Chapter 101

Wen Liang’er carefully examined the family of three, finally letting his gaze settle on the little An’an in Huo Haozhan’s arms.

It was obvious that all three were nervous about the upcoming results.

Especially little An’an sitting in the middle—he was so focused that he couldn’t even control his drool.

Realizing something was off, he quickly turned his head and wiped his drool clean on Huo Haozhan. Once he was sure he was all tidy, he tightened his little face and continued staring seriously at Wen Liang’er.

Having been tormented by this little rascal too many times, Huo Haozhan had already run out of temper.

If he drooled, he could just change his jacket. As long as this little rascal didn’t suddenly pee on him out of nowhere, it was fine.

Unknowingly, Huo Haozhan’s bottom line had dropped lower and lower.

“I think the doctor you originally saw might have made a mistake. I suggest you investigate that thoroughly. From the test results, he’s a very healthy and intelligent child.”

Wen Liang’er specialized in helping those with intellectual development issues return to normal. His medical skills were top-notch, and coupled with his natural talent, even when he couldn’t cure a patient completely, he could at least help push their development forward.

For example, children whose mental development had stalled at age three could be guided to continue developing to six or seven years old.

Wen Liang’er’s field of research was highly specialized. If it weren’t for his personal passion for healing, he should’ve stayed in the labs of Country E, continuing the project there.

“What?”

Bai Yiyi and Huo Haozhan froze, stunned, unable to react for a while.

That incident had happened a long time ago. They had long since come to terms with the fact that An’an might be mentally challenged, and they were fully prepared to care for him for the rest of their lives.

But now, a highly reputable doctor was telling them that they might’ve misunderstood everything from the start—that joy, that sense of relief, nearly overwhelmed them.

Huo Haozhan quickly gave An’an a kiss on his chubby cheek. As soon as the little guy realized what happened, his face immediately scrunched up.

His lips quivered, wanting to cry but reluctant to do so in front of so many people, so he simply buried his head in his dad’s arms.

Then he noticed that Dad was wearing thin clothes today, so angry little An’an didn’t hesitate to bite him with his gums.

Though he hadn’t grown any teeth—there wasn’t even a rice grain-sized tooth bud—his bite, fueled by pure rage, still hurt.

Huo Haozhan hissed in pain from the bite. Realizing he’d done something wrong, An’an immediately played dead.

Just like a little turtle who’d tucked in its claws, head, and tail into its shell, and Huo Haozhan couldn’t do a thing—he couldn’t very well crack his turtle shell.

Wen Liang’er had initially been a bit angry. He felt it was incredibly foolish to have turned down such an important press conference and missed a meeting with his mentor.

He had assumed the child’s condition was serious. Coupled with lingering guilt from a past incident, he had skipped lunch and waited here all afternoon.

Yet from the test report, this child had absolutely no issues.

In other words, he had been tricked.

His first instinct, fueled by the anger of being deceived, was to kick them out and blacklist them.

But after some hesitation, he decided to speak calmly.

Because of that choice, he got to witness parents overjoyed and relieved upon learning their child was perfectly fine.

Bai Yiyi snatched An’an from Huo Haozhan, shook his shoulders hard, then hugged him tightly as tears blurred her vision.

“Did you hear that? An’an, did you hear that? You’re not a fool! Your mental development is perfectly normal!”

After being shaken like that, An’an grabbed his head, feeling a bit dizzy, then lightly nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

He heard it, he heard it! Both ears heard it loud and clear!

“That’s wonderful—so, so wonderful.”

Though An’an was initially preoccupied with his aching head, when he saw his mother crying, he hurriedly grabbed a tissue from the table and carefully wiped her tears.

His little hand clutched the tissue, and his motions were delicate, almost gentle.

Feeling her child’s tenderness, Bai Yiyi’s tears flowed even harder.

She loved An’an deeply. To her, he was a heaven-sent treasure, utterly irreplaceable.

Huo Haozhan stared at An’an’s chubby hand holding the tissue, and then remembered how earlier he’d wiped his drool on him.

Was this… revenge?

Lowering his head, he could clearly see the little bite mark on his shirt.

It was revenge!

After witnessing their reactions, Wen Liang’er’s earlier anger at being “tricked” completely dissipated. He even felt amused and went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

He sat across from them, sipping leisurely.

