Chapter 39: Explanation

Upstairs… taking a shower…

Children speak without filter. In Miaomiao’s eyes, he was simply answering a straightforward question. However, the listeners took it to heart. If it weren’t for the presence of a girl, Sheng Nan Zhou and the others might have reverted to their primal instincts, screeching and howling like monkeys.

Ming Can remembered that when she first found Miaomiao, he had been quiet and reserved, speaking less than most kids his age. But now, after more than three months, he had become quite the social butterfly, even daring to step in front of her to talk to strangers.

Wait a minute.

To Miaomiao, were these people really strangers?

Miaomiao looked up at the group standing outside the door, and the more he looked, the more familiar they seemed.

He didn’t foolishly call out to them right away. Instead, he climbed off his rocking horse, ran over to Ming Can, and took her hand, whispering to her, “Sister, I think I know them. They’re…”

“I know,” Ming Can said softly, patting his head. “You have to pretend you don’t know them.”

Miaomiao nodded and, under Ming Can’s gaze, obediently pushed his rocking horse back inside.

Left alone at the entryway, Ming Can rubbed her arms, which had grown cold from the wind. Her gaze lingered on the face of the senior named Guan Ling Si.

Now she remembered why they looked familiar.

Guan Ling Si was a doctoral student in A University’s energy and power engineering department. Ming Can had recently read an academic article she wrote on a public platform—it was both profound and practical. Ming Can had even planned to spend some of her winter break reading through all of this senior’s research papers.

The reason Ming Can was interested in energy was that it was closely tied to the Ming family’s core business—

The Ming family’s business portfolio was vast, covering heavy industry manufacturing, real estate, finance, and more. Among these, the most important sector was heavy industry manufacturing, which heavily relied on traditional energy sources, consuming vast amounts of energy and producing significant pollution. Over the past decade, the government’s environmental requirements for industrial enterprises had become increasingly strict. Ming Can had heard her elders mention several times that the market competitiveness of Ming Group’s heavy industry enterprises was declining and that they needed reform and transformation. Unfortunately, everyone was too comfortable with the current steady profits. They watched as the century-old Ming Group became stagnant, slowly losing its edge in the new industrial market. No one dared, nor had the ability, to make bold and sweeping reforms.

Ming Can had once thought that if she could help Ming Group’s heavy industry successfully transform, even if her grandfather was biased toward male heirs, he would seriously consider letting her become the future leader of the Ming family.

However, the problem was, if Ming Can didn’t first become the leader or heir, how could she have the authority to reform the family business? And who would take her strategies seriously?

Without power, she couldn’t reform; without reform, she couldn’t gain power. It seemed like a paradox.

So, Ming Can came up with another path: entrepreneurship.

The field of new energy was currently a hot spot for startups. Although Ming Can wasn’t the heir to the Ming family, as the Ming family’s daughter, she had the family’s backing and access to considerable personal wealth. Why not carve out her own path outside the family first? She could then use her achievements to show the old guard in the family what she was capable of. If they recognized her, she might have a chance to steer the massive ship that was the Ming Group. If they didn’t, she could go it alone—why bother returning to the Ming family at all?

This had always been Ming Can’s strategy for seizing power. As for using marriage to elevate her and her father’s status within the family, that had always been a last resort for her.

She was still young, and her entrepreneurial ideas were only in their infancy. Most of her time was spent studying—industrial fields, energy sectors, financing, green finance… During this process, Ming Can came across Guan Ling Si and her team’s research project on “Industrial Energy Recycling and Optimization Systems.” She was very interested, but her current level of understanding wasn’t enough to fully grasp the articles. So, she planned to study them further.

Who would have thought that the doctoral senior she admired was actually the girlfriend of Chi Xiao’s roommate? And that she would appear at the door of the villa Ming Can was staying in, at such an awkward moment…

Given the current situation, even if Miaomiao hadn’t mentioned that Chi Xiao was upstairs, her relationship with Chi Xiao would have been impossible to hide.

Rather than letting them speculate wildly behind her back, it was better to be upfront and handle it the way she and Chi Xiao had originally planned.

