Transmigrated as a vicious stepmother, I raised a child who became a heartthrob.

I painted your portrait. You can look forward to it.

The person on the other end of the phone quickly replied with a message, a seemingly unrelated statement. Jiang Zhuhua knew, however, that the other person had been easily appeased.

He's really easy to appease. Don't just apologize and reflect on your actions; treat him well and make him feel loved. Most problems will then be easily resolved.

Jiang Zhuhua tentatively tried to be affectionate with the other person, even if it was a little awkward. Being affectionate with someone you love isn't embarrassing. He also needs emotional validation.

Is this considered a final statement?

Huo Wang sat at the dining table, looking at the coquettish quotes on his phone. After hesitating for a while, he cautiously sent them. He preferred the other person's slightly aggressive gaze; it was very appealing.

【…】

What could Jiang Zhuhua say? In an instant, the tenderness and affection that had just been awakened in his heart vanished.

Playing around with romance is fine, but isn't it really unnecessary in real life? I truly know I was wrong.

Thinking about it carefully, living with the feeling of wanting to crush the other person every day is also a very tiring thing.

We plan to stay in this city for about two weeks. If you're planning to come, please let me know in advance and I'll send you the address. If you're not coming, that's fine too.

Huo Wang immediately followed up with a message, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.

"Is it all better? You're smiling so happily."

Zhang Geng nudged the person next to him, but he didn't even see who it was. He was just focused on his own drawing.

"She seemed to be smiling with a heart full of spring fever. After all, it is springtime, so it is understandable for her to be a little flirtatious."

The girl next to him nudged him with her elbow, her brushstrokes misfiring. Zhang Geng undid the stroke, not angry, and simply continued to scribble and correct.

"What do you know if you don't even date?"

Huo Wangming's eyes were practically crinkling with laughter, yet he deliberately maintained a stern face. His words carried absolutely no weight.

After appeasing the person, Jiang Zhuhua felt a little relieved and promised to go out with them for a while, which he would definitely keep.

Jiangji Kindergarten doesn't have any long holidays recently, so you need to ask for leave if you want to go out. Also, for Tiedan, you either need to take him with you, or find a reliable pet boarding facility.

And then there's the Pei family. I don't know how, but they finally remembered this child. Pei Hui told her: "Take care of yourself and hold onto custody."

This person took on all the responsibilities, like an umbrella sheltering them, but in reality, it was a struggle between several major families.

Whether it's the Li family, the Pei family, the Shen family, or the rising star Chu Lian, they have all been involved in this struggle to varying degrees.

The Jiang family hasn't caused any trouble lately. Rumors are circulating online, and the overall outlook for the company doesn't look too optimistic. The only thing I've heard is that Jiang Molan is going to marry someone else.

Jiang Zhuhua had no desire to climb the social ladder. Money could never be earned enough; she only needed to earn enough for them to live on for a lifetime. How high she could go depended on whether fate would be on her side.

"mom!"

Jiang Ji ran happily out of the kindergarten and jumped right into Jiang Zhuhua's arms. Uncle Wang wasn't picking her up today.

only……

"Mom, your leg isn't healed yet, why did you come to pick me up?"

Jiang Zhuhua needs a long recovery period after fracturing his bones in the car accident; he's still in a wheelchair. Jiang Ji stood obediently beside him, his eyes brimming with undisguised curiosity.

"My leg isn't fully healed, so can't I come to pick you up?"

Jiang Zhuhua confirmed several times that Jiang Ji hadn't made any strange expressions or movements today. She really didn't want to end up with a domineering CEO.

"Of course. Where's Uncle Huo? I haven't seen him for several days. That big dog has been staying at our house. I'm taking it to the pet store for a bath tonight."

Children jump between topics very quickly, talking about this one minute and that the next.

"Your Uncle Huo has gone on a trip. After Mom finishes her work in a while, let's go see him together, okay?"

Jiang Zhuhua's answers, one question at a time.

"I think I won't go. You two adults can go on your honeymoon, and I'll go find Brother Pei."

Jiang Ji showed great curiosity about Pei Hui, even a hint of admiration in her eyes. Jiang Zhuhua wasn't sure what kind of time these two had spent together, but if Jiang Ji grew up to be Pei Hui, she really would want to break the broom.

"Who told you it was a honeymoon? We're just boyfriend and girlfriend, we're not married yet."

Surely the teacher couldn't have mentioned it in front of the children? Jiang Zhuhua didn't believe it. The kindergarten she had carefully selected wouldn't even have its teachers use foul language or make any indecent gestures in front of the children.

I'm afraid my child will imitate that.

"It was said on the phone. You two can totally go out and have some fun."

Jiang Zhuhua carefully observed the child's every move; children's emotions are sometimes very sensitive. When she's in a relationship, she'll definitely pay less attention to him.

Upon closer observation, Jiang Ji clearly said that the two of them should go out and play together and not worry about him, but there was still a faint expectation in his eyes, and even some nervousness. His fingers were fiddling with the edge of his clothes, almost torn.

"If nothing unexpected happens, your Uncle Huo will become your new father. It's perfectly normal for us to go out and play together. So, how about we go out and play together? Let's go see the sea. You've never seen the sea before."

If two adults want to be affectionate, there are many ways to get the child away. Jiang Zhuhua gently rubbed his soft little face.

“I call him uncle because he was good to you before, and he was always busy taking care of you when you were in the car accident. Don’t even think about me calling him dad.”

Jiang Ji gave a haughty snort, but didn't mention that she didn't want to go see the sea.

Soon, the child forgot his earlier arrogance and pressed him for an answer, asking, "What should the ocean look like?"

Then they talked about the kids in the class, and which kid was bragging about the super, super big lobster they ate at home, or the meat inside a huge shellfish.

The anticipation in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Jiang Zhuhua slowly explained things to him, and if he was unsure about anything, he could ask her to check it out when they got home.

Because it was inconvenient for them to be in a wheelchair, it took the two of them quite a while to finally get home. Tie Dan was home alone and didn't seem to feel uncomfortable at all, making a complete mess of the house. Opening the door and looking at the messy house, they really didn't know what to say, but then the dog grinned and came over, wagging its tail like a propeller.

The dog seemed to know what it had done, for it smiled in an unusually ingratiating manner, and even made low whimpering sounds.