Chapter 44: The Bedroom

On their last day at the ski resort, heavy snow had fallen the night before, making the slopes too dangerous due to the thick accumulation. They only skied until a little past eleven, had lunch, and then left the resort with Miaomiao to head home.

On the way, Miaomiao was curled up in his car seat, fast asleep, while Ming Can also dozed off, leaning against the backrest.

The journey was long. When she woke up after sleeping for over half an hour, they were only halfway there.

She patted her cheeks to wake herself up and started chatting with Chi Xiao to keep the car from becoming too quiet, worried that he might get drowsy from driving for so long.

The road conditions were poor after the heavy snowfall, and Chi Xiao drove cautiously. Through the rearview mirror, he saw Ming Can yawning while talking to him, her lazy demeanor resembling a cat that had just woken up.

Chi Xiao: “By the way, after we get back, I’m planning to rent a place in your neighborhood. If you have time, could you keep an eye out for listings for me? The closer to your unit, the better.”

“Sure,” Ming Can nodded, then suddenly remembered something. Her drowsiness vanished, and she leaned forward slightly, asking, “Don’t you need to go home for the holidays?”

Chi Xiao: “Not necessarily. I often stay outside.”

Ming Can: “Won’t your dad ask you to come home for New Year’s?”

Chi Xiao: “I can just say I’m in the U.S.”

Ming Can was stunned: “If you say you’re in the U.S., won’t your mom look for you?”

Chi Xiao’s lips twitched into a faint smile: “Don’t worry. She’s not that concerned about me.”

Chi Xiao almost always used his holidays to visit his mother in the U.S.

But the home in the U.S. was no different from the one in China—if anything, it was even colder. His mother had remarried many years ago to a Chinese-American man and had a daughter whom she adored. Chi Xiao couldn’t stand staying at his mother’s house, so even when he went to the U.S., he only met her a few times. Most of the time, he stayed at Chi Yao’s place or wandered aimlessly through unfamiliar streets in a foreign country.

Like a well-dressed homeless person.

Ming Can sensed the coldness in his calm words.

In comparison, at least Ming Can’s father cared about her life and constantly urged her to come home. Chi Xiao was only a year and a half older than her—were his parents really that indifferent toward him?

Ming Can’s voice softened slightly: “How long can you stay in your school dormitory?”

Chi Xiao: “Until February 1st at the latest.”

Ming Can lowered her head. The banquet was the day after tomorrow, and after attending, she would most likely have to return to the Ming family home with her father that same day. If she refused, it would definitely raise suspicions among her family.

What to do? She still hadn’t found a suitable excuse to avoid going home, and her aunt had already taken her students to Europe for a study tour, so she couldn’t help. If she didn’t ask Chi Xiao for help, she would have to entrust Miaomiao to a stranger—a nanny.

After much deliberation, Ming Can took a deep breath and said to Chi Xiao, “After the day after tomorrow, I might have to go home for a while.”

The car happened to stop at a crossroad, waiting for the red light. Chi Xiao turned his head, his profile illuminated by the flickering red light, briefly meeting her eyes.

If she wasn’t around, Miaomiao would have to be taken care of by him.

In such a short time, it would be nearly impossible for him to rent a place in Ming Can’s neighborhood and move Miaomiao’s things there.

Chi Xiao: “I have another place in the northern part of the city, but it’s quite far from your home. If you don’t mind, Miaomiao could stay there.”

“That’s possible,” Ming Can said hesitantly. “But that means I’d only be able to see Miaomiao at your place during this time? And do you have the time to take care of Miaomiao all the time?”

He was in his third year of university, working at his family’s company, and also doing research. Ming Can noticed that no matter where he went, he always carried his laptop, pulling it out to code whenever he had a spare moment. He was clearly very busy, yet he had been accommodating her schedule all along.

Chi Xiao said tactfully: “There might be two or three days when I’m particularly busy.”

Ming Can: “So, on those busy days, I’d have to go to your place to take care of Miaomiao? And if you don’t come back at night, would I have to stay at your place?”

To put it bluntly, she just didn’t want to go to his house.

What would people think of a young woman like her constantly running over to a man’s place?

Moreover, the room Miaomiao was staying in now and all the things he used had been carefully arranged by her. If they moved, they couldn’t take everything with them. What if Miaomiao wasn’t comfortable staying at his place?

