Unexpected Care and New Concerns

How was it? Did you have a good time with my younger brother?

Yeah. Your younger brother is so cute... By the way, why did you leave suddenly?

There was an emergency at my grandmother's house, so my parents and I rushed over there first... Did my younger brother cause you any trouble?

He's fine.

Sorry, could he stay with you for a while? Or should I come and pick him up?

No, no need. We get along well, and I'll let him stay with me for a while.

Thank you so much.

"How was it?" Ye Rufeng asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

"There was something wrong at his home, and he asked me to take care of his younger brother." Mo closed the computer, turned around, and smiled at Ye Rufeng.

"After only meeting a few times, he entrusted his younger brother to you so easily?" Ye Rufeng was skeptical.

"What, do I look like a bad person?" Mo laughed.

"...I mean, you should be on guard against them." Ye Rufeng said.

"I don't think there's anything about a six - year - old boy that I need to be careful about." Mo said.

"...He may not have bad intentions, but he might do something because of someone else's instigation."

"Such as?" Mo raised his eyebrows.

"Stealing money." Ye Rufeng said.

"I won't steal his money." The little boy, who had walked from the living room to Mo's room, stood with his hands on his hips.

"I was just making a comparison." Ye Rufeng said.

"I won't do anything bad. Just give me a bed." The little boy said.

"Then you can stay at my place. I have plenty of empty beds there." Ye Rufeng said.

"No, I want to stay with Little Mo." The little boy said.

"You're so rude. How can you call your big brother Little Mo? You should call him Brother Mo." Ye Rufeng said.

"Little Mo is Little Mo." The little boy turned his head away.

"You let him call you like that?" Ye Rufeng asked Mo.

"What does it matter?" Mo glared at Ye Rufeng. "And don't forget, maybe he learned it from you."

"Er... You're right." Ye Rufeng also laughed. "I forgot that children learn by example."

"I'm not a child anymore." The little boy shouted.

"Just ignore him." Mo gave Ye Rufeng a glare and waved to the little boy.

Watching the little boy run over bouncing and jumping, Ye Rufeng could only smile helplessly.

"What's your name?" Mo asked gently.

"...Ziye."

"It's a very nice name... Ahem, so Ziye, do you know what happened?"

The little boy shook his head.

"There was an emergency with your family, so they're not at home now. Ziye, you'll have to stay at my place for a few days, okay?"

"Yeah." The little boy nodded.

"Mo, do you really want to keep him here?" Ye Rufeng asked.

"Exactly." Mo said.

Mo was cooking in the kitchen, while a man and a child at the dining table stared at each other.

"I'm warning you, you have to be good, okay? Don't bother Brother Mo, or I'll spank you." Ye Rufeng threatened.

"I'm so scared." Ziye grinned.

"Kid, don't underestimate adults." Ye Rufeng raised his eyebrows.

"Adults, don't underestimate kids." Ziye raised his eyebrows.

"What are you two playing at?" Mo carried a plate of green vegetables and walked over curiously.

"...Little Mo, he's making me so angry." Ye Rufeng grabbed Mo's clothes and laughed so hard that he was out of breath. "What a precocious child. Now I finally understand why you like him so much."

"Glad you understand." Mo smiled and subtly broke free from Ye Rufeng, sitting beside Ziye.

"We can start eating now." Mo smiled.

"...I don't have chopsticks." Ziye said.

"Tell me what you want, and I'll pick it up for you. Here, a spoon." Mo handed Ziye a small spoon.

"I... I'm not a child anymore!" Ziye protested.

"Goodness, Little Mo, think about it. You could use chopsticks when you were six, right?" Ye Rufeng laughed.

"Oh... That's right." Mo's face turned slightly red.

While Ye Rufeng was washing the dishes, Mo and Ziye were in the middle of a "battle".

"I can take a bath by myself!" Ziye pulled at his clothes.

"Okay, okay, I know. I'll help you take off your clothes first, then wash your hair, apply soap, and fill the water, and then you can wash by yourself, okay?" Mo persuaded patiently.

"No, no!" Ziye just repeated the same words and refused to let Mo take off his clothes.

"Little Mo! Let him wash by himself!" Ye Rufeng in the kitchen really couldn't stand it anymore.

"No. What if he gets scalded or slips?" Mo insisted.

"No, no!"

"Ziye, be a good boy and listen."

"No, no!" In the end, he was even crying with snot and tears.

"...Ziye?"

"...Woo." Ziye stomped his foot, then ran back to Mo's room and slammed the door shut.

Mo looked at the door helplessly, while Ye Rufeng stared at Mo in a daze.

Mo compromised, with the only condition being that the door couldn't be locked.

And when Ziye was taking a bath, Ye Rufeng found that Mo was actually eavesdropping beside the bathroom.

"Shh, I'm afraid he'll have an accident. Don't tell him." Mo warned Ye Rufeng.

"I didn't expect you to like children so much." Ye Rufeng sighed and squatted down beside Mo in front of the bathroom.

"...Maybe it's because he likes me." Mo looked at Ye Rufeng and smiled gently. "No one is unhappy to be liked by a child."

Everyone around you likes you." Ye Rufeng said softly, looking at Mo.

"...I don't want to talk about this, Brother Ye." Mo just turned his head away.

"...By the way, do you have any children's clothes here?" Ye Rufeng asked.

"I only have a pajamas I just bought." Mo said. "I'll take him to buy some more tomorrow."

