In Le Tong’s eyes, whether it’s Ji Rui or Ji Baby, they are both her possessions. Therefore, taking care of them is her instinct and responsibility.
Strictly speaking, everything she does for the father and son is her willing choice and has nothing to do with Mr. Ji.
Therefore, Mr. Ji’s words of gratitude seed unnecessary to Le Tong and she felt baffled by it.
However, considering the elderly man’s humble thank-you, even though she was not fully on board with it, Le Tong could not bring herself to say sothing provocative like, "Taking care of them is my business, not yours!"
"Chairman, taking care of Baobao is my responsibility, and taking care of Ji Rui is my willing choice. You don’t need to worry about it." Le Tong said, her gaze eting Mr. Ji’s with a cold yet calm expression on her face.
With what she said, all the polite words Mr. Ji had prepared were left unsaid.
Half-reclining on the sofa and massaging Mr. Ji’s shoulders, Baobao seed to sense sothing from the conversation and atmosphere between his mom and grandpa. He raised his eyebrows and peeked at Le Tong, opening his little mouth but afraid of saying the wrong thing. He continued to cautiously massage his grandpa’s shoulders while observing his mom’s expression.
Finally, it was Mr. Ji who broke the silence.
"Baobao, the chef uncle heard you were back and made many of your favorite snacks and cakes. Go bring so out for your mommy to try."
Ji Baobao responded with an "oh," slid off the couch like an eel, and Mr. Ji patted his backside. "Take mommy to the kitchen to see, and have her warm up whatever you want to eat."
Le Tong then stood up and took Baobao’s hand to the kitchen.
"Mommy, is it pretty?"
On the way, Baobao had already told Le Tong that Grandpa’s garden was big and the house was beautiful.
"Hmm, it’s pretty!"
"Mommy, can I bring Little Black and Little Grey back here?"
Baobao looked up at her, watching as Le Tong put the snacks she had just taken from the fridge into the microwave.
"Mommy can’t make that decision. You should ask your daddy."
What trick the little guy was up to, how could Le Tong not know?
This Ghost Spirit probably sensed the discord between her and Mr. Ji, so he thought of sending the two dogs back, giving him an excuse to visit often and creating more opportunities for her and Mr. Ji to interact.
However, this matter cannot be rushed or forced.
"Oh..." Just monts ago, Baobao’s face was full of excitent and anticipation, but now it fell instantly.
Following Le Tong back to the living room, Baobao’s expression was still one of extre dejection.
"Baobao, what’s wrong?"
Mr. Ji couldn’t stand to see his precious grandson unhappy, nor could he allow him any grievance. The previously lively young gentleman now looked like a wilting leaf, and Mr. Ji couldn’t help but be anxious.
Baobao shook his head, grabbed a piece of tiramisu, sat on the sofa, and munched in silence, hanging his head low.
Mr. Ji looked at Le Tong, who was pushing the tray to him, full of questions. Le Tong didn’t know how to answer him; she couldn’t say, "Baobao wants to co here often, but she doesn’t want to."
"Baobao, tell Grandpa, why are you unhappy?" Mr. Ji asked gently, ruffling the little guy’s hair when he saw that Le Tong wouldn’t provide an answer.
Baobao looked up at Le Tong, bit his lip, and shook his head, saying, "Nothing..."
Though denying it, his deanor was still sullen.
The atmosphere grew awkward again until Housekeeper Li appeared with several thick photo albums. "Miss Le, these are the young master’s childhood photos, and these are the older master’s."
Le Tong had already downloaded the photos and videos Baobao had stored in the cloud and often browsed them, so she wasn’t particularly curious about Baobao’s photos.
It was Ji Rui who piqued her interest. When she t him, he was already a mature and composed man. She thought he must have been steady and reliable since childhood, but after hearing Mr. Ji’s earlier words, she found it hard to imagine what kind of child Ji Rui was.
Opening the album, which clearly showed its age with a yellowed cover, the first thing she saw was a black-and-white headshot.
Apart from their vastly different personalities, Ji Rui and Baobao only differed in the color of their eyes.
Ji Rui had a pair of slightly green, deep-set eyes, while Baobao’s eyes were always bright and black.
Since it was a black-and-white photo and the image looked so much like Baobao’s childhood photos, even though the housekeeper explicitly said it was Ji Rui’s album, Le Tong was still not entirely sure if the person in the photo was indeed Ji Rui.
"Uncle Li, is this really... Ji Rui?"
Housekeeper Li nodded, "Yes, it’s almost identical to Baobao’s childhood photos. Look, compare this with Baobao’s photo in this album."
Le Tong took the photos from Uncle Li, studied the two pictures side by side, and found that the father and son resembled each other by at least ninety percent.
Le Tong was amazed, unable no matter how she tried to connect this soft little baby with the strong and stern Ji Rui.
"Tsk, they really do look so similar."
Even the slight upward tilt of the eyes when smiling was identical.
Sitting not too far away, Mr. Ji couldn’t help but comnt when he saw the hint of a smile on Le Tong’s face, "If you like them, go ahead and scan them. Ah Ru never looks at them anyway."
"I guess that’s just how n are, rarely looking at their own photos."
Le Tong forgot about the awkwardness, flipping through the photos, her eyes following the images, gradually forgetting the advice to keep her distance from Mr. Ji, and naturally responding to him.
Mr. Ji couldn’t help chuckling helplessly at her words, "It’s because he’s still young and has other pursuits. At my age, having nothing else to seek, the only thing left is to enjoy a bit of family happiness. When the children and grandchildren aren’t around, all one can do is slowly browse through these albums, finding so comfort in the mories..."
Though deeply engrossed in the photos, upon hearing Mr. Ji’s words, Le Tong couldn’t help but look up, her gaze resting on the lonely expression of the old man.
This man should be proud.
Or rather, the n of the Ji Family are extrely proud. Ji Rui is, Baobao is, and the old man before her is too.
Such a proud person actually exposing his helpless heart to her surprised and touched her.
She had always been a kind person; when others treated her well, she’d only treat them better in return.
Now, with the old man’s repeated willingness to show vulnerability, her continued standoffishness seed unwarranted.
"Ji Rui is busy, coming back often might be difficult for him, but Baobao can co back more frequently."
Baobao’s current health certainly allows for more frequent visits.
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