TMDP CH 14

Chapter 14: Don’t Be Upset, It’s Not That I Hate Watermelon…

Xia Ye stood up, announcing his intention to leave. The others looked at him in confusion, unsure why his usually calm demeanor had suddenly turned so pale and strained. Han Junzhou even asked, “Are you alright? Feeling unwell?”

“Xia Li, I said we’re leaving. We’re going home.” Xia Ye, disregarding formalities and ignoring Junzhou’s concern, urgently wanted to leave, unable to stay even a moment longer.

Han Mingxiu, equally anxious, stood up to try and explain, knowing what had suddenly triggered Xia Ye’s reaction.

“Xia Ye, don’t be upset—it’s not that I hate watermelon…” Xia Ye finally looked at him, his gaze filled with such intense emotion that it stopped Mingxiu mid-sentence.

Yes, I know. It’s not that you hate watermelon. You hate me.

Xia Ye’s gaze was cold and severe, with a hint of hurt and pain. Mingxiu realized there was no way Xia Ye would stay tonight. Reluctantly, he said, “Xia Li’s things are upstairs in his room. I’ll go get them.” Mingxiu then trudged up the stairs, dejected.

Upon hearing Mingxiu mention his room, Xia Li seemed to come alive, wriggling in his high chair and asking to go down, insisting he wanted to show his dad.

Aunt Juan looked to the family heads for approval, and Mrs. Han, with a barely perceptible sigh, gave a small nod, allowing Aunt Juan to lift Xia Li down and hand him to Xia Ye.

“Daddy, come see!” Xia Li pointed toward the stairs, eager to show Xia Ye the room he had been staying in. “Daddy, come up and see…”

Xia Ye hesitated, standing there without moving.

Mrs. Han gently encouraged, “Xia Ye, why don’t you go see what Xia Li wants to show you? You can also double-check that he hasn’t left anything behind. That way, you won’t have to make another trip if anything’s missing.”

Xia Ye looked at the polite smile on Mrs. Han’s face, feeling it hard to resist her kindness. Forcing a smile in return, he said stiffly, “Alright, I’ll go take a look.”

He carried Xia Li upstairs, and as he turned a corner, he spotted a room with the door left ajar. Han Mingxiu was awkwardly perched on a tiny chair clearly meant for Xia Li, his long legs folded up, and his bottom half-hanging off the seat. He was holding a small yellow rubber duck and staring blankly at the bed. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Xia Ye and Xia Li standing in the doorway.

“Hey, I—I’m just packing,” Han Mingxiu stammered, looking guilty. The duffel bag on the bed was still empty; he hadn’t packed a thing.

“Daddy, here,” Xia Li said happily. He slipped out of Xia Ye’s arms, pulling him into the room and guiding him to sit on his small bed, directly across from Han Mingxiu. Xia Ye didn’t want to look at him at all, so he turned his head, taking in the room instead. It was an adorable children’s room: the top half of the walls was decorated with blue sky and white clouds, while the bottom half was painted a fresh green meadow dotted with tiny yellow flowers. Butterflies and bees adorned the walls, and the bed was made with Xia Li’s favorite dinosaur bedding, giving the entire room a lively, cozy feel, like a cartoon forest.

Xia Li ran around the room, opening a set of drawers built into a low cabinet by the wall, which was packed with various toys. Carefully, he picked them up to show Xia Ye, eagerly introducing each one like it was a treasure: “Look, Daddy, dinosaurs, cars, robots…” Xia Li piled the dinosaurs into Xia Ye’s arms, so many that some spilled onto the bed. Xia Ye looked at each one as Xia Li explained, seeing what seemed like an entire dinosaur family. In addition to the dinosaurs, there was a family of toy cars, a family of robots, a family of battleships, a family of small planes… and two boxes of LEGO bricks stacked in a corner. In just a few days, Xia Li had built his own little kingdom here in the Han household.

“They’re all gifts from Grandpa, Grandma, and Daddy,” Xia Li said slowly, carefully forming each word.

“Daddy?” Xia Ye looked at Xia Li in shock, asking, “Who’s Daddy?”

Xia Li pointed to Han Mingxiu, then dragged over a large dinosaur plush almost his size, saying, “Daddy gave it to me.”

Han Mingxiu looked at Xia Li awkwardly. This was a moment they had rehearsed repeatedly, hoping that Xia Ye might soften when he saw Xia Li’s innocent, happy smile and agree to stay. But Xia Ye had already lost his temper downstairs, and now clearly wasn’t the time to put on a show. Mingxiu could only shake his head at Xia Li with a pained smile.

But Xia Li, still less than three years old, couldn’t sense the tension between the adults or understand that Mingxiu’s smile was forced. He earnestly recited the lines they had practiced, saying in a clear, complete sentence, “Daddy, I like it here. Can we stay?” Xia Li turned back to Mingxiu, looking proud of himself and waiting to be praised.

Mingxiu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and the room fell into a momentary silence, like the calm before a tsunami. But then Xia Ye’s repressed rage surged forward like an overwhelming wave, exploding violently in the cartoon-themed room.

Xia Ye snapped. He abruptly stood, snatched the plush toy from Xia Li’s hands, and threw it at Han Mingxiu with all his strength, yelling furiously at Xia Li, “Who told you to call him Daddy? What did I teach you? Don’t accept things from strangers, have you forgotten? Where are your manners?” He was so angry that tears streamed down his face. “All these toys won you over, and now you want to stay? Huh?” He grabbed a plastic dinosaur by its tail and threw it hard, hitting a box of LEGO bricks, scattering pieces all over the floor.

He stood there, trembling with a mix of anger and fear, then turned his outburst on the little boy, yelling, “Even you don’t want me anymore, is that it? You want to stay here, abandon me, is that it?” Xia Ye’s vision blurred with tears, his throat raw from yelling. With a sob, he collapsed to the floor, hugging his legs tightly, and broke down, crying uncontrollably. Xia Li was stunned, having never been scolded by Xia Ye before, and certainly never like this.

Over three years, Xia Ye thought he’d already hit rock bottom every time he felt despair, only to discover that rock bottom had holes, and beneath the holes, there were pits, each one deeper than the last.

Xia Ye cried as if his heart were being torn apart.



T/L: Noooo… the poor baby T.T

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– End of chapter –

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