ABSTIWTVMST Chapter 127

“Relax first. You’re holding too tightly, and it will make the baby uncomfortable,” Xu Chenghao said, using the baby to divert her attention. “Is the baby hungry? When was the last time he was fed?”

An Rouyu looked at him warily. Noticing that he remained at a distance, she calmed down and began to soothe the baby, albeit clumsily. “Good baby, don’t cry. Good, good.”

She didn’t know how to hold the baby at all. Not only was her posture stiff, but she also didn’t know how to control the strength of her patting. Her attempts to soothe the baby were ineffective. As the baby continued to cry, An Rouyu became flustered and anxious, shedding tears helplessly.

Xu Chenghao glanced at his assistant and mouthed the words, “Inform Ruan Chenxuan.” Observing An Rouyu’s gaze, he cleared his throat and said calmly, “Go buy some baby formula and bottles. I think the baby is hungry.”

The assistant nodded, turned around, and left via the elevator.

Xu Chenghao looked at An Rouyu and said calmly, “For the baby’s sake, I’ll help you one last time. Let’s go inside first.”

An Rouyu immediately believed Xu Chenghao—he had never lied to her in her twenty years of life. He had always been true to his word. She trusted that this time would be no different, and he would help her.

The three of them entered Xu Chenghao’s home in silence. The housekeeper had already heard the commotion outside and came out. Seeing this, she asked curiously, “Mr. Xu, what’s going on here?”

Xu Chenghao signaled with his eyes. “It just so happens you have experience with this. The baby has been crying non-stop. Please check what’s wrong.”

The housekeeper understood immediately and walked toward An Rouyu. However, the latter stepped back several steps in quick succession, clearly unwilling to hand the baby over to anyone.

The housekeeper said helplessly, “Miss An, I just want to check the baby. Why is he crying like this? Is he uncomfortable or hungry?”

Xu Chenghao took a few steps closer. “He’s probably hungry. I’ve asked the assistant to buy some formula, and he’ll be back soon.”

Housekeeper: “Could it be that he’s wet himself? Check if the diaper feels heavy.”

Sure enough, An Rouyu’s attention was diverted. She wiped her face hastily and said, “It doesn’t seem heavy.”

The housekeeper naturally reached out her hand. “Let me feel.”

An Rouyu immediately tensed up, watching the housekeeper warily. However, the housekeeper’s focus was entirely on the baby, her face full of pity. “Not heavy? The diaper is practically about to leak. Lay the baby down quickly and take the diaper off first.”

At her age, the housekeeper had a fondness for children and could not bear to see the baby crying like this. She directed An Rouyu to place the baby down, then began removing the diaper while giving a flurry of instructions. Her words poured out in a disjointed manner.

It was unclear if An Rouyu understood any of it, but she nodded and agreed haphazardly. One hand remained tightly holding the baby’s little fist, her guard still up.

Having experienced harm before, she no longer trusted anyone.

Xu Chenghao also knew he couldn’t rush her. He stood at a moderate distance, neither too close nor too far, watching as the housekeeper held the baby and soothed him. Then, he began to divert the female lead’s attention. “An Rouyu, what are your plans for the future?”

An Rouyu, as if she had thought about this countless times, replied quickly, “I just want to leave the Ruan family’s territory and live a good life with my child.”

Xu Chenghao: “Then how will you live with the child?”

An Rouyu: “Ruan Chenxuan gave me money when I left.”

Xu Chenghao was surprised. “Since Ruan Chenxuan made preparations for you, why then…?”

An Rouyu lowered her gaze and said, “I’m afraid he’ll regret it.”

Linking everything together, Xu Chenghao finally understood why An Rouyu appeared here. At first, he thought Ruan Chenxuan was so cold and unfeeling that he didn’t even care about his own son. But now it was clear—Ruan Chenxuan had prepared everything, but An Rouyu hadn’t followed his plans.

Everyone has their own considerations, but in the end, it’s the child who suffers.

