"Do you want me to be your father?"
Kerr squatted down to be on the same height as Jay, and looked at him straight in the eye. He seemed
so earnest in his request that he decided to show his respect by being on the same level as the boy.
Although Jay was still a child, he would treat him seriously. Kerr could feel in Jay's gaze that he was
considering what was best for Nicole's interest given that he loved and cared for her deeply.
He had never met a child like Jay who had such a smart mind and a considerate heart.
Looking into Kerr's eyes, Jay nodded solemnly.
"I know that you can protect Mommy. She once told me that someone slapped her once, and that
person ended up having a broken hand."
It was you who did it, isn't it? It was you who protected her that time. You also like Mommy, don't you?
You like Mommy as I do, right?"
No matter how smart Jay was, the way he viewed the world was still very simple. He wanted to protect
a person just because he simply loved that person.
Just now, it occurred to Kerr that Jay did not understand the difference between familial affection and
romantic love.
"That's different. I like your mommy, but your love for her is different."
With a smug look in his eyes, Kerr reached out and held the young child in his arms.
It was true that Nicole had successfully drew his attention and aroused his interest. Even he was
starting to believe that he was falling in love with her a little bit.
Stretching out his short arms, Jay put them around Kerr's neck and tilted his face against Kerr's broad
shoulder. Jay was thinking that Uncle Gu was an adult whom he could rely on, so he allowed himself to
be hugged by him.
His mouth opened and closed, but he didn't say the word "father" out loud. Only he knew that he
wanted to call him that.
Looking at the faces of Kerr and Jay, Nicole was put in a trance. The two were becoming more alike as
the days passed by.
Kerr helped Jay sit down on the chair. When the dishes were served to them, he deftly cut the steak on
his plate and exchanged it with the plate in front of Nicole.
"Wow, Uncle Gu is so considerate!"
Watching Kerr cut the steak for his mommy, Jay clapped his hands and exaggeratedly praised Kerr's
behavior. In return, Nicole rolled her eyes at him.
"Jay, focus on your meal," she admonished him.
Wearing a disapproving face, Nicole looked at Jay who sitting opposite her.
She remembered clearly when Baron got told off for doing the exact same thing. That time, Jay had
told Baron that his mommy was an adult and there was no need for others to take care of her.
But now that Kerr did it, his reaction was totally different from before.
She really wanted to know how Kerr managed to easily win Jay's heart. What kind of potion did Kerr
make him drink for Jay to act childish and docile like now?
"Mommy, do you think I'm too noisy?"
Wearing an innocent and wronged face, Jay looked as if he had been scolded by her.
"No, I just want you to eat more."
When she saw the expression on Jay's face, Nicole did not want to say anything more.
Although she knew that Jay did not mean anything bad by it, she still felt that it was a bit inappropriate
to nag him now.
During dinner, neither Kerr nor Baron engaged each other. The atmosphere remained thick between,
and it was very awkward for Nicole.
She felt a little uncomfortable to be taken care of by Kerr, but she couldn't show her emotions in front of
her son.
She could only turn around and nod at Kerr with a smile to express her thanks.
Looking at the way Kerr and Nicole interacted, Baron was upset.
Jay was the reason why he had not proposed to Nicole. Even if Nicole was to accept him, Jay would
never be accepted into the Fang family. He was torn because he did not want to hurt Nicole in any way.
Now that Kerr had entered the picture, he felt a little regretful of his lack of action in the past. It seemed
that his only option now was to win Jay's heart so he would be able to fight for Nicole's heart.
A sudden call interrupted Baron's train of thoughts. When he saw his mother's number on the screen,
he immediately stood up.
"Excuse me, I have to take this call. Please continue to eat," he excused himself.
After that, he turned around and walked towards the bathroom for some privacy.
"Mom, I'm outside. What's up?"
Baron frowned while listening to his mother on the phone. He was silent for a while, a hesitant look on
his face. But in the end, he didn't refuse her.
"Okay, I know. I'll be right back," he replied obediently.
After hanging up the phone, he looked at himself in the mirror and sighed softly. Then he turned around
and returned to the dining room. He began apologizing to Nicole and Kerr.
"I have something urgent to deal with, so I need to leave now. Mr. Gu, please help me drive them home
after the dinner." He turned to Jay and added, "Jay, I'll take you out on weekend, okay?"
He then raised his hand and fondled Jay's hair. Jay looked annoyed but did not say anything.
"You can leave now if you have something to deal with," Nicole offered.
When Nicole looked at Baron's worried face, she thought that something must have happened at
home. Since Baron didn't spare her any detail, she left it at that. It was improper for her to ask him
about his family affairs.
Baron nodded and left.
On the way home, Baron's mind was filled with images of Nicole and Kerr. Nicole was now working at
the Gu Group and Kerr was pestering her.
Nicole and Kerr worked together and saw each other every day. Baron was really afraid that Nicole
would fall in love with Kerr sooner or later.
It seemed that he really needed to take action fast.
When he came back home, his mother was sitting in the living room, waiting for Baron's arrival. She
looked at the photo in her hand and noticed that the girl in the photo had such gentle eyes. She
couldn't help but admire the girl's beauty in the photo.
"Mom, why did you call me back in such a hurry?"
He took off his coat and sat beside his mother, looking at her tenderly.
Everyone in A City knew that Baron was well-known for his filial piety. He seldom talked back to his
parents, and was a model for his obedience.
"Look at this photo, Baron. She's the daughter of my friend. She will return from abroad in a couple of
days. However, her family are all living abroad, so I promised her parents to let her stay here
temporarily.
This way, we can take care of her. When she comes back, you must pick her up at the airport," she
requested Baron.
Mrs. Fang was satisfied to see that Baron had grown up to be modest and polite. She had put all her
heart and soul into raising him when he was younger, and now she harbored high expectations of his
future.
After taking the photo from his mother, he looked at the girl in the picture and nodded.
It was not an emergency after all. He felt a little disappointed that his time with Nicole was cut short, but
he didn't show it.
"You don't remember her at all? When you were a child, her mother took her to visit us. But before long,
they emigrated," Mrs. Fang reminisced gleefully.
"I still remember that you asked her to marry you after you grew up," his mother added with a gentle
smile.
Thinking of what happened to Baron when he was a child, his mother smiled tenderly. She was also
trying to hint at her son and wanted to know his thoughts.
She offered to take care of a friend's daughter in hopes that Baron could try to get along with the
woman she approved of.
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