Volume 1, Chapter 18: The Person Dad Loves Is Mom! Not You!

Seeing Lin Zhiwan’s eyes redden, Fu Jinxing assumed she was no longer angry. The little one threw herself into Lin Zhiwan’s arms, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"I missed you so much..."

The little darling in her arms still smelled of milk, and her soft, lisping voice tugged at Lin Zhiwan’s heartstrings. She made a silent resolution: until the divorce from Fu Yanzhou was finalized, she would continue to take care of Jinxing as much as she could. However, she would no longer cater to the child’s every whim as she had in the past. She loved Jinxing, but she would never again sacrifice her own well-being.

"Jinxing, Auntie missed you too!" Lin Zhiwan looked into Fu Jinxing’s eyes and said, word by word, "But what happened last time really hurt Auntie’s feelings. You must not be so willful again, do you understand?"

Fu Jinxing nodded, still clinging to Lin Zhiwan’s neck. "Then can you make me a bunny meal? You haven’t made one for me in such a long time..."

Lin Zhiwan stroked the little one’s head and carried her toward the house. Since Fu Yanzhou hadn’t returned yet, she could use this time to keep Jinxing company.

When the servants at Dijing Garden saw Lin Zhiwan return, they all assumed she had reconciled with their master. They hadn’t thought much of it when she was around, but after these past few days without her, they realized that the household simply couldn't function without a lady of the house. Seeing her back, the servants treated her with far more warmth than before, calling her "Madam" at every turn, all hoping that this would be the last time she ran away from home.

Lin Zhiwan brought Jinxing to the kitchen. "Wait here for a moment, Auntie is going to make you something to eat."

Little Jinxing nodded and sat to the side, hugging her stuffed rabbit doll. Before long, Lin Zhiwan had prepared the curry, and the entire kitchen was filled with its aroma. She patiently shaped the rice into a little bunny, carefully using ketchup to draw a pink bow on its ears. A lifelike little rabbit appeared, and she poured the cooked coconut curry over the rice.

"Jinxing, come over and eat."

Hearing this, the little girl immediately hugged her stuffed rabbit and sat down at the dining table. "Wow, it really is a bunny!"

Lin Zhiwan handed her a spoon. "Eat up!"

Having not eaten Lin Zhiwan’s cooking for a long time, Jinxing had a hearty appetite. She didn’t need the servants to coax or feed her; she held the small spoon and ate with great relish. Seeing the little one enjoy her meal made Lin Zhiwan happy. She took a tissue and wiped a bit of food from the corner of Jinxing’s mouth. "Eat slowly, there’s no rush."

Little Jinxing had a mouthful of food, making her voice somewhat muffled. "Lin Zhiwan, can you sleep with me tonight? Daddy has been staying with Mommy the last few nights, and I’m a little scared when I’m home alone."

Lin Zhiwan’s hand paused, and she looked at Fu Jinxing. "Mommy?"

"Yeah!"

Little Jinxing didn’t realize there was anything wrong with what she said. She nodded and continued, "Daddy says Mommy can't live with me yet; we have to wait a little while. I don't know if she can make such delicious bunny meals, but it doesn't matter if she can't—I can just have you make them for me! She just needs to be my mommy."

The innocent words of a child are often the most piercing. Listening to this and looking at Jinxing’s face, Lin Zhiwan felt as if she had been struck by a hammer. The "Mommy" Jinxing spoke of must be the woman she had seen at the restaurant. Based on Jinxing’s words, it seemed Fu Yanzhou intended to marry that woman as soon as their divorce was finalized.

What a seamless transition.

Jinxing said it didn't matter if the woman couldn't make "bunny meals." So, as long as Fu Jinxing liked her, she would be accepted as a mother even if she couldn't do anything. Yet, she herself had cared for the child for five years, and in Jinxing’s heart, she was likely no different from a servant. She rarely even heard the girl call her "Auntie," let alone "Mommy."

The reason Jinxing liked her "new mommy" so much was probably because of Fu Yanzhou. He liked that woman, so even before they were married, he had already taught Jinxing to call her "Mommy."

What, then, did these five years of her devotion amount to?

"What are you thinking about?" Fu Jinxing waved her small hand in front of Lin Zhiwan. "Are you not listening to me?"

Lin Zhiwan snapped back to reality. "Oh, what did you just say?"

Fu Jinxing was unhappy that Lin Zhiwan had been distracted. Whenever Lin Zhiwan used to play with her, she had always been focused and never pretended not to hear her when she spoke...

"I said, when you sleep with me tonight, can you tell me a story? Mommy bought me a lot of new picture books, and I want you to read them to me."

Hearing Fu Jinxing call out "Mommy" again and again, Lin Zhiwan felt a bitter sting. But she had long understood that feelings could not be forced—neither the bond between her and Fu Yanzhou as husband and wife, nor the maternal bond with Fu Jinxing. She was simply not the person they had chosen.

Perhaps this was for the best. She had previously worried about how Jinxing, with her sensitive nature, would cope after she left. Now, it was clear that in this child’s heart, she was no different from a servant—entirely replaceable.

The light in Lin Zhiwan’s eyes slowly dimmed. She looked at Fu Jinxing and said, "I’m not staying here tonight. Once your father returns, I will leave after I finish speaking with him."

Fu Jinxing grew temperamental upon hearing this. She had been so well-behaved today—why did Lin Zhiwan still refuse to stay?

"Why?" Fu Jinxing put down her spoon and glared at Lin Zhiwan angrily.

Lin Zhiwan remained expressionless and called a servant over to clear the table. "You can ask Auntie Zhang to read the books to you, or you can ask your mommy to read them. I have other things to do."

"Your 'things' are just pestering Daddy!" Fu Jinxing suddenly shouted. "Daddy doesn't like you at all! Daddy only likes Mommy and likes me. Daddy isn't coming back anyway; he went to be with Mommy today! Daddy only had you come back today so you could keep me company! If you don't stay, I'll tell Daddy and make him never pay attention to you again!"

Fu Jinxing thought that by bringing her father into it, Lin Zhiwan would be frightened into staying. She hadn't expected that not only did Lin Zhiwan look unafraid, she even seemed angry.

Looking at the child before her, Lin Zhiwan finally understood that her five years of care were seen by the Fu family as nothing more than unconditional sycophancy. In their hearts, her feelings were not worth mentioning.

Fu Yanzhou had found a satisfactory match immediately after she asked for a divorce. Jinxing, too, had adjusted perfectly fine without her care and was already calling another woman "Mommy." Ever since this child had been old enough to understand, she hadn't once called her "Mommy"!

Lin Zhiwan rose from the table. Ignoring Fu Jinxing, she said to the servant nearby, "Since Fu Yanzhou is not here tonight, I will come another day."

With that, she walked out of Dijing Garden.

Fu Jinxing was shocked; she hadn't believed Lin Zhiwan would actually leave, thinking it was just a bluff. She shouted at Lin Zhiwan’s retreating figure, "If you don't stay, I’ll never talk to you again!"

Lin Zhiwan did not break her stride and walked straight out of the Fu family gates.

Shortly after, Fu Yanzhou received a phone call. Beside him, Song Jinhe asked, "It’s so late, who is calling?"