Chapter 82: Making a Wish

As soon as Miaomiao finished speaking, her soft and warm little lips pressed against Chi Xiao’s face. With a loud “smooch,” the kiss echoed brightly.

Chi Xiao was momentarily stunned. His cheek felt as if it had been smeared with molten chocolate lava cake—the rich sweetness seeped into his skin and spread through his veins, flooding his entire body.

So this was the power of a true love’s kiss.

Even the most cold-hearted person in the world would melt instantly under such affection.

Before meeting Miaomiao, Chi Xiao had never imagined that his life could unfold like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

Lifting Miaomiao slightly higher, he said without hesitation, “I’m all better now. Baby, you’re amazing.”

“Really?” Miaomiao asked. “Dad turned back into a smart dad?”

“Mm.” Chi Xiao nodded. “If you don’t believe me, ask your mom to give us both a test. Let’s see who scores higher.”

Miaomiao: “…”

“Just kidding.” Chi Xiao lowered his head and gently brushed his lips against Miaomiao’s warm little cheek—his way of returning the favor.

After setting Miaomiao back down, Ming Can got up from the bed, walked over, and patted Chi Xiao on the shoulder. “Miaomiao’s dad, good job. The kids will be here soon—take a quick break and then get back to work.”

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Chi Xiao reached out and gave her cheek a firm pinch. “Stop laughing so much—I’m really not tired at all.”

“I have makeup on, don’t mess it up.” Ming Can swatted his hand away, then ushered Miaomiao out of the room. Once she had put some distance between them, she suddenly turned back and made a funny face at him. “It’s your own fault for being so amusing.”

With that, she quickly grabbed Miaomiao’s hand and headed downstairs. Their footsteps clattered cheerfully against the wooden stairs as they dashed off in a flash.

Chi Xiao’s lips curled up slightly as he trailed behind them at a leisurely pace, making his way toward the staircase.

Meanwhile, Ming Shu had just taken off the inflatable dinosaur costume and neatly folded it up before preparing to go downstairs as well.

“Thanks for your help today, Auntie.”

“It was no trouble at all,” Ming Shu replied with a smile. “Honestly, you two are really great at taking care of a child. Not only do you look after Miaomiao well, but you also play with him. I used to think about taking Miaomiao to stay with me for a while, but Ming Can didn’t agree. If he had really come with me, he definitely wouldn’t be as happy as he is now.”

“Ming Can is the one who’s good at it,” Chi Xiao said humbly. “I just follow her lead.”

Ming Shu studied him for a while. She knew that Ming Can was a strong-willed person who liked to take charge. When it came to raising Miaomiao, her word was final. As for Chi Xiao, in front of her, he was like an unconditional follower, taking on all the hard and tiring tasks without complaint. After spending time with him, Ming Shu almost forgot that he was a privileged young master, someone who had probably never taken care of another person in his entire life.

Stopping at the staircase, Ming Shu suddenly asked, “You like our Cancan a lot, don’t you?”

Chi Xiao was momentarily stunned. For some reason, he felt a bit nervous. He hesitated for a second before nodding slowly. “Mm.”

“Don’t be nervous.” Ming Shu smiled, then casually brought up something from the past. “Last year, about a month after Ming Can found Miaomiao, I was worried she’d have a hard time handling things alone, so I told her to go find Miaomiao’s dad. But she refused and even told me that in the future, she and Miaomiao’s dad should already be divorced. Then later, she said maybe they weren’t divorced, just living separately. That really happened, right?”

“Based on Miaomiao’s description, that does seem to be the case.” Chi Xiao had a rough idea of what Ming Shu was getting at. Their future didn’t look promising, and as a family elder, it was natural for her to be concerned.

Ming Shu said, “Cancan was spoiled when she was little, and later, she went through some difficult things. That made her temper a bit stubborn, and her personality somewhat domineering. Even if she gets married and has children in the future, she’s not the type to become a gentle and soft woman. You haven’t known her for very long—at first, you might just find her refreshing and new…”

“It’s not like that,” Chi Xiao interrupted. “Auntie, I’ve known what kind of person she is for a long time.”

