Chapter 19: Backup

Hearing Chi Xiao’s words, Rui Yiqing was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t believe that the legendary unattainable flower would joke with her and even wear such a half-smiling, half-smirking expression that seemed almost punchable.

For a moment, Rui Yiqing’s gossip spirit was reignited, sensing something unusual.

But soon, considering that Chi Xiao couldn’t possibly know which girl she was thinking of, Rui Yiqing quickly extinguished the tiny gossip flame in her heart.

What he said probably just meant he simply wished for the world to end.

Pretty edgy.

Rui Yiqing smiled at Chi Xiao, but her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a girl with frizzy hair a few meters behind him. Her height, figure, and gait looked strikingly familiar.

Just as Rui Yiqing was about to take a closer look, the tall and handsome young man in front of her casually stepped to the side, blocking her view: “Is there anything else?”

Rui Yiqing blinked and actually remembered something she wanted to say to Chi Xiao: “New Year’s is coming up. Our high school alumni association is organizing a gathering during the New Year’s holiday. Will you come, senior?”

Chi Xiao shook his head: “I have plans for New Year’s.”

“Alright,” Rui Yiqing said, having expected his refusal. She wasn’t too disappointed.

She had already forgotten the familiar figure she had seen earlier. Before saying goodbye to Chi Xiao, Rui Yiqing gave him a thumbs-up: “Senior, you look super cool carrying that bag. The turn-head rate is off the charts!”

Chi Xiao: …

In the distant sky, the lingering glow of the sunset gradually faded into night, and the hazy blue hour descended.

Ming Can and Miaomiao had already walked far away, standing under a camphor tree by the roadside, away from the crowd.

After confirming their location, Chi Xiao headed toward the parking lot.

The oncoming wind grew even colder. The young man in all black strode through the wind, adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder with one hand as he walked, deep in thought.

Rui Yiqing didn’t seem busy earlier.

Moreover, Ming Can wanted to take Miaomiao to visit the A University library, and Rui Yiqing had just been heading there too. It would have been a perfect match, yet Ming Can hadn’t invited her best friend. Instead, she had asked him, a half-familiar high school senior.

Chi Xiao couldn’t figure out why.

Many of Ming Can’s recent actions had left Chi Xiao puzzled. She had always been proud and cautious, not the type to let the opposite sex get close to her easily, let alone initiate closeness with anyone. But in the past two or three weeks, she had added him on WeChat, was willing to ride in his car, and even skipped her best friend to ask him to take her little cousin around campus…

Chi Xiao hadn’t forgotten how, last week when he picked Ming Can up from the bar, she had subtly hinted in the car that she wasn’t interested in men. He wasn’t stupid—he knew she was indirectly addressing him.

Her actions were truly baffling. For a moment, Chi Xiao wondered if the root of all this might be related to her suddenly appearing little cousin. But that line of thought led nowhere—

What connection could her little cousin possibly have with him, Chi Xiao?

Two people who were completely unrelated. Even though Chi Xiao now felt a certain connection with the child, that was already the consequence. What was the cause?

Because the child wanted to get into A University?

After teaching him math for over an hour today, Chi Xiao was skeptical about the child’s dream of getting into A University—it seemed overly ambitious, almost like it was made up.

After analyzing it over and over, Chi Xiao’s highly computationally powerful brain couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. The only somewhat plausible theory was the one his idiotic roommates had come up with—

A sweet date followed by a slap—he had bitten the hook, and now he was a huge backup tire!

…

That was enough.

If he kept thinking about it, he’d be a dog.

Ten minutes later.

Ming Can and Miaomiao climbed into the back seat of the car. The young man in the driver’s seat turned around and handed Ming Can her bag.

In late winter, the evening darkness fell quickly. Outside, it seemed like night had suddenly arrived. Inside the car, a warm yellow overhead light turned on. Ming Can brushed her annoying frizzy hair back and reached out to take the bag Chi Xiao handed her.

The light cast a soft, warm glow over her fair cheeks. Her dark, bright eyes blinked twice, her eyelashes fluttering. She looked incredibly gentle, and her voice was unusually soft as she explained to Chi Xiao: “Yiqing and I had a bit of a disagreement the other day. I was afraid she’d be upset if she saw me.”

With that one sentence, she explained why she didn’t want to see Rui Yiqing and why she hadn’t invited Rui Yiqing but had instead asked him.

Chi Xiao nodded expressionlessly and didn’t say a word.

Ming Can continued: “I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Miaomiao saw his dad’s half-turned face. The sharp corners of his eyes lifted slightly, and his long, straight eyelashes trembled faintly.

Chi Xiao: “Which day?”

Chi Xiao: [You already said this last Thursday around 9:15 p.m., junior.]

This was the first time Miaomiao had heard his dad think such a long sentence.

The emotional tone was still very neutral, but based on the content of the inner thoughts, Miaomiao could infer—

Mom had made a promise to Dad but had forgotten about it, while Dad had been keeping it in mind but didn’t dare bring it up with Mom. So, what Dad had wanted to remind Mom about earlier was probably this.

Dad was pitiful, and Mom was bad!

Ming Can hadn’t expected Chi Xiao to suddenly drop the politeness and ask her directly which day she would treat him to a meal.

She thought for a moment and said, “It’s the end of the year, and things are pretty busy. Plus, the final exam month is coming up… I’ll think about it.”

Ming Can: [I, Miss Ming, always keep my word. Do you think I’d owe you? So annoying, so annoying, so annoying! I hate it when people pressure me!]