The child was truly pitiful.

Xu Chenghao sighed and gave the housekeeper a subtle look. She immediately understood, picking up the child and pretending to hand him to An Rouyu. “When you hold the baby, you need to support his head and waist.”

With one arm still dislocated, An Rouyu could only release the child’s hand, letting the housekeeper place the baby in her arms. The housekeeper pretended to guide her, pointing here and there, instructing her to adjust her movements while constantly murmuring about how fragile babies are and the need to be gentle, repeatedly diverting her attention.

Suddenly, just as she was supposed to let go, the housekeeper abruptly clutched the baby tightly and stepped back. An Rouyu noticed the baby’s weight leaving her arms and instantly realized what was happening. Her face twisted in rage as she lunged at the housekeeper.

Xu Chenghao stepped forward to restrain her, and Jing Yicheng, worried Xu Chenghao might get hurt, joined in the fray. After a chaotic struggle, the two quickly subdued An Rouyu and tied her up with a rope.

An Rouyu completely lost it, screaming, “Xu Chenghao, you lied to me! You stole my child! Give me back my child!!”

Xu Chenghao rubbed his ears, somewhat impressed by An Rouyu’s combativeness. “I still stand by what I said. With your mental state, you’re not fit to take care of the child. I’ve already contacted Ruan Chenxuan—he’ll be here soon.”

An Rouyu was trembling with anger, her entire body shaking, her face deathly pale. She glared at Xu Chenghao and murmured, “You lied to me… You took my child… My child… You took him…”

Jing Yicheng, annoyed by her, directly stuffed something into her mouth to shut her up, his face dark. “Why is Ruan Chenxuan taking so long?!”

Xu Chenghao also frowned. “Let’s wait a bit longer. If he doesn’t want to hand the child over to Old Master Ruan, it’ll probably be troublesome for him to show up.”

As he was speaking, there was a knock at the door. The assistant raised his voice, “President Xu, I’ve brought the formula.”

Xu Chenghao went to open the door. “Where’s Ruan Chenxuan?”

The person hiding in the stairwell froze for a moment, then stepped out. “I thought things weren’t settled yet…”

Jing Yicheng sneered. “I thought you were waiting until everything was perfectly settled before coming.”

Ruan Chenxuan’s guilt instantly vanished, replaced by irritation. He looked at Jing Yicheng unhappily. “President Jing, you think too poorly of me.”

Jing Yicheng chuckled. “I’ve never claimed to be a gentleman.”

“Alright, enough. Let’s go in,” Xu Chenghao interrupted, cutting them off. After the assistant and Ruan Chenxuan entered, Xu Chenghao suddenly held Jing Yicheng back and whispered, “But you are a gentleman—my dear husband~”

Jing Yicheng, teased by the sweet talk, stared at Xu Chenghao with burning eyes. If looks could devour someone, he would’ve consumed Xu Chenghao whole, not even leaving behind the bones.

Then he heard Xu Chenghao say, “Remember, in the car earlier, you promised—no fun tonight.”

Jing Yicheng: “???”

He looked completely serious as he attempted to deny it. “Did I say that?”

Xu Chenghao: “You also said that if you went back on your word, you’d agree to let me move back to the Xu family’s old residence.”

Jing Yicheng: “…Ah, right, I remember now. I did say we wouldn’t do anything tonight.”

Xu Chenghao was amused, laughing as he intertwined their fingers and pulled Jing Yicheng into the living room.

Jing Yicheng’s previously suppressed emotions had completely evaporated during their exchange. Even as he sat opposite Ruan Chenxuan, he remained in an exceptionally good mood… After all, right now, his eyes and heart were entirely filled with Xu Chenghao, leaving no room for anyone else.

Ruan Chenxuan, watching this, felt his teeth ache from the sweetness and had no choice but to focus on the baby.

The housekeeper, being experienced, managed to soothe the baby. Under her gentle care, the child gradually quieted down. After finishing the formula, the baby even let out a contented burp. The little wrinkled face was finally free of tears.

