Although the man didn’t openly express how much he adored the little one, in reality, he wouldn’t allow anyone to say a single negative word about him.
The three of them marveled at this, realizing that this must be what silent paternal love looked like.
Before leaving, they shared this amusing incident with Tan Mo. Upon hearing it, Tan Mo smiled and teased Xie Qichen, “Didn’t someone always complain that the kid was ugly?”
“Did I?”
Xie Qichen raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing this, “Our child definitely couldn’t be that unattractive.”
With such strong genes, there was simply no way the child could turn out unattractive.
Watching him turn around and pick up the baby again, Tan Mo couldn’t help but smile.
She had always known—he was quite the master of saying one thing while meaning another.
In any case, after the baby’s birth, both maternal and paternal love needed time to develop through interactions with the child. As Tan Mo and Xie Qichen spent more time with the little one, their feelings for him deepened.
By late May, more than half a month after the baby’s birth, a name was finally decided.
After some thought, Tan Mo and Xie Qichen decided to leave the naming to the grandfather. Xie Wenzong was especially fond of his grandson. After much consideration, he named the child Xie Shaoqing.
“Shao” was the designated generational character, while “qing” symbolized gentleness and humility, expressing their hopes for the child. They wished for him to cultivate both inner virtue and outward grace, growing into a person of integrity and capability who could contribute to the nation.
As for the baby’s nickname, he was called “Paopao” (“Little Bubble”) because he loved blowing bubbles. Tan Mo thought it was cute when she first said it, and everyone adopted the name afterward.
Time passed. By June, Tan Mo had completed her postpartum recovery period. Both the Tan and Xie families held a grand full-moon celebration for the baby. Afterward, Tan Mo moved back to Jiayu Tiancheng from the postnatal care center.
In addition to the regular housemaid, two professional nannies were hired to take turns caring for the baby, making life easier for Tan Mo and Xie Qichen.
Meanwhile, the nursery in the villa had been newly renovated. With its generous space, a playroom was also added on the third floor. It featured a blue and white ball pit, a basketball arcade machine, a slide, a trampoline, and other entertainment facilities, covering nearly two hundred square meters—an entire indoor playground brought home.
The maid mentioned that Xie Qichen had arranged for all these installations to be completed during this time.
When Tan Mo toured the upstairs area and saw it, she was stunned, “Xie Qichen, Paopao is still so young—he can’t even play with these things yet…”
Was this man really being this extravagant, preparing everything so quickly?
Xie Qichen calmly glanced at the decorations, “It’s better to finish early. Kids grow fast, and having a space like this at home will surely make him very happy.”
Tan Mo smiled at him, “What child wouldn’t be thrilled by such a big space?”
Meeting her gaze, Xie Qichen curled his lips slightly:
“Does that include you?”
Tan Mo huffed, “I’m not a child.”
He gently took her hand, “You’re my little girl.”
Tan Mo’s dimples deepened as she looked at the mini amusement park, her eyes sparkling. She finally took off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the foam padding, walking further inside.
Xie Qichen followed behind her.
Looking around, Tan Mo exclaimed, “If I had something like this at home when I was little, I would’ve been over the moon. Wow, I’m so jealous of Paopao.”
Xie Qichen smiled. When he had arranged for the renovation, he had known his girl would love this place, “It’s okay. You can play here now.”
Reaching the ball pit, Tan Mo immediately pulled Xie Qichen in with her, then lay back. Countless small balls scattered around them like ocean waves.
Stretching her arms wide, Tan Mo said happily, “Back in high school, I saw these ball pits and wanted to play so badly, but I felt too old and awkward to play with the kids. I never imagined I would be playing with them at home now—and it’s all mine! I’m so happy!”
Xie Qichen’s eyes softened with amusement, “Looks like my early preparation wasn’t without merit.”
Tan Mo smiled, “This is too childish for kids, but just right for adults.”
Hearing this, Xie Qichen chuckled softly. Tan Mo held his hand, gently tickling his palm, and winked at him with sparkling eyes. In the next moment, Xie Qichen reached out, wrapped his arms around her slim waist, and leaned down to kiss her.
Outside the window, a gentle breeze blew through the afternoon.
The two of them sank into the deep blue and white ocean, locked in a passionate kiss.
Rolling over, her French-style skirt mingled with his white shirt and black trousers. The blue and white balls surged like waves, stirring the spring air.
It had been a while since they had kissed so freely and intensely.
Tan Mo’s lips were tenderly teased. After an indeterminate amount of time, the kiss ended. Their foreheads rested together, Tan Mo placing her palm against his chest, her heart racing.
