Chapter 108 - 78: He’s Different From Other Boys

Chapter 108: Chapter 78: He’s Different From Other Boys

After briefly marveling at the sisters’ good looks, Chen Yuan turned his attention back to Fang Youning.

’Pantyhose under her pants?’

"What’s wrong?" Fang Youning asked, a little embarrassed by his stare.

"It’s nothing."

After a short wait, the food Fang Youning had ordered arrived.

"Your nephew has an afternoon nap, right?"

"Mhm." Fang Youning glanced at her phone. "He should be ready for one right after we eat."

"The timing is perfect."

The little nephew had a great appetite and ate a lot. The only problem was that his mind tended to wander during meals, so he needed frequent reminders to stay on task.

During the meal, grains of rice from the congee and juice from the steamed buns splattered everywhere, with a good amount landing on his clothes. It required constant vigilance. Getting a child to eat was no easy task.

After the meal, Chen Yuan took on child-wrangling duty while Fang Youning cleaned up the "battlefield."

Chen Yuan played with the nephew on the mat. The boy started to get drowsy as they played, so Chen Yuan carried him to the bedroom, tucked him in with a small blanket, and that was that.

As Fang Youning tidied up the toys in the living room, she bent over, revealing a bit of stocking. It really was pantyhose under her pants, just as he’d thought.

Once she finished cleaning, Fang Youning collapsed onto the sofa like a deflated balloon.

"Taking care of a kid is exhausting. It’s only been one morning and I already feel like I can’t take it. I have no idea how my sister does it."

"She probably can’t do it all by herself. Doesn’t she have a nanny to help out?"

Chen Yuan stood up from the sofa and stretched. "It’s a little after one. He’ll probably wake up around three. What time does your sister get back? Do you still need me to stay?"

"Yes!" Fang Youning said sheepishly.

"My sister won’t be back until around six. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle him by myself after he wakes up. If you’re not busy, could you please stay and help me?"

"Of course. Let’s rest for a bit while we have the chance."

"Mhm."

Fang Youning clutched her phone, looking nervously at Chen Yuan. "Are, are you free tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"My sister said she wants to treat you to dinner..."

"Huh?! Treat me to dinner?"

Fang Youning nodded timidly. "I just told her he fell asleep after lunch. She asked if taking care of him was tiring and if I could handle it. I told her my classmate came over to help, so she said she wants to thank you by treating you to dinner."

"Oh, you don’t have to do that. There’s no need to go to any trouble."

"Please, just have dinner with us. You’ve been such a huge help. My sister would definitely get on my case if I just let you leave," Fang Youning explained hastily.

"My sister’s really nice, too. She’s not scary or anything, so don’t be nervous."

BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT...

Fang Youning’s phone vibrated a few more times. "See? My sister just messaged me again. She said I can’t let you leave. Please?"

Fang Youning looked soft and delicate, a picture of pitiable beauty.

"Alright then, I’d be happy to."

"Okay!"

Fang Youning replied on her phone, then said to Chen Yuan:

"When my sister left this morning, my nephew told her he wanted to go to the amusement park to ride the little train. I was thinking of taking him this afternoon. It might make things easier."

"Sounds good."

With the plan for the afternoon settled, they ran out of things to talk about.

Fang Youning sat stiffly on the sofa, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin.

A drop of oil had gotten on her jeans during lunch, and she kept picking at the spot with her slender fingers.

Every so often, she’d pick up her phone, only to find no new messages. She could only repeat the motion over and over to mask the slightly awkward atmosphere.

"You seem really good with kids. Where did you learn how to do all this?"

"Take a guess."

Chen Yuan gave a deflective answer, buying himself some time to think of how to respond.

"Is it... is it because..."

Seeing Fang Youning hesitate, Chen Yuan had a bad feeling. ’She seems to be thinking of something she shouldn’t be.’

"My mom didn’t have a second kid."

’Damn it,’ Fang Youning cursed inwardly. ’That’s such a ridiculous idea. He’s already this old, how could his mom possibly have another baby now? Why did I even think of that? My brain isn’t working right.’

"N-no, no, that’s not what I was thinking."

"You’re about to pick a hole in your jeans. That’s a guilty conscience, isn’t it?"

"I... I... I’m sorry..."

Fang Youning wilted, unable to keep up the act. "I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t think of any other reason."

"I worked a housekeeping job over the summer and picked up some skills along the way."

"Oh, I see..."

Chen Yuan was lounging on the sofa while Fang Youning sat ramrod straight, making it look as though it was his house, not hers.

He had a message from Jiang Wanyi on his phone. It was a picture of some clothes she was planning to buy for Mili.

Jiang Wanyi: "Help me pick when you have a second. Let me know which outfits you think look good."

Chen Yuan: "The first and third ones are nice."

Jiang Wanyi: "I’ll look for a couple more. I’m planning to buy four outfits."

Chen Yuan: "You could find some pictures online with a style you like, and I’ll shoot our photos in that style."

Jiang Wanyi: "I want to do some shots outside and some at home."

Jiang Wanyi: "For the outdoor photos, I’ll wear my new qipao. For the ones at home, let’s go for something cozier."

Jiang Wanyi: "So, what other clothes do you think I need to buy? [smirk.jpg]"

Chen Yuan: "I think your real motive is to use this as an excuse to buy clothes for yourself."

Jiang Wanyi: "[shh.jpg] Don’t tell anyone."

Chen Yuan: "For the cozy-style photos at home, you can just wear your pajamas. No need for anything too fancy."

Jiang Wanyi: "Alright, I’ll look for some pajamas then."

Chen Yuan: "Look for a nightgown. Matching cotton pajama sets aren’t very photogenic; they don’t look good in pictures."

Jiang Wanyi: "Got it."

After chatting with Jiang Wanyi for a bit, Chen Yuan noticed that Fang Youning had gone quiet. She had fallen asleep, slumped over the arm of the sofa.