Chapter 122: You Are Quite the Gossip

Night fell. Outside, it was pitch black, and everything was silent save for a few windows where lights still glowed.

Yangyang had long since fallen asleep. Wang Yue sat in the living room, bored, idly clicking through television channels with the remote. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening made her stand up reflexively. As the door swung open, Lin Chuan appeared, looking exhausted.

"You're back!" A faint smile appeared on Wang Yue's face.

Lin Chuan paused, stepping into the living room, and asked, "It’s so late. Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Wang Yue smiled slightly, locking eyes with him, and whispered two words: "Waiting for you."

As the words left her lips, Lin Chuan froze, his breathing quickening. In the modest living room, they stood facing each other, looking deep into one another's eyes. They had known each other for quite some time, but today, Lin Chuan suddenly realized that Wang Yue’s eyes were beautiful. No, it was more than that—she herself seemed to have become incredibly lovely.

The air seemed to thicken. In the quiet living room, the sound of their steady, rhythmic breathing rose and fell, and Lin Chuan could even hear his own heartbeat accelerating.

*No, I can't keep looking at her, or something major will happen.*

A final shred of consciousness pulled Lin Chuan back to reality. He gave an awkward, guilty smile, turned his head toward the bedroom, and asked, "Yangyang is already asleep, isn't he?"

Hearing this, Wang Yue nodded, pulling herself out of the strange, heavy atmosphere. A flicker of disappointment crossed her face. "He waited up for you until nine o'clock. When you didn't come back, I had him go to bed... Yangyang really wanted to have a heart-to-heart with you."

Lin Chuan wore a look of regret. He nodded and said, "I've been far too busy lately and haven't had time to spend with him. In a little while, I’d like to take him out for some fun."

"Yes, you really should take him out. Oh, by the way, Yangyang starts kindergarten tomorrow. If you have the time, it would be best if you could drop him off personally. He needs you," Wang Yue said.

Lin Chuan didn't commit, merely murmuring, "Sorry for the trouble."

Those words again—always so polite. Could everything she did only earn a "thank you" or a "sorry for the trouble"? She knew he didn't want to hear these pleasantries; she wanted a promise, a...

Taking a deep breath, Wang Yue smiled and said, "You must be hungry. Let me cook you a bowl of noodles."

She turned to head to the kitchen, but before she could take a few steps, Lin Chuan called out to her.

"I... I already ate at the office. Don't go to the trouble."

Wang Yue’s body stiffened. She stood there, stunned for a few seconds, before slowly turning back. "Oh. Well then... I’ll head home now?"

Lin Chuan didn't speak, simply nodding.

Wang Yue left. Lin Chuan could tell she wasn't happy as she walked away, and he knew exactly why.

Walking into the bedroom, he looked at his sleeping son. Without realizing it, the image of An Xi'er surfaced in his mind. He didn't know what had come over him these past few days; he found himself thinking of her uncontrollably.

Had he still not forgotten that woman he had "never met," or was it something else?

The next morning, Lin Chuan left very early. With the commercial performance approaching, he had to seize every moment to rehearse new songs with the Power Boys.

Consequently, when Lin Yiyang opened his eyes and realized his father wasn't by his side, he remained sullen, his usual innocent, adorable smile nowhere to be found.

After breakfast, Wang Yue took Lin Yiyang out. It had snowed the previous day, and although the snow had stopped, the temperature had plummeted. It was a twenty-minute walk from their home to the kindergarten, or two or three stops by bus.

But Wang Yue didn't take the bus or walk; in such cold weather, she couldn't risk the child catching a chill. She hailed a taxi, gave the driver the destination, and they climbed in.

Angel Wings Kindergarten was a private institution that didn't observe traditional winter or summer breaks, closing only for weekends or holidays. The kindergarten was small, decorated modestly, with only a small playground and one teaching building.

Wang Yue had been working there for a few days and got along well with her colleagues. As she appeared with Lin Yiyang, a teacher in her early twenties walked over with a smile. "Xiao Yue, is this handsome little guy the Yangyang you mentioned?"

Wang Yue smiled and nodded. "Yangyang, this is Teacher Xiaomei."

"Hello, Teacher Xiaomei. My name is Lin Yiyang. Please take care of me," Lin Yiyang said, bowing.

"Oh, this little guy is quite polite," the teacher said with a laugh, patting his cheek. She turned to Wang Yue and added, "Go ahead and handle the paperwork. I’ll look after him."

"Alright, I'll go then." Wang Yue offered a grateful smile, crouched down to whisper a few words of encouragement to Yangyang, and left.

The boy was well-behaved; he didn't cry or fuss, and he let Teacher Xiaomei lead him toward the classroom.

Pushing open the classroom door, they saw a dozen or so children playing on the floor, while a young female teacher played an electronic keyboard.

"Teacher Zhang," Xiaomei called out.

The teacher at the keyboard turned around, saw Xiaomei with a child in tow, and stood up to walk over.

"Teacher Zhang, this is a new student, brought by Teacher Xiao Yue," Xiaomei explained.

"Teacher Xiao Yue?" Teacher Zhang nodded, her gaze falling on Lin Yiyang as she smiled. "Hello, handsome. What's your name?"

"Hello, Teacher Zhang. My name is Lin Yiyang," Yangyang replied.

However, there was no smile on his face; he looked quite unhappy.

Seeing this, Teacher Zhang frowned. She turned, introduced him briefly to the children playing, and said to Lin Yiyang, "Yangyang, why don't you go play for a while and get to know the others?"

Lin Yiyang nodded. With his little backpack on, he walked over. But he didn't join in the play, nor did he speak to anyone; he simply sat in a corner, rummaging through his bag.

Outside the door, Teacher Zhang and Teacher Xiaomei stood together. "Is that Yangyang Teacher Xiao Yue's child?" Teacher Zhang asked.

"Oh, Teacher Zhang, how would I know? Teacher Xiao Yue has only been here a few days, and I don't know her that well," Xiaomei replied.

Teacher Zhang pursed her lips, murmuring to herself, "Looks like it to me. Otherwise, why would she be so invested? But Teacher Xiao Yue looks so young, and the child isn't exactly a toddler... tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Teacher Xiaomei maintained a polite smile, though she thought to herself: *You really are quite the gossip.*