Mu Qingxue looked at Lin Fan's still somewhat childish yet extraordinarily serious face, her heart a tangled mess of complex emotions.
To entrust her biological daughter—a little girl who needed careful tender care—to a poor young man her own age, living in this shabby rented room where she felt ill at ease the longer she stayed, made her a hundred times, a thousand times uneasy.
Her nostrils still seemed to be haunted by the lingering scent of last night's instant noodles mixed with mustiness.
Yet right now, apart from this crumbling shelter, she could not find a second way out.
Her own family's place, magnificent on the outside but rotten within, was far more like a den of tigers and dragons to Mengmeng than this.
Mu Qingxue's lips quivered slightly, her throat tightening, and finally, she squeezed a few words out from between her teeth:
"…I'll come to see her every day after school. On weekends, I'll come too. I'll bring some daily necessities and food."
Lowering her gaze, she took a stack of brand-new RMB banknotes from her schoolbag. It wasn't very thick, but for a student, it was definitely not a small amount. She tried her best to use a calm tone as she held it out toward Lin Fan.
"Take these first and buy Mengmeng some good food. She's growing, so don't let her go without."
Money was currently her only tangible way to make amends, and the only thing that could give her a tiny bit of peace of mind.
It was as if Lin Fan had been pricked by a needle. He abruptly took a step back, dodging the hand offering the money. His face instantly flushed crimson, and his tone was both urgent and harsh:
"No need! I said before, raising my daughter is my responsibility! I'll find a way to make money!"
He stiffened his neck, the pitiful yet precious self-esteem of a youth bursting forth without reservation at that moment, carrying a touch of unseasonable stubbornness.
A few thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind: should he go to a construction site to move bricks on the weekend?
Or should he grind levels in video games at night?
In short, he refused to let this nominal "baby mama" look down on him anymore.
Mu Qingxue's hand holding the money froze in mid-air as she looked at him in bewilderment.
The stubbornness in his eyes and his declaration of "I'll find a way to make money" did not look fake.
For the first time, she began to look squarely at this boy whom she knew nothing about other than his name and a face.
This foolish and inexplicable backbone stirred an unfamiliar feeling deep within her.
In the end, she silently withdrew her hand, her fingertips feeling somewhat cool, and said softly, "…As you wish."
And so, an indefinable, absurd yet real "temporary family" life quietly kicked off in that tiny apartment of just over ten square meters.
Lin Fan's life was completely disrupted.
Every time the after-school bell rang, he would sprint toward the vegetable market at a hundred-meter-dash speed, and then rush home.
He began learning how to cook. The first fried eggs he made for Mengmeng were a pitch-black clump, and he used way too much salt, making them overwhelmingly harsh.
Holding her little bowl, Mengmeng looked at the "dark culinary creation" on the plate, then looked at Lin Fan, who wore a look of embarrassment mixed with anticipation.
Sensibly, she used her tiny spoon to scoop up just a little bit, squeezed her little eyebrows together as she forced it down, her little face scrunched up into a ball, yet she still said in a sweet, childish voice:
"Daddy made it, delicious!"
Watching her, Lin Fan felt a surge of soreness and tenderness in his heart.
When he clumsily tried to braid her hair, he either pulled too hard and hurt her scalp or tied it crookedly, making her look like she had two bird's nests on her head.
As for Mu Qingxue, she acted like a secret agent.
Every day, timing it precisely shortly after Lin Fan's school ended—figuring the moment when he would be flustered while settling Mengmeng in—she would wear a cap and a face mask and appear without a sound.
She would bring Mengmeng's clean changes of clothes, imported nutrient milk powder, and beautiful picture books and imported fruits that Lin Fan could never afford.
She never came empty-handed, always carrying large and small bags, yet she remained extra vigilant in the stairwell, terrified of running into anyone.
Mengmeng became the sole bond between the two of them, as well as the chief "lubricant" for the awkward atmosphere.
The little one adapted to her new life surprisingly well.
Even though Daddy was clumsy, every day he tried his hardest to learn how to take care of her;
Mommy came to see her every day, washed her little handkerchiefs so they smelled nice, told stories in a lovely voice, and played string-shaping games with her.
For her, as long as both Mommy and Daddy were there, even if the house was a bit smaller and the toys a bit fewer, she was happy.
One day, Mu Qingxue was sitting by the edge of the bed, using a small, slightly rusted knife that Lin Fan had dug up from somewhere to meticulously peel a Fuji apple for Mengmeng.
Inside the cramped rented room, the air softened somewhat with Mu Qingxue's arrival.
She sat on the edge of the bed, sunlight streaming through a gap in the window to cast dappled light and shadows across her.
The small, rusted knife in her hand danced gracefully between her nimble fingers, and the bright red peel of the Fuji apple fell away in complete, unbroken circles, barely snapping at all.
This practiced and focused demeanor was worlds apart from her usual aloof and distant campus belle persona, radiating a reassuring gentleness.
Sitting cross-legged beside her, Mengmeng pressed her tiny body close against Mu Qingxue, tilting her delicately sculpted little face upward. Her grape-like eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the apple in her mother's hands,
while occasionally glancing at her mother's gentle profile, her little mouth pursed slightly in eager anticipation.
Sitting at the desk not far away, Lin Fan pretended to read a textbook, but in reality, the corner of his vision kept covertly sizing up the mother and daughter.
Over the past few days, he had gradually grown accustomed to this peculiar "family" mode.
By day he was a senior high school student sprinting toward the college entrance examinations, and by night he transformed into a clumsy intern papa.
The same went for Mu Qingxue.
Right at that moment, a strange light flashed across Mengmeng's fluttering eyes as she looked at Mu Qingxue:
"Mommy, when are we going to live in a big house? Daddy, Mommy, and baby living together in the future in a big house with a garden? Mengmeng wants to ride the swing in the garden."
The apple peel snapped with a soft pat and fell to the floor.
Mu Qingxue's hand peeling the apple came to an abrupt halt, the tip of the knife nearly nicking her finger.
She snapped her head up to look at Mengmeng, her eyes filled with complete bewilderment and disbelief.
Those eyes, which were always laced with coolness and guard, instantly froze at this sudden remark, her heart feeling as though it had been clenched by an invisible hand.
Lin Fan was also struck as if by an electric current, his entire body freezing. The book in his hands dropped to the floor with a thud, though he was entirely oblivious to it.
He whipped his head around, his gaze locking relentlessly onto Mengmeng's innocent little face, his breathing stalling entirely.
"A big house… with a garden… Daddy, Mommy, and baby together… in the future?"
Lin Fan's throat felt painfully dry, every single word striking like a heavy hammer against his already chaotic thoughts, making him momentarily dizzy.
Mengmeng's words carried a certainty and clarity unbefitting her age, sketching out a scene that he wouldn't even dare to easily touch in dreams, let alone imagine.
The air inside the rented room seemed to freeze.
The smell of instant noodles, mustiness, and the faint fragrance of apples all blended into a bizarre background, setting off this earth-shattering statement.
Mu Qingxue's heart hammered violently inside her chest, threatening to burst right through her throat.
She struggled to steady her voice, yet the slight tremor still betrayed the churning turmoil within her:
"Mengmeng… what—what did you say? What big house? What… baby? What future?"