Page 397
Page 397
But Su Shi didn't force her, after all, she was no stranger to the unease of living under someone else's roof after losing her loved ones.
In the end, Su Shi prevailed over the other acquaintances. Although the boy was unable to say who he wanted to go with, Su Shi, who was being shrewd, forged a will for Xiangzi before going to the funeral.
She was to properly arrange the deceased's affairs, which naturally included the custody of Xiangzi's children.
Thanks to the fact that the women in the band were generally not very educated, the others were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the will and didn't question its authenticity for a moment.
As for the fact that it was later discovered to be fake... Su Shi thought to herself, "You can talk to my company's legal team!"
Having become the owner of a mid-sized securities firm, Nagasaki Motoyo has the means and strength to fight against them and ensure that the boy is under her control.
However, just when Su Shi thought she had the victory in her grasp, Sanjiao Chuhua seemed to have gone mad, picking up the boy and preparing to run away.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the boy actually reached out and grasped Su Shi's hand, preventing the blond-haired man's scheme from succeeding.
Even as Su Shi hurriedly led the boy away, looking at Ruo Ye Mu and the others, she felt in her heart that they might not let this matter go so easily.
But we'll talk about the future later; for now, Su Shi has already won the man over.
win!
After leading the boy to the living room, he still seemed somewhat timid in the face of this magnificent place. Su Shi smiled and said, "By the way, Xiao Xi, why don't you put Saki-chan's portrait in the shrine first?"
Su Shi pointed to the altar not far from the living room. Banai was stunned for a moment, then walked to the shrine, tiptoed slightly, and placed her adoptive mother's portrait on it with a kind of piety, seemingly clumsy.
He stared blankly at the woman in the photo for a long while before turning his head and asking, "Aunt Su Shi, is the woman next to you your mother?"
"Mm," Su Shi replied softly, her eyes slightly dimmed.
"So, you don't have a mother either?" he asked with an innocent air, almost making Su Shi lose her composure.
However, Su Shi immediately understood that this was just innocent childish talk, without any malice. In fact, it might even have stemmed from a deep sense of empathy for the insecure boy who had come to a strange place.
So Su Shi gently stepped forward, looked at the two portraits placed on the shrine, and said, "Yes, so from now on, we should work hard to live together."
The two people on the altar were the two most important people in her life, but they had both left her forever. Thinking of this, a piercing pain kept assaulting the woman.
She took a deep breath, but now she couldn't show weakness in front of this boy.
Is this what it feels like to become an elder? A strange sense of novelty arose in Su Shi's heart.
"Alright, let's eat something first."
To be honest, after a day of being on edge, Su Shi is also a bit tired.
"Want me to cook?" Banami asked, tilting her head slightly.
Su Shi thought to herself that she hadn't cooked in the kitchen for many years.
After all, cooking for one is a really lonely thing.
SAKI-chan, is this also why you adopted this child, even though life is so difficult?
She went to the refrigerator, took out two boxes of recently purchased pre-made food, and said, "Do you want curry chicken or hamburger patties?"
However, the boy gave her a slightly strange look, one that would even make Su Shi feel ashamed.
"Xiangzi's mother said that eating too much junk food outside is bad for the brain, and she usually doesn't allow me to eat it."
Despite his poverty, Xiangzi still seemed to maintain a rigorous attitude towards raising his children, feeding them pre-made food, which was utterly heinous.
You used to have fresh meals in your poor home, but now that you've adopted you, you want to eat frozen food. Be ashamed, Nagasaki Motoyo.
The boy's innocent gaze pierced Su Shi's heart, causing her pain and even a sense of guilt.
"Haha, it's very late tonight, there's no time to prepare. Let's just heat up the bento first, and I'll cook something delicious for you myself tomorrow."
Su Shi made up a flimsy excuse, but she hadn't cooked in years, and who knew what kind of food she could still make now.
However, the boy seemed easy to coax, and he nodded gently when he heard Su Shi say that.
Shortly after, Su Shi heated up several pre-made meals from the convenience store in the microwave and then placed them on the dining table.
Surprisingly, these frozen foods seemed unexpectedly appealing to Banami, who had always eaten the meals cooked by her foster mother.
After all, what child doesn't love eating the junk food their mother urges them to eat?
Su Shi only ate a little before stopping, since she didn't eat much to begin with.
Watching the boy devour the food like a little glutton, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Su Shi realized that even though the child ate very quickly, his upright posture and the way he used chopsticks showed that he was very well-mannered.
