Jiang Yuanmu, having changed into his pajamas, walked out and saw Mo Lin sitting upright at the dining table.
She had something on her mind.
Jiang Yuanmu’s intuition was spot on. Without saying anything, he quietly poured water for both of them.
With a soft “thunk,” the glass of water in front of Mo Lin seemed to unlock something within her.
“Let’s have a child,” she said.
The living room fell silent, the ticking of the clock on the wall was suddenly audible.
Jiang Yuanmu’s fingers lingered on Mo Lin’s glass, forgetting to pull away. He stood at the table, staring at Mo Lin, who sat as straight as a board, and blinked.
“You mean…” After a long pause, Jiang Yuanmu spoke, “Now?”
Mo Lin’s expression betrayed her panic as she took a sharp breath, “No! Of course not now…”
Jiang Yuanmu finally pulled his hand back and sat down across from her. They both remained silent for a few more seconds.
“I wanted to discuss this possibility with you.”
Mo Lin reorganized her thoughts, speaking as calmly as she could, “Today… first, thank you very much for helping me.”
“It was nothing. Besides, even if I hadn’t come, you could have handled it yourself.”
“Nonetheless, thank you. After you left, I thought about it for a long time. I believe what Lulu said was right.”
Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow, suddenly appreciating Mo Lin’s friend:
“What did she say?”
“She said that although we got married through a contract, it was because we met each other’s criteria that we signed the contract. So, when it comes to having a child, rather than looking for someone else, I should…”
“Choose me?” Jiang Yuanmu completed her sentence.
Mo Lin pressed her lips together and nodded, “It might seem presumptuous.”
“Why didn’t you think of this before?”
His question caught Mo Lin off guard. “Because… in our contract, we clearly defined each other’s rights and obligations. I can’t trouble you just because I have a new need.”
Jiang Yuanmu, who had renewed the contract for three months, gave a small “hmm.”
“Also, I thought having a child with you would be too risky. If… let me speculate, if we had a child and you wanted custody, I don’t think I could compete with you. Economically, you’re far superior to me.”
“Hmm.” Jiang Yuanmu acknowledged Mo Lin’s concern. “So, why did you change your mind?”
“So… I came to negotiate with you.”
Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow.
“If we sign a supplementary agreement like before, this one needs to clearly state that no matter what happens, the child will belong to me. Then we can discuss other details about having a child. Of course, I can compromise on other terms or give you a reward. Do you think this approach is feasible?”
Mo Lin’s body was tense, her lips pressed tightly together, her fingers clenched, but her eyes were bright with anticipation, eagerly waiting for his response.
Jiang Yuanmu took several breaths, wanting to interrupt her, but each of Mo Lin’s subsequent sentences left him at a loss for words, causing all his thoughts to get stuck in his throat.
Finally, under Mo Lin’s rare pleading gaze, he repeated the two words that mattered most to him:
“Reward?”
“It can be negotiated,” Mo Lin immediately explained. “You know, I had considered using technological means to have a child before.”
“Hmm.”
He remembered clearly, on the day he first brought the renewal agreement to Mo Lin, she had mentioned it.
He didn’t know why he remembered it so well…
“But if I have a choice, I still hope the child can have a father, unlike me.”
In this absurd conversation, Jiang Yuanmu felt a tug at his heart.
But Mo Lin felt nothing.
“So, I plan to offer you a reward based on the market price for technological means. If you need more, that’s fine too. Of course, I know you don’t lack anything financially, so this is just a token of my appreciation.”
What a generous token.
Jiang Yuanmu sat across from Mo Lin, hunched over, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples.
He had never imagined that one day his life would be connected to something like a “high-paying child-seeking” scam ad.
Mo Lin kept observing Jiang Yuanmu’s expression. Seeing him go from composed to rubbing his temples, Mo Lin’s heart sank, and she offered more options:
“If you’re worried that having a child will create too many intersections in our lives, we can set a time limit in the supplementary agreement, like three years or five years? If either party is dissatisfied, we can divorce amicably. If there’s no dissatisfaction, the contract will automatically renew…”
“Mo Lin.” Jiang Yuanmu finally interrupted her.
