On the day of the divorce, I became Qin Shao's darling.

Qin Jiamo shook her head: "I won't say for now."

After all, the "truth" he told Lin Xiwei was all a lie.

If it's a lie, there's no need to let more people know about it.

However, Lin Xiwei had a different opinion.

"Attorney Qin, if you're worried about my feelings, you don't need to. Anyway, I'm getting a divorce, and the child will be mine alone from now on. I can see that you both genuinely love Junjun. Your parents are heartbroken over your brother's sacrifice. If they knew that this is your brother's bloodline, they would feel much more comforted and have fewer regrets."

Lin Xiwei is kind-hearted.

She always repays even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude.

Qin Jiamo had been helping her a lot during this time, for which she was extremely grateful.

Seeing the Qin family elders so kind and gentle, and remembering their immense grief of outliving their child, she couldn't help but want to do something for them.

If they knew that their youngest son had left a bloodline in the world, right before their eyes—they would surely be thrilled and overjoyed, and their heartache would be lessened.

But Qin Jiamo still shook her head.

"Not for now."

Lin Xiwei frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Qin Jiamo couldn't tell the truth, so she had to make up an excuse: "I'm afraid that if they knew Junjun was their grandson, they wouldn't be able to resist taking him back to the Qin family. You're currently embroiled in divorce proceedings, so it's not good to cause any more trouble."

His consideration was reasonable, and Lin Xiwei suddenly understood after hearing it.

"Hmm! You're very thoughtful. If Su Yunfan finds out about this, it will probably cause trouble for your family again."

Thinking of Su Yunfan's earlier slander and defamation, Lin Xiwei was glad that Qin Jiamo had acted prudently, otherwise she would have caused trouble for him again.

Junjun stayed with the two elders, chatting and laughing. Madam Qin's spirits were visibly lifted.

Unfortunately, Lin Xiwei was in a hurry and had to leave with her child.

But I don't know how to start the conversation.

Qin Jiamo noticed her anxiety but didn't ask any questions. He simply got up and went to his parents' side.

"Dad, Mom, it's almost two o'clock. Junjun needs to go back for his afternoon nap, and Miss Lin also needs to go to work."

Sure enough, when Madam Qin heard that Junjun was leaving, her face was full of reluctance, "So soon..."

But both of Qin's elders were reasonable.

"Okay, let's take the kids back first. There'll be plenty of time later."

After speaking, Madam Qin looked at Junjun with a smile, "Sweetie, come play with Grandpa and Grandma again tomorrow, or Grandpa and Grandma will come to visit you, okay?"

"Of course! I'm so bored staying in the ward, I'm looking for someone to play with." Junjun spoke in a tone that sounded like a little adult.

Lin Xiwei stepped forward, picked up her son, and politely said to the two elders, "Please rest well and take care of yourselves. Playing with a child is physically demanding, so you need to get better soon."

"Yes, yes..." Madam Qin nodded with a smile. "Little Lin... oh no, Weiwei, you're right. I need to recover quickly."

Qin Jiamo turned and walked out, and Lin Xiwei followed, reminding her son to say goodbye.

"See you tomorrow, Grandpa and Grandma."

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" The little guy coaxed the two elders until their faces were stiff with smiles.

As she left the ward, Qin Jiamo said sincerely, "Thank you. My mother has been in tears ever since my brother died in the line of duty. It's rare to see her so happy today."

Lin Xiwei pursed her lips and smiled gently: "Attorney Qin, you have helped me a lot. I am happy to do anything for you. You don't need to be so polite."

Qin Jiamo smiled faintly and nodded.

To get from the South Building back to the North Building, you have to go through the connecting corridor, which is quite a distance.

The atmosphere became a little awkward when the two fell silent.

Lin Xiwei racked her brains for a topic of conversation when she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Attorney Qin, there's something..." She glanced at Qin Jiamo, her face showing embarrassment.

Qin Jiamo: "You speak."

"It's just that... Junjun mentioned to me several times that you should be his father. He's too young and doesn't understand anything, so I can't explain it to him. Please don't worry about it. I absolutely don't have any inappropriate thoughts."

Lin Xiwei was worried that Qin Jiamo would suspect that she had taught the children to say those things and fantasize about other possibilities after the divorce, so she quickly clarified.

Qin Jiamo smiled and said, "Children say the darndest things, I didn't take it to heart."

"That's good." Lin Xiwei breathed a sigh of relief.

But little Junjun in her arms wouldn't have it, and said in a very serious little voice, "I just want Uncle to be my dad, Mom, please say yes!"

"Junjun, stop fooling around. Have you forgotten what Mommy told you? Don't mention this again." Lin Xiwei interrupted her son with a stiff upper lip, not daring to look at Qin Jiamo.

Little Junjun pouted, looking both cute and aggrieved, "Uncle is so nice, why doesn't Mommy like him?"

"Junjun!"

