Chapter 19 part 2

The cool breeze outside the window blew past her face, which made her a little dry. Lin Li drove the car slowly and followed the large group, pausing for several minutes. After more than half an hour, she actually drove less than fifty meters.

Her chest was still tight and uncomfortable, and she was still uncomfortable with what Zhou Han had just said. In fact, after calming down and thinking about it, he was right. They were not a couple in the first place. Not only could they not be called husband and wife, they could not even be called friends. She did not realize her identity and was careless.

Lin Li did not deny that she did regard the little guy as her child who had not had time to be born.

Thinking of the fateless child, the soreness and pain in her heart became a little more. She raised her head slightly and pushed back the tears in her eyes. 

After a while, she heard the urging sound of "Papa -" from behind. Lin Li looked up again and saw that the long queue in front had slowly moved away. The traffic police were standing at the intersection directing the passing vehicles. Their clothes were illuminated with warning lights when the lights hit them. Under their command, the road slowly opened.

Perhaps when she saw Lin Li's car parked and blocking the traffic behind her, the traffic policeman in the distance gave her a stern look and waved at her, signaling her to drive faster.

Lin Li came to her senses and quickly started the car and left before the traffic policeman came towards her without saying anything.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

After all, there was still nowhere to go, so Lin Li drove home. But there was a traffic jam on the road, and it was already past 7 o'clock when she got home. When she opened the door and went in, Zhou Han hadn't come back yet, presumably because he always puts work first.

The room was pitch black; she flipped the switch, and the space flooded with light. Lin Li rubbed her forehead, feeling utterly exhausted. She set her bag on the low coffee table and sank back onto the sofa, leaning her head back with her eyes closed.

She was indeed worn out; as she sat there resting, a drowsy haze began to settle over her. Just as she was on the verge of drifting off, the front door opened. Though she was sleepy, she hadn't actually fallen asleep yet, so the sound made her eyes snap open and caused her to sit up abruptly. She looked toward the entrance and saw Zhou Han walking in, carrying the child. His expression was grim—his usual aloofness now overlaid with a dark, angry mood.

The child he carried was slumped against his shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his neck; he lay motionless, seemingly asleep. This child was none other than the young Zhou Jiabin, the boy his mother had taken away earlier.

Zhou Han spotted her and paused for a moment. A flash of guilt and apology crossed his otherwise cold, somber face, but it vanished in an instant. Before Lin Li could even process the look, his expression returned to its usual state, and he turned to carry the child toward the boy's room.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

It was only after he turned away that Lin Li noticed the sleeping little one on his shoulder. The hand wrapped around the back of Zhou Han’s neck was wrapped in gauze, and a bandage was stuck to his forehead. There was a scratch on his fair, tender cheek—nothing serious, perhaps, but it still showed faint traces of blood.

Lin Li stood up quickly and hurried toward them. Gazing at the child’s injured hand and face, she couldn't help but ask, "What... what happened?" Her tone was urgent, and her voice rose involuntarily.

The little boy on his back trembled uneasily and tightened his grip on Zhou Han’s neck, as if frightened by something. Zhou Han furrowed his brows and gently patted the child; he glanced briefly at Lin Li without saying a word, then carried the child straight into the room.

Lin Li followed but stopped abruptly at the doorway; recalling what Zhou Han had said earlier that afternoon, she was afraid of overstepping her bounds again.

Zhou Han gently laid the child on the bed and tucked him in. Just as he was about to leave, his hand was tightly grasped by the little one, who had woken from his sleep. The child’s dark, bright eyes fixed steadily on Zhou Han, flickering slightly with what seemed to be fear.

Zhou Han looked at him but did not pull his hand away.

He gazed steadily at the boy for a long moment, then reached out to gently touch the injuries on his face and forehead. "Does it still hurt?" His voice was naturally deep, so even when he spoke softly, the tone didn't come across as particularly tender.

The little one simply shook his head, his eyes remaining fixed on Zhou Han as if afraid he might leave.

Zhou Han felt a pang of heartache as he stroked the boy's hair. Even though he still harbored reservations about the child's background, he felt genuine compassion for him today. Back at the hospital, when the nurse was cleaning his wounds, the boy hadn't shed a single tear despite his young age—in fact, the nurse tending to him had been moved to tears by the sight.

Avoiding the injury on the boy's forehead, Zhou Han ruffled his hair and tried to soften his voice. "Close your eyes."

The boy obeyed, closing his eyes, though he didn't let go of Zhou Han's hand. Zhou Han allowed him to keep holding it, remaining half-crouched by the bedside as he waited for the child to drift off to sleep.

