25. WE HAVE LONG DAYS AHEAD OF US

“Cough cough cough…” Ning Xi felt completely defeated by Lu Tingxiao and hurriedly said, “I’m just kidding… it was a joke…”

It seemed as if Lu Tingxiao was addicted to giving away keys, as he gave her yet another one. “It’s not easy to catch cabs in this area and going to work might be inconvenient for you, so you can drive this car.”

Ning Xi: “...”

Why…

She was only going to live here for a short time, why did she feel like a mistress?

No, that’s not right, if she was a mistress, she would be hidden away outside, not given the keys to the main residence, and even responsibility of a child…

Wow, this felt like being a newlywed…

Suddenly, she thought of the first time she’d met Lu Tingxiao, and how he had abruptly proposed to her…

She thought that she understood everything about men, but the one standing before her was like a computer program with a top-notch firewall that she just couldn’t hack.

She didn’t know whether agreeing to his request in a moment of sympathy and weakness was going to be a disaster or good fortune…

Little Treasure's frame of mind that night was rather unstable, so as a precaution, Ning Xi slept beside him on the same bed.

In the middle of the night.

The door of the bedroom was pushed open gently and silently.

Footsteps drew closer and a man knelt by the side of the bed.

In the soft, yellow light from the bedside lamp, the woman on the bed looked like she had been patting Little Treasure before drifting into sleep, her breathing shallow and expression warm. Her soft lips were like summer cherry blossoms and slightly parted as if in unspoken invitation…

After a while, a dark shadow encroached on the faint light as the figure of a man crept closer…

He was only a breath away. Just a bit more and their lips would touch. But abruptly he stopped himself, before leaving a cool kiss on the woman’s forehead.

Ning Xi, we have long days ahead of us.

…

The next morning.

Ning Xi had thought at first that she wouldn’t be able to sleep on an unfamiliar bed, but she had slept so well through the night without any dreams.

When she woke, she realized that Little Treasure was already awake.

The little guy was reading a book at her side in a serious manner, not making a single sound.

He was clearly such a good child, she really couldn’t imagine what the little bun was like when he threw a tantrum…

“Darling , good morning.” Ning Xi sat up and greeted him warmly.

Little Treasure looked up happily from his book. Though he didn’t say anything and his expression seemed unchanged, Ning Xi could tell from his eyes how pleased he was.

Amused, Ning X stretched out a hand to flick an unruly lock of hair away. “Today, Auntie doesn’t need to work, so I can keep you company!”

At her words, the little guy was so visibly happier, he even smiled a little.

Ning Xi was practically bleeding out from all the cuteness. She couldn’t help but squeeze his little cheeks. “Darling, smile more. You are too cute when you smile!”

After showering, she went downstairs where breakfast had already been prepared.

Ning Xi didn’t see Lu Tingxiao and none of the servants mentioned anything about waiting for him to eat, so she assumed he had already gone to work.

After breakfast, Ning Xi was worried that she didn’t really know how to take care of a child; what would she do if she didn’t care for him properly…

In the end, her worries were for nothing.

The whole morning, she was on the sofa looking at her script, while Little Treasure sat at a table next to her reading books or drawing. They didn’t bother each other, but shared a harmonious air.

The servants only appeared once the whole time to bring some dim sum and fruit. Their movements were very quiet and light, as if afraid to disturb him.

It appeared that Little Treasure especially liked peace and quiet.

24. SO JUST LIKE THAT THEY NOW LIVE TOGETHER?

“Yes.”

Ning Xi tugged on her hair nervously. “This… isn’t this too inappropriate? If Little Treasure wants to see me, I can come anytime to visit him!”

Lu Tingxiao appeared tired as he rubbed his forehead. “There are too many unpredictable factors involved here. Especially if at night there was an emergency situation, it would be too dangerous for you to speed over here again. Because of my position, it’s not convenient to keep taking Little Treasure over to see you. I know this is a troublesome request, but I’m still asking this as Little Treasure’s father. I hope you can agree to it.”

