“Don’t mention it anymore, I truly have never disliked you. Just like when I was as fat as a pig, you never disliked me for that. “Duncan hurriedly said, “You are not ugly, not ugly at all. You weren’t ugly, you looked very cute back then.”“I was ugly, I hated my chubby self when I looked in the mirror.”It was forgivable to be foolish once, but she would not be foolish for the second time. She had to take good care of herself in the future, and never eat recklessly again.Before she lost weight, not only did she have fatty liver, but she also had high uric acid.After losing weight, the uric acid was normal, and the fatty liver was also reversed.“Liberty, you bought some toys for Sonny and new clothes for yourself, but you did not buy me anything,” Duncan changed the topic and became jealous of Sonny.“You have everything you need. Sonny is a child, he grows up fast, and he has to buy new clothes almost every year. Your height is set, and last year’s clothes can still be wor
Duncan listened to his mother.“I will, I will continue to do rehabilitation, and when you come back, I may be able to walk two or three yards away. By the way, how long will you be there?”After being silent for a moment, Liberty said, “I might have to stay until New Year’s, and I will go back for the festive season.”“That's quite long, what if Sonny misses you?”“He’s in Serenity’s hands, I’m not that worried when he’s with her. If he really misses me, I will go back to accompany him when I am free on the weekends. If I don't have time, I can only let Zachary send him over to reunite with me for two days."She was only going to get busier.In this short period of time, there would be very little time to spend with her son.“Since Sonny was born, Serenity helped take care of him. He can adapt to this, and New Year’s around the corner so it will be over in a blink of an eye.”“Actually, I miss you!”Duncan happened to just blurt it out.Sonny was just a decoy. The truth was,
The night went by. It was Sunday. Sonny, who did not have to go to preschool, woke up early. He knocked on Serenity’s door and Zachary opened the door for him. “Is Aunt Ser awake, Uncle Zak? I want to play with her.”Zachary took a few deep breaths. He told himself not to get angry at a child. He said gently, “It’s still early, Sonny. Why don’t you sleep a little longer? You usually insist on sleeping in even though you need to go to school, yet you’re up early on days you don’t have to.”Sonny pouted. “I couldn’t fall back asleep after waking up, Uncle Zak. There’s no one I can play with, so I came to look for Aunt Ser.”He was living in Zachary’s private villa in the city, not Wildridge Manor where he could have fun with other children without disturbing Serenity. Zachary lifted Sonny and said, “Serenity’s still asleep. I’ll play with you. What do you want to do?”“I want to play outside.”“Isn’t it better to play with toys indoors?”Sonny shook his head. “Playing w
“That’s great. I’m outside your house now. I see your butler coming to open the gate. Let’s talk when we meet.”After speaking, Ben hung up. Zachary was puzzled. He lowered his head to look at Sonny, who was looking at him too. “What’s wrong, Uncle Zak? Did something happen?” Sonny asked. Zachary patted his head and said, “Someone woke up early like you and came to visit.”He did not know what was going on either. Had something gone wrong with Remy and Elisa’s relationship? Did Ben come over to get him to persuade the couple?He could not do that. Serenity was more suited for the job. Soon, Ben drove Remy’s car into the villa and stopped at the courtyard. Before Ben got out of the car, the backseat door opened first. A flash of a small figure darting out of the car toward Zachary. “Sonny, Sonny. I’m here.”The small figure was none other than Laurence. “Laurence!”When Sonny registered it, he immediately flung Zachary’s hand away and jogged toward Laurence. The
Zachary found it hilarious. “No wonder they’re best friends. I was forced to take Sonny out because he knocked on my door.“Ben, why don’t you join us?”Zachary invited Ben and Laurence to go for a walk with them. Ben smiled. “Okay. I probably can’t fall back asleep anyway.”He told Laurence, “You can take Sonny to play ahead of us, but don’t go too far.”“It should be Sonny bringing Laurence around. You two are our guests. We should be proper hosts.”The children had already run off hand in hand. Ben said, “Laurence has a good memory. He memorized the route here after only one visit and could even remember the plants along the roads. He recognizes more plant species than me now.”Zachary said, “Look at who his mentor is. Dr. Carden is an expert in both medicines and poisons. Although Lilian did not spend much time teaching Laurence one-on-one, he had the miracle healer. He learned about many herbs during the time he spent with the miracle healer. They knew Laurence had a
Zachary ran ahead and Ben jogged after him. “Luckily, our families are close. Otherwise, I would’ve felt bad for disturbing you early in the morning.”The neighborhood was quiet. Only a few residents were having their morning runs. “Laurence is rarely here. I understand that he doesn’t waste a single second he can play with his friend.“He’s improved a lot. It’s obvious from the speed he ran after jumping out of the car. I think Sonny can never catch up to him.”Ben said, “Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Laurence’s downside is that he loves eating. He’s a total glutton. Whenever he’s home, he likes following Lee around and asking him to make all sorts of food for him. He still wants to eat even after his stomach is bloated.“Jane was worried that he’d overeat. It’s great that he’s training daily to burn off the calories.”“Kids are all like that. It’ll get better after they grow up. My nana said I was a glutton too when I was young. However, I think I changed afte
