Second pregnancy, sixth child: The beloved mom's disguise has been exposed again.

Chapter 426 A day apart feels like three autumns

Ning Yao took her daughter's hand and walked to the small blackboard, her eyes searching for number 10 among all the groups.

"Mommy, we're in the same group as Wanwan!" Wen Baoying excitedly shook Ning Yao's arm, very happy to be in the same group as Huo Wanwan.

Ning Yao glanced silently at Huo Zhijing, who was searching for his group not far away, and looked rather unhappy.

She didn't want to have too much to do with the Huo family, but...

Ning Yao glanced down at Wen Baoying, who was genuinely happy, and ultimately gave in for her daughter's sake.

During the game, Ning Yao inevitably had to interact with Huo Zhijing. The two of them, along with the child, huddled together to discuss tactics.

The interactive games between adults and children are not complicated; it simply involves two groups of people walking together with their ankles tied together, with all four moving at the same time.

The first group to arrive wins. There are referees standing at the finish line, watching each family group that reaches the finish line.

Wen Baoying was more agile than Huo Wanwan, while Ning Yao accommodated Wen Baoying, Huo Zhijing accommodated Ning Yao, and Wen Baoying accommodated Huo Wanwan's pace. Each of them slowed down, so they walked much slower than the others.

Huo Wanwan knew that she was slowing down the progress. In her anxiety, she became unsteady on her feet, disrupting the team's rhythm.

Wen Baoying, who was standing next to Huo Wanwan, was pulled by the ankle by Huo Wanwan, who suddenly quickened her pace. Before she could react, she fell forward.

Ning Yao was frantic, but dared not reach out to rescue her, lest she cause Huo Wanwan beside her to fall as well, and then everyone would fall on top of Wen Baoying, making her even more seriously injured.

At the critical moment, Huo Zhijing pulled out a small dagger from somewhere, bent down and swiftly cut the ribbon binding him to the team. He quickly stretched out his arm, preferring to fall to the ground in a sorry state himself, so as to hold Wen Baoying tightly and prevent the child from getting hurt in the slightest.

Ning Yao's heart was in her throat. Seeing this, she quickly squatted down, untied the ribbon, and rushed to her daughter's side, her voice trembling.

"Baoying, did you hurt yourself?"

"She should be fine, but it would be better to have her checked at the school clinic just to be safe." Huo Zhijing picked up Wen Baoying and handed her over to Ning Yao.

"Thank you." Ning Yao's gratitude was genuine.

After saying that, she picked up the child and walked quickly toward the infirmary.

Huo Zhijing watched Ning Yao leave with the child, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes for a moment.

At this moment, his daughter tugged at his sleeve, her little face full of worry, and spoke softly to him.

"Daddy, let's go see Bao Ying too, I'm very worried about her."

"Okay." Huo Zhijing replied briefly, then picked up his daughter and headed towards the infirmary.

Ning Yao stayed by Wen Baoying's side the whole time. Wen Baoying felt that her mother was worrying too much. When the doctor examined her, she raised her little hand like a little adult and gently stroked Ning Yao's eyebrows with her soft fingers, one stroke after another, very gently.

"Mommy, I'm fine. Look at you, your eyebrows are so thick they could trap a fly. You don't look good when you frown."

Ning Yao gave Wen Baoying a forced smile, which looked worse than crying.

Seeing this, Wen Baoying could only sigh and continue to obediently cooperate with the doctor's examination.

"Based on the current examination, your daughter should be fine. If you are still worried, you can go to the hospital for a comprehensive physical examination to check for any unseen injuries caused by the impact," the doctor said.

In an ordinary family, parents probably wouldn't take such a stumble to heart, since the child was raised in a free-range environment and was therefore quite strong.

But this is a prestigious school, and the children are all very delicate and pampered. Even a minor bump or bruise is considered a big deal by their parents.

Although that's what the doctor was thinking, he didn't show it at all. He'd gotten used to it ever since he entered the school.

