"We're not traitors, mama, we're not in your side to begin with," Mengmeng said with a cheeky grin plastered on her lips.

Qinqing nodded, "Yes! Qinqing is on Jiejie's side!"

"Both of you are hurting my feelings." Li Bingbing wiped an invisible tear from the side of her eyes.

Mengmeng hurriedly went to her mother and hugged her leg, "Mengmeng is just kidding, mama! Mengmeng is on mama's side!"

Li Bingbing grinned before she turned to Lu Xian Yu with a brow raised, "So what if it's me? What are you going to do about it?"

"Let's see, what should I do with you?" Lu Xian Yu had a serious expression on his face that somehow made the kid think that he was angry at their mother.

"Daddy, this is bullying!"

"Dada is not allowed to bully mama!"

The two took a protective stance in front of their mother.

Li Bingbing crossed her arms and smirked at Lu Xian Yu, "Yes, you are not allowed to bully me."

A small pout appeared on Lu Xian Yu's lips, "This is not fair. How can you team up against me?"

"I am only allowed to bully you." Li Bingbing pointed her finger at him. "My adorable minions, attack him!"

The children grinned playfully at Lu Xian Yu before they picked their pillows and started throwing it at him.

Lu Xian Yu used his pillow to block his attacks, "This is totally not fair!"

Mengmeng and Qinqing looked at each other with grins before they ran toward him and jumped on him.

Li Bingbing, who was standing still there, was watching the three play. It was always this bright whenever Lu Xian Yu was around. Back then, she would always turn away from it since moment like these would hurt her eyes and heart. She would always think that how could they be smiling and happy when she was grieving?

She still felt some sadness and pain within, it would never leave her but one day, she knew that she'll learn how to leave with it.

She was not ready to open herself to Lu Xian Yu but she could start treating him better instead. She was not ready to fall in love and she didn't know if she would be able to fall in love again.

She was snapped out from her thoughts when she felt a tug on her s.h.i.+rt, "Mama, I am really really hungry now."

Li Bingbing looked at Mengmeng with a small smile on her lips, "Me too. Let's get something to eat."

"Why don't we go out and have our dinner in some Italian restaurant?" Lu Xian Yu offered, holding Qinqing's hand.

"I don't mind, how about you Mengmeng? Qinqing?"

"Okay!"

"Mama, when will papa come home?" Mengmeng asked her mother while they were in the middle of having their dinner. "I really miss papa so much."

Li Bingbing paused from eating her food, not knowing how to answer her daughter's question.

"Papa is not even calling..." Qinqing lowered his utensils as he sulked.

"We can send him a letter then." Lu Xian Yu said with a smile on his lips.

Mengmeng and Qinqing turned heir heads to him at the same time. "Really?"

"Of course! Do you want to send him one tonight?"

The kids nodded their heads in unison, hope filled their eyes.

Li Bingbing stared at Lu Xian Yu for a while. How was he planning to do that?

"Will papa really be able to receive this?" Mengmeng asked while holding a balloon. The letter she wrote was attached on the balloon's string.

"Yes, of course, of course. He will be able to receive it."

"Will he really reply?"

"Yes, he will." Lu Xian Yu rea.s.sured them.

Mengmeng and Qinqing looked at each other with smiles on their faces before they let go of the balloon, carrying their letters.

"I hope papa will be able to reply back soon!" T

When they returned to Xia Meilin and Lu Yifeng's place, Mengmeng and Qinqing played with their cousins while Lu Xian Yu took Li Bingbing for a walk by the garden.

"Those letters... are you going to fake a reply on the letters they wrote?" Asked Li Bingbing straightforwardly.

He placed his hands inside his pockets, "Well, yeah, I was planning to do that."

Li Bingbing sighed. She was grateful for Lu Xian Yu's kind actions but wasn't it going too far?

"I think it's about time that we should tell them the truth, that he's really never... going to return back..."

He turned to her, staring at her for a while, "You'll break their hearts."

"They will one day learn the truth, Xian Yu. Wouldn't it hurt more if they learn it from others? Mengmeng and Qinqing needs to learn the truth so that they can accept the fact that... they will never be able to see him again." She looked at his eyes, her gaze softened. "I'm sure they will be able to get over it soon... after all... you have been always there for them."