Mo Lin straightened up, staring at Jiang Yuanmu.
“I should have said before, I believe my remaining life should be spent with you. No one else will do.”
Mo Lin was stunned, nodding.
Hearing Jiang Yuanmu say this again, she was just as shocked as the first time.
“I really want to renew our marriage contract because I firmly believe that in my remaining life, I will hardly find anyone more compatible with me than you…”
“But?” Mo Lin anticipated the turn in Jiang Yuanmu’s words.
Jiang Yuanmu nodded, “But, I don’t want to be a tool for you to have a child.”
Mo Lin’s expression went blank.
Jiang Yuanmu had rejected her.
Jiang Yuanmu stood up, “If this is what you want to negotiate with me, I’m afraid I can’t agree.”
Mo Lin lowered her head, looking at the glass of water Jiang Yuanmu had poured for her, feeling a bit lost.
She couldn’t understand her emotions. She thought she was disappointed because of Jiang Yuanmu’s rejection, but it seemed to be more than just that.
But what more, Mo Lin couldn’t figure out.
At the same time, Jiang Yuanmu was also a bit angry. He knew he was angry because Mo Lin had completely treated him as a “tool,” but it seemed to be more than just that.
What more, Jiang Yuanmu couldn’t understand either.
Jiang Yuanmu rarely had such emotions. He was so angry that he didn’t want to see Mo Lin, he wanted to escape, to return to his room. He did walk to his room’s door, but then, for no reason, he stopped.
He couldn’t help but look back at Mo Lin.
Mo Lin was still sitting at the dining table, her back bent, sighing in disappointment, looking lost and confused.
Jiang Yuanmu felt a pinch in his heart again.
It was strange and uncomfortable.
His relationship with Mo Lin had always been pleasant over the past five years, but now… or rather, since their contract was about to expire, it hadn’t been so “pleasant.”
Their interactions had become more troubled, more deceitful, more conflicted, but he…
Wanted to get closer to her.
He felt like he was looking at flowers in the fog, unable to see Mo Lin clearly, nor himself.
“Mo Lin…” Jiang Yuanmu’s hand was on his room’s doorknob, but he didn’t go in. Instead, he stood at the door and asked Mo Lin, “Why are you so determined to have a child?”
The words slipped out, a question he had never delved into.
Why?
What was she thinking?
What did she truly want, what was she yearning for?
Mo Lin looked up at Jiang Yuanmu, who was holding the doorknob. She found his actions awkward—holding the door but not going in, just turning his head to look at her.
“I…” Mo Lin rubbed her fingertips, “I want to connect with this world.”
It was a strange sentence, almost childish. Mo Lin blushed after saying it, clearing her throat in embarrassment, only to see Jiang Yuanmu’s stunned expression.
In that moment, as their eyes met, Mo Lin felt…
He understood.
He understood what kind of “connection” she wanted.
And he could empathize, and was moved by it.
Jiang Yuanmu’s fingers on the doorknob twitched.
Mo Lin’s fingers on the table also itched slightly.
They were separated by air, yet it felt like they were touching each other.
Mo Lin’s lips moved slightly, wanting to say something more to Jiang Yuanmu, but not knowing what to say. Jiang Yuanmu’s lips also moved slightly.
It felt like they truly had some kind of connection, like a mysterious energy flowing in their familiar space, pulling them together.
His twitching fingers affected hers, her trembling lips influenced his, and their slightly out-of-sync heartbeats resonated with each other.
“Then I’ll… think about it.”
Jiang Yuanmu finally said, pushing the door open and going in.
The door clicked shut.
Mo Lin looked at the closed door, feeling a sense of déjà vu. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized that the last time, when she first told Jiang Yuanmu she wanted a child, his “retreating” back was accompanied by the same words.
Back then, he said, “I’ll think about it.”
Today, he said, “I’ll think about it” again.
So…
There was still hope?
Mo Lin’s eyes lit up.
