Chapter 41: Kiss

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Kiss

After wiping the baby’s mouth with a soft tissue, Chen Yuan’s gaze landed on Jiang Wanyi’s chest.

At home, they were never this close, so he hadn’t noticed. But now, with their bodies pressed together, he could see the faint outline of her bra. At the same time, a delicate fragrance wafted from her.

It smelled wonderful.

"Does Mommy smell nice?" Chen Yuan asked, looking at Mili.

"Ah... ya... mmm..."

Mili couldn’t talk and didn’t understand what Chen Yuan was asking. Her logic was simple: if he made a noise, she would make one back. It didn’t matter what noise it was; a response was a response.

Jiang Wanyi felt a little embarrassed by his comment, a bashful shyness she couldn’t hide coloring her features.

After a short walk, they arrived at the early education center.

Inside, they saw five other sets of parents with their children.

Three of the groups were couples, while the other two were mothers who had come alone with their children.

Their children were all about the same age as Mili. It seemed the competitive pressure of the rat race had reached even the world of infants and toddlers.

The six families were led to a designated area, which was sectioned off into square mats, each about two meters by two meters. Everyone sat down in their assigned space.

The center’s staff had prepared various props: palm-sized balls, colorful ribbons, small wooden sticks, and about a dozen other items.

Chen Yuan was in charge of watching the baby, while Jiang Wanyi examined the props being handed out.

They had a few of the items at home already. She made a mental note to check out the others; if they seemed useful for Mili, she’d buy some to take home.

"Look at that husband over there."

A resentful voice drifted over from the next mat. A woman holding her child was quietly berating her husband:

"Look at that husband! He started playing with his kid the second they walked in. And then there’s you. You don’t even know how to watch our child. You’re going to work me to death one of these days."

Jiang Wanyi glanced at the other families. In every couple that had come together, the mother was the one watching the child and keeping them calm, while the father looked a bit helpless, unsure of what to do.

But her family was different. Chen Yuan was handling the baby the entire time, leaving her with nothing to do.

The contrast was stark.

’Jiang Wanyi really wanted to tell them that Chen Yuan didn’t just know how to take care of a baby. He could also cook, make nourishing soups, and brew herbal teas. He had so many wonderful qualities.’

’Your husbands could never compare. They still have a lot to learn.’

Jiang Wanyi felt a little smug. Being the object of envy felt pretty good.

However, that smug feeling quickly vanished, replaced by a touch of disappointment.

The other mothers all seemed younger than her.

Jiang Wanyi discreetly poked Chen Yuan.

"Do you see the other moms? They all look pretty young, don’t they?"

"So what if they’re young? None of them are as beautiful as you."

Jiang Wanyi froze. She had been feeling anxious, but with a single sentence, Chen Yuan had completely cured her anxiety about her age and her emotional drain.

Blunt, direct, and incredibly effective.

"Youth means good health."

"That doesn’t matter. Everyone gets old eventually," Chen Yuan said.

"It’s about living a beautiful life. No one ever said the goal was to stay young forever."

Jiang Wanyi blushed, all her inner turmoil completely smoothed away. The emotional support he gave her was more than enough.

’He wouldn’t even give her a chance to wallow.’

"They’re much prettier than I am. You can’t just put them down to build me up. That’s not nice."

"I’m the man here, so my opinion is the one that counts. And I say you’re the beautiful one."

Jiang Wanyi smiled. It was a charming, shy, and utterly delighted smile...

Soon, more props were brought out. Then, the instructor stood in front of a projector and began to explain the benefits of early education.

’From Chen Yuan’s experience, he could tell some of it was exaggerated, but that was understandable. Everyone had to make a living.’

The explanation lasted about five minutes before they moved on to the next activity, since the babies would get restless if it went on any longer.

The early education activities were numerous, including guided crawling, a "whack-a-mole" type game, playing tug-of-war with the baby, and holding the baby to kick a ball. All in all, there were over a dozen different types of activities.

Chen Yuan and Jiang Wanyi already did some of these activities with their daughter at home, just not as methodically—their approach was a bit more rough-and-tumble.

Jiang Wanyi made a mental note of a few new ones to try with Mili back home.

About an hour later, the class began to wind down.

The instructor stood before everyone and said in a soft, gentle voice:

"Dads and moms, a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that for age-appropriate learning, the best education is a parent’s love. A child surrounded by love will grow up with a kind heart and a beautiful outlook on the world..."

"And now, we come to the most important part of today’s class..." the instructor said.

"We’ll have our dads give their baby a kiss on the cheek."

The fathers were all quite willing, each planting a kiss on their child’s cheek, Chen Yuan included.

"Now, we’ll have our moms kiss the baby’s other cheek."

Jiang Wanyi leaned down slightly and kissed Mili’s little cheek. It was an action she was incredibly familiar with, one she repeated countless times a day.

"And finally, for our last activity of the day, we’ll have the dads kiss the moms on the cheek, to let our babies feel the love between their parents."

Chen Yuan and Jiang Wanyi froze. Neither of them had expected a stunt like this at the end.

Instinctively, they both glanced at the other families.

The three other couples didn’t hesitate after hearing the instructor’s words, each husband giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

The other two were mothers who had come alone. With no husband to participate, they simply kissed their children again.

A quick scan of the room revealed they were the only ones who hadn’t moved. ’If we do nothing, we’ll become a laughingstock... won’t we?’

They exchanged a glance. Jiang Wanyi’s cheeks visibly reddened, blooming with color like a field of flowers.

She didn’t make any grand gesture, but simply leaned slightly closer to Chen Yuan.

Her movement was like a secret signal, letting Chen Yuan know she wasn’t opposed to the idea.

He quietly leaned in, the distance between them closing. Jiang Wanyi could even hear the sound of her own racing heart...

Chen Yuan was just as nervous.

’Talking a big game is one thing,’ he thought, ’but now that it’s time for a practical demonstration, I’m nervous too.’

The instant his lips touched her cheek, Jiang Wanyi’s mind went blank. She could feel her face flush, as if it were on fire.

It had been many years since she’d felt anything like it.

The moment their lips parted, Chen Yuan immediately sat up straight, tucking his legs in. Jiang Wanyi snuck a glance at him, the blush on her face slowly fading. She felt an urge to laugh.

’This silly boy. He must have zero experience, or he wouldn’t be acting like this.’

’After all, it was just a little kiss.’