Since Laurence rarely visited, and his only friend in Wiltspoon was Sonny, Serenity could allow her nephew to take a day off school. Sonny nodded and guaranteed that it would only be this once. Laurence said, “I’ll come again during the summer or winter holidays, Aunt Seren. That way, no one will need to take a day off.”“Can you please tell Mom now, Aunt Ser?”Sonny wanted to confirm that he could get the day off as soon as possible, then he would be able to play to his heart’s content. Serenity looked toward Zachary, who looked away sheepishly. She scolded him mentally for pushing the responsibility to her. “Okay.”Serenity called her sister. When Liberty picked up, she said, “Liberty, Sonny has something to tell you.”After speaking, she handed the phone to Sonny, “You tell her.”He took the phone and told Liberty why he wanted to take a day off school. After repeating Serenity's words, Liberty agreed to let Sonny skip school for a day to accompany his friend. Sonny
Besides, Sonny had his strengths. He was better at reading and writing than Laurence. Although Laurence could read, he could not write well whereas Sonny was a good writer. He was one of the best among children his age. Uncle Zak told him that when he showered him with compliments. Uncle Zak would not lie to him; he was a husband and a CEO, so he would always speak the truth. With those thoughts, Sonny stopped pouting and pulled Laurence. “Let’s go and get something to eat. I’m hungry.”“I’m hungry too.”The boys happily hopped back into the house. …At the Newmans, Carrie stood far away from the villa’s gate and dialed Trenton’s number continuously. After some time, Trenton came out. When Carrie saw him, she walked over with a dark expression and slapped him across his face. It was resounding. Trenton did not expect his sister to slap him the moment he went to her. He thought she had specially come to see him because she knew he was returning to his university. Th
“I packed and checked everything, Dad. Nothing is missing,” said Sonny. He did not know that Hank was stalling. Hank did not want to take Sonny downstairs that quickly. “It’s okay even if I leave something behind. I’ll still come over to visit in the future, Dad. Didn’t you say this will always be my home?”Sonny thought he could simply take anything he left behind the next time he came. There was no need to ensure everything was packed.Wherever his mom and dad were would always be his home. Hank replied softly, “Yes. This is always your home. The doors will be open for you for as long as I’m here.“Go watch the TV with your grandparents first, Sonny. I’ll finish packing up soon. Your grandparents bought snacks for you. Remember to bring them with you.”Sonny did not lack anything when he lived with Duncan and Liberty. However, the things his grandparents bought for him held their sincerity. Hank hoped his son could get along with his parents and forget the fact that the
Dylan took a flight back to Wiltspoon on that day. It was the day when Liberty and Duncan went to pick Sonny up from the Brown family’s place. Sonny was only visiting for two days, yet Duncan had mentioned him almost every moment. He even had to be on a video call with Sonny every few hours. For the video calls to happen, Duncan even became shameless and connected with Hank on social media. It was so that he could call Sonny conveniently. Not only that, he even uploaded many lovey-dovey pictures of him and Liberty to make Hank see them and get jealous. Meanwhile, in the Brown family’s house, Hank was packing Sonny’s clothes. He slowly folded his son's clothes to stall for time. Duncan could wait downstairs, who had insisted on coming along with Liberty to pick Sonny up but did not want to head upstairs. Therefore, he had been waiting downstairs. Liberty did not want to enter the Browns’ house either. She waited downstairs and chatted with her old neighbors. Through them
After a moment of silence, Imogen said, “I didn’t know either. If Dylan didn’t mention anything, I wouldn’t have known about this.“I met and talked to Old Mrs. York when I visited the Yorks with my teacher. She’s a nice old lady. It was a pleasure talking to her and not stressful at all. I wouldn’t have guessed that she was that formidable just by looking at her.“As expected of someone whom the Buchams respect. Even my teacher was humble before her and dared not be arrogant. He said Old Mrs. York used to be a badass when she was young. She has contributed greatly to the York family’s achievements.“Her capability is also evident through the eight grandsons she had raised with her deceased husband.”Leticia said, “Doesn’t the York family have nine young masters?”“Rowan York is the youngest. He was mainly educated by his parents as well as his elder brothers and cousins. Although Old Mrs. York did give him some guidance, we can’t say that he was raised by Old Mr. and Mrs. York.”
