Chapter 4 A Deadpan Face

• Instantly, Shen Beiyi’s mind plunged into turmoil.
• From the look in Gao Wen’s eyes when she looked at Ning Shaochen, it’s obvious that she loves him a lot, so why did she allow another woman to have her man’s child? Even stranger was the fact that it was the Ning Family that had sought her out to be a surrogate for them back then. With how affluent the Ning Family is, which woman wouldn’t throw herself at Ning Shaochen and bear a child for him? Why did he have to use such a method, and to specifically designate her at that?
• Everything was like a fog that enveloped her, and there was no clear answer…
• “Madam Shen, is that you outside the door?” A soft-spoken voice snapped her back to reality.
• Upon focusing on her surroundings, Shen Beiyi realized that she was already standing outside the door of Xiaoxi’s bedroom. All at once, she pushed open the door and walked in, only to see the kid propping himself up in bed, looking at her with glistening black eyes.
• Her heart softening, she walked forward and held the gift box out to him. “Here, your present.”
• “I don’t want it!” Ning Xiaoxi didn’t even spare the present a glance, lying back down with a pout instead. “Keep me company as I sleep. You’re not allowed to leave before I fall asleep!”
• “Okay, I’ll only leave after you’re asleep.” Shen Beiyi placed the gift on the bedside table before she stepped forward and tucked him in. “Sleep well now. Do you want me to read you a story or sing you a lullaby?”
• “Humph! Did you think I’m a child? No way!” Ning Xiaoxi rebuffed her firmly, but there was an intense longing within him. Do children with a mother get to enjoy a lullaby or story before bed?
• “Aren’t you precisely a child?”
• “I’m already five years old, so I’m no longer a child!”
• Upon seeing Ning Xiaoxi opening his eyes and glaring at her, Shen Beiyi laughed out loud and dimmed the lights. “Fine, fine, you’re not a child anymore. Now go to sleep.”
• Ning Xiaoxi closed his eyes again, but he didn’t forget to reiterate, “You’re not allowed to sneak away.”
• “I won’t leave,” Shen Beiyi promised tenderly. While patting his chest over the blanket, she quietly hummed a lullaby. The lullaby echoed in the tranquil night, full of a mother’s tenderness.
• The corners of Ning Xiaoxi’s mouth lifted in satisfaction, and he gradually fell asleep.
• Gazing at the child’s sleeping countenance, Shen Beiyi’s eyes once again glimmered with a sheen of moisture, and she sniffed. It’d been a little over a month after her mother’s death. At long last, she felt that she was living once more. This is nice; as long as I can be with my son, nothing else matters anymore…
• However, with all her attention focused on Ning Xiaoxi in the room, Shen Beiyi didn’t notice Ning Shaochen who was standing at the door and looking at her with a conflicted expression through a gap in the door.
• In the following half a month, the days passed peacefully.
• In the beginning, Ning Xiaoxi was critical and disdainful toward her, but when he saw that she was neither irritated nor angry, he was no longer interested in doing so after a few days.
• On the contrary, Shen Beiyi enjoyed every second she spent with Ning Xiaoxi. She’d gotten acquainted with his temperament and personality, keeping him company through laughter and tears.
• Perhaps having sensed her sincerity, Ning Xiaoxi started to rely on her more and more.
• However, when it came to Ning Shaochen, while they see each other every day, Shen Beiyi deliberately avoided him, so there wasn’t much interaction between them.
• Life was far more uneventful than she’d imagined it to be, but she was very happy.
• On a particular night…
• “Daddy, are you saying that you’re going to take me to Bloodshed Island?” Just as Shen Beiyi drew close to the door of Ning Xiaoxi’s room, she heard his voice floating out.
• Although this child was merely five years old, he was very cool, perchance because he was too smart and resembled his father too much. Thus, other than before her and Madam Liu, she’d rarely seen him in such an excitable state.
• Ning Shaochen bent down and patted his son on the shoulder. “Sleep earlier because we’ll set out tomorrow morning.”
• “Alright, daddy!”
• When Ning Shaochen exited the room, he spotted Shen Beiyi, who was standing at the side of the door. His face devoid of emotion, he ordered, “Pack a bag for him.” After taking two steps, he stopped. “You will come along as well to take care of him.”
• “Sure!” Shen Beiyi was over the moon. She didn’t care what the purpose of this vacation was, nor did she care why she was invited along. Regardless, this was her first trip with her son, so she was incredibly excited.
• Gazing at Ning Shaochen’s retreating back, she couldn’t resist jumping in joy, exuding the robust vitality of a young lady.
• This had the figure who’d been watching her from afar stiffen slightly. Ning Shaochen stared at Shen Beiyi’s figure as she ran into the room, pursing his lips; this was his first time seeing this woman so excited. She no longer seemed old and decrepit, finally acting her age of 23 years old.
• As soon as Shen Beiyi went into the room, she started rummaging through the closet enthusiastically. “Xiaoxi, since you’re going to the beach, should I pack your swimwear? Should I also pack some sunscreen? Also, are you allergic to seawater? Oh, can you swim? And…”
• “Hey, Madam Shen, can you please restrain yourself? It’s not you who's going on a vacation, so why are you so excited?” Ning Xiaoxi interrupted her muttering and pulled the covers over his head.
• “Ning Xiaoxi, you’ll suffocate if you do that.” Shen Beiyi stepped forward and yanked the covers down. Upon seeing him glaring at her, she pinched his cheek. “You’re a naughty brat since you like to get angry every day. But be careful, or you might have a deadpan face like your father when you grow up!”
• Outside the door, Ning Shaochen who came to give her some other instructions heard this, and his face instantly darkened. “A deadpan face?”
• As the three words rang out coldly from behind her, the hair on the back of Shen Beiyi’s neck stood up at once. When she looked over her shoulder, her eyes met Ning Shaochen’s bottomless obsidian eyes.