Ning Xi’s head hurt.

If Lu Tingxiao had tried to use his power to forcibly ask this of her, she would have outright rejected him and then left, but he was asking so earnestly, with no thought at all to his own identity and position. Not to mention, faced with such supreme beauty, how was it possible to say no!

Standing on the side, Lu Jingli stared intently at his brother.

Amazing!

Who knew his brother could use such a high-end technique, turning a disadvantage into and advantage that would take out all obstacles on the path to win Ning Xi over.

Little Treasure’s existence was no longer his weakness, but now his biggest advantage.

Suddenly there was a loud bang. Little Treasure had jumped off the bed in fright, knocking the bedside lamp over.

When he saw Ning Xi, the fear in the kid’s eyes eased and he shot like an arrow towards her.

The intense fear in those eyes would twist the heart of anyone who saw it.

Ning Xi quickly bent down. “Darling, why are you awake?”

The little guy rested his head against her and his small arms hugged her tightly around the neck, not letting go.

“It’s okay, Auntie is here. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared…” Ning Xi lightly patted his back. She could smell a sweet milk scent on him, and her emotions became a little complicated.

She actually avoided getting close with children, so why couldn’t she bring herself to dislike it when it came to Little Treasure?

Ning Xi coaxed Little Treasure to sleep once more before closing the bedroom door softly and coming out.

She noticed that the mess in the living room downstairs had already been cleaned up by the servants.

As expected of servants of the Lu family; not only were they efficient, they were also well trained. They all knew of and were curious to death about Ning Xi’s visit; still, no one gave her a second glance or dared speak a word of gossip. They only went about their business and left quietly.

Lu Tingxiao noticed she had come out, but didn;t say a word to pressure her. He only silently looked at her.

Ning Xi was hesitant. She thought of the expression Little Treasure had made when he wouldn’t let go of her sleeve, and finally she gave in to her feelings. She breathed in deeply before letting it out. “Alright, Mister Lu. I’ll agree to your request. Consider it as me paying Little Treasure back for saving me last time.”

Lu Tingxiao visibly relaxed. “Thank you.”

“Little treasure could wake up any time, so it looks like I won’t be leaving tonight, but all my things are at my apartment…” Ning Xi was troubled.

“That won’t be a problem, I’ll have someone go fetch them for you,” Lu Tingxiao said, and then ordered the butler head out.

Lu Jingli, who hadn’t said a single word throughout, was stunned at how quickly the situation had escalated.

So… so just like that they were now living together?

“Did you still need something?” Lu Tingxiao glanced at Lu Jingli.

“I’m leaving now!” The third wheel who was discarded by his own brother quickly left.

He had thought that Ning Xi was fierce, but his brother was no weakling either.

He finally realized that his brother wasn’t clueless when it came to chasing girls. It was just that for the past 32 years, he had simply never let himself go…

Lu Tingxiao showed Ning Xi to a room next to Little Treasure’s. “From now on, you can stay here. I’ll find someone to come redecorate it in whatever style you like.”

Ning Xi waved her hands in protest. “No need, no need. I’ll only be living here for a few days, it’s not like it’s permanent. Redecorating is too troublesome!”

“It’s not troublesome.”

Lu Tingxiao took a large set of keys from the butler and handed them to her. “These are the keys to the house. You can come and go as you like. The main entrance uses a passcode, 591414, this is the key to the attic, you should keep it with you since it’s Little Treasure’s favorite hiding place, so he likes to steal it. This is…”

Seeing that Lu Tingxiao was about to give her the key to the safe in his home, Ning Xi cut him off. “Wait wait wait wait… Mister Lu, you’re being a bit too carefree! Aren’t you scared I’ll rob you?”

“What do you want? I’ll find someone to help you move it.” Lu Tingxiao seemed completely serious; he didn’t look like he was joking at all.

