Page 288

"If you insist on staying here, go sleep over at Lin Mi’s place tonight," Quan Shaoqing said unceremoniously.

Quan Ji pouted, a look of confusion on his face, "There are so many rooms here..."

"None for you!" Quan Shaoqing cast a glance at Quan Ji, "Help yourself to the water, I’m going upstairs to check on Momo."

Meanwhile, in Gu Xiaoxi’s room.

It was her first time giving a bath to a child, and she was a bit flustered, "Auntie, don’t you have any rubber ducky toys here?"

Gu Xiaoxi with a head full of black lines said, "I’m an adult, I don’t play with toys."

"Then you have to make me clean and fragrant. I want more bubbles," Quan Mo said, five years old with the innocence and naiveté of a child who had clearly lived happily in his younger years.

"Okay, lie down nicely, and I’ll make you fragrant," Gu Xiaoxi thought, she had never found this sort of thing difficult when bathing herself.

But when she bathed Quan Mo, she felt all thumbs. Inadvertently, her hand slipped, and an entire bottle of shower gel fell into the water.

She and Quan Mo fumbled around in the bathtub for a while, and by the time they fished the bottle out, most of the shower gel had already spilled into the water. As a result, bubbles filled the bathtub and spilled onto the floor.

Just as she was smothering Quan Mo in bubbles, Quan Shaoqing pushed open the bathroom door.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately turned around for help, looking at Quan Shaoqing with her watery, pitiful eyes, "Hurry and help me. The more I rinse, the more bubbles there are in the bathtub. What should I do?"

Most importantly, she had never bathed a small child before.

Quan Shaoqing saw her clumsy demeanor and was instantly full of black lines. Not only Quan Mo was submerged in bubbles, even Gu Xiaoxi was covered in foam, and the thick layer on the floor was nothing short of terrifying. "Be careful, it’s very slippery."

He strode forward, drained the water from the bathtub, and then turned to Quan Mo who was still playing with the bubbles, "Being naughty again, aren’t you!"

"No, Daddy, it’s fun this way," she said, her chubby little hands patting the bubbles before immediately smearing Quan Shaoqing with them.

Gu Xiaoxi wiped the sweat from her forehead and felt exhausted! This was more tiring than winning a tough battle.

"Xiao Xi, hand me that towel!" Quan Shaoqing held down the restless Quan Mo, afraid she might fall.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately went to get the towel and threw it to Quan Shaoqing.

She stood by his side, watching him carefully wipe Quan Mo’s body, tender and adept. He was like a meticulous father tending to his child.

The night had already fallen, and the light in the bathroom was exceptionally bright, shining on his smooth features, looking so beautiful it was breathtaking. At that moment, his cheek bore a patient smile, occasionally giving instructions to Quan Mo, who nodded obediently.

Gu Xiaoxi thought, if he had a child, would he also take care of them with such attention, with tenderness and consideration? Even though his hands had killed, held guns, judged sin and darkness, they could be unimaginably gentle.

Seeing this scene, she felt a special kind of shyness well up inside her. She thought, if she married him, perhaps they could also have a child like this someday.

That wonderful thought felt both distant and strangely exciting.

Gu Xiaoxi stood there watching, momentarily forgetting to do anything else.

When Quan Shaoqing had finished cleaning Quan Mo and lifted her from the bathtub with a towel, handing her over, Gu Xiaoxi came back to her senses and reached out to catch her.

Quan Mo immediately reached out with her tiny, chubby arms to hug Gu Xiaoxi’s neck, giggling with joy.

"Silly, what are you looking at? Take her out, but be careful, the floor is slippery," Quan Shaoqing directed gently.

Listenting to his words, Gu Xiaoxi felt as if his gentle voice struck a chord in her heart, thawing the ice that had encased it, revealing the warm blood within.

She looked at him, and suddenly a warm light flashed in her eyes, a look of love.

He was stunned when she turned around.

Because he could feel the radiance in her eyes, not just adoration, but also a touch of emotion.

Watching her leave with Quan Mo, he felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

They indeed looked like a family now, and it would probably be the same if they had children.

But he didn’t know if he could be there for her in the long run... or even, how much longer this love could last...

If one day, they ended up together.

And he passed away, what would she do then?

Suddenly feeling oppressed by the air, Quan Shaoqing walked forward, opened the bathroom window, and let the night breeze blow in.

