My Paranoid Girlfriend Asks Me to Be Her Kept Woman (Rebirth) - Chapter 28

After Zhao Qi contacted her eldest brother,

little Zhao Zinuo was quickly packed up and sent over.

Her eldest brother acted as if he were handing off some sort of ticking time bomb. Zhao Qi shook her head and laughed, looking at the little child standing in the middle of the room.

The child was wearing a navy-blue sailor suit today, looking like a little dolphin. Once the person who brought him left, the little dolphin launched himself forward with a whoosh, charging straight into Zhao Qi’s arms.

Unfortunately, he was intercepted halfway.

Lin Yi hurried forward a few steps and blocked Zhao Zinuo’s path. The little one went along with the momentum and crashed into Lin Yi’s arms.

He sniffed in confusion. It was not the familiar fragrant scent, though it was still fragrant.

Zhao Zinuo raised his head and almost flipped backward, only for Lin Yi to grab his collar and pull him back.

The little one blinked. His crystal-clear eyes reflected Lin Yi’s tall figure clearly.

His face was full of confusion.

Who was this? Where was his little aunt?

His mouth flattened, and the little one unconsciously stuck his fingers into his mouth to gnaw on his teeth, his rosy little lips mumbling something no one could understand.

Lin Yi crouched down so her gaze was level with the little one’s and revealed Zhao Qi sitting in the wheelchair behind her.

Very patiently, she communicated with Zhao Zinuo. “Big Sister is sick, so you have to move slowly. You can’t rush into her.”

“Sick!” the little one answered loudly. His tiny brows furrowed exactly like Zhao Qi’s. “Bitter!”

In his memory, when someone was sick, they had to take a kind of bitter medicine.

Looking pitifully at Zhao Qi, the little one said indistinctly, “Blow, blow.”

Every time he was sick, his mother would blow on his forehead and say that blowing would chase away the “big bad guy,” and then he would not hurt anymore.

He ran over with thumping little steps. Remembering what the sister in front had said, the little one lightly patted Zhao Qi’s thigh.

“Auntie, Auntie, lower. Blow, blow.”

“Hm?” Zhao Qi looked at the little one before her.

Zhao Zinuo anxiously patted Zhao Qi’s thigh. “Blow, blow. Fly, fly. No eat medicine.”

Seeing the little one so anxious he was nearly jumping, Zhao Qi leaned forward slightly in amusement, accidentally fulfilling his wish.

Zhao Zinuo moved closer. His little mouth puckered into a tiny trumpet as he gently blew on Zhao Qi’s forehead.

After blowing for a while, he placed one little hand on Zhao Qi’s forehead and the other on his own forehead to compare them, then nodded heavily, imitating an adult. “Not hot.”

“No medicine.”

After saying that, he held Zhao Qi’s cheeks with both hands and planted a loud, drooly kiss on Zhao Qi’s forehead.

“All better!” The little one proudly lifted his face, both hands on his waist.

Zhao Qi froze for a long while, unable to react.

Lin Yi stood at the side smiling and rubbed Zhao Zinuo’s little head.

“Nuonuo is so amazing. Little Aunt doesn’t hurt anymore!”

After receiving praise, the little one shyly lowered his head and hugged Lin Yi’s leg, playing hide-and-seek with Zhao Qi’s gaze.

Realizing what the little one was doing, Zhao Qi’s lips curved slightly, and her mood brightened. She lightly opened her lips and said, “How about letting this sister beside you take you to choose a room?”

The little one poked his head out from behind Lin Yi, then tilted his head up sideways to look at her.

Lin Yi lowered her head and smiled at him.

Zhao Zinuo immediately liked this sister, who was just as pretty as his little aunt.

They were both fragrant and had nice scents.

He took the initiative to hold Lin Yi’s hand and happily swung it, not shy with strangers at all.

Lin Yi had interacted with children from the orphanage before. Although they were all equally well-behaved, their “well-behaved” was different from Zhao Zinuo’s. This little one had a natural spirit of adventure and was not afraid of strangers. Even after leaving his parents for a while, he had not cried. He had asked once, and Lin Yi did not brush him off. She treated the little one like a small adult.

“Daddy and Mommy are busy, so they sent Nuonuo to Little Aunt’s place to stay for a few days. Once Daddy and Mommy are done, they’ll come pick Nuonuo up.”

