Flash Marriage: He is a Wife-pampering Addict

Chapter 1429: Does 1428 not want to have children?

As expected, when Bai Yuqin heard Yiyi say this, she couldn’t help but feel a little moved.

Beside her, Tongtong, the clever little girl, spoke at just the right moment: “Grandma, come live with us.”

“Yiyi, Tongtong’s speech has become so fluent?”

Earlier, Tongtong had only called out to her grandmother twice, listening to her parents talk without a chance to chime in. Now, when she spoke, it was a complete sentence.

Bai Yuqin was amazed.

Bai Yiyi raised her brows proudly and said, “Mom, Tongtong is almost two and a half. Her being able to speak complete sentences isn’t surprising. In fact, she’s still not very fluent. Often it’s just two or three words strung together.”

“Mommy, Tongtong doesn’t just say two or three words.”

Tongtong pouted, displeased, and defended herself.

Children learning to speak change day by day; some are early bloomers, others late, and Tongtong happened to be in the early category.

“Haha, our Tongtong is amazing, no two- or three-word phrases for her.” Bai Yuqin immediately chimed in and affirmed Tongtong’s claim.

Bai Yiyi shook her head with a smile. As she spoke, she approached the roadside just in time for Gu Kai’s car to pull up. Bai Yiyi opened the car door, letting Tongtong and her mother get in first.

“Yiyi, you sit in the front. I’ll chat with Tongtong.”

After getting into the car, Bai Yuqin stretched out her hand to close the car door, clearly not wanting Bai Yiyi to sit in the back with them.

In the front, Gu Kai overheard Bai Yuqin’s words. His eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile. He also said to Bai Yiyi, “Sit in the front. Tongtong hasn’t had much one-on-one time with her grandma lately. Let her keep her company—you don’t need to compete with Tongtong for her attention.”

There was another half-sentence he didn’t say aloud but wrote clearly in his gaze toward Bai Yiyi: Sit in the front and keep me company.

Bai Yiyi understood what his look meant, responded with a “Sure,” closed the backseat door, and opened the passenger side door to sit up front.

“Put on your seatbelt.”

Gu Kai turned and gently reminded Bai Yiyi.

**

A City

Since An Lin’s parents’ home was close to the Qin Family’s, she could visit them anytime she wanted.

That afternoon, Qin Mu had been called out by a few of his childhood friends, and Father Qin, rarely at home, was enjoying his day. An Lin, being considerate, decided to visit her parents to give her father-in-law and mother-in-law some personal time together.

Her mother, after nearly three months of recovery, was already well again.

However, Dad An, who adored his wife, continued to fuss over her, reminding her constantly not to tire herself out. When An Lin entered the living room, Dad An was handing a freshly made fruit salad to Mom An.

With a warm smile, he said, “Here, try this. Tell me how it tastes this time.”

“Linlin’s back.”

Hearing footsteps, Mom An looked toward the entrance and saw An Lin returning. Her face immediately lit up with a happy smile.

An Lin walked briskly to the sofa, her eyes glancing at the fruit salad in her mother’s hands. She teased, “Dad, Mom, am I interrupting something?”

“Nonsense.”

Dad An frowned, pretending to be upset as he raised his hand to knock lightly on An Lin’s head.

An Lin giggled and dodged him.

“Don’t bully my daughter.” Mom An glared at Dad An protectively and motioned to An Lin, “Linlin, come sit here with Mom.”

“Mom, just call me An Lin. When you call me Linlin, it gives me the creeps.”

An Lin walked around the coffee table, sat beside Mom An, took the fruit salad from her hands, and scooped up a spoonful to feed her mother.

Usually, Mom An addressed her as An Lin, only calling her Linlin in certain situations.

The same protective Mom An instantly turned stern upon hearing her inconsiderate remark, tapping her forehead with her finger. “Are you telling me that just one word from your mother makes you feel creeped out?”

“Ouch, Mom, be gentle.”

An Lin exaggerated her frown, and despite being a woman almost thirty, she still acted like a child in front of her parents, playfully seeking their affection.

This feeling made An Lin feel warm inside.

Mom An ate the salad An Lin fed her and smiled, “Linlin, you eat some too.”

“Linlin, why didn’t Ah Mu come back with you?”

Dad An, sitting on another sofa, looked at An Lin warmly. Back when she and Qin Mu got married, he and his wife had debated over the decision.

Mom An felt their daughter, who had liked Qin Mu for years, should be allowed to marry the man she loved. Besides, the two families had close ties and knew each other well. Qin Mu was reliable and wouldn’t mistreat their daughter.

But Dad An thought differently.

As a man, he understood better than anyone else that Qin Mu had no romantic feelings for their daughter. Qin Mu had once risked his life for another woman, leaping off a cliff for her. After loving someone so deeply, it wouldn’t be easy for him to fall for An Lin—or anyone else.

Even if he did, it likely wouldn’t be with the same intensity as before.

Dad An feared that if An Lin married Qin Mu, she might never experience his love truly. No matter how well Qin Mu treated her, she wouldn’t be genuinely happy without that love.

He could see this in the rare, fleeting moments when their daughter drifted into thought or when faint traces of sadness surfaced unintentionally.

Just as An Lin was about to feed her mother another spoonful of salad, she paused, her long lashes fluttering slightly at Dad An’s question. With a smile, she said, “Ah Mu was called out by Tang Yang and the others. I thought I’d take the chance to come and spend time with you two.”

“He’s busy socializing all the time. I don’t think he’s properly spent this holiday with you.” Dad An’s tone carried a faint disapproval as he spoke, his expression betraying his dissatisfaction.

That Qin Mu kid—he was neglecting his precious daughter.

“Dad, Ah Mu spends all his free time with me. Here, try the salad you worked so hard on.”

An Lin deflected the topic by scooping up a spoonful of salad to feed her father.

Dad An smiled and shook his head. “I don’t eat this—it’s too sour. Only you and your mom like it.”

“Linlin, since Ah Mu isn’t here, there’s something Mom wants to ask you, and I need you to answer honestly.” Mom An glanced at Dad An, then turned back to An Lin, her smile fading as she spoke seriously.

An Lin blinked in confusion. “Mom, what’s with the serious tone? You’re making me nervous.”

“Stop joking around and answer me seriously.” Mom An summoned a more authoritative tone, knowing her daughter’s tendency to deflect and joke around if she wasn’t firm.

An Lin glanced at her mother, then her father. Her thoughts churned as she vaguely guessed what her mother might ask.

She pressed her lips together and waited quietly.

“Tell us honestly: Is it that you don’t want to have children, or is it that Ah Mu doesn’t want children?”

“Mom, don’t overthink it. We never said we didn’t want kids.” An Lin frowned. This wasn’t a pleasant topic, so she quickly turned toward her father, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. “Dad, I was watching the news at home earlier. This recent incident—do you think…”

“No changing the subject. Answer my question first.”

Mom An intercepted her attempt to dodge and cut her off.

An Lin slumped her shoulders with an exaggerated eye roll and said, “Mom, I’m telling the truth. We’re not actively avoiding having children; we just want to let things happen naturally.”