Wen Liang’er knew full well the potential of his research. If he continued and extended his studies beyond children and certain conditions, the discoveries could be immense.

But he chose to step back, only offering guidance when others hit obstacles.

He was like a sunflower, preferring to root himself under the sun instead of being locked away in a cold lab.

Wen Liang’er loved seeing the look of relief and joy on patients’ families after successful treatment. He also loved hearing them say “thank you.”

Just like now.

Once Bai Yiyi had calmed down, she held An’an and gave Wen Liang’er a deep bow.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have known any of this.”

Wen Liang’er didn’t dodge the bow. This was the moment he cherished most after treating someone.

Huo Haozhan also thanked him. Unlike Bai Yiyi, he added an apology.

No matter what, he had used connections and underhanded methods to force a meeting with Wen Liang’er and persuade him. It wasn’t exactly honorable.

“It’s fine. I should be the one to apologize, actually.”

Su Xiaoyu had told him all this, and he had believed her without verifying it.

If Bai Yiyi and Huo Haozhan hadn’t come to him in person, he would’ve kept misunderstanding—and in a way, that would’ve unfairly damaged their reputations.

“No, there’s no need for apologies. We’re just grateful you were willing to treat An’an.”

As the top expert in his field, Wen Liang’er’s diagnosis brought them true peace of mind.

A while later, Wen Liang’er walked them to the door and even took a few candies from a drawer, placing them into An’an’s little hand.

“Alright then. Let’s hope we won’t be seeing each other again.”

An’an clutched the candies in one hand and waved goodbye with the other, his little hand cheerfully flapping.

He had some vague memories of hospitals—bitter medicine and injections. That’s why he had been so resistant.

But today was different. Not only was there no medicine or shots, he even got pretty candies, and the doctor wasn’t scary at all.

To An’an, it felt like a family outing. Just… not quite as fun as he’d hoped.

Once they finally stepped out of the hospital, An’an let out a long sigh of relief.

Although this private hospital was very different from the ones in his memories—beautifully decorated and free of unpleasant smells—it was still a hospital.

But that didn’t stop An’an from having a natural aversion to hospitals.

If he weren’t being carried the whole time, he’d probably have tried to run off on his own.

He’d stuffed all the candy into his pockets, and only when they were back at the hotel resting did he finally take them out, one by one.

These candies had fancy packaging, and Wen Liang’er had grabbed quite a handful for him.

At first, An’an gathered them all into his arms, then slowly began to divide them, one by one. He split the candies into four portions, and Huo Haozhan could pretty much guess they were meant for their family of four.

One for Grandma, one for Mommy.

One for Daddy, and another one for Mommy.

An’an didn’t want any for himself, so he gave Mommy another one.

An’an was still very young, his speech unclear and mushy, the soft baby voice only barely making his meaning intelligible.

While he was seriously and self-righteously dividing up the candy on one side, Huo Haozhan was on the other side discussing with Bai Yiyi about returning to their home country.

Not only was An’an unhappy staying here, even the two of them weren’t quite adjusting well to life abroad.

Plus, Huo Haozhan had a lot going on at his company. Handling everything through remote video conferences while overseas wasn’t ideal—many issues required his personal presence and assessment before decisions could be made.

So he contacted his assistant and asked for the fastest return flight.

Coincidentally, Huo Grandma’s trip was also coming to an end, and she was planning to return soon too. If An’an knew about this, he would be thrilled.

Huo Haozhan and Bai Yiyi had a silent understanding—they decided to keep this from An’an for now and surprise him after returning home.

When An’an saw his parents packing, he got excited. Maybe he had some self-awareness, because he promptly came over to help his dad.

Huo Haozhan tossed a few pieces of clothing over and had An’an fold them.

It was a simple little task, but An’an took it seriously. After folding them, he tried to hand them to Daddy, but tripped over his own feet and fell flat on the ground.

Still clutching the folded clothes tightly in his arms, his eyes welled up with tears.

When Bai Yiyi heard the strange sound and came over to check, An’an finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, and all the tears came pouring out.

“Waaa—Mama.”

An’an’s crying tugged hard at Bai Yiyi’s heart. She rushed over to scoop him up and soothe him.

