Ma Rui took Han Luo to her bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. Her maid then handed her the handset. From the other side, a man answered, "Hello, Acting President Han Changhong speaking."
"Mr. Han, I'm Mrs. Mo Rui, Xiao Yuan's mother. How have you been?"
Han Changhong instantly realized who this was. "Mrs. Mo?! What a pleasant surprise! I'm doing well. How do you do?" He was surprised and couldn't find any reason why the Madam of the prestigious Mo Family would call him.
Ma Rui replied, "I'm doing great. I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Han Changhong denied quickly, "Not at all. Is this about Sheng Ming? Did he do something?" He knew that his son was a troublemaker. He wished Han Sheng Ming didn't do anything to the Mo Family, just like his daughters did in the Tang Mansion.
Ma Rui frowned in confusion. "Do you not know?"
"…Did something happen?" Han Changhong's chest clenched out of anxiety. He could no longer bear any unexpected news.
Ma Rui continued, "No, it's just that Xiao Sheng Ming went to his grandfather's house for a few days, so he let Xiao Luo stay with us."
"Luo'er is in your house?!" Han Changhong was astonished.
"I'm surprised that you didn't know! She's been with us for the past three days." Ma Rui didn't think that Han Changhong was a careless man and felt a bit dissatisfied with his attitude towards his niece. She believed that he should've taken good care of little Luo, especially since she lost her parents.
Han Changhong clenched his fists out of frustration. "For that long! I'm in Shanghai for business, so I have no idea about what is going on in my house. I apologize. Really, I do. I hope Sheng Ming and Luo'er didn't cause trouble for you." He couldn't believe that his wife didn't tell him about anything. Even though he refused to talk to Du Liu, he forced himself to call her for the sake of his children. They just talked two hours ago and when he asked about Han Luo, she said that she was doing fine.
'So, he called her Luo'er… such an intimate nickname. Maybe if I call her Luo'er, we will be closer than before,' Ma Rui thought. She then responded, "Not at all. It's quite the opposite actually. She is an adorable girl! I love her company and we are having lots of fun together. Above all, she is my best friend's daughter. I would love to have her around in the future as well." Her joyous voice had a hint of sentiment, giving the impression that she wanted to take Han Luo away and become her guardian.
Han Changhong didn't know how to answer back. He didn't want to let go of Han Luo. She was someone very precious to him. He hesitantly replied, "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you very much for letting me know."
"It's nothing. I actually called to ask for your permission, since you are currently her legal guardian. Xiao Luo likes to dance, so I'm thinking of introducing her to a dance teacher." Ma Rui would admit Han Luo to dance school even if her uncle didn't agree. Once she had something planned, she had to do it.
Han Changhong retorted, "Is that so… but she is still so young. Does she need to take even more pressure?" He had already hired Miss Mei for Han Luo and didn't want to put more weight on the little girl's shoulders.
'My son is a piano prodigy and he is only five. Xiao Luo is so cute and smart – she could excel in anything. After all, she is Qin Zheng's daughter,' Ma Rui deeply reflected. "She can play around if she wants to. In fact, I would love to pay for the dance teacher, if you do not mind."
"Oh no, I cannot let you do that. She is my one and only niece. It is my responsibility to pay for anything to do with her. I wish my own daughters were as enthusiastic as her…" He could never face his brother if he let another family take care of Han Luo.
"I think they will grow up to be fine ladies in the future." But Ma Rui knew very well that that actually would never happen. "So then, I'll look for a good dance teacher."
Han Changhong sincerely agreed, "Please do. I'm grateful that you are doing this for her. She really needs a mother figure." Han Changhong was too ashamed to say that his wife was not a good mother figure for Han Luo.
"The moment Xiao Luo met me she found herself a family. Please don't worry about it. Have a nice day." Ma Rui hung up. She wished she could ask him to let her adopt Han Luo, but there were two reasons as to why she didn't. Firstly, she knew that Han Changhong wouldn't agree. Despite being extremely busy, he still went out of his way to talk to her; only because it was for Han Luo. It was clear that he wholeheartedly cared for his niece. Secondly, in the future, she didn't want Han Luo to be a victim of any malicious words, such as: "she seduced her brother, the Young Master of the Mo Family, to steal the Mo Family's properties".
When Han Luo woke up, it was already lunch time. While Ma Rui fed Han Luo, she asked, "Xiao Luo, can I call you Luo'er?"
Han Luo nodded without hesitating. "Sure, auntie." Her face gleamed as she smiled angelically
Ma Rui felt a light ignite inside of her. "I know that Luo'er is the best! So, Luo'er, why don't you try calling me mother-in-law?" Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Mo Yuan was silently chewing his food, but upon hearing his mother's words, he almost choked. "Mom…" he mumbled in a threatening tone. He didn't want to be too loud in case Han Luo heard him and got scared.
"What? I'm trying to teach her what she has to call me in the future." Ma Rui acted as if she did nothing wrong. She drew her focus to Han Luo again. "Luo'er, call me mother-in-law."
Han Luo looked confused. She had never heard such a phrase before. She didn't even know what that meant.
"Pretty please…" Ma Rui tried to be as cute as possible. And it worked.
Han Luo timidly opened her mouth, "Mother…"
Ma Rui patiently said, "In-law."
"Mother…in…law."