“Zoey , you slapped Uncle …” Nini still felt heartbroken thinking about it.
Zoey can’t help but think of today’s scene, that slap down, indeed completely without mercy, I’m afraid, the slap mark is really going to stay for two days.
“Mommy doesn’t want to be so violent …” she looked at the child a little apologetically, chagrined that she shouldn’t have shown that side of her in front of the kids … “You don’t like uncle to kiss you?” KK pulled his little eyebrows, “But, in the past, Uncle kissed Zoey , Zoey did not hit Uncle.”
He really couldn’t figure it out at all.
Zoey also doesn’t really know how to explain to the kids what the adults are going through.
She only smiled slightly, “Kissing is something only couples can have, and Zoey and Uncle aren’t a couple, so of course they don’t like kissing. However, you guys are still too young now, you’ll understand when you grow up later.”
The kids couldn’t figure it out, so they didn’t ask to figure it out anymore. Nini tugged on the corner of her shirt and suggested seriously, “Zoey, why don’t we punish uncle for facing the Chinese characters a hundred times, and he’ll be so scared of Zoey that he won’t dare to make Zoey angry anymore!”
OH! That’s a ‘cruel’ sentence! Wouldn’t it be nice if things between grown-ups could be resolved as purely and simply as in a child’s world?
She smiled bitterly, “Zoey will think about it. Well, we won’t talk about it anymore, so you guys be good and get in the shower!”
Having finally coaxed both children to go downstairs for their baths, she sat alone on the carpet, scrunched up in a daze as she thought about the children’s words.
Two little things that seemed to really, really like him. And, still want him to be daddy …
She has no right to keep preventing them from seeing each other. Because, the children were so old and already knew what it was to miss, and the feeling of missing was so unbearable, how could she let such a young one bear it?
But …
If she was really soft-hearted and let them meet from time to time, then what would she do if, one day, he took the baby without a word? At that time, she would really go crazy!
Conflicts that wracked into her heart. She slowly closed her eyes and held herself firmly in place. A mind that had been calm for eight months had turned into a difficult whirlpool once again because of a man who had only been around for a day.
The next day.
Zoey arrived at work early in the morning. The company was large, with people from all countries. Everyone was doing their own jobs and seemed to be used to the intense work, no one had much time to chat and gossip.
Zoey double-checked the latest project start-up funds before entering them into the computer and sending them into the president’s office.
It had been a busy morning before Mrs. Shamli arrived, and all the staff rose out of habit, only to see her guide a line of people in. zoey caught a glimpse of a certain figure in the crowd, and froze for a moment, subconsciously shrinking behind her colleague, letting the other woman’s heavy headscarf shield her from the view.
But, the other person didn’t seem to notice her appearance either, just chatting with Mrs. Shamli about something, his voice low and slow, extremely magnetic. Zoey just looked and touched his side. Then she saw the slap mark on his face. It had faded a lot by now, but more or less red marks were still visible.
She took one more look and hung her head. She waited until the lady led them into the R&D room before she sat down with all the staff. Heard a few of the men around her giggling and laughing as they chattered about his face. The words they were using were, quite literally, unpleasant, and in the eyes of those with overpowering male egos, a slap in the face was completely unbelievable.
Therefore, they despised this man from the bottom of their hearts.
Zoey felt that she had stopped caring about this man a long time ago, so the fact that he was being humiliated and looked down upon was absolutely none of her business. But hearing those nasty words coming out of her coworkers’ mouths, she still couldn’t help but glare at those people twice.
Everyone was baffled by her glare, but without saying a word, she just dropped what she was doing and hurried downstairs and out of the office.
…
Back again, Zoey had something in her hand. Ordered to brew coffee into the conference room, but when he went in, there was only one figure in the large conference hall. He was sitting against the luxurious leather sofa, his brows were shallowly furrowed, and his hand was holding there with a tired face.
Zoey froze for a moment, almost subconsciously wanting to ask him if he’d recovered from his illness and wasn’t used to being here. But, reason tugged at her, keeping her from losing control. So, she just gave him a cold look and was about to turn around and exit.
She, to keep him at the distance he deserved!
Seemingly sensing the movement at the door, he suddenly opened his eyes and turned his face to look at her. His eyes were rippling, unable to hide the exhaustion. Seeing that she was about to turn around and go out, he called her back, “Leave all the coffee here, they’ll come over later.”
“Oh.” Zoey, unable to retreat, ducked her head and went inside. Never, ever looking up at him. Setting a cup of coffee in front of the conference table, she could feel his eyes, always following her, and her hand holding the cup inexplicably shook a little.
“I want to spend more time with the kids.” He spoke suddenly.
“No!” She retorted almost subconsciously, wary of him like a hedgehog. He sighed and stood up, walking over to her. Bending his head, his eyes soft, “Zoey , trust me, I won’t take them.”