"Okay, I understand." Ning Yao thanked the doctor and carried Wen Baoying into the rest room next door.

"Mommy, the doctor said I'm fine. Shall we continue playing games? I want to win first place." Wen Baoying seemed disappointed that she couldn't participate in the competition. Her little head drooped, and she couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

"Rest a little longer. The teacher just said we're the last group to perform," Ning Yao said, rubbing her daughter's head to comfort her.

"Okay." Wen Baoying sighed again, raised her small hand to support her chin, and looked helpless.

Huo Zhijing led Huo Wanwan into the lounge. He saw the mother and daughter sitting on a leather bench, one big and one small, like Russian nesting dolls. The man curled his lips and smiled slightly.

Huo Wanwan was very close to Huo Zhijing and heard his laughter. She opened her big eyes wide for some reason and turned her head to look at her father.

"Daddy, what are you laughing at?" Huo Wanwan's clear voice suddenly rang out in the empty lounge.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yao looked towards Huo Zhijing with a suspicious gaze.

Huo Zhijing did not answer his daughter's question. Instead, he walked to Ning Yao's side, put his daughter down, and let her talk to her good friend.

Upon seeing Wen Baoying, Huo Wanwan forgot everything else, rushed forward, grabbed her best friend's hand, and asked a couple of questions in a soft, sweet voice.

Ning Yao could tell that Huo Wanwan genuinely liked having her daughter as a friend, and her tense shoulders instantly relaxed.

"You don't need to be so nervous. It's normal for children to bump into things and bleed a little, especially since Bao Ying isn't injured," Huo Zhijing said to Ning Yao.

In Huo Zhijing's eyes, Ning Yao was like a new mother.

He seemed to have forgotten the unease he felt in the airplane cabin when his daughter was poisoned by his enemies.

Ning Yao responded absentmindedly, still wanting to avoid contact with Huo Zhijing as much as possible.

For some reason, she felt that Huo Zhijing's gaze towards her had changed, from indifference at the beginning to inquiry now.

That look made her extremely uncomfortable, and she felt uneasy all over.

In the lounge, Huo Zhijing had nothing to do, so to ease the awkwardness, he took the opportunity to discuss the marching strategy with the two children, how to walk, and what slogans to shout, finalizing all the details.

Ning Yao's attention was gradually diverted to the competition, and in the end, under Huo Zhijing's leadership, their two groups successfully won first place.

The two parents shook hands amicably, the children jumped for joy around them, and the teacher presented awards and congratulated them.

Seeing her daughter Wen Baoying happily take the silver combination badges and bury her head together with Huo Wanwan, each of them got one.

Ning Yao couldn't help but smile. Seeing her daughter happy was better than anything else, and brought her more happiness.

“I’m planning to take my daughter to a nearby children’s restaurant. Their set meals come with blind box gifts, which Wanwan really likes. Baoying might be interested too. Would you like to come along?” Huo Zhijing suggested.

"Mommy, let's go together. I want to eat with Wanwan."

Ning Yao pursed her lips, seemingly considering something. Wen Baoying, who was beside her, was overjoyed to hear this. She secretly tugged at her mother's sleeve and looked over with expectant eyes. She really wanted to spend more time with Huo Wanwan.

Seeing that her daughter wanted to go, Ning Yao smiled and nodded, which was considered as her agreement.

The phone in her bag rang at that moment. Ning Yao took out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and her eyes instantly softened, revealing a hint of surprise.

Huo Zhijing took in the woman's changing expression. Only after hearing the clear, cold female voice call out "Wen Tingye" with a smile did Huo Zhijing understand the source of the unexpected surprise in Ning Yao's eyes.

"Alright, it's only been a short time since we last met, aren't you being sarcastic? Bao Ying is right here with us."

"Baoying, do you want to say a few words to Daddy?" Ning Yao said, bending down and handing the phone to her daughter, asking with a soft laugh.

It turned out to be a call from Wen Tingye. Huo Zhijing raised one eyebrow without making a sound.