DLRC – Chapter 48 You’re That Little Tenant?

Yu Wei couldn’t help chuckling but still answered seriously, “Sure, but if the department store doesn’t carry them, then Mommy can’t help it either.”

Yu Hui’s face fell immediately. His little face wasn’t as cheerful as before, though he wasn’t exactly upset—just a little disappointed.

“Well, okay then.” After all, it was still something his mommy bought for him—maybe it wouldn’t be too different. He comforted himself with that thought.

After undressing the little guy down to his underclothes, Yu Wei held his hand and took him to the bathroom.

The little one hadn’t had a bath in three or four days, but in winter, a little delay wasn’t a big deal.

She led him into the bathroom. As the wind blew against his skin, the chill made Yu Hui’s teeth chatter.

“Mommy… hurry up, Huihui’s so cold…”

“Alright, alright! Mommy will wash you as fast as she can. Then you can jump into bed and be Mommy’s warm little prince!”

Yu Hui giggled at that. At the moment, he was standing stark naked on the bathroom tiles, letting Mommy pour warm water over him. It felt so comfy he couldn’t even describe it.

As Yu Wei scrubbed him down, she suddenly asked curiously, “Huihui, why do you like teddy bears so much?”

His shoes had to be teddy bear-themed, his coat too—and if the store had carried bear-print pants, she was sure he’d have begged for those too.

“Because… because…” Yu Hui was so caught off guard by the question he momentarily forgot the cold and started thinking seriously.

Maybe it was because…

After a moment’s thought, he blurted out, “Because I have a panda bear friend! That was the first toy Mommy ever bought me, so I love teddy bears!”

Yu Wei hadn’t expected that answer. She was slightly stunned. Just as she reached for the fluffy towel on the stool for the last step, she wrapped her son—now covered in goosebumps—into the towel like a snug little ball and carried him to the bedroom.

Mother and son chatted as they walked.

“Really? Huihui, you still remember the first toy Mommy ever bought you?”

“I remember, Mommy. I won’t forget it.” The obedient little boy didn’t stop there—he reached up to wrap his arms around Yu Wei’s neck, his head nuzzling against her like he was being extra affectionate.

“Mommy, I’m so happy.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Because I have so many teddy bears…”

They were all Mommy’s love for him—he knew that.

Yu Wei’s heart was filled to the brim with warmth at his innocent words. What more could she possibly want? Hearing such loving words from her son made her feel utterly fulfilled!

Once they reached the bed, she tucked the little guy into the soft quilt in one go. Yu Hui immediately sank in and wriggled around. In the blink of an eye, two soft white hands popped out from under the blanket, holding the towel.

“Mommy, here!”

“What a good boy—Mommy will love you forever!”

Yu Wei took the towel and planted two big kisses on his cheek. Yu Hui squirmed from the ticklish, sweet feeling.

“Mommy, go take your bath now so we can sleep together.”

“Alright, good boy—wait for me.”

It was bound to be a beautiful night… if only she didn’t have that nightmare.

It was such a strange and endless nightmare. Maybe it really was true that your dreams reflect your thoughts during the day. In the dream, she was going to meet the new landlord the next day—who turned out to be a mafia boss, tattoos and all.

He wore a pitch-black suit, followed by a bunch of men in sunglasses. The terrifying man walked slowly toward her, his towering frame blocking all light and shadow.

“You’re that little tenant?”

His voice was cold as ice. Yu Wei stood frozen, not daring to move. She turned her eyes to Niu Zhongshi, only to see the man happily running off with a stack of cash. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.

She felt… like she’d been sold off.

The last scene of the dream showed the new landlord tearing up her lease agreement and throwing the shreds at her head while threatening her with venomous words. The dream took a strange turn.

The wealthy thug simply waved a hand, and a stack of cash thicker than her fist appeared in his palm. Then the landlord loomed closer, pressing her against the doorframe, saying words she couldn’t quite make sense of:

“Take the money. Get lost.”

Before she could even reach the money, Yu Wei snapped awake. It was pitch black around her. The rustling and chirping sounds of birds pecking and hopping around had woken her.

Yu Hui had brought the birds into the room last night but forgot to take them out. The two pearl finches were hopping around the cage, drinking water and chirping away like they weren’t in a dark room at all.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Yu Wei lay there for a long while before the warm bundle in her arms nudged her fully awake.

“Huihui?”

The little guy didn’t respond. She looked down and, with the faint morning light streaming in through the balcony window, saw her son’s peaceful sleeping face.

His tiny body curled into a ball, nestled quietly in her arms, his little mouth slightly puckered, soft breath brushing against her neck.

Yu Hui’s body was always warm—especially nice to cuddle in early winter mornings. The bit of chub he’d gained from her daily care made him even cozier than a kitten or puppy.

And for some reason, he always smelled faintly of milk—a scent she loved. She couldn’t get enough of it and just wanted to keep sniffing.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the silly thought, Yu Wei reached for her phone under the pillow. The screen showed: 5:59.

Six o’clock.

Why did she wake so early? Didn’t those birds ever sleep? They were still awake at midnight, and now they were up already?

Seriously…

She carefully moved Yu Hui to the center of the bed so he could keep sleeping, intending to get up and wash up. But just then, the little guy stirred and opened his eyes sleepily.

“Mommy…” he mumbled, yawning, “Where are you going?”