Outside, the cold was biting, the sun had set, and heavy clouds were gathering, signaling a possible change in weather.

Ming Can thought about how, during this time, Chi Xiao had taken care of Miaomiao with great dedication and had been kind to her as well. Not only had he handled everything she asked for flawlessly, but he had also stayed up late to accompany her while she practiced the violin. Today, he had even sacrificed himself to cushion her fall… On the surface, Ming Can might be proud and have a bit of a princess complex, but she was well aware of the time and effort Chi Xiao had put in and what he had done for her and Miaomiao. Sometimes, she even felt that no other guy could have done as well as Chi Xiao, making her feel so at ease.

So, even though Chi Xiao’s friends showing up was incredibly awkward, Ming Can wouldn’t rudely send them away.

She sighed, stepped aside, and gestured toward the entryway. “Seniors, it’s cold outside. Would you like to come in?”

The four visitors were pleasantly surprised and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, thank you. Sorry for the intrusion.”

Several pairs of skis leaned against the wall in the entryway. Sheng Nan Zhou noticed two snowboards that looked familiar, further confirming that the little boy from the ski lesson earlier that day and the cameraman following him were indeed the handsome boy in the villa, Chi Xiao.

Chi Xiao had just turned 21 a few days ago, and this little boy looked about five or six years old. Sheng Nan Zhou did some quick mental math regarding the age difference…

No way, no way.

They all knew Chi Xiao well. It was more believable that he had killed someone at 14 or 15 than that he had fathered a child at that age.

Ming Can didn’t need to guess what they were thinking. She called Miaomiao over and introduced him proactively, “This is my cousin, Ming Miao. Miaomiao, say hello to the older brothers and sister.”

“Good evening, brothers and sister~”

Miaomiao held a small tin bucket filled with his favorite fruit candies. He walked up to Sheng Nan Zhou and the others, handing out candies one by one.

“So adorable!” Zhu Yida sat on the sofa, holding two candies in his hand. The twenty-something guy was so charmed by the little boy that his face turned red.

Seeing Ming Can pinch Miaomiao’s cheek and praise him for being well-behaved, Zhu Yida leaned over to Sheng Nan Zhou and whispered, “Ming Can seems really gentle and easy to get along with, huh? I think Old Chi must have already won her over.”

Sheng Nan Zhou agreed, “I think so too. He went to her house to cook a while ago, and now he’s taking her little cousin skiing, following him around with a camera. He’s chasing her harder than I ever did back in the day. I mean, our Brother Xiao has money, looks, and has been top of his class every year. If he’s chasing her this hard and humbling himself like this, who could resist? And look at this huge villa—tsk, she’s even willing to live with him. If he hasn’t won her over yet, I’ll eat shit standing on my head, okay?”

Guan Ling Si, sitting nearby, coughed lightly. “Zhouzhou, I just remembered—you still owe me two instances of eating shit while standing on your head. When are you going to perform?”

“…” Sheng Nan Zhou draped an arm over his girlfriend’s shoulder, pulling her into his embrace, and said shamelessly, “Then how about we make a bet today? If I win, you can deduct one of those, okay? Sister Sisi?”

Guan Ling Si shrugged. “Fine.”

Across from them, Miaomiao watched Sheng Nan Zhou and Guan Ling Si’s intimate interaction, his eyes widening slightly, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

Ming Can went to the kitchen to prepare some hot water for them. When she returned, she naturally sat down next to Guan Ling Si, the only other girl in the room.

Guan Ling Si’s other side was tightly occupied by a clingy boyfriend. Ming Can had never seen a guy so sticky, and she couldn’t understand how Guan Ling Si put up with it.

Ming Can turned on the living room TV and asked if they had any shows they wanted to watch. Everyone was still a bit reserved and unanimously agreed to watch cartoons with the little boy.

Ming Can switched to the children’s channel, and two chubby bears appeared on the screen. A man with a chainsaw chased after them, yelling and cursing. The humorous and noisy sounds helped ease the unfamiliarity and awkwardness lingering in the air.