Huo Haozhan had just finished packing the suitcase and placed it aside. He looked at the spot where An’an had fallen—it seemed like the boy had accidentally tripped on the carpet.

After all, a hotel was still a hotel. No matter how upscale, it could never be as child-friendly and cozy as their own home.

The more attention Huo Haozhan gave to An’an, the more he realized how tough it was to raise a child.

The seemingly well-behaved angelic An’an in public was still quite a handful in private.

Just like earlier—even in a perfectly safe environment, all it took was a moment of inattention and An’an managed to hurt himself, then cry his heart out in his mom’s arms.

The only thing Huo Haozhan was grateful for now was that they weren’t at home. Otherwise, given his mother’s personality, she would definitely have blamed him for not watching An’an properly. She might’ve dragged him into the study for another round of scolding.

Bai Yiyi comforted An’an for a long time before he calmed down, though the slight redness at the corners of his eyes still made him look quite pitiful.

“Be careful—An’an moves fast. What if he bumped into something?”

Huo Haozhan checked the hotel room’s corners. It was indeed nothing like home, where the nanny had wrapped everything in soft padding.

Thankfully, An’an had fallen straight onto the carpet. If he’d hit anything else, even regret wouldn’t have helped.

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

Maybe because she’d had such low expectations of Huo Haozhan from the start, Bai Yiyi couldn’t stay mad after seeing his effort to improve.

She’d always been like this. Having grown up without receiving the love she deserved from her parents, she would go all in to repay even a little kindness from others.

The moment someone lowered their head to her, she’d immediately soften and forgive everything.

Who knew how many times she’d suffered because of that gentle nature, but she just couldn’t change.

Even though she’d realized that this kind of softness wasn’t healthy, she still couldn’t help but get upset with herself.

An’an sat on her lap, looking at her, then at his dad. Then he decisively wriggled out of her arms and threw little punches at Daddy.

His tiny fists didn’t hurt at all, but the way his chubby cheeks wobbled as he hit, putting all his strength into venting for Mommy, completely melted away Bai Yiyi’s earlier frustration.

She knew full well that Huo Haozhan had many shortcomings. He was careless, bad at handling things—but still, she was thankful to him for giving her An’an, this precious little boy.

Seeing An’an go all out with his “fight mode” was actually pretty impressive for such a small body.

“Alright, An’an, if you break Daddy, who’s going to earn money for us?”

An’an’s little fist froze mid-air. He looked at his dad thoughtfully.

Even though his son didn’t punch him again, Huo Haozhan still felt a strange bitterness—was he really just a money-making machine to them?

He leaned down and gave An’an a loud, exaggerated kiss on the cheek, successfully making An’an burst into fake sobs.

That night, just before bed, Bai Yiyi remembered to tell her mother-in-law the good news. Ever since they got back from the hospital, they’d been busy packing to return home. Now that An’an was asleep, she finally had a moment.

It was late, and she didn’t know if her mother-in-law was asleep already. So instead of calling, she sent a message:

[An’an’s checkup results are out, Mom. Mr. Wen Liang’er said he’s very healthy and there are no problems with his intelligence.]

After sending it, Bai Yiyi waited five minutes with no reply, then snuggled up next to An’an and went to sleep.

Even while asleep, An’an seemed to have some sort of awareness. As soon as his mom lay down, he scooted into her arms and nudged her gently with his head.

Bai Yiyi, who knew her son well, understood this was the only time he was truly well-behaved.

Once he fell deeper asleep, it’d be like he was practicing martial arts moves under the covers.

To avoid disturbing the two of them, Huo Haozhan sat on the couch in the outer room, working on his laptop.

Earlier that day, when Bai Yiyi said those things, he’d only pretended to be angry. Truth was, he wasn’t really upset at all.

Maybe because he’d gotten used to being bullied by An’an, he even felt that if this made him more valuable in his son’s eyes, he should work harder to play up this role.

Like working hard to earn An’an’s admiring gaze.

Huo Haozhan really had been raised to be a bit dense by his mother—he could be motivated by something as childish as this.

Once he finished his work, he went back to the bedroom. He had just fallen asleep when An’an kicked him awake—how did such a small body have so much strength?

He grabbed An’an’s foot in his hand. An’an struggled a few times but couldn’t break free, so he started whining until Daddy had no choice but to let go.

