Meng Ting steadied Ning Zhou, watching her continue to cry. He turned his head and looked at Yan Sui for help.
Yan Sui, who had been standing by Meng Ting’s side, reached out to ruffle Meng Ting’s hair before speaking, “Madam Xiao, take care of yourself. Don’t be too upset. Let’s move to the sofa to talk.”
“Mom, your health isn’t good. Don’t get so worked up. Nuo Nuo… has been found.”
Xiao Zimo, his eyes red, walked over and supported Ning Zhou, not wanting her to get too emotional and scare Meng Ting.
Ning Zhou barely managed to rein in her out-of-control emotions, but she still clung tightly to Meng Ting’s clothes, not daring to let go even a little. As a result, Meng Ting had no choice but to follow them.
Xiao Huimin and Xiao Zi’ang also felt a lump in their throats, though their emotions weren’t as outwardly expressed as Ning Zhou’s.
Everyone sat down, and for a moment, no one spoke. Perhaps they were all still hesitating about what to say first to win Meng Ting’s favor.
It was Ning Zhou who, after crying for a while and venting her emotions, seemed to be in better spirits than when she first arrived at the Yan residence. She let go of Meng Ting’s clothes and broke the silence, “Nuo Nuo…”
“My name is Meng Ting…” Meng Ting, seeing that she had released him, turned and buried himself in Yan Sui’s arms, like a frightened rabbit rushing back to its burrow.
Yan Sui wrapped his arms around Meng Ting and looked apologetically at Ning Zhou, “Ting Ting still needs some time.”
In truth, Yan Sui was already very surprised that Meng Ting had allowed Ning Zhou to hug him and hold onto him for so long. After all, even Yan Manjia, who had lived with them for a long time and had a good relationship with Meng Ting, had only managed to touch him once during that surprise at the dessert shop. Since then, she hadn’t been able to lay her paw on Meng Ting again.
Given Meng Ting’s agility, if he hadn’t wanted Ning Zhou to hug him, he could have easily avoided it. Not to mention that he had even comforted Ning Zhou afterward.
“Mm, that’s right.” Before the Xiao family could respond, Meng Ting answered for Yan Sui, though he still didn’t look up.
“Nuo… Ting Ting, is he feeling better?” Ning Zhou asked again, only then noticing Yan Sui, the man who was holding her Nuo Nuo so tightly. He stood tall and straight, with a handsome and composed appearance, exuding a sense of stability and maturity.
Moreover, without needing much observation or inquiry, it was clear that Meng Ting had an extraordinary level of trust and attachment to him.
“He’s much better,” Yan Sui responded to Ning Zhou, his hand naturally caressing Meng Ting’s back.
The arrival of Ning Zhou and Xiao Huimin was still somewhat of a shock to Meng Ting. Perhaps what confused him more at the moment was his reaction to Ning Zhou, otherwise, he wouldn’t have directly sought refuge in Yan Sui’s arms.
“That’s good, that’s good…” Ning Zhou could only see the back of Meng Ting’s head, and she felt a pang of sadness, not because of Meng Ting, but because of herself. It was her failure to protect Meng Ting that had caused them to miss so many years together, making Meng Ting now seem so unfamiliar to her.
Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at Meng Ting with eyes full of intense reluctance. She really wanted to continue holding him like before, but she also didn’t want to be disliked by him. She endured these desires, finding it somewhat difficult, and felt like crying a little.
“Don’t cry, it’s not good for your eyes…” Meng Ting, nestled in Yan Sui’s arms, suddenly said in a low voice.
Ning Zhou was sad, and he felt a little sad too.
After speaking, Meng Ting sat up properly from Yan Sui’s embrace. He looked up at Ning Zhou, seeing that although she nodded, her eyes were still brimming with tears, clearly on the verge of crying again.
Meng Ting’s hand slowly rose and once again rested on Ning Zhou’s hair, his voice even softer and gentler, “Be good, don’t cry.”
“Okay… okay,” Ning Zhou said, tears rolling down her cheeks again, but this time she was crying with a smile.
Over there, the three grown men also had red eyes. Such a scene was too touching for them.