23. CALABASH BROTHERS [1]

The impact of Lu Jingli's words was too much. It took Ning Xi a long time to digest them.

She looked down at the little bun who was clinging to her tightly. "Little Treasure, you broke all those things because you wanted to see me?"

Little Treasure nodded.

Ning Xi frowned. "Don't you know what you did was wrong?"

Little Treasure shook his head.

Ning Xi finally understood why Lu Tingxiao was so strict. This child probably had been spoiled so much that he felt everything should go his way.

Ning Xi's gaze turned serious. "Auntie is telling you now, what you did was not right. Only bad children act that way, so don't be like this ever again, alright?"

Little Treasure nodded.

Lu Tingxiao's expression was hard to describe.

Little Treasure was unruly, but if he nodded and agreed to do something, he would do it without fail.

The psychiatrist had tried everything to stop Little Treasure's habits of using starvation as a scare tactic, locking himself in, and even breaking things, but Little Treasure had remained completely unmoved.

As for more forceful methods, the two family elders could never bear to use them and would only persist halfway before giving in and letting their precious grandson have his way.

The influence Ning Xi had on Little Treasure was greater than he had expected. Of course, he was delighted by this.

Ning Xi scolded Little Treasure a little more before gently coaxing him into bed. "Mm, hal I sing you a song today?"

Little Treasure nodded obediently.

"Keke, what should I sing…. I know? Calabash Brothers, Calabash Brothers, seven flowers on a branch, unafraid of any storm la la la la!"

Leaning against the door, Lu Jingli almost fell over. "Little Treasure is a very intelligent boy, how can he possibly like such a childish song?"

But he realized the little guy was actually listening intently. What was even more amusing was that his own brother was doing the same.

After Little Treasure finally fell asleep, Ning Xi stretched out. "I sang almost all of the children's songs that I know…"

Lu Jingli couldn't help but cry and laugh. "The. Why did you sing children's songs? You can sing other songs! Those kids' songs nearly killed me!"

Ning Xi used a rubber band around her wrist to tie her hair up, and lifted her bright, phoenix-like eyes. "Other songs? Besides children's songs, all the songs I know are inappropriate for children!"

Lu Tingxiao's mind flashes back to when Ning Xi had sung under the moonlight.

Lu Jingli became excited after hearing this. “Hahaha really, really? What songs, sing them for me!”

Lu Tingxiao glared at him.

Lu Jingli was so scared, he immediately stood up. His brother was actually the jealous type!

“Were you nearby?” Lu Tingxiao asked.

Otherwise how could she have gotten here so quickly?

“No, I was at my apartment, but I rode my motorbike over! Wasn’t it fast?” Ning Xi felt proud.

No wonder she was dressed like that.

Her outfit today was even more stunning than yesterday’s. Yesterday, she was dressed like a conservative spirit; today, she was a wild and free demoness.

“That’s very dangerous.” Lu Tingxiao’s expression was full of disapproval, his gaze becoming even icier as he glanced at Lu Jingli, who had been the one who call her to come.

“Not at all, I’m very good on my motorbike!” Ning Xi waved her hands in protest and then yawned. “Since Little treasure is fine, I’ll be leaving then!”

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Tingxiao said, “Miss Ning, I have an audacious request.”

Since she had already vented all her anger at him earlier, she was back to her normal self, and replied respectfully, “Mister Lu, please speak freely. I’ll comply if it’s within my capabilities.”

The Lu family was very powerful in both respectable and underground circles. Demon King Lu was someone who could attack at a single word he didn’t like.

Lu Tingxiao glanced at his son, his gaze heavy. “What happened when the two of you were locked inside that bar storeroom traumatized Little Treasure more than I realized. Right now, it seems you are the only one who can console him, so until Little treasure recovers, I hope that Miss Ning can live with us temporarily for that period of time.”

Ning Xi froze after hearing Lu Tingxiao’s request. “Ha…? Move here and… live together?”

[1]Calabash Brothers is a 1980s Chinese animated TV series