If You Could Hear My Heart

"Isn't the answer obvious?" Shen Chi patted her head, feeling jealous again.

Xu Chaomu finally laughed, wrapped her arms around his waist, and wouldn't let go for a long time.

…

During the days they couldn't find Bai Man, Ayu was practically in charge of secretly ensuring Xu Chaomu's safety.

Xu Chaomu rarely went out either and spent most of her time at the Shen Family's house with her two sons.

Xiaobao would follow his teacher to learn how to draw. Once, when Xu Chaomu went to make milk for Erbao, Xiaobao slipped into the nursery in the blink of an eye.

Xiaobao leaned over the edge of the crib, holding a watercolor pen in his hand.

"Little brother, let's play house. I'll be the hunter, and you'll be my little bunny." Xiaobao said seriously to the little one in the crib.

Erbao blinked his big eyes and looked up at Xiaobao, his lashes thick and long, making him irresistibly cute.

"First, I'll dress you up as a little bunny." Xiaobao studied the little one with earnest eyes.

The little one didn't understand what Xiaobao was saying, but his big eyes were filled with anticipation as he even gestured for Xiaobao to come closer.

"Alright, let's turn into a little bunny." Xiaobao picked a pink watercolor pen.

He used the pen to draw whiskers on Erbao's face. A few days earlier, his teacher had just taught him to draw rabbits, and now he finally had a chance to put his skills to use.

Erbao sat obediently, watching Xiaobao without crying. Occasionally, he even giggled at Xiaobao.

"Ake, you're my little bunny. In a bit, I'm taking you hunting." Xiaobao earnestly told the little guy.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Xiaobao's sweater and the little one in the crib.

The entire room was filled with a sweet, sugary atmosphere, as if candy were melting in the air, leaving every molecule tinged with sweetness.

Xu Chaomu walked in with the baby bottle and just happened to catch Xiaobao drawing on Erbao's face.

"Xiaobao, what are you doing?!" Xu Chaomu quickly put down the bottle and rushed forward!

Xiaobao looked up. "Playing house with my brother."

"Stop! Stop right now!" Xu Chaomu was flustered and snatched the watercolor pen from Xiaobao's hand. "Who told you to draw on your brother's face? He's so little! Do you know how hard it is to clean watercolor off?"

"It's just play. Why so serious?" Xiaobao clasped his hands behind his back, looking a little aggrieved.

"If you want to draw, do it on paper. And there are so many dolls you can draw on, pick any one you want. But you're not allowed to draw on your brother!" Xu Chaomu was truly upset.

"Hmph." Xiaobao's temper wasn't small either. He immediately threw all the watercolor pens onto the ground.

With a loud clatter, the pens scattered everywhere. Xiaobao stomped over them and dashed out of the room!

"Such a temper." Xu Chaomu glanced in the direction Xiaobao had run off to.

The little one in the crib seemed a bit startled too, wriggling his tiny arms and legs nonstop.

Looking at the little guy's face adorned with bunny whiskers, Xu Chaomu found herself caught between laughter and tears, but her heart ached as well.

She quickly called for Butler Ling and, together, they cleaned Erbao's face.

The little one seemed to be in some discomfort. He cried incessantly and wouldn't let Xu Chaomu touch him.

"Xiaobao is so naughty. I looked away for just a second, and he stirred up all this trouble." Xu Chaomu scolded.

"Madam, Young Master Xiaobao is just playful at his age. It's nothing serious. Don't get too upset with him; he's usually very well-behaved." Butler Ling comforted her.

"If he gets any older, he might just turn the Shen Family upside down." Xu Chaomu said, "This time he's drawing on his brother's face. Who knows what he'll do next time?"

"He won't. Young Master Xiaobao knows his limits."

"What limits? He's just a little kid!"

With a loud "bang," Xiaobao slammed the door to his own room shut!

Xu Chaomu was startled and shook her head. "See? Such a temper."

