Chapter 2 You... Remarried?

Lu Xining picked up her daughter and kissed her fair cheeks, her gaze tender, "Nuonuo, be good, mommy will play with you."

Watching her mother being so affectionate with Lu Nuonuo,

Ji Chao felt a bit envious and a bit disheartened, while Ji Ze deliberately turned his face away to avoid watching them.

The elegant man, cold and handsome, noticed the disappointment on his son's face and his gaze toward Lu Xining became slightly colder.

After breakfast, Ji Muye and his secretary went out to find a way to leave.

Knowing that they would be leaving today, Lu Xining didn't dwell on the matter of the two children staying a bit longer.

Having not seen them for several years, even if the children didn't love her, after all, they were her own flesh and blood.

It's just...

Looking at the continuous storm outside the window, Lu Xining frowned, always having a bad premonition.

As she was making coffee, Ji Chao came out of his room carefully with his favorite toy car, inching toward Lu Nuonuo.

Lu Nuonuo, sitting in the playpen, was waving her chubby little hands.

"Brother."

Lu Xining heard the voice, turned around, and Ji Chao stopped stiffly outside the playpen.

Meeting Lu Xining's eyes, he awkwardly lowered his head and started a bit uncomfortably, "This is the new toy dad bought for me; I want to give it to my sister."

Seeing that she didn't stop him, Ji Chao handed the toy car to Lu Nuonuo.

"Sister, this is for you."

Lu Nuonuo had already stood up and walked to the edge of the playpen, happily reaching out to pull Ji Chao's hand, wanting him to join inside to play with her.

Ji Ze suddenly shouted, "Brother, don't give it to her!"

—

Ji Muye came back to hear Ji Ze crying.

His exquisite features, wrought as if by the gods, were covered in frost, his thin lips held a cold curve, and he strode towards his crying younger son.

Little friend Lu Nuonuo, holding the toy car, curled up obediently in her mother's arms, wondering why this strange brother was crying so loudly.

When Ji Chao saw his brother crying, he immediately came over to comfort him but was pushed away by Ji Ze, falling to the ground.

"I don't want a brother; go play with the bad woman's daughter!"

Ji Muye picked up the fallen Ji Chao and turned to scold Ji Ze in a stern voice, "Ji Ze! She is still your mother; apologize! And also, say sorry to your brother."

Ji Ze cried out loudly, "I won't! She's not my mother, she doesn't love me, Daddy, I want Aunt Xixi; can you take me to Aunt Xixi, please? Brother likes the bad woman's daughter; he is a traitor!"

Ji Muye looked at Ji Ze with a stern face, about to scold him further when Lu Xining intervened.

"Ji Muye, he's right, I don't deserve to be his mother."

"It's getting light out; you should leave my house too."

The intent to send them away was clear.

The storm outside hadn't stopped with the dawn; in fact, it was even heavier than last night's rain.

Forget about driving; even from inside, one couldn't see the outside clearly.

Ji Muye hadn't expected her to be so heartless, his aura immediately plummeted to rock bottom.

As the heir to the prominent Ji Family, he was destined from birth to enjoy the world's top resources.

A prodigy in his youth, a legend in the business world, and up until now, he had yet to experience a single defeat.

Except for his marriage to Lu Xining...

Which had lasted only a mere five years.

His eyes icy, he said, "Lu Xining, they are the children you birthed after ten months of pregnancy! With such heavy rain, can you really bear to let them leave?"

Irritation laced the man's voice as he roughly tugged at his shirt collar.

"Lu Xining, Xiao Chao and Xiao Ze's fever has just subsided, those words were thoughtless; are you really going to hold a grudge against a six-year-old child?"

Ji Chao explained on the side, "Dad, the car I gave to my sister was the one you bought for me; brother's toy car is at home, he thought I gave his car to sister, that's why he is so upset."

Ji Muye never refused the children's demands for toys, learning that Ji Ze made such a fuss over a toy car, his gaze turned cold.

"Ji Ze, it is your brother's right to decide who he wants to give his toys to, your tantrum is unreasonable."

Though Nuonuo in her mother's lap didn't understand the adults' conversation, hearing the words 'toy car,' she got down from Lu Xining's embrace, holding the toy car and approached Ji Ze.

