A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 38

The little girl spread her arms, blocking the TV screen. Although she stood on her tiptoes with all her might, she was small and her legs were short; since the television was mounted at a certain height from the floor, she could only cover a tiny fraction of it.

Moreover, she couldn’t stop the sound from traveling.

“Sister Xuening is sleeping, we can’t talk loudly, or it will wake her up…” The girl’s soft, milky voice echoed through the room via the TV speakers.

Nuannuan blushed, stealing a peek at Qin Xuening.

Xuening sat properly on the screening room sofa, her expression calm. In truth, she had heard what Nuannuan said to the production crew outside the door that morning. However, watching the little girl on the television now gave her an entirely different feeling.

Nuannuan tilted her head, seemingly realizing her reaction was a bit over the top. Just then, she heard what was supposed to be her own voice coming from the TV, but it sounded strange to her ears—not like her at all. She turned to look at the screen, and a familiar yet strange little girl appeared.

Although Xiang Nan and Ye Feifei had recorded videos of her before, that was a long time ago. This was the first time she had seen herself from such a close distance on such a large screen.

The photographer had given her a close-up; the girl, fresh from sleep and appearing slightly dazed, created a strong sense of “contrast moe” with her serious way of speaking. To others, this might have been explosively cute, but to the person involved, it was another matter entirely.

Looking at her messy hair, the red sleep mark on her cheek, her slightly disheveled dress, and the bow on her chest hanging halfway off…

Nuannuan furrowed her brow in distain, her cheeks puffing out.

So ugly. Why did they film me looking so messy? And let Sister Xuening see it…

Nuannuan stared at the familiar bedroom door on screen and suddenly realized: Do I look like this every morning when I get up? Has Sister Xuening been seeing me like this all along?

At this thought, her little face wrinkled into a ball.

“Xiao Nuan…”

Just then, Xuening’s voice came from behind her. Nuannuan alertly spread her arms again, blocking the TV. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Sister Xuening, this isn’t good. Let’s change the channel, okay?”

Xuening looked at her quietly as if she hadn’t heard the request. The images on the TV reminded her of that morning. That day, she had been half-asleep and not fully lucid; she only remembered a little angel in her dreams, wearing a warm, bright smile, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Then the little angel had carefully tucked her in, and before she could call out, the girl had pitter-pattered away into the sunlight on her short legs.

Xuening’s expression grew somewhat dazed. She didn’t realize that her own lips had curled into a slight smile. Her eyes were soft and pure, exuding an aura of peace and tranquility.

Nuannuan froze, suddenly thinking the big sister looked beautiful right now, as if she were glowing. Then, thinking of her “ugly appearance” on the TV, she pouted at her father in protest:

“Daddy, why is this on TV? I don’t want to watch…”

Subconsciously, the little girl felt this was her “dark history” and didn’t want her favorite sister to see it.

Xiang Nan was caught between a laugh and a cry. He hadn’t expected his daughter to react this way. Rubbing his nose, he said, “Sweetie, once a program is recorded, it has to be shown on TV. It’s just like the reality show Mommy and Daddy recorded that night.”

Nuannuan blinked; she did seem to have an impression of that. After a moment of internal conflict, she could only say, “I think it’s not pretty. I don’t want to watch this…”

“But I want to watch,” the previously silent Xuening suddenly spoke.

Nuannuan looked at her. Seeing her eyes sparkling with expectation, she couldn’t help but feel hesitant and conflicted.

“Sister Xuening…”

“Come here, Xiao Nuan.” Xuening thought for a moment and reached out her arms. “Hug.”

It was hard to imagine Xuening using such a “baby-talk” word. The coaxing tone in her voice made Xiang Nan look at her in surprise. This girl, Xuening, always appeared so cool and aloof; he hadn’t expected her to be like this now…

Xiang Nan glanced at the TV. Although his daughter was blocking part of it, some of the images were still visible. He curled his lips, took a sip of tea, and smiled without a word.

Nuannuan’s eyes lit up at the sight of Xuening’s open arms. She immediately dashed toward her and dove into her embrace, nuzzling happily against her chest with a goofy, satisfied smile.

Xiang Nan caught this scene, and the smile on his face froze. He crossed his arms and watched the TV with an expression that said he was very disgruntled but couldn’t say anything.

Xuening hadn’t expected Nuannuan to run over so quickly; she thought she would have to put in more effort… She stroked the little girl’s head, feeling a sense of warmth in her heart. She shifted a bit on the sofa to make room for Nuannuan to sit in front of her. Then, encircling the soft little “bundle” in her arms, she began watching the program seriously.

“Sister Xuening, let’s not watch this anymore…” Nestled in her sister’s arms, Nuannuan felt wonderful, but as soon as she saw the TV, she snapped back to reality.

“Be good—” Xuening rubbed her hair, her eyes never leaving the screen. Nuannuan felt a bit dejected, but she couldn’t bear to leave her sister’s embrace, so she let it be.