Who knew how long it took, but eventually Huo Haozhan had to keep silently reminding himself, he’s your own child, before he could fall asleep again.

Their flight was scheduled for the next morning. After breakfast, they’d head straight to the airport.

An’an sat at the table with a napkin tied around his neck. He looked at the bottle of milk in front of him, then peeked at the plates in front of Mom and Dad, and quietly retracted his head.

Forget it. His food didn’t seem that bad after all.

Just after landing back home, Huo Haozhan received a call from his secretary—there was a business deal that required his personal attention.

Little An’an, who was cradled in his arms, perked up his ears the moment his father answered the phone, clearly eager to eavesdrop. When he confirmed it wasn’t that annoying aunt, he let out a sigh of relief and used his father’s shoulder to prop up his chin and peek backwards.

Bai Yiyi followed behind Huo Haozhan. When An’an saw his mother, he even threw her a cheeky wink.

Huo Haozhan could feel a sudden weight on his shoulder. He glanced at An’an but continued his conversation with the secretary.

Once it was confirmed he needed to be there in person, he could only look at Bai Yiyi with an apologetic gaze.

After all, on the plane earlier, he had personally promised to send them home, and now he was clearly about to break his word.

“It’s fine, I’ll carry An’an. It’s just a small matter, nothing important.”

Bai Yiyi reached out and took An’an into her arms. An’an clung to her like a little gecko, wrapping both arms and legs tightly around her, not showing the slightest reluctance to leave his father.

“Are you sure you can carry him? He seems a little heavier lately.”

“I’ve got it. Go take care of your work—I’ll take An’an home.”

“I’ll walk you to the door. Take the family driver’s car. I’ll have my assistant come pick me up.”

“Alright.”

Bai Yiyi didn’t refuse. It would’ve been a hassle to find another car with An’an in tow, and lingering too long in crowded places would make An’an uneasy.

As she held the child, Huo Haozhan naturally took the bag from her hand and personally escorted them to the car. After closing the car door, he said:

“I’ll come home once I finish up.”

At some point, the word “home” had ceased to stir any fear in Huo Haozhan. At the office, he now watched the clock, eager to return home every day.

“Mm. Take care of your health.”

Not long after they got home, An’an dozed off while playing with his toys. Based on Bai Yiyi’s experience from caring for him this long, he’d likely nap for at least an hour.

She carried him downstairs and laid him in the crib in the living room—a place she could easily see and get to quickly.

Taking advantage of the time, she decided to cook a meal for Huo Haozhan.

In the villa, Bai Yiyi had her own small kitchen. Her dishes often used medicinal herbs as ingredients, making them distinct from anything the chefs prepared.

She was also quite skilled in everyday home cooking.

After An’an was born, Bai Yiyi had suffered from severe morning sickness during early pregnancy, so she resigned to focus on her health.

Living at home doing nothing gave her a sense of guilt, like she was freeloading. But keeping herself busy helped ease that discomfort.

Once the soup was on the stove, she began prepping other ingredients. Her movements were swift and elegant, a pleasure to watch.

After finishing all the cooking, she sat beside An’an to rest and opened a short video app on her phone, waiting for Huo Haozhan to return.

Thanks to algorithm magic, the moment she entered the app, she saw a creator preparing dinner for their family. The video had tens of thousands of likes and glowing comments.

The kitchenware was beautiful, the creator’s skills were professional, and the editing was top-notch. It was genuinely pleasing to the eye.

But Bai Yiyi didn’t focus on the content. Instead, a sudden thought sprang into her mind.

No matter what anyone else said, Bai Yiyi knew one thing—she didn’t want to be a full-time housewife. Even though Huo Haozhan was still treating her well right now, that didn’t change her stance.

She refused to pin her and An’an’s future on something so vague and unpredictable.

If possible, she still wanted a career of her own—that would make her feel more secure.

But with how clingy An’an was, going out to work clearly wasn’t realistic. And taking him along would almost certainly impact her performance.

After mulling it over, she realized that if she really wanted a career, the best option was something she could do from home.

Bai Yiyi had graduated from a prestigious university, but her major wasn’t something that lent itself to working from home. Aside from studying, her greatest skill was cooking.