When would Chi Xiao come down?

Ming Can was starting to worry.

His friends probably all assumed there was something going on between her and Chi Xiao. But since they weren’t saying anything, she couldn’t just randomly explain that there was nothing between them.

What worried Ming Can even more was, even if Chi Xiao came down, could he really explain things clearly?

For a guy, being involved in a romantic rumor wasn’t a big deal. If he just brushed it off and left room for his friends to keep imagining things, the only one who’d end up hurt would be her, Ming Can.

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

…

Upstairs in the master bedroom’s bathroom, Chi Xiao had a towel draped over his shoulders and was blow-drying his hair.

The mirror was fogged up, so he wiped a clean spot with a tissue and tilted his head to check his jawline.

His metabolism was surprisingly fast—the bite mark on his jawline had already faded to the point where it was almost invisible.

Chi Xiao unconsciously reached up to touch the spot.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was probably the food delivery.

Chi Xiao walked out while running his fingers through his half-dry hair, casually pushing his bangs back to reveal his forehead.

He didn’t answer the phone, just grabbed it and headed downstairs.

He had ordered a lot of food, and Ming Can might not be able to carry it all. Plus, opening the door would let in the cold wind, so he wanted to get there before her.

When the delivery person saw that no one was answering the phone, they walked up to the villa and rang the doorbell.

Ming Can was a bit traumatized by the doorbell now and stayed seated on the sofa, not getting up immediately.

Since the host wasn’t moving, the four guests naturally didn’t rush to open the door for her.

In the entire living room, only the little boy riding the rocking horse reacted strongly to the doorbell.

Why did it seem like no one else heard the doorbell?

Miaomiao was puzzled.

Since no one was talking, Miaomiao couldn’t use his superpower to read their thoughts.

Soon, Miaomiao figured it out—

They were all sitting on the sofa, and only he was on the horse. They must be waiting for him, the one on the horse, to answer the door!

Adults are so lazy!

Miaomiao sighed inwardly, his little legs kicking against the floor as he propelled the rocking horse toward the door with a thump-thump-thump.

As Chi Xiao walked down the stairs, he heard the sound of cartoons coming from the living room. From his angle, he couldn’t see the living room itself, only the space connecting it to the entryway.

Suddenly, a little boy on a rocking horse came into view.

Thump-thump-thump, rumble-rumble-rumble, zoom-zoom-zoom—the little boy’s feet, the rocking horse, and the wooden floor collided intensely. The child on the horse bounced up and down, his eyes fixed ahead, earnestly mimicking the motions of real horseback riding as he charged forward.

Perhaps because he had been recording videos of Miaomiao all day, or perhaps because the scene was so heartwarming, Chi Xiao instinctively raised his phone, opened the camera, and started recording Miaomiao.

By now, he had reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes fixed on the little boy in his phone screen, not noticing anything else.

In the living room, five pairs of eyes turned toward Chi Xiao.

Sheng Nan Zhou, Zhu Yida, and Chen Kuan all rubbed their eyes in unison. The usually cold, aloof, and serious Chi Xiao they knew from the dorm was now crouching slightly, phone in hand, a strangely warm smile on his lips as he followed the little boy on the rocking horse, recording him step by step.

What was with this overwhelming dad energy?

“Brother?” Miaomiao looked up at him in surprise. “You’re done showering?”

Chi Xiao was still recording, slightly puzzled as to why Miaomiao was calling him “Brother” even at home, but he didn’t think too much about it. He bent down, pinched Miaomiao’s cheek, and said gently, “Take it easy. Don’t hurt your bottom from all the bouncing.”

What the hell! Was this the same Chi Xiao they knew?

“Ahem, Chi Xiao…” Sheng Nan Zhou finally couldn’t hold back. “We’ve been roommates for over two years. Are we really that invisible?”

…

Chi Xiao straightened up, his right eyelid twitching violently as he saw the four extra people who had seemingly materialized on the sofa. The corners of his lips flattened, and the calm expression that was usually permanently fixed on his face cracked for a rare moment.

