He offered her a condo and then a car. It left her feeling dizzy.

  He was a lot more generous than the overbearing CEOs she saw on TV!

  Having a husband that was generous and willing to spend money – wait no, he was going to be an ex-husband soon – was pretty good too.

  While it was true there was no such thing as a free lunch, Ruan Xia quickly recovered from her gut reaction of money-focused vigilance. Song Tingshen didn’t need to curry favor with her at all; she was currently financially dependent on him. So then, there had to be another reason for his strange behavior today. Even if she used her toes instead of her brain to think, she knew that the reason had to be related to Little Wang.

  “No thanks, my car is still new.” Although Ruan Xia was a bit greedy and it was hard for her to resist this sort of temptation, she felt that she already had more than enough. It was one thing to go on a shopping spree and have Song Tingshen pay for it, but letting him buy her a new luxury car…… she would feel guilty. Even though Song Tingshen was rich, his wealth didn’t come from a windfall.

  What she said was also true. The car under her name was fairly new. It had only been driven a few times. It really would be too wasteful to replace it with another new car. Her requirement for a car wasn’t high to begin with. As long as the car was in working order, she was fine with it. She had been perfectly happy driving her second-hand car before transmigrating.

  Song Tingshen fell silent again.

  He really didn’t know what to buy for her. He didn’t have much experience with relationships before and after he married Ruan Xia. He had devoted himself to his career. Their mutually respectful but distant marriage didn’t give him any experience in guessing how a woman’s mind worked.

  She didn’t want another condo, and she didn’t want to replace her car either. Clothes and shoes had been brought today……

  Just as Song Tingshen was preparing to offer diamond jewelry, Ruan Xia rushed to say something before him. “Um, I’m so sweaty and sticky. I want to go take a shower. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room.”


  She didn’t know what other horribly tempting item Song Tingshen was going to offer up next, so she could only retreat for now. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to resist his next offer.

  Song Tingshen looked awkward. “En…… okay.”


  Ruan Xia went back to her room, got a pair of pajamas to change into, and went into the bathroom. While standing under the shower head as the water came down, she continued to ponder about Song Tingshen’s motive.

  She naturally wouldn’t stupidly think that Song Tingshen had suddenly developed deep feelings for her.

  He and the original owner had lived under the same roof for four years without developing feelings. There was no way that his feelings for her would change within a short period of time.

  She wouldn’t be surprised if Song Tingshen brought up divorce tomorrow, but she felt puzzled by his actions today.

  She knew that his actions had to be for Little Wang’s benefit. Generally, two topics would come up during a conversation about divorce: splitting assets and custody of the child.

  There would be no conflicting views between the two of them when it came to splitting assets. Even if there were, he wouldn’t try to curry favor with her because of this.

  But, as for who would get custody of Little Wang…… If he wanted custody of Little Wang, with his ability and financial qualifications, it would be more suitable for him to get custody. He had even less reason to curry favor with her over this matter. In the eyes of outsiders, she was an incompetent mother.

  It couldn’t be…… He didn’t want custody of Little Wang? He wanted her to take custody of Little Wang, so he was currying favor with her in advance to get her to agree when he brought it up tomorrow?

  Ruan Xia stroked her chin. Hmm, that might be possible.

  Chapter 65 – As a father, shouldn’t he try to do everything that he could in order to give his child the best possible living environment? (1)

  Regarding the matter of who would get custody of Little Wang, Ruan Xia was very calm.

  After divorce, it was naturally impossible for a couple to stay under the same roof and raise their child together. During this past period, she had seen how much Song Tingshen cared for Little Wang. The mental and physical effort he expended on Little Wang was more than anyone else. And so, if Song Tingshen wanted to fight her for custody of Little Wang, no matter what angle she looked at it, he would win, even if she took their case to the courts.

  Besides, she believed that Little Wang would be able to live very well if he stayed with Song Tingshen. Song Tingshen would take good care of his son. Thus, she had no intention to fight for custody.