The program was currently showing breakfast time. Nuannuan had misunderstood and thought the cameraman wanted a croissant, so she had grabbed one and held it out to him without a second thought. The cameraman was a professional, filming the girl’s radiant smile with a beautiful, sun-drenched aesthetic. Post-production had even added a bunny-ear filter. At a glance, it was enough to melt anyone’s heart.

“Oh! So he was filming me, not hungry for bread!” Nuannuan pointed at the TV, shouting in realization. At this thought, she puffed out her cheeks, feeling a bit huffy, but the feeling vanished in seconds.

Being hungry is the worst feeling. It’s good that Uncle wasn’t actually hungry.

Thinking this, her smile returned. She decided that since the cameraman uncle had made her look so pretty this time, she would be “magnanimous” and forgive him.

“Sister Xuening, Daddy, look! I grew bunny ears!” Nuannuan said with a delayed reaction.

“That’s a special effect,” Xiang Nan answered. Seeing his daughter’s confused look, he took out his phone and downloaded an app with filters. He beckoned to her, “Sweetie, come here.”

Hearing this, Xuening let her go. Nuannuan looked at her father, then at the big sister who was focused on the TV, and reluctantly climbed off the sofa to run to her father.

Xiang Nan pulled her into his lap, opened the selfie mode, and selected a bunny sticker. A pair of cute bunny ears appeared on both their heads. Nuannuan’s eyes lit up, and under her father’s guidance, she immediately learned this new game, playing with great enthusiasm.

“Little Nuannuan, what are you looking forward to most on this trip?”

“Going home.”

Just then, a dialogue caught her ear. She blinked and looked up to see the big sister on the sofa watching the screen with intense focus, clearly drawn in by her unexpected answer.

On the TV, Xie Sha’s voice continued: “…Why is little Nuannuan looking forward to going home most?”

“Because Sister Xuening is at home waiting for me.”

Xuening stared blankly at the TV. Seeing the little girl’s serious, matter-of-fact expression, the tips of her ears turned slightly red. This little girl… it’s one thing in private, but to say it like that in front of so many people… Her gaze instinctively drifted to the girl standing by her father.

Nuannuan had heard it too. Her gaze turned shy and evasive. Although that was truly what she thought, being looked at like that by Sister Xuening still made her feel bashful… Finally, she couldn’t help but cover her face, turned to bury herself in her father’s arms, and then couldn’t resist stealing another peek at Xuening.

Xuening’s attention had returned to the TV; she was now completely captivated by the content.

“Sister Xuening would definitely love it!”

“Sister Xuening especially likes sitting under the tree… Daddy, don’t you think Sister is amazing?”

“And Sister knows so many words! So, Daddy, don’t you think Sister Xuening is su—per great and su—per amazing?”

“If only Sister Xuening were here…”

“Without a phone, I can’t send photos to Sister Xuening…”

“…”

Post-production had even added special effects and large, colorful subtitles for emphasis:

Sister Xuening x1! Sister Xuening x2! Sister Xuening x3… Sister Xuening xN+1!

Xuening listened to the girl’s constant cries of “Sister Xuening” and watched the counting subtitles. She pursed her lips, struggling to control the corners of her mouth that kept wanting to turn up. Although she felt a bit helpless and had a headache over the girl’s blunt way of expressing her feelings, she couldn’t deny she was happy. This feeling of being constantly remembered made her feel warm, as if she were bathing in sunlight.

She watched the girl draw the best house, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she saw the girl telling Xiang Nan she wanted to trade with the other crying girl. She remembered the change in the girl’s expression when she heard Gu Yuan tell his daughter he would use insecticide. Was it for that little gecko? Xuening recalled the girl’s goldfish; she seemed to especially love animals.

But thinking about how dilapidated that house was, looking as if it might collapse at any moment, Xuening’s heart grew anxious. Was the little girl really going to stay in such a broken, dangerous building?

“I’m glad Sister Xuening didn’t come…”

Ordered by Xiang Nan to stay in the yard, the little girl sat alone on a small stool, her chin in her hands, talking to herself. Her voice was tiny, but it was caught by the microphone.

Xuening’s expression was a bit dazed, and a pang of heartache rose within her. The editors seemed to understand the audience’s psychology perfectly, adding melancholy music at the right moment, making one want to go and hug the little girl and stay by her side…

She watched as Nuannuan and her father were finally taken to the real new house they were supposed to stay in. She was happy for her, but the image of the girl sitting alone in the yard wouldn’t leave her mind. Xuening looked down at her slender hands on her lap, her expression a bit suppressed. She seemed to see… the shadow of her past self…

After a while, she gathered her thoughts and looked back up to continue watching, but her gaze froze.

She saw the girl who had traded houses with Nuannuan run over to her, cheerfully inviting her: “Sister, let’s walk together!”

Nuannuan didn’t refuse. Then, that girl took her hand, and the two walked happily into the village together. The camera specifically zoomed in for a close-up of their joined hands, and post-production added a soft filter and a cute subtitle: “Friendship heating up rapidly~”

Xuening’s lips pressed into a straight line once more.