Zoey’s heart floated up a circle of astringency, immediately erected a body full of thorns, mercilessly stabbed at him, “Mr. Zhan, what do you take to make me trust? Your credibility? Or your personality? Sorry, you don’t have any of these!”
Jerry Xiao smiled bitterly and looked at her with a complex, complicated look that carried a faint hint of hurt, “So, you know how to say such hurtful things too.”
She sneered, “And thanks to you.”
She had merely learned her lesson. Having had her heart bloodied repeatedly by sharp knives, it would seem foolish not to put on armor herself.
She put away the tray and turned around expressionlessly to go out. Jerry Xiao didn’t hesitate to take a step to follow her, bracing one hand against the door panel, holding the door against her. She had to turn back to look at him, and there were complex emotions welling up in the bottom of his eyes, “Let’s talk it over.”
“Mr. Zhan, this is work time, I hope you can distinguish between public and private.” She righteously reminded him.
“I can’t do it!” How can you separate public and private matters? Seeing her, he simply didn’t have even the most basic sanity! The torrent that surged in the bottom of his heart was something he couldn’t control no matter what. Last night, another sleepless night, his mind was filled with her and the children’s shadows, which almost drove him crazy!
“Zoey , we have to talk. Don’t argue with me, I …”
“I really don’t think there’s anything to talk about between us. I’m not going to back down on the baby.” She said it with a certainty that there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
“Zoey …,” he said, not letting go, just calling her name softly. She raised her eyes coldly and crashed into his eyes that almost contained a prayer. The whole person was shaken, inexplicably, her look along with the hardened heart was much softer.
Jerry Xiao, what a proud man he is, now he is willing to lower himself so low in front of himself …
Zoey suddenly felt like crying.
Why is this now? By now, her heart had long been tired, worn out, dead …
Gently closing her eyes, she suppressed the shaking in her heart that shouldn’t be there. Opening her eyes again, there was only calmness under her eyes again, “What you want to say, you say. But if you want to take away the child, it’s impossible. Even if I die, it’s impossible!”
At least, she was loose.
This point made the grayness under Jerry Xiao’s eyes, fade slightly. He smiled and looked at her, once again reiterating his stance, ”I will not take the children away, and have never had such an idea. If I really wanted to take them from you, I wouldn’t have appeared in front of you so openly, and even less would I have waited until now and not recognized them.”
God knows what kind of torture it was for him?
Several times, looking at the children’s smiling faces, the impulse could barely be resisted as it surged out of his chest, but reason yanked him back. To be honest with the children in such a rush, they were still so young, could they accept the sudden addition of a daddy? Even if they accepted it, he would soon have to leave them, which would undoubtedly be another heavy blow for them …
How could he, how could he hurt them like that?
Zoey looked at him searchingly, as if she was probing for the truth or falsehood under his eyes, however, it was actually futile. This man, even if he was acting, she simply couldn’t tell the difference.
Her questioning look caused Jerry Xiao to sigh in frustration, “Zoey , you have to realize that I have all the strength in the world to sneak them away.”
She sucked in her breath and glared at him in exasperation.
“Calm down, I said I wouldn’t do that!” He firmly informed her once again, pausing and speaking quietly, his voice so dry it hurts, “I’ll be returning home soon, I just want to spend this time with them properly before I return …”
How long he could live, he himself didn’t know. Therefore, the only thing he could do now was to cherish even every minute and every second.
“Okay, as long as you don t take them …” Zoey felt that she must have been possessed, otherwise, how could she agree to this request of his? However, the words have already been exported, there is no way to take them back.
In his dark eyes, because she nodded, finally have a trace of light, thin lips slightly raised, like a shallow smile. His thin lips lifted slightly, like a shallow smile, Zoey could feel the ripples in the lake of her heart, which was thought to be dead, but now there were actually ripples. Although the ripples were small, they made her panic and she wanted to escape from the conference room.
His deep voice rang with a slight gentleness, “Wait for me, I have something to return to you.”
“Hmm?” She turned back suspiciously.
He turned to one side of the couch and took a carton and handed it to her. The carton was beautifully wrapped, and instead of reaching for it, Zoey just looked at him cautiously. This, he felt frustrated and … sad …
It’s amazing how far she’s come to watch out for herself …
With difficulty, he pulled a smile and pretended to be relaxed, “It’s not a bomb.”
She looked at him inexplicably, and then, with an expressionless refusal, “I will not accept your gift.”
He wanted to make fun of her for making a fool of herself, but, really, he couldn’t. Even speaking, became feeble, “It’s just the shoes you left in the desert yesterday.”
Huh? She froze for a split second, and then, realizing that she had thought too much, she only felt embarrassed. Hurrying to take the box, without even glancing at it, much less thanking her, she pulled open the door and hurriedly ran out.
He, this time, didn’t pull himself back.
Closing the door to the conference room, she leaned there, breathing heavily with a feeling of weakness.
In the end, still can’t face him like a stranger …