As the stunned members of the Ren family looked on, the young master of the Ming family stood outside the door, calmly extending the invitation he had just learned to make.

Inside the door, Mrs. Ren stood, benevolently raising the broom in her hand.

“Shuangmei!” the middle-aged man yelped, rushing over to stop her. “Calm down.”

He had no idea that Luo Chi knew someone from the Ming family. Not just any manager, but the son of Mr. Ming himself, the future “Mr. Ming” of the family.

While the Ren family had no maritime business, they had seen countless shipping partners go to great lengths just to get on good terms with a Ming family manager, hoping for a connection.

And now, the young Ming master had just said he’d “brought a ship as a gift”…

“Shuangmei, do you know who this is?” The middle-aged man glanced cautiously outside and lowered his voice. “The Ming family—”

Before he could finish, the broom came down unceremoniously. Mrs. Ren, fully aware of who her visitor was, acted swiftly, brandishing the broom she hadn’t put down and chasing all the irrelevant people out of the villa.

The middle-aged man, mid-sentence, stared wide-eyed as he stumbled out the door. The young man who had come with them ran halfway, then clutched his head and rushed back to help the old Ren family head away. The middle-aged man, seeing Ren Shuangmei’s expression, was about to try to reason with her again when the villa door slammed shut, leaving him firmly outside.

Two seconds later, the door opened again, and the young Ming master was yanked inside.

…

In the midst of the chaos, the living room fell abruptly silent.

The young master of the Ming family had arrived at a very inopportune moment. Before he could grasp the situation, he too was ushered into the living room by the broom, barely steadying himself in the entryway.

Ren Shuangmei’s broom was poised above Ming Weiting’s head. She looked at the unmoving young man, paused, and frowned. “Why aren’t you dodging?”

Ming Weiting said softly, “You are Huo Miao’s mother.”

Mrs. Ren was quite grateful that someone remembered she was Huo Miao’s mother. She was both exasperated and amused, her heart softened by his words. She pressed her temples, took a deep breath, and exhaled. “And you still want to take Huo Miao away?”

Ming Weiting then realized his words had been ambiguous. He quickly shook his head, thought for a moment about how to phrase it better, and then explained, “No, that’s not it.”

“It’s not about taking Huo Miao away,” Ming Weiting said. “It’s an invitation for Huo Miao to become a Ming family member.”

Ren Shuangmei: “…”
Ren Shuangmei: “.”

Before Ming Weiting could react, he was grabbed by the hem of his clothes by Huo Miao, who had run down to see what was happening. Huo Miao swiftly pulled him away, dodging the broom that came swinging with a whoosh.

Luo Chi, not knowing what had happened, quickly hid his new friend on the sofa, hugged Ren Shuangmei, and patted her back gently to calm her down. “Mom?”

The sight of Huo Miao immediately improved Ren Shuangmei’s mood. She ruffled the boy’s head. “It’s nothing.”

“Huo Miao, close your eyes. You should probably cover your ears too,” Ren Shuangmei said sweetly. “Mommy is going to have a talk with Xiao Ming.”

Luo Chi heard the last part and quickly gestured to Ming Weiting. “Mom, their family seems a bit different from ours.”

Ming Weiting’s previous explanation had been brief, so Luo Chi only had a simple understanding of the Ming family’s situation and didn’t know many details. He just wanted to go out with his new friend to see the world, to become stronger and more mature, and hadn’t considered any further plans.

Luo Chi didn’t know Ming Weiting would come and had no idea this would happen. But he skillfully and subtly took the broom from his mother’s hand and led her to sit on the sofa together. Ming Weiting was also pulled over.

The young master of the Ming family had always been composed and serious. He had been managing shipping routes on his own for the past two years and had even mediated several maritime disputes with Uncle Lu. But at this moment, his expression betrayed a hint of youthful awkwardness.

Ming Weiting apologized to Mrs. Ren. He clenched his fist and asked Luo Chi in a low voice, “Did I say something wrong?”

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“I don’t know,” Luo Chi whispered back. “Why did you think of making me a Ming family member?”

Ming Weiting shook his head. This time, he chose his words with extra care before explaining all the details he could think of.

Becoming a Ming family member didn’t mean one had to leave their original family. Huo Miao would, of course, still be Mrs. Ren’s child, and they would always be family. That would never change. The Ming family didn’t require its members to be alone—though many of them were. Many people had left their homes for various reasons and found a new life and identity with the Ming family. In the chaotic and complex world of the high seas, this was not uncommon. These people were no different from anyone else, and no one would question their origins.

