Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
The ingredients at the bottom of the hot pot were almost cooked, and the soup was simmering. Xu Xiyan invited everyone to dig in. “Come, everyone! Let’s eat! Please help yourselves!”
Fang Xiaocheng picked a mushroom ball from the hotpot and dipped it in peanut sauce. “Here, Cherry, have a mushroom ball! I’ve dipped it in peanut sauce for you.”
“It’s okay, Orange Mommy, you can have it. Baby doesn’t want it,” Ying Bao shook her head. She scooped up a beef ball with a spoon and took a big bite out of it happily.
Xu Xiyan added, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that Ying Bao cannot have peanut butter. She’s allergic to it.”
She’s allergic to peanut sauce?
Huo Yunshen jerked his head up at the little girl. She was also allergic to peanuts?
He was allergic to it too!
What a coincidence!
After dinner, Wang Dazhi and Fang Xiaocheng bid them goodbye. Before leaving, Fang Xiaocheng said, “Cherry, would you sleep with Xi Baby tonight? Orange Mommy will pick you up tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay!” Ying Bao jumped happily.
After sending Fang Xiaocheng and Wang Dazhi off, Xu Xiyan and Huo Yunshen joined Ying Bao for a game of Chinese checkers.
As Xu Xiyan watched Huo Yunshen and Ying Bao getting along in harmony, she felt the long-lost warmth of being with a family.
She couldn’t help but think: If…If Huo Yunshen liked her, that would be great, and Ying Bao could live in a complete family.
She really felt like asking him. Huo Yunshen, do you like me?
Why do you have to bury your feelings so deep?
Xu Xiyan had always been confident and insightful. However, when it came to Huo Yunshen, she could understand him, but couldn’t figure him out. She could never guess what he was thinking.
She had heard some ugly rumors from the public. It was rumored that the reason Huo Yunshen had never been intimately close with women was not that he had anxiety towards women or had gotten into a car accident, but that he seemed to be gay.
As for that night when he had a sexual relationship with her five years ago, it had happened because she had been drugged and couldn’t control herself from throwing herself onto him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have touched a woman.
He had helped her again and again, and she had wondered whether he had been interested in her. But back at the hotel that day, he did not even look at her, as if she was half-transparent.
Therefore, Xu Xiyan had always thought that it was true that he did not like women.
It was nearly 10:30 PM when they were done playing the game. Ying Bao was holding onto Xu Xiyan, arms around her neck, dozing off.
Xu Xiyan picked the child up and said, “She’s already sleepy. I’m going to bathe her and then put her in bed. You can go back to your place and wait for me.”
“Okay,” Huo Yunshen replied.
After Xu Xiyan had bathed Ying Bao and put her in bed, she came out of the bedroom and found that Huo Yunshen was still in the living room.
“You haven’t left yet?”
“I was waiting for you.”
He had nothing to do at home, anyway, so he had decided to wait for her.
“Why don’t you stay here for the night? Do you need anything? I can go over and bring it for you.”
Xu Xiyan was asking for his opinion. The main reason for asking him to stay here was that it would take a long time for his massage and acupuncture, and she was not comfortable leaving Ying Bao alone in the house.
“Sure, why not.”
It was a one in a million chance and Huo Yunshen had happily agreed to it.
In the guest room, Huo Yunshen lay on the bed as Xu Xiyan gave him a body massage.
Nonchalantly, Huo Yunshen asked Xu Xiyan, “What do Ying Bao’s parents do?”
He really wanted to know. What kind of parents were able to raise such an obedient and lovely child as Ying Bao?
…
