reluctant.
The next day, Wù Dàndàn insisted on watching the latest Star Wars movie. Wu Mangmang, also a fan of the series, quickly booked tickets online.
Naturally, Wu Mangmang didn’t dare ignore Lu Sui, but she wasn’t sure if the sophisticated Mr. Lu would go to the movies.
Going to the movies was practically a required course for couples in love, but it seemed Mr. Lu had skipped many such courses.
Early in the morning, Lu Sui had arranged a golf game. At lunchtime, Wu Mangmang called him. “I miss you.”
“I miss you” had become Wu Mangmang’s three-word magic spell, a trick she’d actually learned from Lu Sui.
With these three words as an opener, Mr. Lu would usually respond to all her questions with an exceptionally gentle and tolerant attitude.
“I’ll be back by nine at the latest,” Lu Sui said over the phone.
Wu Mangmang inwardly scoffed at Lu Sui’s “nine o’clock” but continued in a sweet voice, “I’m taking Dàndàn to the movies tonight. Do you want to come?”
“What time?” Lu Sui asked.
“Seven o’clock. I plan to have dinner downstairs at the cinema,” Wu Mangmang replied.
“Send me the address. I’ll meet you there,” Lu Sui said.Lu Sui found Wu Mangmang and Wù Dàndàn at Pizza Hut. The siblings had ordered nothing but fried snacks and high-calorie pizza—all items recently listed by the World Health Organization as super carcinogens.
Seeing Lu Sui frown, Wu Mangmang’s heart tightened. But since they had almost finished eating, even if Lu Sui had objections now, it was too late.
“I’ll go exchange the tickets. You take Dàndàn to buy popcorn and Coke,” Wu Mangmang said to Lu Sui, dividing tasks to save time. The movie was starting in just ten minutes.
When Wu Mangmang returned with the tickets, she saw Lu Sui and Wù Dàndàn empty-handed.
“What’s wrong?” Wu Mangmang asked.
Wù Dàndàn immediately complained unhappily, “Brother-in-law won’t buy them for me.”
“Children are still growing and should drink less carbonated beverages. Women lose calcium easily, so you should also drink less. Popcorn has no nutritional value and can cause internal heat,” Lu Sui explained.
Standing behind Lu Sui, Wù Dàndàn rolled his eyes at his sister Wu Mangmang and made an expression of utter helplessness.
Usually, Wù Dàndàn had a whole repertoire of tantrums—crying, making a scene, and threatening theatrics—to deal with his mother, but none of it worked on Lu Sui.
Because of this, Wù Dàndàn stayed at the Lu residence for less than three days before secretly expressing to Wu Mangmang his strong desire to go home.
“Why? Didn’t we just buy you a model car yesterday?” An extremely expensive model car.
Wù Dàndàn grumbled unhappily, “I can’t eat this, can’t watch that, there are rules for bedtime, and everything is controlled.”
Wù Dàndàn grabbed Wu Mangmang’s hand and sighed like an adult, “Sister, how do you put up with it?”
Wu Mangmang blinked.
Right, how did she put up with it?
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