She was as brilliant as fire, and just as fierce.

Getting close to her meant risking being burned.

“I don’t really understand what’s going on with the future,” Chi Xiao said. “But I am certain of one thing—I will always like her, just like breathing.”

As simple as breathing.

Like breathing—something one must keep doing to stay alive.

Ming Shu looked at him. She had never taken love too seriously. Over the years, she had heard countless men whisper sweet words and make grand promises. Most of it was just empty talk. But after hearing enough, she had learned to tell who was just saying things casually and who truly meant every word, who wore their heart on their sleeve and treated their feelings as their creed.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She glanced at him sideways. “So, you little brat, have you been plotting this for a while?”

Chi Xiao: “…”

Just then, Ming Can called Chi Xiao, asking if he had rested enough and when he was coming down to help.

Chi Xiao replied with a quick “Coming now,” finally seizing the chance to escape from Ming Shu’s scrutiny.

Down on the lawn, they needed to clear away the game props before the children arrived and then set up tables, chairs, and birthday decorations on the west side of the lawn.

Although Ming Shu had hired several servants for the day, Ming Can and Chi Xiao were used to doing things themselves. They blended in with the workers, staying busy the entire time. Meanwhile, Miaomiao carried a small basket filled with fruits and vegetables, happily feeding the animals on the east side of the lawn. At first, Ming Can was worried he might get kicked by a horse, so she stayed close to keep an eye on him. But after observing for a while, she realized her concerns were completely unnecessary. Miaomiao seemed to have some kind of magic that made animals adore him. Even unfamiliar creatures warmed up to him instantly, treating him like an old friend.

At 3:30 in the afternoon, the first child arrived at the party.

It was Miaomiao’s best friend, Zihao.

Since the birthday party had a zoo theme, all the children were allowed to bring their pets. Zihao brought two dogs—one big and one small. The big dog was a full-grown German Shepherd, looking strong and imposing. The small one was only a few months old, chubby and fluffy, with a coat of mixed black and gray fur and a white muzzle. It looked just like a little stray mutt.

“Zihao!” Miaomiao ran excitedly to the garden gate to greet him. “Dashuai looks so handsome today! And Xiao Shuai… well, he actually looks like a dog!”

“Your Xiao Xiao is really tiny and super cute!” Zihao crouched down to pet the little pup. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a brownish lump wriggling on the grass. His eyes widened with excitement. “Wait… is that a capybara?”

Miaomiao beamed. “Yep!”

Zihao gasped. “That’s amazing! I’ve never touched a capybara before!”

Miaomiao grabbed his hand. “I’ll take you to pet it!”

Hand in hand, the two kids ran off toward the capybara, while the dogs stayed behind, sniffing each other’s butts in greeting.

“Xiao Shuai is Dashuai’s pup,” Ming Can told Chi Xiao. “He’s probably a mixed breed, which is why he looks a little funny.”

Chi Xiao nodded, though for some reason, he found the little dog oddly familiar.

As it neared 4 PM, more and more parents arrived with their children.

Morning Star Elementary School followed a small-class teaching model, and since Miaomiao had invited his entire class to his birthday party, most of his classmates showed up. On top of that, he had also invited nearly ten friends from his extracurricular activities.

Chi Xiao watched the garden full of chattering, energetic children running back and forth. He rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache, and couldn’t help but sigh, “He’s really popular.”

Ming Can said, “You don’t know this, but when he first transferred schools, he didn’t have any friends at all.”

“So how did he end up making so many?”

“Their school has a little zoo with several alpacas that love spitting at students,” Ming Can explained. “I don’t remember who told me, but apparently, Miaomiao can predict exactly when the alpacas are about to spit—he’s freakishly accurate. Ever since then, he’s been like a legend in his class, and a bunch of kids started looking up to him.”

Chi Xiao: “…”

Dinner was arranged outdoors. Since they didn’t want the kids to feel cold after sunset, they started eating a little after four.

After the meal, they lit the candles and sang the birthday song. The birthday boy, Miaomiao, sat in the middle of the children, wearing a little crown on his head. He closed his eyes to make a wish.

