A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 6

Ye Feifei frowned, an inexplicable sense of unease blooming in her heart.

She sat on the edge of Qin Xuening’s bed and began scrolling through the tablet. As she read the news reports, her brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

The articles were chilling: owners going on long trips and discovering via hidden cameras how their nannies brutally mistreated their infants—pulling hair or even slapping them for being disobedient; nannies stealing from the household and, upon being discovered and fired, committing arson that burned the owners’ children to death. Ye Feifei’s skin crawled.

Why would a child like Xuening look at this kind of news? But then she reconsidered—the girl had just turned seven and hadn’t even learned all her characters yet. She probably couldn’t even understand what the articles were saying.

Assuming the girl had simply clicked on the section by accident, Ye Feifei didn’t grow suspicious. She exited the news page and returned the tablet to Qin Xuening.

Sitting by the bed, she looked at Xuening’s paper-pale little face. Thinking about how the girl had been so quiet, neither crying nor making a scene since the accident, Ye Feifei felt her nose sting with grief.

Initially, seeing the child silent and slow to react, she thought it was just the shock of the tragedy. She hadn’t expected to hear from the attending physician that the girl might be suffering from a conscious impairment caused by psychological trauma, causing her to lock herself away.

The doctor warned that without proper guidance, it could lead to autism. This caught Ye Feifei’s attention, filling her with both heartache and pity.

“Xuening, everything will get better, don’t worry. If anything is on your mind, don’t keep it bottled up. Just tell your Auntie Fei, okay?”

Ye Feifei gazed at the girl, hoping this encouragement would ease her anxiety and give her a sense of warmth and reliance—just as Su Yuyan had once given her.

On the bed, the delicate little girl’s eyelashes fluttered at the words. She looked at the woman encouraging her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, and finally gave a small, gentle nod.

Though the gesture was slight, it made Ye Feifei ecstatic.

She happily rubbed the girl’s head. As exhaustion washed over her, she yawned and said, “Auntie is going to take a quick nap. Remember to call me if you need anything.”

With that, Ye Feifei lay down on the vacant neighboring bed. She hadn’t closed her eyes in over 24 hours; the moment her head hit the pillow, she drifted off.

Qin Xuening watched her silently, then looked back at the tablet in a daze. She had sought out those news reports specifically; this was the only way she could think of to give them a warning.

She had been observing Ye Feifei’s reaction, but perhaps because the woman was so mentally exhausted, she hadn’t looked deeper into it. Xuening couldn’t help but sigh.

Perhaps I need to show these news reports to Xiang Nan as well?

As Xuening was thinking, a news notification suddenly popped up. The words forming the headline were so piercing that her pupils shrunk, and her heart throbbed with pain.

It was news regarding her father—the famous young Chinese musical master, Qin Mo—and his passing in the car accident.

Qin Xuening bit her lip. Finally, with a trembling hand, she clicked on it.

Qin Mo was highly famous domestically, not only for his musical achievements but also for his handsome looks and devotion to his wife. His sudden death had caused a significant shock to society.

The news of his wife’s life-threatening condition was also reported. As an A-list actress and a rising star director respectively, Ye Feifei and Xiang Nan had been spotted by reporters while keeping watch at the hospital.

Since many knew they were close friends with the Qins, no one suspected anything else; their actions even earned them public praise. However, if given the choice, the couple likely wouldn’t have wanted such praise.

Xuening only read a little before closing the page. She tossed the tablet onto the nightstand and buried herself under the covers.

The girl closed her eyes, and tears rolled from the corners, sliding past her temples and onto the pillow.

In her past life, only Qin Xuening had survived—her mother, Su Yuyan, and father, Qin Mo, had died instantly at the scene. She had been so young then; their faces had blurred over the following decade of her life.

She never thought she would see them again. When she first opened her eyes to find herself a child again, held in her mother’s arms while her father sat in the passenger seat joking with them, she hadn’t been able to process it.

This filled her with immense guilt. If she had shouted for the car to stop the moment she opened her eyes, would her father have survived? Would that man with the bright smile, who had told the driver to pull over the second she screamed, still be alive?

Qin Xuening bit her lip, forcing the regret deep into her heart. Though she hadn’t stopped her father’s death, she had successfully saved her mother’s life, hadn’t she? Moreover, her legs hadn’t been amputated. She should be grateful.

Her mother would live. She wouldn’t have to rely on Qin Xinlan anymore. In the future, mother and daughter would have each other, and life could still be good. She could continue to pursue her musical dreams and carry on her father’s legacy…

On the bed, the tiny figure curled up under the sheets, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Carrying hope for the future, the girl entered her dreams.