Lu Nuonuo handed the toy car to Ji Ze, "Brother, play."

She thought that by giving the toy to her brother, he would stop crying.

But to her surprise, Ji Ze turned his face away as tears the size of beans fell one by one, and his crying grew even more intense.

Whenever Lu Nuonuo cried, her mother would always hug her and comfort her. She placed the toy car on the coffee table, walked over, and hugged Ji Ze tightly, her chubby little hands gently patting his back.

"Brother, don't cry."

Ji Ze had never been comforted by such a young child before and felt a bit embarrassed as he nestled in his father's arms, murmuring in a muffled voice, "But, I'm not your brother."

...That bad woman doesn't even acknowledge him as her son.

Lu Nuonuo looked at Ji Muye, not understanding what Ji Ze meant, and turned to find Lu Xining with her candy jar in hand.

"Mommy, I want candy."

Lu Xining stroked her head and handed her a piece, just about to carry her upstairs when Nuonuo quickly ran to give it to Ji Chao.

"For brother to eat."

The candy that Lu Nuonuo loved most was limited by Lu Xining to one piece per day.

To her, it was the most delicious thing at the moment.

Seeing her offer a piece to Ji Chao without hesitation, Lu Xining paused, her daughter had never grown close to other children so quickly before.

Lu Nuonuo noticed Ji Ze peeking at her and thought he wanted some too, so she generously extended the candy to him.

Ji Ze slapped the candy away with a cold snort, "I would never eat candy bought by a bad woman!"

Ji Muye frowned deeply, feeling angry about his son's rudeness at the moment, "Ji Ze! That's very impolite. Your little sister offered you candy, what should you say?"

Ji Ze retracted his hand, looked at Lu Nuonuo, then at the cold-faced Lu Xining across from him, and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you, little sister."

Lu Nuonuo, with a cheerful disposition, giggled and lifted the candy jar again, handing the whole thing to Ji Chao.

"All for brother."

She liked this brother more; he would play toy cars with her!

Ji Chao didn't expect her to give him the entire jar of candy and looked at her blankly while holding it.

Lu Nuonuo tugged at his clothes, "Brother, say, 'Mommy!'"

Ji Chao looked into Lu Xining's eyes, feeling a bit awkward and shy.

He hesitated without speaking, causing little Nuonuo to grow impatient.

Every time she had to call for her mommy to get candy; if brother didn't call mommy, how could he eat candy?

She led Ji Chao to Lu Xining, pointed to the candy, pointed to her mom, and said again, "Mommy."

Finally, Ji Chao blushed and hesitated for a long time before he softly called out "Mommy."

Hearing the word "Mommy," Lu Xining couldn't hold back any longer. Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and she tipped her head back to restrain the tears in her eyes before nodding at him.

Lu Nuonuo flashed a radiant smile.

She didn't understand the adults' or brother's awkwardness; she only knew that eating candy made her feel sweet.

Seeing Ji Chao with a jar of candy while he only had one piece, Ji Ze felt a sense of unfairness rising and couldn't help but sneak glances at Lu Xining's face: If he called her "Mommy," would he also get a whole jar of candy?

Ji Chao took a lollipop from the candy jar, peeled off the wrapper, and handed it to Lu Nuonuo.

He took one for himself and put the rest back on the coffee table.

Ji Chao extended the lollipop he held to Ji Ze, "Little brother, you can have mine."

Ji Mu, always tender when interacting with his children, patted his eldest son's head, "Xiao Chao, since this little sister gave you candy, you should eat it. Little brother has some."

In the Ji Family, there was never an expectation for brothers to always give in to each other; ever since they were young, the boys divided everything equally.

Lu Nuonuo was back in her mother's arms, watching as Ji Muye continued to make Ji Ze apologize.

Apologizing to Ji Chao was quick.

When it came to apologizing to Lu Xining, Ji Ze was very awkward, his voice softer than a mosquito's, and he dared not look up at Lu Xining.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you were a bad woman."

The words "Mommy" almost reached his lips, but Ji Ze still couldn't say them out loud. He sneaked glances at Lu Xining, hoping she would embrace him like before and comfort him, but there was nothing.

Her eyes were only on Lu Nuonuo in her arms, and Ji Ze felt an even stronger sense of grievance building inside him.