Chapter 304: Chapter 304

Le Tong is a sensitive and attentive person, especially when it comes to Ji Rui; her perception tends to become even sharper.

Thus, the changes in Ji Rui’s facial expressions and emotions quickly affected her.

She quietly glanced at Ji Rui, quickly finished the cake in her hand, and gently closed the box lid.

Ji Rui’s initially gloomy face turned because of Le Tong’s subtle action.

"Why aren’t you eating?" His tone was much softer than when he spoke to the driver.

Le Tong tilted her head and gave him a sly smile, "You said you’d treat me to a big meal, you weren’t planning to back out, were you?"

Ji Rui’s previously somber mood lightened a bit because of her smile.

"I wouldn’t dare. If I backed out, you’d definitely speak ill of me to Baobao."

Le Tong blinked and laughed, "You got it right!"

Ji Rui couldn’t help but lift the corners of his lips, "Not getting it right isn’t an option. Baobao alone is enough to make me surrender, let alone with you added."

He found that Le Tong not only had the ability to frustrate him.

Similarly, she also had the ability to lift his mood.

Oh well, the old man has been interfering with his affairs for ages; he’ll make a call later tonight to discuss it. There’s no need to affect the good mood of the woman in front of him.

He glanced at the endless stream of traffic outside, raised his hand to take the box placed behind her, opened it, pinched a piece himself, and then handed it to her.

"Have some more, this chef’s cake is very authentic, Baobao loves it."

Le Tong stared at him for a moment, noticing that the gloom on his face had vanished without a trace. Now, he was calmly and elegantly savoring a piece of cake.

She reached out, pinched a piece, and put it in her mouth, chewing it carefully, "Baobao can’t eat things too sweet right now, this cake was specially made to suit Baobao’s current taste, right?"

Ji Rui hadn’t noticed before, but as she pointed it out, he grabbed another piece and tasted it carefully. Indeed, as Le Tong said, compared to before, the sweetness was much milder today, but the chef’s skills were excellent, making the cake delicious even without much sweetness.

"Everyone is genuinely good to Baobao!"

Le Tong didn’t explicitly mention the old man but spoke generally.

But Ji Rui knew very well that what Le Tong meant was precisely the old man’s kindness to Baobao.

Perhaps he was overthinking it, and the old man was simply concerned about his precious grandson, as Le Tong implied.

"Do you always think of things this way?"

Ji Rui gazed at Le Tong, his tone composed, without any malice. He was discreetly asking if she always tended to think positively of people.

This time, Le Tong didn’t play dumb and thought it over.

"Not entirely, I do overthink sometimes. Everything has two sides, and I consider both the good and the bad, but I usually choose to think of the good first, while also being mentally prepared for the worst."

Clearly, she understood what he was saying.

She spoke quite casually, but Ji Rui knew that someone who hadn’t experienced significant life challenges couldn’t summarize things so simply yet wisely.

This made him wonder how, after learning about her mother’s illness, as a mere teenager, she managed to endure those difficult and dark days?

"You’re pretty amazing, and it must have been tough for you," Ji Rui sincerely praised Le Tong.

Previously, Ji Rui had also remarked she was amazing, but it was filled with disdain and sarcasm. Now, however, his words were genuinely complimentary.

Le Tong quickly realized he was referring to her mother’s illness when he mentioned it was tough for her.

She shrugged nonchalantly and gave him an indifferent smile.

"I’m not amazing at all, I’m actually a useless crybaby. But, for me back then, my mom was everything, so I had no choice but to carry on! Actually, everyone goes through difficult times, and when you’re down to only two choices, you naturally choose the right one, and just like that, you become brave."

Mentioning that dark period, Le Tong could now face it calmly.

In her words, she wasn’t remarkable back then; she simply made the right choice that any daughter who deeply loved her mother would make.

With a calm demeanor as if telling someone else’s story, Le Tong’s face showed a faint smile, and the light in her eyes hadn’t dimmed even a bit because of those dark days. She seemed to be a magnet with super-strong attraction, firmly drawing Ji Rui’s gaze to her face.

"No matter what, it’s quite challenging."

Even Ji Rui himself didn’t realize that when he said this, his perpetually expressionless face showed a bit of softness, and his tone carried an unconscious touch of tenderness and pity.

Le Tong wasn’t looking at him, so she didn’t notice the change in his expression.

"Compared to what my mom went through, my situation is nothing," her tone remained calm.

Ji Rui felt more and more drawn to her, realizing that Le Tong was someone brimming with positive energy, and any big issue seemed insignificant when it came to her.

From Baobao’s illness, it was evident enough to reflect her optimistic and tenacious character.

If she wasn’t Baobao’s own mother, her ability to smile while taking care of Baobao wouldn’t be a surprise.

But she genuinely is Baobao’s biological mother, and she loves him immensely, yet she can still maintain such positivity in the face of adversity, indicating that her inner strength is strong enough to be Baobao’s protector.

"Le Tong, I’m very glad that you are Baobao’s mommy!" Ji Rui said sincerely.

The closer he got to her, the more he understood her, the more he admired her.

Vaguely, there was also some regret, wondering how he had viewed her with prejudice before?

Had he really mistaken her for some scheming, materialistic woman eager to climb into a rich family?

Le Tong had been watching the traffic outside, but upon hearing his words, she abruptly turned to look at him, seriously observed him for a few moments, then gave him a bright smile.

"Do you feel like you’ve struck gold, randomly hitting a jackpot by meeting someone as talented, virtuous, and upbeat as me?"

Ji Rui’s heart raced uncontrollably, dazzled by her radiant smile, as he looked dazed at her face, slightly smug and arrogant.

Le Tong, not getting a response from him, feeling his gaze made her uneasy, lightly coughed twice, and awkwardly turned to look out the window at the cars. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel★fire.net

"Mr. Ji, you’re really not fun! Couldn’t you just go along and compliment me a bit..."

Le Tong said, to cover up her awkwardness and the inexplicable shyness that suddenly arose.

Ji Rui still did not blink, gazing at her, "If I compliment you, will you agree to move in with Baobao?"

Le Tong was taken aback for a moment, but quickly gave him an answer, "No!"