Chapter 49: From Now On, It's Just the Two of Us

After emerging from the underground shopping mall, Chen Yuan took a taxi to Jiang Wanyi's place.

Along the way, he thought about the task he had just received, which was completely different from Jiang Wanyi's. It felt more like a passive task—devoid of any prompts or hints, yet at a certain node, it would simply inform him that the objective had been completed.

Soon, he arrived at Jiang Wanyi's doorstep and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Who is it?" Jiang Wanyi asked from inside.

"Delivery."

"Coming."

Click—

The door cracked open just a sliver, and Jiang Wanyi's hand reached out without her face showing, ready to take the items.

Instead of handing them over, Chen Yuan grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing!"

Jiang Wanyi's voice suddenly pitched upward.

"It's me," Chen Yuan chuckled.

Seeing Chen Yuan, the tense expression on Jiang Wanyi's face instantly dissolved.

"I'll hit you, you scared the life out of me just now."

Jiang Wanyi's small fist gave Chen Yuan a light thump as she spotted the things he had bought.

"Didn't I say to have a courier service deliver them? Why did you come yourself?"

"If I used a courier, it would've taken over half an hour. I didn't want to waste time, so I came directly."

"Da~~~"

"Da~~~"

While the two were talking, little Mili made a sound.

Chen Yuan tilted his head and saw Mili inside her playpen, pouting with tear-stained cheeks.

"What's wrong with her?"

Setting the bags down, Chen Yuan walked over and picked little Mili up from the enclosure.

"Da~~~ba~~~"

Held in Chen Yuan's arms, little Mili cried even more sorrowfully. Since she couldn't speak yet, she could only babble indistinctly, calling him Daddy.

"Waah... sob, sob..."

He looked back at Jiang Wanyi and saw her standing in place with her hands on her hips.

"Did you hit her?"

"Look at her mouth, she's broken out in a rash. I tried to apply medicine, but she kept fighting it off and sucking on her fingers. I smacked her hand, and she started crying."

"Daddy's here, don't mind her anymore."

Holding the child, he gently stroked little Mili's back.

Mili rested her head against Chen Yuan's shoulder, instantly stopping her tears and turning exceptionally obedient.

He walked over to the dining table, picked up the bottle of calamine lotion, and returned to the playpen.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor mat, Chen Yuan held her with one arm and hummed a nursery rhyme.

Mili blinked her big, sparkling eyes and giggled incessantly.

Jiang Wanyi was so exasperated she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This daughter of hers must have been Chen Yuan's lover in a past life; when she grows up, she's definitely going to be head over heels for a man!

"Mili, don't move!"

Seeing Mili's hand drifting toward her mouth again, Chen Yuan put on a stern face and said, "From now on, no putting your hands in your mouth, understand?"

"Ah, ah..."

Unable to speak, Mili could only respond with muffled noises.

Chen Yuan looked around and spotted the small yellow rubber duck she used during bath time in the corner of the playpen.

"From now on, stay still. If you're a good girl, I'll let you play with this in a moment..."

"Ya, ya, ya..."

"It's a deal then. Now let's put some medicine on, it won't hurt at all..."

Chen Yuan shook the calamine lotion well and gently dabbed it around little Mili's mouth. Throughout the entire process, she was remarkably cooperative—no crying, no fussing, letting him apply the medicine with perfect docility.

"Mili is such a good girl, let's play a game together."

He glanced at Jiang Wanyi, signaling with his eyes. She understood immediately and brought over all the toys they had just bought into the playpen.

Seeing Jiang Wanyi approach, little Mili immediately buried herself deeper in Chen Yuan's embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck and turning her tiny backside toward Jiang Wanyi in a silent display of a grudge.

"Hehe..."

Chen Yuan looked at Jiang Wanyi, struggling to suppress his laughter.

"Mili is amazing. From now on, you stick with Daddy."

"Ah, ah, ah—"

"What a good child. From now on, it's just the two of us, we won't want her anymore."

