Chapter 14: Driving

Chi Xiao reacted swiftly, half-kneeling and extending his arm to scoop Miaomiao into his embrace the moment he began to tilt over.

Ming Can was so frightened that her face turned pale. She rushed over, caressing Miaomiao’s cheeks and forehead, “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Miaomiao leaned limply against Chi Xiao’s arm, pursed his lips, and slowly turned his body, burying his face into Chi Xiao’s chest like a small animal retreating into its nest to hibernate, indifferent to the calls from the outside world.

Ming Can felt Miaomiao from head to toe but found no external injuries.

“Did you see what happened to him just now?” Ming Can asked Chi Xiao, “He was fine a moment ago, how could he suddenly faint?”

“Sorry, I didn’t notice either.” After a pause, he added, “The school hospital is right next to the basketball gym, there should be a doctor on duty now.”

Ming Can nodded repeatedly, “Let’s go.”

Chi Xiao stood up holding Miaomiao, and Ming Can quickly pulled out Miaomiao’s jacket from her backpack and efficiently helped him into it.

As the number of people in the gym decreased, the temperature noticeably dropped by a few degrees. Chi Xiao was still in his basketball uniform, his slender arms exposed, making it seem like he and the little boy in his arms were in different seasons.

Seeing Chi Xiao about to carry Miaomiao towards the door, Ming Can suddenly called out to him, “Aren’t you going to wear a jacket?”

Chi Xiao replied, “I’m not cold.”

Ming Can insisted, “It’s almost zero degrees outside, I suggest you put one on.”

Chi Xiao’s jacket, a dark blue windbreaker, was draped over a nearby table. Since he was holding Miaomiao and couldn’t manage it himself, Ming Can picked up the windbreaker without a second thought, opened it, stood on her tiptoes, and draped it over his shoulders.

Chi Xiao bent slightly.

As the thick garment settled, a faint scent of roses wafted through the air.

In Beicheng, by December, it was almost completely dark by six o’clock.

The trio walked into the school hospital against the cold wind.

Without bothering to register, Chi Xiao directly carried Miaomiao into the doctor’s on-duty consultation room.

The lights in the school hospital were very bright, shining straight down from the ceiling, somewhat dazzling.

Ming Can followed Chi Xiao into the consultation room and anxiously described Miaomiao’s condition to the doctor.

The doctor advised her to calm down.

After a series of checks, Miaomiao’s breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure were all normal. The doctor was somewhat helpless, “This child is probably just asleep.”

Ming Can: “He’s already five and a half years old, how can he just fall asleep like that, as if he can’t control himself?”

Doctor: “If he’s too tired, it’s possible to fall asleep suddenly.”

Ming Can: “He didn’t have any strenuous exercise today…”

Just then, Miaomiao, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly turned over, his eyes half-open, smacking his lips and saying, “You’re so noisy…”

His tone carried a hint of irritation, as if his good sleep had been disturbed.

Ming Can: …

She inexplicably felt like she had been tricked by a mischievous child.

After complaining, Miaomiao fell back asleep. Ming Can finally believed that he was perfectly fine, just asleep. She couldn’t help but walk over and vigorously rub his face, trying to forcibly wake him up, but ultimately failed.

Chi Xiao, who had been standing silently by the side for a long time, suddenly said, “Let him sleep.”

Ming Can: “No way, how am I supposed to get him home if he’s asleep?”

As she spoke, her hand remained on Miaomiao’s smooth cheek, kneading it like dough.

Chi Xiao looked down at her, remained silent for a while, and then said, “I can take you back.”

Ming Can instinctively replied, “No need to trouble yourself.”

The place where she and Miaomiao currently lived was known only to her aunt Ming Shu and the nanny.

Ming Can hadn’t even told her closest friends, how could she let Chi Xiao, who was practically a stranger, know her home address?

Miaomiao lay on the hospital bed, sleeping soundly. Ming Can sighed, bent down, and with great effort, picked him up. She brushed past the young man beside her and walked out of the consultation room.

Arriving at the registration hall, the space was vast and empty, with only a door separating them from the cold winter night.

Ming Can temporarily placed Miaomiao on a chair and took out her phone to call a ride.

“Senior,” she called out to Chi Xiao, asking, “Your school is so big, do they allow ride-hailing cars to enter the campus?”

Indeed, it is allowed, as long as you inform the security guard, you can drive out immediately.

Chi Xiao did not answer immediately.

He knew that Ming Can came from a wealthy family, a rich heiress. He originally thought she would call her family driver to pick her up, but he didn’t expect her to hail a ride.

After careful consideration.

Even though he knew she probably didn’t think much of him, Chi Xiao still spoke up, “Junior, my car is parked at the school, I can drive you back.”

“Really no need… ah…” Ming Can’s tongue twisted in her mouth, her eyes blinking twice, “You can drive?”

Chi Xiao: “Yes.”

Ming Can looked up at him, her dark, bright eyes slightly dazed.

After picking up Miaomiao, she had always wanted to learn to drive, but was too busy with her studies and taking care of the child, not knowing where to find the time to go to driving school.

So, hearing Chi Xiao say he could drive, Ming Can suddenly felt as if her wish had been granted.

