Chapter 198 – So she was saying he was old? (2)

“Really?” Ruan Xia pressed the corners of her eyes with her fingers. Although she didn’t have fine lines there, she still sighed. “Maybe it’s because I’m a mom. Li Jing feels like a little girl to me.”

She didn’t feel that way in the past, but the more time she spent with Little Wang, the more she forgot her age. When she saw people her age on the street, she would sometimes look at them from the perspective of an old aunty.

These words reassured Song Tingshen to a certain extent.

Right, she was already a mom, and he was a dad. There was naturally no feeling of an age difference between them.

“You don’t have to worry about Li Jing’s matter. It’s not a big deal. I can deal with it.” Song Tingshen added, “Also, there’s nothing between her and me. Don’t have any wild thoughts.”

Ruan Xia was somewhat confused. “I haven’t.”

“That’s good.”

What a baffling exchange of words.

“I won’t keep you from your work. I’m going back to my room to sleep.” Ruan Xia turned to leave.

“Wait,” Song Tingshen called out to stop her. He stood up, walked over, and left half a meter between them. He was very tall and could almost block the light from reaching her. “I said I don’t have the habit of indulging others. How come you didn’t ask me who I view as an outsider and who isn’t?”

Ruan Xia’s heartbeat suddenly sped up. Why did she feel that the mood was becoming increasingly ambiguous? And also, what did Song Tingshen mean by saying these words?

“Little Wang and I definitely aren’t outsiders.” Ruan Xia raised her head to look at him. Looking him in the eye, she said, “Your wife and child definitely aren’t outsiders.”

“Wife?” Song Tingshen savored that word.

Hearing that word from his mouth, it felt strange and made her ears feel itchy. Ruan Xia couldn’t stand this kind of mood. Taking advantage of when Song Tingshen wasn’t paying attention, she hastily slipped away. Of course, she thoughtfully closed his study door.

When she returned to her room, Little Wang was leaning back on a big pillow with his little legs crossed and watching a cartoon. He couldn’t look more comfortable and content.

“Little Wang…” Ruan Xia’s voice sounded somewhat dangerous.

Little Wang immediately sat up in a proper position. His movements were very quick. She didn’t know where he had learned such a slovenly sitting posture.

Seeing that the chubby kid was obedient, Ruan Xia didn’t bother to conduct a deep educational ideology. She sat down at the bottom of the bed. She was still thinking about what happened between her and Song Tingshen. Honestly, she was a bit tempted.

Facing a man like him, if she wasn’t tempted, then she had to be a god instead of a human!

If he hadn’t taken the initiative to tease her, then she would still barely be able to persuade herself to see him as a roommate and have a relationship of mutual noninterference. But what was up with him?! Ah!

Little Wang crawled over to Ruan Xia and carefully looked her over. He reached out his chubby hand and poked her face. He very seriously said, “Mom, your face is so red.”

Ruan Xia hastily covered her face with the back of her hand. “Am I?”

“Yup.” Little Wang vigorously nodded. “Are you sick?”

Song Tingshen was still weighing heavy on her mind, but she said, “I’m not. Maybe it’s too hot.”

“It’s not hot at all.” Little Wang exposed her lie. “I even feel a bit cold.”

“I’m not the same as you. You feel cold, but I feel hot.” Ruan Xia couldn’t stop herself from sighing.

“Mom, is there something on your mind?”

Translator Rambling: “She didn’t feel that way in the past, but the more time she spent with Little Wang, the more she forgot her age. When she saw people her age on the street, she would sometimes look at them from the perspective of an old aunty.”

I think she’s acting younger than her age from spending so much time with Little Wang. She’s more like Little Wang’s playmate than his mother. For example, she doesn’t set rules for him (although she respects the rules that Song Tingshen sets). When there’s a hard conversation to be had, she pushes it off to Song Tingshen. Raising Little Wang allows Song Tingshen to see things from the perspective of a parent, but Ruan Xia usually sees things from a child’s perspective. For example,

“Little Wang’s behavior brought back Ruan Xia’s childhood memories. She had been like that too as a child. Every time her parents came to see her at her grandparents’ home, she liked to lead her mom by the hand everywhere. At that time, her mom didn’t ask her why she was doing this and unlike Little Wang, she didn’t share her reason. When she carefully thought about it now, she realized it had been a missed opportunity. If she could have been like Little Wang when she was a child, her mom might have been able to understand her thoughts and feelings.” – from chapter part 98

I’m not saying she’s a bad mother to Little Wang. She’s much better at empathizing with him than Song Tingshen for one and that’s a valuable perspective to raising a happy child. Their relationship is one of two friends rather than mature adult and childish kid. I think a natural effect of spending most of your time with young children is feeling younger than before (with positions like teachers being an exception because they have to enforce discipline and have professional responsibility over their charges).

What do you guys think?