Chapter 15: Could Such a Thing Really Happen?

He opened the browser. Searching “Qin Haiyu’s parents,” Yu Zhile spent a few moments online, then was stunned by an article he found. Qin Haiyu’s parents were fishermen who died at sea in an accident when she was very young. Her grandmother raised her singlehandedly, but passed away while Qin Haiyu was still in high school...

Yu Zhile felt a pang of sympathy. He had never imagined that the girl in his memories, always smiling so sweetly and charmingly, had endured such a troubled and sorrowful past.

Perhaps this explained why they were so determined not to hire a nanny to look after their child.

Because Qin Haiyu had grown up without a mother’s love, she didn’t want her own child to experience the same lack. And, yes, a father’s love as well.

Yu Zhile cleared his browser history and closed the page. How often is it that a girl who smiles the most on the surface is the one who cries the most in private?

No wonder Qin Haiyu had wept twice so easily earlier on. It wasn’t that she was being overly sensitive; she was simply more easily moved to tears.

Yu Zhile sat in a daze for a while, then stood up and walked out, wearing a smile. “I’m done with what I had to do. Anything you need, my dear wife, just say the word!”

Qin Haiyu smiled faintly. “Why so attentive all of a sudden? Did you do something wrong? Better confess now!”

Yu Zhile nodded. “Yes, I did do something wrong today—I actually made my dear wife cry twice! As punishment, I’ll go wash the baby’s drool cloths.”

Qin Haiyu was touched. “Husband, you really are too good to me.”

Yu Zhile smiled. “Silly, you’re my wife. If I’m not good to you, who else would I be good to?”

Qin Haiyu blurted out, “There’s also the baby, and your parents!”

Yu Zhile was momentarily taken aback, then replied, “Well, wife still comes first!”

Qin Haiyu said happily, “Then from now on, husband comes first too—the baby drops to second place! Luckily the baby can’t understand what Mommy’s saying, or else she’d be mad!”

Yu Zhile watched with amusement as Qin Haiyu fed the baby, teasing her as she drank her milk, then went into the bathroom to wash the drool bibs he’d changed earlier and took them outside to dry.

When he came back in, he found that Qin Haiyu had already brought in all the clothes. After hanging the bibs to dry, he checked and saw that the clean clothes were hung on a clothes rack in the corner of the room, not directly put away in the closet.

Another lesson learned.

Yu Zhile went out and sat beside Qin Haiyu. He watched the milk in the baby’s bottle and now had a rough idea how many milliliters to mix for the baby, but as for the process—how to mix it, what temperature the water should be—he was still unclear.

Too bad he hadn’t had the chance to watch Qin Haiyu prepare the formula earlier.

He thought for a moment and asked, “Honey, why does the baby always finish every drop when you mix the formula, but when I make it, she takes a few sips and turns up her nose?”

Qin Haiyu replied, “You must not be making it right. Or maybe she’s just not hungry.”

Yu Zhile seized the opportunity. “You’re right, dear wife! It must be because I’m not as careful as you. Next time, I’ll have to watch closely and learn how you prepare formula for the baby!”

Qin Haiyu set the bottle on the table, gently scratched the baby’s little nose with her index finger, and playfully said in a child’s voice, “Baby, did you dislike the milk Daddy made today? Is Daddy a silly goose?”

Yu Zhile laughed. “Baby says, Mama is the real silly goose!”

The baby reached out, grabbing at Qin Haiyu’s face, babbling baby talk, and then suddenly called out, clear as day, “Mama”—sounding just like she was calling for her mother!

In that instant, Qin Haiyu was so moved she cried.

In her joy, she asked, “Husband! Did the baby just call me Mama?”

“Yes!” Yu Zhile nodded. He hadn’t expected Qin Haiyu to be so excited. Was this really the baby’s first time saying Mama?

Usually, around four or five months old, children will accidentally say Mama or Papa, but the baby was already over six months old, and this was apparently her first time.

Qin Haiyu kissed the baby’s cheeks, praising her excitedly, “Mua~ Baby, you’re amazing! Now, say Papa! Pa-pa—”

She articulated the words clearly, but at this age, the baby had no idea what “Papa” or “Mama” meant. Even if she said the words by chance, she wouldn’t connect them to her parents.

When she reached about a year old and her language skills developed, she would slowly begin to understand who Mama and Papa were.

So, after several attempts, the baby just babbled incomprehensibly, never quite managing to repeat those precious words.

“Silly baby, I’ve taught you so many times and you still can’t say Papa! How can you be so adorably silly? Mua!” Qin Haiyu scooped the baby up and rubbed her cheeks, making the baby giggle gleefully.

Before long, Yu Zhile’s phone rang—the caller ID showed a video chat request from his mom.

He answered, feeling a bit nervous, and his mother’s familiar face appeared on the screen—older now, with more wrinkles around her eyes.

Seeing his mother on the screen, Yu Zhile felt the world become so much warmer, a rush of indescribable emotion flooding his heart.

But that feeling didn’t last long—soon, he felt only dejection.

He’d been abandoned!

His mother only wanted to see her daughter-in-law and precious granddaughter, not even bothering to acknowledge him! It was then he realized his status in the family...

Or rather, he realized he had no status at all!

Other than a brief greeting at the start of the video call, he was completely excluded for the rest of the conversation.

But to be honest, this wasn’t so bad. The worst would be if his mother started asking him questions he didn’t know how to answer.

As it got late, Yu Zhile went to shower, then waited in nervous anticipation for the important activity he was supposed to share with Qin Haiyu that night.

But he soon discovered that their little daughter, having slept so much during the day, was in high spirits through the night, as if she were at a dance party, giving Qin Haiyu no time to rest or even warm the bed.

By the time Qin Haiyu finally coaxed the baby to sleep in the middle of the night and could come to him, he was already fast asleep, dead to the world.

So when he woke the next morning, Yu Zhile was filled with regret.

But when he saw Qin Haiyu up early, tending to the baby, all his regrets faded, replaced by a deep sense of tenderness.

She must have barely slept, waking throughout the night to check on the baby, and now, at barely seven in the morning, she was up and caring for their child again.

He thought, if she’s already so exhausted from looking after the baby, how could I ask her to spend another hour or two awake with me at night...

He sighed.

I suppose I’ve been a little selfish.

Yu Zhile got up to take care of the baby, determined to let Qin Haiyu rest a while. Otherwise, even someone made of iron couldn’t keep going like this.

Besides, he still had to help her practice singing later...

Thinking of vocal practice, Yu Zhile suddenly frowned, then walked over and said, “Honey, you can’t even get enough sleep. Maybe you shouldn’t participate in ‘I Am a Singer’ after all.”

Qin Haiyu rolled her eyes. “Then why did you waste money inviting the production team to ask me to join the show…”

Huh?

Yu Zhile was dumbfounded.

There was such a thing?