CTS 59

Shen Mo was still dazed. It took him a while to respond. “What? But I don’t know how to take care of kids…”

Of course, Mr Ji was not someone who accepted refusals. He immediately said, “There’s a nanny there. You just need to be around and keep an eye on him.”

As he spoke, he gently ruffled Ji Ning’s hair.

Ji Ning walked over and grabbed Shen Mo’s hand, blinking his big eyes and softly saying, “Uncle, come play with me.”

He really was too sweet.

How could Shen Mo pull his hand away? He was still hesitating when Ji Mingxuan took Ji Ning’s other hand and began leading them out. As they walked, he said, “Let’s go to my place. Everything is set up there. If anything comes up, just ask the nanny. I’ll be out at sea for work today and should be back around evening. We can have dinner together.”

Though his pace was not fast, it was still the pace of an adult. Shen Mo was worried Ji Ning might trip trying to keep up, so he quickly shut the door and followed.

Ji Ning held one hand in each of theirs, happily pattering along between them.

Ji Mingxuan glanced back at Shen Mo, a faint smile on his lips, then slowed his steps and said, “Call me if anything urgent comes up. Ji Ning knows my number. Right, Ji Ning?”

Ji Ning answered in English at full volume.

Ji Mingxuan said, “Speak Chinese with Uncle.”

Ji Ning looked up at Shen Mo, puffed up his chest and drew out his reply, “Okaay.”

That tender voice made Shen Mo laugh, thinking maybe taking care of him for a day might not be so bad.

Ji Mingxuan’s room was on the other side of the resort, a three-bedroom suite with a spacious living room and terrace. The decor was not luxurious, but everything was exquisitely done, with attention paid to every detail. As for the sea view, it was in a completely different class from Shen Mo’s own room.

The nanny Shen Mo had seen the day before was already there. She looked calm and capable, not talkative, and simply nodded politely when she saw Shen Mo.

Ji Mingxuan had to leave quickly. He gave her a few more instructions and turned to Shen Mo. “Ji Ning is spoiled. He can be a bit willful. No need to go easy on him.”

Shen Mo could only agree.

As soon as Ji Mingxuan left, Ji Ning practically turned into a wild puppy. He kicked off his shoes and threw himself onto the sofa, shouting with glee. Only then did Shen Mo realize what Ji Mingxuan meant about the place being well-stocked. The entire sofa was piled with toys.

There was no sign of a female presence in the apartment apart from the food and daily necessities.

The nanny’s surname was Chen, so Shen Mo called her Aunt Chen. He asked casually, “Where is Mrs Ji? Didn’t she come too?”

Aunt Chen was tight-lipped. “Mr Ji is here for business. He only brought the young master.”

Shen Mo could not press further.

On the other side of the room, Ji Ning was lying on the sofa, waving a Transformer toy and calling to Shen Mo, “Uncle, come quick.”

Shen Mo could not help but laugh and hurried over to join him. He remembered how much he had loved Transformers as a kid. He never expected that after so many years, children still found them just as entertaining.

The morning passed quickly.

Ji Ning was obedient and easy to care for, especially with Aunt Chen there, so Shen Mo did not feel tired at all.

Around noon, a server delivered lunch. Ji Ning could feed himself now, though he could not use chopsticks yet and relied on a spoon. One of the dishes was steamed egg custard, which he clearly liked a lot. He scooped up a big spoonful, but instead of eating it himself, he held it up to Shen Mo’s mouth.

Shen Mo paused in surprise.

Ji Ning looked up at him with his dark, clear eyes and said, “Uncle, eat!”

Caught off guard by the gesture, Shen Mo quickly swallowed the bite. The steamed egg was still hot, and the warmth spread to his chest as he ate it.

Only then did Ji Ning seem satisfied and happily continued with the rest of his meal. Shen Mo kept helping him pick dishes, and in the end, Ji Ning finished almost half a bowl of rice.

Even Aunt Chen remarked how well Shen Mo and Ji Ning got along.

Shen Mo simply smiled.

Ji Ning had a habit of taking afternoon naps. After resting for a while, he started yawning. Shen Mo hadn’t slept well the night before and was feeling drowsy too, so he carried Ji Ning into the room and they took a nap together.

It was a deep, restful sleep. When they woke up, it was already past three in the afternoon. Aunt Chen had made milk formula for Ji Ning, and he drank it in big gulps straight from the bottle. When he was done, he turned to Shen Mo and lifted the empty bottle proudly. Shen Mo reached over, ruffled his hair, and praised him.

Now that Ji Ning was more familiar with Shen Mo, his little young master temper started showing. Sitting on the bed, he refused to put on his shoes. Shen Mo coaxed him for a long time before Ji Ning finally climbed onto his back and whispered in his ear, “Uncle, I want to play a game.”

Shen Mo chuckled. “What do you want to play? Uncle will play with you.”

Grinning widely, Ji Ning flopped back onto the bed and rummaged under his pillow. Shen Mo thought he was going to pull out another Transformer toy, but instead, Ji Ning took out an old mobile phone.

It was an outdated model. Shen Mo remembered that when it had just come out a few years ago, Ji Mingxuan had one just like it. He only had to think a moment to understand, then asked, “Was this your dad’s phone?”

“Yes.” Ji Ning nodded. “Uncle, help me turn it on.”

Shen Mo hadn’t expected such a young child to already enjoy mobile games. It didn’t feel quite right, but seeing Ji Ning’s eager expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. After a moment of thought, he said, “Just for a little while… ten minutes, okay?”

Ji Ning just kept urging, “Hurry, hurry!”

So Shen Mo powered on the phone.

The battery was fully charged, which surprised him. Ordinary people might keep an old phone as a backup, but would someone like Ji Mingxuan bother to hang on to something this old? Would he really be that frugal?

Shen Mo was careful not to touch anything else, afraid he might come across something private of Ji Mingxuan’s.

But Ji Ning wasn’t shy about it. He grabbed the phone and started swiping all over the place. He was clearly used to it, quickly opening a bunch of apps. Shen Mo noticed most of them were empty, probably already cleared, and let out a quiet breath of relief.

Then Ji Ning tapped into a game and began playing. Shen Mo glanced over. It looked like a little character walking through a maze. He didn’t see what was fun about it, but Ji Ning was completely absorbed.

When the ten minutes were up and Shen Mo took the phone back, Ji Ning still looked reluctant, clinging to him and acting spoiled. But remembering Ji Mingxuan’s instructions, Shen Mo didn’t give in. He started closing each app one by one. As he shut the messaging app, he caught a glimpse of his own name in the outbox.

Shen Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Before he could think, his finger tapped into the folder. Most of the messages had been cleared, but the outbox was filled with one name. Shen Mo.

In Shen Mo’s memory, Ji Mingxuan had rarely texted him. But here were dozens of messages, all sent to him on a single day four years ago, stretching from morning till night.

Shen Mo scrolled through them one by one, his vision gradually blurring.

“Shen Mo, where are you?”

“Did you leave with Zhou Yang?”

“Come back.”

“Shen Mo, don’t go.”

“Stay.”

“Stay with me.”