Meanwhile, Ye Feifei’s sleep was far from peaceful.

Her beautiful brows remained tightly knit, and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. The constant movement of her eyes beneath her lids showed she was trapped in a nightmare.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Feifei’s eyes snapped open. She stared blankly at the white ceiling, panting slightly as if she had just performed intense exercise.

It took a moment before she sat up, rubbing her temples and nursing a head that felt like it was about to explode.

For some reason, the moment she closed her eyes, the words and images of nannies abusing children flashed before her, eventually ending in a bloody, terrifying vision that jolted her awake.

“Sister Feifei, you’re awake?”

Ye Feifei looked toward the voice. Her assistant, Lin Wen, had returned at some point and was sitting by Xuening’s bed, looking up at her while peeling an apple.

After greeting her, Lin Wen looked back down to continue with the apple.

“Lin Wen…” Ye Feifei tucked a stray hair behind her ear and spoke as if casually. “When you went back the day before yesterday, did you see Qingnuan?”

“Mhm, yes. Little Qingnuan really liked the gift you sent her,” Lin Wen took the chance to say something positive.

“Is that so?” Ye Feifei gave an unnatural smile, then probed further. “Is everything… okay with her?”

“Mhm, everything was fine…”

Lin Wen paused her peeling, remembered something, and said:

“It’s just that little Qingnuan seems to be a bit of a picky eater. Her complexion doesn’t look very good. Sister Feifei, if you have time, you should… well, pay a bit more attention to it…”

Lin Wen didn’t dare say too much. Ye Feifei had a strong personality and didn’t like people meddling in her affairs.

Hearing this, Ye Feifei pursed her lips. Without a word, she flipped out of bed, threw on her coat and sunglasses, and walked out of the room.

Lin Wen noticed her boss’s dark expression and felt a wave of anxiety, fearing she had offended her and might lose her job.

On the bed, Qin Xuening lifted the covers slightly, watching Ye Feifei’s retreating back. She curled her lips into a microscopic smile. Then, she nonchalantly rolled over and went back to her thoughts.

Ye Feifei left the room and entered the hospital hallway, pulling out her phone to call the landline at home.

Ring… Ring… The call went through, but no one answered.

She tried several more times, but still nothing.

Her unease deepened. After a moment of hesitation, she went to the ICU to find her husband, Xiang Nan.

Xiang Nan was sitting on a bench, leaning against the wall for a nap. His face was weary, but as a director, he was used to pulling all-nighters.

He opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps. Seeing his wife, he asked, “Why are you here? Why not sleep a bit longer?”

“Xiang Nan, I want to go home and check on things,” Ye Feifei stated directly.

Xiang Nan was surprised. “Why so suddenly…?”

“I miss Qingnuan,” Ye Feifei said, her eyes slightly red.

She was a mother, after all. She had carried her daughter for ten months; how could she not love her? Now that the seed of doubt had been planted, she couldn’t control it. She had to go back. She had to see her with her own eyes to be at peace.

The image of his daughter’s cute face flashed before Xiang Nan’s eyes as well. His love for her was no less than Feifei’s, and he naturally missed her. He assumed Feifei’s longing had been triggered by seeing Xuening.

“Then go back. I’ll stay here,” Xiang Nan nodded. “We’ll keep in touch.”

Ye Feifei breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Su Yuyan in the ICU; seeing her stable, she went back to the room to have Lin Wen book a flight.

The earliest flight to A-City was the next morning.

Ye Feifei contacted her manager, Cheng Hong, to arrange a pickup. As for Lin Wen, she planned to have her stay at the hospital to continue looking after Qin Xuening.

Xiang Family Villa, A-City

Under the scorching sun, Xiang Qingnuan was crouching in her own yard, pulling weeds.

To prevent her from getting heatstroke, Auntie Chen had “graciously” given her a sun hat and a thin sun-protection coat.

Even so, large beads of sweat broke out on the girl’s forehead, dripping onto the dry soil and evaporating instantly. Her little face was flushed red from the sun, and her tender hands were reddened from the tough grass blades. Her fingernails were filled with black dirt.

With all her might, Qingnuan yanked a small weed out and threw it onto a pile. The pile consisted of about a dozen weeds—her masterpiece for the morning.

The little girl looked at her swollen, throbbing fingers. With teary eyes, she looked up at the woman sitting in the shade of a tree.

Auntie Chen was sitting on a stool enjoying the cool breeze. Seeing the girl look over, she took a spoonful of sweet soup from her bowl and said coldly:

“Pull those few over there as well. Once you’re finished, not only will there be dinner tonight, but you’ll also get some chilled seaweed and mung bean soup.”