A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 36

The first time Qi Jing saw Qin Xuening was when she had just arrived at the Xiang residence.

One evening, while he and his younger sister, Qi Yue, were playing in the yard, he caught sight of a black sedan pulling up to the curb in front of the Xiang house. Since guests rarely visited across the street, his attention was instantly piqued.

He saw a familiar-looking uncle get out of the car and carry a girl out. The girl was about his age, but both of her legs were in plaster casts. The thick, heavy white casings formed a stark contrast with her slender frame, making her look quite pitiful and delicate.

The uncle placed her in a wheelchair and pushed her into the opposite yard. Just then, his mother called him to bring his sister inside for dinner, so he left the fence and went back into the house.

What truly made him remember Qin Xuening was a certain Sunday morning. His mother was helping his sister cut her hair, and since he was bored, he went up to the third-floor storage room, hoping to dig out his old sketchpad and paints to mess around with some drawings.

As he found the sketchpad and was about to look for the paints, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the room on the third floor directly opposite his storage room. The curtains, which were usually tightly drawn, had been pulled open.

Through the bright, clean floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw a piano and a girl in a plain dress sitting before it. From his angle, he could only see her profile, but the faint white of the plaster on her legs told him she was the same pitiful girl from that day.

Under his watchful eyes, the girl took a deep breath and raised her slender, fair hands. He had never seen such beautiful hands; in the sunlight, they were so white they were almost translucent.

Her small hands touched the keys, and she began to play.

He couldn’t hear the music, but he could see her hands occasionally leaping from the keys, flying into the air, and her expression becoming increasingly intoxicated and joyful. He couldn’t see her features clearly, but he could feel her happiness—a world away from the gloomy, sorrowful look she had at the start. At that moment, bathed in the sun, she looked as beautiful as a little fairy.

He felt he had never seen anyone so good-looking—even prettier than his own mother!

Qi Jing really wanted to meet the girl and hear her play, but due to a certain shyness, he never dared to knock on the door across the street.

He hadn’t expected that joining the show with his father would lead him to Xiang Qingnuan. He certainly remembered this little sister; she lived in the same house, and he had seen her playing in the yard with that girl.

Oh, and through her constant chattering, he learned the girl’s name was “Xuening.” What a beautiful name.

Now that such a great opportunity had finally presented itself, he had to seize it! Gazing at the oblivious little girl beside him, Qi Jing made a silent vow in his heart.

Qingnuan tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you talking about Sister Xuening?”

“Mhm! Mhm!” Qi Jing nodded vigorously, then immediately realized he seemed too eager. He coughed to clear his throat and pretended to be casual. “It’s more fun when there are more people, right? It’s better that way.”

Just then, the production team’s car stopped in front of the Qi residence. Xiang Nan opened the door, stepped out first, and then carried his daughter down. Seeing this, Qi Jing hurriedly followed.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Qingnuan completely forgot what Qi Jing had said in the car. Her only thought was to get home and see her beloved big sister.

“Nuannuan, don’t be impolite. Say goodbye to the Uncle and Brother first,” Xiang Nan pulled his daughter back just in time.

“Goodbye, Uncle! Goodbye, Brother Xiao Jing! And goodbye, Driver Uncle!” Qingnuan waved obediently, not leaving out the driver.

“Goodbye, little Nuannuan. Come play at our house next time.”

“Okay, Uncle Qi!” Qingnuan nodded politely, two shallow dimples appearing by her mouth. She looked incredibly adorable.

Xiang Nan didn’t linger. He was just about to head home with his daughter when he heard the Qi boy call out helpfully, “Uncle Xiang, let me walk you!”

Qi Jing ran over and took Qingnuan’s hand, putting on the air of a big brother taking care of a little sister. Xiang Nan stared at him as they walked, his gaze full of suspicion. Fortunately, the boy let go once they reached the yard gate, which made Xiang Nan’s expression soften slightly.

“Little Nuannuan, remember our promise,” Qi Jing leaned into the girl’s ear, whispering to her.

At that moment, the front door of the Xiang house was pushed open. A slender figure appeared in the doorway, her face lit with joy. Having heard that Qingnuan was back, she had run downstairs to meet her.

However, when she saw the boy at the yard gate leaning in and whispering to the little girl, the joy on her face slowly faded, and her lips pressed into a straight line.

Did she really make a new friend?

“Sister Xuening!”

Before Xuening could feel truly dejected, the girl’s cheerful, clear shout rang in her ears. The next second, that tiny figure sprinted from the gate and lunged into her arms.

Qin Xuening pulled the little bundle into a tight embrace. It felt as though they had been apart for years rather than three days. At this moment, the surge of emotion in her heart was no less than the moment she touched the piano again.

