C11 Motherly Feeling 

"What? Your surname is Lu?!"

Xia Yun yelled out in disbelief. Too stunned to speak, her legs gave way and she collapsed in a heap at the bed corner.

"Yes."

Lu Zhining spoke meekly as he tried to make herself as small as possible while being perched on a stool in the corner. His head was tilted downwards and it was clear that he was avoiding eye contact. At one glance, he looked exactly like a student who had just gotten scolded by his teacher for making a mistake. "My full name is Lu Zhining."

Ning... Lu Zhining...

How could this make any sense? A frown emerged on Xia Yun's face as she tried to comprehend what was going on. "Then why did you insist on being called Ning in kindergarten?"

Even back then, Xia Yun was puzzled as to why he was simply called Ning. Out of curiosity, she even questioned the director about Ning's full name. However, even the director himself had no clue! He knew almost nothing about Ning, except for the fact that he came from a wealthy family.

At the mention of his full name, the expression on Lu Zhining's face visibly darkened. His head still lowered, he spat out firmly, "I hate Lu Fengting. I despise anything related to him, especially the surname Lu."

The spite and hatred emanating from the young boy's words had Xia Yun stunned and at a loss for words.

Xia Yun always had the impression that Lu Fengting did not care about Lu Zhining. For the past few months, the only person who picked him up from kindergarten was his nanny. She realized that she had never even seen Qian Feng before. Her heart went out to Lu Zhining, it was obvious he didn't care about his son at all.

Lu Zhining must have never felt the love of a father.

"Ning, what about your mother?"

As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, Xia Yun regretted it instantly.

Unsurprisingly, Lu Zhining's face transformed into a grimace, as if the very thought pained him physically. "I... I don't know. I don't know anything about her — who she is, her name, or even what she looks like—" He broke off before his emotions got the best of him. "I even asked Lu Fengting about her, but he refused to tell me anything.

The painful expression on Lu Zhining's face was too much for Xia Yun to bear. Her heart aching, she sighed before walking over to gently hold him in a motherly embrace.

With the warm arms wrapped around him, Lu Zhining's tense shoulders immediately relaxed, comforted by the warm embrace. Although his eyes were already filled with tears, he refused to let himself cry in front of Xia Yun. The two stood there in a comfortable silence as Xia Yun simply held him quietly to comfort him. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke up. "Teacher, you won't blame me, right?"

Xia Yun sighed at the fact that a young child felt the need to take responsibility. "I don't blame you. You're only an innocent child. The one at fault is that pervert Lu Fengting."

The very mention of Lu Fengting had her gritting her teeth out of hatred for the man.

While deep in thought, Xia Yun suddenly remembered about Ning's wishlist. It bewildered her that such a young child could write something like that on his own."Actually...Ning, did you come up with your wishlist yourself?" Xia Yun asked.

"I got it from the Internet." Lu Zhining answered innocently with wide eyes.

Xia Yun already had her suspicions and shook her head helplessly in response. As expected, a five-year-old child would not write such a detailed wishlist— especially of a wedding ceremony.

Still, a lot of things didn't make sense to her. She decided to voice out all her doubts to the young boy because she knew he would answer them earnestly. "Why did you think of saving me?" Xia Yun asked.

"I got worried because they cut off my signal. I couldn't see you." Lu Zhining spoke softly with his gaze lowered.

A young child shouldn't be worried about this—he should be having fun and playing games with his friends! Hearing Lu Zhining voice out his worries, Xia Yun felt troubled. Unsure of how to respond initially, she turned to Lu Zhining with a smile, "Thank you, Ning. If you don't save me, I will really be in trouble."

"You're thanking me?"

Lu Zhining's small face was full of disbelief.

"Yes."

Xia Yun nodded her head earnestly.

At a loss for words, Lu Zhining lips trembled as he was overcome with emotion. "Teacher..."

Lu Zhining narrowed the distance between them and jumped into Xia Yun's arms. Although he was acting selfishly, Xia Yun didn't punish or blame him. Instead, she had unexpectedly thanked him. Gratefulness washed over his tiny body and he felt warm all over. Is this how it felt to have a mother?

After what seemed like an eternity, Lu Zhining glanced up at Xia Yun. His eyes glimmering with hope, he asked her seriously, "Xia Yun, will you stay and be my mother?"

Xia Yun hesitated, wondering how to respond to his unexpected question. No matter what, she refused to stay! She shook her head firmly, much to Lu Zhining's disappointment. Realizing that Lu Zhining was affected by her strong disapproval to stay, she softened her tone before she patted his small head. "Ning, you're still young. Marriage is not as simple as you think it is."

"Oh."

Lu Zhining said simply, trying to understand the woman, but he couldn't hide his disappointment.

Although Lu Zhining's dejected expression broke Xia Yun's heart, she knew that she had no choice but to do this. She knew, no matter what—she couldn't live under the same roof as Lu Fengting! No matter how hard she thought about this, it was impossible for her!

Having had the final say, she lifted Lu Zhining with ease and tucked him into bed. With a smile adorning her face, she said, "Ning, sleep early. You still have to go to kindergarten tomorrow.

"Please come with me tomorrow morning," Lu Zhining said expectantly.

"I can't, Ning." Xia Yun shook her head in response. "I need to do something before going to the kindergarten so I'll be late. Wait for me there, okay?"

"Oh, okay."

Lu Zhining obediently closed his eyes, ready to sleep. In moments, the young boy was seemingly fast asleep and snoring lightly. Thinking that he was already fast asleep, Xia Yun leaned over him.

"Happy birthday Ning."

Xia Yun whispered these words into his ear.

After tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear, she then laid in the empty spot next to Lu Zhining. She was now staring at the ceiling with a hint of strong determination in her eyes.

She was certain. She was going to find Lu Fengting and convince him into divorcing her tomorrow morning.

It's been a long and hectic day. Nonetheless, she was confident that tomorrow would go smoothly as planned. One thing was for certain—she was definitely going to divorce him!

After a while, Xia Yun quickly relaxed and fell into a deep slumber.

Unbeknownst to her, Lu Zhining was still awake. Sensing that Xia Yun had fallen asleep, he peeked at her sleeping face to check. He slithered quietly off the bed while his hand in front of her face to confirm that she was truly asleep. Heaving a sigh of relief at her lack of response, Lu Zhining then tiptoed out of the room.