“You’re awake, Huihui?” Since she hadn’t gotten out of bed yet, Yu Wei just snuggled with him a while longer, burying her face into his neck to keep sniffing that sweet milky scent.

“Mommy… is it still dark outside…” Yu Hui asked, yawning again. The curtains were open, letting in a faint grayish light from outside.

“Yeah, still sleepy? Why did you wake up so early today?”

“Mm…”

He really was still sleepy—his eyes had already closed again. But a few minutes later, in the warmth of her arms, he suddenly wiggled and began burrowing against her.

Like a slippery little fish, his tiny arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

He was sniffing her scent too.

“Mommy, you smell so good. You’re my nice-smelling Mommy.”

“Huihui’s being such a sweet talker today!” Such flattery!

Just as Yu Hui was about to ask what “sweet talker” meant, Yu Wei suddenly ducked under the blanket and nuzzled his tummy—his most ticklish spot.

He burst out laughing under her playful attack.

Early mornings were the most peaceful. The soft ding of a bicycle bell could be heard from downstairs, while inside the room, mother and son played in the warm blankets.

“Alright.” Yu Wei popped her head out from under the blanket, took a deep breath, and patted his back. “If you’re awake, get up quickly. Mommy has to open the shop early today, so you’ve got to move fast.”

She got up and dressed. A chill crept under the quilt, making Yu Hui shiver.

His little head poked out from the blanket, wide eyes misty and sparkling, the rest of him still snuggled under the covers.

“Mommy, Huihui’s not awake yet.” Then he rolled his eyes around and shut them quickly—pretending to be asleep.

“Alright, little rascal—get up!”

Yu Hui giggled from her kisses. Yu Wei mischievously whipped the blanket off him, grinning triumphantly: “Still not getting up?”

“I’m up!” He sprang out of bed, slipped on his fuzzy slippers, and ran to the wardrobe. “Mommy, can I wear my teddy bear outfit today?”

“Of course you can. If you like it, wear it.” She couldn’t resist kissing his soft, fair cheek again, leaving a rosy mark behind. “I swear you were a panda in your past life.”

“I’m not a panda,” the little guy replied as he pulled on his sweater in a soft, milky voice. “I’m Mommy’s Huihui.”

Yu Wei burst into laughter and shook her head before heading to the bathroom.

Once they were both ready, she held his hand and left the house.

Today, she had something even more important to do—meet that so-called new landlord.

She was curious to see just what kind of big shot had silently bought out her dessert shop. Quite the bold move.

Maybe they were just early, but no sign of the landlord appeared. Yu Wei went into the kitchen to bake while her good boy waited outside, helping watch the shop.

Half the morning passed—even Niu Zhongshi dropped by—but still no landlord.

He sat in her shop sipping tea, having even bought a slice of chiffon cake to enjoy while waiting. Said he still had a contract to sign.

Money really made a difference. Ever since he sold the place, he didn’t even flinch at the expensive cake.

Just as he was finishing the last few bites, a gray car finally stopped outside.

The long-awaited new landlord had arrived!

“Oh hey, they’re here!” Niu Zhongshi stuffed the last piece of cake into his mouth and gulped down the tea, clapping his hands as he stood to greet the big boss.

“Huihui, go call your mommy!”

Huihui didn’t quite understand but ran into the kitchen when he heard “Mommy.”

“Mommy, someone wants to buy cake!”

“Coming! You wait outside, okay?”

He toddled out on his short legs and sat back on the stool flipping through his new book. Huo Mingwang walked in with his assistant and saw the boy reading happily.

He seemed to ignore Niu Zhongshi at first. Only when he stood before Huihui did he pause, then turned his gaze slowly to Niu.

“You’re the previous landlord?”

“Yes! That’s me!” Niu Zhongshi grinned and wiped his hand on his coat before reaching out for a handshake.

Huo Mingwang just glanced at it and spoke coldly, “The contract from yesterday—we’ll sign it now.”

He shook hands briefly, then stood beside a chair. His assistant stepped forward and handed the documents over.

As they signed at the table, Yu Wei was just pulling pastries out of the oven and came out a few minutes later. Huo had already glanced at Huihui several times.

When she walked out of the kitchen, she asked:

“Huihui, is someone here to buy pastries?”

“Mommy, I don’t know. Two uncles came!” He pointed to Huo and his assistant. Niu was still signing away without looking up.

Yu Wei glanced over—and froze when she saw that pitch-black suit.

It was him again.

Could it be…?

She was right. Seeing Niu signing the contract made it clear.

“Alright, I’ll leave you two to talk!” Niu Zhongshi didn’t linger—he laughed his way out the door in just a few steps.

Yu Wei nearly exploded.

That Niu Zhongshi! Ran off happily with his money and left her to deal with this alone!

At least she still had her good boy—

She turned to look… and there he was, happily reading his book, completely unaware of what was going on.

The man in the suit still sat in the chair, cold eyes fixed on her face. His assistant stood nearby, watching silently.

“Mr. Huo… is it?”

She’d caught the name on the contract. If she wasn’t mistaken, this man’s name was Huo Mingwang.

He said nothing—just stared at her with those deep, unreadable eyes. Every time he looked at her, there was something in his gaze she couldn’t make sense of—and didn’t want to.

Maybe that’s just how he looked at people.

“You’re… my new landlord?”