"I will leave my daughter here in the meantime." Li Bingbing said with a small smile on her lips.
"Where do you plan on going with your son?" Xia Meilin couldn't help but ask. It has been two years since her brother's death and she couldn't help but get worried when it came to Li Bingbing.
Xia Meilin knew that the person who would have the hardest time to move on was Li Bingbing.
"Somewhere far." These were the only words that she said as she looked at the beautiful scenery of the sea.
Xia Meilin narrowed her eyes because of her words. She was about to say something but she kept her mouth shut when she saw Lu Xian Yu approaching Li Bingbing from behind.
He leaned and hugged her from behind which surprised her. "What the...?
Li Bingbing turned and saw the familiar blond hair of the man she was trying to push away.
"Found you." Lu Xian Yu whispered in her ears. "I can't believe that you're planning to run away from me again."
Li Bingbing frowned and pushed him away. "Get lost, Lu Xian Yu."
"Momma, you shouldn't be mean to papa." Xia Mengjie who followed her father behind quickly said with a pout.
Although it wasn't obvious back then, as Xia Mengjie grew up, the features she inherited from her father became more visible.
At first, Xia Meilin thought it was her brother but... her real father was actually Lu Xian Yu.
Both Lu Xian Yu and Xia Sinian had almond-shaped eyes that's why she had mistaken it as a part that was inherited from her brother. Except for her eyes, during Xia Mengjie's infant days, most of Xia Mengjie... well... Lu Mengjie's features were mostly from her mother's side that's why it wasn't obvious that she had a different father.
Lu Mengjie was holding her brother's hand as she stood in front of her mother with a pout on her lips.
Xia Liqin was the exact replica of Xia Sinian and seeing the little boy made Li Bingbing ignore her daughter. "Come here, Liqin."
Xia Mengjie pursed her lips as she was once again ignored by her mother. She let go of Xia Liqin's hand before she lowered her head.
Li Bingbing carried her son and made him sit on her lap.
"Mama!" Xia Liqin giggled out loud when Li Bingbing nuzzled his nose.
Ever since Xia Liqin was born, Li Bingbing's attention was mostly towards him.
Xia Meilin sighed heavily at how Li Bingbing was showing complete favoritism towards her children.
Lu Xian Yu went to his daughter and patted her head before he turned to Li Bingbing. "Let's go home."
"Go home?" The smile on Li Bingbing's face disappeared when she turned to him. "I'm leaving with my son, I-"
"Mama is leaving?" Lu Mengjie's eyes became teary. She quickly went and hugged her mother's leg. "Mama, please don't leave Mengmeng!"
Clueless of what they were talking about, Xia Liqin turned to his sister who looked like she was about to cry. "Jiejie (big sister), what's wrong?"
Lu Xian Yu narrowed his eyes at Li Bingbing, "No one is going anywhere, we will go home together. Li Bingbing, can I have a moment with you?"
Xia Meilin stood up, "I remembered that I baked cookies earlier, do you want to try out auntie's cookies, Qin'er? Mengmeng?"
Xia Liqin's eyes sparkled in delight. "Cookies!" He jumped off from his mother's lap before he went toward her. He then called for Lu Mengjie, "Jiejie, eat cookies! Eat cookies!"
Since Xia Liqin knew a few simple words, he couldn't say the complete sentences of what he wants to say yet but the idea was easily understood. He wanted to eat together with his sister.
Xia Mengjie hesitated since she was afraid that if she let go of her mother, she might leave her.
Knowing his daughter's worries, Lu Xian Yu gave her a reassuring smile, "Sweetheart, your mother and I will just have a small talk, okay? After that, we will go home together. For now, why don't you go and have some snacks with your brother?"
Since Lu Mengjie trusted her father's words, she obediently left with Xia Meilin and her brother.
After the children left them, Lu Xian Yu's face became serious.
----
While watching the two children eat their snacks, Xia Meilin couldn't help but hope that things would get well for their family.
"Auntie Meimei, does mama hate Mengmeng?"
Xia Meilin was taken aback by the little girl's sudden question.
Lu Mengjie turned to her brother who was happily eating the cookies and was ignoring his surroundings. "Mengmeng doesn't like him but Liqin looks a lot like daddy so Mengmeng loves Liqin a lot too."
Hearing his name, Xia Liqin raised his head and smiled cutely at his sister, he reached out a half-eaten cookie to her, "Want?"
Lu Mengjie leaned and took a bite from the cookie before she grinned, "It's delicious."
Xia Liqin grinned back at her before he turned and continued eating his snack.
Xia Mengjie's eyes started to become teary as she lowered her head. She can never hate her brother even if he was getting all her mother's attention.
Xia Meilin went and hugged Lu Mengjie closely, "Your mother loves you a lot, Mengmeng."
She little girl buried her face on her chest as she started crying quietly in her arms.
Lu Mengjie knew that if she cried out loud, her brother will definitely join her in.
"But mama never says that she loves me..."
Xia Meilin gently stroked her hair, "Mengmeng, your mother loves you, okay? Never think that she doesn't. She may not say it but she really loves you so much." She said softly, "It's just... Right now, she's going through a lot."