The little one was deeply insecure, terrified that he might be abandoned. Every few minutes, he would open his eyes; only after seeing Zhou Han still there would he feel reassured enough to close them again. This cycle repeated—open, close, open, close—until, half an hour later, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Han didn't rush to leave once the boy was asleep. He stayed by the bedside for a while longer, and only after confirming the boy was sound asleep did he gently tuck the child's hand under the covers and adjust the bedding. As he turned to leave, he ran into Lin Li, who had been waiting outside the whole time.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

He could see the worry and anxiety on her face, as well as the way she hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. Suddenly recalling the words he had spoken in his office that afternoon, he felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that what he had said had hurt her. In the end, Lin Li didn't ask; she didn't want to risk being snapped at and told she was meddling in other people's business, leaving her speechless.

In truth, one didn't need to ask to see the likely cause: the injuries on Xiao Bin almost certainly had something to do with his mother. What was shocking, however, was how Ling Ran could bring herself to do such a thing—the child was so young, and her own biological son at that; how could she be so cruel?

Still, now that the child had been brought back, she felt relieved. Seeing that he was asleep, she decided not to go in; instead, she would get up early the next morning to make him some lean meat porridge—the kind he liked.

With that thought in mind, Lin Li turned to head back to her room; she wanted to look up some information online about making lean meat porridge. In truth, she wasn't much of a cook. Before college, her parents had spoiled her and never let her step foot in the kitchen. 

Once at university, she’d relied on the cafeteria with An Ran, and later, during her relationship with Cheng Xiang, he had taken care of her meals—a routine that lasted ten years—so she had never really learned to cook properly. She could manage a simple breakfast, but when it came to proper dishes or porridge, she was clueless. 

Furthermore, in the twenty-odd days since they’d married, she had mostly picked up Xiao Bin from school and had dinner out with him before coming home. Zhou Han usually stayed out busy until past 10:00 PM—or 8:00 PM at the earliest—occupied by work or social engagements. Consequently, the stove rarely saw any action at home, save for breakfast. 

That said, she had recently been looking up recipes online, wanting to learn how to make a few simple dishes; she felt that constantly eating out—where food was often loaded with MSG and salt—wasn't good for the child.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Just as Lin Li was about to leave, however, someone grabbed her hand. She turned to look at Zhou Han, frowning, and asked rather curtly, "What is it?" She was still angry, though no longer because of what had been said that afternoon; rather, she was furious that his conflict with Ling Ran was affecting the child.

Zhou Han looked at her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

Lin Li remained silent, fixing a steady gaze on him for a long moment before pulling her hand away and walking straight into her own room next door.

Zhou Han watched her enter the room, then turned and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Sitting in her room, Lin Li was browsing the web for recipes for nutritious children's meals and taking earnest notes. 

It often happens that looking at so much appetizing food makes you crave it yourself; usually, you could just stop looking, but for someone who hadn't eaten since the previous evening, the situation was rather tragic. As she gazed at the photos of delicious dishes on the screen, her stomach let out a loud, timely growl.

Just as Lin Li was debating whether to go out and find something to eat, a knock sounded at the door. She got up to open it and found Zhou Han standing there; he had changed out of his usual suit into casual loungewear. What struck her as odd, however, was the apron he was wearing—a stark contrast to his usual attire of suits and dress shirts. Seeing him like this felt strange and unfamiliar to her.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

"I made some noodles. Come out and have some," Zhou Han said, looking at her.

Lin Li looked back at him, still nursing a bit of resentment. She opened her mouth to refuse—"I'm not..."—but her stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly, abruptly cutting her off and making it impossible to finish the sentence.

Zhou Han looked at her, the corner of his mouth curling up in a teasing smile. "If you were going to say you aren't hungry, I'm afraid I'd find that very hard to believe."

Lin Li blushed, feeling a sudden flush of heat, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of laughing at her. "I *am* not hungry!" she insisted stubbornly, her tone clearly laced with petulance. She moved to close the door and shut him out, but Zhou Han seemed to have anticipated her move; he blocked the door with his foot, and no matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't close it. 

Lin Li’s temper flared; instead of trying to close the door, she left it wide open and looked at him, speaking with a hint of anger: "What do you want? I said I wasn't hungry—isn't that allowed?"

"I’m sorry. If you’re upset because of what I said this afternoon, then I apologize." Zhou Han looked at her with a serious expression and a sincere tone. "Things aren't quite the way you think they are, but I’m not very good at explaining myself. I did something wrong, so I’m apologizing; of course, whether or not you accept it is entirely up to you."

Such a direct and "formal" apology left Lin Li momentarily speechless. She simply stared at him, though the anger on her face visibly began to fade.

Seeing that she remained silent, Zhou Han added, "The noodles are ready. Come out if you want to eat." With that, he turned away without looking at her again and headed straight for the dining room.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/