Little Culprit

Lu Qiang's blank expression was in contrast with the aching feeling he felt in his heart. His child-like eyes never left the family of three even until they've disappeared from his sight. He unconsciously bowed his head and stared at the muddy ground. 

His feet repeatedly stepping on the soft mud, he watched it create mini craters on the ground. Lu Qiang took a deep breath. 

His Dad—more accurately his Uncle, had already explained it to him that his biological parents passed away when he was still a baby. He understood this very well at such a young age and since he had no idea of what it was like to have a mother and a father, he never dreamt to have a complete family.

For him, he was fine with just his Dad and him. He was not used to talking with strangers either especially that he's been approached by weird people before just for the sake to use him to get his Dad. 

This is fine.

This…. Is really fine.

"Ji An! We're going home now!" 

Lu Qiang crouched down and sat under the tree as he watched the children being picked up by their parents one by one. He followed their movements every time he sees someone being picked up by their parents and that ache in his heart just kept growing and growing as time passed by. 

It was until that someone had suddenly called out to him. 

"Are you not going to play with them?"

And that was when Lu Qiang first met Xiu Mei. At first, he had thought of her as someone very irritating just like those other people but when she had asked him where his parents were, the little child in him came out. 

It sounded like he was just simply stating a fact, but the reality was that for him, it sounded like he was complaining to someone about his apprehensions.

Weirdly, he had followed this strange girl's home and quickly, he realized that this person in front of her didn't know of him at all. When the girl offered him to lend her a hand in the kitchen, he hesitated at first before stepping into the kitchen to join her.

That's when he realized that cooking was actually quite fun that he couldn't help himself asking a couple of questions to the girl.

Hours later, Lu Qiang suddenly found his Dad on the girl's doorstep. 

He quickly hid behind the girl because he knew that his Dad was here to pick him up. However, Lu Qiang was surprised when he discovered that his Dad and the girl knew each other.

Is she a friend of Dad's?  Lu Qiang innocently thought. 

He soon understood that the girl worked for his Dad. Xiu Mei was the girl's name and he works as Dad's secretary just like Lu Shao. And it seems that Dad has a good relationship with her because he listened to her request and let him continue cooking in the kitchen. His Dad even agreed on letting him sleep in Xiu Mei's place overnight which he wouldn't normally agree to. So Lu Qiang got even more curious to this girl and he soon fell to the charm of Xiu Mei.

It was from then that Lu Qiang quickly got comfortable with Xiu Mei, enough for Lu Qiang to consider her as his Mom. Thankfully, his Mom let him call her that and she was very doting on him everytime they meet.

And now…

The little ball gave a hard gaze on his laptop screen where a picture of Lee Yu An in soldier's uniform is being flashed. His mom…. Is just for his Dad's. He wouldn't let anyone take away his Mom. 

Lu Qiang's finger suddenly glided on the keyboard with an unbelievable speed that no one would ever imagine a child can do. In just a few minutes, he compiled a string of paragraphs and after pressing a few more keys, Lu Qiang watched the article slowly climbing up in the search bar. 

Lu Qiang grinned. He smiled triumphantly like he had done the greatest thing in the world. Yes, his Mom is just his and his Dad's. 

After seeing that everything was going according to his plans, Lu Qiang finally decided to go back to bed wherein he was able to sleep comfortably and easily this time around.

The very next day after that incident, he saw his Dad giving him a hard gaze before suddenly reaching out to touch his hair to pat it. He even saw his Dad's lips curl up ever so slightly that no one except him saw it. 

> Present Time

"You really cooked all of this?" His Mom's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she questioned his Dad. Following her sight, he looked at his Dad that was showing a gentle smile that he would rarely see on his face. 

"Of course."

"You can cook?"

"Yes."

"Oh." His Mom quickly gave up on further questioning his Dad. She just gawked at the food on the table as his Dad sat on the seat just beside his Mom meaning, she was being sandwiched by the two of them. 

Lu Qiang, just like the usual good child he is, served himself some foods he felt like eating for breakfast. Lu Qiang would often sneak a peek at the two people sitting just beside him as he bit onto the bread and the egg he was munching on. 

He watched his Dad reaching out for the french toast that was in the middle of the table and served a piece of bread on his Mom's plate. Lu Qiang then saw his Mom's face burn, her ears turning red as well. 

She had even threw back a few words before she finally chose to eat the bread that was served to him by Dad. 

He tilted his head in curiosity with his Mom's reactions.

Was his Mom sick again? 

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A snippet from the future

Xiu Mei lazily laid on the bed as she felt her back ache more than usual due to the lack of restraint from someone last night.

Lu Chen: Are you still going play around like that when I'm away?

Xiu Mei quickly shook her head. She really didn't want to die this way in the hands of Lu Chen. Suddenly, he pressed her once again on the bed, giving her a suffocating kiss.

Xiu Mei: Wait, what did I do again?!

Lu Chen: Nothing, just this my way of saying I missed you. *kiss*

Xiu Mei: Stop fooling me, you're just being rouge again!

Lu Chen chuckled before he descended upon her again. 

Lu Chen: The wife is too smart, ah.

Xiu Mei cursed inside her mind. Damn it! She really wouldn't sneak out to play with Brother Lee again. Her life is always on the line if she dares to keep a secret from him again.