Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

He Wanqing buried her face in his chest, nuzzled against him, and said in a muffled voice with a hint of coquettishness at the end, "Hug me."

Mo Ye smiled, lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and then her lips, his voice light and gentle: "You came down just in time, let's have breakfast."

He Wanqing said coquettishly, "You feed me."

Mo Ye nodded, pressed her down into a chair, and sat down next to her.

He picked up the millet porridge, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to her lips.

He Wanqing opened her full lips, took the spoon in her mouth, ate the porridge, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Her lips glistened with moisture in the morning light, opening and closing like a flower slowly blooming.

Mo Ye looked at her and thought her lips were very beautiful, and she looked good when she ate.

He fed her while eating himself, and the two of them quickly finished several bowls of food, taking turns eating.

After finishing her meal, He Wanqing wiped her mouth, looked up at Mo Ye with bright eyes, and said in a voice filled with eager excitement, "Mo Ye, do you want to put on makeup? I'll help you."

Mo Ye quickly waved his hand, shaking it like a rattle drum, his voice fast and urgent, as if afraid she would actually put the foundation on his face: "I don't need this kind of thing."

He Wanqing nodded, not insisting, stood up, and straightened the hem of her nightgown: "Then I'll go put on some light makeup."

Mo Ye nodded and went upstairs to change his clothes.

He took the black suit out of the closet, wearing only a white shirt and black trousers, without a jacket.

The top two buttons of the shirt collar were undone, revealing a section of collarbone and a firm chest.

He stood in front of the mirror for a while, tidying up his hair, which He Wanqing had cut unevenly but which the hairdresser had saved, and nodded in satisfaction.

He Wanqing has finished her makeup.

She simply did her makeup, without any heavy makeup. She just drew her eyebrows and applied a thin layer of lip gloss to make her lips look more moist and full.

She stood in front of the wardrobe, her fingers gliding across the hangers as she examined each garment.

She tilted her head to look at Mo Ye, her voice carrying a hint of pleading and expectation: "Mo Ye, what clothes do you want me to wear for the photos?"

Mo Ye leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets, a slow smile spreading across his face: "You look good in anything."

He Wanqing pursed her lips, took a white dress from the closet, waved it in front of him, and asked with a hint of inquiry and expectation, "What about this one?"

Mo Ye nodded.

He Wanqing took the dress into the bathroom, changed, came out, and turned around in front of the full-length mirror.

Her skirt fluttered, like a blooming white flower.

Mo Ye walked over, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, looked at the two of them cuddling together in the mirror, a smile playing on his lips, and said in a heartfelt, undisguised admiration, "So beautiful."

He Wanqing looked at him in the mirror and smiled slightly.

Mo Ye led He Wanqing downstairs, and the two had just reached the entrance hall when Mo Ye's phone rang.

He took out his phone, and the screen lit up with the word "Mom." He paused for a moment.

Jiang Hui rarely calls this early. He swiped to answer and held the phone to his ear: "Hello, Mom?"

Jiang Hui's voice came through the receiver, filled with barely concealed excitement and urgency, and she spoke much faster than usual:

"Your dad and I are at your school gate. Are you at school?"

Mo Ye stopped in his tracks. He stood in the entryway, one foot already inside his shoe, the other still dangling in mid-air.

He froze, his brow furrowing slightly, his voice tinged with surprise and confusion: "Mom, you're at my school? Why didn't you tell me?"

Jiang Hui's voice was matter-of-fact: "Your dad and I wanted to give you a surprise! Where are you?"

Mo Ye tucked his other foot into his shoe, bent down to tie the shoelaces, and held his phone between his ear and shoulder, his voice a little muffled: "I'm still at home, I'll go over now."

Jiang Hui hummed in agreement: "Okay, your dad and I will wait for you at the main gate of your school."

Mo Ye tied his shoelaces, straightened up, and said in a normal voice, "Okay, I'll be right there."

He hung up the phone and turned to look at He Wanqing.

