From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

Wu Sheng thought about clearing his throat but decided against it. He said with a straight face, ”I might not have many other virtues, but I am handsome, and I always keep my word.”

Tang Mo: ”...” ’Shameless!’

’I’ll definitely be more handsome than him when I grow up!’

Just as Tang Mo was grumbling to himself, he heard Wu Sheng continue.

”Also, I like you a lot.”

Tang Mo was taken aback and started coughing. ”COUGH, COUGH... You...”

His face flushed red as he huffed. ’He really is unbelievably thick-skinned! How could he say something like that?!’

Wu Sheng glanced sideways at Tang Mo, suppressing a laugh at the sight of his little red face.

”You must be really happy to hear that, right? You can learn to be brave and express yourself like this in the future, too.”

”Who’s happy? I’m not,” Tang Mo refused to admit.

”You’re not, but it’s enough that Little Point is,” Wu Sheng replied good-naturedly.

Another phrase popped into Tang Mo’s mind: ’Smooth talker!’

Wu Sheng coughed twice. ”Alright, enough with the pleasantries. We need to get the tough talk out of the way.”

Tang Mo gestured for him to continue.

”Even though you’re young, I’m not going to spoil you or let you have your way all the time in the future. I won’t cave and unconditionally hand your mom over just because you start crying. That’s not happening. You can’t monopolize your mom day in and day out just because you’re little.”

”Even after I marry her, we’ll stick to the old rules. Just like before, it’s every man for himself.”

Wu Sheng said this with the utmost seriousness.

Tang Mo recalled his recent days of battling wits with Wu Sheng. The thought that after the wedding, Su Li would sleep in the same bed with Wu Sheng every day filled him with a complex mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

’At that moment, he really wished he were a girl.’

’If he were a girl, he could sleep with his mom forever. Boys, on the other hand, have to sleep on their own when they grow up; they can’t sleep with their mothers anymore.’

’But Uncle... once Uncle marries Mom, he gets to sleep with her. And he can be with her for the rest of his life!’

’So, even though he knew his previous thoughts were wrong, he still wished he could marry his mom and make her his wife. That way, he could be with her forever, every single day.’

’The time they had during the day was short, but they’d be together at night too.’

As Tang Mo mulled this over, his eyes filled with defiance.

’On what grounds? Why should he have to compete fairly even after the wedding!’

’If they were talking about ”fair,” then his mom should be all his during the day. His mom worked and he had school, so they only got a few hours together after classes. He already felt that wasn’t enough, so how could he possibly share any of it with Uncle!’

’Uncle would be in the same room as Mom for hours, all night long.’

”I agree to ’every man for himself,’ but during the daytime—especially between eight and nine in the evening—I need to get more of her time. More than you.”

Tang Mo began to fight for his rights.

Wu Sheng wasn’t happy to hear that. ”No way.”

That was his time with Su Li. How could he possibly get less of it?

”You can’t be greedy. You should be content with what you have,” Tang Mo said, stating his reasoning.

Wu Sheng thought he had a point. When Tang Mo mentioned them sleeping together at night, his mind began to wander. That was something he absolutely couldn’t give up. But... but that time in the evening would have to be split.

And so, for the rest of the drive, Wu Sheng and Tang Mo debated the issue of Su Li’s time, but in the end, neither could convince the other.

In the end, they could only circle back to the original proposal: it was still every man for himself.

This was his plan all along, so Wu Sheng was quite satisfied with the outcome. As he parked the car upon their arrival, he couldn’t help but say wistfully...

”I really wish time would pass a little faster.” ’So I can marry Su Li and bring her home sooner.’

Tang Mo huffed, ”I hope it gets slower and slower!”

’I hope the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month never comes!’

At the mention of the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Mo automatically calculated the number of days left and couldn’t help but sigh.

’Sigh, that’s not much time. It’ll be here before I know it.’

”Time flies. You’ll see, it’ll be here in the blink of an eye,” Wu Sheng retorted as he got out of the car, having heard Tang Mo’s muttering.

Seeing Wu Sheng’s smug expression, Tang Mo couldn’t resist showing his little devilish claws.

”Uncle, believe it or not, if I tell Mom I don’t agree to this, do you really think she’ll still marry you on the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month?”

The smug look on Wu Sheng’s face froze.

He believed it. Oh, he believed it all too well.

If Little Point said something, Su Li really would...

Tang Mo was finally satisfied with Wu Sheng’s expression. He let out a triumphant huff, tilted his head back to look down his nose at Wu Sheng, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to walk away, the very picture of smugness.

He was triumphant for all of two seconds before he bumped right into someone—none other than one of his classmates.

”Tang Mo, who’s that? How come he’s dropping you off at school?”

The classmate’s eyes lit up as he looked at the car behind Wu Sheng. Boys their age found things like that fascinating.

Tang Mo glanced back at Wu Sheng. Just as he was about to say ”He’s my uncle,” Wu Sheng stepped forward and spoke.

”I’m Tang Mo’s father. Hello, everyone.”

”Hello, sir,” the classmate immediately replied, his eyes shining brightly.

Tang Mo’s mouth hung open, the words stuck in his throat. He pressed his lips together, but he wasn’t surprised.

Because Wu Sheng had done this before.

To outsiders, to people who didn’t know the situation, his identity was always ”Tang Mo’s father.”

”Please look after our Tang Mo for us,” Wu Sheng said.

”Okay, sir.”

”We will, sir.”

The classmates immediately puffed out their chests and promised. They were a loyal bunch; of course they’d look after their impressive ”little brother.”

”I’m off, then. I’ll be back to pick you up after school,” Wu Sheng said to Tang Mo, then watched as he walked toward the school with his classmates.

Tang Mo was younger than the others, after all, so it was no surprise that he was the shortest one in the group.

But that didn’t mean Little Point lacked presence just because he was young.

On the contrary, he was the most charismatic and eye-catching one of all. Even though the other students were older, their expressions and actions showed they treated him as an equal.

Wu Sheng watched until Tang Mo was out of sight, a faint smile playing on his lips.

As they walked, his classmates were chattering away, but Tang Mo only offered a few words here and there, saying very little.

He couldn’t see Tang Mo’s face, but Wu Sheng could just imagine the boy’s cool, aloof expression.

’That kid...’

Wu Sheng shook his head and muttered to himself as he got back in the car, ”At home with Su Li, he’s a clingy little kitten, but the moment he’s outside, he turns into a little tiger.”

’At least with me, while he’s not a little kitten, he’s still a little tiger, baring its fangs and claws.’

’Suddenly, I’m looking forward to seeing him grow up, but at the same time, I wish he’d grow up a little slower...’

Wu Sheng headed back, his heart filled with complex emotions he couldn’t quite sort out himself.

True to his word, he bought breakfast and fruit, returning to the house with a full bag.

The moment he saw Su Li, he was reminded that they were getting married—married in the twelfth lunar month. Forgetting all about the bag in his hand, Wu Sheng immediately pulled Su Li into a hug.

”The door is still open,” Su Li said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ”Are you really that happy?”

Wu Sheng nodded. ”Yes, I am. I’ve been waking up laughing in my sleep.”