“Sister Xuening, did you miss me?” Qingnuan nuzzled into her sister’s arms, then looked up with a flushed face and asked.

Xuening looked into her sparkling almond eyes and, feeling a bit embarrassed, averted her gaze—only to see the boy standing next to Xiang Nan at the gate, looking over expectantly.

A dark glint flashed in her eyes. After only one glance at the boy, she took the little girl’s hand and led her inside, shutting the boy’s gaze out behind the door.

Qi Jing felt a bit let down, but seeing that the girl could stand and walk now, he was still happy for her. “Uncle Xiang, I’ll head back then.” With that, he turned and ran home.

Xiang Nan looked at the boy, then at his own house, shrugged, and went inside.

When he entered, he saw the two sisters huddled together on the sofa in the living room. Their clinginess was even more intense than it had been three days ago. Xiang Nan pouted but didn’t disturb them. He asked Auntie Lin to prepare tea and snacks and quietly went upstairs to change out of his travel-worn clothes.

Qingnuan didn’t notice him. She was half-lying on the soft sofa, her hands tightly clutching Xuening’s arm as she acted spoiled. “Sister Xuening, did you miss me or not?”

Xuening remained silent. Even now, she wasn’t quite used to such blunt, direct expressions of affection. She withdrew her arm, pulled the girl over to rest her head on her lap, and began carefully smoothing out her messy hair. Xiang Nan, being a man, was inevitably a bit lacking in maintaining his daughter’s appearance.

Qingnuan grew quiet. Resting on her sister’s soft lap and smelling her pleasant scent, she watched Xuening’s focused, serious face and couldn’t help but grin.

“What are you laughing at?” Xuening asked, her hands never stopping. Her movements were gentle and cautious, afraid of pulling the girl’s hair or hurting her.

“I’m just happy!” Qingnuan laughed joyfully, then called out again, “Sister Xuening…”

“Mhm?”

“While I was away, did you miss me?”

Xuening couldn’t help but sigh. Why did this girl keep harping on this question? She thought for a moment and kicked the ball back: “What about you?”

As if waiting for this very question, Qingnuan tried to sit up to answer, but since her hair was still in her sister’s hands, she had to lie back down. “I missed Sister every day. I missed you so much I couldn’t even sleep at night.”

The girl’s tone was full of grievance, and her expression was piteous.

Thinking about how she had snuck into the little girl’s room to sleep for the past two nights, a faint red glow crept up the tips of Xuening’s ears.

“…Was the show no fun?” she hurriedly changed the subject.

“It was fun, but Sister Xuening wasn’t there.” Qingnuan turned on her side, wrapped her small arms around Xuening’s waist, and buried her face in her chest. “Sister Xuening, I missed you so much…”

Xuening stroked the girl’s long hair, unable to stop her lips from curving into a peaceful, gentle smile. The two sisters embraced quietly, a warm atmosphere flowing through the room.

Click—

The sound of a shutter startled the two girls. They looked up to see Xiang Nan holding a camera, the lens pointed straight at them.

“Oops, sorry, sorry! Forgot to put it on silent…” Xiang Nan patted his forehead, though he had already captured the moment.

“Xuening, your crutches are here.” He leaned her crutches against the side of the sofa.

“Thank you, Uncle Xiang.” Xuening nodded.

“Don’t forget them next time. Your leg isn’t fully healed yet. You can walk a bit, but don’t rush, okay?”

“Mhm, I understand…” She had been so excited when she saw them return that she had run down immediately, leaving her crutches in her room.

Xiang Nan smiled and rubbed her head; by now, Xuening was too lazy to pull away. Soon, Auntie Lin brought the afternoon tea, and Xiang Nan casually turned on the TV. Unexpectedly, Ye Feifei’s face popped up on the screen.

“It’s Mommy!” Qingnuan cheered instantly.

Seeing his daughter so happy, Xiang Nan didn’t change the channel. He watched for a bit and realized it was the hit xianxia drama that made his wife famous. While the production was excellent for a TV series, in a director’s eyes, there were still many flaws.

“Daddy, why does Mommy look different from usual?” Qingnuan asked, confused. “Is that pretty auntie really my mommy?”

“Yes. Mommy is acting, playing another person.”

“Oh.” Qingnuan stared at the screen, nodding as if she understood.

A few days later, while staying home with the children, Xiang Nan received an unexpected call from Zhou Ludong. According to the schedule, the second recording for the reality show wasn’t for another week. Why was he calling?

He answered the phone and heard Zhou Ludong on the other end: “Junior Brother Xiang, it’s me, Zhou Ludong… About that thing you mentioned last time… about your friend’s child? Shall we talk about that again?”