  From various perspectives, Song Tingshen was the right choice. He was young and promising and had already proven himself to be a winner in life. He was patient with children. In terms of future development, it would be good if Little Wang could follow after his father.

  However, if Song Tingshen didn’t want custody of Little Wang, she would gladly accept it. After all, she truly liked this chubby child and would do her best to raise him, care for him, and educate him on moral values.

  The longer she stayed here, the more Ruan Xia came to terms that her possibility to return to her original world was minuscule. Although she thought badly of the original owner’s actions, since she had transmigrated into the original owner’s body, she had to take on the original owner’s responsibilities and obligations.

  Whether it was the original owner’s parents or children, she should take care of them.

  Would Song Tingshen really not want custody of Little Wang though? Would he feel at ease leaving his son with a person that hadn’t been the least bit concerned with Little Wang in the past few years?

  This was at odds with his character.

  She shook her head and decided to not think about this answer that couldn’t be quickly figured out. It will be Monday tomorrow. How they would discuss and what they would discuss would become apparent soon.

  On the other side, Song Tingshen was extremely quiet because his plan to curry favor with his wife had failed.

  Little Wang was originally going to sleep with his mom, but on his way to her bedroom, he spontaneously took a few steps into his dad’s room with his short, little legs.

  Song Tingshen picked him up and placed him on one leg. Smiling, he asked, “Hmm? Do you want to sleep with dad tonight?”


  Little Wang shook his head. He had just taken a bath, so his soft, slightly wet hair was sticking to his forehead. Looking very innocent and cute, he asked, “Dad, are you unhappy?”


  “No.” Song Tingshen picked up a dry towel to dry his son’s hair. “Little Wang, what does your mom like?”


  Little Wang very seriously considered this question. In the end, he pointed at himself and showed his small, white teeth. “She likes me.”


  “I meant, what is a thing that she likes?”


  “Eh. I’m not a thing.”


  Song Tingshen laughed at these childish words.

  “Mom likes beautiful clothes and shoes.”


  “.…… En, and what else?”


  “She likes ice cream!”


  “Eh?”


  “She likes cookies!”


  “.…… Hmm? I’m asking what your mom likes, not what you like.”


  This question was too challenging for Little Wang. “I don’t know then.”


  The father and son simultaneously sighed. Song Tingshen could guess what his son would do next, so he added, “Dad was testing you, so you don’t need to tell this to your mom. If mom finds out that you don’t even know what she likes, she’ll be unhappy.”


  Chapter 66 – As a father, shouldn’t he try to do everything that he could in order to give his child the best possible living environment? (2)

  Little Wang was naturally quickly fooled by his dad’s words. He nodded, but still feeling worried, he said, “Dad, you’re not allowed to tell this to mom either. I’ll properly observe mom. I’ll definitely figure out what things she likes.”


  As a well-behaved and sensible son, Little Wang felt quite dejected that he didn’t even know what things his mom liked.

  When Little Wang came waddling back to her room, Ruan Xia noticed that her chubby son looked a bit guilty. He struggled to climb onto the bed with his short legs for a little bit before he rolled over to her side. Rubbing his head against her arm, he said, “Mom smells so nice.”


  “Yeah.” Ruan Xia thought; she didn’t want to see the price on the shower gel that the original owner had purchased.

  Wealthy people truly lived luxuriously in every aspect of their lives.

  Little Wang was especially clingy tonight. He seemed as if he was fawning over her too. Ruan Xia noticed his behavior, but this little fellow had always been like this, so she didn’t bother to ask him why. After covering him up with his little blanket, she picked up a children’s book on the bedside table and started telling a bedtime story.

  This children’s book had English and Chinese text. Right now, it was still a bit difficult for Ruan Xia to read out loud the English version. That wasn’t to say that her English comprehension was poor, she merely had the same problem as other people. She could write in English, but speaking it…… was difficult.

  Ruan Xia was still taking classes with a foreigner teacher. She felt that before she got to the point where she could fluently speak English, she should stick to reading the Chinese text. She didn’t want to adversely influence Little Wang by reading out loud with the wrong pronunciation.