Dylan suspected that Imogen was Fox. If they were indeed the same person, then it was true that he had only ever pursued Imogen.“Was he okay after standing outside for more than half an hour?” Winston asked.Leticia chimed in, “Jen had Wendy make him a bowl of hot soup. Knowing that the boy doesn’t like spicy food, I made sure she added plenty of spice. It was definitely spicy. Wendy said Jen made sure he finished it before leaving.”Imogen had made Dylan drink such spicy soup, but he was still willing to drink it for her. He was clearly doing this out of consideration for Imogen, not wanting to make things too awkward between their families.“Lucky for him,” Winston muttered.Imogen was speechless.“Why did he come looking for you, Jen?” Winston asked in concern. “Was he here to ask to reconcile? If that’s the case, you mustn’t agree too easily. He has to pursue you again, and for at least two years, before you even think about agreeing to be with him. He needs to know how to
After deciding to go home and plead with his grandmother, Dylan did not stay much longer at the Doyle household. However, he still pinched his nose and finished the bowl of soup after Imogen persuaded him to.She personally saw him off at the gate.“Mr. York, remember to see a doctor when you get back. Take some medicine for a few days, don’t be careless,” Imogen said, following him out mainly to remind him to get treated once he got home, so he would not end up with a serious illness.People who were usually very healthy tended to get very sick when they did fall ill.“My health is my responsibility. If I don’t feel well, I’ll definitely go see a doctor. Don’t worry about me, Ms. Doyle. Even if I fall sick because of what happened today, it’s my fault. I won’t blame you or your family,” Dylan said, thinking Imogen was concerned he might blame her father.He could not bring himself to hope for anything beyond that.Imogen smiled. “Please send my regards to Grandma May and Serenit
“Mr. York, are you really not going to give up? Are you going to keep chasing after her? What is it about her that I lack?”Imogen really wanted to know why Dylan could not fall for her when she interacted with him as her true self but instead, he fell head over heels in love with her when she wore a different identity.“Ms. Doyle, you’re a great person, really—you’re wonderful. It’s just that I’m not worthy of you,” Dylan replied sincerely. “There’s nothing about you that’s inferior to Fox. I don’t even know why I fell for her. Maybe it’s because I kept having the same dream of her over and over.“Before I approached you, I had already dreamt of Fox many times, and then I actually met her in real life. I guess, if you had to ask why I fell for Fox and not for you, I can only say it was because I had already fallen for her in my dream. When the dream became a reality, it felt natural.”Imogen was silent.“Actually, I only met the real Fox after I started getting closer to you. I k
Dylan said, “Go ahead.”He was a bit hungry too and wanted to eat.Imogen called for Wendy and instructed her to make a fresh pot of tea and serve some of the snacks she usually ate.Once Wendy finished preparing the tea, Imogen poured a cup for Dylan and said, “You can start your story now.”“Ms. Doyle, I’m not making up a story, I’m—Ms. Doyle, you are Fox, aren’t you?” Dylan asked again.“Mr. York, I’ve told you, I don’t know who Fox is. I only know a fox is an animal, like in the zoo. If you ask me again if I’m Fox, I’ll think you’re calling me a vixen.”“‘Fox’ is just a nickname, meaning she’s very cunning and deceptive. I call her Chameleon Fox for her ability to shape-shift into many different identities. She changes so much that people mistake her for many different people, but in reality, she’s only one person.”Imogen looked quite interested and said, “Oh, so you think I’m Chameleon Fox, who likes to deceive people? Do you have any evidence for this?”“No, I don’t.”“
Couples always talked about eternal love, but how many could truly last forever?Dylan stammered, unable to say anything. Could he say that he suspected she was Fox? It was just a guess, with no evidence.Under Imogen’s gaze, Dylan steeled himself and spoke honestly, “I came to apologize to you.”Imogen raised an eyebrow. “Apologize? You already apologized to me the last time we spoke. There’s no need to apologize again. I’m not angry at you. When it comes to matters of the heart, it’s all about reciprocation. You can’t force it.“Feelings can’t be pressured into existence, so I won’t pressure you to accept me.“Plus, it’s been so long, and I have no feelings for you anymore. For that, I should thank you for clearing things up for me early on. At that time, I had just started to like you and could give up so quickly because of that.”Dylan, embarrassed, said, “Ms. Doyle, it’s not about that. Recently, I… secretly followed you.”“You followed me? Why?” Imogen pretended to be clue
“Drink it while it’s hot. Only when it’s steaming will it have the best effect to ward off the cold.”Dylan nodded, wiping his nose with a tissue. He threw the tissue into the trash bin, but when he saw that the bin was full of tissues, he felt even more embarrassed.He picked the steaming hot soup up carefully and took a big sip.It was so spicy!The spice almost made him spit it out. Remembering that Imogen was right next to him, he forced himself to swallow it. After just one sip, Dylan put the bowl down.“Ms. Doyle, the soup is too hot. I’ll drink it later,” he said.It was too spicy. He did not want to take a second sip.“I’ll take the medicine first,” he added.Compared to drinking the soup, Dylan would rather take the medicine. The medicine might be bitter, but he could handle it.Imogen immediately called him out. “You’re afraid of the spice and you don’t want to drink the soup, do you?”Dylan sneezed again and then poured himself some water to take the medicine.Hav