Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Whenever Xu Yinuan saw Lin Jiaxu struggling to connect with other children, and clearly exhibiting behaviors unlike those of typical kids or even ordinary people, she would feel a pang of regret, wondering if her initial decision had been a mistake.

Yet, the moment she saw the child's rosy lips and pearly teeth, obediently keeping her company, she would immediately cast aside those unsettling thoughts and reaffirm her original choice.

She even felt a certain gratitude for her persistence, which had blessed her with such a lovely child to accompany her now.

Looking at the water offered to her and hearing the child's innocent concern, all her worries instantly dissolved.

Suppressing the anxiety in her heart, she said gently, "Thank you, Jia Jia."

After drinking, Xu Yinuan's dry throat felt a little better. Still, recalling the child's earlier actions, she asked Lin Jiaxu to sit beside her.

Xu Yinuan leaned down and softly asked, "Jia Jia, don't you like playing with other children?"

Lin Jiaxu answered without hesitation: "No."

"Why not?"

Lin Jiaxu tilted his head, pondering whether to speak his true thoughts.

He knew his mother deeply wished for him to lead an ordinary, mundane life, filled with simple joys and common happiness, just like any other child.

Even though Lin Jiaxu understood that he might not be capable of this, he still diligently tried to follow his parents' wishes, masking his true self in front of others.

"Can you tell Mommy the reason?" Xu Yinuan asked patiently.

"They're noisy, foolish, and as irritating as flies," he stated, voicing his genuine feelings.

Hearing this, Xu Yinuan had only one thought: *Just as I suspected.*

She wasn't surprised by Lin Jiaxu's response.

His expression when observing others had never changed—it remained detached and indifferent, like a chronicler or observer from the sidelines. An unbridgeable chasm always separated him from other children.

Nevertheless, a shadow of worry inevitably clouded Xu Yinuan’s pale face.

Over the past seven years, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that Lin Jiaxu wasn't a monster but an ordinary person, she couldn't ignore his profoundly unusual behaviors.

Lin Jiaxu’s peculiarities couldn't be hidden from his parents; it was only through their deliberate protection that he had grown up safely to this day.

Although they repeatedly told themselves that Lin Jiaxu was simply born with an illness, that he was frail and autistic, both parents knew with painful clarity that their child wasn't truly ill.

They had an unspoken agreement to tell others that the child had mild autism.

This approach transformed the gazes of relatives and friends into sympathy and pity, significantly reducing intrusive curiosity. Upon hearing they had a "problem child," people would merely show compassion, pity, or a sudden understanding, without delving deeper into the child’s behavior.

This brought them immense relief, yet Xu Yinuan simultaneously worried about her child’s future and education.

Lin Jiaxu’s condition was far more severe than outsiders realized. His emotions were muted; he lacked interest in people and everything around him, as if everyone else were merely ants by the roadside, indistinguishable from one another.

Xu Yinuan knew all too well how much this child disliked people, and he made no effort to conceal his aversion and rejection.

Even though he hadn’t shown any harmful tendencies, it was enough to deeply concern both parents. After all, illness was merely an excuse, not a true solution.

Countless times, she had wished for Lin Jiaxu to be like other children—ordinary, attending kindergarten, going to elementary school, running and playing, happily making friends…

But years passed, and no matter how hard Xu Yinuan tried, Lin Jiaxu never changed his demeanor. His calm eyes would only show a flicker of emotion when Xu Yinuan was present.

If other people’s children were angels, then theirs was the devil himself, cloaked in an angelic guise.

As Lin Jiaxu grew older, Xu Yinuan and Lin Cheng understood this with increasing clarity, leaving no room for self-deception.

The only person he allowed to approach was his mother.

As for his father, Xu Yinuan had never heard her child call Lin Cheng "Dad," nor had his nominal and biological father ever insisted on being addressed as such.

It was a family held together by a facade, where everyone wore a mask, yet felt powerless to remove it.

In the past, Xu Yinuan often thought that their family might disintegrate before Lin Jiaxu even grew up.

But until then, she would do her utmost to maintain their precarious household.

Snapping back to reality, she wasn't discouraged by Lin Jiaxu’s answer and continued patiently, "Should Mom ask them to leave? I can make sure they don’t come back."

Lin Jiaxu looked at her with a hint of innocent confusion. "You can?"

