Zong Jinghao watched the two of them leave the living room without stopping them.
It was because he already had a rough idea of what his father was going to tell Lin Xinyan.
Meanwhile, Zong Yanxi twisted her head back to him. “Daddy, please say yes… I’d really love to keep this dog.”
“I’ll get another smaller one for you.” He was worried that the bulk of the dog might hurt the little girl.
Although dogs were generally tame around humans, there was still a possibility that an accident might happen.
“I don’t want any other dog but this one,” Zong Yanxi pleaded, grazing her head against his neck coquettishly.
“I’m the current owner of this dog. It’s been trained before, so it won’t bite for no reason. Let Ruixi take the dog since she fancies her so much,” Cheng Yuwen emphasized again.
He understood that Zong Jinghao was holding back because of safety issues.
Dogs of this species were generally tame, and they were not aggressive despite their large size.
After undergoing training, the dog knew the proper place to poop and pee so the house could be kept clean. Hence, they did not have to do much other than building a doghouse and prepare some food for the dog every day.
It was not too big a trouble since they must have maids who could help them take care of the chores.
“Can I have the dog, please? See, Great-uncle has agreed to let me have it.” Pouting her lips, the little girl implored relentlessly and was close to tears.
Zong Jinghao always had a soft spot for his daughter, so he finally caved in and agreed to let her keep the dog.
Immediately, the little girl broke into a wide grin as she planted a light kiss on his cheeks. “Thanks, Daddy!”
Excitedly, she got down from him and dashed toward the Samoyed. When she caressed its head, the dog nuzzled against her palm meekly, putting a broad grin on the little girl’s face.
She looked up at Cheng Yuwen and said, “Great-uncle, now that you’ve gifted the dog to me, it means I have the right to give her a new name as her new owner.”
Cheng Yuwen had named the dog ‘Dolly’ before as the dog looked as cute as a doll.
Crouching down next to the Zong Yanxi, Cheng Yuwen stroked Dolly’s head and said, “As the dog is meant as a gift for Ruixi, of course, Ruixi can do that.”
Although the kids had adopted a new name, everyone still preferred to call them by their old names as they sounded more endearing.
So, they used their old names as their nicknames.
Hugging Dolly’s head blissfully, Zong Yanxi combed through its fur with her hands. “I’m gonna call her ‘Baymax’ since she’s huge and white in color!”
Chuckling, Cheng Yuwen commented in an affectionate tone, “Ruixi, you’re such a clever girl. The name you gave her sounds much better than mine.”
Zong Yanxi started calling the dog by her new name while caressing its head, feeling quite proud of the name she created.
As for Zong Yanchen, he was still sitting in silence at the table with his eyes glued to the chessboard, trying to figure out the reason that led to his defeat.
Su Zhan happened to make it back with a huge shopping bag at that time. Not only did he get fruits and ice cream, but he also bought some snacks for the kids.
He put the bag down and shouted for their attention. “Come over here to eat the ice cream before it melts.”
Zong Yanxi reacted the fastest by dashing toward him. “Where’s mine? I’m having it now.”
He handed her an ice cream cone and then another to Zong Yanchen, who was still not uttering a word. “Hey, how come you’re looking so down? Do you still want your ice cream?”
The boy answered without looking up at him, “I don’t.”
He looked like he was going to starve himself until he figured out the game.
Su Zhan remarked, “That boy treats the game too seriously. Seems like he just suffered another defeat, did he?”
Zong Jinghao sat down opposite his son and suggested, “Let’s play a game.”
After looking around the house to see no sight of Lin Xinyan, Su Zhan asked, “Where’s Xinyan? I’ve bought the cake she wanted.”
Ignoring his question, Zong Jinghao put the cake down on one side of the table before putting all the chess pieces back to their designated places. “You may make your first move,” he invited.
His son looked up at him. “You may do it first.”
Zong Jinghao raised his brow at him and remarked, “It’s not a good thing to act tough.” Despite the comment, he still moved one of his chess pieces.
“I’m not acting tough. I just want to make sure you don’t go easy on me. I want to know where I stand in terms of my skills.” Zong Yanchen stared at the chessboard intently, carefully calculating every move in his mind.
Licking on the ice cream that had been abandoned by Zong Yanchen, Su Zhan pulled a chair over, watching the game between Zong Yanchen and his father with an amused expression.