Her tone carried a clear note of reluctance. Chi Xiao’s lips twitched, and he said lightly, “Is there another way?”

There was another way.

Ming Can raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of Chi Xiao’s profile in the rearview mirror. His brows were deep-set, his eyelids slightly lowered, and his long, distinct lashes veiled his cool gaze.

Before heading to the ski resort, Ming Can had already developed a strong trust in Chi Xiao’s character. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to stay in the same villa with him. Now that the trip was over, that trust had reached an unprecedented level.

Not only did he behave with propriety, but he also flawlessly protected her reputation when their secret was accidentally exposed to outsiders.

In comparison.

When the two of them were together, it seemed like he was the one who needed to protect himself from being “violated” by her.

Ming Can cleared her throat and said calmly, “There is indeed another way. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place when I’m not around.”

The car started moving again, passing through the intersection.

Chi Xiao kept his eyes on the road. The car was quiet, and he must have heard Ming Can’s words, but he didn’t respond for a long time, as if lost in thought.

From the safety seat, Miaomiao let out a contented murmur in his sleep, making the atmosphere even more serene.

“Okay,” Chi Xiao finally replied. “I’ll follow your lead.”

His reaction was calm, and Ming Can didn’t think much of it.

Having him stay at her place was a topic that could easily become ambiguous if discussed too much. It was best for them to maintain the current unspoken understanding, treating the matter as a necessary task to be handled calmly.

After driving for another half hour, they finally arrived home.

Just like when they had left, Ming Can only took care of Miaomiao, while all the luggage was carried upstairs by Chi Xiao, one piece at a time. It took him three trips to move everything.

The items were temporarily piled up in the living room, and Ming Can planned to organize them later.

Miaomiao dashed into the pile of toys he had been longing for like a little whirlwind. Before leaving the ski resort at noon, his parents had taken him to a toy store in the scenic area and bought a bunch of toys as souvenirs. Among them was a box of educational toys called “Mountain Molds,” made of ultra-light clay. They could be assembled into forests, snowy mountains, and volcanoes. There was also a small box containing safe chemical materials that, through simple chemical reactions, could simulate natural phenomena like avalanches and volcanic eruptions on the mountain structures.

Miaomiao opened the box and sat on a small stool, starting to assemble his mountain molds.

Chi Xiao walked over to check the instructions for the toy, which stated that chemical experiments must be conducted under adult supervision.

He took the box of chemical materials and stored it in a high cabinet, saying to Miaomiao, “Once you’ve finished assembling it, we’ll do the experiment together.”

Miaomiao: “Are those things dangerous?”

In reality, they weren’t dangerous—just things like baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. Chi Xiao took them away mainly to prevent Miaomiao from accidentally ingesting them.

“Yeah,” Chi Xiao chuckled lightly. “Volcanic eruptions can be dangerous, right?”

“What are you telling him?” A certain “active volcano” popped up behind them.

Chi Xiao: “Nothing.”

Ming Can looked suspicious, feeling as if someone had been gossiping about her behind her back.

She stood on her tiptoes behind Chi Xiao, trying to see what Miaomiao was playing with, but the tall man in front of her turned around, his figure instantly dominating her field of vision.

He was wearing a loose white sweater with a round neckline, his Adam’s apple protruding like a corner of ice.

Having just finished carrying the luggage up and down, he was radiating warmth. One of his sleeves was casually rolled up to his elbow, revealing a long, firm forearm with clear muscle definition and faintly visible veins.

Ming Can calmly took two steps back, putting some distance between them, and said, “Follow me.”

She turned and walked toward the living area, with Chi Xiao trailing slowly behind her.

Miaomiao, sitting on his little stool, watched this scene in shock.

Since coming to this world, Dad had been like Tang Sanzang confined to a monkey’s territory in Mom’s house—never taking an extra step, his movements restricted to the living room, kitchen, dining area, and occasionally his own room.

In the original timeline, he had seen Dad and Mom walking toward the bedroom together.

Dad and Mom rarely met, but whenever they did, the two of them would almost always disappear into the bedroom to fight.

