? That night, Pei Shaoze had defended her in front of so many people, and now he had seen her with Lin Tongze and the two kids on vacation here. She could only imagine what might reach Pei Shaoze’s ears and how he would interpret it. Su Banxia didn’t want to dwell on it.
She lowered her head, ate with Lin Tongze, then took the two children out for a walk and some photos. Guo Guo was a little narcissist. Su Hao had brought a camera, and the two little rascals found the best scenery to pose for pictures.
Su Banxia and Lin Tongze followed behind. Su Banxia spoke up, “Ye Hengtian misunderstood my relationship with Pei Shaoze. Seeing me with you today—who knows what version will reach Pei Shaoze’s ears?” She wasn’t worried about what Pei Shaoze would think if he knew she was with Lin Tongze. She was worried that Pei Shaoze might target Guo Guo and Su Hao.
Lin Tongze listened, then looked at her and said, “It’s fine. These things can’t threaten you.” Su Banxia wasn’t sure how to tell Lin Tongze that Guo Guo and Su Hao were Pei Shaoze’s children. So she sighed softly, lowered her head, and said no more.
They walked in silence for a while. The weather was hot outside, but the two kids were having a blast. Su Banxia and Lin Tongze found a shady spot to sit. Watching the children play happily lifted Su Banxia’s mood, and a faint smile crept onto her lips without her realizing it.
Lin Tongze glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her cheek. Her smile was beautiful—even the blue sky and white clouds couldn’t compare to it in that moment. Lin Tongze found himself captivated.
Su Banxia felt someone staring at her and turned to meet Lin Tongze’s eyes. She paused slightly, then smiled. “Why are you always staring at me?”
Caught red-handed, Lin Tongze wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, he smiled and looked at her seriously. “Banxia, has anyone ever told you that you’re especially beautiful when you smile?”
Su Banxia tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “Yes!” “Who?” “You!” She laughed again, playfully. “You just did.”
Lin Tongze chuckled, looking at her earnestly. “You really are beautiful when you smile.”
Su Banxia laughed softly, propped her chin on her hand, and watched Guo Guo and Su Hao, not answering him. When a man suddenly compliments your beauty out of nowhere, it always carries some unspoken emotion. And right now, Su Banxia felt she didn’t have the capacity—or the heart—to face those feelings, especially Lin Tongze’s.
Seeing her retreat again, Lin Tongze grabbed her wrist, turned her shoulders to face him, and said with utmost seriousness, “Banxia, you’re still avoiding this.”
She looked at him, unsure what to do. “Avoiding what? I…”
“Banxia, we’ve known each other for years. Guo Guo and Su Hao need a father, and you need someone to take care of you.”
The implication was clear. Having known him for so long, Su Banxia had always understood that Lin Tongze was good to her. She had thought about it before. But now, she felt she didn’t deserve a man like him.
Meeting his eyes, she spoke. “Tongze, I’m sorry. I know I owe you a lot over the years, but I still want to raise Guo Guo and Su Hao on my own. I can take care of them. Look, they’ve been fine all these years without a father, haven’t they?” She paused, then continued, “As for me, I think I’m doing okay. I can take care of myself.”
Lin Tongze frowned. Almost every time he opened his heart to Su Banxia, she made it clear they wouldn’t be together. He never understood what she had been through that made her unwilling to let anyone in to protect her. She kept her shell strong—no one could get in, and she couldn’t get out.
With things said so plainly, Lin Tongze couldn’t push further.
Just then, Guo Guo and Su Hao came back from playing. Guo Guo, being narcissistic, insisted Su Hao show her the photos. Unable to resist her pestering, Su Hao gave in. The siblings leaned against Su Banxia, looking at the photos on the ground.
Lin Tongze and Su Banxia naturally had nothing left to talk about.
Guo Guo said she wanted to pick fruit. Su Banxia was about to take her when she remembered that during lunch, Su Hao had been staring off toward the golf course. And since she and Lin Tongze had run out of conversation, she decided to say, “Tongze, take Su Hao to play golf. I’ll go pick fruit with Guo Guo.” Dragging them along to the orchard would just be boring.
Lin Tongze knew what she was thinking. He sighed inwardly, nodded, and took Su Hao to the golf course. Su Banxia led Guo Guo into the orchard.
It was late afternoon now, the temperature perfect, with a gentle breeze and a clear blue sky. Everything felt especially beautiful.
“Mom, are you and Uncle Lin getting married?” Guo Guo held Su Banxia’s hand, taking small steps as she looked up to ask.
Su Banxia couldn’t help but laugh. She looked down at her. “Who told you that? That’s nonsense.”
“Brother said it. He said if you get married, we’ll move in with Uncle Lin. Does that mean me and brother will have a dad?”
Guo Guo really liked Lin Tongze. He was good to her mom, to her brother, and to her. And Uncle Lin was handsome—the most suitable man for her mom she had ever seen. Thinking about it, Guo Guo was really looking forward to her mom and Uncle Lin getting married.
Su Banxia had no idea what was going on in the little one’s head, but hearing her say “me and brother will have a dad” struck a chord. It was clear they wanted a father too. All children wanted both parents, even if they were well-behaved.
Su Banxia’s heart ached. She crouched down and looked at Guo Guo. “Sweetie, do you really want a dad?”
Guo Guo nodded without hesitation, smiling. “Yeah! If I had a dad, I could have toys he made himself, just like the other kids.” She paused, then seemed to remember something. “But brother said if Mom finds us a dad, he has to be good to Mom, or we don’t want him.”
Those kids… Su Banxia’s heart softened.
She was about to kiss her daughter’s cheek when she noticed Ye Hengtian standing nearby, a faint, knowing smile on his face.
“Guo Guo, go play. Don’t wander off. If anything happens, call for Mom loudly.” After giving careful instructions, she watched Guo Guo skip away, then turned to face Ye Hengtian.
“CEO Ye, here to pick fruit?” That seemed unlikely. He didn’t strike her as someone bored enough to come fruit-picking.
Ye Hengtian walked over to a nearby wooden bench and raised an eyebrow at her. “Standing and talking wastes energy. Why not sit and chat?”
Su Banxia figured he had something to discuss. She sat down beside him but didn’t speak first, waiting for him to start.
Ye Hengtian wasn’t in a hurry. Instead, he looked toward Guo Guo, who was picking fruit in the distance, and said softly, “Your daughter is quite lively.”
Su Banxia followed his gaze to Guo Guo and replied flatly, “All kids are like that.” Unsure of his intentions, she kept her tone neutral.