“Ting Ting, I am your father,” Xiao Huimin finally spoke up. Having not slept well for several consecutive days, his complexion was poor, but he tried his best to appear amiable, though it came off slightly awkward.
“Oh,” Meng Ting glanced at Xiao Huimin upon hearing this, his hand withdrawing from Ning Zhou’s hair as he shrank closer to Yan Sui’s side.
“Are… are you going to take me away?” Meng Ting asked, shaking his head vigorously. He wrapped his arms around Yan Sui’s waist, speaking with seriousness and determination, “Yan Sui and I are married. We are going to be together forever. I will not leave him.”
After saying this, he looked at Yan Sui, emphasizing once more, “I won’t leave, I want to stay with you always.”
“Of course,” Yan Sui embraced Meng Ting, his chin brushing against his hair. He didn’t deliberately emphasize his tone, but the undeniable certainty was very clear.
Meng Ting nodded to Yan Sui, a slight smile appearing on his face. Then he turned his head to look at Ning Zhou and the man who claimed to be his father. For Meng Ting, deciding whether to acknowledge them wasn’t a difficult decision, but the premise of that decision was the question he had asked earlier.
If he had to choose between them and Yan Sui, he would only choose Yan Sui, without a moment’s hesitation.
“As long as he treats you well, we won’t do anything…” Ning Zhou’s words were somewhat difficult to say, but her intuition told her that if she didn’t answer Meng Ting’s question properly, everything else would be off the table.
Ning Zhou’s intuition wasn’t wrong. Meng Ting’s gaze returned to Ning Zhou, his tone softening a bit, and a slight smile appeared on his face. “Mom, don’t worry. Yan Sui treats me well, he treats me the best.”
“Good, good…” Ning Zhou was not usually the type to cry easily, but upon hearing Meng Ting call her ‘Mom’, her tears were on the verge of flooding again.
Meng Ting looked at Ning Zhou with some helplessness, but then his gaze shifted to the others.
Xiao Zimo was quite straightforward. “You are our Nuo Nuo, and also Yan Sui’s partner. There’s no contradiction here. I am your… second brother.”
“Second brother,” Meng Ting nodded and addressed him.
Xiao Zi’ang glanced at Xiao Zimo and quickly added, “That’s right, I’m your eldest brother.”
“Eldest brother,” Meng Ting nodded and addressed Xiao Zi’ang as well. Now, only Xiao Huimin remained unacknowledged.
Meng Ting was very serious about this. If Xiao Huimin didn’t nod, he really wouldn’t address him.
Xiao Huimin looked at Meng Ting, then at the very calm Yan Sui. He thought Yan Sui could remain so composed because he was very clear about his position in Meng Ting’s heart, and he was certain Meng Ting would react this way.
But in reality, that wasn’t the case. Concern leads to confusion. Yan Sui had initially been worried too, but he was eventually reassured by Meng Ting.
Xiao Huimin sighed softly and then nodded. His youngest son had made things so clear, and the entire family had already sided with him. If he didn’t nod, wouldn’t he just be the difficult ‘bad guy’? Moreover, he really wanted to hear Meng Ting call him ‘Dad’.
However, when Meng Ting saw him nod, he happily turned back to look at Yan Sui, without calling out.
Xiao Huimin’s expression froze, utterly bewildered. Why didn’t he call out when it came to him?
“They won’t take you away, we will always be together.”
Meng Ting said as he hugged Yan Sui’s neck, then stealthily kissed the spot behind his ear. He wasn’t just sharing good news with Yan Sui; he was also comforting him. Meng Ting could sense a hint of unease in Yan Sui’s heart, the same unease he felt himself.
“Mm,” Yan Sui responded softly. He waved his hand, and Uncle Xiao and Nanny Wang came in, bringing tea, snacks, and fruits.
Meng Ting’s nose twitched, and he obediently sat up straight again. He had just been worried for a while, which had consumed some of his physical and mental energy, and now he was feeling a bit hungry and craving something to eat.
“I still want to eat that cake,” Meng Ting whispered to Yan Sui. But in the silence of the room, even his whisper was heard by everyone. Before Yan Sui could reach for it, Xiao Zimo, Xiao Zi’ang, and even Xiao Huimin had already moved to grab it.
