The chase game over there had concluded, and Tian Jing beckoned them over, "We're off to the mess hall to eat. What about you guys?"
"Eating."
"Eating."
When Ji Qing and Ji Xiang were about to run off, Li Wanting called them back. She rummaged in the pocket of her coat, which she had placed aside, and pulled out two dry towels.
She wiped their faces and necks, then reached inside her clothes to wipe their backs and chests before gently patting their backs. "Off you go."
Tian Jing reached out and took Ji Xiang’s hand as he ran over, "Ji Xiang, are you happy?"
"Happy, Auntie Li is so kind."
Ouyang Meihua held Ji Qing’s hand, "Ji Qing, do you miss your mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma?"
"No, they're with the baby brother."
"Pfft!" Ouyang Meihua burst out laughing. "Your grandma would be furious if she heard that."
"She won't be angry, Great-Grandma, tell her."
"Hahaha." Ouyang Meihua roared with laughter, noting how even a two-year-old knew Li Min’s soft spot.
Li Weihao walked over to Li Wanting and offered her his handkerchief, "Wipe your sweat, too."
Li Wanting turned away from him and walked past, pulling another towel from her coat pocket to wipe herself.
Li Weihao stepped closer, "Put on your jacket quickly, you might catch a cold."
Li Wanting turned and glared at him. This man was really something; she had already refused him, yet he kept pestering her. And in front of Captain Tian, no less! How was she supposed to face Captain Tian? What would Captain Tian think of her?
Li Weihao leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I told Mom, and Mom agreed."
Li Wanting stomped her foot. What did he mean he told Captain Tian? What did he mean Captain Tian agreed? The way he put it made it sound like they were already dating.
Li Wanting was furious but couldn't hit or scold him. She was also no match for him in an argument. For the first time, she regretted not being more articulate.
Li Weihao simply smiled at the person before him, unfazed by the weight on his foot. She had filled out a bit recently, her once sharp features now softer. Coupled with her running and playing with the two children earlier, the blush on her cheeks, enhanced by her large eyes, made her look very cute.
Seeing Li Wanting still hadn't put on her jacket, he reached out to help.
Li Wanting quickly retracted her foot, stepped back, and put on her jacket, muttering, "What exactly do you want?"
"I want to pursue you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Li Weihao's voice wasn't low, and Ouyang Meihua and Tian Jing, who were ahead, turned around.
Boom!
Li Wanting felt a surge of blood rush to her face, a mixture of shyness and annoyance.
Li Weihao turned to face Li Wanting, blocking his aunt and mother’s gaze. "Wanting, what is it you dislike about me? What are your concerns?"
So, he was using Captain Tian to pressure her? Li Wanting raised her head in anger, only to meet his sincere gaze. In his deep brown eyes, it seemed only she existed. She was stunned for a moment.
Li Weihao placed his hands on her shoulders. "My time is very limited. I don't have much time to deal with personal matters."
"That's why I can be impatient and sometimes don't consider others when I speak."
"Tell me what you dislike about me, and I will pay attention. I will change."
Li Wanting came back to her senses and quickly pushed his hands off her shoulders. "You don't need to change. I don't like you."
With that, she turned and avoided Li Weihao, catching up with Tian Jing and the others who had already walked ahead.
"I'm sorry," Li Wanting apologized to Tian Jing.
"It's alright," Tian Jing turned and smiled at her. "Everyone has their principles."
Li Wanting breathed a sigh of relief, but her breathing felt restricted. "I... I..."
Tian Jing shook her head at her. "It's okay, no need to explain. Things change. Perhaps later, you'll be moved by him. I know my son."
The tightness in Li Wanting's chest loosened.
Li Wuyan slung an arm around his older cousin's shoulder. "Your invincible charm isn't working?"
Li Weihao brushed off the arm. "You worry about your own situation first. Maybe she has the same temper."
"Impossible!" Li Wuyan said with confidence. "I don't have your looks that make women lose confidence."
Li Weihao narrowed his eyes. Is that so?
"Let's go," Li Wuyan urged his dazed cousin. "Let's go eat. Mom leaves this afternoon."
"This is a rare moment of maternal affection from her. I can't miss it."
Li Weihao nodded, and the cousins followed the people ahead.
In the mess hall, Zeng Jingrong and Ji Shiyi had already gotten their food and were about to call Tian Jing.
Ji Shiyi slowly stood up, "Captain Tian."
"Congratulations," Tian Jing looked at her belly and congratulated her and Zeng Jingrong with a smile.
"Thank you," Ji Shiyi was then helped back to her seat by Zeng Jingrong.
Tian Jing sat beside her, holding Ji Xiang on her lap. Ji Xiang refused and slid off his great-aunt’s lap to sit with Xiao Xiaohei.
Li Wanting sat separately with the two children, and with Xiao Xiaohei, it made up a four-person table. Tian Jing and her group had two tables pushed together, with six people sitting facing each other. Zeng Jingrong, Ji Shiyi, and Tian Jing sat on one side, with Ouyang Meihua flanked by Li Weihao and Li Wuyan. Jiang Lin brought her food and sat next to Tian Jing, diagonally opposite Li Weihao.
Tian Jing's gaze drifted over her son's shoulder to Li Wanting at a table behind them, who was looking down. Tian Jing then turned to Jiang Lin beside her, who gave her a sunny smile. Tian Jing smiled back and asked, looking at her food tray, "Why only this much food?"
Jiang Lin glanced at Li Weihao and replied, "I'm dieting."
"Heh," Tian Jing chuckled. "Dieting is a daily routine for young women."
"Uh, excuse me, we're having a family gathering here."
Jiang Lin blinked. Weren't Captain Zeng and Sister Ji also here? Zeng Jingrong waved at her. "Deputy Captain Tian is my sister. Find another seat."
Jiang Lin, carrying her food, sat at the table next to Li Wanting. She envied Xiao Xiaohei's closeness to Li Wanting. "Sister Li, can you ask Xiao Xiaohei if I can sit with you guys?"
Li Wanting shook her head. "Xiao Xiaohei has a temper."
Tian Jing glanced at the interaction between Jiang Lin and Li Wanting and said to her elder son, "Sometimes women value friendship more than love."
Li Weihao blinked and turned to look behind him. He saw Li Wanting smiling and saying something to Jiang Lin. He turned back and nodded at his mother.
Seeing that her elder son understood, Tian Jing turned her attention to Ji Shiyi. "When is your due date?"
"July."
"Are you planning to give birth elsewhere?"
Ji Shiyi shook her head. "I can't set a precedent. Wang Huan said she'll help me. Last year, Wang Xin had a baby boy, and she helped then."
Tian Jing thought for a moment. "Wang Huan is still a young girl; she surely doesn't know the precautions during childbirth. If I can get away, I'll come and help with postpartum care. If I can't, I'll trouble my elder sister-in-law to help."
Tian Jing glanced at Ouyang Meihua as she spoke. Ouyang Meihua nodded. "Over the years, I've watched my mother-in-law prepare postpartum meals. If you're not afraid, I can practice on Shiyi. Then I'll be skilled when it's time to take care of my own daughter-in-law's postpartum."
Zeng Jingrong and Ji Shiyi were, of course, immensely grateful.
The two unmarried young men shamelessly pricked up their ears, listening to the conversation. Li Wuyan even added, "Mom, be gentle. Don't treat the baby like your son, who has thick skin."
Ouyang Meihua glared at her elder son. "You hurry up! Your old mother is almost ready for her internship, and you haven't even started!"
"Don't worry!" Li Wuyan patted his chest. "I'll work hard."