Chapter 402 - But What Can We Do?
Just as Little Juan decided to drag her brother out to play, Jie went to check up on his dearest wife. When he entered the room, Xu Mey was talking to someone on the phone. He went to the closet to change his clothes and when he came out, she was still busy on her phone. She wasn't on a call now but she was texting with a grin on her face.
"Baby..." he called out softly.
"Hmm..." she hummed in reply distractedly.
"I'm gonna take kids out for ice cream, come with us."
Xu Mey shook her head immediately. "Can't do, Ah-Jie. I have so much to do now. I just talked to mom and she said that we should hold a party in celebration of this good news. So, I suggested doing everything here at our place. Now, I have to call the event organizers and arrange everything. I have so much on my plate."
"...Weekends are family days," reminded Jie in a soft voice.
Xu Mey looked up at him. "I know that. That's why I'm calling everyone here to have a big family gathering. Kids would love it."
"I think they'd like their mother coming out for ice cream with them more," said Jie. He didn't want to sound bitter at all. But Xu Mey's words reminded him of what Bao just said, she was willing to neglect her own family to keep every third person happy. Somehow, he never really noticed it before.
He was fine being neglected but he didn't want his kids to be put on sidelines. He couldn't bear that. He knew she loved both Juan and Bao very much but she definitely wasn't doing a good job at showing it these days.
"Ah-Jie, I don't know why you're acting like this." Xu Mey was too busy trying to write everything she had to prepare for tomorrow that she didn't even notice Jie's expressions. "Besides, ice cream is not even good for them. You should let them play inside."
Jie heaved a long sigh. "If you don't want to come, it's okay. But I'm going with them. I'll see you later at night. Bye!"
Seeing how she walked out of the room, Xu Mey scowled to herself, "You could have at least offered to help a bit."
....
"I want chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!"
Juan was the most excited one as she shook her father's hands trying to get his attention.
"What about you, Bao?"
Jie looked at his son who was holding his other hand with a fed-up look as if he would rather be anywhere but here. But Jie knew his mood better than himself.
"I'm fine with anything."
Seeing his son acting so high and mighty, Jie said, "Okay, then let's get you mint chocolate."
"No!!" Jie smiled secretly to himself at his reaction.
"Why not? You said you're fine with anything."
Bao gritted his teeth at his father. "Mint chocolate is like toothpaste. I don't like it."
"Then tell me what you want?"
"Then I'll have rocky road ice cream," he finally said what he wanted and Jie smiled in content and victory. See, he was also the father of this genius. How could he not know how to wrap him around his little finger?
After placing the order, Jie sat at a corner table with his two kids. One little girl who was dangling her legs like an excited bunny and one little boy who looked too aloof and cold for his age.
Even when their orders came, Jie looked distracted. His attention had been on his phone. He was constantly checking his phone. He was waiting for Xu Mey to call. No, he wasn't waiting for an apology. He was just waiting for her.
It was their weekend. It was supposed to be theirs. Why would she spend it on creating memories for others when she could create beautiful memories of her own with these two adorable kids of theirs? Wasn't she being a bit too cruel now? In all these years, he had made sure to never bring any work home on weekends. Because those two days solely belonged to his family. Why couldn't she do the same?
And even when he'd like to spend some alone time with her, she'd always find a reason to get mad at him. Was he really doing something wrong? Was his son right that she wasn't happy with him now?
'What the hell am I even thinking?' he shook his head to get these doubts out of his head. It was his son's fault for speaking without even thinking. Now, he was going crazy thinking unnecessary things.
"Dad, are you waiting for a call?"
Bao had noticed his father's anxiousness and restlessness. Needless to say, he also knew the reason behind it but he wasn't gonna voice it out for now.
"No. It's nothing. Just some work stuff." Jie tried to avoid the topic but he forgot that his kids had a very good memory.
"But dad doesn't bring any work stuff home. And the phone your holding is also your personal one, not the work one," pointed out Juan while waving her spoon around dramatically.
While Jie was trying to come up with an excuse, Juan and Bao shared a look and smiled at each other before they each held one of his hand and said, "Dad, you don't have to look so down."
"Yes, your favorite daughter is right by your side. What's the worry with me around?"
"Favorite daughter? Who am I then?"
"Bro, you're the favorite son, duh!"
"You both are talking as if I have more than one daughter and son," chuckled Jie at his twins. "We don't play favorites in this house."
"And we also don't sulk in this house alone. If you want to sulk, at least let your two best friends know why you're sulking."
"Best friends?" Jie quirked his brows at his kids.
"Yup. Aren't we two adorable ones your best friends? You see we know you're lonely without any friend since most of your friends shifted abroad. Ruru keeps her distance from your personal matters. So, we are the only ones you can talk to."
Jie looked at Bao and shook his head. "Son, you both are..."
"Don't say too young," chimed in Juan at this moment. "Yes, we might not understand your worries. But we can cuddle you till you forget all about those worries. Right, bro?"
Although Bao was against this cuddling idea, he still nodded. "I think we can do that."
Jie rubbed their head dotingly. He really hit a jackpot in the kids' department. Why were these twins so adorable? He loved them so much that it was hard to even explain in words. Seeing their father smile, they grinned. Even Bao's cold face showed a crack.
"Daddy, you're the handsome-st when you smile. So, keep smiling."
"Normally I'm not handsome-st?" Jie teased his daughter.
"No, you're very handsome all the time. But I love my smiling father the most. It can charm people. I tell you my homeroom teacher has a crush on you. You should see her face whenever you come to those monthly meetings. She's swooning like a fangirl."
Jie laughed at her expressions. "Daughter, you really need to stop watching those romance dramas on tv."
Juan grinned widely. "I can't."
"And you should actually try watching those dramas once in a while," suggested Jie to his son.
Bao shrugged his shoulder. "I think your life has become more of an entertaining drama to me, dad."
"You little... Sigh! I can't believe you're my son."
"Neither can I. But what can we do at this point?"
Jie gaped at his son in disbelief. This cold prince had a very sharp tongue. He spoke once in a blue moon but always managed to hurt others' feelings whenever he did. He was the real headache in Jie's life.