He Wanqing was bending down to adjust her skirt when she heard his words. She looked up, her eyes widening slightly, her voice filled with surprise and nervousness: "Is Auntie at your school gate?"

Mo Ye nodded, picked up the car keys, and led her out the door.

He Wanqing followed beside him, her steps a little hurried, her high heels making a crisp "clack-clack" sound on the ground.

She suddenly let go of his hand, turned around and walked outside into the yard. After a while, she came back carrying a bouquet of red roses.

The red roses were wrapped in dark paper, with water droplets still clinging to their petals, and they looked like a burning fire in the sunlight.

She handed the flowers to Mo Ye, slightly out of breath: "These flowers are for you. Happy graduation."

Mo Ye stared at the bouquet of red roses, momentarily stunned.

He took the flowers, bent down and smelled them. The fragrance was faint, mixed with the scent of the wrapping paper, but to his nose, it smelled better than any perfume.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and he said softly, "Thank you, baby."

He Wanqing pursed her lips, her eyes curving into crescents: "I'm glad you like it. Let's hurry over, your aunt and uncle have been waiting for a long time."

Mo Ye nodded, carefully placed the flowers in the back seat, then opened the passenger door, waited for He Wanqing to get in, closed the door, walked around to the driver's seat, and started the car.

The car drove out of the residential area and merged into the traffic.

He Wanqing turned her head to look at the street scene flashing past the window, her fingers tapping lightly on her knee.

Mo Ye gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

A number of people were already standing at the school gate. Students in graduation gowns gathered in twos and threes, some taking photos, some chatting, and some looking down at their phones.

Mo Ye spotted Jiang Hui and Mo Chashan standing under the tree at a glance. Jiang Hui was wearing an elegant floral dress and holding a bunch of gladiolus in her arms. Mo Chashan stood next to her, wearing a white shirt and carrying a bag.

Both of them craned their necks to look towards the road.

Mo Ye parked the car next to them, rolled down the window, leaned out, and called out, "Dad, Mom!"

He Wanqing also chimed in, "Uncle and Auntie!"

Jiang Hui and Mo Chashan's gazes fell on the car window at the same time, but their eyes did not linger on Mo Ye's face. Instead, they looked directly past him and landed on He Wanqing in the passenger seat.

The two of them exclaimed "Hey!" at the same time, their smiles blooming like flowers, as if they were responding to their own daughter.

Mo Ye's lips twitched.

Well, I guess I was adopted.

Jiang Hui handed the flowers in through the car window. It was a bunch of gladioli, with straight and slender green stems and white petals edged with a faint pink.

She said, "Happy graduation, you little rascal."

Mo Ye took the flowers, feeling a warmth in his heart. He hummed in response, his voice a little muffled, and handed the flowers to He Wanqing to hold. Then he turned to look at his parents, his voice returning to calm: "Mom and Dad, get in the car."

Jiang Hui and Mo Chashan didn't hesitate and got into the car.

Jiang Hui sat in the back seat, her gaze sweeping around the car, a slight smirk playing on her lips, but she said nothing.

Mo Chashan sat next to her, his hands on his knees, his back straight, like an honest man riding in someone else's car for the first time.

As the car drove into the campus, the plane trees lining the tree-lined avenue rustled in the morning breeze.

Jiang Hui leaned out of the back seat, her eyes searching for something outside the car window, her voice filled with urgency and anticipation: "Where's Tongtong? I haven't seen her in so long."

Mo Ye glanced at her in the rearview mirror and answered while driving, "She's with her maternal grandmother."

Jiang Hui frowned slightly, her voice tinged with a mixture of disappointment and anticipation: "Will she come over?"

He Wanqing turned her head to look at her, her voice gentle: "My mom said she brought her here today to take graduation photos with Mo Ye."

Jiang Hui frowned even more deeply. She paused, her voice tinged with unease and panic: "Your mother is coming too?"

He Wanqing nodded: "Yes, Auntie."