Chapter 79: Continued

The faint, rustling sounds in the darkness were like leaves falling from the depths of a forest, gently drifting to the ground.

The car was parked far from the streetlamp, and the already dim light was further obscured by the lush camphor trees. The faint glow that filtered into the car was just enough to illuminate two pairs of eyes, both glistening with moisture.

One pair gazed dazedly into the half-lit space, while the other stared intently, cold eyes flickering with a hidden fire.

Chi Xiao leaned down, his thumb brushing over her moist lips. The roughness of his fingertip sent a jolt like an electric current through her. Then, just as her heart was pounding with nervousness, he kissed her without hesitation.

This kiss was icy, as if it could pierce straight to her bones.

Where he learned such a wicked trick, or if it came naturally to him, was unclear. Perhaps the idea had struck him the moment he saw her buy him a bottle of ice-cold water.

His lips and tongue, chilled to the core, reminded her of licking an ice pop as a child—the sweetness of the icy surface, and the way her tongue would stick to it if she lingered too long, as if the ice pop were devouring her.

Ming Can felt exactly that way now.

Unexpectedly, this icy kiss melted faster than the last. The cold pierced her heart for a moment, only to provoke a fierce counterattack. It was like the clash of cold and warm air currents during the transition from winter to spring, where clouds gathered, fog swirled, and rain poured down, quickly turning the chill into warmth.

Her boldness was surprising, and Chi Xiao couldn’t help but praise her. His tone carried a casual, almost teasing air, but the coldness in his voice made it feel like flammable ice catching fire—quickly igniting and burning fiercely.

Ming Can flailed like a fish out of water, scooting away and scolding him, “Stop talking.”

Chi Xiao was one of the few boys Ming Can had met who rarely used foul language. She had almost never heard him swear. Yet, the way he could be so proper and still exude such audacity was a skill in itself. Ming Can had experienced it before, and combined with the endless fantasies in her mind and the stark contrast of his cold, serious face, Chi Xiao was, without a doubt, the most skilled at saying outrageous things she had ever met.

“Alright,” Chi Xiao replied lightly, only to add, “But sometimes, I can’t help it.”

Ming Can: “Then try harder to hold it in.”

“Holding it in too much is bad for your health.” He spoke close to her, their breaths mingling, his warm breath seeping in. “Look at you—you’re completely at ease.”

“Shut up…” Before she could finish scolding him, he kissed her again, and Ming Can could only let out a faint, breathy sound.

The rear windows of the car were tinted with privacy film, allowing those inside to see out but preventing anyone outside from seeing in. Otherwise, Chi Xiao wouldn’t dare drive a car with a child seat to school every day. Even though she knew this, Ming Can couldn’t help but glance out the window. When her gaze pierced through the dark glass and she sensed movement outside, her heart still tightened. Yet, in this cycle of worry, her adrenaline surged, making her tilt her head back, her gaze slipping through her fingers to catch glimpses of the swaying tree shadows and the cool, serene moonlight.

In the midst of this absurd kiss, she was both wary and restrained. Chi Xiao, at first, only pressed against her, pecking lightly, a bit awkward, as if feeling his way. But soon, he managed to pry her lips open, his tongue slipping in, only to be pushed back out after a few moments. Chi Xiao had always been a patient person, and persistence was his forte. Yet, tonight, it seemed he had no intention of taking things slow, as if his patience for kissing her had run out all at once. Suddenly, he became fierce, intensifying his efforts. The kiss grew so fervent that Ming Can, who hadn’t meant to resist in the first place, gradually succumbed to the onslaught and couldn’t help but respond.

“Didn’t you say no talking?” His low, muffled voice seemed to travel through her bones straight to her heart.

“Mmm…” Ming Can bit her lip. “I meant you shouldn’t talk.”

After a pause, she added, suppressing her voice, “Not that I can’t.”

There were rare moments when Ming Can could meet Chi Xiao’s gaze.