However, after hearing the full story, Ruan Chenxuan was still furious. He yanked the cloth out of An Rouyu’s mouth. Before she could scream, he preemptively scolded her, “What right do you have to shout and make a scene?!”

“I entrusted the child to you because you sincerely claimed to love him, swore you could take care of him, and vowed to protect him. Look at what you’ve done! The child hasn’t been away from me for long, and yet you’ve already put him through this! How did you even have the nerve to ask me for custody back then?”

An Rouyu was so stunned by his anger that she froze. It took her a moment to recover before she cried out, “I don’t need you to interfere!”

“Do you think I want to interfere with you? I care about the child!” Ruan Chenxuan roared. “Because of your so-called maternal love, I was even willing to bet on his future—to gamble that you would take good care of him and give him a happy childhood. And what happened? What did you do? Is this what you call maternal love?”

The more Ruan Chenxuan spoke, the angrier he became. Suddenly, he said coldly, “If this is how you take care of him, I’d rather he stay with his grandfather. At least there, even if it’s strict now, he’ll have a better future and grow into someone with accomplishments—better than being tormented by you.”

An Rouyu could only cry and shout, “No! He’s my child, my child! You can’t take away my right to raise him—he’s mine!”

“This isn’t taking something away; it’s making a sound decision,” Ruan Chenxuan replied. “As for maternal love… An Rouyu, do you think you’re the only woman in the world? There are plenty of women who would line up to marry me. I could easily find someone else to take your place and become his mother.”

The impact of this statement was like a nuclear explosion. An Rouyu’s expression went blank for a full twenty seconds before she snapped out of it, trembling as she stammered, “No, you can’t… you can’t do that…”

“If you still refuse to repent…” Ruan Chenxuan looked down at her with a cold, domineering gaze, delivering the final blow. “I’ll make sure he calls someone else Mom right under your nose.”

An Rouyu, already mentally fragile, stared at Ruan Chenxuan in disbelief. Her lips moved, but before she could utter a sound, she fainted on the spot.

Xu Chenghao took a sharp breath, his mind echoing a single thought—The person who can hurt you the most is always the one you love and trust the most.

It was true.

Xu Chenghao couldn’t help but glance at Jing Yicheng, silently wondering if he might ever be this ruthless in the future.

Jing Yicheng seemed to read his thoughts and frowned. “What nonsense are you thinking about now?”

Xu Chenghao, his expression unchanged, replied, “Thinking about you—thinking about how you manage to occupy my mind without even saying a word.”

Jing Yicheng’s imposing aura instantly deflated like a popped balloon. Helpless, he pulled Xu Chenghao’s hand closer and gave it a light nibble, warning him, “Stop teasing me so casually.”

Xu Chenghao pulled his hand back. “Then let’s keep our distance.”

“Don’t.” Jing Yicheng caved immediately. “You can tease me all you want. I won’t say anything.”

Fine, I’ll jot it down and settle the score tomorrow, Jing Yicheng thought to himself.

If Xu Chenghao couldn’t see through him, it would truly be a mystery. Without hesitation, he pushed Jing Yicheng’s head away and redirected his attention to Ruan Chenxuan.

Ruan Chenxuan was still in a daze, his gaze fixed on the unconscious An Rouyu. It was as if he were looking at her, yet also looking through her at something far away. After a long silence, he muttered, “Hengyun Hotel…”

Xu Chenghao immediately straightened up.

—In the plot, Hengyun Hotel was where the male and female leads first met and ended up in bed together!

 

T/N: Replacing “Auntie” Xu Chenghao’s housekeeper with just housekeeper because it sounds more practical to read than saying “the auntie” to refer to her.

I don’t even know what to make of the original protagonists anymore… and there’s Cheng-ge and Haohao in the background spreading dogfood.. facepalm*. This shouldn’t be funny but the contrast between couple A and B is so__ hahahaha!