The little one did not know whether he understood or not. Soon, he turned his head away and continued exploring the unfamiliar room.

Lin Yi smiled as she watched the little one run around. The servant followed behind him, so she was not worried.

After accompanying the little one to choose a room, she brought a cup of coffee to find the woman.

These days, Zhao Qi said she wanted to be an idle rich person, but in the end, her nature could not sit still. Recently was also the perfect opportunity to attack Jianming. If Shanhai wanted to expand, it had to swallow Jianming, this “high-quality stock.”

Fan Texi had already handed over the inside information Lin Yi told him. Zhao Qi was now looking at the information her subordinates had found.

Tax evasion and tax avoidance were only minor matters.

Jianming was actually acting as the pimp for the entire entertainment industry.

It used its own artists to open resource channels.

It could be said that among the artists who had climbed up in Jianming, very few were clean.

At this moment, Lin Yi knocked and came in. Zhao Qi let out a long breath and suddenly felt grateful that she had met Lin Yi early. Otherwise, her girl would not have been able to escape Jianming’s claws either, and who knew where she would be suffering grievances now.

She wrapped her arms around Lin Yi’s slender waist and buried her face in Lin Yi’s stomach, acting spoiled.

A fierce tiger acting spoiled—Lin Yi’s hand holding the coffee cup almost trembled, and her heart softened completely.

She put the cup to the side and used her hand to smooth Zhao Qi’s hair.

Quietly enjoying the peace of this moment.

“Little Aunt!” Zhao Zinuo called clearly and rushed in at once.

“Eh! Young Master, you can’t enter there casually!” The servant failed to stop him.

The two people embracing each other and the little one came face to face.

Lin Yi quickly let go, and Zhao Qi slowly released her as well.

“Little Aunt!” Zhao Zinuo could not understand how the two had been getting along just now. He rushed to Zhao Qi’s side, then remembered what Lin Yi had said earlier and forcefully stopped his steps. Because of inertia, he tumbled twice on the floor and rolled right to Zhao Qi’s feet.

“Nuonuo!” Lin Yi cried out in alarm.

“Young Master!” Only then did the servant arrive.

Zhao Qi lowered her head and met the little one’s gaze exactly.

Zhao Zinuo looked at his little aunt in confusion. How had he fallen down?

The servant pulled Zhao Zinuo up. Lin Yi grabbed the little one and checked him left and right before finally lowering her suspended heart.

He was not hurt!

Annoyed, she pinched Zhao Zinuo’s cheeks. “Next time, you can’t be in such a hurry.”

Her voice was as soft as a murmuring stream. How was she educating anyone?

Zhao Qi propped up her head and smiled faintly.

Lin Yi was still educating the child. “Why were you running so fast?”

Zhao Zinuo’s eyes sparkled. “Daddy!”

The servant explained at the side, “We just received a call from Master. He said he’s coming over for lunch.”

“Second Master is coming too.”

Only then did Lin Yi understand why the little one was so excited.

Her heart softened. In the end, he was still a child. How could there be a child who did not feel unsettled after leaving his parents?

Rubbing Zhao Zinuo’s head, her heart ached for him even more.

Well-behaved children did not get candy.

At noon, Zhao Chengye and Zhao Chengzhe arrived right on time.

Lin Yi held Zhao Zinuo’s hand, and the servant pushed Zhao Qi out of the study.

Zhao Zinuo’s short little legs thudded as he ran toward Zhao Chengye.

“Daddy!”

“Hey!” Zhao Chengye’s face blossomed into a smile. There was not the slightest trace of his stern and demanding image at the company.

He picked his son up and bounced him in his arms, then put him back on the ground.

The little one giggled nonstop.

Zhao Chengzhe followed behind his elder brother. As if performing magic, he took out a figurine and stuffed it into his nephew’s hands.

Scratching Zhao Zinuo’s little nose, his voice was warm. “Were you good today? Little Aunt is sick, so Nuonuo can’t be naughty.”

Zhao Zinuo hugged the mecha figurine and answered happily and loudly, “Good! Play!”

Zhao Chengzhe rubbed the little one’s head and took him to wash his hands.

When the whole family sat at the table,

Zhao Chengye opened his mouth and said, “Let’s eat.”

