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Zou Le Xiao’s brain was temporarily overwhelmed by the tingling sensation spreading through her legs and feet, leaving her unable to think about what Yu Jing Ze might be thinking at that moment. The unbearable discomfort crawled from her toes all the way up to her heart. She pinched the numb areas in an attempt to revive them, but there was no sensation.
Yu Jing Ze noticed she was still crouched with her head buried between her knees. “You should go inside and sit for a bit. If you keep squatting like this, your legs will only get more numb.”
As he spoke, he bent down to help her up.
But Zou Le Xiao was in the peak of the tingling phase—her legs were completely numb, and she couldn’t move.
She kept her head down and waved him off. “It’s fine, I’ll just stay here for a while. Thank you, President Yu. You can go ahead—I don’t need anything.”
Yu Jing Ze figured Zou Le Xiao wasn’t in any real trouble. If she were truly unwell, she could have called Fu Ji Chen on her phone or even shouted down to the lakeside where Fu Ji Chen and Yu Qing were within earshot.
He became certain that she simply didn’t want to walk and was hoping he’d carry her.
He asked, “Why are you experiencing low blood sugar?”
Zou Le Xiao: “I haven’t eaten.”
Yu Jing Ze slipped his phone into his pocket, took off his coat, and headed toward the house.
As his footsteps faded, Zou Le Xiao opened one eye to see what he was doing, but from her angle, she couldn’t tell. He had probably gone downstairs to fetch Fu Ji Chen or ask the housekeeper to come up.
Her mind immediately wandered to how different things would be if it were a woman he liked who had collapsed from low blood sugar. He would’ve been frantic, picking her up and rushing her to a doctor—not acting as nonchalantly as he was now.
Just as Yu Jing Ze finished taking off his coat and prepared to return to the terrace to carry Zou Le Xiao, Fu Ji Chen appeared.
“Where is she?” Fu Ji Chen asked casually, glancing at Yu Jing Ze.
Yu Jing Ze was rolling up his sleeves and tilted his chin toward the terrace. “Low blood sugar. Can’t stand up.”
Fu Ji Chen had never heard of Zou Le Xiao having low blood sugar before. More likely, she had squatted for too long and her legs had gone numb.
He walked over and tapped her on the head. “Still can’t stand?”
Zou Le Xiao gave a barely audible “Mm.”
Fu Ji Chen: “Let me help you up.”
Zou Le Xiao shook her head. The tingling was subsiding, and in another minute or two, she’d be able to walk normally.
Since she was pretending to have low blood sugar, he decided not to call her out.
“I’ll go get the handcart and push you down,” he said.
Zou Le Xiao: “?”
Fu Ji Chen: “We have a handcart at home.”
Zou Le Xiao: “… “
When Yu Jing Ze heard that Fu Ji Chen planned to use the handcart to transport Zou Le Xiao downstairs, he awkwardly rolled his sleeves back down and put his coat back on.
Fu Ji Chen finally found a use for his handcart—the same one he had tried to steal a snowman with last week but failed. He placed a clean pad on it and brought it upstairs via the elevator.
When Zou Le Xiao saw the cargo handcart, which was usually used to move goods, and realized she’d have to sit on it right in front of Yu Jing Ze, millions of wild horses stampeded through her mind.
The handcart was only about ten centimeters off the ground, and Fu Ji Chen effortlessly hoisted her onto it without a hint of gentleness.
Zou Le Xiao: “… “
In front of Yu Jing Ze, she swallowed her pride.
Never had she felt so humiliated. She pulled the hood of her down jacket over her head, wishing she could disappear.
She hoped that after this encounter on the terrace, she would never see Yu Jing Ze again.
Yu Jing Ze didn’t follow them into the elevator. Instead, he took the stairs down to the second floor to check on Little Yu Miao.
________________________________________
In the nursery, both Yu Jing Xin and Ji Qing Yuan were present.
