Chapter 62 Wanting to Turn a Godmother into a Stepmother

When Ye Jiaying woke up on Saturday morning, Xiao Yao had already returned from his early morning workout and even brought breakfast back for her. The fact that an adult could oversleep more than a child made Ye Jiaying feel rather embarrassed. On Sunday morning, Ye Jiaying slept very lightly; the moment Xiao Yao stirred, she woke up as well.

"Bayi, don't buy breakfast outside today. I'll make it for you at home," Ye Jiaying said after finishing her wash, turning to Xiao Yao who had already changed into his sportswear and was ready to go out for his workout. "How long is your morning exercise usually? I'll time it so breakfast is ready when you get back." Although she had been left feeling quite awkward by Xiao Yao in the restaurant last night, thinking of his miserable lifestyle relying entirely on takeout, Ye Jiaying had dragged him to a massive supermarket on the way back to stock up on groceries so she could cook for him.

"About an hour, I guess," Xiao Yao replied.

"That long? Won't you overexert yourself at your age?" Ye Jiaying asked with a hint of worry.

"It's fine. It's mostly jogging, followed by a few sets of martial arts forms. My master is a former coach of the national wushu team and a true professional; my morning exercise routine was approved by him," Xiao Yao smiled.

"You even know martial arts?" Ye Jiaying glanced at her wristwatch and said, "All right then, go do your training. Stay within the residential compound and be safe."

Xiao Yao acknowledged and headed out. Seeing that it was still early, Ye Jiaying began tidying up the apartment. Xiao Siqi's master bedroom door was closed, so Ye Jiaying left it alone. Cleaning the living room, kitchen, Xiao Yao's bedroom, and the music-cum-activity room took her a little over half an hour. After taking a brief rest, Ye Jiaying started preparing breakfast.

As soon as breakfast was ready, Xiao Yao returned covered in sweat, timing it rather precisely.

"Go take a quick shower and change your clothes," Ye Jiaying said, waving her hand to shoo him away when she saw him gravitating toward the dining table the moment he walked in. "The food just came out of the pan and it's still piping hot, so it needs to cool down a bit. Go take a shower, and by the time you come out, the temperature will be just right."

"Oh," Xiao Yao gave Ye Jiaying a aggrieved little look, then pouted as he shuffled off to the bathroom to wash up.

After taking a speedy shower, Xiao Yao came out, sat right down at the dining table, grabbed his fork, and dug in with gusto. The breakfast was Western-style: toasted bread slices sandwiching a fried egg, bacon, blanched tomato slices, and lettuce leaves, served with a glass of fresh milk. It wasn't overly complicated, but it looked top-notch. The combination of yellow, red, green, and white made it instantly appetizing. The crusts around the bread slices had been carefully trimmed away, leaving only the soft center, making it look delicate and crafted with care. The taste was equally delicious.

"Delicious!" Xiao Yao muttered around his mouthfuls of food, remembering to give Ye Jiaying a thumbs-up. He thought to himself that this was what life was supposed to be like—relying on his old man's takeout every single meal was no way to live.

After finishing breakfast and resting for a little while, Xiao Yao went back to practicing his piano. Ye Jiaying had nothing special to do after clearing away the breakfast dishes. Seeing that Xiao Yao's activity room was fully equipped with soft mats and sound systems, with plenty of space and—most importantly—two full walls of mirrors with ballet barres, she couldn't resist the urge to work out, having a background as a dance actress.

After spending half an hour doing modern dance followed by half an hour of yoga, Ye Jiaying emerged from the activity room to find that Xiao Yao had finished his piano practice. He was cozily curled up on the living room sofa, wearing headphones, holding a book, and murmuring words to himself.

"What are you reading? And muttering while you're at it?" Ye Jiaying walked over curiously and glanced at the book in Xiao Yao's hands.

"Huh? The cover doesn't look like Chinese," Ye Jiaying looked closer. "Doesn't look like English either?"

"What on earth are you reading?" Ye Jiaying leaned in closer to peer at the pages.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Xiao Yao was reading with his headphones on and hadn't noticed Ye Jiaying approaching. He was startled when she suddenly popped up right in front of him. Pulling off his headphones, he said, "You scared me."

"What are you reading? How come I can't understand it? It's not English, is it?" Ye Jiaying showed no remorse for startling him; she had done it on purpose.

"Oh, this is French. I'm learning French," Xiao Yao said. In his past life, Xiao Yao's English was already quite good—a product of test-oriented education where grammar was no longer an issue. In this life, relying on a memory far surpassing ordinary people and heavily supplementing his vocabulary, English was a subject he no longer needed to study. In order to play more happily in the future and wander all over the world when he grew up, Xiao Yao had started teaching himself French since last year.

"French? Doesn't the foreign language taught at our school English?" Ye Jiaying asked.

"Well, my English is already very good, so I'm studying French on my own," Xiao Yao replied.

"Studying French on your own?" The aggrieved little look Xiao Yao had given her that morning when he tried to sneak food before breakfast and was scolded into taking a shower had made Ye Jiaying think he was just an ordinary kid. Now, Ye Jiaying realized this monster was still a monster.

"How far along are you in your self-study?" Ye Jiaying asked.

"A beginner. I can only manage simple conversations," Xiao Yao said. "The conversation with the restaurant pianist last night was in French."

"You call that a simple conversation?" Ye Jiaying had originally thought it meant simple greetings like hello and goodbye, but Xiao Yao was claiming that talking to the pianist in the restaurant in French was also a simple conversation? Well, perhaps it was; she didn't know French anyway.

"Fine, you do your studying, I'm going to make lunch," Ye Jiaying felt that if she stayed with Xiao Yao any longer, she would start doubting her own intelligence.

