Chapter 134 - I just want to see Mum

The boy named Caleb sighed dramatically. He then glanced at Xiao Lei and murmured, "I'm sorry..."

The man put Caleb down on the floor, and with his arms akimbo, he asked slowly so that his son could read his lips, "Why are you being so mean to your nanny?"

Caleb sighed and signed, "I just want to see Mum."

The man patted the boy's head and looked at Xiao Lei. He then explained in an apologetic tone, "I'm really sorry about my son's behavior. He's just acting out because my wife went away for a couple of days. He has never been away from his mother for more than one day." 

Xiao Lei waved her hand nonchalantly. "It's fine." 

She then looked at Caleb and said sternly but slowly, "Remember! You can't tell such a serious lie like that. Otherwise, no one will believe you in the future." 

Caleb sighed and nodded. With a pout, he leaned against his father's thighs as if he wanted his father to get rid of this woman quickly.

The man chuckled as he patted his young son's back. Over the past two years, Caleb had grown to be extremely fond of his parents, to the point that he would behave like a spoilt child whenever he could not see his parents.  

"Where's your hearing aid?" the man signed at his son when he noticed that the hearing aid that Caleb usually wore wasn't at his ear.

His son smiled awkwardly as he signed back. "I threw it away cause I was angry."

The man knocked the boy's head with a knuckle before he signed, "You're lucky your mum's not here. Otherwise, she'll be upset." 

Caleb nodded. He held his father's hand and with puppy dog eyes, he signed, "I'm tired... and I broke my Switch"

The man chuckled and carried his son up in his arms again. "I'll buy 10 more for you if you want..."

He then looked at Xiao Lei and said, "I feel bad for what my son did. How about you buy whatever you want here? I'll pay for it."

"What if I want to buy the entire store?" Xiao Lei joked. 

The man laughed. "So be it."

Another well-dressed man in glasses walked in and bowed at the boy's father before he said, "Mr. Tan, is everything alright?" 

"Yeah. Just my son messing around as usual. Please tell your boss that I'll end the meeting here. Otherwise, my son will blow up the entire mall with his tantrum." 

The glasses-wearing man nodded and left the store. 

After he left, Caleb's father turned to Xiao Lei and asked, "May I know your name, miss?"

"I'm Xiao Lei." 

"Nice meeting you, Xiao Lei. I'm William. I hope I'd be able to see you again, Ms. Xiao Lei, but for now, I think I'll leave you and your son alone. And I meant what I said earlier. Buy anything you want. It's on me," said the man. 

With his son resting in his arms, he then walked to the cashier and talked to the manager of the store. After that, he left the store after waving goodbye to Xiao Lei and Xiao Zhihao. 

"Weird man..." Xiao Zhihao muttered. 

"Yeah..." Xiao Lei shrugged. She then smiled and said to her son, "Since someone is paying, we must make good use of it." 

"Come on! We can't take advantage of people!" 

"We are not. We are just letting people reduce their moral debt. Besides, I'm only going to get you one set of dinner attire, not the entire store. Did you see his watch? That's a Patek! He can afford to get you a set of clothes. Now, go! We still have my clothes to buy." 

Xiao Lei thought for a moment before he said, "I know you're getting triple your salary, but is it worth it? I mean... You have to deduce the expenses." 

"I know..." Xiao Lei nodded. "I'll ask my boss if it's claimable. Now go and try on something. Stop worrying about money!" 

After Xiao Zhihao groaned and dragged his feet back into the changing room, Xiao Lei sent Han Ye a text. 

[ My dear boss... Just wanna ask. Can I claim for the dress? ]

Less than 10 seconds later, she received a reply. 

[ No. ]

Xiao Lei groaned and typed. 

[ Why not? This is for work! ]

Han Ye's reply was : [ Because you're supposed to own a dress. You know. On account of being a woman. ]

[ That's s.e.xist! Can I not go then? ]

[ No. ]

Xiao Lei sighed.

