A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 7

Auntie Chen watched the longing in the little girl’s eyes and couldn’t help but sneer, a sense of superiority and satisfaction rising in her heart.

Hmph, once I get that 480,000, I’ll be rich too. Then I’ll never have to look at this annoying little nuisance again!

Auntie Chen thought spitefully. Under the girl’s unblinking gaze, she took spoonful after spoonful of the mung bean soup until the bowl was empty.

“Mhm, a bit too sweet, but it’ll do,” she said casually.

Little Qingnuan couldn’t help but swallow. She had only eaten two meat buns at noon and was already starving. Thinking of dinner and the chilled mung bean soup, she looked down at the weeds by her feet, gritted her teeth, and crouched back down.

But the moment her numb fingertips touched the grass blades, they stung with pain. Tears welled in her eyes; she could only sob as she pulled with all her might. Her tiny, helpless appearance would have made anyone’s heart ache with the urge to help.

However, that did not include Auntie Chen.

She watched the young girl suffer with a sense of catharsis, as if the bitterness and tears she had swallowed years ago while being mistreated by harsh employers were finally being vented.

By the time the sun lost its intensity, Qingnuan still hadn’t finished pulling those few weeds because she was too exhausted to exert any force.

“The weather is great today, let’s go have a picnic by the lake!” “Mommy, I want ice cream!” “Me too!”

The voices from outside the courtyard made Auntie Chen’s expression shift. She quickly scooped up Xiang Qingnuan and strode into the house.

This high-end neighborhood wasn’t very busy; most of the neighbors were away year-round, except for the family living opposite them. Having been a nanny for nearly twenty years, Auntie Chen was shrewd; she never let outsiders see her mistreating Qingnuan, nor did she let the girl interact with anyone. This was one of the reasons the Xiang couple had never discovered the truth.

“Mommy, I saw a little sister across the street just now. Should we ask her to play?”

“Sure, go ahead and ask.”

Following the conversation, a boy’s voice called out from outside the gate: “Auntie! Auntie!”

Auntie Chen had already reached the foyer. She paused for a fraction of a second before pretending not to hear, entering the house and slamming the door shut with a loud thud.

“Mommy, that auntie ignored me!” Qi Jing leaned against the railing, complaining to his mother, Lan Juan.

“Maybe she didn’t hear you…” Lan Juan stood outside the gate, watching the nanny’s hurried retreating back. Her gaze fell on the scattered weeds in the yard, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

The Qi mother and son stayed for only a moment before leaving.

Inside the house, Auntie Chen sat Qingnuan down at the dining table and went into the kitchen. Seeing her leave, Qingnuan craned her neck to look through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window. Watching the Qi family walk away, her eyes flickered with loneliness.

Aside from her goldfish, she had no friends. She really wanted to play with other children…

“Here, eat.” Auntie Chen returned and placed the promised chilled mung bean soup in front of her.

Hunger and thirst made Qingnuan forget everything else. She leaned over the table and gulped it down, finishing every last drop in no time. Once her stomach was full, she licked her lips, finally noticing how sticky and dirty she felt.

“Auntie, I want a bath,” she said, climbing down from her chair and running over to Auntie Chen, who was watching TV.

Auntie Chen looked up, scanning her from head to toe. Seeing mud on her hands, face, and even her hair, she made a face of pure disgust.

“How did you get so filthy? It was just some weeding, couldn’t you be more careful? Always making more work for me!”

Grumbling, she paused her show and carried the girl into the first-floor bathroom. She stripped the child bare in two or three seconds and plopped her into the bathtub. She adjusted the temperature and started the tap.

A smile finally appeared on Qingnuan’s face. She leaned under the faucet, letting the water wash away the dried mud on her small hands.

Mindful of her paused show, Auntie Chen said, “I’m going out for a bit. Call me when the water is almost full.”

“Mhm!” Qingnuan nodded vigorously, sitting down and happily splashing in the water.

Auntie Chen returned to the living room, but just as she reached for the remote, her phone rang.

“Mom, it’s me. I’m a bit short on cash, can you send me some?” It was her eldest son, Chen Hui.

“How much?”

“Fifty thousand.”

“Fifty thousand! Did you go gambling again?”

As Auntie Chen argued with her son, the tap in the bathroom continued to flow, and the water level in the tub rose steadily.

“Mom, don’t ask, it’s an emergency!”

Auntie Chen felt a tightness in her chest, but remembering the 480,000, her expression softened. “Fine, wait two more days. I’ll send it once I have the money.”

After hanging up, she tried calling the “TV station” back. The customer service agent had said her payment needed “auditing” before they could ship the prize. She hadn’t thought much of it then, but now, hearing the busy signal, a wave of anxiety hit her.