From a distance, his eyes were a heart-stirring shade of darkness, deep and intense, with a resilience and fervor that went beyond the ordinary.

She suddenly remembered how she once thought Chi Xiao was an indifferent person, someone who didn’t care much about anything in the world. But after getting to know him, she realized that wasn’t the case at all. On the contrary, he approached everything he did with seriousness and never half-hearted effort. Some things came naturally to him, and combined with his dedication, he excelled far beyond others. Other things, like cooking, didn’t come as easily. It was clear he had put a lot of effort into learning, but even after all this time, his skills hadn’t yet reached a level that would convince Ming Can to change the group chat name.

Now, Ming Can had discovered something else he was both naturally gifted at and fully committed to mastering.

His progress wasn’t just rapid—it was leaps and bounds ahead.

The sound of their intense, unrelenting kisses filled the entire car. Ming Can felt like a house in the humid south during the rainy season, where the dampness clung to everything and couldn’t be wiped away. A fierce fire burned within this damp space, the flames licking upward, devouring the moisture, and filling the air with crackling energy. Every sound around them spoke of their seamless connection, free of doubt or hesitation.

……

In the deep of night, the car pulled into the parking garage. As soon as it came to a stop, Ming Can eagerly pushed the car door open and jumped out.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, clutching a large wad of tissues, eager to find a place to dispose of them quickly.

Chi Xiao got out of the driver’s seat and walked toward the back. Ming Can hurriedly said, “I’ve already cleaned up.”

Chi Xiao: “Oh.”

He still opened the back door, and Ming Can tried to stop him. “Are you going to install the child seat?”

Chi Xiao looked at her. “Not yet.”

They both silently agreed that after tonight, the car would need to have its interior cleaned before the child seat could be reinstalled.

Ming Can: “Then why are you going in there?”

“Before sending it for cleaning, I should at least wipe it down first.”

“Didn’t I just say,” Ming Can replied, “I’ve already cleaned it.”

Chi Xiao paused, halfway into the back seat, and looked down at her. “Where did you clean? Did you even check?”

“……” Ming Can stiffened for a moment, grinding her molars as she recalled how she had covered her eyes earlier and indeed hadn’t seen anything.

Fortunately, after tonight, she wasn’t the same person she used to be.

Suppressing her pounding heartbeat, her face flushed red, she shot back at him, “Didn’t you catch it all?”

“……” Chi Xiao was also momentarily stunned by her sudden boldness.

“First time, no experience,” he murmured, his tongue lightly brushing the corner of his lips. “Didn’t expect you to be that… impressive.”

Ming Can’s hands, clenched behind her back, almost crushed the tissues into pieces.

At this point, whoever backed down would be the loser.

“Then pay more attention next time,” she said, standing on her tiptoes, her clear black-and-white eyes locking onto the man who towered over her. Her other hand lifted lightly, her slender index finger pressing against the prominent curve of his Adam’s apple, then slowly dragging downward. “Catch it all, properly.”

……

In the elevator lobby of the underground parking garage, Ming Can stared at her reflection in the elevator doors. Two distinct handprints were visible on her cheeks—she had slapped herself to clear her head. She was about to go home and see Miaomiao, so she couldn’t afford to let her thoughts wander.

Behind her, the sound of the man’s footsteps grew closer. Suddenly, Ming Can remembered the conversation they had just had. She had come out on top, and while recalling it made her feel a bit embarrassed, more than anything, it felt satisfying.

Tsk. As expected of me.

The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped in one after the other. Ming Can leaned against the back of the elevator, watching the doors close. The confined, narrow space made it easy for lingering ambiguous emotions to intensify. To calm herself, Ming Can brought up a serious matter with Chi Xiao: “Have you thought about what we’ll do if one day we can’t hide Miaomiao anymore?”

Chi Xiao turned to look at her. “Do you have an idea?”