[ *angry emoji* ]

Han Ye was at home at the moment, and he laughed when he saw the angry emoji. "This woman... Does she think that this is how people talk to their boss?" 

He then quickly typed a reply. 

[ *evil emoji ]

[ Fine. Whatever. I'm going to wear the cheapest dress I can find! ]

[ Up to you. If you embarrass President Du because of this, I won't be able to protect you. ]

Xiao Lei groaned while thinking about the poor money that she was about to spend on a dress that she would probably wear once or twice. "Why am I spending so much money before I even get my first salary?" 

Shaking her head, she decided to put the money matter aside for now. 

When her son finally came out dressed in a white shirt with light blue blazer and pants, her eyes went wide open. She then squealed and hugged him. "Oh my god! My son is a boy Adonis!" 

"Mummmm!" Xiao Zhihao groaned as his face turned red from embarrassment while the salesgirls nearby giggled among themselves. Not knowing where to hide his face, he ran back into the changing room.

...

At about 6 pm, 

Xiao Lei and Xiao Zhihao was getting ready when they heard a knock on the door. Xiao Lei was about to leave her room to answer the door when she heard her son yelling, "I'm getting the door!" 

She then went back to continue her makeup.

"Hey," Tian Le said when Xiao Zhihao opened the door for him. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with his hair gelled back, and in his hands, he was holding a big box and an elegant gold-colored bag. "Are you guys ready?" 

"Almost. My mum's still putting on her makeup. Come on in," Xiao Zhihao said. 

Tian Le walked into the house and when he noticed the younger teenager looking at the things he brought, he chuckled and said, "My brother Han Ye told me to give this to your mother."

"Oh." Xiao Zhihao knocked on his mother's door, and when Xiao Lei told him to "come in", he opened the door. "Brother Han Ye sent something over."

Tian Le looked at Xiao Lei's long-sleeved satin black dress that reached her knees and frowned. She was beautiful, but the sight was a little off. The dress made her appear older than she was.

"Sister Xiao Lei, the dress doesn't suit you."

"I told her so. She insisted on buying it." Xiao Zhihao shook his head. 

"What's wrong with it? It's quite pretty," Xiao Lei said with a pout. It was one of the cheapest and more presentable dress that she could find. 

"Yeah, it's pretty, but it doesn't suit you. Maybe you should try this," Tian Le said as he held up the bag. "Also, this is a pair of heels," he said while placing the box down on the floor. 

Xiao Lei took the bag. She placed it on the bed and took out the dress inside. 

It was a bareback long sequin light blue lace dress that reached her ankle. When she was holding it, the light that was reflecting across the beads made the dress appear eye-catching. Her mouth was slightly parted as she touched the soft material on the dress.

"Wow... That looks pretty..." Xiao Zhihao mumbled as he touched the dress. 

"Brother Han Ye pulled some strings to get this dress altered in a short notice..." Tian Le grinned. He was standing with his arms folded as he said, "He can be pretty reliable for this kind of stuff..." 

However, Xiao Lei merely stared at the dress for a moment before she carefully put it back into the bag. She then handed it back to Tian Le and with a smile, she said, "I don't need this."

"Why? My brother said you don't have to pay for this. It's his present for you, for being smart." 

"It's fine. Help me thank him, but I'll wear my own dress." 

Tian Le frowned but he did not press the matter further. Instead, he said, "Alright then. I'll take this back for now. Brother Han Ye went to pick up his girlfriend, so you'll be coming with us later, alright? We are leaving at 6.30 pm."

After Tian Le left, Xiao Zhihao asked Xiao Lei, "Mum, why don't you wear that dress for now? You can return it to Brother Han Ye later."

"No... It doesn't suit me." Xiao Lei said calmly. However, when Xiao Zhihao left the room, a single drop of tear fell from the corner of her eyes. She rolled her eyes back and tried not to mess up her makeup. Once her emotions calmed down, she muttered sadly, "How can someone like me wear something like that..."

...