A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 61 The Turmoil and Protection at the Shopping Mall

On a sunny weekend, Li Yuan was in a great mood and decided to take her son, Liu Qicheng, to the shopping mall for a good stroll and to buy some new clothes and household items. Liu Qicheng's eyes lit up at the mention of going to the shopping mall, already thinking about whether he could take the opportunity to get his mother to buy him a new toy or treat him to a delicious meal.

So, the mother and son arrived at the shopping center in high spirits. The shopping center was bustling with people, and all kinds of shops were dazzling. Li Yuan walked around, looking at the shop windows on both sides, and occasionally picked up a piece of clothing to hold it up to herself and ask her son if it looked good. Liu Qicheng, although not very interested in the clothes, would say a few perfunctory "It looks good, it looks good," while his eyes were looking around for any interesting toy stores.

Just as they reached a central atrium rest area, the gears of fate began their strange yet somewhat awkward turn. Li Yuan suddenly stopped, her smile freezing instantly, for she saw a familiar figure—her ex-husband, Wang Qiang. Beside Wang Qiang stood his current wife, holding a little girl in her arms.

At the same time, Wang Qiang also saw Li Yuan and her child. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—surprise, embarrassment, but mostly a strange sense of irritation. It's unclear what possessed Wang Qiang, but upon seeing Li Yuan, he vented his resentment towards his current wife for having a daughter on her.

"Hmph, look at what you've done to your son," Wang Qiang said sarcastically, deliberately raising his voice.

Li Yuan was immediately displeased and retorted with a frown, "Wang Qiang, are you out of your mind? What business is it of yours how I raise my son?"

At this moment, Liu Qicheng, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore. Although he was young, he was very protective of his mother. He stepped forward and said like a little man, "You're not allowed to bully my mom!"

Wang Qiang looked at Liu Qicheng and snorted disdainfully, "What do you know, you little brat? Get out of here." As he spoke, he reached out to push Liu Qicheng away.

Liu Qicheng wasn't going to be pushed away so easily. He swung his little fists at Wang Qiang. But he was just a child after all. Wang Qiang easily dodged the punch, then grabbed Liu Qicheng's arm and squeezed it a little hard. Liu Qicheng cried out in pain.

"Wang Qiang, what are you doing!" Li Yuan was extremely anxious when she saw this and rushed over to try to pull Wang Qiang away.

In the midst of the chaos, a figure rushed over like a whirlwind. It was Liu Xuan, who happened to be at the shopping mall and, seeing the situation, rushed over without hesitation to protect Li Yuan and her son, Liu Qicheng.

Liu Xuan grabbed Wang Qiang's wrist, his eyes flashing with coldness: "Wang Qiang, you're a grown man, bullying a woman and a child, have you no shame?"

Wang Qiang was startled by Liu Xuan's sudden appearance and subconsciously let go of Liu Qicheng's arm. But he still tried to remain calm and said, "Liu Xuan, mind your own business. This is between my ex-wife and me."

Liu Xuan sneered: "You and Li Yuan are already divorced, so it's wrong of you to treat her like this. And you even laid a hand on a child, what kind of skill is that?"

By this time, a crowd had gathered, pointing and whispering among themselves. Wang Qiang felt embarrassed. He glared fiercely at Liu Xuan, then looked at Li Yuan and Liu Qicheng, and said, "You just wait." Then he grabbed his current wife and hurriedly left.

Li Yuan quickly knelt down to check if Liu Qicheng was injured. "Baby, are you alright? Does it hurt?" she asked with concern.

Liu Qicheng shook his head. Although his arm still hurt a little, he said bravely, "Mom, I'm fine. I'm here. I won't let him bully you."

Li Yuan hugged Liu Qicheng tightly, her eyes welling up with tears. She looked up at Liu Xuan and said gratefully, "Honey, thank you so much today. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do."

Liu Xuan smiled, patted Liu Qicheng's head, and said, "It's alright, how could I just stand by and watch you get bullied? But how did you end up running into him?"

Li Yuan sighed helplessly and briefly explained what had happened.

After hearing this, Liu Xuan frowned and said, "Wang Qiang is going too far. He takes his frustrations out on others."

To cheer Li Yuan and Liu Qicheng up, Liu Xuan suggested, "Never mind him, let's continue shopping. How about I treat you to ice cream?"

Upon hearing the word "ice cream," Liu Qicheng immediately perked up, his eyes lighting up as he exclaimed, "Great! Great!"

So, the three of them temporarily put the unpleasantness of earlier behind them and headed towards the ice cream shop in the shopping mall. Along the way, Liu Xuan deliberately teased Liu Qicheng, saying he would buy him a super-sized ice cream and turn him into an "ice cream monster." Liu Qicheng laughed heartily, and Li Yuan, watching them, also smiled again.

Upon arriving at the ice cream shop, Liu Xuan let Liu Qicheng choose his favorite flavor. Liu Qicheng stood in front of the freezer, looking at the various ice creams, hesitating for a long time before finally choosing a chocolate and vanilla flavored ice cream. Liu Xuan, on the other hand, bought a strawberry ice cream for himself and Li Yuan each.

They found a seat by the window, eating ice cream and looking at the scenery outside. Liu Qicheng's mouth was covered in ice cream, making him look like a little kitten, which made Li Yuan and Liu Xuan burst into laughter again.

"Mom and Dad, this ice cream is so delicious!" Liu Qicheng said indistinctly.

"Eat slowly, don't choke," Li Yuan reminded her with a smile.

Looking at Li Yuan and Liu Qicheng, Liu Xuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He felt that this time was precious and secretly resolved to protect them more in the future.

After finishing their ice cream, they continued strolling around the shopping mall. Liu Xuan accompanied Liu Qicheng to a toy store, where Liu Qicheng excitedly ran around, his eyes wide with wonder at all the different toys. Finally, Liu Xuan bought him a Lego set he had been eyeing for a long time, and Liu Qicheng was so happy that he hugged the Lego set tightly and wouldn't let go.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan was browsing clothes in a women's clothing store nearby, and Liu Xuan would occasionally go over to give her some advice. Li Yuan tried on a light blue dress, and when she came out of the fitting room, Liu Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Honey, you look beautiful in this dress," Liu Xuan said sincerely.

Li Yuan smiled a little shyly: "Really? Isn't that too young?"

"No, it suits you perfectly," Liu Xuan said confidently.

Finally, Li Yuan followed Liu Xuan's advice and bought the dress.

Before they knew it, it was getting dark. They had spent the whole day shopping in the mall, and although there was a small hiccup along the way, it was generally a very enjoyable experience.

Liu Xuan carried Li Yuan's shopping bags and walked the mother and son home. When they arrived at their doorstep, Liu Qicheng said to Liu Xuan with some reluctance, "Dad, will you come shopping with us again next time?"

Liu Xuan smiled and said, "Of course I will. I can accompany you anytime, as long as you and Mom are willing."

Li Yuan also said to Liu Xuan, "Thank you so much for today, my husband."

"Don't be shy, you all get some rest." After saying that, Liu Xuan, Li Yuan, and their son Liu Qicheng went into the room to prepare for bed.