Only at moments like these could Xu Yinuan sense that, beyond his inherent differences, Lin Jiaxu was genuinely pure and naive, much like any ordinary child learning to navigate this world and human society.

"Of course. As long as you don’t want to, Mom won’t force you," Xu Yinuan affirmed.

"No need, it’s fine as it is."

Lin Jiaxu lowered his head.

He considered the adults he had seen nearby, whose gazes were far more complex, and decided that the slightly noisy but more clear-eyed and simple-minded children were still somewhat tolerable. So he declined his mother's offer.

Because Xu Yinuan wanted him to be an ordinary child, he was willing to accept the proximity of those children, even if it meant just sitting there in silence.

Xu Yinuan seemed to have anticipated his answer.

She knelt down, looking earnestly into Lin Jiaxu’s eyes, and said, "Mom wants you to be happy, truly happy. My Jia Jia doesn’t need to be extraordinary; just being a good child makes Mom very happy."

Lin Jiaxu looked up, and his eyes, which usually appeared dull and lifeless, seemed to gain a touch of vitality.

"I also want Mom to always be happy."

"Mom feels the same way."

In that instant, Xu Yinuan understood Lin Jiaxu’s thoughts. She stroked his soft hair gently and smiled.

Lin Cheng always claimed this child had no heart, yet he was always so considerate of her feelings, looking at her with such sincerity—how could he possibly be heartless?

It was precisely this side of Lin Jiaxu that made it impossible for her to ever be truly stern with him.

*Perhaps my Jia Jia simply isn’t willing to show his true feelings to those he doesn’t like.*

In the evening, Lin Cheng returned home, weary from the day's work.

Seeing his wife and son waiting for him under the warm yellow light, for a fleeting moment, a sense of warmth and affection broke through his long-standing aversion to Lin Jiaxu. Unconsciously, a faint smile touched his lips.

He sat at the dining table with a smile, looking at the child who remained as impassive as ever, and uncharacteristically refrained from saying anything that might spoil the mood.

"Let’s eat."

Lin Jiaxu, however, cast a curious glance at him. Why hadn't Lin Cheng given his usual pre-meal lecture today?

It was a bit odd.

But being spared from the lengthy nagging naturally put Lin Jiaxu in a good mood. His ears had narrowly escaped a lecture today, so he wisely refrained from asking.

At the dinner table, Lin Jiaxu obediently ate his meal. Xu Yinuan served him food, while Lin Cheng served Xu Yinuan. The two adults chatted about their own topics.

This scene played out almost daily, yet small details always made their interactions feel somewhat strained.

But today, they seemed like a genuine family of three, finishing their meal so naturally and peacefully.

Xu Yinuan was momentarily lost in thought, and when she came to, her lips curved into a subtle smile.

This feeling was wonderful.

She hoped such scenes would become a daily occurrence, with father and son no longer clashing like adversaries.

She suddenly felt that perhaps one day, they could truly live like an ordinary family—peacefully and happily.

Without daily worries or constant vigilance.

After finishing his meal, Lin Cheng savored this brief family moment, where silence reigned.

A while later, he looked at Xu Yinuan, who was smiling as she watched TV, and broke the silence. Turning to Lin Jiaxu, he asked, "Have you showered yet?"

"Not yet," Lin Jiaxu shook his head.

Though he didn’t particularly like Lin Cheng, this was his mother's husband. Lin Jiaxu considered that he and his mother still relied on this man to earn a living and support the family, so he was willing to exchange a few words with him.

Of course, this was Lin Jiaxu’s own perception.

In Lin Cheng's view, Lin Jiaxu rarely showed dissatisfaction with what he said and would listen obediently.

So, although Lin Cheng still didn’t like Lin Jiaxu, after years of living together, he had grown accustomed to his presence and subconsciously treated him as his own son.

Thus, when speaking, he was much more direct: "Go take a bath. It’s almost nine. After your bath, it’s time to sleep. Go to bed early, and tomorrow you’ll wake up early. I’ll read with you for a bit."

Lin Jiaxu looked up at the clock. It was indeed his usual time to wash up and go to bed. Calmly, he put away his tablet.

"Okay."

Then he returned to his room.

When only the couple remained in the living room, Xu Yinuan chided, "Speak properly. Why the stern face all the time? Who are you trying to scare?"

Lin Cheng rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "No, it’s just a habit from work."