Soon, half of Zong Yanchen’s chess pieces were taken, and it seemed like he was about to suffer yet another defeat. This time, he was not able to pull himself together to deal with the blow. He felt too frustrated to continue the game.
Without uttering a word, he jumped to his feet and stormed away at what seemed to be a furious pace.
Su Zhan smacked his lips and commented, “Why are you being so serious with your son? Can’t you let him win one game to make him happy? He’s been a loser for almost the entire day.”
However, Zong Jinghao supposed his son wouldn’t be happy even if he deliberately let him win, judging from how headstrong and how big his ego was.
“He needs this to grow and become better. I might be able to let him win, but can other people out there do the same to him?” With that, Zong Jinghao walked out of the living room with the cake.
Pursing his lips in annoyance, Su Zhan murmured under his breath, “What a jerk.”
All in all, Zong Jinghao was an outright jerk who did not treat either his buddy or his son nicely.
In the meantime, Zong Qifeng took Lin Xinyan to a quiet area in the courtyard of the house instead of taking her to one of the rooms inside. Rows of camphor trees had been planted there, providing dense foliage that blocked out almost the sun. Along with the soothing breeze that blew past them intermittently, it was a cool and comfortable place to be.
“I’ve heard about what happened between the two of you.” Standing beneath the trees with his back facing Lin Xinyan, he broke the silence first.
Lin Xinyan stared at his back, noticing that he had shredded quite a considerable amount of weight, and his eyes had lost their sparkle over the past two months.
If it wasn’t because the kids were here, she bet that he might not even look as good as how he appeared at the moment.
“You should know how important Jinghao is to his mother, do you? I’m sure she would want her son to have a happy life in the future instead of having everything ruined because of her death,” Zong Qifeng spoke in a deep and sonorous voice. He had asked Lin Xinyan to come out so that he could have a chance at persuading her not to be bothered by things that had happened in the past. She was not to be blamed for any of those things.
She was not at fault as she did not have the right to choose what kind of family she was born into, nor could she decide who were the people that made up her family. In short, she was a victim who was implicated by the dispute of the previous generations.
“I’m sure she would want you to take good care of her son, instead of distancing him because of her death. If you feel like you owe him something, stay by his side and look after him and the kids as compensation. My heart goes out to the kids… They’ve never got to enjoy many peaceful days.”
The kids would bear the brunt of their separation.
Turning around to face Lin Xinyan, Zong Qifeng continued, “More often than not, people never cherish what they have until it’s gone. Little do they know that some things can’t be salvaged once they’re lost. So, please promise me that you will go back home with him this time.”
Keeping her eyes downcast, she responded, “I promise you, and I understand what you’re trying to say.”
He nodded at her, looking pleased. “I’ll spend a few more months here, but I’ll drop by time and time again to visit the kids.”
He seemed to be trying to indicate that he would check out on them from time to time to see whether they were getting along well.
Knowing well that he was doing this for their own good, Lin Xinyan felt touched. “Dad, thank you.”
She was feeling grateful for his forgiveness because she was more or less related to his wife’s death.
He sighed, “What a silly girl you are. You don’t have to thank me because we’re a family.”
Waving his hands dismissively at her, he urged, “It’s time you head back inside. It’s very hot here.”
Lin Xinyan did as he said without making another comment, but deep inside, she was feeling emotional because of his words. When he told her how people never cherished what they had until it was gone, she had a feeling that he was referring to himself and his deceased wife, Cheng Yuxiu.
He felt remorseful because there were things he should have done for her earlier.
She understood his advice well, and she would cherish everything she owed now, including her husband and her kids.
It was only after going through what happened this time did she realize how deeply she loved Zong Jinghao.
As soon as she walked past the threshold of the door to the living room, her wrist was seized by someone all of a sudden. Seeing that it was Zong Jinghao, she followed him inside without saying anything.
He took her to the east wing of the house, where he had slept the previous night. The room was clean and spacious, and it was designed in a modern way to provide a convenient stay, although the house was made of logs.
He dragged her and made her sit down at the edge of his bed. Without posing her any question, he drew her toward his arms and claimed her lips immediately. Instead of indulging her with his usual deep and passionate kiss, he pecked on her lips lightly and repeatedly.
Gazing into his brooding eyes, she knew he was testing the waters with her.
