Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Lin, where were you?
Old Mrs. Xi was the first after Tianxin to recover from the shock. She posed the question to salvage the strangely awkward situation.
Still holding onto his parents’ hands, Lin Lin lifted his head and answered sincerely,
Grandma, I saw Mom outside.
Xinghe’s heart trembled when she heard the word ‘mom’.
Lin Lin knew she was his mom…
He managed to recognize her with just one look.
Xinghe found it difficult to describe to bittersweet sensation that rose in her heart.
Xinghe felt the world fall away and she took in her son’s cute face hungrily, memorizing every detail, making up for lost time.
She didn’t realize Mubai was staring at her intensely, an unreadable complication communicated through his eyes.
He wasn’t expecting his ex-wife’s captivating arrival. He knew she was a beauty but only in the way like how a mannequin is beautiful, a pretty shell.
But that night, her beauty came alive. If her beauty in the past was passive, like that of a beautiful mannequin on display, her beauty that night was active, reeling your attention in and never letting it go.
It was a charm on Xinghe that he hadn’t noticed before, one that squeezed his heart. It was like admiring a mystifying painting, his attention kept getting pulled in deeper and deeper…
Even Mubai himself didn’t realize his eyes were glued onto Xinghe the moment he saw her.
Back to the business at hand, Lin Lin’s answer was a bit vague.
Everyone thought it was because he suddenly stumbled into his mom outside of the hotel that he lost track of time.
It was public knowledge that after Xinghe’s divorce, she hadn’t been a part of Lin Lin’s life.
It was understandable for a 4-year-old child like Lin Lin to lose track of time when the mother he hadn’t seen for most of his life suddenly materialized before him.
Even Old Mrs. Xi could empathize with Lin Lin.
Lin Lin was a kid after all and this was his first time meeting his mom. Even though she wasn’t particularly fond of Xinghe, the fact was, she was Lin Lin’s mother.
After listening to Lin Lin’s explanation, Old Mrs. Xi decided to let things be. Her downturned mouth shifted into a smile and said,
Well, now that Lin Lin’s back, let’s start the celebration. Lin Lin, come stand beside grandma, we’ll blow out the candle together.
Lin Lin raised his head and pulled on Mubai’s hand, pleading,
Daddy, can Mommy join us? I want us to be together.
Who could deny a birthday boy’s wish to celebrate his birthday with his mother?
Even though not everyone was particularly satisfied with this arrangement but it would be indecorous to object.
As a matter of fact, even Mubai himself wanted her to be part of Lin Lin’s birthday celebration.
Of course,
he whispered in return before turning to the hotel worker, ordering,
We can begin now.
Understood, Mr. Xi.
Following the tune of ‘Happy Birthday’, a mousse cake the size of a dinner table was pushed into the room.
On top of it were four lit candles. Xinghe stared at the four dancing flames and she was temporarily lost in the moment.
This was the first birthday she celebrated with her son…
When she left, Lin Lin wasn’t even one year of age. Her heart would ache with longing every time his birthday came around. Of course, she didn’t know during the previous three years, surrounded by glitz and glamour of a big birthday bash, Lin Lin was missing her too.
Every year his birthday wish would be to see his mom but his wish never once came true… that is until his fourth birthday.
Time flew, and Xinghe wished she could pull it back to relive the three years that she had missed. However, she was thankful, thankful that at least this year she accepted Mubai’s invitation.
Xinghe was totally caught up with thoughts about her son so she didn’t have the presence of mind to notice anything else. For example, she didn’t notice Lin Lin was still holding onto hers and Mubai’s hands.
She also didn’t catch the picture the three of them created, a happy family.
It looked as if she and Mubai had never divorced in the first place.
Needless to say, she also didn’t pay attention to the envious looks Tianxin kept shooting at her. This was because Xinghe had usurped her place as lady of the house.