  Little Wang seriously listened. When Ruan Xia was reading him bedtime stories, her expression looked so gentle. The picture of a mother and son leaning against each looked very heartwarming.

  Song Tingshen was standing outside the room with his ear pressed against the closed door. He could faintly hear the sounds coming from inside the room.

  As a father, shouldn’t he try to do everything that he could in order to give his child the best possible living environment?

  —


  Early next morning, for the first time ever, Song Tingshen called Assistant Chen and told him to reschedule his morning meetings to the afternoon or tomorrow morning.

  Song Tingshen was extremely responsible towards his work. If he didn’t have a certain level of self-discipline and wasn’t strict with himself, it wouldn’t have been possible to have reached his current success with his poor background.

  After Assistant Chen put down his phone, he wasn’t quite able to return to his senses yet. Although he had only been Song Tingshen’s assistant for two years, he had an understanding of CEO Song’s character. Could it be that something had happened at home?

  When Assistant Chen left the office to go to the break room to make himself coffee, he happened to bump into Li Jing.

  Li Jing smiled at him and took out a clear jar from her lunch bag. “I was bored at home yesterday, so I baked some cookies. Brother Chen, please have some.”


  Assistant Chen took the jar. “Thank you. You’re so skillful with your hands. When my girlfriend said she was going to bake me cookies, they all turned out burnt.”


  Li Jing and Assistant Chen idly chatted for a while.

  After she had laid out enough groundwork, she pretended to casually mention, “Is CEO Song sick? It’s almost 9AM, but he’s not here. I have a report that needs his signature……”


  Assistant Chen knew that Li Jing could be considered to be a nepotistic hire, so he said, “CEO Song won’t be coming into the office this morning. You can give the report to me instead.”


  Chapter 67 – As a father, shouldn’t he try to do everything that he could in order to give his child the best possible living environment? (3)

  “En, okay.” Li Jing paused. “Oh right, Brother Chen, a good friend of mine is going to Japan. Would your girlfriend want something from there? The prices there are good.”


  With a happy face, Assistant Chen said, “That would be great. It’s going to be her birthday soon. I’ve been worrying about what to get her. Ah, wouldn’t this be too troublesome for your friend?”


  Li Jing smiled. “Not at all. It’s enough if I can help Brother Chen with his problem.”


  Assistant Chen thought that Li Jing was a pretty good person. Seeing that she was quite good at building interpersonal relationships, he relaxed in what he would and wouldn’t say. He wasn’t as reserved towards her as before.

  —


  Outside the nursery school, there were many parents watching as the teachers held hands with their children and led them inside. It was only then that they would feel less worried.

  Song Tingshen and Ruan Xia were still standing outside the nursery school’s entrance. This bilingual nursery school was well managed. All children were given a card. When they went in, they would have to swipe their cards. When they left, they would have to swipe their cards again. The front doors to the nursery school were usually closed. Even if it was a parent coming to pick up his or her child, the parent would have to wait until a teacher brought his or her child over.

  “Let’s go find a place to sit.” Ruan Xia took the initiative to suggest. She pointed at a nearby cafe. “How about that place? It’s a Monday morning, so there shouldn’t be many people at a cafe right now. It’ll be quiet too, so it’s suitable for talking.”


  She had already prepared herself for discussing dividing assets and child custody.

  Song Tingshen naturally wouldn’t have any opinions on her suggested place. They drove to the cafe. There were still parking spots left when they got there, so parking was convenient.

  They walked into the cafe single file. Sure enough, there weren’t many customers in the cafe. There weren’t even a lot of waiters around.

  After being seated, they each ordered a cup of coffee.

  Ruan Xia calmly waited for Song Tingshen to bring up getting a divorce. Marriage was truly something that you could only understand after experiencing it yourself. Although she and the original owner both felt this kind of marriage, where there was mutual noninterference, was pretty good, Song Tingshen was probably unsatisfied with it. She could understand his point of view. After all, the original owner had manipulated him into marrying her.

