Lily is shocked and her face turns a bit pale, “It's fine, the steps are too slippery.”
“Mummy, are you okay?” Adair also asks her with his huge eyes filled with concern.
Lily smiles, “It's fine, watch your steps, Adair. The dark-coloured steps are more slippery.”
Rex squats down without saying anything. He holds and squeezes her ankle. After making sure she is
alright, he feels at ease and turns to educate his son, “That's why uncle asks you to exercise more, just
so you won't be as clumsy as your mother.”
Adair nods his head as if it is true, “I know, so I can protect mummy!”
Lily, “…”
Enough already, Rex.
Not sure if it is because he feels her insidious gaze, Rex doesn’t go too far. He just changes his
position and lets Lily take the child’s hand. He then follows behind the two of them.
Starting from reaching the place at nine o’clock, the three of them use more than one hour to reach the
halfway point of the mountain. There is a rest area; Lily buys some water and half a bag of oranges.
After taking a short break, the three of them continue to move towards the top of the mountain. Adair is
too young after all. Even though Lily gives him a hand most of the time, he still can’t bear the fatigue.
“Mummy, I can’t walk anymore.” Adair stands on the platform, looking tired.
Before Lily can say anything, Rex dashes to his front as if he has been waiting for this moment. He
squats down with one of his knees on the ground. He then pats himself on the back, saying “Come up,
daddy carry you.”
Joy flashes in Adair’s eyes, however the next second he hesitates and restrains himself. He stands
awkwardly in place, not knowing what to do.
Rex sees through his thought at a glance and says, “Many children can’t even climb halfway up the
mountain, Adair is already very awesome. Uncle didn’t expect you to be so good at all. But the view
from the top of the mountain is even better, uncle carries you, okay?”
A child, no matter how young, has self-esteem. Especially in front of Rex, Adair always has a desire to
do his best. Rex sees that and encourages it, but part of this striving for excellence was still due to the
lack of his company, which made the child not so close to him.
Upon hearing that, Adair finally nods, “Okay then.”
Lily watches as the child moves towards the back of Rex, she is worried, “Forget about it, it’s not safe
for you to carry him.”
“It’s okay.”
“But…”
“You don't believe me?” As he speaks, Rex has carried the child on his back, he has been working out
for years and is fiercely built like a leopard, now that with Adair on his back, all the muscle lines on his
body become obvious, “Don't you have any idea as for whether I can make it?”
Lily swallows the words before they come out from her mouth. This man is so good at choking her with
words.
However, Rex also proves his capability. He carries the child from halfway up the mountain to the top,
taking two breaks in between. When they almost reach the summit, he puts the child down, “It’s not far
away to the top, do you want to climb yourself, Adair?”
After being carried for such a long distance, Adair already has enough rest. He nods, “Okay!”
Rex smiles in relief. He tries to stand upright again but the child grabs his hand. He is puzzled, thinking
there is something else, “What is it?”
Adair lowers his head and takes out a tissue from his small pocket, stands in front of Rex, and wipes
his forehead on tiptoes.
Although he is in good shape, he is thirty-seven years old, so naturally he can’t be compared to a
twenty-something-year-old young man. Moreover, it’s noon. A layer of fine sweat came out from his
forehead. The little guy saw it and remembered it.
Rex’s half-squatting body is frozen. He doesn’t feel tired or dizzy after climbing for so long, but right
now he feels a bit dizzy being overwhelmed by this unexpected happiness.
He looks at the child's white and soft face. His heart is filled with tenderness, “Adair is so nice.”
Adair looks at the drops of sweat on Rex’s forehead and stretches his tiny hand to wipe it, inch by inch.
Lily watches from the side, with a burst of tears in her eyes. The image in front of her is something she
has never imagined, she never thought that one day, this kind of heart-warming scene will happen
between the child and Rex.
Although saying this might be a bit cold-blooded, if Ryan does the same thing, perhaps the child will
have a less profound feeling. After all, they are real father and son, and blood is thicker than water.
Rex is extremely happy. He holds the child’s hand and doesn’t let go until they reach the summit. Adair
also keeps on chattering.
After walking for a while, they find out that Lily hasn’t followed. Adair holds Rex’s big hand and runs to
her, then also holds hers, “Mummy, hurry up!”
Just like that, a pair of small hands holding two people together, as if it also ties together all the feelings
between them.
As if being mildly electrocuted, Lily’s fingertip moves. She suppresses this strange feeling which is
sweeping through her whole body, trying to focus on climbing the mountain.
At the top of the mountain, the view is great. They look down and see all the surrounding buildings and
houses.
It’s a clear and wide sight from above. They can feel the fresh breeze on their face. It’s not easy to find
such a view in a metropolis like J City.
Lily looks at her surroundings, the blue sky overhead and the green bushes by the feet, her mood
begins to cheer up. Her troubles and worries are drifted away with the wind.
The three of them sit in the gazebo at the top of the mountain for a while. Most of the time it is Rex and
Adair talking to each other. Lily sits at the side. Although she doesn't fixate her gaze on the two of
them, she is listening carefully the whole time.
“The top of the mountain is so beautiful, I've never climbed so high!” Adair is still amazed by the scene
in front of him.
Rex nods, he is patient and looks just like a loving father, “Yes, you can only see this view when you
reach the top of the mountain. Therefore no matter what you do, you can't give up easily.”
He is teaching the child what persistence is and why should he be persistent. Although Adair is not
familiar with the word persistence at his age, but little by little, this will let him become more and more
persistent.
Such words and feelings cannot be brought to a child by a mother. A child needs a father, not just a
father figure, but what a father can bring to him.
And that is something she can't replace.
Thinking that way, Lily’s mind drifts a little farther, she has been thinking about these issues lately. Does
she really tend to accept this man again, or let the child begin to contact with him?
She doesn’t know. She always feels like there is still something missing in her heart and she doesn’t
know what to fill it with, but she couldn't ignore it too.
“What are you thinking?” A man’s charming voice suddenly sounds from her side.
Lily returns to her senses, she turns her head and sees a pair of deep-set eyes. She raises her hand to
touch her hair and looks away, “Nothing.”
“Let’s go, take the cable car down, there’s a nice restaurant called Delicacy from Mountain nearby.”
Lily then gets up quickly, “Okay.”
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