Chapter 187 - 107: Jiang Wanyi’s Age Anxiety

Chapter 187: Chapter 107: Jiang Wanyi’s Age Anxiety

Chen Yuan closed the door and went to the elevator landing to wait, taking a deep breath.

He sniffed his hand. It still smelled fragrant.

The door to the fire escape next to him was ajar.

Since the elevator hadn’t arrived, he pushed the door open and glanced inside.

It was filled with stuff—mostly Mili’s toys, along with various household odds and ends.

The building had one elevator per unit, so everything here must belong to Jiang Wanyi and her daughter.

’It’s a little messy. I can help her tidy it up next time I’m here.’

"Chen Yuan!"

Chen Yuan turned around at the sound of Jiang Wanyi’s voice.

"Chen Yuan has left, but the baby’s daddy is still here."

There was another door between the elevator and the apartment’s main security door. Jiang Wanyi, wearing slippers, came out of her apartment and opened this middle door. She was holding the shell jacket and a red bag.

"Don’t wear your own jacket. Wear this one."

"What’s this?" Chen Yuan asked, taking the jacket and looking at the other item in her hand.

"I cut up some fruit for you. Take it with you."

Chen Yuan was reminded of his school days, when Comrade Li would always pack him a little something.

Sometimes it would be fruit, other times a carton of milk.

He never expected to still be getting this kind of treatment now that he was in college.

"What are you spacing out for? Take it."

"It reminded me of my mom. She always used to pack things for me when I was in school."

"A big guy like you isn’t missing his mommy, is he?" Jiang Wanyi teased with a smile.

"Of course not."

"Well, your mom isn’t here, so I, the baby’s mama, will have to take care of you," Jiang Wanyi said with a laugh.

"Besides, you’re always saying that after you take care of the little one, you still have to take care of me, the big one. So now it’s my turn. After looking after the little one at home, I have to look after you, the big one, too."

"You’ve got a point. My face has gotten chubbier."

"Alright, hurry up and put on the jacket."

Jiang Wanyi took the jacket, helped Chen Yuan put it on, and then smoothed it out for him.

She looked at Chen Yuan, and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction washed over her.

She had chosen the style of the jacket, his pants were freshly washed, and Chen Yuan himself was a clean-cut young man who still had the air of a high schooler.

Then she looked at herself, dressed so casually.

Her hair was a mess, and she was in her pajamas and slippers. She was already several years older than him to begin with; without any makeup or effort put into her appearance, the age gap seemed even wider.

"Look at me. I must look really old, don’t I?"

"Have you seen what I look like when I first wake up? Don’t I look 30?"

In that moment, Jiang Wanyi’s anxiety about her age seemed to melt away.

’When he first wakes up, he’s also disheveled and groggy. He really doesn’t look that young then.’

"A little," Jiang Wanyi said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

"So that’s the thing, isn’t it? When we haven’t cleaned ourselves up, neither of us looks all that young."

Chen Yuan’s gaze shifted to the things in the stairwell.

"Is all this stuff yours?"

Jiang Wanyi folded her arms beneath her bust and tilted her head up at Chen Yuan.

"I’ll give you one more chance. Whose stuff is this?"

Huh?

It took Chen Yuan a moment to react.

"Think about it carefully. If this stuff belongs to ’my family,’ then I’ll just be the ’baby’s mama,’ and you won’t be the ’baby’s daddy’ anymore."

Their eyes met, and Chen Yuan instantly understood what she meant.

"So... this is our family’s stuff?"

"That’s more like it."

To Jiang Wanyi, titles like "baby’s daddy" and "baby’s mama" were more like playing house; they didn’t mean anything serious. She wouldn’t have minded if they just used each other’s names.

But when Chen Yuan had said the word "yours," she had felt an inexplicable discomfort.

It was as if the bond between them had suddenly grown distant, much more unfamiliar.

’Good thing the little rascal is quick on his feet. If he hadn’t come up with the right answer, I would’ve had to teach him a lesson.’

Pushing open the stairwell door, Jiang Wanyi did some light tidying, trying to make the area look a little neater.

In her eyes, it was shameful for a woman to lead a messy, disorganized life.

DING—

Just then, the elevator arrived.

"You should go, the elevator’s here," Jiang Wanyi said.

"I’m not in any rush."

Watching the elevator doors slowly slide open and then shut again, a peculiar warmth spread through Jiang Wanyi’s heart.

’Could it be that he feels more comfortable staying with me than he does rushing off to other things?’

"Mili has way too many toys."

"My fault."

Jiang Wanyi readily admitted her fault, saying with a helpless sigh:

"Whenever I see something cute, I just have to buy it for her. Over time, it’s all just piled up."

’That’s exactly what she did last time they went to the mall together. If I hadn’t stopped her, she definitely would have come home with another huge pile of stuff.’

"I think you could sell this unused stuff on the ’Seafood Market’."

"The ’Seafood Market’?"

"You know, ’Salted Fish’."

Brushing her hair back, Jiang Wanyi understood.

"Oh, I know that app, but I’m not very good with it. You’re right, though, I really could sell some of this stuff. There’s just so much of it. The property management has even complained a few times, but I could never bring myself to get rid of anything."

"Is it because you feel like she might need every single item someday?"

"You hit the nail on the head. That’s why I can’t bear to sell any of it."

"It’s all in your head."

Chen Yuan looked at Jiang Wanyi. "When are you planning to bring Mili back over?"

"Maybe tomorrow, or the day after. My mom might not let me bring her back today. Why do you ask?"

"We should find some time to clean this up before she gets back. Sell what we can sell. We can’t just let it keep piling up here."

"Today probably won’t work, I have to go to my mom’s for dinner. Let’s worry about it in a few days. It’s been like this for a long time; a few more days won’t hurt."