Only then did everyone else begin eating in an orderly manner.

When Lin Yi started eating, she was still worried about Zhao Zinuo and looked toward the little one from time to time.

The little one had very good table manners. His short little legs swung from the children’s chair as he lifted his small spoon and ate with great enjoyment.

Only then did Lin Yi feel at ease, and her eyes curved softly with a smile.

Zhao Qi saw this from the side. Something moved in her heart, then she slowly suppressed it.

After lunch, since the three siblings rarely gathered together, they moved to the reception room to continue talking.

The servants quickly brought tea, snacks, and fruit.

Zhao Chengzhe sprawled on the sofa without much image, recovering his energy. Beside him, Zhao Chengye and Zhao Qi did have things to discuss.

Lin Yi automatically avoided them. Zhao Zinuo was placed by his father’s feet and was playing happily with his new toy.

Zhao Chengye crossed his legs, one hand placed on the small table beside him. His index and middle fingers tapped twice on the tabletop. “Now that Jianming is deep in scandal, it is a perfect opportunity for Shanhai to annex it.”

Zhao Qi nodded. “Right now, we are in the dark while they are in the light.”

“I’ve already instructed Assistant Li to collect clues from the shadows.”

“We’ll strive to bite off a large piece of bone this time.”

The corners of Zhao Chengye’s lips curved slightly. “I trust you to handle things.”

“When you have the people below investigate, make sure no wind leaks out.”

Zhao Qi’s gaze was sharp. “On the surface, we will keep holding on to Jianming’s contract issue. With several artists under them jointly suing, Jianming probably won’t expect the big move we’re preparing underneath. This time, we must strike accurately!”

“But Eldest Brother is right. I will instruct them to handle things carefully.”

Zhao Chengye said, “I trust you to handle things.”

The two talked a little more. Zhao Chengye checked the time, picked up his son from the floor, saw that the little one was still very energetic, but since it was time for digestion, instructed the servant to take his son for a nap.

Zhao Zinuo was not very willing, but his toy had already been confiscated by his father, and Zhao Chengye’s stern face was still very intimidating to his son. He hugged his daddy’s calf, his round little eyes looking up pitifully. “Daddy! See!”

Zhao Chengye handed the confiscated toy to the servant to put away, then picked up the little one and bounced him. “Daddy will come again tomorrow.”

The little one happily giggled for a while, then asked again, “Mommy?”

Zhao Chengye’s brows twitched, and his expression became indifferent. “Mommy is at Grandma’s house. She’ll come back in a few days.”

“Oh.” The little one blinked. “Sleepy.”

“Good son.” Zhao Chengye rubbed against his son’s cheek.

Watching Zhao Zinuo’s bouncing figure as he walked away, Zhao Chengye’s expression became a little lost.

Zhao Qi opened her mouth, but she could not very well advise her eldest brother to go bring her sister-in-law back.

Zhao Chengzhe did not have this burden. He yawned. “Brother, what are you and Sister-in-law being awkward about?”

“Sister-in-law hears the wind and thinks it’s rain. You went to Europe and didn’t even meet Miss Lü. Besides, that’s already ancient history from so many years ago, and Sister-in-law is still brooding over it. Life still has to go on, right?”

Zhao Chengye’s face darkened. “What do you understand?”

“I don’t understand. I only know that in married life, someone has to lower their face. If it isn’t you, could it possibly be Sister-in-law?”

Zhao Chengzhe stood and stretched. “I won’t keep you company. Tomorrow, I still have an event and have to go out of town, so I won’t come over.”

After saying that, he took a long stride, took the suit jacket the servant handed him, draped it over his shoulder, and was about to go to work.

Zhao Chengye called, “Wait.”

“Hm?” Zhao Chengzhe turned around. “Anything else?”

Zhao Chengye said, “The old man’s birthday is coming soon. Think about what you’re going to give him.”

“This time, I won’t take care of it for you. Figure it out yourself.” A cold smile spilled from his lips, and he left before Zhao Chengzhe.

“Wait, Eldest Brother!” Zhao Chengzhe panicked. “What can I give?” He hurriedly chased after him.

Only Zhao Qi was left in the reception room, shaking her head and laughing softly.