"Ya, ya, ya—"

Jiang Wanyi's chest heaved with indignation!

Confirmed!
Her rival from a past life!
Her infatuated little devotee in this one!
How long had they even known each other, and she'd already stripped her of her motherly status!

Holding the little duck, Mili rested her tiny head on Chen Yuan's shoulder. The scene was warm and cozy.

Chen Yuan softly hummed a lullaby, soothing the child.

After a little while, the baby stopped moving entirely.

Jiang Wanyi wanted to go over and check, but Chen Yuan stopped her, gesturing that the child had just fallen asleep and telling her not to disturb them.

Just like that, he held her for another dozen minutes. Only when he was certain she was fast asleep did he cautiously attempt to stand up and carry her to the second bedroom.

"Take her to the master bedroom."

Jiang Wanyi pulled Chen Yuan along, having him place the child in the master bedroom instead.

Once inside, they gently laid little Mili on the bed, changed her diaper, and quietly tucked the blanket around her.

Looking at little Mili's sleeping form, Chen Yuan drifted into a brief reverie.

Standing by the door, Jiang Wanyi watched Chen Yuan, also lost in thought.

Such scenes had played out countless times between the two of them.

No matter when she saw it, she always felt that Chen Yuan possessed an extraordinary charm, one she could never get enough of.

He would undoubtedly make a great father in the future.

And the girl fortunate enough to marry him would surely be blessed.

With the child lulled to sleep, Chen Yuan quietly retreated from the room, only to find Jiang Wanyi wearing a long face.

"What's wrong now?"

"Why didn't you back me up just now?"

That single sentence nearly caused Chen Yuan's brain to short-circuit.

Was she actually jealous of a baby?

"We were just trying to soothe the kid."

"Soothing the kid is no excuse. If something like this happens again, you have to stand on my side!" Jiang Wanyi said earnestly.

"You need to tell her that what she did was wrong, and that Mommy hit her hand for her own good."

Ah... right... this...

Old Comrade Li used to say the exact same thing. Did the two of them graduate from the same training camp?

"I'll try..."

"It's not about trying, you have to do it." Jiang Wanyi said, putting on a pretty, stern expression.

"Think about it yourself. Can she wash your clothes when they get dirty? Can she scrub your shoes? Can she cook for you when you're hungry?"

"Fine, I'll definitely help you next time."

"That's more like it," Jiang Wanyi said with a haughty air.

"It's getting late, don't go back tonight. Go take a shower, and leave your clothes by the door when you're done; I'll wash them for you."

"I'll go bring the baby over, I'll soothe her tonight."

"Leave her in here with me. You're the one who's been putting her to sleep these past few days. Even if you're young, you shouldn't pull all-nighters every single day."

Jiang Wanyi felt sorry for Chen Yuan; she knew all too well how exhausting it was to sleep with a baby at night.

As a mother, she was willing to work herself to exhaustion, but she couldn't let Chen Yuan do the same.

"It's really not a big deal."

With a 5% boost to his kidney function and an overall physical enhancement, staying up late was nothing to Chen Yuan.

"That won't do either. You've already put her to sleep for two days, tonight is my turn."

"Alright then."

"Be a good boy and go take a shower. Don't worry about anything else once you're done, I'll handle the cleanup."

"Mhm."

Chen Yuan went to the common bathroom to shower. When he came out, he noticed the master bedroom door was ajar.

Under normal circumstances, if the door were closed, he wouldn't go in even if he wanted to check on little Mili.

That was because he had no way of knowing what Jiang Wanyi was doing inside; she might be changing clothes or dressed casually in loungewear, making even a knock awkward.

Now that the door was cracked open, however, there was no problem at all.

Huh?

He cautiously peeked inside and saw Jiang Wanyi wiping away tears in secret, her eyes red.

Why on earth was she crying out of nowhere?

...

Thanks to book friends [Tonight Heavy Rain] [Scavenger_De] for the book coin tips.