After Becoming a Scumbag Alpha, I Protect the Female Lead’s Love - Chapter 14

When Xi Zhou returned to the manor, she was still worried about whether the Xi family would be able to accept Nan Jing. However, once she arrived, she realized she had vastly underestimated the charm of a human cub.

When Xi Zhou brought Nan Jing home, only the Xi parents were there. Nan Jing wasn’t shy at all; her sweet calls of “Grandpa” and “Grandma” had the elder Xis beaming with joy. Nan Jing was held in Father Xi’s arms while Mother Xi brought out snacks, feeding her incessantly. Nan Jing even ended up clutching a thick red envelope.

That was originally intended for Nan Zhiyi, but it was given to Nan Jing ahead of schedule.

Nan Jing’s mouth was stuffed full; she felt bad refusing her elders’ kindness, so she cast a pleading look toward Xi Zhou for help.

Receiving the signal, Xi Zhou helplessly took the snacks from Mother Xi’s hand. “Don’t give her so many snacks. Children have small appetites. If she eats this much now, she won’t be able to finish her dinner later.”

Xi Zhou was right. Father Xi placed Nan Jing on the sofa and asked what she liked to eat. Without letting the nanny lift a finger, he happily headed to the kitchen to cook himself. Mother Xi stopped feeding her snacks and found a cartoon to watch with her.

The rest of the family gradually returned, and they were all quite surprised to see Xi Zhou sitting obediently on the sofa watching cartoons. Xi Rui, in particular, had the strongest reaction. In this house, aside from his parents, Xi Rui loved clinging to Xi Zhou the most because she loved video games and would usually play with him. However, Xi Zhou was typically impatient and found cartoons childish; she had never accompanied him to watch them before.

Xi Zhou took Xi Rui’s protests in stride, sliding over on the sofa and gesturing for him to sit down. Xi Rui happily sat beside her, eyes glued to the TV.

Seeing Xi Zhou uncharacteristically patient, Yang Xiu went into the kitchen to help, feeling relieved. Marriage really had changed Xi Zhou.

When dinner was served, Xi Zhou finally witnessed the true meaning of “grandparental doting.” She had previously thought she spoiled Nan Jing too much compared to Nan Zhiyi, but compared to her parents, she was a mere novice.

Nan Jing was young and couldn’t use chopsticks well yet, only a spoon. Father Xi barely ate a bite of his own meal, spending the entire time piling food onto Nan Jing’s plate. Xi Zhou tried several times to persuade him to stop, but he ignored her and kept going. Finally unable to watch any longer, Xi Zhou walked over and scooped Nan Jing onto the chair next to her.

“Dad, stop feeding her. She really can’t eat anymore.” Xi Zhou leaned down and whispered to Nan Jing, “Are you full?”

“I’m full,” Nan Jing replied softly. “Grandpa gave me so much food, I can’t eat it all.”

“If you can’t eat anymore, you have to tell Grandpa and Grandma, okay? Don’t force yourself until you’re uncomfortable,” Xi Zhou said with a smile. “Sit for a bit longer; we’ll go home after everyone finishes.”

“Okay.”

Nan Jing answered obediently. Xi Zhou patted her head and continued her meal with the family. Father Xi wasn’t upset; instead, he felt a sense of relief that Xi Zhou had finally grown up.

After dinner, Father Xi didn’t let Xi Zhou leave immediately but took her to the study. He felt she had behaved well lately and was being quite responsible, so he returned her bank cards and her car. Considering her health, he no longer required her to go to work at Guanghua.

“If you’re meant to be a layabout, so be it. As long as you know how to live a stable life, the Xi family can afford to support you.”

As Xi Zhou walked out of the gates with her cards and keys, her father’s low murmur still echoed in her ears.

When Xi Zhou and Nan Jing arrived home, Nan Zhiyi was sitting at the dining table with her tablet, watching a show. A bowl of instant noodles sat before her.

“Mommy!” Nan Jing gave her a quick shout, then clutched her small backpack and headed to her room. “I’m going to do my homework now!”

“Okay.”

“Haven’t you eaten?” Xi Zhou walked over to Nan Zhiyi.

“Mhm, I just got home.” Nan Zhiyi lazily lifted her eyelids to glance at her.

Xi Zhou took the bowl of noodles away and went straight into the kitchen. A series of clattering sounds followed, and in no time, she emerged with a bowl of… stir-fried instant noodles that looked, smelled, and tasted divine. Not wanting Nan Zhiyi to wait long, she had processed the noodles with some side dishes.

“Eat up.” Xi Zhou handed her the chopsticks.

“Thanks.” Nan Zhiyi didn’t waste words. After back-to-back meetings all afternoon, she was starving. Xi Zhou pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down to keep her company.

Since arriving in this world, Xi Zhou found herself spacing out much more frequently.

“How did An-an get along with your parents?” Nan Zhiyi asked.

Xi Zhou didn’t answer. Nan Zhiyi looked at Xi Zhou’s vacant eyes and realized she was dazing off again. She raised her volume: “Xi Zhou!”

“Huh?” Xi Zhou snapped out of it. “What’s wrong?”

Nan Zhiyi had to repeat herself: “How did An-an get along with your parents?”

“Very well. My parents love her. They even gave her two big red envelopes; I put them in her backpack. A child shouldn’t hold that much money, so how do you want to handle it?”

“Fine, I’ll save it for her later.”

“Save it?” Xi Zhou laughed. “The kind of ‘saving it’ where she never sees it again?”

Nan Zhiyi knew exactly what she meant and laughed too. “Why do you think of me as so dark? Were you tricked like that by your parents?”

Xi Zhou continued to smile as usual: “I didn’t have parents. I’m an orphan.”

Nan Zhiyi realized her slip of the tongue immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Xi Zhou had never cared much about it; she was used to being alone.

“Still, have you noticed it yourself? You seem to have accepted the Xi family very quickly and naturally,” Nan Zhiyi pointed out.

Xi Zhou froze. It was true. She felt a natural sense of closeness and familiarity with them. Nan Zhiyi had noticed it long ago—Xi Zhou showed no resistance to them at all. From “my brother” and “my sister” to “my parents,” the way she addressed them was incredibly natural.

“True. Maybe it’s just fate.” Xi Zhou leaned back against the chair, relaxed. She could only attribute it to fate.

“Then it seems our fate isn’t shallow either,” Nan Zhiyi teased. “We’re family now, too.”

Xi Zhou gave a mysterious smile and nodded. Not shallow indeed, just not as deep as your fate with Shen Ke.

“I don’t have to go to Guanghua anymore. My dad is worried about my health, so I can go back to being a peaceful vagrant at home.”

“That’s good,” Nan Zhiyi nodded in approval. “This way, you can continue helping me look after An-an.”

“I can’t let you take thirty thousand yuan a month for nothing,” Nan Zhiyi added solemnly.

Xi Zhou knew she was joking and shot back: “So President Nan is using me as a nanny? You really are a heartless capitalist.”

“Oh, just doing my best,” Nan Zhiyi waved her hand with a grin.

After finishing her meal, Nan Zhiyi put the bowl in the dishwasher and went to check Nan Jing’s homework. Worried Xi Zhou would be bored at home all day, she asked if she liked reading. After receiving a “yes,” Xi Zhou got permission to borrow books from the study.

It wasn’t her first time in the study. She already knew the layout: professional finance books on the left, children’s picture books on the right, and the wall directly ahead was filled with all kinds of novels.

Xi Zhou picked a few novels and took them back to her room. She had only read a few pages when drowsiness overtook her.

She fell into a dream.