Your Wife? Mine! - Chapter 10

“Cough, cough, cough!”

The Alpha broke into a violent fit of coughing. A searing flush crept from her cheeks all the way down to her neck, making her look as though she were about to be steamed alive.

Seeing this, Meng Xiyao, who was sitting beside her, reached out and began gently patting her back. “Slow down. Don’t rush.”

“Cough, cough…”

Shen Xi coughed earth-shatteringly for a good while longer before she finally managed to catch her breath. She took a deep lungful of air, forcing down the lingering itch in her throat.

Right then, a pair of tiny hands appeared, carefully holding a cup of water out to her.

Shen Xi looked up, meeting Little Wutong’s sparkling eyes. The child nudged the cup forward a bit more, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Drink some water, Auntie! Mommy says if you drink water, you’ll stop coughing.”

Hearing this, Shen Xi instinctively stole a glance at Meng Xiyao. By now, Meng Xiyao had withdrawn her hand, watching her with a calm, steady gaze. “Drink something,” she said. “It’ll help settle your throat.”

“Okay.”

Shen Xi nodded. With a hint of sheepishness, she reached out and took the cup, taking small, hesitant sips. To ease the awkwardness, she eventually took several large gulps, then held up the glass in a defensive attempt to save face. “The water… it’s quite good.”

She set the glass down and forced a smile that she hoped looked natural for the little girl. “Thank you, Little Wutong.”

Little Wutong’s eyes curved into adorable crescents. “You’re welcome!” Then, like a miniature adult, she added a thoughtful tip: “Drink slowly, Auntie. You won’t choke if you take your time.”

At her age, to be “schooled” by a tiny tot like this… Shen Xi felt the heat she had just managed to suppress come roaring back. She was mortified. If a crack had opened in the floorboards at that moment, she would have dived into it without a second thought.

But reality was cruel. Shen Xi could only bite the bullet and give a dry response. “Right. Thank you for the reminder, Little Wutong.” Trying to win back a bit of dignity, she added, “You know so much. You’re very impressive.”

Children of this age were as pure as a blank sheet of paper not unlike puppies. A few sincere compliments were usually enough to make their day. Although Shen Xi had never studied child psychology, she had grown up under the “encouragement-based education” of her mother and Meng Xiyao. She found herself applying those lessons quite naturally now.

Sure enough, Little Wutong beamed at the praise, showing off two rows of little white teeth. “Mommy and my teachers taught me everything!” she said proudly. Then she added, “Auntie, if you had someone to teach you, you’d be just as good as me!”

Shen Xi: “…”

Children were truly innocent, yet they said things that made you want to drop dead on the spot.

Watching the Alpha rendered speechless and utterly defeated by a toddler’s remark, a faint, fleeting trace of amusement flickered in Meng Xiyao’s eyes. She chose that moment to step in and break the tension. “Alright, that’s enough talking. Eat your dinner first.”

Taking her mother’s cue, Little Wutong gave a chirpy “Okay!” and immediately lowered her head to focus on her rice.

After the recent “social death” incident, Shen Xi didn’t dare say another word. She picked up her chopsticks and ate with perfect decorum, trying her best to blend into the furniture.

However, Little Wutong’s silence didn’t last long. After only two bites, her little mouth was off again. She began prattling on in a milky voice about how delicious dinner was—especially the sweet and sour pork, which she liked so, so much. Then, looking up at Meng Xiyao, she asked if the nanny could make sweet and sour ribs for lunch tomorrow.

Meng Xiyao replied with a gentle “Of course” in fluent Greek. Little Wutong immediately switched to equally fluent Greek, chirping away about how she hoped the nanny would make extra, because her best friend, Lin Zhan, loved them too.

As the mother and daughter talked, Occidens circled the table quietly, his fluffy tail wagging leisurely. Little Wutong reached into the winter melon soup, plucked out a piece of tender, slow-cooked rib, and held it out. “Occidens, here!”

The big dog gave a soft “woof” and deftly, gently took the rib into his mouth, chewing contentedly.

Seeing this, Meng Xiyao chided her softly in French, telling her not to feed him directly from her chopsticks for hygiene reasons.

Little Wutong didn’t seem to mind. She replied in smooth French, “It’s fine! Occidens gets my spit on him all the time anyway, and sometimes I get his!”

Meng Xiyao shook her head helplessly, explaining patiently, “That’s not good. Your immune system isn’t as strong as his; you’ll get sick.”

Little Wutong stuck her tongue out playfully but eventually gave in. “Fine, fine.”

Throughout the meal, the pair naturally cycled through four or five different languages. The child’s crisp, tender voice was like a happy sparrow, chirpy, vibrant, and breathing life into the entire dining room.

Neither Meng Xiyao nor Gu Hai were particularly talkative people by nature, yet this child was like a sponge for sunlight: lively, bright, and perfectly poised. Shen Xi couldn’t help but think of the brave little Simba from The Lion King. She was so cute it made your heart ache.

Meng Xiyao… raised her so well. She truly had a natural gift for motherhood.

Clutching her chopsticks, Shen Xi’s gaze drifted toward Meng Xiyao’s soft, focused profile. She found herself staring, lost in thought.

The Alpha’s gaze was too intense, too focused like two literal flames branded against Meng Xiyao’s cheek. It was a searing sensation that was impossible to ignore.

Meng Xiyao endured it in silence for a moment before she finally reached out with the serving chopsticks. She picked up a piece of succulent sweet and sour pork and placed it gently in Shen Xi’s bowl.

Shen Xi snapped out of her trance, looking at her with a mix of shock and delight.

By then, Meng Xiyao had already looked away, her voice as flat and unreadable as ever. “Eat more.”

She’s too thin, Meng Xiyao thought. She’s nothing but skin and bone.

The light in Shen Xi’s eyes ignited instantly, as if filled with starlight. A grin spread across her face as she replied brightly, “Yes, ma’am!”

She felt so lucky she could burst; she was basically a walking “lemon” of envy for her own good fortune.

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