The former master did not stick around to continue witnessing the chaotic rabble. He turned his gaze to the people in the kitchen who were still in a daze. He raised his eyebrows and asked, “Has the food been prepared?”

Everyone seemed to have woken up from a dream and hurriedly said, “It will be ready soon, it will be ready soon. Please wait for a moment with the Young Master and Young Madam.”

After saying that, the person in charge shooed the group of people back into the kitchen as if they were ducks.

Joy could not understand the conversation between Zhao Youlin and the former master at all. The former master did not seem to continue scolding those women, so he pouted and became a little angry.

Mu Tingfeng stood by the side and held his son’s hand. He squatted down and looked directly into Joy’s eyes. He asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Joy looked at Mu Tingfeng and somehow remembered what those women had said just now. He suddenly felt more aggrieved and said awkwardly, “Those women said bad things about mom just now.”

“Yes, what did they say?”

“They said… They said… Dad, you don’t like mom. Even if mom committed suicide, you wouldn’t even spare her a glance. They also said that when mom gives birth to the baby, you will not want mom anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Tingfeng’s eyes turned cold. A trace of killing intent flashed across his eyes. He was really angry.

One had to know that Mu Tingfeng rarely ever lost his composure, but when he did, it was like a nuke setting off. The previously failed marriage between him and Zhao Youlin happened to be one of his bottom lines.

Joy keenly sensed the change in Mu Tingfeng’s attitude. He stopped talking and looked at Mu Tingfeng timidly. There was a trace of longing in his eyes for an answer, but he was afraid that the answer would not be the answer he wanted.

Mu Tingfeng naturally noticed it. He took a deep breath and reached out to touch Joy’s head. He asked in return, “Joy, do you think I don’t like mom?”

“Of course not!” Joy almost immediately retorted. His big eyes stared at Mu Tingfeng angrily. It was as if he would immediately pounce on him and bite him if he said anything wrong.

Mu Tingfeng was amused by his son’s reaction. “If that’s the case, why do you listen to the words of those strange women?”

Joy was stunned. Then, as if he suddenly understood something, his eyes lit up slightly. He looked at Mu Tingfeng cautiously and said, “Dad, you won’t give up on mom, right? You’ll always be with mom, right?”

This time, it was Mu Tingfeng who was stunned. He looked at his son’s expectant and uneasy eyes and smiled. “Yes, we’ll always be together.”

Joy immediately beamed. He looked at Mu Tingfeng with a smile. Just as he was about to speak, he seemed to have thought of something and his small face fell.

Mu Tingfeng raised his eyebrows slightly. He was surprisingly patient today. He asked again, “What now?”

Joy lowered his head slightly and carefully peeked at Mu Tingfeng from the corner of his eyes. When he saw that he was not angry, he stammered, “They just said… They also said…”

“What else did they say?”

“They also said that you don’t like me, that you hate me, that I’m a stain on your life, and that you don’t love me at all.” The more Joy spoke, the more aggrieved he became, his big eyes were filled with clear and rippling tears.

The words of those women had pulled his memories back to a few years ago, reminding him of the days when he was ignored by Mu Tingfeng.

The fear and doubt that had been buried deep in his heart were dug out once again. He was afraid that he would be hated, afraid that he would be abandoned, afraid that he would be alone again.

Zhao Youlin and the former master had been watching the two of them from the side. The former master saw that Joy was about to cry. Zhao Youlin frowned and wanted to go forward to comfort him, but the former master pulled her back.

The former master shook his head at Zhao Youlin and told her to leave it to Mu Tingfeng. Some knots in the heart could only be solved by a certain person. Even if other people interfered, this knot would still be buried deep in the child’s heart, it would become a barrier between them, a deadknot.

Mu Tingfeng saw clearly the fear and uneasiness hidden in his son’s slightly evasive eyes. His heart was suddenly struck hard. It was the first time he realized how he had turned a blind eye to this child, about how deeply he had hurt the child’s young mind.

Mu Tingfeng sighed helplessly and reached out to embrace Joy’s small body.

Compared to when Zhao Youlin had just left the Mu family with him more than a year ago, this child had grown up quite a bit. However, he was still a small child in Mu Tingfeng’s arms and could easily be enveloped by him.

Joy couldn’t help but widen his eyes when he was suddenly embraced. Even the tears that were about to burst out of his eyes were chased away. He looked up at Mu Tingfeng’s chin with a helpless expression. He called out softly like a frightened cat, “Daddy…”

“Joy, do you think that I don’t like you?”

Joy was stunned for a moment. He bit his lips and didn’t answer.

Mu Tingfeng changed his method and asked again, “Then, do you think that mom likes you?”

This time, Joy only hesitated for a moment before he nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Daddy and mom are the same.”

The same? Joy blinked her eyes in confusion. What dad meant was… he liked her just like mom did?

Mu Tingfeng didn’t wait for his son’s response, but he didn’t care. He quickly asked, “What do you think you are to Mom?”

“What am I?” Joy pondered for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. “Mom said that I am her baby.”

When Zhao Youlin, who was not far away, heard her son’s words, she could not help but smile, and the corners of her lips unconsciously rose.

“Well, you are mom’s baby, and also my baby. Joy is our baby.”

“Joy is also dad’s baby?” He stared at the white shirt on Mu Tingfeng’s chest in a daze, feeling a little helpless.

“That’s right.”Mu Tingfeng let go of Joy and dug him out of his arms. Then, he looked into his eyes and said word by word, “Joy is also my baby.”

Mu Tingfeng paused as he spoke. He said with a rare sense of guilt, “In the past, I neglected you too much and made you suffer a lot alone. It was my fault, so I am sorry. But you have to remember that dad and mom are the same now. We both like you. So in the future, if anyone talks to you like that again, you have to tell them that your dad has never treated you as a stain, nor would he allow anyone to treat you as a stain. You are the treasure of dad and mom, a treasure that no one can replace. You are the same as any child who has a dad and a mom. Do you understand?”