“Then you’d better behave yourself.”
Ye Jiawen took little Yaya’s hand. “Being Yaya’s uncle isn’t going to be easy, you know.”
“Yaya, you just tell your uncle whatever you want, okay?”
Ling Hang walked around to the other side and took Yaya’s other little hand. “Whether your uncle here succeeds or not… it’s all up to you now.”
“It’s windy out here in the suburbs. Come on, let’s head inside first and catch up.” Yue Mingyuan adjusted the little hat on Yaya’s head and wrapped her up in the jacket he’d brought over beforehand.
It was the same familiar office, but this time it was even cleaner than before. The two of them had even gone out beforehand to pick some wildflowers to place on the windowsill.
Ling Hang took Ye Jiawen out to the back hill to play. Yue Mingyuan asked Ye Zhiqiu, “Zhiqiu, would you like to take a walk around the base?”
Ye Zhiqiu had had an idea on the way there. “Mingyuan, I want to learn how to drive.”
“Sure thing. I can teach you.”
Yue Mingyuan sat Yaya on his lap in the passenger seat and guided Ye Zhiqiu step by step.
Ye Zhiqiu turned the key to start the engine. Following Yue Mingyuan’s instructions, the car slowly began to move forward.
She was so excited, her eyes sparkling brightly.
“Keep your eyes on the road. Take it slow.”
“Okay.”
Ye Zhiqiu learned quickly. After they’d driven one lap around the office area, Yue Mingyuan saw Ling Hang and Ye Jiawen come back. He asked them to watch Yaya, then took Ye Zhiqiu to the specialized training ground (specialized training ground).
“Always keep your foot near the brake. Don’t rush. Keep your speed down.”
“Driving is really just about practice. The more time you spend behind the wheel, the better you’ll naturally get at judging different situations.”
Yue Mingyuan was very patient. When Ye Zhiqiu did well, he praised her enthusiastically. If she made a mistake, he would comfort her gently and offer encouragement.
“Zhiqiu, you’re very smart. You’re doing great.”
His compliments were making Ye Zhiqiu a little embarrassed. On top of her excitement, a rosy blush spread across her fair face.
After backing the car into the designated spot, Ye Zhiqiu felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. She turned her head to look at Yue Mingyuan, her apricot eyes bright and glistening. “Mingyuan, I did it! I did it!”
Yue Mingyuan gave her a thumbs-up. “Awesome.”
Ye Zhiqiu smiled shyly. “You’re a really good teacher.”
Yue Mingyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “So… can I get a reward?”
Ye Zhiqiu looked up and met his dark, bright eyes. She knew what he wanted. She raised her hand, gently covered his eyes, leaned in, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
As she started to pull back, her wrist was gently caught. Yue Mingyuan first touched his lips to hers, light as a dragonfly skimming the water. Sensing no resistance from her, he deepened the kiss.
When they finally parted, both of them were breathing unevenly. Ye Zhiqiu covered her face with both hands, blushing a deep shade of red.
That was so bold! Doing something so intimate right there on the training ground.
“Nobody saw,” Yue Mingyuan said, smoothing down Ye Zhiqiu’s hair.
Ye Zhiqiu shot him a look, but it had no intimidation whatsoever. Instead, it seemed almost coquettish, which made Yue Mingyuan want to pull her into his arms again.
“It’s almost time to eat. Should we come back this afternoon?” Yue Mingyuan took Ye Zhiqiu’s hand and gently stroked the back of it with his thumb.
His hands were covered in thick calluses, very rough. But Ye Zhiqiu’s hands were so soft and delicate. He never dared to hold on too tightly, afraid of hurting her.
Ye Zhiqiu gave a small nod. “Okay.”
“I wonder if Jiawen and Xiao Hang can handle Yaya. She’s gotten a little mischievous lately.”
“A little mischief in a child is a good thing. It shows they’re smart. And I’m sure that no matter how mischievous our daughter gets, she won’t be too much to handle.”
Yue Mingyuan said with a touch of melancholy, “It’s just that kids grow up so fast. I haven’t seen Yaya for just over a month, and she’s already changed so much.”
He felt a deep sadness knowing that he wouldn’t be able to spend most of his time with her, watching her grow up.
“Children have their own lives. We can only do our best to be there for them; we can’t be by their side for everything. We have our own lives and careers too,” Ye Zhiqiu comforted Yue Mingyuan.
She was about to leave for further training for a long time. She did feel guilty sometimes, feeling like she wasn’t a good enough mother. But if she gave up this opportunity, she knew she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Many things in life can’t be perfect. To have one thing, you have to give up another. So you have to follow your heart.
“Oh, I have something I want to discuss with you.”
After driving the car back in front of the office, Ye Zhiqiu unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to look at Yue Mingyuan. “Jiusi is probably going to start kindergarten around the beginning of spring. He wants to take Yaya with him, and Yaya wants to go too.”
“Mom and Dad agree. They think Yaya is different from other kids, and since Jiusi is so good at taking care of her, it would be good for her to go and learn some things early. But they said that since we’re Yaya’s parents, we should make the final decision.”
Even though Yue Mingyuan wasn’t around Yaya all the time, Ye Zhiqiu discussed Yaya’s matters with him. She felt this made him happy, and it meant that later on, he could feel like he was part of Yaya’s growing up, with fewer regrets.
“Well, since Yaya wants to go, we should follow her wishes. We can figure out all the other small details.”
If it was something Yaya wanted to do, Yue Mingyuan would support her unconditionally, one hundred percent.
“And one more thing. While I’m away for my training, if you can take leave and come home, please take Yaya to visit Old Dong.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
Ye Zhiqiu wasn’t worried about anything else. If anything changed, they could always talk on the phone.
Ye Jiawen was revising a manuscript at the nearby desk. The reason she and Ling Hang had come back was because, in the middle of playing, she’d suddenly figured out how to best revise a draft that had been stuck for days.
Ling Hang was playing with Yaya. Ye Zhiqiu had brought some toys for Yaya. Yaya’s favorite was a Luban Lock that Dong Hesong had given her. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would pick it up and play with it for a while.
“Wow, Yaya! How are you so smart? That’s amazing! You can actually take apart so many pieces!”
Ling Hang had played with Luban Locks when he was little too, but at Yaya’s age, he really didn’t understand a thing. Apparently, he would just sit there holding it, staring at it blankly, and his mom thought something was wrong with his head.
“Mingyuan! Look at how good Yaya is at this!” Ling Hang saw Yue Mingyuan and Ye Zhiqiu return and excitedly pulled Yue Mingyuan over to where Yaya was.
In front of Yaya were the neatly arranged wooden pieces she had disassembled. Her little face was turned up, clearly saying, “Praise me, please!”
Yue Mingyuan picked Yaya up and kissed her little cheek. “Yaya is so awesome! Are you having fun?”
He didn’t really care how smart his daughter was. He only wanted her to feel happy and joyful.
Yaya nodded, wrapped her arms around Yue Mingyuan’s neck, and rested her little head softly on his shoulder.
This scene not only melted Yue Mingyuan’s heart, but it also drove Ling Hang wild with jealousy.
No way! He wanted a daughter too someday. He had to have a daughter!
Yaya made his paternal instincts overflow. He wished he could marry Ye Jiawen right this second and have a soft, sweet little girl of his own.
But then he turned his head and saw Ye Jiawen over there, focused on revising her manuscript, and his enthusiasm quickly deflated.
