"Why didn't you bring her earlier, Chen!"
Madam Mo looked aggrieved as she held my hand across the table, though my body was still stiff from the shock of the welcome.
This was entirely what I didn't expect.
The moment I stepped down from the car, Madam Mo rushed to my side, literally pushing Mo Yichen away and grabbing my hand.
I could only give my father-in-law a swift nod before she pulled me into the mansion.
Mo Lili, Mo Yichen's sister, was just as hyperactive as her mother. They both pulled me along into the house while Mo Yichen walked with his father.
Ever since I stepped inside, I had been going room by room, the ballroom, the dining hall, and the piano room that Lili claimed Yichen loved.
"Whenever he stayed over, he would always come to this room at night, precisely nine, to play the piano," she yapped.
I found my gaze lingering on the piano a little longer, as if there was something hidden there, calling to me.
But before I could keep staring, Madam Mo had pulled me into the special dressing room that was as big as a whole ballroom.
"This is where I put all my beloved collections," Madam Mo sighed in appreciation.
I felt awkward yet strangely comfortable. This family was so rich it made me feel small.
Once the grand tour was over, we returned to the main hall, where Mo Yichen sat at a round table with his father, Mo Yumen.
They were engrossed in a discussion, and it was the first time I had ever seen him in his work mode. His head nodded while he adjusted his glasses once in a while.
For some reason, watching him this close, I was conscious of how he was already moving my heart in the brief moment since his return.
As if he had made it a life mission to keep me with him.
When he noticed me, he pulled me along with the family to the dining room for a meal.
Madam Mo pulled me to sit beside her, ignoring Yichen's obvious disapproval.
"Mother…" he growled, a cross look on his face, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Brother, you didn't tell me your wife was this pretty," Mo Lili complimented, and my face felt hot.
While I was preparing to go out, I only put on little make up and she thinks I am pretty?
"You must be blind, Lili," Yichen cut in, and I shuddered. "She is more than pretty. She is gorgeous."
His voice softened at the end, and my heart trembled. My nose flared as he continued. "So much, that I wish to whisk her away on an island and have her all to myself."
I whipped my head at him. He had a straight face as he said all that.
My cheeks burned, and I wanted to open the ground and bury myself.
"Wowww, brother, I didn't know you had a nice tongue," Lili teased, her eyebrows cocking.
"Even I am surprised," Madam Mo mumbled. She shook her head, picking up the serving pincers and began to fill my plate with a lot of seafood.
"Thank you so much, Mother," I smiled, the warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart enlarging.
"Awww, she called me mother!" Madam Mo cheered, her chin raised high.
I noticed the eager look on Lili's face. "Sister Lili, here, take some crab. Your skin looks so good, I might have to trouble you later for your skincare routine." I piled her plate with crab meat.
She blushed and quickly started eating, her joy obvious.
This was a warm family.
I watched them eat merrily. Mo Yumen was a kind man that laughed in between discussions with his son.
But Yichen remained cold throughout, though he appeared more relaxed than usual, he never smiled.
But he smiled and laughed at me in the car.
Just then my phone buzzed. It was my mother. My smile dropped, and I blankly stared at the phone.
"Don't pick the call," Mo Yichen reprimanded coldly. I looked at him, and he nodded.
I put my phone back into my purse. He was right. This was my time with his family; why would I let my own family, who never truly cared for me, intervene?
Even if we were to divorce later, I wanted to cherish this warmth, even if it was for a fleeting moment.
"Madam Mo, the food is delicious," I said after scooping some seafood tofu. The taste was just the right amount of spiciness.
I could not help but moan in utter bliss as it melted in my mouth.
"Do you like it that much?" Madam Mo asked, her eyes twinkling from the praise.
She must be the chef. I was amazed.
I nodded and tried the glass noodles with shrimp, devouring a whole plate. "I have never tasted something more delicious than this, Mother."
I continued eating, Ignoring their adoring gazes.
"Sister, once you are done eating, let's go upstairs and take pictures with matching clothes!" Lili chimed in, grinning from ear to ear.
My ears perked up. "Really?! You cosplay?" I asked, leaning to the edge of the chair.
"Yessss!!! Oh my! Do you also love cosplayers, sister?" She jumped up giddily.
"Ahem." Mo Yumen cleared his throat. "No talking on the table, Lili."
"Sit comfortably, darling," Yichen suddenly said, his voice sounding near.
I glanced at him only to find him right beside me, assisting me in sitting back into the chair.
I gulped, dizzy from his clean scent. Before I could reply, he had eased off and sat back on his chair.
"…"
"I apologize for the way my son had left you alone all these years, Xiao Yi," Mo Yumen started. I glanced at him, shaking my head repeatedly.
"That's all in the past. All I just hope is that he could be a better husband from now on," I grinned, feeling a prickling gaze on my head.
Yichen was staring at me with a heated look, as if he was screaming, 'I would definitely be a good husband.'
But I wouldn't believe it until I saw it.
"That's good. You should be grateful that Xiao Yi is very kind-hearted, Chen," Madam Mo snarled at Yichen.
He didn't even look at her and continued eating. Madam Mo harrumphed and also focused on her food.
Mo Yumen cleared his throat, "So when are the two of you considering giving us a grandchild?"