As darkness fell over his vision, Miaomiao seriously pondered what wish he should make. He sat there for a long time without any idea.

Once upon a time, his biggest wish was to understand what dogs were saying. But now, he already had a superpower—wishing for that again didn’t seem right.

Suddenly, he felt something warm and damp nudge the back of his hand, like a dog’s nose. At the same time, he heard the familiar soft whimper of a little puppy right by his ear.

Miaomiao opened his eyes and turned to look for Xiao Xiao, only to find that the little pup was busy circling around his parents and wasn’t beside him.

He lowered his gaze to his hand, staring at the spot where he had felt the warm, damp touch. His friends, thinking he had finished making his wish, eagerly urged him to blow out the candles.

A fleeting thought crossed Miaomiao’s mind, and with a deep breath, he blew out the candles in one go.

The children around him clapped excitedly, while Ming Can and Chi Xiao stood nearby, holding up their phones, snapping endless pictures of Miaomiao.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao ran around at their feet, soon attracting another small dog.

“Xiao Shuai?” Ming Can bent down and lifted its tail. “Let’s see if you’re a boy or a girl… Oh! You’re a boy! Then stay away from our little Xiao Xiao, alright?”

Chi Xiao kept staring at the pup, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. A thought suddenly struck him, and he pulled out his phone, opening a certain someone’s social media page.

Ever since he had added Ming Can as a friend, he had gotten into the habit of scrolling through his feed more often—Ming Can loved posting updates. He vaguely remembered seeing someone post a similar-looking dog before.

Ming Can leaned over to peek at his screen.

Before long, they found the photo. Ming Can’s eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa, it really does look just like Xiao Shuai!”

“These two dogs’ father is also a black-backed shepherd,” Chi Xiao said. “I heard there were originally three puppies—one was sent to live with the father’s owner, and the other two stayed with our family.”

He was scrolling through his stepmother Duan Hanyan’s social media posts. She loved sharing glimpses of her daily life, which mostly consisted of luxury living, children, and dogs.

Ming Can asked for the Chi family’s address and realized it was in the same neighborhood as Zihao’s home. That likely meant Xiao Shuai’s mother was the Samoyed raised by the Chi family.

“What a coincidence,” she said, tugging at Chi Xiao’s sleeve. “Let me see your phone.”

Without hesitation, Chi Xiao handed it over. Seeing that Ming Can had started scrolling through Duan Hanyan’s posts one by one, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered, “If you don’t want to deal with her, you don’t have to.”

Ming Can replied, “I just want to get a sense of what kind of person she is. You know what they say—know your enemy and you’ll never lose a battle.”

Her tone carried an implicit acceptance of their relationship, making Chi Xiao’s lips curve into a smile.

As Ming Can skimmed through the posts, she noticed that Duan Hanyan had been in Europe over the past few days. Almost every recent post included a picture of her with another beautiful woman, and the two of them appeared to be quite close. Curious, Ming Can turned to Chi Xiao and asked, “Do you know who this is?”

“Not really,” Chi Xiao replied. “She might be a relative of hers from abroad.”

Ming Can nodded.

Just as she was about to scroll further, a little child who wasn’t watching where he was running suddenly crashed into her leg. Afraid he might fall, Ming Can quickly bent down to steady him. In that brief moment of distraction, she lost her grip on her phone, and it slipped onto the grass.

Right then, Miaomiao happened to run over. Quick on his feet, he swiftly picked up the phone before it had been on the ground for long.

Catching a glimpse of the enlarged photo on the screen, Miaomiao let out a curious “Huh? Isn’t this Grandma (from Mom’s side)?”

Ming Can laughed and said, “No, that’s probably Grandma from Dad’s side.”

“I can totally tell the difference between Grandma from Dad’s side and Grandma from Mom’s side,” Miaomiao insisted. He pointed to the woman on the left—Duan Hanyan. “This is Grandma from Dad’s side.” Then, shifting his finger to the woman on the right, he said, “And this is Grandma from Mom’s side.”

As Miaomiao’s words sank in, the smile on Ming Can’s face gradually stiffened.