Breakfast was Western, but lunch was Chinese. Stewed beef with potatoes, mushrooms with baby bok choy, celery with lily bulbs, and tomato and egg drop soup—three dishes and one soup, combining meat and vegetables, served with rice. It was simple home-cooked food, equally outstanding in color, aroma, and taste. It made Xiao Yao wish intensely that he could turn this godmother into his stepmother.

Having spent yesterday at the amusement park and enjoying a relaxing morning at home playing piano, reading, and studying foreign languages, Xiao Yao assumed the afternoon would be spent lazily curled up at home playing piano and writing. However, Ye Jiaying wouldn't have it and insisted on dragging Xiao Yao out again. This time, they were going to the shopping mall to buy clothes.

"Shopping mall? Not going!" Although his body was only seven years old, Xiao Yao's soul was over thirty, and he naturally knew how terrifying it was to accompany a woman shopping. With a resolute expression, he flatly refused. "It's not like I don't have clothes, and the ones I have are all fine. Why do we need to buy more?"

"I checked your wardrobe. The clothes inside are ugly. I'm going to buy you some nice outfits," Ye Jiaying said.

"I think they're fine," Xiao Yao argued. Xiao Yao picked out all his own clothes, and he figured his taste couldn't be that bad.

"Fine? What's fine about them? Look at those clothes of yours—the styles, colors, patterns, and cuts look like something your dad's age would wear. Do those look like clothes for a seven-year-old child? There's not an ounce of cuteness." Ye Jiaying was equally firm.

"What? Cute? I don't want anyone calling me cute," Xiao Yao, possessing the soul of a thirty-something, couldn't handle it; his inner world was collapsing.

"No, we're going," Ye Jiaying's gaze flashed with determination as she delivered her final threat. "What? You just acknowledged me as your godmother yesterday, and today you're already disobeying?"

"Well, it depends on what we're going for," Xiao Yao struggled in a dying breath.

"Is there a problem with a mother taking her son to buy clothes?" Ye Jiaying countered.

"But I have clothes to wear!" Xiao Yao felt like crying without tears.

"Those weren't bought by me. Now that I'm your mother, you need to have a few outfits that I've bought you." Ye Jiaying remained unmoved, her reasoning seemingly watertight.

"Why?" Tears were already streaming down Xiao Yao's heart.

"No particular reason, because I'm your mother now and you have to listen to me," Ye Jiaying seemed to be running out of patience. "I'm buying you clothes, not taking you to execution. Do you have to make such a fuss? Don't force me to take coercive measures."

Xiao Yao wanted to say, "Actually, you might not necessarily beat me in a fight," but he ultimately held it back. "All right, all right," Xiao Yao capitulated, pondering inwardly, "Anyway, you're not my stepmother yet. You can buy them, but I don't have to wear them once you buy them. You can't control that."

The residential complex where Xiao Siqi lived was not far from a large commercial plaza, so the two of them didn't have to walk very far.

Xiao Yao entered the mall with a fearless mindset, but the reality turned out much better than he had imagined. As an A-list popular actress, Ye Jiaying naturally had a high standard of fashion taste when it came to clothing.

Although Xiao Yao was only seven, he was a boy after all, and his innate temperament was definitely not the cutesy type. Ye Jiaying wouldn't randomly dress him in mismatched outfits either. The clothes she selected for Xiao Yao simply featured slightly younger styles and brighter colors without being overly childish, so the overall effect gave the impression of a sharp little handsome guy rather than an ultra-young, adorable toddler.

So why did Ye Jiaying deliberately bring up the word "cute"? Probably just to intentionally provoke Xiao Yao.

At any rate, the result wasn't bad, so Xiao Yao had nothing to complain about. The idea of turning his godmother into his stepmother, which he had dismissed right before leaving the house, was picked right back up again.

Since the school Xiao Yao attended was a boarding school, students had to arrive by Sunday evening and sleep in the school dormitories on Sunday nights. As a resident advisor, Ye Jiaying also had to start work on Sunday evening to welcome and take care of the children.

Therefore, Ye Jiaying and Xiao Yao didn't shop for too long. They returned home, ate an early dinner, packed up, and then Ye Jiaying took Xiao Yao to school. Of course, Xiao Yao made sure to take advantage of the moment Ye Jiaying was clearing the dinner dishes to secretly hide his cell phone back into his bag.

The school did not allow students' cars to enter the campus, whether taxis or private vehicles. Ye Jiaying got out of the taxi with Xiao Yao at the school gates and walked inside. Just as they arrived, a black car that had pulled to a smooth halt in the curbside parking space behind them discharged two adults and a child.

"Xiao Yao!"

Hearing an excited shout, Xiao Yao and Ye Jiaying both turned around.

"Yaoyao!" Seeing that it was his deskmate Cheng Yaojia, Xiao Yao waved back in greeting. Cheng Yaojia had been holding both of her parents' hands, but seeing Xiao Yao turn around, she immediately dropped her parents' hands and ran toward him.

"Slow down, don't run," Cheng Yaojia's mother immediately quickened her pace and chased after her.

"Xiao Yao, is this a classmate from your class?" Ye Jiaying asked with a smile, looking at the pretty, round-faced little girl in front of her. She hadn't expected this little monster to be so popular in his class.

"Yeah, she's my deskmate," Xiao Yao replied.

"Hello, little妹妹, I'm Teacher Ye from Class Three," Ye Jiaying took the initiative to greet Cheng Yaojia.

"Teacher Ye? Xiao Yao, is your mom a teacher?" Cheng Yaojia's mother, who had hurried over right behind her daughter, asked with curiosity upon hearing Ye Jiaying's words. Having seen Ye Jiaying and Xiao Yao get out of the taxi together from behind, she had instinctively assumed it was a mother dropping her son off for school.