Yu Jing Xin hadn’t visited Little Yu Miao in a week because of work commitments. Last week had been filled with meetings, and she didn’t get home until midnight every night.
Today, she finally had some free time.
Before coming, Baby had reminded her several times: “Mommy, Uncle went to the office. Bring Brother back.”
Her son’s pronunciation was unclear—he kept saying “office” as “lion.”
Ji Qing Yuan glanced at Yu Jing Ze. “What were you calling Zou Le Xiao for earlier?”
Yu Jing Ze paused. “You heard?”
Ji Qing Yuan: “You started shouting from the second-floor staircase. How could I not hear?”
Yu Jing Ze didn’t hide anything from them. “The housekeeper said Zou Le Xiao looked unwell, went upstairs, and didn’t come down. I ran into her at the bank this afternoon—she was canceling her card.”
Ji Qing Yuan nodded. “Don’t take it too hard. Maybe she canceled it but never used it afterward.”
Yu Jing Ze: “… “
Ji Qing Yuan was in a good mood today and decided to chat a little more. “Guys like you wouldn’t even get a crematorium scene in my sister’s novels or scripts.”
Yujingze was left speechless.
Ji Qing Yuan continued, referring to his sister’s hobby of writing novels. “Next time I’ll give her some material. It won’t just be about me; I’ve reformed. This time, I’ll use you as the prototype. Guys like you don’t even deserve an epilogue.”
His sister had written dozens of novels in the “arrogant CEO falls in love” genre. Many of the ill-fated male side characters were based on him, labeled as scoundrels with no happy endings. In her eyes, only devoted men like her brother-in-law or Fu Ji Chen deserved to be protagonists.
Yu Jing Ze didn’t want to banter with Ji Qing Yuan, who was deliberately poking fun at him.
He walked over to Yu Jing Xin to look at Little Yu Miao.
Yu Jing Xin was playing with Little Yu Miao. “Let’s let Uncle hold him.”
Yu Jing Ze didn’t know how to hold such a small baby. He hesitated, unsure where to start. He had never held Baby when he was younger.
Yu Jing Xin’s relationship with Ji Qing Yuan was average, and he rarely visited their home.
Yu Jing Xin encouraged him: “Learn to hold him. When you have kids of your own, you’ll know what to do.”
Yu Jing Ze had never thought about getting married or having children before.
With stiff arms, he awkwardly supported Little Yu Miao’s body. It was harder than any workout at the gym.
Little Yu Miao stared at Yu Jing Ze with big black eyes, blinking occasionally. His tiny mouth opened and closed as if trying to speak, and he smiled unconsciously from time to time.
The baby’s innocent gaze and smile softened something deep inside Yu Jing Ze. His rigid movements gradually relaxed as he held Little Yu Miao more comfortably.
Outside, the sky darkened—it was time for Little Yu Miao’s swimming session.
The nanny had already prepared the water, and the childcare nurse came to take him. “Wait half an hour before coming back up.” Swimming and bathing would take about thirty minutes.
Yu Jing Ze reluctantly handed Little Yu Miao over to the nurse, reluctant to part with him.
________________________________________
By the lakeside, Fu Ji Chen hadn’t caught a single fish all afternoon.
Yu Qing glanced toward the villa. “Why aren’t they leaving yet?”
“You can’t tell? Neither of them wants to leave.” Fu Ji Chen reeled in his fishing rod and poured the water from the bucket back into the lake.
Yu Qing sensed something subtle between Yu Jing Ze and Zou Le Xiao. Given Yu Jing Ze’s personality, he wouldn’t have gone upstairs unless necessary, and Zou Le Xiao had been three hours late.
She hadn’t gone upstairs herself, so she didn’t know what happened. She asked Fu Ji Chen, “Why did you bring the handcart upstairs?”
“To push Zou Le Xiao.”