"I don’t care how you are at work, but don’t bring that attitude home," Xu Yinuan nagged. "Also, can’t you save your lectures for a few years later? Jia Jia isn’t even in school yet, waking up before dawn every day to study... isn’t that too harsh?"

Lin Cheng nodded perfunctorily at first but grew serious later. No matter what Xu Yinuan said, he remained firm.

"He wakes up at seven, and after washing up and eating, it’s already past eight. The timing is just right. Early childhood is a critical period for education. He’s different from other children, so no matter how hard it is, he has to learn."

Hearing this, Xu Yinuan didn’t know what else to say.

She naturally understood why Lin Cheng was so strict and anxious; this was, after all, Lin Cheng’s final stand and compromise.

That night, as they prepared for sleep, Lin Cheng gazed at Xu Yinuan, already asleep, lost in thought.

Over their seven years together, he had naturally learned a great deal about Lin Jiaxu.

Unlike Xu Yinuan’s wholehearted affection, Lin Cheng had always observed this child intently.

He found that Lin Jiaxu truly understood nothing. Like a real child, he was stumbling through learning, naive and ignorant.

He possessed the cuteness and innocence of a human child but also carried the innate cruelty of a monster. He didn’t understand emotions and showed no restraint.

When Lin Jiaxu was two years old, they took him to play in the neighborhood. Lin Jiaxu saw a bird that had fallen to the ground.

In such a situation, if it were another child, the possible reactions might include curiously picking it up, caring for it and wanting to raise it, or playing with it for a while before running off.

But Lin Jiaxu simply toddled over to the bird, squatted down, calmly picked it up, and with his pale, soft fingers pinching the bird, he brought it directly to his mouth like a clueless baby, as if wanting to eat it.

At that, Lin Cheng was so startled he told him to let go immediately.

If it were just that, it wouldn’t be a big deal—after all, the child was young and didn’t know better. There are even children who put poop in their mouths.

But the problem was that Lin Cheng had his own suspicions. He knew his own child. Could he not tell whether Lin Jiaxu was truly foolish or actually wanted to eat it?

The desire in the child’s eyes was unmistakable. When Lin Cheng told him to put it down, Lin Jiaxu seemed genuinely regretful—he really had wanted to eat the bird raw.

After that, all of Lin Cheng’s previous self-reassurance shattered. He could only rack his brains again to figure out how to educate Lin Jiaxu so he could truly learn to be human.

Lin Cheng was truly worried.

He didn’t know what the future held for Lin Jiaxu, the monster turned child, but it certainly wouldn’t be—at least not the ordinary life Xu Yinuan hoped for. That was too difficult.

Turning a wild beast completely into a human was harder than reaching heaven.

Lin Cheng also didn’t dare to send Lin Jiaxu to kindergarten to let him learn and grow in a group environment. He was afraid accidents might happen.

Don’t misunderstand—he wasn’t worried about Lin Jiaxu having an accident. He was worried Lin Jiaxu would cause accidents for others.

Lin Cheng could only sternly drill into him, over and over again, before anything happened.

What could be done and what couldn’t.

Lin Jiaxu also appeared very sensible—perhaps out of pretense, or perhaps out of eagerness to learn human knowledge. In any case, he put on a quite convincing act in front of Lin Cheng and Xu Yinuan, at least passing as human.

He learned quickly, too.

Lin Cheng was surprised to find that the child, at just two or three years old, could understand his words and remember them completely. So he simply hired a tutor.

In his spare time, he would even read law books to him, afraid Lin Jiaxu might do something in places he couldn’t see.

Lin Jiaxu accepted everything Lin Cheng taught him. As for how he understood it or whether he would follow it, that was another matter.

In Lin Jiaxu’s eyes, Lin Cheng was a strange man who disliked him, feared him, despised him, yet stubbornly insisted on instilling in him so-called proper morals.

This was Lin Jiaxu’s assessment of Lin Cheng.

Lin Jiaxu’s jet-black eyes often flickered with confusion.

He couldn’t understand this man. Even though he often thought about killing him in his heart, he always let him go and allowed him to grow up safe and sound.

Why?

He couldn’t figure it out no matter how he thought about it.

But the child only pondered for a moment before quickly washing up and going to bed. He didn’t particularly care about Lin Cheng’s strange behavior today—it was just a minor matter.

In fact, aside from his mother, nothing else really mattered to him.

And aside from often getting sick, his mother gave him no reason to worry.

Tonight, Lin Cheng once again fell asleep weighed down by worries.