Butler Ling chuckled. "He's a bit like Fourth Young Master."

"That stubborn temper—definitely inherited from his father!"

It took quite a while for Xu Chaomu to completely clean the watercolor marks off the baby's face. His cheeks were left red from all the wiping.

Xu Chaomu snapped a photo and sent it over to Shen Chi, complaining: "Look at the wonderful son you've raised!"

Sitting in his office, Shen Chi glanced at the photo and chuckled. "Looks pretty cute."

"How about I draw one on you too?" Xu Chaomu shot back.

"…"

All day long, Xiaobao refused to talk to Xu Chaomu and wouldn't even come out to eat.

By evening, Xu Chaomu lost her temper and directly ordered a servant to unlock Xiaobao's bedroom door. The moment she entered, she gave Xiaobao a thorough spanking.

"Acting naughty, are you? Throwing a fit, huh? Doing something wrong and still refusing to admit it? If I don't teach you a lesson, are you planning to rebel?!" Xu Chaomu angrily smacked Xiaobao's bottom.

"Waaa…" Xiaobao sobbed pitifully.

"Do you know what you did wrong? Will you still dare next time?!"

Xiaobao raised his tear-streaked face stubbornly. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Still not admitting it, huh? Absolutely disobedient!"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Xiaobao pouted. His bottom hurt—hurt so much…

Upstairs, as Xiaobao cried loudly from the spanking, none of the servants downstairs dared to intervene. Everyone knew that the little master's temper was just as bullheaded as Fourth Young Master Shen's.

"What's going on?" Shen Chi had returned home and calmly changed into his slippers.

"Fourth Young Master, Madam is disciplining Young Master Xiaobao."

"Still over the drawing incident from this morning?" Shen Chi glanced toward the upstairs.

"Not entirely. Madam wants Young Master Xiaobao to admit his mistake, but he refuses no matter what. He's been sulking and hasn't eaten all day." The servant explained.

"So Madam hit him?"

"Um…"

Shen Chi curved his lips into a smile. Xu Chaomu, who usually pampered Xiaobao, clearly couldn't bear to discipline him too harshly. One spanking wouldn't matter.

He leisurely went upstairs and entered the room just as Xu Chaomu, exhausted from the spanking, sat off to the side. Xiaobao remained silent, defiantly glaring at her.

"Tired from hitting him? Take a break. I'll take over." Shen Chi sauntered into the bedroom, rolling up his sleeves.

Seeing his dad, Xiaobao instantly stopped crying and dashed behind the bed, hiding in the farthest corner.

"Still refusing to admit he's wrong? Utterly disobedient." Xu Chaomu sighed helplessly.

Shen Chi started toward Xiaobao. "Really? Shen Yun, are you growing wings now? Ignoring your mother, are you?"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Xiaobao muttered under his breath.

"Another round of spanking and you'll behave." With that, Shen Chi reached out his hand.

"You're being unfair!" Xiaobao cried out.

"Oh, unfair, huh?" Shen Chi didn't hesitate, delivering another smack to Xiaobao's bottom.

Xiaobao began wailing anew. "I don't want you anymore… You're all mean… Ever since you had the baby, you don't want me anymore… I'm just a kid you picked up from the dumpster!"

"Hmm, you're right. We don't want you anymore. No dinner for you tonight, and you can sleep in the little shed." Shen Chi said coldly.

"No…" Xiaobao whimpered.

"I don't even dare upset your mom, yet you have the nerve." Shen Chi said.

Hearing this, Xu Chaomu thought the phrasing sounded a bit strange.

"If you can't make your mom happy by tonight, you'll sleep in the shed. I'm warning you—there are cockroaches in there." Shen Chi warned him.

Xu Chaomu winced; she remembered the shed. As a child, she'd been there! And Butler Ling had told her how Shen Chi, as a boy, had been locked up in the same shed by Shen Cexian when he misbehaved!