"You still have work. Don't be too tired." Ye Rufeng said. "I'll bring some clothes for you tomorrow. Don't go out and just rest at home."

"No need, Brother Ye. For children's clothes, he should like them. I'll take him to choose some tomorrow." Mo smiled.

When Ziye came out safely after taking a bath, Mo heaved a big sigh of relief.

Since Mo didn't ask Ye Rufeng to stay overnight, Ye Rufeng then took his leave.

Mo took Ziye to the next room to rest.

...Oh right, I should tell a bedtime story. Mo thought. However, Ziye just gave Mo a kiss on the lips, and then jumped onto the bed in two or three steps.

He's really precocious. Mo thought helplessly, and it seemed that the milky fragrance of the child still lingered on his lips.

"Is it too cold? Do you want to turn on the heater?" Mo asked.

"No." Ziye rubbed against the quilt, looking very satisfied.

The sleeves are too long. Mo looked at the oversized clothes on Ziye. It seemed that he had to study up on some information about raising children.

Mo was holding several big bags of clothes in one hand and holding Ziye's hand in the other as they walked in the bustling commercial area.

Ziye was now wearing a dark blue denim outfit and a black denim hat. In Ziye's other hand, he was holding a teddy bear that was given to him.

Ziye pouted all the way.

"We just need to buy two more formal clothes." Mo smiled gently. "Are you tired, Ziye?"

Of course I'm tired. I was dressed up like a doll by those female devils.

"Don't spend too much money." Ziye said. "This is already more than enough."

"It doesn't matter." Mo smiled tenderly. "Normally, I don't even have a chance to spend money."

He didn't even have the chance to buy a belt for Chen. Mo's face turned a little sad.

Then, Ziye pulled his hand.

"...What's wrong?"

"I want to eat ice cream."

"Did you go on a big move or something?" As soon as Bihua entered the door, she saw paper bags and clothes all over the floor and was amazed.

Not only that, there was also a big bag full of snacks and drinks for children.

Mo let Bihua in with a helpless smile.

"I don't know. Once I started buying, I couldn't stop."

"I really admire you. Where's that little prince?" Bihua carefully avoided the clutter on the floor and sat on the only small bench that didn't have clothes on it.

"He's changing clothes. Just sit down for now."

Aren't you going to help him change?" Bihua teased.

"Ziye has a very stubborn temper and simply refuses to let me." Mo pushed aside some clothes and sat beside Bihua.

Brother Ye was right. Bihua sighed inwardly.

"Ah, right. I'll go and ask him what the trouble is." Mo smiled. "He's been in there for a while."

"Go ahead." Bihua examined the small clothes with cartoon patterns on the floor by herself.

"Ziye? Ziye?" Mo knocked on the door. "Are you done changing?"

"...I don't want to wear this." Ziye's voice seemed to be just behind the door.

"...Do you not know how to wear it or you just don't want to wear it?" Mo asked.

"No!"

"...Come on, let me have a look first."

"No!"

"Ziye, let me have a look first. If you don't like it later, we can still exchange it." Mo said, holding back his laughter.

Then, the door opened a small crack. The lantern pants and the white top with lace edges were clearly very cute...

"You're laughing at me!"

The door slammed shut, and Mo's laughter almost made Bihua fall off the bench.

"What a troublesome child, right?" Bihua pointed at Ziye and laughed secretly.

"A child who is too smart and troublesome." Mo sighed and drank his milk.

After begging and pleading, Ziye still refused to drink the milk. In the end, Mo and Bihua had to finish it together.

While the two adults were having a "milk battle", Ziye switched the TV channels by himself and watched.

Finally, Ziye stopped at the news channel and watched intently.

"I thought children would like cartoons." Bihua whispered to Mo.

"He really doesn't like others treating him like a child." Mo sighed.

"But he is a child."

"That's why it's the most troublesome part." Mo laughed softly, and Bihua gently punched his arm.

"Be quiet. He'll hear you."

"It doesn't matter. He's watching TV." Mo pointed.

"...The government announced yesterday that the Qingye Urban District will become the fifty - second urban district under central government jurisdiction. This order will take effect from next month, that is, at 12:00:00 a.m. on October 1st in standard time..."

As the anchor spoke, Ziye listened attentively. The two adults didn't even know how much he had understood.

"However, this urban district will finally be under central government control." Bihua sighed.

"It's not bad to be under central government control. The public security will be better." Mo didn't care.

"However, those extreme elements will also target this place." Bihua said, finishing the milk in her hand.

"...Remember the city explosion? Those people may have already set their sights on this place." Mo said.

"...There will probably be a lot of things during the handover period... Unemployment, robberies, and all sorts of things. You have to be careful recently, okay... I think I'd better come and pick you up with Brother Ye..."

"No need." Mo almost laughed. "You're treating me like a child too."

"...You're not, but Ziye is. There's no room for discussion." Bihua said, and then turned her attention to Ziye.

"Come on, Ziye. Let auntie hug you."

"No." Ziye crawled onto Mo's lap.

"This child might like boys when he grows up too." Bihua said sarcastically.

With a heave, Mo picked up Ziye and sat him on his lap, hugging his waist and smiling gently at Bihua.

"Look at how charming he is. I'm afraid that even if he doesn't want it, both men and women will flock to his house to propose to him when he grows up." Mo laughed.

"I think he's already in love with you now." Bihua warned.

"The love of a child can't be taken seriously." Mo chuckled. "And when he grows up, I'll be old... I doubt he'll even remember me."