  However, Ruan Xia was sure that there was an even better reason for why he was going to propose divorce. Under the circumstances when a married couple already had a child, the reason behind divorce was most likely because the spouse had found someone he or she liked and wanted to commit to that person.

  She was a very tactful person. Song Tingshen was a generous person. There was no reason for her to insistently occupy the position of Mrs. Song and refuse to leave.

  If their talk went well, they might be able to remain an amicable ex-husband and ex-wife.

  Song Tingshen looked at Ruan Xia. He was usually calm and confident when negotiating. It was rare for him to feel stuck on what to say.

  Right now, he didn’t know what to say, much less how to start.

  Fortunately, Ruan Xia was very patient. After the two of them had sat in silence for nearly ten minutes, Song Tingshen, who usually valued time, finally spoke. “Ruan Xia, is there anything else that you want?”


  Ruan Xia was totally lost. Huh?

  Song Tingshen knew that his wife was a very pragmatic person. “Whether it’s a car or a house, or anything else, as long as it’s something I can do, feel free to ask. As long as you promise to say we’re a loving couple in front of Little Wang and continue to be a loving mother to him, I can agree to anything you ask.”


  Ruan Xia was truly stunned.

  She could understand the meaning of each word by itself, but why was she left dumbfounded when she put them together?

  And also, didn’t they come here to discuss divorce? To talk about the divorce settlement and who would get custody of Little Wang?

  Chapter 68 – He hadn’t been able to have that as a child, but he hoped that his son could have it, even if that warmth wasn’t real (1)

  Song Tingshen didn’t feel that he had treated Ruan Xia unfairly.

  On that night four years ago, she had been the one to plot against him first, and he had chosen to indulge when presented the opportunity. It wouldn’t be wrong to say they had both been willing that night. But, when he woke up the next morning, he had already thought of a plan for last night’s indiscretion. If she wanted money, a car, a house, etc, he could agree to all of her monetary requests. It was only right that he compensated her.

  However, after practising self-discipline for so many years, one night’s indiscretion would change the rest of his life.

  She got pregnant and wanted to get married. As a man, there was only one path for him; take responsibility. Of course, if he had been a bit more unyielding by pressuring her to get an abortion, it wouldn’t have been seen as odd. That sort of thing happened in the city every day. But, he didn’t. He couldn’t force a young woman that was several years younger than him to get an abortion even if her intentions had been impure from the start.

  After getting married, the two of them were like business partners. They had collaborated in this ridiculous sham of a marriage.

  Even if he didn’t have feelings for her, Song Tingshen still wanted to take care of her for the rest of her life. Why? It was simply because she had given him a child and was his legally married wife.

  However, even though he didn’t treat her unfairly, he had ended up treating his son unfairly.

  In the past, Song Tingshen had thought it was okay that Ruan Xia didn’t care about their son. It was even okay that she remained indifferent to him. After all, before they had gotten married, they had agreed they wouldn’t interfere in each other’s life. In this world, not all mothers felt compelled to love their children. If she couldn’t be a good mother, he would just make up for it by being a better father. He would fill up the hole left by Ruan Xia’s lack of motherly love.

  However, after discussing with Little Wang that evening, he realized his considerations had been too one-sided.

  If he wanted to give his son a healthy and all-around ideal environment, then both a father’s love and a mother’s love was needed. If Ruan Xia had never shown any love to Little Wang, then Little Wang might have gotten used to it. But now that Little Wang had experienced a mother’s love and attention, Song Tingshen didn’t want to imagine the impact and damage it would have on Little Wang if he suddenly lost it.

  Song Tingshen had lost his parents when he was young and lived with his relatives instead. He longed for the warmth of a family more than anyone else, but this was something that only he knew.

  He hadn’t been able to have that as a child, but he hoped that his son could have it, even if that warmth wasn’t real.

  Since Ruan Xia hadn’t said anything, Song Tingshen added, “You’ve been doing your best in taking care of Little Wang in the recent period, and he’s been very happy every day about it. I can sense that he likes you more. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t have anything against that. It’s natural for a child to cling to his mother. Ruan Xia, I don’t know if you’re just carried away by a whim, or……”


  He paused. After all, Ruan Xia was the mother of his child, he couldn’t criticize her.

