Once the dishes were all served, Yan Yunning found an excuse to step out of the private room and called Xuan Yunzao and Xuan Youyi’s teacher, asking whether anything had happened at school that day.

The teacher, upon receiving Yan Yunning’s call, immediately began explaining that the two children had absolutely not been hurt or wronged in any way.

Yan Yunning pressed her fingers to her temple. She understood why the teacher kept emphasizing that the two little ones had come away unscathed.

Their father was the chief board member of all three children’s school, and he hadn’t kept it quiet — all the teachers knew that the children’s grandfather was the chairman of the board.

After hearing the teacher recount what had happened at school, Yan Yunning went briefly blank. No wonder her Xiaoxiao was upset.

She hung up, pushed open the door to the private room, and let her gaze settle on Xuan Yunzao. She looked away, and instead of going back to sit beside Xuan Yanyu, she took the seat next to Xuan Yunsheng.

“Baby, your favorite — caviar and shrimp.” Yan Yunning held a spoonful up to the little one with a radiant smile.

Xuan Yunsheng took a small taste, then smiled at her. “Mom, do you also think your son and daughter were a bit out of line?”

Yan Yunning was flustered — this little rascal had figured out she’d gone to find out what happened.

“What did my son and daughter do that was out of line?” Xuan Yanyu also moved over, sitting on either side of the little one with Yan Yunning.

The other two little ones were being flanked on either side by He Qingxia and Gu Jingye — and if you ignored the fact that one small face resembled Yan Yunning and the other was the spitting image of Xuan Yanyu, they really did look like a family of four.

“It’s a bit hard to say.” Xuan Yunsheng glanced at his curious father.

Xuan Yanyu’s lips curved upward. He draped a long arm over the back of the little one’s chair and said languidly, “How hard to say, exactly?”

The little one furrowed his brow in distress. “Dad, if it’s hard to say, it’s just hard to say.”

Yan Yunning took out her phone, gestured for Xuan Yanyu to look, then opened his chat and typed:

[Ruirui got into a squabble with a classmate. That classmate also has an older brother, and the two of them started comparing. In the middle of the argument, Ruirui claimed that his older brother could eat dog poop — said that none of the others could, only his brother could, and that his brother was incredibly impressive.]

[Then Jiaojiao chimed in to back him up. The classmate didn’t believe them, so Ruirui and Jiaojiao, along with a few other kids from their class, went over to Xiaoxiao’s building during the break. Of course Xiaoxiao was furious when he heard.]

Never mind that these two little ones would tattle on each other at home — the moment they stepped outside, no pair could be more united.

Xuan Yanyu’s expression stiffened for a split second. [?? Where on earth did they get that from?]

Yan Yunning cleared her throat and continued typing on her phone:

[It was probably a few days ago, when Xiao Wan brought Ruirui and Jiaojiao to the office to see me. I was leading the two little ones downstairs and near the office building we came across a stray puppy on the side of the road.]

[The puppy must have been unwell at the time — the owner cleaned it up promptly — but the two kids had already seen it. They thought it was amazing that the puppy would eat its own waste.]

Xuan Yanyu: [……]

“Dad, Mom — are you two the ones who can’t speak now?” Xuan Yunsheng looked between Yan Yunning, who had her head down typing, and Xuan Yanyu, who was equally fixated on the screen.

“Baby, it’s a good thing that classmate of your little brother’s has an older brother.” Xuan Yanyu ruffled the little one’s hair, holding back a laugh.

Xuan Yunsheng chewed on his pasta with great vigour — he understood what his father meant. If that classmate of Ruirui’s had been talking about his father instead, then the one Ruirui had announced could eat dog poop would have been his own dad.

Yan Yunning pinched the back of someone’s hand and turned to her beloved eldest son with a smile. “Your brother and sister didn’t know what it meant. We’ll explain it to them when we get home, and they’ll apologize to you.”

The little one raised his glass of milk and took a sip. “Mom, I know they didn’t understand. They don’t need to apologize.”

“That won’t do. Not understanding isn’t an excuse — when an apology is owed, it still has to be given.” Yan Yunning placed several pieces of spare ribs in the little one’s bowl. “You don’t need to worry about it. Just eat your dinner, like a good boy.”

It wasn’t a big matter, but it couldn’t just be let go like that either. This time they didn’t understand — next time something else would come up and they wouldn’t understand, and then again the time after that.

Once they were old enough to know better, if they ever inadvertently hurt Xiaoxiao, they might say: but back when I didn’t understand before, it was always brushed off just the same — so you should just treat it like I didn’t know, right?

“Okay.” The little one gave a small, obedient nod.

Midway through the meal, Xuan Yanyu requested a few bottles of vintage wine that were being stored at the restaurant, and he and Gu Jingye began to drink.

After a while, He Qingxia’s mouth started to water, and she poured herself a glass too. Yan Yunning had three children to look after and neither she nor Xuan Yanyu had brought a driver, so she held back from drinking.

After her single glass, He Qingxia adjusted the ambient lighting in the private room, queued up a few songs, took hold of the microphone, and launched into a heartfelt performance that was decidedly unkind to everyone else’s ears.

Gu Jingye, watching He Qingxia sing, could barely keep his tongue in order as he marvelled aloud:

“Of the four of us… the best singer… is Zhilu… but… but he… he only ever sings for Ningning… he only sings the songs… Ningning likes… he won’t… won’t sing… for anyone else…”

“Ningning… also only… only ever wants to listen…”

Yan Yunning looked up and rapped her knuckles on the table. “Jingye, pay attention — listen to Xiaxia sing.”

“Oh… right… right…” Gu Jingye pressed a finger to his lips and gave a tipsy, foolish “shh.”

The moment he heard what Gu Jingye had blurted out, Xuan Yunsheng glanced at Xuan Yanyu straight away. The latter gripped his wine glass, and as his throat moved in a quiet swallow, every drop of wine in the glass vanished in an instant.

“Dad, I’m a little sleepy — when are we going home?” Seeing Xuan Yanyu refill his glass to the brim, Xuan Yunsheng let out a yawn, his small face heavy with tiredness.

The knuckles of Xuan Yanyu’s fingers traced the rim of the glass, his voice low. “Ask Mom — whenever she wants to go home, we go home.”

The little one spun around immediately to face Yan Yunning, his voice soft and sticky. “Mom, I’m tired. Can we go home?”

Yan Yunning glanced down at the time — it was just barely past eight — but seeing the drowsy, half-shut eyes of the little one, she nodded. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll go let your Auntie Xiaxia know.”

After all, Gu Jingye was already drunk — telling him would be pointless.

Xuan Yunsheng’s small face broke into a smile. “Okay, Mom.”

Yan Yunning stepped away, and He Qingxia had no desire to stay on either. She called for the driver, and the two of them left the private room together.

——

The car park.

Yan Yunning fished the car keys out of Xuan Yanyu’s suit pocket and unlocked the car. Xuan Yanyu silently lifted Xuan Yunzao and Xuan Youyi into their child seats and buckled them in, then carried Xuan Yunsheng into the car, fastened his seatbelt, and only then went around to settle into the passenger seat.

Along the way, Xuan Yunzao and Xuan Youyi chattered nonstop, with Xuan Yanyu and Yan Yunning chiming in now and then. It was warm and peaceful in the car.

“Back to the villa.” At a fork in the road, Xuan Yanyu spoke up.

“Okay.” Yan Yunning turned the steering wheel toward their own home.