Lin Xiwei blushed deeply, her whole body burning.

This isn't a matter of liking or disliking; it's...

Sigh, there's no way to explain it to a three-year-old!

Qin Jiamo was also a little embarrassed and could only clear his throat to defuse the situation.

However, the child's words reminded him of the man who had brought Lin Xiwei to the hospital a few nights ago.

The fact that she was so eager to clarify things with me, as if she was afraid I had misunderstood something, probably means she already has someone she loves.

She must have already found a new father for the child.

Thinking about this, Qin Jiamo felt that there were some points to note that needed to be specifically mentioned.

"Miss Lin," he said seriously.

"Hmm?" Lin Xiwei suppressed her blush and looked at him.

"I know your marriage hasn't been easy these past few years, and it's normal to have a close male friend. But now that it's divorce season, you still need to be careful. Otherwise, if Su Yunfan notices something amiss and has something to hold against us in court, it will be detrimental to us."

"What do you mean?" Lin Xiwei was completely confused and stopped to look at him.

Qin Jiamo didn't want to be too direct, so he only hinted, "In short, I will do everything I can to end this lawsuit as soon as possible. Just bear with it for the next month or so."

"..." Lin Xiwei was even more confused, looking completely bewildered. "Attorney Qin, have you misunderstood something?"

Qin Jiamo didn't want to "expose" her, to avoid making things awkward for both of them.

So I made up an excuse.

"I have to go now. Bye-bye, Junjun." He smiled at the child.

Junjun raised his little hand, "Goodbye, Uncle."

Watching the man's tall and slender figure walk around the corner, Lin Xiwei looked away, her brows still furrowed.

"What does that mean... Does he still think I have feelings for him?" Lin Xiwei muttered to herself.

Junjun asked, "Mom, what are you muttering about?"

Lin Xiwei looked at her son and pretended to be angry as she scolded him: "It's all your fault. You keep calling your uncle 'dad'. Your uncle has misunderstood your mother."

"My uncle wants to be my father, but you, Mom, won't allow it."

"Don't say that again."

"Hmph! Mom's so domineering."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Back at work, Lin Xiwei spent the entire afternoon trying to understand Qin Jiamo's words.

My phone kept ringing with WeChat messages as I was about to leave work in the evening.

She glanced at the WeChat voice message from her mother, Zhao Xingfen.

She didn't want to pay attention, but she sent three messages in a row.

After finishing her work, she still listened to it.

As a result, I got furious after hearing it.

"Weiwei, come home for dinner this weekend, okay? Yanzhou is back, and he said he wants to thank you in person."

"Also, aren't you still in the cooling-off period for divorce? I called Yunfan today, trying to persuade him not to divorce you, but he told me that you cheated on him, and that Junjun is your child with that man. What's going on?"

"Weiwei, you said before that Junjun wasn't Yunfan's biological son, but was chosen from some sperm bank... Tell me honestly, did you have an affair during your marriage?"

Lin Xiwei retorted angrily, "Mom, don't you even know who Su Yunfan is? You believe everything he says?"

After I answered the voice message, Zhao Xingfen called me back very quickly.

Lin Xiwei was angry and annoyed, but she still answered the call in the end.

"Weiwei, I don't believe it either, but he said Junjun looks exactly like that person, and that the person is rich and powerful, a very influential lawyer that others can't hire even with money, but he's representing you in your divorce case for free—and you still say there's nothing between you two?"

Zhao Xingfen had clearly believed Su Yunfan's words and was convinced that her daughter had cheated on her husband and even had a child.

Lin Xiwei was so angry that she was speechless.

Under normal circumstances, daughters should be honest and open with their parents, sharing everything without reservation.

But Lin Xiwei knew her parents all too well.

If they knew about Junjun's relationship with Qin Jiamo and the Qin family, they would definitely try to curry favor with him, and might even go to the Qin family to ask for money.

Therefore, Lin Xiwei cannot tell the truth.

"Mom, it's just a coincidence that we look alike. There are billions of people in the world, and there are plenty of people who look alike. How could I possibly know such an important person? This is a divorce lawyer that Chu Qing introduced me to through her uncle's connections."

"Is that so? So he's helping you with the lawsuit for free, does that mean he likes you? Judging from Su Yunfan's tone, his family background is incredibly powerful! If you divorce Su Yunfan and remarry someone even richer, then..."

"Mom! Have you become obsessed with money? All you think about is selling your daughter to make money. When will you ever truly care about whether I'm doing well or not!"

Lin Xiwei suddenly raised her voice, and Zhao Xingfen immediately stammered.

"I was just asking...why are you so upset?" Seeing her daughter's displeasure, she changed the subject, "Are you coming home for dinner tomorrow?"

"I'm not going back. I need to take care of Junjun. Anyway, you don't treat me like your daughter. You'll be happier if I don't go back."

"Oh, you silly child, how could I—"

Before Lin Xiwei could finish speaking, Bianlu hung up.

