You're quite well-behaved, huh.

While Lin Yu was absentmindedly observing the shape of Su Yuyao's lips, her long eyelashes fluttered as if sensing his gaze.

The next moment, she opened her eyes.

Her clear eyes reflected Lin Yu's large face, which had been earnestly sneaking peeks at her.

Su Yuyao's sudden awakening caught Lin Yu off guard.

Under her gaze, Lin Yu's immediate reaction was a touch of awkwardness, and he even felt a rare sense of embarrassment.

It was like a student sneaking a glance at the sleeping face of his pretty desk mate during nap time, only to be caught by her pretending to be asleep.

However, compared to those teenagers still going through puberty, Lin Yu was much more thick-skinned.

Meeting Su Yuyao's bright eyes, Lin Yu broke into a wide grin and gave a silent chuckle.

Well, if a smile could wipe away deep-seated grudges, brushing off a little awkwardness should be a piece of cake, right?

Just as Lin Yu was grinning from ear to ear, Su Yuyao, who had been staring at him without a word, suddenly leaned forward without warning and planted a feather-light kiss on his lips.

Now Lin Yu really couldn't smile anymore.

He was completely stunned by the unexpected kiss.

After giving Lin Yu's lips a little peck, Su Yuyao pulled back on her own accord.

This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to kiss someone.

The last time—which was also her first time being kissed—the person had also been Lin Yu.

It was just that he didn't seem to remember what happened back then...

At the thought of that incident, Su Yuyao's cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

Seeing Lin Yu's dumbfounded expression, the heat rushing to her cheeks grew even fiercer, making her face burn. For a moment, she felt so shy she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

But Su Yuyao's shyness was a bit different from other people's.

She didn't try to escape this bashfulness by pulling away from Lin Yu or turning her head down.

Instead of retreating, she moved closer, seemingly adopting the mindset that the most dangerous place is the safest place.

She leaned in a bit more and gently, shyly buried her head in Lin Yu's chest.

Lin Yu was still caught in his previous shock, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Feeling the small head resting gently against his chest, Lin Yu had only one thought in his mind.

Did I just get conquered?

Is this what it feels like to be conquered?

Damn!

It feels amazing!

It's a good thing I'm a grown man.

If we swapped genders, and I were a female delinquent, I would definitely show you my special CG right now!

Gradually, Lin Yu came back to his senses. Looking down at Su Yuyao, who was hiding in his arms out of shyness, he hugged her gently and loosely, as if handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

The two held each other without saying a word. Even though the sun was already high in the sky, they just enjoyed the cozy tranquility of the moment, basking in the cool air conditioning and snuggled up in the same fragrant blanket.

Holding Su Yuyao, Lin Yu suddenly felt something he had only ever experienced when he was with Xia Muzhu.

It wasn't exactly the same, but very similar.

During the years of his unrequited love for Xia Muzhu, Lin Yu often had the illusion that he had been married and settled down for years.

His wife being the gentle and tender Sister Zhuzi.

His child being the naughty and lively Xia Yueshan.

And he was the man of the house, though because he was constantly accommodated and taken care of by Xia Muzhu, he still acted like an overgrown boy, often getting into immature bickering and playing little games with Xia Yueshan.

It felt like he had found himself a second mother; most of the time, he could still live a carefree life like a child.

Now, embracing Su Yuyao, Lin Yu suddenly felt a sense of family once again.

But this feeling was different from what he had with Xia Muzhu.

With Su Yuyao, Lin Yu could clearly feel the pressure of responsibility.

Su Yuyao was not like Xia Muzhu, who could take care of every detail of a large family and only needed him to step in during crucial or important moments.

She was more like a fragile flower bud that had never weathered the wind and rain.

Moreover, beneath her fragile branches and leaves, an even more delicate seedling was being nurtured.

The responsibility of a family fell heavily onto Lin Yu's shoulders all at once, like two heavy sacks of cement, with no one to share the burden.

This responsibility was heavy, but it wouldn't crush him.

It wasn't because Lin Yu naturally had a strong ability to handle pressure.

It was because of those two fragile little flowers, one big and one small.

They seemed to possess some kind of magic.

Whenever Lin Yu thought of the two of them, he would summon an unreasonable amount of strength, feeling like he had the courage to face even the sky falling down.

With this in mind, Lin Yu's hand around Su Yuyao subconsciously moved inch by inch down her side, eventually sliding to her swollen belly.

Lin Yu didn't make any extra movements; he simply rested his warm, large hand firmly against it.

He wanted to share a small moment of intimacy with this little life that would require so much of his care in the future.

???

Lin Yu blinked, unsure if the sensation he just felt in his palm was his imagination.

Do people really become this paranoid after becoming a father?

But soon, Lin Yu realized that the feeling wasn't an illusion.

Because Su Yuyao clearly felt it too; she tilted her small face up, her gaze mixed with shock and pleasant surprise as she looked at him.

Having been a father-to-be for a while now, it was the first time Lin Yu experienced a phrase often spoken by expectant fathers on TV.

She kicked me!

However, Lin Yu didn't feel much pleasant surprise at the moment. Instead, he looked at Su Yuyao nervously and asked,

Are you okay?

Does it hurt?

Su Yuyao looked at Lin Yu, and her already gentle eyes softened even more in an instant.

Her clear eyes were as soft as a pool of tranquil lake water.

After a few seconds of pause, Su Yuyao gently shook her head and said,

It doesn't hurt.

Really?

Lin Yu couldn't quite believe it.

After all, this little one was a life weighing several pounds; wouldn't it really hurt when she suddenly started throwing punches and kicks inside her belly?

Or was she lying because she was afraid he would worry?

Hearing this, Su Yuyao shook her head again and explained softly,

I can feel it, but it doesn't count as pain.

Hearing Su Yuyao say this, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and completely relaxed.

After feeling carefully for a while longer and noticing the little one had stopped moving, Lin Yu asked curiously,

Does she do this often?

Su Yuyao shook her head.

No.

She's very good.

She hardly moves at all.

Oh, I see.

That's how it is.

Lin Yu nodded at her words and said with a smile,

She's quite a good girl then.