"Are you even my real mother?" Wen Xuanyuan asked, her voice dripping with jealousy. "It feels like Zhi Zhi is your daughter, not me!"
Wen Mu was so angered by this that she fell silent.
"Alright, Zhi Zhi, I'm telling you something important. Li Bowen is coming to our house tomorrow to formally propose. As my best friend, you absolutely must be there to witness the most important moment of my life!"
"Okay, I'll come over early tomorrow then."
Gong Zhi Jing naturally agreed.
Thinking of Wen Xuanyuan's triplets, Gong Zhi Jing suddenly remembered something.
When she found out Wen Xuanyuan was pregnant, she had prepared two identical gifts.
Because she knew Wen Xuanyuan's family had a history of twins, she thought it was likely she'd have two.
But if she only had one, the other could be saved for her next pregnancy.
Now that there were triplets, she'd have to prepare another one.
With that in mind, she took out her phone and ordered two more identical gifts online.
These were all purchased from the official Ling family website, ensuring authenticity, so she felt confident buying them.
The first gift was a newborn gift box.
It contained a set of infant clothing, a bib, a hat, a drool bib, socks, and more.
It was very practical.
The second item was a three-piece jewelry set.
A bracelet, anklet, and pendant.
The bracelet and anklet were engraved with yuanbao (ingots) and designs symbolizing peace.
The pendant was shaped like a peace lock, all carrying the beautiful wish for the baby's safety.
The third item was baby bottles.
Anti-colic, with clear markings, made of silicone. Since Ling Le You had a good experience with them, she decided to get them.
Now she had to prepare three of each.
Just as she finished ordering, Mom Ou called them for dinner. Putting down her phone, Gong Zhi Jing looked around and asked, "Where are Dad and Le You?"
As Mom Ou served the dishes, she replied, "Mr. Gong took Miss to the backyard playground."
Gong Zhi Jing was speechless. "Le You is so little, how can she play?"
As she was thinking, she heard the sound of the front door opening.
Gong Ye entered, holding Ling Le You, his face full of affection and doting.
"Let's go home, time for dinner."
Ling Le You giggled, hugging her maternal grandfather's neck intimately.
"Dad, it's time to eat. Let me hold the baby." Gong Zhi Jing quickly stepped forward, intending to take her daughter.
But Ling Le You turned her head away, not even looking at her, refusing her embrace.
Gong Ye burst into laughter, very pleased. "It seems Le You likes Grandpa the most."
Gong Zhi Jing felt amused but also a little put out.
"Ling Le You, you ungrateful little thing, already done with your mommy?"
Ling Le You clung tightly to Gong Ye's neck, afraid of being taken away.
In the end, Gong Ye had to hold her while they ate.
Gong Zhi Jing, on the other hand, was happy to relax. The father and daughter ate lunch harmoniously.
Midway through the meal, Ling Yu Chen suddenly returned.
This surprised Gong Zhi Jing. Ling Yu Chen was usually very busy and rarely came back during the day after leaving for work in the morning; he usually returned in the evening.
She asked in surprise, "Why are you back so early? Isn't work busy?"
Ling Yu Chen replied with a relaxed expression, "It's not busy anymore. I can work from home most of the time from now on."
He had been busy before expanding his business empire, but now he suddenly felt that family was more important.
His wife and child needed his company.
He recalled his own childhood, filled with memories of his grandparents, his father always busy.
Gong Zhi Jing didn't quite understand his meaning, but it wasn't the time to pry.
She could tell Ling Yu Chen was in a good mood, and she didn't want to dampen it.
"Let's eat first!" she said, calling towards the kitchen, "Mom Ou, please bring another set of chopsticks and a bowl."
"Dad."
Ling Yu Chen took off his coat, greeted Gong Ye, and then reached out to hug his daughter.
To his surprise, his daughter ducked into her maternal grandfather's arms, clearly not wanting him to hold her.
Gong Ye was delighted and said cheerfully, "Eat up, I'll hold her. She only wants me to hold her."
Ling Yu Chen could only give up and sat down next to Gong Zhi Jing, eating quietly.
Seeing everyone eating heartily, Ling Le You pursed her small lips. Clearly, she was hungry too. Moreover, she was starving.
Her infant instincts kicked in, and she remembered her mother. She looked at Gong Zhi Jing and began to babble, her little mouth smacking as if to say,
"Hurry up, I'm hungry, I want milk."
Gong Zhi Jing said with amusement, "Oh, you didn't want Mommy earlier? Now you remember me."
Ling Le You deployed her ultimate weapon. She pouted her lips and started to cry loudly, though no tears fell. All that could be heard was her faux wailing.
Even so, Gong Ye was incredibly distressed.
He looked at Gong Zhi Jing with a slight reproach and said grumpily, "The baby is crying, and you're still teasing her. Hurry up and feed her."
Gong Zhi Jing, finding it very amusing, picked up Ling Le You and said helplessly, "Dad, she's faking her cries."
"Faking or not, you can't let our little baby cry!"
Ever since Ling Le You was born, Gong Ye's eyes could not accommodate anyone else.
He used to visit the graveyard regularly, but after Gong Zhi Jing's last visit, he seemed to have stopped going.
His smiles became more frequent, and with more smiles, his wrinkles seemed to have deepened.
In the afternoon, Ling Yu Chen really did not go to work.
With him at home, Gong Zhi Jing couldn't bring herself to focus on her writing.
She eventually gave up for the day, as she had saved several days' worth of drafts.
After coaxing Ling Le You to take her nap, Ling Yu Chen said to Gong Zhi Jing, "I'll take you somewhere this afternoon."
Gong Zhi Jing asked curiously, "Where?"
"You'll know when we get there."
The more Ling Yu Chen kept it a secret, the more curious Gong Zhi Jing became. Nevertheless, she followed him out of the house.
The car drove down the mountain road.
Gong Zhi Jing was filled with curiosity and couldn't help but ask again, "What are you taking me to do?"
"Look out the window."
Gong Zhi Jing glanced out doubtfully. Besides mountains and trees, she saw nothing else.
Ling Yu Chen prompted again, "In the distance."
Gong Zhi Jing looked out again, this time more carefully.
She saw that the mountains in the distance were dotted with patches of yellow and white, as if covered in flowers.
Before, when she looked out, it was just green.
As the car continued to drive, the entire road was filled with scenery.
Gong Zhi Jing gazed at the sea of flowers covering the mountains and exclaimed in amazement, "Did you have these planted?"
Ling Yu Chen's expression was impassive, but seeing Gong Zhi Jing smile so happily, his heart bloomed.
"Yes. I'll plant them for you throughout the year, so that all you see on the road is scenery."
Gong Zhi Jing was deeply touched. Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked, "What kind of flowers are they?"
No one had ever put in such heartfelt effort for her.
"Gardenias. I originally wanted to plant crabapples, but crabapples bloom in April and May."