Chi Xiao: “I’m free anytime.”

Chi Xiao: [Except for New Year’s.]

Ming Can’s mind had a huge and complex schedule. After filtering through the conditions, she finally found a suitable date: “How about New Year’s?”

What bad timing.

Miaomiao sighed.

“Why are you sighing at such a young age?” Ming Can lightly flicked Miaomiao’s little head and repeated to Chi Xiao, “I’m free on New Year’s, and Miaomiao too. We’ll treat you to a meal together.”

Chi Xiao sat in the driver’s seat, his body half-turned, revealing a small portion of his profile. The light slanted across his face, highlighting his deep contours, clearly defined by light and shadow.

“New Year’s won’t work,” Chi Xiao said. “I have to go abroad for something.”

After a pause, he added, “To see my mom.”

“Oh, I see,” Ming Can nodded. “Then let’s plan for another day.”

The air grew quiet. Chi Xiao started the car, and for a while, no one spoke.

Miaomiao had only a faint impression of his grandmother living abroad. Hearing his dad mention her, he didn’t react much.

Having used his superpower several times already, Miaomiao was feeling a bit tired. As the car started moving, he leaned against the door and fell asleep.

Ming Can gazed out the window, her mind still occupied with thoughts about Chi Xiao’s family.

After finding out that Chi Xiao was Miaomiao’s biological father, Ming Can had done a quick investigation into his family background. She learned that his parents had divorced when he was very young. He had been raised by his father, while his mother had moved overseas. Later, both his parents remarried and had new children. There wasn’t much information about his mother’s new family, but his father, Chi Yanpeng, often attended high-society events with his current wife and their two younger children—a son and a daughter. Chi Xiao was never included, which was why Ming Can had only recently discovered that the head of the Chi family had an adult eldest son.

Different experiences shape different people. Ming Can had once had a very happy childhood, so even after unfortunate events in her family, her personality retained its lively and outgoing base.

But what about Chi Xiao? What kind of childhood had he gone through to grow into such a quiet and reserved person?

The car drove smoothly along the road. The streets around the university town weren’t particularly bustling. The streetlights cast dim light, and the last trace of evening glow on the horizon had disappeared, plunging everything into complete darkness.

The roads were clear today, and it took less than ten minutes to reach the residential building.

Ming Can unbuckled her seatbelt and gently shook the sleeping Miaomiao: “Wake up, baby, we’re home.”

The warm light on the car ceiling turned on again. Miaomiao opened his eyes, stretched, and as if not fully awake yet, mumbled sleepily, “Is Dad going to see Grandma?”

It was a seemingly random sentence that Chi Xiao didn’t understand, but Ming Can did.

She didn’t say anything, helping Miaomiao unbuckle his seatbelt and straightening his messy clothes. Just as she was about to open the door and get out, a voice came from the front: “Wait a moment.”

Chi Xiao took a small box from the armrest compartment and handed it to Miaomiao.

Inside were the wooden animal carvings Miaomiao had asked him to make earlier—a Corgi and two cats, one white and one black.

Miaomiao, now fully awake, was full of sweet words: “Brother, you’re amazing! Thank you, brother!”

Under the dim light, Ming Can also glanced at the small toys in the box.

They were lifelike, seemingly even more exquisite than the hedgehog on his dashboard.

Chi Xiao maintained his eternally cold persona, saying nothing. After handing over the gift, he opened the car door, got out, and walked around to help Ming Can with her bag and the whiteboard.

“Thank you, senior.”

After getting out of the car, Ming Can took everything from his hands, holding it all with one hand while using the other to hold Miaomiao’s hand. She said to him, “Say goodbye to Big brother.”

Miaomiao: “Bye, brother! Don’t worry, my sister always keeps her word. She’ll definitely treat you to a meal!”

Chi Xiao: “…”

Ming Can: “…”

She glared down at Miaomiao, her eyes practically cursing: I told you to say goodbye, not give a speech! Look at your dad, who can barely squeeze out a word. Are you really his kid?

Without saying more, Chi Xiao turned back, opened the car door, and got in.

After buckling his seatbelt, he didn’t start the car right away. Instead, he glanced out the window.

Surprisingly, Ming Can and Miaomiao were still standing at the entrance. Seemingly noticing his gaze, Ming Can perfunctorily waved at him, signaling him to leave.

On previous occasions when he had dropped them off, Ming Can would hurry into the building entrance as soon as she got out of the car, and Chi Xiao had grown used to watching them go inside before driving away.

Today, however, it was the opposite.

His hands rested on the steering wheel, and his mind involuntarily replayed the moment earlier when Ming Can had hidden behind him, her hands lightly gripping his sleeves, and her fluffy, soft curls lifted by the wind, gently brushing against the back of his neck.

A backup tire is just a backup tire.

At least.

They were kind of friends now, right?.

Under Ming Can’s urging gaze, Chi Xiao had no choice but to start the car and drive away under their watchful eyes.

The pristine black car gradually disappeared into the night, and the dim glow of the taillights soon vanished as well.

Ming Can withdrew her slightly scrutinizing gaze and walked into the building entrance with Miaomiao.

Inside the elevator cabin, Miaomiao held the gift from his dad in one hand and clung to his mom’s leg with the other, yawning repeatedly, practically falling asleep standing up. Ming Can gently ruffled Miaomiao’s fluffy head and said in an extremely soft voice, as if making casual conversation:

“Your dad…”

“is actually a little better than I imagined.”