  “Anyways, Little Wang is very happy right now. This is favorable for his development and personality. I know that my request now is different from what we agreed on before, but I hope that you can understand. As long as you can agree to my request, I’ll do my best to fulfill any requests you have.”


  Sitting across from him, Ruan Xia took a sip of her coffee and tried her best to calm her heart.

  After a long pause in the conversation, she tentatively asked, “Are you saying that for Little Wang’s sake, you want me to not only be a good mother, but also play the role of a good wife in front of him?”


  Song Tingshen nodded his head with a bit of difficulty. “Little Wang is still young, but he’s not completely clueless. I’m worried that once he’s older and sees that his parents’ relationship isn’t good, it’ll adversely affect him.

  He added, “I know that my request is very unreasonable……”


  Chapter 69 – He hadn’t been able to have that as a child, but he hoped that his son could have it, even if that warmth wasn’t real (2)

  Ruan Xia inwardly sighed. Regardless of whether the start of this marriage had been right or wrong, there was no doubt that Song Tingshen was a good father.

  In today’s society, although there were many fathers that had love as deep as the mountains for their children, there were few fathers that would take their considerations to such a thorough and meticulous level.

  In this marriage and in this family, Song Tingshen had the dominant position. He was this family’s sole breadwinner……

  If the original owner was still here, what choice would she make?

  She would probably nod her head in agreement. After all, this wasn’t an unfavorable condition for her.

  “Actually, I thought you wanted to talk with me today because you wanted a divorce,” Ruan Xia softly said.

  Song Tingshen slightly furrowed his brow. “You want a divorce?”


  Ruan Xia shook her head. “I don’t have a strong opinion either way. Whether we divorce or stay together, either option wouldn’t be bad for me.”


  She wasn’t interested in seeking romantic love. From childhood to adulthood, she always had the attitude of taking things as they were.

  Ruan Xia looked at Song Tingshen and continued, “I’ve been living freely and without restraint in the past four years. So, when you said you wanted to talk, I thought you wanted a divorce.”


  “I don’t have any thoughts or intentions of getting a divorce.”


  Ruan Xia nodded. “I know that now. As for what you recently said, there’s nothing for me to consider. Little Wang is my son too. If it’s for him, as long as it’s something within my acceptable range, I’ll cooperate with you.”


  Song Tingshen relaxed. Today’s discussion was a success, and he had achieved his objective.

  “What do you want?” Now that the air had been cleared up, Song Tingshen wasn’t as hard-pressed as before. His expression looked more natural too. “Money, another condo, another car? I can give you anything you want.”


  They were husband and wife in name, but they were sitting here and clearly negotiating.

  Ruan Xia had originally wanted to say she didn’t need anything else. She already had enough. But, looking at Song Tingshen’s negotiating look and thinking of the original owner’s previous behavior, if she told him that she didn’t want anything, it would only leave this man unsettled.

  After all, he was a businessman. Even in his married life, he viewed their relationship through a businesslike perspective.

  Thinking of this, Ruan Xia said, “I already have money, a condo, a car, and jewelry. If you really want me to think of something, I can’t immediately come up with something. How about this? I’ll tell you once I think of something.”


  Song Tingshen looked at her for a moment before finally nodding.

  The two of them had already successfully reached an understanding, so there was no reason to stay here and keep talking. After paying the bill, Song Tingshen dropped Ruan Xia off at the place she was meeting the foreigner language teacher, then he went to work.

  ***

  Ruan Xia’s language lessons were very casual and relaxed. She and the female teacher would meet at a cafe or a bakery and idly chat in English. Sometimes, they would go watch a movie together or simply go window shopping. Of course, costs incurred during these outings would be borne by Ruan Xia. Perhaps, because the settings were so relaxed, Ruan Xia no longer felt adverse to speaking in English, and she was rapidly improving.

  Although her weekday schedule looked full, it was much easier than having a fulltime job.