Even after being married for so long and having kissed countless times, her heart still fluttered wildly for him every time.
Holding her close, he drew her even nearer, his voice a smiling whisper near her ear:
“Why are you so adorable?”
Tan Mo blushed, hiding her face against his chest. She finally turned her head to look at the playroom and sighed with a smile, “Xie Qichen, you really spoil the kid too much.”
“Spoil?”
Tan Mo pointed around with a grin, “Hey, isn’t this spoiling?”
She knew that although Xie Qichen never said much, he always expressed his feelings through actions.
Take the basketball machine, for example—it was specially prepared for their son the moment he found out he was going to be a father. And from everyday life, you could see how much he doted on his son—subtle, yet warm.
Hearing this, Xie Qichen smiled leisurely, “After all, you worked so hard to give birth to him. Of course, he deserves to be spoiled a bit.”
Tan Mo laughed, “So the baby’s dad is giving me face?”
Xie Qichen’s smile deepened. As the two of them were affectionately close, a while later, the nanny awkwardly came to interrupt:
“Madam, the baby needs to drink milk.”
“Coming, coming…”
Tan Mo responded, blushing as she quickly pulled herself out of Xie Qichen’s arms and stood up, “No more playing around. I’ll go check on him first.”
Looking at the girl hurrying away, Xie Qichen couldn’t help but press his fingers to his forehead.
He suddenly felt the presence of a little rival.
Indeed, this little one had come to divide their once-exclusive world.
However, during the first three months after a child’s birth, the mother indeed needed to work harder.
That evening after dinner, Xie Qichen had to attend to some necessary work, so Tan Mo stayed in the nursery, looking after the baby with the nanny while editing videos.
Tan Mo didn’t want to devote her entire heart solely to the child and hadn’t forgotten her career.
She occasionally updated her followers on her life. Last month, when fans learned that she had given birth to the child of a “big shot,” they excitedly asked for a video featuring the baby. Tan Mo agreed, promising to film a baby vlog someday.
Around 9:00 PM, after finishing video editing, she played with the baby for a while. Soon after, Xie Qichen finished work and joined her.
Eventually, as bedtime approached, they handed the baby over to the nanny, and Xie Qichen took Tan Mo away.
Just as they stepped out of the nursery, Tan Mo was suddenly scooped into his arms. In the empty hallway, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and was carried all the way to the bedroom, the door shut behind them as he pressed her against the wall.
“Xie Qichen…”
Tan Mo’s heart raced as she playfully scolded him, “Do you have to be so eager?”
He looked down at her, throat bobbing, his dark eyes brimming with emotion. His voice was low and rough, “I finally understand why that little guy is called Paopao.”
“Huh?”
“He’s our little spotlight, isn’t he?”
Tan Mo couldn’t help but laugh, pinching his collar lightly, “And this little spotlight was created by you, remember? Don’t blame anyone else.”
Xie Qichen leaned in, his hot breath mingling with her lips, “It’s been almost two months.”
They had both been holding back for so long.
Smiling playfully, Tan Mo asked, “Xie Qichen, do you think I’m not as young anymore now that I’m a mother, and therefore not as attractive to you as before?”
Hearing this, Xie Qichen tightened his grip on her waist, his dark eyes burning into hers as he exhaled heavily, “Tan Mo, I think you’re asking for it saying something like this.”
Tan Mo’s face flushed, and her lips were captured by his. Xie Qichen carried her deeper into the room, whispering lowly between kisses, “You’ll see tonight.”
In the following hours, Tan Mo was swept into the passionate night with Xie Qichen.
She lost all sense of time and place, her heart wrapped in layers of soft clouds, pushed deeper and deeper.
Sweat dripped and evaporated.
The lingering passion melted into her very bones.
In her hazy consciousness, Tan Mo vaguely remembered the beads of sweat rolling down his jawline as he whispered in her ear, his voice deep and husky:
“Baby, I’ll always be crazy about you.”
No matter how much time passed, she would always make his heart race.
—
The summer in Licheng was especially hot. As July and August passed and autumn approached, the weather gradually began to cool.
Day by day, the little one grew.
From a sleepy, milk-drinking newborn who knew nothing, he gradually started playing, laughing, and developing self-awareness. He began responding to the world around him and expressing more needs. Like a young sapling, he slowly took root and sprouted under careful nurturing.
As the baby grew, he became increasingly adorable, with big, sparkling eyes like grapes and very fair skin.
At this stage, it was hard to tell his gender, making him look like a delicate porcelain doll.
At four or five months old, he began babbling in baby talk, saying things no one could understand, often making the whole family laugh.