In an instant, he forced himself to regain his composure. “I’ll go get the food first.”

Everyone: …

Sheng Nan Zhou and Zhu Yida exchanged a glance, the latter pointing to his jawline.

When Chi Xiao returned with the food, Sheng Nan Zhou took a closer look at him. He was dressed just like he would be in the dorm—a white T-shirt and long pants, casual and relaxed. His half-dry hair was casually pushed back, his temples still damp, and on his pale skin, the red mark on his jawline was strikingly clear.

Chi Xiao carried two large food containers back, set them down in the dining room, and then walked over to the living room. He casually rubbed his jawline, reddening the area around the bruise and making it less noticeable.

“Why are you here?” he asked expressionlessly.

“We came to find you,” Sheng Nan Zhou said. “We just wanted to check if you were here. Ming Can was kind enough to let us in so we wouldn’t have to stand outside in the cold.”

Chi Xiao didn’t understand why they didn’t believe his explanation that he was just here for business, but there was no point dwelling on it now.

As for why Ming Can had let them in, he didn’t understand that either.

Right now, he didn’t even dare to look at her.

Zhu Yida: “Old Chi, even Ming Can is being so open about it. Why are you still being so secretive?”

Ming Can felt a knot in her chest. How could they interpret her kindness in letting them in as her being open about some supposed romantic relationship with Chi Xiao?

Chen Kuan chimed in, “Yeah, sister-in-law she…”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Chi Xiao frowned. “If I had succeeded, wouldn’t I have told you?”

His tone was so direct it was almost sharp, each word clear and without a hint of hesitation.

The room suddenly fell silent.

Even the cartoon on the TV coincidentally entered a silent scene.

Sheng Nan Zhou muttered in disbelief, “Ah, so you haven’t succeeded yet…”

Chi Xiao: “I’m staying in another villa. I came here to shower because the heating there is broken.”

“Oh, I see.”

The burning curiosity of his roommates was doused by a bucket of icy water. They all felt that Chi Xiao had no reason to lie about something like this. It turned out that he and this stunning junior were completely innocent. Even someone as impressive as Chi Xiao could have someone he couldn’t win over, no matter how hard he tried.

Chi Xiao knew very well that even if he clarified that he and Ming Can weren’t in a romantic relationship, as long as they thought he and Ming Can were living together, they would inevitably speculate about other types of relationships, like friends with benefits.

Such speculation was worse than assuming they were dating. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his roommates to keep their mouths shut, but Ming Can didn’t need to, nor should she, bear the risk of such rumors, no matter how small that risk might be.

A girl’s reputation was important.

Moreover, there really was nothing between him and Ming Can.

Ming Can hadn’t expected Chi Xiao to explain things so decisively and clearly.

It was hard to believe, almost like a dream. There really were guys in the world who could consider things from a girl’s perspective—not brushing it off with a laugh or a dismissive remark, but firmly and resolutely saying no to any inappropriate rumors, even if those things, historically, couldn’t harm him.

For some reason, her heart was beating a little faster, her cheeks felt warm, and her mind felt light. As the atmosphere grew tense, she unexpectedly broke the silence: “Uh, have you guys eaten yet?”

In winter, it got dark early, and it wasn’t even 6 p.m. yet. Naturally, Sheng Nan Zhou and the others hadn’t eaten.

Chi Xiao turned to look at her, his gaze carrying a hint of surprise.

Only after speaking did Ming Can realize what she had done. The sooner this awkward gathering ended, the better, but since she had already spoken, there was no taking it back.

Suddenly, a childish voice came from near the floor-to-ceiling window: “Brother, Sister, come quick, look! It’s snowing!”

It’s snowing?

It’s snowing!

Everyone instantly perked up, rushing to the window to look outside.

Chi Xiao also walked over. Zhu Yida moved next to him, hooking an arm around his neck and saying meaningfully, “Go ask Ming Can.”

Chi Xiao: “Ask what?”

Zhu Yida mimed raising a glass. “Snowy weather, so romantic—it’s a heaven-sent opportunity. Ask her if, besides eating, we should also have a drink?”