The following day was Saturday.

Lin Xiwei went back to the company to work overtime for half a day in the morning, and rested in the afternoon to accompany her child at the hospital.

Considering that Sister Hong had worked hard for more than a week, she gave Sister Hong a day off.

Junjun was still taking a nap. She was thinking that once the child woke up, she would take him to Old Madam Qin's place to keep the two elders company.

However... before going there, it would be both reasonable and emotional to say goodbye to Qin Jiamo.

She picked up her phone, thinking of sending a WeChat message to ask.

But then I remembered that person saying he preferred to communicate directly by phone.

She found Qin Jiamo in the call log, but her fingers hesitated, unable to dial the number.

She still couldn't understand what Qin Jiamo had said yesterday.

In the end, it can only be concluded that: they were reminding her not to have unrealistic fantasies.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you, Attorney Qin, to be so narcissistic. I know my place and wouldn't have any improper thoughts about you. You're overthinking it!"

Lin Xiwei muttered to herself while looking at his phone number.

There was a knock on the ward door. She turned around and saw Chu Qing.

"Is Junjun sleeping?" Chu Qing tiptoed in and asked softly.

Lin Xiwei nodded and whispered, "Weren't you supposed to be off today? Why did you come to the hospital?"

Chu Qing: "Something came up in the department and they called me back. Now that things are settled, I came to see you all."

"Um."

"How was Junjun's day?"

"That's good. After he wakes up, I'll take him to keep Old Madam Qin company." Lin Xiwei can only be completely open and honest with her best friend.

Chu Qing asked in surprise, "It seems you two get along well?"

"Yes, the Qin family elders are very approachable and their conduct is impeccable, especially towards Junjun."

"That's good, you've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."

The two had barely exchanged a few words when Junjun, lying in the hospital bed, groggily woke up.

Opening his eyes, the little guy, still not fully awake, called out "Godmother".

Chu Qing was delighted and patted Junjun's bald head: "Godmother came to see you. You're such a brave little man, cooperating with your treatment every day, you're doing a great job!"

Junjun smiled.

After getting dressed, the little one asked, "Mommy, can we go see Grandpa and Grandma now? Grandpa said yesterday that he would buy me lots and lots of toys today."

Lin Xiwei was pouring him water when she heard this and asked curiously, "Really? Grandpa told you that yesterday?"

"Mmm!" the little guy nodded.

Chu Qing sighed, "Looks like this kid's been bought off. Alright, you guys go have some fun, I'm going home to rest too."

"Okay, bye-bye."

After seeing her best friend off, Lin Xiwei waited for her son to finish drinking water before finding Qin Jiamo's phone number again.

"Honey, let's call Uncle first and see if it's convenient for them, okay?"

Lin Xiwei was too embarrassed to talk to Qin Jiamo herself, so she instructed her son to do so.

The little one, oblivious to his mother's thoughts, nodded vigorously.

The call was dialed, and after a few beeps, it was connected. Qin Jiamo's deep and authoritative voice came through the phone.

"Hello, Miss Lin."

Junjun asked in a clear, cheerful voice, "Uncle, is it okay if I go to play with Grandpa and Grandma now?"

On the other end of the phone, Attorney Qin, who was playing ball with Meng Junhe, softened his expression instantly upon hearing his "son's" voice.

"It's convenient. Grandpa and Grandma just asked, and I told them you should be taking a nap."

"Oh, that's great."

Qin Jiamo asked, "Will your aunt take you there or will your mother?"

Junjun glanced at his mother and replied, "Mom, take me."

"Okay, I got it. Give the phone to Mom."

Actually, the phone was on speakerphone, and when Lin Xiwei heard this, her heart raced and she felt inexplicably nervous.

Junjun pushed the phone away, saying, "Mom, Uncle wants to talk to you."

Lin Xiwei turned and walked away with her phone in hand, clearing her throat: "Hello, Attorney Qin."

"I'm not at the hospital right now. You can take the child there. I'll arrange for someone to deliver food to the ward tonight, so we can have a meal together." Qin Jiamo's voice regained its authority, brooking no argument.

"Is...is this okay?"

"Why not? This is what my parents want."

"Oh, okay."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiwei raised her hand to cover her face, feeling her cheeks burning.

What's wrong?

Why do I suddenly feel uneasy?

On the other end of the phone, Qin Jiamo finished her call, put down her phone, picked up her tennis racket, and prepared to go back on the court, but Meng Junhe left the court.

"Aren't you going to fight anymore?" Qin Jiamo asked.

"Take a break." Meng Junhe drank some water, wiped his sweat, and then asked, "Did the child's mother give you that phone number?"

"Um."

"Jiamo, don't blame me for being petty, but you still need to be more careful with your status. Women who have nothing to do with you would love to pounce on you and devour you, let alone the woman who gave birth to your son. Don't fall for her trap without realizing it."