At six months old, he could sit up by himself. His favorite toy was a penguin plushie that Tan Mo had bought for him. He would sit there hugging it, looking like a cute little penguin himself.
At eight months, he started learning to walk. By ten months, he could mostly stand steadily.
Of course, he still stumbled and fell often, but he was quite resilient—never shedding a tear. He would just prop himself up with his little white hands and stand up again, continuing to wobble forward.
This was truly the “evolution history” of a human infant.
Meanwhile, perhaps inheriting Xie Qichen and Tan Mo’s high intelligence and benefiting from their excellent nurturing, the baby began speaking at around eight months old. He could say simple single-syllable words like “Dada” and “Mama.”
Interestingly, the first word he said was “Dada,” not “Mama.”
Because of this, Tan Mo teased Xie Qichen, “What’s going on? Isn’t he supposed to be your little rival? Why does it seem like our son is more attached to you?”
Xie Qichen pulled the baby, who was playing with a small bell, into his arms, a slight curve on his eyebrows:
“Isn’t it natural for a son to be close to his father?”
Though he said nothing outwardly, the man was clearly delighted that his son’s first word was “Dada.”
Tan Mo huffed lightly, “So now I’m the extra one, huh?”
Xie Qichen smiled, “You’re the one both of us spoil. How could you be extra?”
Tan Mo’s heart swelled with warmth, “Fine, that sounds better.”
Moreover, Xie Qichen wasn’t the kind of father who was always busy with work and left all childcare responsibilities to Tan Mo. In the evenings, he would spend time with the baby after returning home. When the baby was learning to walk, it was Xie Qichen who held his hand.
The baby started speaking around March of the following year, about two months after his birth. Half a year passed, and now the baby was one and a half years old, speaking more and more words.
By late November, with autumn’s chill in the air, Xie Qichen had to travel for business for a week.
In the evening, Xie Qichen usually joined Tan Mo in playing with the baby, but tonight, it was only Tan Mo. The baby was smart enough to notice. Blinking his bright eyes, he looked at Tan Mo:
“Where did Daddy go?”
Tan Mo smiled and hugged him, “Paopao misses Daddy, doesn’t he?”
The baby kept murmuring about missing his father. Tan Mo gently comforted him, “Daddy will be back tomorrow. Be a good boy at home, and when Daddy comes back, he’ll buy you your favorite bear biscuits, okay?”
“Okay…”
A few days passed, and on the night before Xie Qichen was due to return, Tan Mo video-called him and mentioned this, “Today, our son asked when you would come back. He really missed you.”
Xie Qichen smiled doubtfully, “Are you sure it’s not the bear biscuits he misses?”
Tan Mo laughed, “Well, that might be part of it. By the way, when are you coming back tomorrow?”
“My flight arrives at five tomorrow, so I should be home around six.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you to come back and have dinner together.”
Looking at Tan Mo’s face on the screen, Xie Qichen’s deep voice traveled through the call, brushing past her ear, “I miss you more.”
Tan Mo sweetly smiled, “Then tomorrow, you won’t have to miss anymore.”
The next day was a weekend. In the daytime, Tan Mo filmed her cooking video at home as usual, making soup for Xie Qichen and personally preparing dinner.
In the evening, the Rolls-Royce finally pulled up at the villa’s entrance.
A tall, broad-shouldered man in a brown long coat stepped out of the car, seeing Tan Mo waiting at the doorstep.
Seeing him, Tan Mo’s lips curled into a bright smile. Behind her, the sky was painted with a warm sunset, peaceful and bright.
Looking at her, Xie Qichen’s eyes softened with affection. He pushed his suitcase toward the front yard and finally reached Tan Mo, pulling her into his arms.
“Jiaojiao, I’m back.”
Tan Mo smiled and hugged him, “Welcome home. Honey, you’ve worked hard these days…”
Unconcerned about being outside, Xie Qichen held the back of Tan Mo’s head and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
The two of them stood there, wrapped in a sweet atmosphere.
A few seconds later, Xie Qichen felt a gentle tug on his coat pocket.
He didn’t notice much.
A few seconds later, his coat was tugged again.
This time, the man finally noticed. He slightly loosened his arms and turned his gaze downward, only to find a little figure who had been standing beside Tan Mo for who knows how long.
The baby only reached up to the man’s knees, wearing a yellow little penguin outfit. Tiny and cute, like a little sprout that had just popped up. He looked up at Xie Qichen with wide eyes, his little arms stretched out, his soft, sweet baby voice filled with expectation:
“Daddy, when is it my turn? I’ve been waiting for a long time…”
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