It even allows Su Shi to sense the traces of Xiangzi's education of boys.
"I was worried you wouldn't eat because you were sad," Su Shi said softly, trying to distract herself.
The boy slowed down his chopsticks, then lowered his head and said, "Xiangzi's mother said that no matter what happens, you must eat well."
Su Shi was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself, "So, this child has been following the teachings Xiangzi gave him all along."
"This child is really strong, much stronger than myself," Su Shi thought to herself.
Actually, Su Shi wanted to take advantage of the meal to ask the other party about the inheritance that Xiangzi had mentioned, but she couldn't find a good opportunity to bring it up until the boy finished eating, so she had to give up for the time being.
After finishing their meal, Su Shi realized that the boy hadn't brought any luggage, including clothes and daily necessities.
She had spare daily necessities, but she couldn't possibly have prepared boys' clothes.
After a moment's thought, she led the boy into the guest room and said, "There's a private bathroom inside. Let's go to sleep tonight, and I'll take you to buy some clean clothes tomorrow."
Banami nodded slightly, as if to tell Suze that he could take care of himself.
This made Su Shi breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the child had indeed been raised very well by Xiangzi and did not need anyone else to worry about him.
Moreover, Su Shi was about to lose her temper.
After escorting Hanami to the guest room, she returned to her master bedroom, closed the door, and without even turning on the light, simply took off her coat and lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Years ago, she lost her mother, who was of paramount importance to her life, and now, she has lost her best friend (in her opinion).
“SAKI-chan…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled her time with Shoko.
Actually, after seeing this boy, she had a shameful, unspeakable thought deep down, which was...
Instinctively, she didn't like this sensible and well-behaved child. Although she maintained a friendly expression, the only feeling she had when she saw him into the guest room was relief.
It wasn't the child's fault, but... thinking about how the other person had occupied Xiangzi for so many years, and perhaps even that Xiangzi had died from overwork while taking care of him, she felt a sense of... jealousy and anger, even though reason told her that it had nothing to do with the child.
Moreover... and this child is so sensible and well-behaved. He doesn't seem too sad even after losing Xiangzi. He doesn't cry or make a fuss, just like a doll.
She actually... didn't like guys who were so detached from emotions; after all, like repels like.
Suddenly, Su Shi had a strange feeling. After all, the child's behavior was full of traces of Xiangzi's personal upbringing. But why did he seem not to be very sad after Xiangzi's death?
Or perhaps...
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, Su Shi got out of bed and walked out of the room. It was already past midnight, but she walked quickly to the guest room. After hesitating slightly, she finally opened the door.
In the pitch-black room, the only sound was a faint noise coming from inside the blankets.
She quickly walked over, pulled back the blanket, and turned on the bedside lamp. Only then did she see the boy curled up in the blanket, tears streaming down his face, crying sadly, as if afraid of being heard or of troubling others.
Su Shi hugged him tightly, her voice trembling, and said, "Why, why did you hide and cry?"
She almost misunderstood him as a heartless child. Why didn't she notice sooner? Su Shi felt a little guilty about what was wrong with this child.
"Xiangzi's mother said that the only place one can cry is in one's mother's arms."
Upon hearing the boy's words, Su Shi's thick mental barrier melted away instantly, like a hot knife cutting through butter, and the boy in her arms pierced through her most sensitive and tender heart.
“It’s okay, you can think of me as your Xiangzi’s mother, and cry in my arms as much as you want. I will cry with you.”
The child in her arms was the fruit of Xiangzi's love. Now, he belonged to her. Su Shi seemed to feel the essence of Xiangzi, whom she had longed for but could not have, in him.
Chapter Nine, Banami: Aunt Su Shi, it's a little itchy.
Knowing that the boy was only pretending to be strong so as not to cry in front of others made Su Shi feel a little sorry for him, guilty, and... relieved.
She gently wiped away the boy's tears and said, "Okay, don't cry your eyes out. I'll take you to take a bath."
Was it because he had only treated the child as Xiangzi's "object" that he hadn't noticed?
His so-called strength and independence are merely manifestations of his insecurity.
I should be the one who understands this pretense the most.
She deserves to die!
Su Shi simply took the boy's hand and led him to the bathroom in her master bedroom, where she began to slowly undress him.
Banami blushed slightly and said, "I...I can do it myself."
Su Shi, who still only regarded him as Xiangzi's child, gently mocked, "Oh, why are you shy, child?"
However, she didn't force him. She just watched him turn around, take off his underwear, and wrap it with a white towel, looking very skilled at it.