  Chapter 70 – He hadn’t been able to have that as a child, but he hoped that his son could have it, even if that warmth wasn’t real (3)

  After having lunch with the female teacher, the English lesson would be over for the day. Ruan Xia would then rush to her baking class, which lasted a few hours. When she occasionally had free time in her schedule, she would pick Little Wang up from nursery school. Today was one of those days.

  When Little Wang saw her after school today, he rushed into her arms, and she picked him up.

  Fortunately, he was only three years old. If his weight kept increasing at the current rate, she wouldn’t be able to pick him up in a few years.

  Little Wang was extremely excited. “Mom, why did you come to pick me up today?”


  Ruan Xia put him down and held his chubby hand as they walked to the parking spot. “Hmm? Not happy about it?”


  The chubby kid chatter all the way to the car and only quieted down when they got into the car. Once he was seated in the child’s car seat, he asked, “Mom, should we go pick up dad from work?”


  Ruan Xia didn’t know what to say in response to that. Song Tingshen was right. Even though this chubby kid was only three, he was very smart, and he seemed to vaguely understand some things.

  “Dad is very busy at work, and we didn’t tell him in advance that we’re going there to see him. What if we go there and he’s not there?”


  Little Wang accepted this explanation. Perhaps, the memory of eating at Pizza Hut with his parents yesterday was too wonderful, so he asked, “Can I call dad then and ask him to come home earlier so we can all eat together?”


  Ruan Xia couldn’t help laughing. “Of course.”


  Even though Little Wang clearly didn’t recognize many Chinese characters, he smoothly tapped the phone watch a few times and called Song Tingshen’s number. The call was quickly picked up and a deep male voice asked, “What’s wrong?”


  “Dad, mom wants you to come home early today. We’re waiting for you to eat dinner!”


  Ruan Xia: “.……”


  Song Tingshen was currently working. When he heard those words, he froze in surprise. A while later, he said, “Okay. Are you with mom right now?”


  “Yup! She picked me up from nursery school!”


  “Ask mom what she wants to eat. I’ll pick it up on my way home.”


  Little Wang’s phone watch was a hands-free device. If Song Tingshen could hear Little Wang’s words, he would naturally hear anything that Ruan Xia said.

  Ruan Xia was going to shake her head to indicate that she didn’t want anything, but then she saw Little Wang’s puppy-eyed look and thought of her conversation with Song Tingshen this morning. And so, she quietly said to Little Wang, “Tell dad to buy some umm…… durian on his way home from work.”


  Ruan Xia liked to eat durian. After she had bought it a few times, Little Wang, who was gluttonous towards all food, tried some and ended up liking it too.

  But, she rarely bought this fruit. After all, she had to be strict with her diet in order to maintain her figure. It wasn’t good for children to eat too much durian either. It was especially true for Little Wang, who was under a doctor’s order to go on a diet.

  Little Wang immediately got excited. He loudly said, “Dad, mom wants you to buy that smelly hedgehog-shaped fruit.”


  Song Tingshen: “.…… Okay.”


  The mother and son pair were both excited about eating this. Durian that had been refrigerated for a while tasted even better than ice cream. Little Wang was especially looking forward to this treat. When they got home, he kept looking at the door and hoping his dad would come home soon.

  —


  Ruan Xia hadn’t expected that Song Tingshen would be so…… unreasonable!

  Sure, she had been the one to ask him to buy a durian. But a normal person wouldn’t buy three durians at a time, ah!

  Those durians weren’t even split open!

  It was probably because Ruan Xia’s gaze was too condemning, so Song Tingshen felt the need to explain himself. “The store employee said it’s rare for durians to go on sale.”


  The housekeeper aunty heard these words and laughed. “Sir, you really know how to live.”


  Song Tingshen’s palms were red for carrying the three large durians from the garage to the house. After hearing the housekeeper aunty’s words along with Ruan Xia’s gaze, he inevitably felt a bit awkward.

  Ruan Xia nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he really knows how to live.”


  If she had known this about him earlier, she would have asked him to pick up diamond jewelry on his way home……