The Useless Stepmom Brings Her Kids to Reality TV Shows to Photograph Them

187 I Hope You’ll Always Be Happy

Li Yanchen caressed Lin Wan’s face lovingly. “That money is what Mrs. Li worked hard to earn. It is very admirable.”

“Forget it. I know you are secretly pleased with yourself,” snorted Lin Wan. “But why would you want to move in with me in September? You are so busy. How will you make time?”

“We just got married. Are we already going to live separately? I am very busy. When I am done and come home without you there, I will feel lonely. I don’t want to be alone,” he said.

This was the first time Lin Wan had seen him acting like a spoiled child in front of her.

!!

“Green light, Mr. Li. Get ready. You have to follow the traffic rules,” said Lin Wan.

“Alright, we’ll talk about it when we get home.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and sped up.

At the Royal Water Bay, Li Zexuan and his younger brothers had already finished packing their luggage. His two brothers jumped up and down in the living room.

“Yay! Daddy has really changed. He’s taking us on a business trip!” Li Zekai danced in joy.

“Dad is getting warmer and more caring. I don’t want to go to school when it starts. What if he ignores us again after I come back from school?” Li Zexin was happy but a little anxious.

Li Zexuan didn’t say a word. His finger drew circles on the box.

“Big brother, are you still in a daze? Do you feel like this is all a dream? Me too!” Li Zexin thought his brother was so happy that he didn’t know how to express his feelings.

“It’s all true! I just pinched myself. This is not a dream! Dad is really taking us along on a business trip. He must be happy to have a family like us.” Li Zexin had a silly smile on his face.

Li Zexuan, who knew the truth, couldn’t smile. He wanted his younger brothers to always remain this happy.

He had thought about it. He knew that his uncle and his father were different people. Besides, his uncle should have his own life, too. The responsibilities of an uncle and a father were different.

“Yeah.” He smiled bitterly. “I am still in a daze. Mr. Li actually wants to take us along!”

Li Yanchen and Lin Wan only reached the Royal Water Bay around ten at night. The three children were waiting in the living room. There was a huge suitcase next to the sofa.

When the door opened, Li Zekai ran forward. Li Yanchen was holding Lin Wan’s hand.

“Daddy! Auntie Lin! You’re back!” Li Zekai jumped up in joy. “We all packed our luggage. Daddy, have you packed?”

“Just bring a few changes of clothes. Everything else can be arranged there,” said Li Yanchen, patting the boy’s head.

“Did you pack too? If not, hurry!” Li Zekai pushed his father to the stairs.

He turned to look at his eldest son and second son, who were sitting on the sofa.

“Xuanxuan and Xinxin, set the alarm at five in the morning. Wake the others if you wake up first. Go and sleep. Assistant Qin will drop us to the airport. The flight is at nine in the morning but we need to reach there early.” Li Yanchen’s eyes fixed on his eldest son as he spoke.

“I’ll go take a shower first.” Li Zexuan stood up slowly.

“Good night,” said Lin Wan.

In the bedroom on the second floor, Li Yanchen leaned back on the sofa.

Lin Wan took out two sets of clothes from her closet and threw them into the suitcase.

After she was done packing her things, she saw that Li Yanchen was still lost in his thoughts sitting on the sofa. She walked to him.

“You drove for the entire day and walked with me all the way to the village. You must be tired. What clothes do you want to pack? I can pack them for you.”

Li Yanchen reached out and pulled her. She lost her balance and fell into his arms.

“Wanwan, I’m… scared.” The bold he had felt days ago was gone. It was replaced with doubt and fear when he thought about his children finding out the truth tomorrow. His heart felt heavy.

Lin Wan did not know how to comfort him. She sat with him quietly.

“What if they don’t want to call me “father” anymore?” Li Yanchen’s voice was getting lower and lower.

“They’re all good kids. They love you,” she said, caressing his back gently. “If they can accept me, they can definitely accept you.”

“I… didn’t like them in the past. I didn’t think of them as my own children because they weren’t mine. I, with your father, saved them but my sister-in-law begged me to take over the company and take care of her three children.” Although Li Yanchen had agreed to her request, he wasn’t doing it out of his own will.

“But now…,” he said. “The five of us… I finally feel the warmth of a family. I love them as my own children. After they know the truth, will they still acknowledge me? If they don’t, I will feel childless. I used to be frustrated. I was so irritated that I had to live my life pretending to be someone else and taking care of children that weren’t even mine. I thought that I was just thy and I had my whole life ahead of me. But… I have come to love them. They have given me so much to cherish.”

“Yanchen, you have to believe in them!” Lin Wan said earnestly.

That night, Li Yanchen slept like a child, nestled in Lin Wan’s arms.

The next morning, Li Zexuan had already woken up before the alarm. He washed up and went to his brothers’ rooms to wake them.

Li Zekai heard his brother’s call and sat up in his bed. He yawned. “Big Brother, is it time already?”

“Still two minutes left to be five.”

“Oh… is brother Xinxin up yet?”

“You get ready. I will go wake him,” said Li Zexuan.

Just as he walked to his younger brother’s room, the alarm went off. Li Zexin rolled to his side and turned off the alarm. He rubbed his eyes and saw Li Zexuan at the door.

“It’s five. Get up,” said Li Zexuan. “I will wait for you downstairs.”

Not long after, Lin Wan and Li Yanchen also walked downstairs to the living room.

“Wanwan, do I look okay? ” Li Yanchen asked.

“Not bad. You don’t have any dark circles,” Lin Wan said insincerely.

“Airport is still a long way away. We can still nap in the car.” Li Yanchen pushed his spectacles up his nose bridge.

After they had their breakfast, Auntie Huang handed the children some bread she had packed for them for the journey. Assistant Qin helped load the luggage into the car.

The five people of the Li family sat at the back of the MPV. Lin Wan and Li Yanchen sat in a row, while the three children sat in another.

He thought that the children would nap a little longer after getting into the car, but he didn’t expect Li Zekai to be so full of energy. He kept asking too many questions.

“Dad, are we going out after reaching? Big brother said that there’s a huge amusement park there.”

“Rest at the hotel today. I have work in the afternoon. I can pick you up at night and we can go somewhere,” said Li Yanchen.

“Are there a lot of lights at the amusement park at night? Then, daddy, we will wait for you at the hotel. You finish your work and come soon, okay?” Li Zekai’s mind was filled with fun things to do.

...

Li Zexin’s request was very simple. “Dad, I just want to see the Chenxin branch where we are going. I want to see the places you often go to.”

“Big brother, what about you?” Li Zexin nudged the silent Li Zexuan.

“I want to catch up on sleep. We’ll talk after I’ve had enough sleep.” Li Zexuan closed his eyes and leaned back.

“Big Brother has been to many countries because of filming. He isn’t curious about where we are going at all,” said Li Zexin, seeing his brother being so indifferent.