Chapter 29

Jing Miao’s current behavior was actually easy to infer.
He was thinking that a child’s promises might not be trustworthy, so he needed to speak in an adult tone.
Xi Siyan suddenly felt the strength leave his body.
Lin Song had long wanted Xi Siyan to see a therapist himself. He believed Xi Siyan was ill too—perhaps even worse than Jing Miao.
At first, that illness was being torn between love and not-love.
Later, it was being torn between Jing Miao and Xi Siyan.
Later still—up to now—it was being torn between whether Jing Miao should grow up or remain forever “belonging” to him.
At this moment, Xi Siyan got his answer.
His fear of loss found release.
It felt as if maybe neither of them needed a doctor anymore.
The Xi family was harmonious, but they had rarely traveled together as a full family.
Su Wan was a high-earning businesswoman; Xi Yucheng was a high-ranking official, both extremely busy. Xi Siyan was independent and not clingy with his parents.
But since that incident two years ago, Su Wan and Xi Yucheng had let go of many things and returned to family life.
Beyond Xi Siyan’s orientation, his pathological need for Jing Miao was an obvious psychological issue.
That made the parents reflect on whether there had been flaws in their family education.
They didn’t try to “change” Xi Siyan.
They only wanted to give their somewhat withdrawn younger son a better family environment.
Especially Su Wan.
Like Xi Siyan, her feelings toward Jing Miao were mixed with heavy guilt, and the only thing she could do was compensate without limits.
And everyone knew:
Only if Jing Miao kept getting better would Xi Siyan keep getting better.
No matter which son they were doing it for, they could only build a warm, harmonious home with sincerity.
For his first proper trip, Jing Miao was excited and nervous.
His geographic world had always been tiny. Aside from the overseas registration trip—a short, blurry weekend—he had barely left the city, let alone the province.
When he got into university, he had taken an eleven-hour hard-seat train ride to the capital.
Jing Miao was curious about everything.
He asked Su Wan questions, then Xi Yucheng, then Granny Jiang.
Most of the time, he just leaned near Xi Siyan and whispered into his ear.
Su Wan always spent lavishly and lived extravagantly; with one wave of her hand, she booked out an entire first-class cabin.
Xi Yucheng said she was wasteful.
“How is it wasteful?” Su Wan refused to concede. “This is our family’s first trip together. Why should we sit with strangers? Miaomiao wouldn’t even dare speak freely.”
“If you do this, what if he thinks planes are always private?” Xi Yucheng countered.
Su Wan shrugged. “So what? Then I’ll buy him a private jet. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”
At first Xi Siyan also felt it was excessive.
Then he saw Jing Miao, unable to sit still after boarding, and felt Su Wan had done the right thing.
Jing Miao was obedient, but with strangers around he definitely wouldn’t have been so carefree.
They all preferred to spoil him.
Granny Jiang smiled. “Looks like Miaomiao won’t get airsick.”
She spoke too soon.
After about ten minutes in flight, Jing Miao started feeling unwell.
Luckily first-class seats were wide and spacious, and Xi Siyan could hold him as he slept.
Xi Yucheng tiptoed over and whispered, “Asleep? Didn’t throw up, right?”
“No. Just ear pressure and dizziness. Once he slept, he settled.”
A flight attendant carefully handed over a blanket. Xi Siyan wrapped Jing Miao gently.
The attendant smiled. “Your little brother is so cute.”
Seeing how the family treated him, she naturally assumed that relationship.
Xi Siyan smiled. “He’s my lover.”
The attendant froze for a beat, then immediately recovered with a professional smile.
“Your lover is very cute.”
So open-minded families like this really existed, she thought.
The flight from the capital to the southernmost island took four to five hours.
In between, Xi Siyan woke Jing Miao to show him the sea of clouds.
Jing Miao pressed to the window in wonder for a long time.
When he turned back and saw Mom, Dad, and Granny all resting with eye masks on, he lowered his voice and whispered to Xi Siyan:
“Gege, I miss you.”
Xi Siyan said, “Isn’t gege holding you the whole time?”
Jing Miao loved to act spoiled.
Leaning against Xi Siyan’s chest, wrapped in his arms, he insisted:
“I don’t care. I just miss you.”
Xi Siyan lowered his head and kissed him.
“Good baby.”
The flight attendant crouched behind them and secretly took a photo.
*Ugh, too cute—I’m crying.*
After landing, the family went to their booked beachfront villa: 800 square meters total, with 200-square-meter front and back yards.
Pull the curtains and there was only blue sea and white sand.
The weather was warm enough for a single light layer.
Along that southeast coastline resort, there were only three villas.
Even if all were occupied, families hardly crossed paths—as if the sea itself belonged to them.
Xi Siyan and Jing Miao went wild playing by the shore.
The three older adults lounged in the yard sunbathing and watching.
“This is wonderful, Yucheng,” Su Wan said, eyes full of satisfaction as she watched Xi Siyan teasing Jing Miao with a ball.
“I don’t know why, but I feel like I never had days this good after marrying you.”
Xi Yucheng rolled his eyes. “So life with me has been suffering all these years?”
Granny Jiang laughed. “Madam means watching your children happy makes people feel very good.”
“Exactly, your comprehension is better than his,” Su Wan said. Then sighed. “I still don’t know why I used to be so… forget it.”
“How come Xi Siyan wasn’t this cute when he was little? Sometimes I suspected I gave birth to Nezha—landed and came out already grown.”
“Miaomiao is cute. Extremely cute.”
“If you’d listened to me before—used the internet more, understood modern society more—would that mess have happened?” Xi Yucheng replied. “Look, Sister Jiang is older than you and still accepted things quickly.”
Granny Jiang smiled shyly. “Honestly, when I couldn’t figure it out, I just switched perspectives. I realized if the person Mr. Xi sat on the floor comforting was someone else, I’d find that even harder to accept.”
“Then what about Miaomiao?”
“After that, I accepted it.”
The three of them laughed together.
“Siyan? Siyan!”
While they were enjoying themselves, several figures in the distance waved and shouted.
Xi Siyan squinted for a while and discovered it was Wang Song, Gan Zisen, Chen Tianruo, and the others.