DLRC – Chapter 90 Holding Her Slim Waist

Huo Mingwang couldn’t help but laugh. Squatting down with a smile, he cupped his son’s little head and planted a kiss on his chubby cheek. That soft, tender, jade-like skin was so irresistible that he couldn’t stop himself from doting on it.

The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Huo Mingwang gently caressed Yu Hui’s little face before finally standing up and heading toward the door.

After stepping outside, he paused at the doorway, looked back at the two inside, and said lightly, “I’m leaving.”

Mother and son turned their heads in unison, their expressions almost identical. This made Huo Mingwang laugh again, his voice dripping with gentle affection.

“See you tomorrow.”

Yu Hui reacted first, grinning and waving enthusiastically. “See you tomorrow, Uncle Huo!”

Yu Wei didn’t say a word. Under the weight of his deep gaze, she turned her head away, unwilling to look at him. But after the man went downstairs, she couldn’t help herself. Following Yu Hui, she walked to the doorway and leaned against the frame, peeking down.

Strangely enough, despite the darkness of the night and the dim visibility, Yu Wei clearly saw that tall, blurred silhouette slowly making its way out of the courtyard.

When he reached the driver’s seat, he indeed lifted his head and looked her way. Yu Wei, startled, spun around and dashed back into the room, her heart pounding wildly.

She was doomed. Completely doomed.

Huo Mingwang’s little moves had thrown Yu Wei into a dazed state for the entire evening. Even while bathing her son, she kept drifting off.

Yu Hui pouted in protest. “Mama, you didn’t even tickle me like before…”

You little rascal.

Yu Wei looked down at the slick, mischievous boy, grabbed his face, and planted several fierce kisses on it. “Tickle? I’ll give you enough tickles!”

Yu Hui wiped his face, now wet from all the kisses, and asked curiously, “Mama, why were you hugging Uncle Huo just now?”

Could it be she changed her mind and wanted Uncle Huo to be his dad now?

Yu Wei sighed and tapped his little forehead with her knuckles. “That’s grown-up business. Kids shouldn’t ask!”

Yu Hui held his head, eyes wide and innocent, looking utterly wronged and pitiful.

After his bath, Yu Wei wrapped him in a large towel and tossed him onto the bed before heading into the bathroom herself. “Get dressed by yourself!”

When the exhausted mother finally came out, Yu Hui was bouncing on the bed, singing “Catching Loaches.” The moment he saw her, his tongue slipped: “Ah, the loach is here!”

Yu Wei: “…”

“Come here, my son. Let me check if spending too much time with Uncle Huo has made you silly, hmm?”

Yu Hui giggled and pushed her hand away. “Mama, I’m not silly! Are you going to tell me a bedtime story?”

A story? Her brain was a mess right now. How could she be in the mood for stories…

“Didn’t I take you to the movies today? Wasn’t that enough?” She laughed as she pulled him under the covers.

Yu Hui cheered, “Not enough! Not enough! Stories and movies aren’t the same!”

“How are they different? They’re both stories.”

Yu Wei didn’t care about the difference. She was determined not to tell a story tonight. After a day of shopping, watching a movie, and finally getting teased by Huo Mingwang, she was utterly exhausted. All she wanted was to sleep and think about nothing.

Seeing his mama remain silent and looking genuinely tired, the little guy decided to be considerate. Soon enough, he snuggled up and drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t notice that his mother lay there wide awake, lost in complicated thoughts.

She suspected she might already be showing signs of falling in love, even though nothing concrete had happened between them yet.

Ever since moving, Yu Wei had been sleeping soundly every night. But tonight, she was sleepless. Her mind kept replaying the man’s figure, over and over, leaving her fully awake.

Meanwhile, in the city center, Huo Mingwang lay on his bed in a vast, empty room—also sleepless.

His reason? Overwhelming excitement.

After that thin layer between them was pierced, Huo Mingwang started visiting the dessert shop even more frequently, his interactions with Yu Wei growing increasingly tender and ambiguous.

Coincidentally, the birthday cake she made for Ma Xiangdong on New Year’s Day had gone viral on Boxue Road—no, not just Boxue Road, but throughout the surrounding streets, and even in the kindergarten circle.

So, when Huo Mingwang dropped her off this morning, the shop had barely opened for five minutes before seven or eight customers came in—all asking specifically for birthday cakes.

Yu Wei was so busy she didn’t even have time to chat with him.

But honestly, the busyness was a blessing. At least she wasn’t sitting there worrying about their relationship. In fact, she found herself acting more natural around him.

The day flew by, and business was booming. When it was time to pick up her son, she still couldn’t leave.

So, she handed the task over to a certain “free man”—Huo Mingwang.

Their relationship had become clearer. Yu Wei no longer resisted his touch or rejected his daily rides. Sometimes, she even silently allowed him to “take advantage” a little.

Like when he came into the shop and saw her busy, he’d help out. And while she was decorating a cake, he would suddenly wrap his arms around her slim waist from behind and whisper:

“You’ve worked hard.”

No matter how many times he hugged her like that, Yu Wei’s heart always skipped wildly. She even began to think… maybe she liked it—a lot.

Being held by him felt like the empty half of her heart had finally been filled, as if peace had settled over her entire being.

But then again, something felt wrong—she wasn’t acting like herself anymore.

She would smile for no reason while working, just thinking about him. She would giggle quietly whenever she remembered that warm, sweet embrace. Whenever her mind wandered, his face appeared.

Even though they didn’t spend much time together, the distance only made their feelings heat up faster.

That saying was true—distance creates beauty. Lovers didn’t need to cling to each other every day. This state of longing, of anticipation, was the most addictive of all.