She used to think the only people she could cook for were her in-laws or Huo Haozhan. But after watching that short video, Bai Yiyi suddenly realized there might be another path.

To put it nicely—culinary content creator. Less nicely—an internet influencer.

Bai Yiyi had spent enough time in the entertainment world to know that most people in that circle looked down on influencers, who were often ranked even lower than celebrities.

If she really went down this road, would her mother-in-law approve? That question cooled her earlier excitement like a bucket of cold water.

Just then, An’an woke up. His chubby little hands waved in the air, clearly asking for a cuddle.

Taking care of An’an left her no time to think further. A child just over a year old consumed so much energy, even though An’an was already considered well-behaved compared to his peers.

That night, Bai Yiyi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. It would’ve been one thing if she hadn’t had this idea—but now that she had, it felt like a missed opportunity if she let it go.

Living comfortably under Huo Haozhan’s love, every step she took felt like walking on clouds, never knowing when she might fall. Deep down, it left her anxious.

If she had a career of her own, she’d feel much more confident.

Huo Haozhan was on a business trip that day, visiting a neighboring city with his assistant. Bai Yiyi opened his chat window, wanting to talk to him about her idea.

She typed out the whole message, then deleted it word by word. Instead, she got out of bed and went to the balcony, hoping the night breeze would help her think.

With a clingy little cutie constantly glued to her side, nighttime was the only time Bai Yiyi truly had to herself. She cherished the quiet even more.

After sitting on the balcony for a bit, Bai Yiyi opened her phone again. Not quite sure what she was thinking, she sent her dilemma to her mother-in-law.

Bai Yiyi could feel that her mother-in-law had no ill intentions. In fact, when trouble came, she often stood firmly on her side.

Just like last time—if it hadn’t been for her mother-in-law, there was no way she could’ve resolved things so cleanly and decisively.

Truth be told, in Bai Yiyi’s heart, her mother-in-law even outranked Huo Haozhan.

The reply came quickly. Her mother-in-law asked what exactly she had in mind.

Seeing the response, Bai Yiyi was briefly stunned. The idea had only struck her after watching that video—she hadn’t actually thought through any specific plans yet.

【Think it through carefully. You already work hard enough taking care of An’an. Won’t doing this on top of everything be too exhausting?】

【I don’t know much about this stuff, so pick the equipment you think you’ll need.】

Just as Bai Yiyi was trying to figure out how to convince her, the notification sound from her payment app rang out.

“You’ve received a transfer from ‘Mother-in-law’: ¥200,000.”

【Let me know if it’s not enough.】

Bai Yiyi didn’t have time to dwell on anything else. She quickly replied that it was more than enough, then began researching the best filming equipment.

She had originally planned to use her own savings for the gear, but worried it would be a risky all-in bet.

Before she could come to a decision, her mother-in-law had already resolved the issue for her.

This was the first time since giving birth that Bai Yiyi had genuinely wanted to pursue a career of her own, so she approached every step with utmost care. She spent an entire week just selecting equipment.

She knew very well that with a little tagalong around, she could forget about pursuing her own career for at least five years. But she simply couldn’t sit still, and after mulling it over, she still felt this was the best thing to do.

Huo Haozhan returned to spend the night after finishing a business trip in a neighboring city, then left again for abroad. It was as if he was throwing himself into making money with everything he had.

The two of them were technically apart now, but since Huo Haozhan sent Bai Yiyi lots of messages every day and even video-called An’an each night for half an hour to bond as father and son, their relationship had actually become much smoother.

Huo’s mother had indeed mentioned before that she and her friend were planning to return soon, but something really interesting happened during their last stop abroad, and now they were reluctant to leave.

So their return was postponed again, and at home, it was just Bai Yiyi and An’an, along with the housekeepers they had hired.

In this environment, Bai Yiyi began her first attempt at filming a video.

She adjusted the shooting angle, and because she wasn’t good at interacting with people, she decided not to speak and just record the natural sounds of cooking.

She had cooked many times before, but this was her first time doing it on camera, and she was a bit nervous.

She mentally went over the entire cooking process again, trying to avoid any mishaps during filming.

Just then, little An’an walked in unsteadily in his dinosaur onesie, rubbing his eyes and mumbling unclearly:

“Mama, hug.”