“Auntie! Auntie!” inside the bathroom, Qingnuan called out, but there was no response.

She was standing now; the water was at her waist and rising toward her chest. The pressure and buoyancy of the water began to frighten her. She screamed again, but the sound of the running water drowned her out.

Panic rose in her heart. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to be calm. Recalling Auntie Chen’s usual movements, she carefully waded toward the faucet, gripped the valve with her small hands, and tried to twist it shut.

It wouldn’t budge.

She was naturally weak, and with her arms still aching from the chores, she couldn’t turn the tap at all.

…What do I do?

Mist clouded her eyes. She looked helplessly toward the bathroom door, clutching the edge of the tub to try and climb out, but the surface was too slippery and the sides too high.

By now, the water was at her chest, overflowing from the tub. The buoyancy made her float slightly, making it harder to keep her footing or grip the edge. She was on the verge of slipping and drowning at any moment…

In the living room, Auntie Chen heard nothing. She had made several more calls that went unanswered, and her heart was racing.

“Pick up, why won’t you pick up?” She was sweating with anxiety, completely failing to hear the sound of the front door lock turning.

She turned around only to see a long-haired woman in sunglasses and a mask charging into the living room. She shrieked in fright.

“Who are you?! What do you want?!”

The woman tore off her glasses and mask. Auntie Chen finally saw clearly—it was her employer, Mr. Xiang’s wife, Ye Feifei.

“Mrs. Xiang? It’s you? Why are you back?” She hurried forward to take her luggage.

“Where is Qingnuan?” Ye Feifei scanned the room but saw no sign of her daughter.

Suddenly, the faint sound of rushing water reached her ears. Unease spiked in her heart; she brushed past Auntie Chen’s hand and ran toward the sound.

“Madam! Madam!” Auntie Chen chased after her.

Just as she was about to lose her grip, Qingnuan saw Ye Feifei appear at the door. The tiny child finally broke, wailing out:

“Mommy, save me—!”

Her spirit wavered, her strength gave out, and her small body slipped beneath the water.

“Nuannuan!”

In that split second, Ye Feifei lunged forward with lightning speed, scooping the girl from the tub and pulling her into a fierce embrace.

“Mo… Mommy—” Qingnuan choked on a mouthful of water but didn’t stop calling for her.

“Mommy’s here, Mommy’s here, don’t be afraid.” Ye Feifei’s voice was trembling violently. She clutched her daughter as if she had just been brought back from the dead; her heart, which had nearly stopped, finally began to beat again.

Auntie Chen reached the door, followed by a young woman—the assistant Cheng Hong had sent to pick up Feifei. Seeing the terrifying scene, Auntie Chen turned deathly pale, standing frozen in shock.

Ye Feifei shot her a murderous glare, grabbed a towel to wrap around her daughter, and carried her up to the second-floor bedroom.

“Mommy…” Little Qingnuan clung to her neck, sobbing softly and refusing to let go.

“Shh, don’t be afraid, Mommy’s here. I’ll stay with you.” Ye Feifei paced the room, gently humming a lullaby, her usual fierce persona completely gone.

Qingnuan snuggled into her arms; it was the first time she had ever been this close to her mother. Under the soothing humming, the exhausted and traumatized girl finally calmed down and drifted into a deep sleep. Even in her slumber, her small arms remained tightly circled around Ye Feifei.

Holding her child, feeling her insecurity and dependence, Ye Feifei’s eyes overflowed with tears. She had worked with child stars and knew what a three-year-old should feel like, but the little girl in her arms was feather-light—not at all the weight a four-and-half-year-old should be.

Her heart throbbed with pain.

She continued humming until she was sure the child was fully asleep before laying her on the bed. She removed the towel, dried her hair, and tucked her in. Looking at her daughter’s innocent face, her gaze fell on the red, swollen little hands, and her tender expression instantly turned cold and dark.

The look was so terrifying that the goldfish in the tank, which had been watching her, flicked its tail and hid among the plants.

Ye Feifei stood up and walked out.

Auntie Chen was standing in the hallway, cowering. As she opened her mouth to speak, Ye Feifei silenced her with a look—she clearly didn’t want the woman waking her daughter. With a sharp glare, she led the way downstairs. Auntie Chen followed tremulously to the living room.

“Madam…” Auntie Chen began, staring at Ye Feifei’s slender back—

SLAP!!!

A crisp crack echoed through the empty living room. Before the woman could finish, Ye Feifei spun around and delivered a stinging blow to her face.

“Is this how you take care of my daughter?!”