Life in recent days was harmonious and satisfying. Even little Yu Hui had caught on: Mama and Uncle Huo were a thing now! Uncle Huo was going to be his dad!

He was so happy he didn’t know what to say—except to ask, night after night before bed:

“Mama, am I going to have a daddy now?”

Yu Wei never answered. She just smiled, a smile that made Yu Hui scratch his little head and think: Mama’s acting weird…

Half a month remained until the Spring Festival of ’85. Everything was progressing in an orderly fashion.

Yu Hui had only two days left before winter break. Yu Wei took a day off to prepare New Year’s goods. Huo Mingwang accompanied her shopping, and by the time they returned, the harvest was plentiful.

For the first time, Yu Wei started looking forward to celebrating the New Year in Luzhou—especially since Huo Mingwang would be there.

What would it be like… with him around?

The day after shopping, Yu Wei opened the window and was greeted by a world of white.

“Snow?” She stepped onto the balcony, stretching out her hand to catch the falling flakes, and then shouted in delight: “It’s snowing! Huihui! Come and see!”

Yu Hui rubbed his eyes and trudged over. “Mama, what snow?”

“Look! Snow! Hurry!”

When he stood beside his mother, he finally saw it—white as far as the eye could see. His mouth fell open in awe.

Soon after breakfast, they rushed outside to play in the snow like two kids.

The streets were lively, full of children laughing and running. But Yu Wei was even more excited than any of them. She bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, rolled it into a ball, and flung it straight at her son.

“Huihui! Take this!”

The little boy stood frozen as the snowball smacked into his chest. His big eyes blinked in shock. His mother was laughing like crazy, and he didn’t understand why she was attacking him.

“Mama…” His deer-like eyes glistened, his tiny body wrapped up like a ball, looking utterly pitiful.

Yu Wei couldn’t stop laughing and tossed another snowball, this time hitting his leg. “Come on, Huihui!”

Only then did Yu Hui realize Mama was playing with him. His pout disappeared, replaced by a bright smile. He crouched down and began rolling his own snowball, then hurled it at her.

Of course, he missed completely.

They played like that for a while, their laughter echoing through the alley, drawing curious stares from passersby. Soon, other kids joined in, and Yu Wei unknowingly started a small snowball fight event.

While they were playing, a gray car pulled up nearby. No need to guess—it was him.

Yu Wei’s heart gave a little leap as she straightened up and glanced over. Huo Mingwang stepped out of the car, walking toward them under the heated stares of bystanders.

Grinning mischievously, Yu Wei bent down and quickly rolled a large snowball. When he was just a few steps away, she hurled it at him with all her strength.

“Smack—” Snow exploded across his chest, scattering down onto the white ground.

Huo Mingwang froze for two seconds before chuckling lowly. His tall frame bent slightly as he scooped up a small snowball from a nearby branch.

He began walking toward her—slowly, deliberately—his lips curved in a teasing smile.

Yu Wei’s heart skipped. Uh-oh. She turned and ran.

But then her silly son decided to join the fight. He grabbed a tiny snowball and tossed it at Huo Mingwang—only to miss miserably.

Before Yu Hui could recover from the failure, a cold snowball splatted against his face, sliding down onto his shoes.

The world froze. He stood there motionless, his face wet and chilly, looking like the saddest little dumpling ever.

Tears welled up in his big eyes.

Huo Mingwang panicked and rushed over, squatting down. “Don’t cry, don’t cry! I didn’t mean it! Here—hit me back. I’ll stay right here. Go on.”

Yu Wei hurried over too. “Huihui, don’t cry. Mama will avenge you!”

She scooped up a huge snowball and hurled it straight at Huo Mingwang’s handsome face.

Direct hit.

Snow clung to his cheeks, and Yu Hui’s eyes widened in shock.

Huo Mingwang didn’t wipe it away. Instead, he smiled at Yu Hui. “See? Mama hit me back for you. Wanna join her?”

Yu Wei added, “Come on, Huihui! Let’s get the bad guy!” Another snowball smacked into his back.

The man exaggerated a look of pain, clutching his arm dramatically. Yu Hui finally burst into laughter, grabbing his own snowball and gleefully joining in.

Mother and son pelted him until he was covered head to toe, laughing the whole time.

When the battle ended, Yu Wei crouched down and kissed her son’s chilly cheek. He leaned into her warmth with a happy sigh.

Huo Mingwang shook the snow off his coat, wiped his damp face, and walked toward them. He took Yu Wei’s cold hands and gently rubbed them in his warm palms.

“Your hands are freezing.”

His warmth seeped into her heart, chasing away the winter chill. The atmosphere between them grew softer, sweeter—public or not, this was the first time he had done something so intimate in front of others.

Yu Hui pouted. “Uncle Huo, why are you holding my mama’s hand?”

“Her hands are cold. I’m warming them.”

Yu Hui sulked harder. “My hands are cold too. Why aren’t you holding mine?”

Huo Mingwang: “…”

Yu Wei chuckled, pulled her hand free, and hugged her little one. “Come here, Mama will warm you up.”

Yu Hui kissed her cheek. “Actually, I’m not cold anymore when Mama hugs me.”

Huo Mingwang stood by, watching them with a mix of envy and tenderness. After a long moment, he finally spoke.

“Yu Wei.”

“Hm?” She looked at him, feeling awkward under his gaze, her fingers absentmindedly stroking her son’s head.

“What is it?”

He reached out and flicked the pom-pom on the boy’s hat, his eyes never leaving hers.

Then, softly, he said:

“I’m going back to my hometown tomorrow.”