章 2: Sleepless nights

Three years later.

Han Xinyi just got out of the car when a small body ran towards her and adorably clutched onto her leg with his chubby hands.

"Mama!"

She softly chuckled. She bent on her knees and hugged the little boy. "Siying."

She kissed his cheek and smiled. "How was kindergarten today?"

Han Siying furiously bobbed his head. "It was good! Mama, you know what? The teacher told us to write one essay today. When I showed her mine, she liked it the most! She asked me to say it in front of all my friends in the classroom, and everybody clapped too!"

Siying was delighted with his achievement. His gaze sparkled in anticipation for her praise.

Naturally, Xinyi was thrilled. "Really?"

Siying nodded. "Yes, Mama!"

"Ah, Mama is so proud of you!" She ruffled his hair and kissed him on his cheeks again. "You did a good job. My baby is so awesome!"

Siying blushed.

Xinyi then curiously asked, "How was it talking in front of the class? Were you scared?"

Siying shook his head. "No, Mama. I was not scared at all! I am strong like Mama and Dada!"

Xinyi smiled.

She was worried for a moment that Siying would have gotten afraid to face the whole class. But thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Xinyi felt relieved to know that Siying inherited Han Zhiyuan's quality of being good at public speaking.

Because Xinyi herself was an introvert, she was always quiet and reserved from a young age. Public speaking was not her forte. The thought alone intimidated her.

So, she always wondered how was Siying's take on it. Since it didn't bother him today, she considered it as a good start.

Siying was expectantly looking at Xinyi, and she chuckled as she understood.

"Since my Siying was so cool today, we will have a pastry party on the way home."

"Yay! Yay!" He jumped and hopped around in delight. "Pastry!!! Mama Mama! I want the chocolate one!"

"Okay, okay. We will get the chocolate one," she laughed.

Siying stopped hopping around as he remembered. "Mama. I want to tell this to Dada too! Let us go to the office, no? I want to give Dada a surprise! We will have pastries together!"

Xinyi looked at the time and thought about it. "Zhiyuan might be busy…"

His shoulders drooped. He adorably widened his black irises and puffed up his chubby cheeks as he held onto the hem of her dress. "Mama, please…"

How could anybody have the heart to reject his cute plea?

She sighed and pinched his nose. "When did you learn to act cute?"

Siying grinned. "Aunt Zizi taught me, hehe~ She said that it would never fail because I am cute!"

Xinyi ruffled his head and picked him up. "Okay. Let's go visit Dada."

---

Han Corps.

Xinyi and Siying reached the company almost twenty-five minutes later. All the female employees squealed as they saw Siying. He was everybody's charming and precious angel in the Han Corps who looked so handsome at just three years of age.

"Kyaaaa! It's Han Siying!"

"OMG! He is so adorable."

"Awww, please let me hold him once and pinch his cheeks, and I can die in peace."

Siying giggled and waved at them. The staff almost fainted with cuteness overload.

Everybody stood up as they acknowledged Xinyi coming too.

Who would have thought that all the employees who once always deemed her unfit for Han Zhiyuan now looked at her with praise and respect? Everybody loved her as much as they loved Han Zhiyuan.

It was because everything changed in the second year of her marriage with Han Zhiyuan when she shouldered all the responsibility of the Han Corps when he couldn't. That was a major feat for her because she never thought that with her a little timid personality, she would ever be able to drive an entire corporation on her own.

Of course, Han Huizhong - Han Zhiyuan's grandfather played a significant role in teaching and guiding her. But, nobody could deny and not marvel at how she quickly learned business administration and became the standing CEO of Han Corps for a brief period of one year before Han Zhiyuan took over again.

"Good morning, Lady Han."

Xinyi was much more comfortable and closer to them after that year she worked here, but she always felt a little nervous whenever she was the center of attention. Nevertheless, she smiled at everybody.

"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for your hard work. Have a nice day."

"You too, Mam!"

On the top floor, one of the secretaries politely bowed and greeted her.

"Lady Han. Good morning."

Siying cheered and greeted her with a bright smile. "Good morning!"

She felt as if an arrow shot in her heart. "Good morning, young master Han."

Xinyi nodded. "Good morning. Is Zhiyuan inside?"

"Sir is in a meeting in the conference room, but it's about to end in ten minutes. Should I inform Sir?"

"Oh, no, no. I don't want to disturb his meeting. I will wait inside."

Siying ran inside as soon as Xinyi put him down.

"Siying. Don't run around. You will break something."

He giggled. "Mama, I won't."

Xinyi sat on the couch, a little tired. She hadn't gotten any sleep last night as she had a bad dream.

It was the same dream about that thorn in her heart that had mercilessly stabbed her three years back, refusing to stop hurting her even now and which still haunted her at night in her sleep.

She leaned her head on the armrest. Her eyelids got heavy, and she couldn't help but doze off.

A while later, she felt somebody gently shaking her shoulder.

"Xinyi."

She blinked her eyes and opened them in a daze. A handsome and attractive face greeted her view, who looked like the older version of Siying. With his sharp nose and clean-cut jaw and those warm eyes that could suck anybody into them, he was almost as if God had descended on earth.

Xinyi jerked her head in shock.

"Z-Zhiyuan."