The two girls went straight upstairs. As the elevator chimed open, just as they were about to step out, they found themselves face to face with the third brother—standing right there, all muscles and bulk.
...
???
Anke took a startled step back. Seeing who it was, she quickly pulled Zhou Ya along to leave.
“Um, excuse me, is this the floor where Teacher Xiao Ye lives?”
She blinked her big, round eyes, radiating the energy only a teenage girl could have.
The third brother coughed, eyeing the huge “Lucky Pregnancy” logo on the bags they were carrying.
“Yeah, are you asking about our lady of the house?”
“Ah, yes, yes, yes! Cecilia Ye—we’re students from Teacher Xiao Ye’s art studio in Qingshui Bay.”
Somehow, their mismatched answers managed to connect.
Third brother stepped aside and gestured, “Mm, go on in.”
——
Inside the hospital room, Cecilia was playing with the little Rice Cake.
Even though it was just a two-day stay, Mia Moore and her brother had already brought over piles of stuff—not that the little Rice Cake could play with any of it just yet. When it was time to go home, they’d definitely need help moving it all.
Cecilia could only sigh and found herself forgiving her brother a bit, sharing in his joy of being promoted to uncle.
The little Rice Cake changed every single day; a couple of days ago, he was red and wrinkly, but now he looked just like a peeled egg—soft, fair, and chubby.
“Rice Cake has such pretty eyes, just like Zhiye. And this little nose—isn’t it exactly how yours looked when you were a baby?”
Xavier Foster had gone next door to take care of some work, so Ye Jing sat with Cecilia by the bedside.
“Really, Mom? Was I cute when I was little?”
“Of course,” Ye Jing replied with a fond smile. “When you were a baby, I used to hold you by the door in the sun. All the grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunties walking by would stop to praise you. People gave you Wahaha drinks and candy, and you’d toddle over with drool down your chin, calling everyone ‘Aunty’.”
Her face softening with nostalgia, Ye Jing gently recalled those old days. If she hadn’t had Cecilia, hadn’t had her daughter, maybe her life really would have fallen apart long ago.
The two of them were chatting when a knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Cecilia called.
Third brother opened the door. The two young girls peeked their heads inside, with usually boisterous Anke lowering her voice, “Teacher Xiao Ye!!”
Their faces lit up all at once. Cecilia hadn’t expected it would be them, either—she was just as delighted to see them.
“Anke, Yaya, what brings you here?”
She got up and ushered the two girls in.
“Teacher Xiao Ye, we saw you trending on Weibo, hah, so we really wanted to come see you.”
“Weibo? Trending?” Cecilia was puzzled; just the thought of trending gave her anxiety, and she had no idea what this was about.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” The two of them set down the bags in their hands and quickly pulled out their phones. “These are just some small gifts for your baby.”
Cecilia glanced at the bulging bags and smiled, “I’m already so happy that you came to see me—that’s more than enough. You didn’t have to bring gifts.”
“Of course it’s for your baby, hehe.”
Ye Jing stepped forward and placed the gifts beside the bed. “I’ll get you girls something to drink.”
Glancing at Ye Jing’s face, which resembled Cecilia’s, Zhou Ya politely said, “Thank you, Auntie.”
Meanwhile, Anke had already pulled out her phone, quickly searched, and found Xavier Foster’s Weibo, showing it off to Cecilia like she’d found treasure.
“Teacher Xiao Ye, look, it’s this one! Wow, it’s so sweet! So it turns out Mr. Fu is your husband—no wonder he was at the studio back then.”
Anke chattered away, barely pausing to breathe, while Zhou Ya tugged on her sleeve, clearly embarrassed.
Cecilia took the phone. She’d never really checked Xavier Foster’s Weibo before—or, actually, she had, a long time ago, not long after she’d first come to the Fu family.
She liked Zhiye, was curious about everything involving him, and back then, she’d look up his news and magazine features whenever she could find them.
Except as far as Weibo went, she’d never seen him post much of anything—just the occasional company-related update.
His profile was simple, too. His last post was from last year—a photo Cecilia herself had taken of the sunset on the snowy mountains. Turns out, he’d saved it and posted it, and she’d never even known.
The trending post from a few days ago was even more eye-opening. The first photo was his hand holding hers, the second was his hand holding the baby’s.
[“I love you, Mrs. Fu. Thank you for everything.”]
Just a simple sentence—so very him. The words brought a rush of happiness and a touch of bashfulness to her heart.
So this is what it feels like to be unconditionally loved and cherished.
“Right, Teacher Xiao Ye? We only knew you’d had a baby because we saw that post,” Anke chimed in.
Even Zhou Ya, usually reserved, agreed enthusiastically, “Yeah, and you still took such good care of us back at the studio even though you were expecting… Teacher Xiao Ye, are you planning on coming back to teach?”
Anke nodded, both of them gazing at Cecilia with bright eyes, full of hope.
Handing the phone back, Cecilia motioned for them to sit on the sofa. The thought of the studio had crossed her mind before—she really loved teaching there, painting with like-minded people, feeling content and fulfilled.
Now that the baby was born, she wanted to continue running an art studio, but Qingshui Bay was just too far from here.
“I do want to keep teaching, but I might have to find a new location.”
Cecilia felt a bit troubled—if she moved, it would be so much less convenient for girls like Anke to visit.
“Oh, wherever you open it is fine, Teacher Xiao Ye! Now that we’ve started school and moved into the dorms, if you open it near campus, we can come every day!”
“Oh—that’s a good idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
Cecilia’s social circle had always been small; it had been ages since she’d chatted like this. It was really refreshing.
But the sleeping Rice Cake clearly didn’t appreciate the noise—he suddenly burst out crying, his little mouth wide open.
Cecilia hurried over, scooping up the baby. “Hey, Rice Cake, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Look—some beautiful big sisters came to visit you.”
She carried the baby to the sofa so Anke and Zhou Ya could see.
Neither girl had a baby in their family this little before—their eyes went wide with amazement.
“Wow! He’s so cute and so tiny—can I touch him?”
Anke eagerly reached out, and Cecilia offered the baby’s hand. “Go ahead, his little hands are really fun to hold.”
Anke extended a single finger, and Rice Cake grabbed it instantly. Even with tears still in his eyes, he stopped crying and looked curiously at Anke, as if wondering, “Who is this?”
“Ahhh, so cute! I’m soft all over! I want to get married, I want a sweet romance, I want an adorable baby of my own!”
Zhou Ya flicked her on the forehead, “What are you on about—we’re not even old enough to marry yet.”
Cecilia couldn’t help laughing. With these two girls around, it felt like the joy of childhood was infectious.
Almost as if she’d just remembered something, Zhou Ya turned and took a painting from one of the bags. It wasn’t large—about the size of an art class sheet, carefully framed.
“Teacher Xiao Ye, this is my brother’s painting. I thought it’d suit you perfectly. I hope you like it.”
Not wanting to make things difficult for Cecilia, Zhou Ya set the framed painting on the coffee table in front of her.
The painting showed a chubby little child hiding inside a hermit crab’s shell on the beach, with colorful starfish and coral scattered everywhere, and a glowing sea reflecting a rainbow sunset in the background.
Just glancing at the colors, Cecilia blurted out, “Yaya, is this… one of Quentin Zane’s works?”