A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 11

Xiang Qingnuan had been living quite comfortably these past few days.

During the day, she had Zhu Lin to keep her company. Although Zhu Lin didn’t have much experience with children, little Qingnuan was very sensible and didn’t cause much trouble. Combined with the fact that Zhu Lin was a decent cook and genuinely liked kids, the two of them got along quite well.

As for the evenings, no matter how late she worked, Ye Feifei would always rush back. Consequently, almost every morning when Qingnuan opened her eyes, she would see her mother sleeping beside her. For her, this was already a deeply satisfying state of affairs.

However, today seemed to be an exception. When she woke up, she found the spot beside her empty; Ye Feifei hadn’t returned last night.

A flash of disappointment crossed the little girl’s eyes, but she didn’t cry or make a fuss. After smoothing down her messy hair, she climbed out of bed, shuffled into her little slippers, and went to the room next door to knock on Zhu Lin’s door.

“Sister Lin, Sister Lin!”

Accompanied by the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of her knocking, the girl’s soft, milky voice echoed through the quiet villa.

A moment later, Zhu Lin opened the door with a yawn. She looked down at the little girl, who barely reached above her knees, and bent over to scoop her up. “Good morning, little Qingnuan. Are you hungry?”

She teased as if to tickle her belly, but Qingnuan, being ticklish, quickly pressed her small hands down to stop her.

“Good morning, Sister Lin!” She gave a brilliant smile before asking, “Sister Lin, do you know where my mommy went? I didn’t see her this morning.”

“Sister Feifei went to attend a funeral today…” The words slipped out of Zhu Lin’s mouth before she realized that telling such a young child about a funeral might not be appropriate.

Sure enough, the smile on Qingnuan’s face gradually faded. She lowered her head, staring at her fingers.

She had been to a funeral. She was very young then, and the adults thought she wouldn’t remember, but she actually had an impression of it.

She remembered her favorite person, her grandmother, lying inside a black wooden box, sleeping peacefully. She had called out to her many times, wanting her to get up and play, but she never answered.

Then she had started to cry, but no matter how loudly she wailed, her grandmother didn’t pay her any attention. It wasn’t like before—back then, the moment she cried, her grandmother would immediately come to hold her, comfort her, and tell her stories…

Later, her grandmother never appeared again.

Qingnuan’s eyes grew red. She rubbed them with the back of her hand and struggled down from Zhu Lin’s arms. As she ran back toward her room, she said, “Sister Lin, I’m going to go wash up.”

“Slow down! Do you need help?” Zhu Lin shouted after her.

“No thanks, Sister Lin! I can do it myself!”

Closing the door behind her, Qingnuan’s lip trembled. Large teardrops rolled from her eyes. She wiped them with her handkerchief, then ran to her wardrobe and pulled out the bottom drawer.

Inside was a tin box. When opened, it revealed a collection of miscellaneous trinkets, among which was a photograph.

The photo showed an elegant old woman with a refined and intellectual air; one could catch glimpses of the beauty she possessed in her youth. She was sitting in a chair with a little girl on her lap. Both grandmother and granddaughter were smiling at the camera, their smiles equally radiant.

Qingnuan touched the woman in the photo, a slow smile returning to her face, though it held a trace of loneliness. After looking for a while, she carefully tucked the photo back into her treasure box and ran into the bathroom.

After finishing breakfast, she fished out her tablet to browse Weibo—this had become a mandatory daily ritual for her.

Xiang Nan and Ye Feifei hadn’t updated, which left Qingnuan a bit disappointed. However, she accidentally clicked into the “Trending” section, and when she saw the image attached to the first post, her eyes widened in surprise:

“Fishy, look! It’s Mommy!”

In the center of a nine-photo grid was indeed Ye Feifei. She was wearing a black gauze dress and wiping away tears with a tissue, looking deeply sorrowful.

Ye Feifei attended Qin Mo’s funeral. Her relationship with the musician hadn’t been profound; while she was certainly sad, her current grief stemmed more from thoughts of her best friend, Su Yuyan.

Su Yuyan had successfully passed the critical danger zone, but she had become a vegetable. She was still lying in the hospital, and there was no telling when or if she would ever wake up.

Feifei looked toward the girl surrounded by the crowd. She sat in a wheelchair, and despite being encircled by people, there wasn’t much life in her. Within her calm expression surged too much sorrow and despair, carrying a coldness that kept people at a distance.

As Qin Xuening watched her father being laid to rest, she felt more than just grief; she felt lost. The news that her mother had become a vegetable and might never wake up was a bolt from the blue.

All her carefully planned visions for the future had vanished into thin air. The beautiful life she had once imagined was now stained with the colors of hopelessness.

She was only seven years old. Even though she hadn’t ended up disabled this time, she doubted anyone would agree to let her live alone. Her only remaining relative was her aunt, Qin Xinlan. Naturally, her aunt would become her guardian and take her away to repeat the fate of her past life…

Thinking of her days in the Chen family, Qin Xuening closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly. A mute cripple in that kind of household—one could only imagine the treatment she would receive.

Even if her body was healthy in this life and she couldn’t possibly live as miserably as before, she didn’t want to step a single foot into that pile of filth ever again!

“Xuening, don’t be sad anymore.” Just then, a gentle female voice spoke. She looked up to see Qin Xinlan standing beside her. “Auntie will take good care of you from now on.”

During this period, Qin Xinlan’s care and affection had eventually softened Xuening’s heart. When she spoke to her now, Xuening was no longer as cold as when she first woke up.

However, at that moment, another person appeared beside Qin Xinlan. He smiled brightly and asked, “Xinlan, is this your elder brother’s daughter?”

Qin Xuening looked at Chen Yang’s handsome face, and a deep sense of loathing flashed in her eyes. Alcoholism, domestic violence, infidelity… in Xuening’s eyes, this man was nothing but scum.

Facing such a scoundrel, she naturally wouldn’t give him a pleasant expression. Thus, as Chen Yang looked over to greet her, Xuening had already turned her wheelchair and rolled away without a word.

Seeing her attitude, Chen Yang’s face soured, but he couldn’t explode at a funeral. He merely darkened his expression, leaving Qin Xinlan feeling a bit anxious.

“Xuening is just too heartbroken, don’t mind her,” she said with a smile to smooth things over, though in her heart, she couldn’t help but feel a slight grievance toward Xuening.

From a distance, Ye Feifei watched the scene unfold. A thoughtful look appeared in her eyes, and a bold idea suddenly began to take root.