Huo Shenzhi stepped into the house, his usual cold expression in place. His day at work had been long, filled with back-to-back meetings, but none of it compared to the exhaustion he carried in his heart.
Ever since Lin Jiaxuan woke up from her fever, something had changed.
She had changed.
Before, she never looked at Yichen, never touched him, never even acknowledged him unless necessary. The child had always clung to him instead—because he was the only one who would hold him, feed him, soothe him when he cried.
He had accepted it.
He had stopped expecting Jiaxuan to be a mother long ago.
But now…
Now, she was trying.
And he didn't know if he could believe it.
He loosened his tie and stepped into the living room, his gaze landing on the sight before him.
Jiaxuan sat on the floor beside Yichen, surrounded by scattered building blocks.
She was smiling.
Not the empty, polite smile she used to wear, but a soft, warm one.
Yichen was next to her, his little fingers wrapped around a yellow block. His tiny shoulders were still slightly stiff, but he wasn't flinching away from her.
Shenzhi's heart clenched.
Was this real?
Jiaxuan must have noticed him because she suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting his.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
"You're home," she said gently.
Shenzhi's fingers curled at his sides.
"Mn," he responded, his tone unreadable. His gaze flickered to Yichen, who was looking at him but not running toward him like usual.
Instead, the little boy hesitated—then turned back to Jiaxuan, as if waiting for something.
Shenzhi's chest tightened.
He walked forward, loosening his tie further. "What's going on?" His voice came out sharper than intended.
Jiaxuan blinked. "We were playing."
"Playing?" His eyes narrowed slightly.
Yichen flinched at the tone, instinctively clutching the building block in his tiny hands.
Jiaxuan immediately noticed and reached out, rubbing his small back in soothing circles.
"Shenzhi," she said, her voice calm but firm. "It's okay."
Shenzhi's jaw tightened.
Since when did she care if Yichen flinched? Since when did she hold him so gently?
He looked at his son again. "Yichen, come here."
The little boy hesitated.
For the first time, he hesitated.
Shenzhi felt something in his chest squeeze painfully. Yichen had always run straight to him whenever he came home. No matter how tired he was, how busy he had been, Yichen never hesitated before.
But now—
His gaze flickered back to Jiaxuan.
It's because of her.
Slowly, carefully, Yichen pushed himself up and waddled toward him. His little steps were unsteady, his head slightly bowed, as if unsure if he was doing the right thing.
Shenzhi crouched down, catching his son in his arms.
Yichen's tiny hands clutched his shirt, but his body didn't melt into the embrace like before. There was still hesitation.
Shenzhi glanced up at Jiaxuan.
"What are you doing?" His voice was quiet but firm.
Jiaxuan met his gaze without flinching. "Trying," she said simply.
Trying.
Shenzhi studied her carefully.
He didn't know what she wanted.
He didn't know if he should believe it.
But as Yichen pulled away slightly, his tiny hands patting his father's chest before looking back at Jiaxuan.
Shenzhi knew one thing.
Everything was changing.
And he wasn't sure how to feel about it.
Huo Shenzhi's grip on Yichen tightened as he rose to his feet. His dark eyes locked onto Jiaxuan, his expression unreadable, but she could feel the tension rolling off him.
"Trying?" His voice was dangerously low. "Now you're trying?"
Jiaxuan's fingers curled against her palm, but she didn't look away.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Shenzhi let out a bitter laugh, his jaw tightening. "You should have tried earlier."
His words were sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.
Yichen flinched in his arms, his tiny hands gripping his father's shirt tightly. His round eyes darted between them, sensing the rising storm.
Jiaxuan's heart clenched at the sight, but she forced herself to remain calm.
"I know," she admitted. "I should have."
"Then why?" Shenzhi demanded, his voice rising. "Why now? Why after all this time? What changed, Jiaxuan?"
His emotions, the ones he had buried for so long, were spilling out.
The late nights of holding their son alone.
The endless cries that only he had soothed.
The countless times Yichen had reached for a mother who never wanted him.
Now she was trying?
Jiaxuan swallowed, her throat tightening. She couldn't tell him the truth not yet.
That she had died regretting everything.
That she had begged for another chance.
That she had been a fool, blinded by selfishness, only to see the truth when it was too late.
"I just…" she took a shaky breath, her voice soft but firm. "I realized how much I hurt him. And I don't want to anymore."
