I Became the Mother of His Child

The construction of Soup City was progressing smoothly, and in the blink of an eye, more than two months had hurriedly passed. Cotton clothes had been replaced by thin undershirts, and Xu Xiuxiu, who had initially been extremely busy in the first two months, found that she had less to do after Soup City was up and running.

Today, Xu Xiuxiu, having a rare moment of leisure without having to supervise the construction site, pushed the stroller carrying her boy and girl twins to Sichuan Pavilion. She planned to check the accounts and look over reports, but just as her children had just fallen asleep and Xu Xiuxiu's hands were warming up the report sheets, the phone on the office desk rang in urgency.

"Hello."

Xu Xiuxiu answered the phone with a steady voice, and soon Mrs. Xu's voice came from the other end. Initially, Mrs. Xu expressed her concern about Xu Xiuxiu and Xu Jingjing's situation in City Z, which was a typical conversation like always, and then she talked about some trivial matters at home, such as Xu Xiuxiu's elder sister, Xu Qingqing, being pregnant for two months.

"Mom, please congratulate elder sister for me. I'll send some prenatal supplements back home next month. Please tell elder sister," Xu Xiuxiu, who had a good relationship with Xu Qingqing, was naturally happy to hear of her pregnancy.

"Alright, mom understands, but don't go to too much expense. There are still three kids to support!" Mrs. Xu agreed but then instructed Xu Xiuxiu.

"I know what I'm doing."

"That's good, but Sanya, listen, your eldest sister has been having a tough time lately, and she asked if you could lend her another 300 yuan..." Mrs. Xu spoke hesitantly and reluctantly, but eventually, she couldn't resist Xu Fangfang's persuasion and spoke up to her third daughter over the phone.

"Lend another 300 yuan?" Xu Xiuxiu's tone suddenly grew cold. Xu Fangfang, that shameless woman, how could she repeatedly challenge the limits of shamelessness?

"Sanya, mom knows it's not easy for you either, but your eldest sister, she..." Mrs. Xu seemed to want to say some words in defense of Xu Fangfang.

"Mom, tell Xu Fangfang that I cannot lend her money again, not even a dime. Tell her to stop targeting me, or she can't blame me for being rude." Xu Xiuxiu snapped in irritation and, without caring who was on the other end, she abruptly hung up the phone in anger.

Mrs. Xu, innocently holding the phone on the other end, was bewildered for a long while before sighing and hanging up, then slowly walked back home.

"Freak, top-grade." Xu Xiuxiu couldn't help but growl after hanging up.

"Ba ba..." The twins, who had been lying quietly, also woke up amidst the fluctuating emotions of Xu Xiuxiu. The two behaved well, not fussing at all, their big, shiny eyes wide open while their small mouths continuously made soft noises, occasionally blowing tiny bubbles.

"Did mama's Little Moon, Little Baby wake up? Are you hungry?" Xu Xiuxiu leaned over and playfully interacted with the twins. The frustration caused by Mrs. Xu's phone call began to slowly dissipate as she stood up from the office desk and reached to check the twins' diapers, finding them dry, she then sat back down, reassuringly praising them, "Little Moon, Little Baby, you're so well-behaved. Mama's going to feed you now."

"Ah ah!" Seemingly responding to Xu Xiuxiu's playful words, Little Moon and Little Baby both grinned toothlessly and vocalized.

...

Since signing a collaboration agreement with Xu Xiuxiu, Ye Hua's encounters with her had become decidedly more frequent, with the two of them needing to discuss and consult on more matters. Today, knowing that Xu Xiuxiu had not gone to supervise the construction site at Soup City, Ye Hua hurried to Sichuan Pavilion with a document about Soup City, planning to discuss with Xu Xiuxiu the introduction of a large shopping mall to the project.

"Xu Xiuxiu..." Ye Hua burst into Xu Xiuxiu's small office, somewhat excited.

Xu Xiuxiu was feeding Little Baby. The employees at Sichuan Pavilion always followed rules like knocking on doors since they were used to this basic courtesy. Since Xu Xiuxiu was breastfeeding in her own private office, she hadn't bothered to lock the door, assuming that anyone coming would knock first. Out of bad luck, Ye Hua burst in.

"Ye Hua..." Xu Xiuxiu was also startled, their eyes meeting each other in surprise.

The next moment, with a loud bang, the office door was forcefully slammed shut, and Ye Hua's voice disappeared behind it.

"Wah..." Little Moon's wailing cry brought Xu Xiuxiu back to her senses, and she quickly finished up and stopped her attempt to feed Little Baby.

Outside Xu Xiuxiu's office, Ye Hua, dressed in a black suit, stood there, his face flushed red as he took deep breaths, his emotions stirring, while the heart he thought had calmed was once again agitated.

From the moment he agreed to develop Soup City with Xu Xiuxiu, Ye Hua had convinced himself to regard Xu Xiuxiu entirely as a business partner. He thought his feelings for Xu Xiuxiu were gradually changing, but his excitement over handling a luxury mall today caused him to lose his composure.

Back inside the small office, Xu Xiuxiu froze for a moment before carrying the crying Little Moon to the door to open it. Outside, Ye Hua stood stiffly.

"Sorry." Ye Hua, hearing the door open behind him, turned his head with downcast eyes, not daring to meet Xu Xiuxiu's gaze.

"..." Ye Hua's apologetic tone left Xu Xiuxiu unsure of how to respond: "Did you need something?" Xu Xiuxiu chose to ignore and overlook the earlier awkward moment.

"Oh! Right, I wanted to tell you that I contacted a large luxury mall today. They plan to set up in our Soup City holiday villa with clothing, jewelry, designer bags, and other world-famous luxury brands. They even plan to create the richest, most luxurious, top-tier mall in the country, encompassing dining, entertainment, tourism, hotels, fitness, and more..." Although Ye Hua was embarrassed enough to scream, the excitement of the day's events was still unmistakably evident in his tone.