She abandoned her husband first, then her children, and was ecstatic after the divorce.

"What can Bell do for Mom?" Bell looked at Lin Qingran earnestly.

"The best thing Lingdang can do for her mother is to grow up safely and peacefully."

Lingdang clenched her little hands. "But Mom, I'm really afraid he'll bully you."

"Don't be afraid, Lingdang." Lin Qingran pinched Lingdang's little face.

"For a while from now on, your brother will be living with us. If you don't like him, you don't have to play with him. But you must never wrongly accuse anyone, bully anyone, or let anyone bully you, understand?"

Bell nodded seriously, "I understand."

Fu Xingze was pulled upstairs by Bo Ye, muttering his dissatisfaction with Bo Ye all the way.

"Let me go! I'm not your child!"

After a lot of pulling and tugging, they finally got into the room, and Bo Ye casually tossed him onto the bed.

"You'd better stay here and not cause any more trouble, or you'll be in big trouble."

Fu Xingze snorted and turned his back to Bo Ye.

He felt extremely wronged, feeling that he hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was always being wronged. His mother didn't believe him, and Bo Ye was always yelling at him.

Bo Ye crossed his arms and chuckled.

He patted Fu Xingze on the shoulder and said, "Kid, let me tell you, your dad shamelessly sent you here, not us. If you want to stay here, you'd better think carefully about what you should do."

After saying that, Susukino turned and left.

Lin Qingran took Lingdang back to her room and bumped into Bo Ye as she went out.

"How is he?" Lin Qingran asked.

"Don't even mention it, that brat is so stubborn." Bo Ye said impatiently.

Lin Qingran smiled and patted Bo Ye's head. "Alright, don't you like kids the most? Why are you getting angry with him?"

"This kid is a carbon copy of his dad, naturally bad-tempered and hard to manage. Who would like him?"

Lin Qingran smiled without saying a word, and only spoke after a while.

"Lingdang is also Fu Xiuheng's child. If Lingdang had the same personality as Xingze from a young age, would you still be good to her?"

“Lingdang is not the same as him,” Bo Ye said awkwardly.

“You raised Lingdang since she was little, so she hasn’t picked up any of the bad habits of the Fu family.”

Lin Qingran smiled, "I also raised Fu Xingze myself."

Bo Ye looked embarrassed and quickly explained.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!"

“I didn’t misunderstand either.” Lin Qingran patted Bo Ye on the shoulder.

“What I’m trying to say is that children are born like blank slates; whatever you write on them will determine what they become. The capital is a big melting pot, and neither the Fu family nor the Lin family are good at raising children. So no matter how hard I try, I can’t raise Xingze well. But Yuncheng is different. Here, there’s your father and you. You are all kind-hearted, and it’s because of everyone’s efforts that Lingdang is so well-behaved and sensible. Xingze will gradually become better after coming here.”

"Sister, do you want me to..." Bo Ye stared at Lin Qingran.

"As for Xingze, I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate. How long our mother-son bond will last is unknown. I'm not forcing you to be nice to Xingze, but please don't hate him so much, okay?"

Susukino was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine, fine. If it's not for anything else, I'll just try to be nicer to him so he'll bully Lingdang less." Bo Ye raised his chin arrogantly.

"But if he dares to make you and Lingdang unhappy, I will definitely teach him a lesson."

Lin Qingran smiled and said, "If Xingze really dares to do that, you don't need to lift a finger; I'll teach him a lesson myself."

Bo Ye then smiled. "Alright, sister, don't think about it so much. I didn't mean to bully him, it's just that I can't stand his dad. But you're right, the way this child turned out is also his dad's responsibility. Hopefully, this brat can change his ways."

Lin Qingran pushed Bo Ye back to his room to rest, and then went downstairs to ask the kitchen to prepare two cups of hot milk. Little did she know that a small head was peeking out from behind her.

Fu Xingze rolled his eyes and then quietly retreated.

Ten minutes later, Lin Qingran came upstairs with a glass of milk.

She gently knocked on Fu Xingze's door. "Xingze, am I coming in?"

There was no response from inside, so Lin Qingran pushed the door open in confusion.

Fu Xingze was lying on the bed, his little shoulders twitching as if he were crying.

Lin Qingran felt a pang of sadness, walked to the bedside and sat down, put the milk aside and gently patted Fu Xingze's back.

"Xingze, don't be sad. I know Lingdang wronged you. I'll make him apologize to you tomorrow. Here, have a glass of milk."

Upon hearing Lin Qingran's voice, Fu Xingze slowly raised his head, his eyes red, and saw the milk in Lin Qingran's hand.

He didn't reach out to take it; tears welled up in his eyes, and he looked utterly aggrieved.

"T-Teacher...can I consider this place my home?"

Lin Qingran was taken aback. "Of course, why do you ask that?"

Fu Xingze then forced a smile, took the milk, and began to drink it in small sips.

Looking at his cautious manner, Lin Qingran felt a buzzing in her head and her heart began to clench uncontrollably.

Lin Qingran had experienced the feeling of being dependent on others since childhood.

If it weren't for the great care and concern shown to her by Jiang Yuanbai and Teacher An, she wouldn't have felt any sense of belonging to this family.

Now, Lin Qingran's own child has experienced something similar.

Although she is Fu Xingze's biological mother, she only allows Fu Xingze to call her teacher. So, how can this place be considered home for Fu Xingze?

Moreover, in a sense, Fu Xingze was just a tool for Fu Xiuheng.

Regardless of Fu Xiuheng's motives, Fu Xingze's arrival in Yuncheng was all for Lin Qingran's benefit.

Isn't this just like the situation when Lin Qingran was sold to several different families when she was a child?

Lin Qingran was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Fu Xingze drank his milk while cautiously watching Lin Qingran.

After finishing the milk, Fu Xingze held the cup out to Lin Qingran, blinking his big eyes at her.

"I...I've finished it all."

This cautious expression was undoubtedly another blow to Lin Qingran's heart.

Lin Qingran took the cup and turned her head away, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"rest early."

"I know I've caused you trouble."

Lin Qingran wanted to leave, but Fu Xingze jumped off the bed and chased after her.

"I know I've done many wrong things in the past, and I know you're unwilling to forgive me now, but could I call you that..."