Miaomiao thought they were fighting because Mom never let Dad stay overnight with her. How could two people who didn’t get along possibly coexist peacefully in a bedroom? Moreover, whenever Dad reappeared after disappearing, he often had pitiful signs of injury on him.

Dad was so unlucky—was he going to get beaten up again today?!

Miaomiao shivered, but then he thought he might be overthinking it. In this world, Mom and Dad’s relationship was much better than in the other world. They could even sit at the same table, laughing and chatting while eating. The things he was worried about probably wouldn’t happen here.

Meanwhile.

Chi Xiao followed Ming Can into the living area, which had five rooms of varying sizes. Two of them were suites—the master bedroom and the children’s room—while the others included a large study, a music room that doubled as a gym, and a spare bedroom facing north that had been left empty.

Ming Can led Chi Xiao to the door of the spare bedroom, pushed it open, and showed him the interior decor and layout.

Inside was a bed, a wall-mounted floating desk, a row of built-in cabinets, two bedside tables, and a large beanbag chair placed on the left side of the entrance—clearly a castoff from the living room that had been casually tossed in here.

The decor style was consistent with the rest of the house—luxurious and refined—but the furniture and other amenities were worlds apart compared to the other two bedrooms.

“This room doesn’t have its own bathroom,” Ming Can said. “If you want to shower, you’ll have to use the shared bathroom outside or go to Miaomiao’s room and use his ensuite.”

Chi Xiao: “Okay.”

Ming Can continued, “There are two new sets of bedding in the closet. If you’re not satisfied with them, you can bring your own. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know, and I’ll buy it for you.”

Her tone carried a hint of boldness, as if she were taking full responsibility for his entire living situation.

Ming Can suddenly thought of an inappropriate metaphor, and her heartbeat faltered for a moment.

For some reason, her eyes remained fixed on the room, not looking at him, as she spoke to him sideways.

Chi Xiao: “Okay.”

His response remained calm, as if he fully accepted her arrangements without any objections.

Ming Can stood at the door of the spare bedroom, estimating the distance between this room and her own. It wasn’t particularly close—much farther apart compared to the villa they had stayed in for the past two days.

Of course, when he stayed here, she would be living at the Ming family home, dozens of kilometers away.

Ming Can was used to making detailed plans. If an unexpected situation arose—like if she needed to come back and stay here—she would have to awkwardly ask Chi Xiao to temporarily move out.

He was so easygoing, understanding, and gentlemanly. Surely, he wouldn’t mind, right?

Ming Can turned around and finally looked up at Chi Xiao, her gaze serious and straightforward: “Do you have any other questions?”

For some reason.

When Chi Xiao met her clear, trusting gaze—one that seemed to place no suspicion on him—he felt a strange discomfort.

This house was her home.

No matter how you looked at it, it was an extremely private space.

Yet she had allowed him to stay here so casually.

Her words and tone made it seem as if she didn’t see him as a man at all.

Chi Xiao suddenly felt the need to remind her of certain things.

The two of them stood at the door of the spare bedroom. Ming Can’s arm was leaning against the doorframe, while Chi Xiao, half a step away from her, had one hand in his pocket. He casually took a step forward.

His overwhelmingly strong presence closed in, and Ming Can instinctively shrank to the side, half her body leaning against the doorframe, her breathing light.

Chi Xiao stopped directly in front of her, just a few dozen centimeters away. His tall, imposing figure blocked the light from the spare bedroom, casting a shadow over her.

He looked down at her, his expression calm but his gaze deep and intense. He spoke slowly, “It just occurred to me that I haven’t answered the question you asked this morning.”

What question…

As soon as the question mark popped into Ming Can’s mind, her intuition brought her back to that moment.

The only question she had asked this morning, which he hadn’t answered, was about the confession back in high school.

Awkward and ambiguous images began to unravel in her mind.

At the time, she had seemed eager to cool down the topic and had casually retorted, “Didn’t you say it’s all in the past?“

Then, the conversation had been interrupted by Miaomiao’s game.

Until now.

In her home, at the door of the spare bedroom, the natural sense of intrusion brought by the height and size difference between a man and a woman pinned Ming Can against the doorframe. Her almond-shaped eyes slowly widened.

Chi Xiao looked down at her, his gaze dark and his tone calm yet concise as he answered her:

“It’s not in the past.”