Episode 10

Shea invited her son and Zayn to lunch at an upscale restaurant that she and her son often visited. But for Zayn, it was his first time entering such a fancy place. He was truly amazed by the restaurant's service, not to mention its beautiful design.

"What do you want to eat?" Shea asked as she opened the menu.

"I'll just have fried rice," Zayn replied, making Shea stare in disbelief.

"Zayn, we're at a restaurant with a diverse menu, and you're only ordering fried rice? Even the maid at my house can make that," Shea exclaimed in surprise.

Zayn scratched his neck, which wasn't itchy. He had no idea what the menu offered. He worried that he wouldn't like anything and would end up wasting food.

"Then I'll just order for you. Haven't you ever been to a restaurant before?" Shea asked, to which Zayn shook his head.

Seeing this, Shea shook her own head. She chose dishes for Zayn and her son. Kai was a picky eater, so Shea had to be smart about selecting a menu that suited him.

"I ordered Coconut Green Ball for dessert; you have to try it. It tastes amazing," Shea said, giving a faint smile.

After finishing the order, Shea handed the menu back to the waiter who had taken their order. The three of them were left waiting for their food to arrive. While waiting, Shea played on her phone, glancing at an incoming email regarding her work. Meanwhile, Zayn engaged in light conversation with Kai.

"Kai, how old are you now?" Zayn asked, leaning closer to the adorable child.

"Four! Soon to be five, right Mommy? I got my pretty little crown from Grandma!" Kai replied with his amusing chatter. Zayn nodded, falling silent again as he thought about what question to ask Kai next.

"Uncle, I mean Daddy. Kai forgot to ask, when Daddy comes back home later, right?" Kai asked, which made Zayn look at Shea, who was still focused on her phone.

Zayn wrapped his arm around the little boy’s shoulders and brought his face closer, saying, "Not tonight. Daddy has to go back to his apartment. Later, you can come play at Daddy's place."

Kai furrowed his brow, his eyebrows sharply angled. The boy was trying hard to understand Zayn's words. Actually, Shea was listening to their conversation. The woman stayed quiet, staring at her phone screen while her ears caught every word from both men of different ages.

"Why? Daddy only lives in a small house? The house is small, ugly, and has no garden. The bathroom is also kind of weird; Daddy only lives in a room?" Kai said bluntly.

Shea swallowed hard, glancing at Zayn to gauge his reaction, worried he might be offended by the child's words. However, to her surprise, Zayn chuckled softly. He picked up Kai and hugged him gently.

"Why are you so terribly adorable, huh?" Zayn marveled.

Before long, their orders arrived. Zayn looked at all the dishes that his wife had ordered, furrowing his brow in confusion. He had never seen the foods she had chosen before; the only one he recognized was steak. The rest were new to him.

"This is pumpkin soup; you had a fever last night, right? This soup can help refresh you, give it a try," Shea said, presenting a bowl of pumpkin soup in front of Zayn.

Kai returned to his seat, reaching for his plate of food. He looked hungrily at the steak Shea had ordered for him. Kai loved it; he grabbed a fork and a knife. Just as he was about to dig in, he paused, scratching his chubby cheek, which wasn't itchy, and looked at his mommy, who was still focused on Zayn.

"Mommy, how do I eat this?" Kai whined.

"Hold on, Kai. Just eat something else for now," Shea replied, still concentrating on explaining the food they had ordered to Zayn.

"This is salmon; it tastes good. You've probably heard of it, right? Give it a try," Shea said, offering a small plate of salmon.

Zayn blinked his eyes, staring at the small salmon on the plate. "Where’s the rice?" he asked with his innocent gaze.

"Rice?"

"Yes, rice. With a salmon this small, how can I feel full without rice?" Zayn explained. This time, Shea was even more puzzled by their differences.

"There’s no rice, Zayn. Just eat it, it will fill you up," Shea commanded.

Reluctantly, Zayn ate it. It felt very strange to eat without rice. Shea continued to take care of her son. She felt like she was raising two children; if her eldest son were here, it would make three. However, it seemed Shea was enjoying her role at the moment.

"Daddy want to try? The taste is really good! But I still like the one from the school canteen better," Kai offered a piece of steak to his dad.

"Sure, feed Daddy," Zayn requested, opening his mouth.

As Kai was about to feed Zayn, suddenly his mommy beat him to it. Shea intentionally teased her son, feeding Zayn herself. Seeing this, Kai felt annoyed. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his nose flaring as he tried to hold back his sobs.

"Kai wanted to feed Daddy! Why is Mommy doing it instead!" Kai cried with a trembling voice.

Zayn closed his mouth, slowly chewing the food that Shea had fed with his heart swelling with happiness. His gaze shifted to Shea, who was laughing at her upset son. Suddenly, an idea popped into Zayn's mind. The man leaned closer to Shea, looking at her intently. The sight of Zayn so close made Shea's smile fade.

"Come on, feed me again. As the saying goes, if you only do it once, there won’t be a next time," Zayn said playfully.

"Really? I’ve never heard that saying before," Shea murmured.

"Alright then, open your mouth," the woman replied, returning to feed Zayn, of course, doing it in front of her son.

Seeing the intimacy between the two made Kai burst into tears. He held his spoon in a heartbreaking manner. After all, it was just about food. "Ekkk! You said you didn’t want a new daddy, but why does new daddy take mine too... Hiks... Mommy should just find a different daddy... hiks huaaa!"

"No way, this one belongs to Mommy," Shea teased, hugging Zayn's arm. Kai's cries ceased as he observed what Shea was doing. Not stopping there, Shea even kissed Zayn's cheek right in front of her son.

Thud!

Zayn held the cheek that Shea just kissed. His heart raced wildly; he felt butterflies dancing in his stomach. Zayn gazed at Shea, who was chuckling at her son's successful teasing. Her laughter made Zayn's heart race even faster.

"DADDY BALU KAAAAAIII! HUAAAA!"

"Mommy got him, you find your own. Later, Mommy..." Shea halted her teasing when she felt a warm kiss on her cheek. Her eyes shifted to Zayn, who was smiling at her.

"One to one," Zayn whispered right into Shea's ear, making the beautiful woman freeze in place.

"DADDY, WHY ARE YOU JOINING IN TOO! EKHEEEE! HUAAAA!" Kai slid down from his chair, stamping his body, causing the couple to break their gaze.

"Eh-eh! Kai!"

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