He stood by the window, lit a cigarette, and then slowly took a drag.

He thought that in this world, there was nothing left that he feared. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

In the room, Gu Xiaoxi dressed Quan Mo in the dried clothes and then clumsily blew her hair dry.

"All done! Thank you for your help, Auntie. I’m going to give you a kiss!" Quan Mo happily stepped forward, held Gu Xiaoxi’s face in her hands, and planted a kiss on her smooth cheek.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately laughed joyfully, then patted Quan Mo’s head, "Alright, what do you want to do now? I can keep you company!"

"I’m all clean now, and I want to go find Little Uncle with Auntie."

Gu Xiaoxi looked back towards the direction of the bathroom; Quan Shaoqing hadn’t come out.

She squatted down, lifted Quan Mo in her arms, and went downstairs.

When Yun Xiao returned, he was so scared to see two strangers that he dared not speak.

Quan Ji stared at Yun Xiao for a while, then looked at Quan Shaoqing and asked, "And who is she?"

"She’s Xiao Xi’s best friend! Yun Xiao, you can go back to your room for now. We’ll call you for dinner later," said Quan Shaoqing. Because he knew of her reticent nature, he didn’t make it hard for her to stay.

Yun Xiao nodded to everyone and immediately ran off to her room as if pardoned.

Quan Ji shamelessly stayed behind.

After dinner, he followed Lin Mi to the apartment to rest.

But Quan Mo grabbed both Gu Xiaoxi’s and Quan Shaoqing’s hands, insisting that all three of them sleep together.

In the end, Quan Shaoqing had no choice but to agree to let Gu Xiaoxi sleep in his room.

Quan Shaoqing’s room was very refined, with matching furniture and all sorts of advanced high-tech equipment. Even the headboard was equipped with computers and high-end weaponry.

Gu Xiaoxi rarely came here. In fact, this was the first time she had slept with him since moving into the villa.

Quan Mo slept between them, holding Quan Shaoqing’s left hand and Gu Xiaoxi’s right hand with great dependence.

Before sleep, Quan Shaoqing told her many stories.

Gu Xiaoxi lay on one side, watching Quan Shaoqing earnestly read from a children’s book, feeling that familiar sensation again.

Even under the dim light, he was still so perfect, with fair skin, dark eyes beneath thick eyebrows, like a clear spring, always seeming to have a thin mist in his eyes, revealing a thread of tenderness and a touch of warmth.

And she was always involuntarily softened by that gentleness, even to the point of surrender.

His voice was soft and slow, husky and enchanting, like a melody of spring breeze brushing against willow branches, or the grace of lotus leaves dancing in the wind...

Listening to him was like basking in tender sunlight, and she too fell asleep.

A while later, Quan Shaoqing looked at the two asleep, one big and one small, picked up a blanket, and gently covered them.

He also liked this tranquility, this beauty. Looking at Gu Xiaoxi, her long lashes thick and curled, trembling gently with her even breathing, the warm yellow light of the bedside lamp cast upon her shoulder, revealing the snow-white shoulder blades under her nightgown.

He watched, lost in thought, truly wishing to give her a broad and smooth future, for her to always remain pure, lovely, and simply happy.

The moment the blanket settled on her, Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes fluttered open.

At first, they held a hint of confusion, but cleared up in an instant.

She looked at Quan Shaoqing, seeing the tender and complex light in his eyes, and for a moment did not know what to say.

"I’m sorry for waking you," Quan Shaoqing said, gently touching her face with a tender smile.

As if being formal with each other was beneath them!

"Is this being formal?"

"What do you think it is!" Gu Xiaoxi grabbed a pillow, propped herself up a bit, and asked, "I think you’re really good to Momo, I almost thought she was your own child."

Quan Shaoqing looked up, across the distance suitable for little friends sleeping, gazing at Gu Xiaoxi, a faint smile emerging in his eyes, "What, are you jealous?"

"I wouldn’t be jealous of a child," Gu Xiaoxi snorted and turned her head away.

But she heard Quan Shaoqing’s chilly voice from behind her, "My brother and sister-in-law are no longer with us. Before they passed, they entrusted Momo to me. She was only two and a half years old then. Because I’m rarely at home, whenever I am, I try to do more for her.

She lost her parents before she could even remember their faces. "