Li Xun had imagined reuniting with his mother in many different ways.
But he never imagined he would see his mother again at a time like this, and in such a manner.
Li Xun’s heart was filled with both shock and joy.
He desperately tried to stop, but he had rushed out with so much force that he couldn’t hold back.
In the end, he crashed right into the other person.
Hua Manman staggered from the impact.
She quickly steadied herself and looked down, her eyes meeting the child’s.
The child’s clothes were made of fine material, but they were covered in dirt, as if he had just been rolling around in the mud.
From his little face, which bore a striking resemblance to the Regent King, it was clear this child had to be the Regent King’s son.
Hua Manman wanted to push him away.
Before she could even apply any force, the child’s eyes reddened, and he burst into tears with a loud WAIL.
Hua Manman was startled.
She fumbled to comfort him, "Don’t cry, please don’t cry."
Li Xun hugged her tightly, his crying growing louder and louder.
He cried and shouted at the same time.
"Mother! You’re finally back!"
That one word, "Mother," sent Hua Manman into a state of shock.
’I’m not even married, where did a kid this big come from?’
’How could this child slander my good name?!’
Hua Manman hurriedly clarified, "You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not your mother. Look closely, I’m a man."
Hearing this, Li Xun’s crying slowly subsided.
He looked at her with tear-filled eyes.
’No matter how I look, this is my mother!’
Li Xun whimpered, "Mother, why won’t you acknowledge Gou Dan? Don’t you like Gou Dan anymore?"
Hua Manman never expected the Regent King’s son to have a nickname like Gou Dan.
’It’s a little too down-to-earth.’
Seeing the child crying so pitifully, Hua Manman’s heart softened.
She squatted down and explained in a gentle voice.
"I’m really not your mother. I’m the Princely Heir of Yu Royal Mansion. I’m a man. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your father."
Hua Manman and Li Xun both turned to Li Ji, who was standing nearby, waiting for his answer.
But Li Ji just said, "Don’t just stand there. Come inside and sit."
He was the first to turn and walk into the house.
Hua Manman quickly followed him. "Wait a moment!"
The moment she moved, Li Xun stuck to her side, not leaving her for an instant.
This left Mr. Du and Ban Ren staring at each other in bewilderment.
They still hadn’t quite processed what had just happened. ’The Regent King’s son just called the Young Master... Mother?!’
’Is there something wrong with the Regent King’s son’s head? Or is there something wrong with our ears?’
The kitchen had already prepared food and wine. As soon as the guests arrived, Gao Shan had the servants bring the dishes to the table.
Li Ji walked into the dining hall and took the seat at the head of the table.
He said to Hua Manman, who had followed him in.
"Sit wherever you like. Eat whatever you want. Don’t be polite."
Hua Manman wanted to be firm and refuse to eat, but the dishes on the table smelled absolutely divine.
To make matters worse, they were all her favorite dishes.
It took all her effort to tear her gaze away from the delicacies as she said with great difficulty.
"Prince, this must be your son, right? Please explain to him clearly that I’m really not his mother. You should know this better than anyone."
Li Ji picked up a braised chicken leg and slowly tore off a piece of meat.
The tender, juicy meat seemed to blossom before Hua Manman’s eyes.
Its oily sheen, its rich aroma...
’So damn tempting!’
Li Ji asked, "Want some?"
GULP. Hua Manman couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Li Ji then picked up a charcoal-grilled lamb chop.
The fragrant, sizzling lamb chop dangled gently in front of her.
"Want some?"
Hua Manman felt her resolve crumbling.
Li Ji used his chopsticks to pick up a wine-marinated chicken foot.
As he moved, the chicken foot, stewed until it was fall-off-the-bone tender, trembled slightly, and rich sauce dripped slowly from it.
"Want some?"
Utterly defeated, Hua Manman sat down.
She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and began to eat with her head down.
’Waaaah, you can’t blame me for being so weak-willed. It’s just that what he’s offering is too much to resist.’
Li Xun sat down, pressing close to his mother.
He noticed he had dirtied his mother’s clothes and fumbled to wipe them clean.
But his own little hands were also covered in mud, so he only ended up making it dirtier.
Li Xun started crying out of frustration.
"Mother, I got your clothes dirty! I didn’t mean to, waaaah!"
He was used to running wild outside and never cared how dirty he got.
But now, he suddenly regretted it.
’If I had known Mother was coming back today, I definitely wouldn’t have gone out to play like a madman. I would have made sure to clean myself up beforehand, just like Father.’
Thinking of this, Li Xun suddenly understood his father’s sinister intentions.
’My father knew Mother was coming back tonight but deliberately didn’t tell me, making me appear before her completely unprepared and filthy.’
’Stinky Father! You’re so mean!’
Hua Manman quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and said to the child.
"It’s alright, I can just change when I get back. Don’t cry. Go wash your hands and eat."
Li Xun knew he looked terrible at the moment.
Feeling too embarrassed to stay next to his mother, he scrambled to his feet and scurried out.
Seeing this, Gao Shan, who was waiting at the side, quickly called out.
"Young Master, slow down! Be careful not to fall."
By this time, Mr. Du and Ban Ren had already entered.
They sat down in the guest seats.
But unlike Hua Manman, they didn’t immediately start eating. Instead, they first raised their wine cups and toasted the Regent King, who was seated at the head of the table.
Mr. Du said, "We are overwhelmed by the honor of being guests at the Regent Prince Mansion tonight. Please allow us to propose a toast to you, Prince."
He and Ban Ren drained their cups in one go.
Li Ji, however, gave no response, his gaze remaining fixed on Hua Manman.
Seeing that the Young Master was still eating, Mr. Du quickly reminded her in a low voice.
"Young Master, propose a toast to the Prince."
Hua Manman used to drink with her maternal grandfather often, so her alcohol tolerance was quite good.
She immediately picked up her cup and gestured with it in the Regent King’s direction.
"I’ll drink mine dry. You may drink as you please."
After saying that, she tilted her head back and drained the cup.
Everyone thought the Regent King wouldn’t react.
But to everyone’s surprise, the Regent King, who had just been ignoring them, now raised his own cup and drained it completely.
This obvious difference in treatment made Mr. Du even more curious. What on earth had happened between the Regent King and the Young Master?
Li Xun returned in a fresh set of clothes, his face washed clean.
Because he had washed in such a hurry, the bangs on his forehead were still damp.
He hadn’t even had time to dry them before rushing back to the dining hall.
When he saw his mother was still there, his anxious heart was immediately put at ease.
Li Xun sidled over carefully, a faint blush on his little face. His eyes sparkled, and his voice was soft and sweet.
"Mother."
The word made Hua Manman’s scalp tingle, and she almost choked on the food in her mouth.
She quickly chugged a large gulp of wine to wash the food down, then stressed to the child.
"I’m really not your mother! Look closer, I’m a man. How can a man give birth to a child?!"