“Like ‘上海灘 (Shànghǎi Tān)’ (The Bund), and ‘The Godfather’,” Ren Shuangmei said, sitting on the sofa and leaning on the broom as she listened, piecing it together. “You’re trying to recruit Huo Miao into your gang.”

Ming Weiting didn’t know what “上海灘 (Shànghǎi Tān)” was. Not daring to speak rashly again, he looked at Luo Chi.

Luo Chi had watched both the TV series and the movie with his mom, but he wasn’t sure if he could join. He gently tugged on Ren Shuangmei’s sleeve. “Mom.”

Ren Shuangmei remained serious for a few seconds before she couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. She tossed the broom aside and pulled Huo Miao into her arms. “That’s so cool!”

Neither of the boys had expected this turn of events and stared with wide eyes.

Huo Miao looked back at his mother. Seeing the smile in her eyes, his tense expression suddenly relaxed, and his lips curved into a smile.

Ren Shuangmei laughed, ruffling Huo Miao’s head. “Were you scared?”

Luo Chi shook his head, his eyes smiling. He hugged his mother tightly, burying his head in her shoulder. His hands were a little cold, and his arms held on tighter than usual. Ren Shuangmei’s heart ached with a mix of sourness and softness. She held him close, gently patting his back. “Mommy won’t be mad at Huo Miao and his friend.”

“It’s because of Dad and your cousins,” Ren Shuangmei explained softly. “Mommy doesn’t like how they treat Huo Miao.”

Luo Chi wasn’t afraid of that. As long as his mother was happy, he didn’t care what others thought of him. He shook his head, quickly rubbed his eyes, and looked up with a small smile.

He had gone upstairs as his mother told him, heated up the food in the dining room, and waited for her to come eat. He hadn’t expected to leave the living room alone. Luo Chi secretly clenched his fists, reminding himself once more that his mother was fully recovered, her health no longer in danger. It wasn’t like in the dream where getting angry could be dangerous.

He sat properly in his mother’s arms, rubbed his left ear, and gradually refocused, listening to the conversation between his mother and his new friend.

Ren Shuangmei had actually thought “The Bund” was incredibly cool. Her childhood dream was to be a mountain king or a bandit, and she had been quite disappointed for a while when she found out both were illegal.

The atmosphere lightened, and Ming Weiting relaxed considerably, continuing to provide more details. Becoming a Ming family member not only meant being accepted as one of their own but also came with many conveniences. With a Ming family identity, one would have free passage on the high seas and at many coastal ports. They also had long-term partnerships with many high-end hotels ashore, where one could stay at any time and be taken care of.

Ren Shuangmei didn’t care much about these things. “When Huo Miao grows up, can he learn to sail a ship, be a captain, and go wherever he wants?”

Ming Weiting nodded. “No problem.”

This was the very reason he had thought of inviting Huo Miao to join the Ming family. After he went back, Uncle Lu had investigated Huo Miao’s identity and learned about his past. Combining this with the logbook entries, the assessment of his situation was not very stable.

Ming Weiting hesitated when he brought this up, but encouraged by Mrs. Ren’s gaze, he voiced his concerns.

“If one day, I’m not here anymore,” Ren Shuangmei nodded, finishing his sentence, “Huo Miao would have nowhere to go.”

Luo Chi whipped his head around to look at his mother. The color drained from his face, and a wave of dizziness from tinnitus washed over him. He shut his eyes hastily. He felt his mother’s arms tighten around him. He opened his mouth to speak but found he couldn’t make a sound.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared,” Ren Shuangmei said, ruffling her son’s hair vigorously. “That won’t happen… Huo Miao, look at Mommy.”

Luo Chi’s chest rose and fell rapidly. His vision flickered between light and dark. He blinked hard several times before the scene before him became clear again. Ming Weiting was supporting his back, his arm around his shoulders. His mother was kneeling in front of him, her brows furrowed with unconcealed worry.

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Luo Chi tried to force a smile. He softly explained that he was fine and tried to stand up, bracing himself with his arms.

Ren Shuangmei picked him up, stroking his hair, and found that even the tips were soaked with cold sweat. She asked softly, “Huo Miao has been this scared all along, hasn’t he?”

The little boy had been pushing himself too hard.