Shenzhi's hands clenched at his sides.
Too little, too late.
He had raised Yichen without her. He had protected their son from her coldness. And now she wanted to play the part of a mother?
"Don't play games, Jiaxuan," he said coldly. "Yichen isn't a toy you can pick up when it's convenient for you."
Jiaxuan flinched, but she didn't back down. "I know," she whispered.
"Do you?" His voice was harsh. "Do you know how many nights he cried for you? How many times I—" He stopped himself, his jaw tightening.
Jiaxuan bit her lip, guilt crashing over her like a wave.
"I won't hurt him again," she promised, her voice barely above a whisper.
Shenzhi scoffed. "And you expect me to believe that?"
She looked at Yichen, still clutching his father's shirt, his little body tense with uncertainty.
Then she met Shenzhi's gaze.
"No," she admitted. "I don't expect you to believe me."
Shenzhi stiffened.
"But I'll prove it," she continued, her voice steady. "To you. To Yichen. Even if it takes the rest of my life."
Shenzhi's eyes darkened, conflict flashing within them.
Jiaxuan held his gaze, unwavering.
She had failed them before.
But this time.
She wouldn't stop trying.
EARLIER THAT DAY
Huo Shenzhi sat in the dimly lit study, a glass of whiskey untouched beside him. The silence of the room pressed against him, but his mind refused to quiet.
Jiaxuan's words echoed in his head.
"I don't expect you to believe me. But I'll prove it."
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. Prove it?
She had spent years avoiding Yichen, acting as if he didn't exist. She had been cold, distant, a mother only in name. And now, suddenly, she wanted to change?
His grip tightened around the glass.
He should have been angry—no, he was angry. But beneath the fury, beneath the resentment, there was something else.
Something dangerously close to hope.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in," he said flatly.
The door opened, and his mother, Madam Huo, stepped inside. She was dressed elegantly as always, her posture graceful, her sharp eyes immediately scanning his face.
"You look troubled," she observed, closing the door behind her.
Shenzhi exhaled. "It's nothing."
Madam Huo raised a brow. "Nothing?" She walked toward him, her eyes narrowing. "You haven't touched your drink. And I saw the way you looked at Jiaxuan earlier. You're unsettled."
Shenzhi sighed, rubbing his temples. "She's… different."
"Mm." His mother sat down across from him, studying him carefully. "She is. And you don't know whether to trust it."
He let out a bitter laugh. "You think I should?"
Madam Huo didn't answer immediately. Instead, she leaned back slightly, her gaze thoughtful. "A person doesn't change overnight. But…" she hesitated. "She has always been a selfish woman. If she was acting, wouldn't she be doing this for herself? What does she gain from this?"
Shenzhi frowned.
"She doesn't gain anything," he admitted.
Jiaxuan wasn't asking for anything in return. She wasn't trying to please him. She wasn't trying to manipulate the situation.
She was simply… trying.
"I don't know what to do," he finally muttered, his voice low.
Madam Huo studied her son for a moment before speaking again. "Shenzhi," she said softly, "I raised you to protect what is yours. To guard your heart. But I will ask you this—do you want to see her fail?"
He inhaled sharply.
Did he?
Did he want her to go back to the way she was? To give up, to disappear from Yichen's life again?
…No.
That realization unsettled him more than anything.
Seeing Yichen hesitate today—seeing him glance at Jiaxuan with hope—it had shaken him.
Because if she was lying, if she left them again, it wouldn't just be his heart breaking this time.
It would be their son's.
Shenzhi closed his eyes for a brief moment, then looked at his mother.
"Even if I wanted to believe her," he said, his voice rough, "I don't know if I can."
Madam Huo gave him a small, knowing smile. "Then don't."
Shenzhi blinked.
"Don't believe her," his mother continued. "Not yet. Let her prove herself. Let her work for it. If she's sincere, she won't give up. If she's not…" she trailed off, her meaning clear.
Shenzhi stared at her for a long moment.
Then, he exhaled slowly.
"Let her prove it," he murmured.
Madam Huo nodded in approval.
"And if she does?" she asked quietly.
Shenzhi didn't answer right away.
Because deep down, he knew—
If she truly changed, if she truly became the woman Yichen needed…
Then he wouldn't be able to stop himself from falling for her all over again.