Chapter 309: Chapter 309

Le Tong smiled and gently patted Baobao’s little bottom, "Yes, Baobao is Mommy’s best sedative."

Ji Rui silently watched the mother and son playfully laugh for a while, then took a bottle of water, opened the cap, and handed it to Le Tong, asking, "Have all the procedures been completed?"

Le Tong was flattered and took the water, "Yes, basically everything is done. The rest will be followed up by the bank staff."

After taking a sip of water to moisten her throat, an energized Le Tong pinched Baobao’s cheeks, bringing back a bit of his rosy complexion.

"Sweetheart, Mommy is treating you and Daddy to a big meal today."

Regarding the house issue, Le Tong had already thanked Ji Rui, and although she felt grateful, she didn’t want to constantly express it verbally, so she used the meal as a means to convey her gratitude.

Ji Rui, however, wasn’t buying it, "Today’s meal is on me, to celebrate you having your own house. The meal you’re treating me to, can it be homemade?"

Le Tong had no objections, "Okay, Saturday then."

The three of them had a simple home-cooked meal at Ordinary People. On the way back, Baobao fell asleep directly in Le Tong’s arms.

Ji Rui glanced at the little one clinging to Le Tong with both hands tightly grasping her clothes, as if afraid she would sneak away.

"Are you tired? Let me hold him!"

Although Baobao was not yet six years old, his stature clearly took after Ji Rui’s, and after being ill for a while, he looked even lankier with long arms and legs.

Le Tong was also slim, and Ji Rui always worried Baobao would weigh her down.

"No need, passing him back and forth would wake him." Le Tong gently refused his kind offer.

Ji Rui stared at the pale arms wrapped around Baobao. Such slender hands, yet they could make a child so lacking in security feel at ease and rely on them.

Was it the power of a mother’s love? Or was it her own aura that made Baobao feel secure and trusting?

Ji Rui tried hard to recall the feeling of leaning against his mother as a child, but it had been so long that he couldn’t quite remember. He only knew it was a reassuring and yearning presence, like a source of light and warmth.

"It’s okay, no matter how long I hold him, I’m not tired."

Le Tong smiled at him, speaking softly, and as she felt Baobao stir slightly in her arms, she naturally patted his back to soothe him.

Seeing that he couldn’t persuade her, Ji Rui gave up. It wasn’t until the car reached Le Tong’s building that Le Tong had to hand the still-sleeping Baobao over to Ji Rui, because even though Baobao had lost quite a bit of weight, it was still unlikely for her to carry him upstairs.

Ji Rui carefully picked up Baobao, one hand under his little bottom, the other supporting his back, and let the little one’s head rest on his broad shoulder.

Le Tong, carrying his briefcase, followed him slowly up the stairs, listening to the man who, while carrying Baobao, asked steadily, "If you decide to renovate, where do you plan to live?"

Ji Rui always thought about coaxing Le Tong and her son to move in with him, but Le Tong had already prepared for this.

"I just asked the landlord, she said the place across is vacant now. If the house is renovated, I’m planning to rent the place opposite; moving will be easier then."

Ji Rui was disappointed but couldn’t say much.

"The place across is bigger, a two-bedroom apartment. If Baobao occasionally stays over, it won’t feel too cramped."

Ji Rui really wanted to say, if you move to my place, there’s even more space. But as those words came to his lips, he swallowed them, fearing they would annoy her.

"Lin Ling said, if your schedule is inconvenient, she can come over two nights to hand over at your place, because it’s not far from the company anyway."

Ji Rui didn’t mention that Lin Ling made this decision under his suggestion.

"No, I don’t want any special treatment, that would trouble Sister Ling too much."

Le Tong outright rejected his and Lin Ling’s goodwill. If being Baobao’s biological mother gave her special treatment at the Ji Family, she’d rather not return to work.

"Fine..." Ji Rui helplessly nodded.

He realized that the old Le Tong always found ways to anger him, while the current Le Tong always found ways to leave him helpless.

Back at home, after settling Baobao, Ji Rui’s friend arrived.

This designer, named Yuan, had been seen by Le Tong on TV and in gossip magazines, reputed as the most promising young designer who had worked on many celebrities’ apartments and clubs.

Le Tong only remembered that Mr. Yuan was adept at blending Western and Eastern elements into his designs, creating something innovative yet unobtrusive, which made his design fees shockingly expensive.

Thus, when she saw who had come through the door, she was slightly surprised.

She thought to herself that under no circumstances should she be tempted, otherwise not just a year’s salary, but even prepaying her wages for the next five years might not be enough to cover his design fee.

Unexpectedly, after Mr. Yuan came in and they exchanged introductions, he quickly scanned her house and directly stated before she could speak.

"Miss Le, although I’m skilled in small apartment designs, I’ve almost exclusively worked on large apartments or villas in recent years. It’s been a long time since I took on a small project. If you trust me, I can draft some sketches. Additionally, my design fees are very high, which you probably know already?"

Le Tong nodded, since he was so straightforward, she decided not to waste each other’s time and was about to say she’d find someone else.

However, Mr. Yuan suddenly added, "But I recently wanted to take on some small projects again. Therefore, for your design, I’ll only charge a fifth of my usual fee, but I have a request: the completed design will be used as a sample room for promotional purposes."

Struck by the suggestion of only charging a fifth of the design fee, Le Tong was momentarily speechless. After a while, she reacted, "A sample room for clients to visit?"

Although the discounted fee was tempting, having people frequently visiting would surely affect her normal life?!

But Mr. Yuan shook his head, "No, there’s no need to take clients there. It’s simply to have the room photographed from every angle once it’s furnished, then displayed as showcase images on our company’s promotional web page."

Le Tong widened her eyes at him, finding it hard to believe such a deal was real. The source of this content ɪs novelFirｅ.net

Mr. Yuan read the doubt in her eyes, "Does Miss Le find it unacceptable? Rest assured, we’ll only show comprehensive images of the room, without revealing any personal information. Are you sure you don’t want to consider it?"

Being offered such an opportunity, Le Tong guessed it was probably no coincidence, considering Ji Rui’s involvement. Reason told her to refuse, but her mouth agreed before her reason could take over.

[There are still two updates pending. There’s a matter at home that needs to be dealt with; once it’s settled, Zhu Zi will make up for the missed updates. In the meantime, updates will be three times a day as much as possible. Love you all.]