Ren Shuangmei had noticed her lunchbox. The meals were always nutritious and well-balanced, clearly prepared with great care. Her assistant also received messages from Huo Miao every day, reminding her to heat up the food and for Ren Shuangmei to eat on time. Sometimes when Ren Shuangmei worked late in her study, Huo Miao would always remind her to rest. As long as she was awake, Huo Miao would stay by her side. Many times, when Ren Shuangmei finished her work and looked up, the little boy would already be asleep at the desk, wrapped in his mother’s coat.

Ren Shuangmei touched Huo Miao’s forehead, gently wiping away the cold sweat with her palm. She rolled up her sleeves, flexed her arm, and asked, “See? Mommy got really angry today, and I’m still perfectly fine, right?”

Luo Chi’s lips were still pale, but he couldn’t help but smile. “Mommy, don’t be angry.”

“Mommy knows,” Ren Shuangmei said softly. “Mommy will definitely take care of her health.”

She held Huo Miao close, gently stroking his head. “These past few days, what have those people from the Luo family been saying to Huo Miao?”

Luo Chi sat up steadily with Ming Weiting’s help, whispered a “thank you,” and shook his head with a small smile.

Ren Shuangmei didn’t press further. She could almost guess what they had said—the Ren family members wouldn’t say such things, but these people, claiming to be acting for her good, were only making things worse. They were using the most boring adult rules of transaction to measure a child, to judge the pure, wholehearted sincerity a gentle, clean little boy offered her.

Seeing Ming Weiting reminded her of the child who had called her “Mommy” for a day. That child grew up without a mother’s protection and must have endured more than just the torment from the Luo family.

“Mommy knows what Huo Miao is thinking,” Ren Shuangmei said. “Huo Miao is worried about Mommy’s health, not that he’ll have nowhere to go if Mommy is gone.”

Luo Chi was taken aback. He looked up, about to speak, but his mother’s hand gently ruffled his hair.

“Huo Miao wants Mommy to be healthy, to be able to do everything she wants, and go everywhere she wants,” Ren Shuangmei said softly. “Mommy feels the same way.”

“Mommy also wants Huo Miao to sleep well, eat well, and go wherever he wants, to be the freest little boy.”

Ren Shuangmei smiled. “We’re on the path to making both our dreams come true, aren’t we?”

Luo Chi’s eyes lit up, and a genuine smile slowly appeared. He nodded vigorously, sat up straight, and pressed his chest a couple of times.

Now that his mother had brought it up so openly, discussing it with him as if it were the most normal thing, he found that he wasn’t scared at all anymore. The anxiety and lingering fear he had hidden away for so long could be dealt with so simply. It turned out that just by talking to his mother, he didn’t have to be on edge all the time, constantly frightening himself.

“Alright,” Ren Shuangmei said, smiling as she ruffled his head. “Your friend came at just the right time. Is there enough for dinner?”

Luo Chi had only made a simple meal for two. He shook his head and jumped up. “I’ll go make more.”

Ren Shuangmei nodded, watching the little boy run upstairs with light steps. She then smiled at Ming Weiting. “Thank you.”

She had been looking for a chance to talk to Huo Miao about this, and she hadn’t expected Ming Weiting to be thinking about it too, providing the perfect opening. Huo Miao’s new friend from the sea, despite some cultural misunderstandings, was steady and reliable. No wonder the boy had shyly asked her not to chase away anyone who came knocking.

Ming Weiting shook his head. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked for Mrs. Ren’s guidance. “Why does Huo Miao have to go cook?”

“So formal,” Ren Shuangmei said, surprised. “Aren’t you staying for dinner?”

Ming Weiting seemed unprepared for this question. He paused, hesitating to speak.

Ren Shuangmei stood up, remembered something else, and asked casually, “By the way, when are you planning to invite Huo Miao to go sailing?”

After she asked, the steady and reliable young master opposite her still didn’t answer.

Ren Shuangmei picked up the broom and put it back, passing by Ming Weiting and waving her hand. “What’s wrong?”

Ming Weiting still didn’t speak immediately. He stood there, weighing his options for a moment.

Following some strange intuition, he scrapped his original plan and extended the timeframe he had intended to give by tenfold. “…In ten minutes.”

Ren Shuangmei: “.”

Ren Shuangmei took a few steps back, returning to face him.

Ming Weiting very cautiously sought her opinion. “Madam, is that okay?”