She had prepared for so long, even choosing visually appealing ingredients just for the shoot. She really didn’t want any more delays.

She squatted down in front of An’an and patiently coaxed him:

“An’an, Mommy’s a bit busy right now. Can you wait for a little while?”

An’an was always obedient with his mom, and today was no different.

But still drowsy from his nap, he didn’t want to leave her side. He poked himself with a tiny finger and looked up at her.

“An’an… help.”

Bai Yiyi glanced at the kitchen. After confirming that all the sharp edges had been safely covered and there wasn’t much danger as long as she kept an eye on him, she agreed.

“Alright, An’an can help. You’re such a grown boy now, even helping Mommy.”

An’an nodded seriously. An’an is helpful, he thought.

In truth, the moment An’an offered to help, Bai Yiyi had already resigned herself to the likelihood that the video shoot would be a bust.

With a little An’an causing trouble by her side, she could hardly expect to perform at her usual level.

Still, after all the prep, she wasn’t willing to give up without trying, so she decided to record anyway.

As she chopped vegetables, every time her hands paused, a tiny chubby hand would reach out from the side, holding the next ingredient she needed.

“Mama~”

That sweet baby voice called out, and Bai Yiyi couldn’t stay mad.

“Thank you, An’an.”

An’an was helpful during the chopping, but once the actual cooking began, Bai Yiyi ushered him out and had the nanny take over for a bit.

Even an adult like Bai Yiyi, who was experienced in the kitchen, couldn’t completely avoid splattering oil—much less that little guy.

Even after being sent out, An’an wasn’t upset. He just leaned against the kitchen’s glass door, watching his mom intently.

To enhance the visual quality, and with ample funds at her disposal, Bai Yiyi had set up multiple cameras in the kitchen.

One of them happened to catch little An’an, squished against the glass, cheeks puffed out as he gazed longingly inside.

Once the medicinal meal was ready, Bai Yiyi set it aside and quickly began preparing solid food for An’an.

The doctor had recently checked on An’an and said his development was going well—he could now try more solid foods, including noodles.

She made him a small serving of noodles with egg and greens, scooped it into a bowl, and placed it on the dining table.

The nanny picked An’an up and placed him in his usual seat.

An’an took a big sniff of the delicious aroma and couldn’t help but swallow, but he still rested his little hands on the table and waited patiently for his mom to join him.

After the meal, the nanny took An’an to feed the turtles, giving Bai Yiyi time to edit the video.

Back in college, her best friend had been great at video editing, and Bai Yiyi had learned a bit from her. Her own skills were still rough, and even after struggling through the edit, she wasn’t satisfied with the result.

Frowning, she trimmed and reworked it, and after two hours of effort, it was barely passable.

She created an account called “An’an’s Mom” and posted the video across several major platforms.

Too nervous to leave it alone, she kept checking back—and was instantly discouraged.

The response was mediocre. After half an hour, it had only two likes and just over sixty views.

Frustrated, she tossed her phone aside. After taking a moment to reset her mood, she stored some of the previous footage in her short video app’s drafts folder.

After doing all that, she noticed the battery in the top corner of her phone was low, so she plugged it in on her bedside table and stepped outside.

Based on the time, An’an was probably about to wake up. If he didn’t see her when he did, he’d likely cry.

Still feeling the sting of that earlier failure, Bai Yiyi found herself lacking enthusiasm for anything. Even when playing with An’an, her mind wandered.

Eventually, An’an seemed to notice, and while she was watching him, he deliberately made a funny face at her.

He was adorable, so the goofy face wasn’t scary at all—just funny.

Bai Yiyi couldn’t help but laugh. She leaned down and rubbed noses with him gently. Realizing she was passing her emotions onto her child, she quickly adjusted and gave him her full attention as they played with toys.

Even though she bounced back quickly, An’an kept trying to cheer her up, occasionally rubbing his head against her like a kitten.

That night, after putting An’an to sleep, Bai Yiyi took a shower. When she came out in her pajamas, she noticed her phone on the bedside table and picked it up to check if her mother-in-law had sent any messages.

But the moment she unlocked it, the phone started ringing and vibrating non-stop in her palm.

When the vibrations finally stopped and she looked down at the screen, Bai Yiyi was stunned.