“… “
Fu Ji Chen guessed, “Zou Le Xiao might have been standing on the third floor looking toward the backyard and saw Yu Jing Ze. Feeling guilty, she crouched down. Weren’t you scrolling through Gu Heng’s trending topic earlier? She must’ve been doing the same. By the time Yu Jing Ze approached, her legs were numb, and she made up the story about low blood sugar.”
Yu Qing nodded, understanding the situation.
Fu Ji Chen added, “If I hadn’t gone up, Yu Jing Ze was planning to carry Zou Le Xiao down. I didn’t give him the chance.”
Yu Qing couldn’t believe it. “Our brother actually considered carrying her princess-style?”
“Yes.” Fu Ji Chen noticed Yu Jing Ze had taken off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He often carried Yu Qing in the same manner.
Yu Qing thoughtfully nodded. “Let’s stay here a little longer. No rush to go inside.”
Fu Ji Chen rubbed her cheeks. “Aren’t you cold?”
Yu Qing: “It’s fine. I’ll dance later. It’s rare for my brother to show concern.” So rare.
Inside the villa, Zou Le Xiao was sitting on the couch.
She covered herself with her down jacket, embarrassed about getting off the handcart. No one was better at ruining her dignity than Fu Ji Chen.
Yu Jing Ze assumed Zou Le Xiao had left, but to his surprise, she was still in the living room. She had covered herself with her jacket, and he couldn’t tell if she was awake or asleep.
Without disturbing her, he sat down on the other end of the couch.
On the coffee table were piles of parenting books. He picked one up and flipped through it idly.
Yu Jing Xin and Ji Qing Yuan also came downstairs and sat on the adjacent couch.
Ji Qing Yuan, with nothing else to do, started shelling pine nuts for Yu Jing Xin.
Yu Jing Xin was no longer as reserved as before. Even with family around, she leaned close to Ji Qing Yuan, resting her chin on his shoulder.
They exchanged few words as she focused on watching him shell the pine nuts.
Ji Qing Yuan fed her one nut at a time. After shelling another, he expected her to open her mouth, but instead of feeding her, he popped it into his own mouth.
Yu Jing Xin: “… “
She didn’t say anything, pouting slightly.
Suddenly, Ji Qing Yuan turned his face toward her, pinching her lips open with two fingers. He fed her the pine nut mouth-to-mouth, sneaking a kiss on her lips in the process.
Yu Jing Xin’s heart skipped a beat. With Yu Jing Ze and Zou Le Xiao nearby, she quickly covered her face with her hand.
After five years of marriage, she still blushed and felt her heart race. She nudged his arm, signaling him to be more discreet.
Ji Qing Yuan chuckled and continued his task.
All these small gestures didn’t escape Yu Jing Ze’s notice.
He shifted his body slightly, avoiding looking in their direction.
He had been staring at the same page for ten minutes but had only read a few lines.
At the other end of the couch, Zou Le Xiao’s mind was racing. Despite hearing several sets of footsteps approaching, there was no conversation.
Perhaps Yu Jing Ze had already left.
She pulled off her down jacket, adjusted her messy hair, and turned her face. Yu Jing Ze was watching her.
She nodded slightly as a greeting.
Yu Jing Ze noticed her complexion still wasn’t great. “Still dizzy?”
Zou Le Xiao: “Much better.”
Yu Jing Ze nodded.
Another awkward silence ensued.
He lowered his gaze and returned to reading his book.
Finally finishing a page, Yu Jing Ze closed the book and asked Yu Jing Xin, “Want some chocolate?”
Yu Jing Xin was baffled. Since when had he shown such concern for her? Then it dawned on her—he wasn’t really asking for her sake.
She shook her head. “No, it’ll make me gain weight.”
Ji Qing Yuan chimed in supportively, “I won’t eat either.”
Yu Jing Ze: “… I wasn’t asking you.”
Ji Qing Yuan fed another pine nut to Yu Jing Xin and looked at Yu Jing Ze slyly. “I’m saving you the trouble of talking too much.”
Yu Jing Ze tossed the book onto the coffee table, stood up, and headed straight to the kitchen.