Ning Zhou, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough of looking at Meng Ting and didn’t even bother to compete with them for these tasks.
Meng Ting looked at the three cakes that had suddenly been pushed in front of him, then glanced at Yan Sui before turning to the three men who had suddenly become tense again.
“Thank you.”
Meng Ting expressed his gratitude, then turned his attention back to the three cakes in front of him. He wasn’t worried about cutting them all and wasting any. He murmured, “I’ll eat one, Yan Sui will eat one, and Mom will eat one.”
He suddenly realized he hadn’t asked Ning Zhou. He met Ning Zhou’s gaze.
“Mom, do you want some? Nanny Wang’s cooking is really good, especially delicious.”
“Yes, I’ll have some. Thank you… Ting Ting.” Ning Zhou reached out to take the cake Meng Ting offered, but her hands trembled uncontrollably from excitement. Before she could take it, Meng Ting spoke again.
“Dad, come here. You feed Mom.”
“Ah, oh… okay.”
The sudden address of ‘Dad’ caught Xiao Huimin off guard, but once he processed it, he immediately stood up and took over.
Only three pieces of cake were pushed in front of Meng Ting, so Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo naturally didn’t get any.
After handing the cake to Xiao Huimin, Meng Ting sat back down obediently, while Yan Sui picked up a spoon to feed Meng Ting.
Meng Ting was completely focused on eating, his eyes only on Yan Sui and the cake in his hand, ignoring everyone else.
Xiao Ziang and Xiao Zimo were self-sufficient, feeding themselves, but the wonderful feeling in their hearts did not diminish.
But some people have this extraordinary ability to dissolve all sorrow, even if they themselves have suffered greatly.
The optimistic scenario they had imagined when they arrived—a family crying together in each other’s arms—didn’t happen. Nor did the pessimistic scenario—Meng Ting questioning them. Yet, the current situation was better than either of those. This was life: eating, drinking, crying, laughing. The past was behind them, the pain endured, and now every moment should be filled with smiles and happiness.
“Meow…” Maoqiu appeared at the top of the stairs, then followed the scent to Meng Ting’s feet.
Meng Ting bent down and picked up Maoqiu, stroking its fur. He turned to Ning Zhou and said, “This is Maoqiu, mine and Yan Sui’s cat. We also have a dog named Dahuang, it’s probably taking a nap right now.”
Seeing that Ning Zhou had stopped crying, Meng Ting let out a soft sigh of relief. He decided to compliment her, “Mom, you look better when you’re not crying. Right, Dad?”
“Right,” Xiao Huimin replied, having learned his lesson, he immediately agreed without any hesitation this time.
“Alright, I’ll listen to Ting Ting, I won’t cry anymore.” Ning Zhou swallowed the cake in her mouth, no longer able to discern whether it was sweet or bitter, and smiled softly. She didn’t try to hug Meng Ting again, as she had already realized that letting things take their natural course was the best way to handle Meng Ting.
“This is good,” Meng Ting nodded, then turned around to meet Yan Sui’s gaze. He immediately leaned in to nuzzle Yan Sui’s cheek, as if afraid of leaving him out.
Meng Ting’s expressions were quite direct, and for the Xiao family members, who hadn’t been in contact with him for long, it still felt a bit uncomfortable, especially seeing Yan Sui’s calm demeanor, which inexplicably irked them.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 075.2″]
超乎尋常 (chāo hū xún cháng): out of the ordinary; exceptional; extraordinary; beyond the ordinary; unusual; remarkable; phenomenal; beyond reasonable or acceptable limits, extremely unfair, rude or unjust.抱頭痛哭 (bào tóu tòng kū): to weep in each other’s arms; to cry on each other’s shoulders; to weep disconsolately; to cry on each other’s shoulder; cry bitterly; weep bitterly; wail in grief; sob uncontrollably; lament deeply; to be very sad or moved, and cry bitterly.
順其自然 (shùn qí zì rán): to let it be; to let nature take its course; que sera sera; in accordance with its natural tendency; to let things develop naturally according to their original nature.
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