"That's excessive," Lu Zhi Hao muttered under his breath, trying and failing to suppress his grin that was vividly glaring at them.
"But on my favourite brand, I don't mind sitting for hours, "Ting Cheng added.
Zi Zhen laughed, the sound light and carefree. "Okay, okay, no tattoos. No sneaking the car. I will stick to model airplanes and sketching car designs. Doing it only on the papers, nothing more than that!"
Lu Wan Ruyi glanced at him with pride in her eyes. "That sounds much better. You have always been talented with your hands when it comes to drawing. Use them to build, not destroy. Try to live a clean life."
He grinned, cheeks warm under her praise. "I will, Mother. And I will even help Ting Cheng with his company projects that have been stagnant for way too long this weekend. I will be super productive."
Ting Cheng looked at him, surprised. "You hate helping me with that. Did the sun suddenly rise from the North?"
"Yeah, I do hate it but…" Zi Zhen shrugged. "You are my brother, that's the only privilege you have got. Even if we are not from the same mom, we are from the same home. It's best I put our parents' minds at ease."
For a moment, there was a pause in the car. The kind of pause that was filled with emotion, with the depth of things unsaid but deeply felt.
Lu Ting Cheng cleared his throat and looked away, tapping his fingers against the window. "You are still annoying as usual."
Zi Zhen smirked. "And you are still old."
"Old enough to throw you out of the car."
"Try it, Grandpa. I'm on it..."
Lu Wan Ruyi and Lu Zhi Hao exchanged a glance, shaking their heads with affectionate exasperation.
As the chauffeur drove them along the highway, the morning sun painted golden streaks through the windows, wrapping the family in warmth.
The city blurred around them, but inside the car, it was a haven—filled with teasing, healing, and the kind of love that didn't need blood to bind it. Only time, effort, and the courage to show up every day.
"All right, drop us there at the Main Hospital, we are going there for a clinical check up before going back home....." Yes, after the hospital, they could go shopping together and then back home. He wasn't going to leave the boys alone after what they had done today.
"All right, Master..." The van drove through the highway over to the hospital entrance gate before parking in the reserved parking space. They alighted and all walked into the hospital. They went over to the reception desk.
The receptionist looked up just as they approached, her eyes widened briefly at the sight of the elegant woman flanked by the towering figure of Lu Zhi Hao and the two composed, well-dressed boys.
She immediately stood up, giving a respectful nod. Who didn't know them? They were even trending online a few minutes ago. This wasn't their first visit to the hospital.
"Good morning, Master Lu. Madam Lu. Welcome to our facility, and I hope you are all doing well," she warmly greeted them, her voice smooth but laced with subtle nervousness. "You are here for the clinical appointment and prenatal check-up, yes?"
"Yes," Lu Zhi Hao answered with a curt nod, placing his hand gently on Wan Ruyi's lower back as if shielding her from the sterile coldness of the hospital air that was fanned from the AC.
"I have informed Dr. Emma of your arrival. Please, this way." She handed them a clipboard with some basic confirmation forms and their hospital clinical details. "The lounge area for the boys is right through that door. We have prepared a private space where you can relax and wait for your parents." She instructed the boys who were tagging along lazily.