Right Here Waiting For You

“Inky, it’s Tiantian’s fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you to the hospital for a prenatal check…” Tiantian was quick to admit that she had inadvertently misled Inky to believe that kissing would lead to babies.

“I’ve never blamed you,” Li Yanmo responded. He had been upset because of his lack of general knowledge. Had he not been lacking in general knowledge, these misunderstandings wouldn’t have arisen.

Upon hearing that, Tiantian wiped her tears and took it that Li Yanmo was no longer angry. She happily ran toward him, shouting, “Inky, I knew you were the best!”

But subsequently, she heard him say, “Tiantian, your mom should be back this afternoon. You should go home.”

Initially making a run for his thighs, Tiantian froze on the spot upon hearing what Li Yanmo said. Tears were dropping from her once-smiling eyes, and her nose was red from crying. “Inky, are you driving me away because you want to break up with me?”

This was exactly how the female lead in the idol drama was tactfully rejected by the male lead.

Li Yanmo stood up, his lips pursed, and his soft, black hair sticking to his forehead. Glancing at the little girl before him, who barely reached his chest, he then said, “No, I just wanted some peace and quiet.” [1]

He needed to consume more general knowledge, and it was difficult for him to focus when Tiantian was around.

“Who’s Jingjing?” Tiantian was confused.

Li Yanmo, confused, did not respond.

“Inky, don’t forget that I was betrothed to you at birth. You can only have one wife, and that’s me! Definitely not some ‘Jingjing’!” Tiantian bit her lips and looked wounded as if she were an abandoned pet. “I don’t care. If you like someone else, I’m going to punch her!”

At such a young age, she was already aware of what it meant to have rivals in love!

Li Yanmo couldn’t help but break into a smile. Poking her little arm and leg, he said doubtfully, “Who could you possibly defeat?”

“If I can’t beat them, I’ll get Erha to help!” Tiantian waved her little fist threateningly as if her rival in love were standing right before her.

“Woof! Woof!” Having been summoned by its owner, Tiantian’s pet husky, who had its snout buried in snacks, looked up questioningly.

You’re going to release the hound simply because you can’t beat ’em?

“Tiantian, you’re so silly!” Li Yanmo said through gritted teeth. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Suddenly, the whole mess with the “pregnancy” did not seem so troubling after all.

“I’m not silly. I’m not silly. If I were, I wouldn’t be good enough for Inky.” Tiantian shook her head in protest. Inky was good at studies and was first in class every year. She couldn’t possibly be a disgrace to him. “Tomorrow is the first day of preschool. I will be a conscientious student!”

This was the first time Li Yanmo ever heard someone say that they would study diligently at preschool. Come to think about it, very few preschools taught toddlers to read and write, and especially not the 3s/4s class.

“Work hard, then,” he said in encouragement.

“Inky, are you still angry?” said Tiantian softly, with her head cocked.

“What do you think?” Li Yanmo ruffled her hair. He couldn’t be any more obvious, yet she still couldn’t tell!

“That’s great. Inky is not angry anymore, and won’t force me to go back home. I’m so happy, I could kiss Inky!” Without waiting for Li Yanmo’s response, she climbed onto the chair next to her.

The added height made her a little taller than Li Yanmo.

Lowering her head, she held his face in her hands, puckered her lips, and earnestly gave him a kiss.

[1] “Be quiet” (pronounced “jing jing”), when written in mandarin, could also be a girl’s name.