Thinking carefully.

Letting him know where she and Miaomiao lived didn’t seem like a big deal?

Ming Can pursed her lips and asked again, “When did you get your driver’s license?”

Chi Xiao: “The summer after the college entrance exam.”

That was over two years ago.

Ming Can nodded: “Do you drive often?”

Chi Xiao: “Yes.”

Ming Can: “What brand of car?”

She asked several questions in a row, like a traffic cop conducting an inspection. Chi Xiao found the situation somewhat odd, but he remained expressionless and calmly replied, “Lexus LS.”

Not bad.

A very business-like car, priced around a million, not the kind of flashy luxury car that would attract attention. Ming Can, now constantly with a child, was most afraid of attracting attention.

As far as she knew, this series should be a D-class sedan, with a spacious back seat, suitable for both business and family use.

Soon, Ming Can made her decision: “Then I’ll trouble you, senior.”

She smiled slightly, the light flowing in her eyes was gentle, yet with a touch of pride, as if saying—

Alright, I grant you the opportunity to take me home, be grateful for my magnanimity.

Chi Xiao nodded: “I’ll go get the car.”

His calm and composed demeanor was flawless, his voice steady, giving Ming Can the impression of a deep pool—if you threw a stone into it, the stone would keep sinking, never reaching the bottom.

As he turned to leave and stepped out of the school hospital doors, Chi Xiao’s expression finally showed a slight crack, and he exhaled softly, almost imperceptibly.

About ten minutes later.

A low-key black car pulled up in front of the school hospital.

Chi Xiao returned to the registration hall, bent down, and effortlessly picked up the sleeping Miaomiao.

In such a short time, he had changed out of his basketball jersey and shorts into clean clothes, with tiny droplets of water still clinging to his hairline and temples, as if he had washed his face and hair in the restroom.

Quite particular about hygiene.

Ming Can sighed inwardly, following behind them as they walked out of the school hospital.

The dim light from the street lamps cast a hazy outline of the figures ahead. It was only then that Ming Can noticed that both the tall and the small figure in front of her were wearing dark blue windbreakers today, looking almost like they were cast from the same mold.

Miaomiao’s head rested on Chi Xiao’s shoulder, squishing out a little bun-like bulge of flesh.

His arms naturally encircled Chi Xiao’s shoulders, and his tightly closed eyelids slightly lifted. Seeing the familiar jawline and ear, he licked his lips and murmured in his sleep, “Daddy.”

Chi Xiao’s heart inexplicably softened as he glanced at him.

Missing his dad?

He wondered who Miaomiao’s parents were to Ming Can, to have her help take care of their child.

Chi Xiao couldn’t help but recall how Ming Can had taken care of Miaomiao on the basketball court, and how anxious she had been when Miaomiao was seeing the doctor earlier.

She seemed genuinely concerned and very fond of this child.

Arriving at the car.

The car was clean, spacious, with a predominantly black and gray interior, simple yet cool.

Ming Can was very sensitive to smells. She usually opted for the most expensive ride-hailing services, but still couldn’t avoid cars with strange odors.

Chi Xiao’s car, however, had a faint minty scent from the car freshener floating in the air, completely free of any unpleasant smells, which was a big plus.

Ming Can and Miaomiao sat in the back seat. Throughout the ride, Miaomiao slept soundly, while Ming Can subtly observed Chi Xiao.

She watched how steadily he drove, how skilled his handling was, and also tried to figure out what kind of person he was.

He and Chi Yao were clearly brothers, yet the impressions they gave her were vastly different.

Chi Xiao seemed very independent, not at all like a pampered rich young master. He was quiet, reserved—whether indifferent to everything or simply accustomed to self-restraint, it was hard to tell.

In Ming Can’s mind, a future scenario gradually took shape: she and Chi Xiao, under the demands of their families, entered into a marriage of convenience. They had no feelings for each other, and after having a child, they lived their separate lives—a paper marriage, each bearing half the responsibility of raising the child.

It sounded quite liberating.

It was rush hour, and the roads were congested, the car moving in fits and starts.

Suddenly, a long yawn came from beside her. Miaomiao, fumbling with his seatbelt, opened his eyes and asked groggily, “Where are we?”

“On the way home,” Ming Can leaned over to straighten his disheveled clothes. “Your brother Chi Xiao is driving us home.”

Miaomiao perked up a bit: “Is this brother’s car? I haven’t seen this one before.”

“…” Ming Can said, “You seem like you’re still half-asleep, do you want to sleep a bit more?”

Miaomiao was somewhat sleepy but didn’t want to sleep just yet. His eyes wandered around the car, touching this and that.

In his mind, the system was advising him not to use his superpowers for the rest of the day. His two parents were too much to handle; translating their true thoughts was practically torturing the poor kid.

Miaomiao said to the system, “Uncle 33, I think my superpower is a bit broken. No matter how much I translate Dad’s thoughts, it’s always the same sentence. It’s so weird!”

The system: [How can a superpower be broken? The problem lies with your dad.]

Miaomiao: “Could it be… Dad has been brainwashed by aliens called ‘contact information’?”

The system: […]