“Not exactly an idea, but I’ve thought about it before,” Ming Can said. “I’ve been living off-campus without my family knowing. If my dad decides to investigate, it would be easy for him to track me down and eventually discover Miaomiao. If it comes to that, the only option would be to tell my family that Miaomiao is my aunt’s adopted child. Miaomiao is turning six soon, and we can’t keep hiding him forever. Sooner or later, the truth will come out. So, my aunt and I discussed it, and we think it might be better to just tell our family and friends that Miaomiao is her adopted child. That way, he’ll have a formal identity, and it’ll save us a lot of trouble in the future.”

Chi Xiao nodded. Just then, the elevator arrived at their floor. He stepped out first but stopped in the area in front of their door, not making a move to open it.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said to Ming Can, “Do you think Miaomiao will stay with us forever?”

Ming Can was taken aback. “Are you saying he might leave someday?”

Chi Xiao: “I don’t know.”

This situation was completely beyond the realm of science, and no normal logic could be applied to reason it out.

But as time went on, Chi Xiao occasionally found himself thinking—

It felt like he hadn’t known this child for very long, yet he already cared for him deeply.

If Miaomiao didn’t return to his original world—

What would happen to the version of him and Ming Can in that world, the ones who had given birth to Miaomiao and raised him all these years?

The atmosphere grew heavy. Seeing that Ming Can hadn’t spoken for a while, Chi Xiao reached out and gently patted her head, saying calmly, “What you said earlier makes sense. No matter what, we should prepare for the possibility that Miaomiao will live here long-term.”

Beside them, faint sounds of a child’s running footsteps could be heard from behind the door, accompanied by the pitter-patter of a dog. It didn’t take a genius to guess that Miaomiao was chasing the puppy around.

“This matter isn’t urgent,” Ming Can exhaled softly, pushing aside the thoughts that were dampening her mood. She hooked her arm around Chi Xiao’s and gently pulled him farther away from the door, whispering, “What’s more urgent is Miaomiao’s birthday. How’s the preparation going for the things I asked you to get ready?”

“It’s in progress,” Chi Xiao said, suddenly pinching the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure you want to do it this way?”

“Do you have any objections?” Ming Can asked. “Are the challenges too difficult?”

Chi Xiao: “They’re manageable. I’m just worried he might get upset when he realizes he has to solve problems on his birthday.”

“How would he even find out?” Ming Can countered. “And what do you mean by ‘solve problems’? Where exactly is he solving problems? These are super fun, brain-teasing games that kids love. He’s going to have a great time.”

“Besides,” Ming Can leaned closer, locking eyes with Chi Xiao, “aren’t you worried? He’s six years old and still at a first-grade level. You and I weren’t like that at his age. The new semester has started, and exams are coming up again. If we don’t seize every opportunity to train his mathematical thinking, what if he fails again? Games like this, where learning is fun, leave a lasting impression on kids. Instead of supporting me, you’re actually criticizing me?”

“Everything you’re saying makes sense,” Chi Xiao replied, taking a step back as she fired off her rapid string of arguments. “You designed the whole game, so you understand it better than I do. But can we switch roles for this?”

……

So this was where he was going with it.

Ming Can shot him a sidelong glance and replied bluntly, “No way. The roles were decided by drawing lots; it’s not like I forced this on you. Besides, what’s so bad about your role? It’s just a little more work than mine, isn’t it?”

Chi Xiao: “A little more?”

Ming Can shrugged. “Can’t help it. I’ve always had good luck.”

Ever since she was a child, whenever it came to drawing lots, her luck had been exceptional. The only time it seemed to fail her was during the New Year’s gift exchange, when it felt like Miaomiao had somehow thwarted her usual streak.

Ming Can swung her backpack around to the front, pulled out a stack of A4 papers bound together, with the cover boldly printed with “Miaomiao’s Birthday Plan.” She tugged on Chi Xiao’s arm and said, “Don’t rush back yet. Let’s go over this one more time…”