"Does Xiangzi usually bathe you?" Su Shi asked.
"Yes, Xiangzi's mother likes it very much. She says that bathing together can strengthen the bond between family members." A hint of loneliness seemed to appear in Banami's eyes.
"Since that's the case, then from now on, I will take on Xiangzi's share of responsibility."
Actually, Su Shi had never bathed a boy before, but when she heard Banami say that, she felt a sense of duty as an elder. She gently unbuttoned her white suit jacket, revealing a completely different black lace bra in the bathroom. In the misty water, her milky white skin and full, graceful figure complemented each other, making her look breathtakingly beautiful.
Although Su Shi was a little shy, seeing the taut, straight posture of Banami after she saw her blurry reflection in the mirror gave her a strange sense of psychological advantage. After all, she was good friends with Banami's mother, Shoko, and the person in front of her was just a boy.
Su Shi has an innate instinct to care for others.
Su Shi pretended to be mature and teased softly, "So, who's prettier, me or your Xiangzi's mother?"
Seeing that Banami's eyes were unsure where to look and she seemed a little flustered, Su Shi felt an increasing sense of satisfaction.
“You…you and Xiangzi’s mother are both very beautiful.” Banami said somewhat awkwardly, unwilling to say anything bad about Xiangzi’s mother, but also unwilling to lie.
The woman's body before him possessed a beauty akin to that of the goddess Venus; this was his most honest feeling.
"You really know how to charm girls, Su Shi's mom is so happy." Su Shi increasingly felt a sense of satisfaction from this child, a feeling akin to that of an elder.
Soon, Su Shi pushed the child into the bathroom, sat him on a low stool, rinsed him with water, applied shampoo, and gently stroked his hair.
His hair was very soft and well-maintained. Although he looked thin, he was in good spirits. This was probably all thanks to Xiangzi.
However, Su Shi soon discovered that he had many small and medium-sized wounds on his body, and they all looked like old scars.
She couldn't help but widen her eyes and ask, "Xiaoxi, what...what are these on your body?"
It seemed as if he had been abused, but Su Shi absolutely did not believe that Xiangzi was the kind of person who would do such a thing.
“These are from when I was in the orphanage and in elementary school. Other kids beat me up. They called me… a bastard… Later, Xiangzi’s mother adopted me. After she found my scars, she wouldn’t let me go to school… Instead, she stayed home and personally taught me… My grades were very good,” the boy emphasized.
In other words, this child grew up entirely under Xiangzi's tutelage.
Su Shi inexplicably understood Xiangzi's actions, after all, bullying was very serious in Japan, especially against vulnerable students like Banami.
No wonder Su Shi always felt that he had a special temperament. This was probably because he did not receive public education, but rather Xiangzi's private education.
Sure enough, Xiao Xiang is very bold and decisive in his actions.
Su Shi gently stroked the boy's wounds with increasing tenderness, but the boy's body trembled slightly, and he said shyly, "Aunt Su Shi...it's...a little itchy."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, hearing what you said reminded me of some things from the past."
Although it was a bit of a pity that the other person couldn't call her "Mom," it was still a short time, and the child's feelings for Xiangzi were different.
"What is it?" Banami's words piqued Suze's interest.
“When I was in elementary school, my mother and father divorced. When I was little, I also stayed with other people’s families. Although I didn’t end up like you, Xiaoxi, I was still secretly called a bastard without a father.”
Therefore, Su Shi could understand the child's pain and loneliness very well. Looking at his scarred back, she seemed to see herself when she was young.
Banami gently turned his head, looking at the other person with innocent eyes. However, when his eyes inadvertently swept over the fullness of Suze's body covered by her black underwear, he blushed and quickly turned his head away.
So...so cute....
Su Shi's heart pounded as if struck by something. Xiangzi, what a wonderful child you've raised!
Because he ran a securities company, Su Shi, who was well-informed, had seen many of his clients' children, and they were all quite unruly.
Having seen so many children, Su Shi thought she didn't like them at all, but the boy in front of her always easily touched her soft maternal instincts.
Su Shi gently began applying body wash to the boy's body, but when she reached a certain sensitive area, Banami tensed her legs and said, "Aunt Su... Aunt Su Shi, I can do it myself..."
Although it was also Su Shi's first time bathing a boy, she couldn't lose her adult dignity, so she pretended to be relaxed and teased, "Oh, why are you shy, child? Speaking of which..."
I haven't asked your age yet.
“I… am an adult… so I can do it myself,” Banami emphasized.
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