After the afternoon nap, Lin Yi circled Zhao Zinuo in her arms, and the two sat on the floor.

Lin Yi’s voice was gentle. “Every day, the woodpecker came to the forest to scratch the big tree’s itch.”

“The big tree felt very comfortable and was very grateful to the woodpecker, so it stretched out its branches and let the woodpecker build a home on its body.”

Zhao Qi moved the wheelchair forward and pushed open the door.

Afternoon sunlight shone through the window lattice, scattered bits of sunlight spilling into the room.

The atmosphere inside was warm. Lin Yi raised her head and met Zhao Qi’s gaze. Sitting in the sunlight, she smiled slightly. “Are you done?”

Zhao Qi rolled her wheelchair in. “Mm. I came to see you two.”

Her whole body was peaceful as she wheeled over and rubbed Zhao Zinuo’s head.

“What story did Nuonuo listen to just now?”

Zhao Zinuo’s voice was clear and crisp. “Bird!” “Big tree!”

“Bugs, tasty!”

In the end, he was still a child. Lin Yi and Zhao Qi looked at each other, and the two could not help laughing at the same time.

Zhao Zinuo tilted his little head and looked at the two adults in confusion. Feeling his gums itch, he stuck his fingers into his mouth again, rubbing his teeth, and followed them in silly laughter.

Lin Yi rubbed the little one’s head, took a wet wipe from the servant, pulled the little one’s hand down, and wiped it clean. Her tone was gentle as she asked, “Are your teeth itchy?”

The little one stared at Lin Yi in confusion, then looked at Zhao Qi.

He shook his head, then nodded.

Lin Yi pinched the little one’s cheeks again. She had noticed yesterday that the little one did not seem to love sucking his fingers so much as biting them.

It was probably because the little one was growing teeth again. His gums were uncomfortable, so he kept eating his fingers.

But this was not a solution either. There were many germs on hands, and if he ate them into his stomach, he might get sick. The servants could not watch him all the time either.

She coaxed him, “Can you open your mouth and let Sister look at your teeth?”

Little Zhao Zinuo obediently opened his mouth. She leaned closer and observed carefully. On the left side, there were indeed a few little white tips emerging.

She rubbed the little one’s head. “Nuonuo, go play.”

The servant brought out the toy that had been confiscated at noon. Zhao Zinuo cheered and ran over on his short little legs.

Only then did Lin Yi stand up and push Zhao Qi’s wheelchair to the greenhouse for a walk.

“Nuonuo is growing teeth. It might be because his teeth feel sore, so he likes to bite his fingers. When the doctor comes back later, let him see if there’s any solution.”

Zhao Qi nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Taking care of a child was not an easy task, but Lin Yi had truly done very well.

She could see that Lin Yi liked children very much.

Lin Yi pushed Zhao Qi into the greenhouse. She leaned down close to Zhao Qi and wrapped both arms around the woman’s neck from behind.

“Nuonuo is very similar to you,” she smiled. “Were you this cute when you were little too?”

When I was little?

Zhao Qi fell silent.

What had she been like when she was little? It seemed she had not been nearly as likable as Nuonuo. It was only that her three older brothers all loved to give in to her, especially her third brother…

Thinking of her third brother, Zhao Qi’s heart ached faintly again.

Lin Yi hugged Zhao Qi from behind. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

Sensing the restless factors drifting through the air, Lin Yi nestled against Zhao Qi’s neck and said dully.

“No,” Zhao Qi said truthfully. “I wasn’t cute when I was little.”

“I was always making other people angry.”

Lin Yi buried herself beside Zhao Qi’s neck and smelled the woman’s cool woody fragrance. “I think that’s very cute.”

Zhao Qi smiled helplessly. “That’s because you love the house and its crow.”

Lin Yi secretly kissed the woman’s ear again, and Zhao Qi reached out to press her head and rub it.

“When I was little, I was very gloomy, and I loved tattling. I wasn’t likable, and I had very few friends.”

“Then if I had met you earlier, I definitely would have liked you very much too.”

“Why?” Zhao Qi asked.

“Because I want to be friends with you.” Lin Yi kissed the corner of the woman’s lips and murmured, “Your girlfriend for a lifetime.”

The corners of Zhao Qi’s lips could not help rising. She turned her head and kissed Lin Yi on the lips.