There was plenty of chocolate in the fridge. He grabbed a few pieces.
On his way back to the living room, he tore open a piece and tasted it himself. He never ate snacks, especially sweets like chocolate.
Returning to his seat, Yu Jing Ze tossed two pieces of chocolate to Zou Le Xiao. If she truly had low blood sugar, eating something sweet would help.
He explained, “Yu Qing doesn’t eat chocolate anymore. These chocolates will expire soon if we don’t eat them.”
Zou Le Xiao: “… “
Still, she politely said, “Thank you.”
At that moment, Fu Ji Chen and Yu Qing returned from the lakeside.
Fu Ji Chen took off Yu Qing’s coat and looked at the group. “It’s already dark. Are you still not leaving?”
Ji Qing Yuan responded, “Not in a hurry. We’ll stay a little longer.”
Fu Ji Chen hung up the coat and glanced at his watch. “It’s 5:30 now. Dinner is at 6:00. You should figure out when to leave.”
Ji Qing Yuan nodded. “Got it. We’ll eat and leave before 8:00.”
Fu Ji Chen: “… “
Yu Qing laughed, hugging Fu Ji Chen. “This round goes to you—you lose.”
Zou Le Xiao didn’t plan to stay. It wouldn’t be appropriate for her to join their family dinner. Just as she was thinking of an excuse to leave, her phone rang. It was her eldest brother, Fu Cheng Lin.
She answered immediately. Before she could speak, he asked, “Where are you?”
“At Second Brother’s place.”
“Alright, I’ll text you the details.”
“?”
The call ended.
Fu Cheng Lin: [Go to my apartment and grab a set of clothes for me. The maid is at home. There’s a suitcase packed for business trips—just bring it over.]
He followed up by sending her the private room location of the club he was currently at.
Zou Le Xiao was curious: [What trouble are you in?]
Fu Cheng Lin: [Someone spilled red wine all over my clothes. They’re soaked.] He couldn’t leave the private room, stuck in wet clothes, feeling miserable.
He didn’t want his driver to see him like this.
Zou Le Xiao was astonished. Someone dared to spill wine on Fu Cheng Lin?
Pretending to care, she teased: [Are all your clothes soaked, or just half? Are you cold?]
Fu Cheng Lin: [Stop asking so many questions. Hurry up.] He added, [Don’t tell anyone. Christmas gifts are on me—I’ll reimburse you.]
Zou Le Xiao: [Thank you, thank you. I’ll run the errand for you right away.] She couldn’t resist asking: [Why are you asking me for this kind of thing?]
Fu Cheng Lin didn’t hesitate: [Because only you have it worse than me. Neither of us needs to mock the other.]
Zou Le Xiao: “… “
But considering the gift, she decided not to argue with a walking ATM machine.
Putting away her phone, Zou Le Xiao excused herself. “Some university classmates invited me to dinner. I’m heading out.”
Fu Ji Chen asked, “Male or female classmate?”
“A guy. He works in Beijing too.” Zou Le Xiao put on her down jacket, said goodbye to everyone individually, except Yu Jing Ze.
Yu Qing reminded her, “Call me when you get home tonight.”
Zou Le Xiao replied, “It’s fine. Just dinner, no partying.”
Having come all this way without spending time with Little Yu Miao, she dashed upstairs, took a quick glance at him, filmed a short video, and hurried back downstairs.
Fu Cheng Lin, still in his wet clothes, was waiting for her rescue.
Zou Le Xiao rushed off, eager to claim her Christmas gift.
Yu Jing Ze glanced at the coffee table. The two pieces of chocolate he had given Zou Le Xiao were lying there, completely abandoned.
Fu Ji Chen took three bottles of red wine from the wine cabinet and casually told Yu Jing Ze, “Tonight, each of us drinks one bottle. Even if we get drunk, it’s fine—I have the handcart to send you home.”
Yu Jing Ze: “… “
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