🔸𝐍𝐎 ℓσɳɠεɾ 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃🔸

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

As soon as Xiao Zhan heard the front door get closed, he flopped down on the floor. He could no longer hold himself and his emotions.

He was relieved to know that Wang Yibo had left but he did not know why but a part in him ached for Yibo.

Tears welled up in his eyes and his heart ached. No words could describe how he felt right now. He was reduced to tears and was down in the dumps. Wang Yibo's words just now were so emotional that he had a lump in his throat the whole while.

He just could not...

Xiao Zhan's collar was wet with tears and he cursed himself for being so vulnerable. He could not be like this. He had to be strong!

If not for himself, then for the baby!

Wiping the tears away, Xiao Zhan got up. He still had some time to go for work so he decided to rest, until then.

-

He'd managed to catch half an hour of sleep before work and all it had done was give him the energy needed to make it to his workplace without falling asleep during the ride on the bus.

Xiao Zhan worked as a barista in a nearby coffee shop which was owned by a kind young lady named, Mianmian, whom he had liked so far. This job too was arranged by Jiang Cheng.

By some miracle, A-yaun was still fast asleep. He was sleeping in a small baby bed laid in the center of the other room and he just looked so tiny and warm that Xiao Zhan crawled into bed, curling himself around the little bed. His son was growing so fast that he found himself constantly worrying if he was enough. Was he teaching A-yaun the right things? Spending enough time with him? He was only two years old but he was already doing so much and Xiao Zhan was so proud every time he did any little new thing. He remembered the first time A-yaun had picked up his little wooden letter blocks. His son had laughed and tossed it right at his father's head and Xiao Zhan had just about broken into tears. He'd almost taken the blocks away after that, figuring they were too hard and could cause injury, but A-yaun laughed every time he clacked them together and he was too weak to take something away that made his baby cackle so cutely. Yes, he was biased, but in Xiao Zhan's humble opinion, A-yaun was the best baby on the planet.

His baby was the best!

Until three weeks ago, Xiao Zhan and his baby was still locked up in that home like cell by Meng Yao. He was prohibited to go out was accommodated with every need and facilities like food mad clothes. Meng Yao had even brought his baby toys and stuff. Xiao Zhan had been confused and when he had asked Meng Yao why he was doing all this despite keeping them locked up, Meng Yao had said. "I provide you two with all that you need and you two stay in here forever. You are prohibited to leave and even if you leave, there is no one for you out there. Wang Yibo loathe you so much that he left abroad wanting to forget you. His family too wouldn't accept you even if you have their heir. Your siblings too wouldn't believe you no mataer how much you explain. So it's better for you to be in here and keep yourself alive than go out there and be killed by your own family."

Xiao Zhan had been so heart broken then but he knew that he couldn't be in here forever. His hbaby had to see the outside world. His baby had to grow up like a real baby!

And that was when, after long efforts did he run away from that place mad reached to Jiang Cheng, asking for help. He had been more than stunned to see his brother and sister so happy to finally see him and had accepted him with open arms. And that was how he ended up and although he knew that Meng Yao would coming looking to him again, he knew he was safe. He had his siblings with him.

He did not know how but soon he fell asleep again beside his baby, who cuddled him to sleep.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was the lack of sunlight pouring in through the open windows of the bedroom. It got dark so early in winter but not that early. How long had he been asleep? Was he truly that tired?

Xiao Zhan turned to his side to find the baby bed empty. Panic rose in him instantly and he immediately got up from the bed and walked out of the room, calling for A-yaun. Relief flooded in him when he saw A-yaun on the table on the hall, Wen Ning holding him.

He tried to put on his best smile mad walked up to his little baby.

His son was playing with a silicone straw, laughing at the way it wiggled when he waved it around. He immediately started making grabby hands the moment he caught sight of Xiao Zhan so he truly had no choice but to pick him up and hug him close.

"Here's my little soup dumpling. Did you have a good nap?" He asked, kissing A-yaun's forehead. His son let out a string of garbled baby words in answer. He then asked Wen Ning, who was his current beat friend, "Wen Ning, why didn't you wake me up? What time is it anyway?"

Wen Ning checked his watch, "Just after eight. Y...you. only slept about six hours."

"Six hours?! How long did A-yaun sleep? Did he just wake up too? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Because you needed the sleep. I came with breakfast but found you two asleep. He only slept a little over an hour. When he started crying and you didn't budge, I brought him downstairs so you could keep sleeping. Everything's f...fine."

Everything was not fine. He'd slept through his own baby crying? What kind of parent could do that? "I'm so sorry. He really cried? Why am I such a shit parent?"

"Zhan, stop saying such things. You are a good parent. You just slept, I..it is not a big deal."

"It is a big deal!" Xiao Zhan exclaimed.

Trying to divert his mood, Wen Ning said, "Zhan, I talked to Mianmian and asked for a whole day leave for you."

"Huh?"

"Yes. S..she agreed."

"Thank you Wen Ning. I... I don't know what I would be doing without you and your sister. Thank you so much."

Xiao Zhan really felt grateful and he could not help but tear up again.