Chapter 3 The Hardest Meal
Ever since that utterly humiliating incident, I started avoiding Jiang Zeyu.
Parents mistook it for a quarrel between us, so they dragged both me and Jiang Zeyu to eat together.
"Jiaojiao, what's been going on with you lately?"
"Did Jiang Zeyu bully you? Tell Mother. Mother will stand up for you." Mother held my hand with worry.
My expression was complicated. I wanted to speak but stopped.
How could I possibly say something like that!
Although I had been dodging him these past few days, I still observed him now and then.
From what I saw, Jiang Zeyu acted completely normal around everyone else. Only when he faced me did he start acting strange.
He always looked at me with those pitiful eyes, as if I were an unfilial child and he were the poor soul abandoned by one.
If I told everyone that Jiang Zeyu had cracked his head and now thought he was my Male Mom, they would probably think I was the one with the problem.
As for his affectionate gestures toward me, Parents had their doubts, but they all seemed to assume he had suddenly come to his senses.
From what I could see, the whole household was immersed in joy over his recovery. Only I lived on edge, miserable and wretched.
Under Mother's worried gaze, I hesitated for a long while, then finally shook my head. "It's nothing, Mother. Older Brother didn't bully me."
"Alright then." Seeing I didn't want to say more, Mother kindly dropped the subject.
"Jiaojiao, you must be hungry. Come, eat more." Mother picked some of my favorite fish for me.
Just as I picked up my chopsticks and was about to eat, Jiang Zeyu spoke. "Wait."
I looked up at him, completely lost.
He pressed his lips together and said softly, "Baobao is still little. Can't eat this."
"Don't worry. I won't get stuck on a fish bone." I thought he was worried about me choking on a bone.
Hearing my answer, Jiang Zeyu froze for a moment.
His brows furrowed slightly. His whole face looked conflicted, and the way he looked at me was like looking at a disobedient child.
"Jiaojiao, be good. You can't eat this. Eat something else."
As he spoke, he put his hand to his collar.
I froze. A terrifying thought flashed through my mind.
This guy... he wasn't about to feed me milk in front of everyone, was he?
I looked into his eyes and found them full of seriousness, as if he truly meant to do it.
"Wait." I stood up in shock.
Seeing Parents' astonished looks, I paused.
"I need a few words with Older Brother. We'll be right back." I quickly grabbed Jiang Zeyu's hand and, under those gossip-hungry stares behind us, ran out of the room.
Once we reached a secluded corner, I spoke with a red face, burning with shame. "What were you about to do just now?"
Jiang Zeyu lowered his eyes and looked at me with pure innocence. "Baobao is hungry. Feeding you milk."
I was speechless.
I knew it. I just knew it! I knew this guy really was going to feed me milk in public.
For the sake of what little dignity and face I had left, I started coaxing him patiently. "You can't do this kind of thing in public anymore. I've already grown up. I don't need milk."
Jiang Zeyu's brows furrowed slightly. In the end, under my firm gaze, he gave in.
"Alright." He nodded hesitantly.
"From now on, you're also not allowed to call yourself my Mother." I pushed further.
This time, he didn't agree so easily.
Jiang Zeyu stared at me steadily, then, under my startled gaze, his eyes turned red.
When he opened his mouth, his voice was choked. "Why? Is Baobao looking down on me?
"Did I not do well enough?"
Looking at his bloodshot eyes, I inexplicably softened.
"No. Of course not." I denied it at once.
"It's just... look, you're so young. If everyone found out I have such a young Mother, they would laugh at me."
"You don't want me to be laughed at either, right?" I started making things up.
Such a fake excuse. He shouldn't believe it, right?
After all, if he just looked at himself, he should know he was far too young to have given birth to a child my age.
But to my surprise, Jiang Zeyu believed it.
He looked at me as if suddenly enlightened, his eyes full of heartache. "I misunderstood Baobao.
"It's all my fault. I was improper, having a child so young.
"Baobao, I'm sorry. From now on I won't say I'm your Mother in front of everyone."
Looking at Jiang Zeyu's face full of heartache, my feelings grew complicated. A strange guilt at tricking a fool rose in my heart.
See? He even suspected he had been improper. He never once doubted that he wasn't my Mother!
He really... I could cry.
I wanted to speak, stopped, then wanted to speak again.
In the end, I patted his shoulder and comforted him. "It's alright. It's not your fault."
I gently wiped the tears from his cheeks, took his hand, and led him back inside.
Under Parents' teasing looks, I finished the meal with a red face.
I swore this was absolutely the hardest meal I had ever eaten in my life!
I could barely swallow a bite.