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Chapter 13
Later, Xu Ai came to call the child back to sleep.
To be honest, she didn’t really want to come over, but it was unavoidable. She couldn’t have the nanny do it every time. Although their relationship was strained now, they were still a married couple in name. After some thought, Xu Ai decided to come.
When she arrived, Sheng Zexi was just about to turn off the lights. Their eyes met, and Sheng Zexi instinctively said, “She’s already asleep.”
Although he hadn’t expected the child to come and sleep with him, now that she was there, he naturally didn’t want her to go back that night.
Fortunately, Xu Ai didn’t overthink it. It wasn’t the first time the little one had slept over, and he was the child’s father. Regardless of their differences, it was necessary for the father and daughter to bond before the divorce; who knows, it might lead to a more favorable division of assets later.
Xu Ai didn’t say much more and simply instructed, “She tends to kick off the blanket at night, so keep an eye on her.”
Then she left.
Xu Ai’s casual departure made Sheng Zexi breathe a sigh of relief. He looked down at the little one sleeping beside him, chuckled softly, and then lay down to sleep.
That night, Nuo Nuo slept soundly until dawn. When morning came, she groggily woke up, her expression still dazed as she rubbed her eyes and mumbled, “Daddy, how come I’m sleeping in your room?”
The little one really had a magical way of putting people to sleep. Just one night in his presence made Sheng Zexi’s lingering headache disappear. Although he didn’t know how long it would last, today was indeed a wonderful morning.
In a good mood, Sheng Zexi’s tone became much gentler as he explained, “You were telling me stories last night, and then you fell asleep.”
Nuo Nuo frowned, deep in thought as if trying to recall the event. After getting out of bed, she looked at her father and said, “Daddy, if I fall asleep in your room again next time, can you carry me back to Mommy’s room?”
Knowing that the little one had this special ability, Sheng Zexi naturally wanted Nuo Nuo to come over and sleep with him more often. She was still young, in a year or two, she wouldn’t want to sleep with him anymore. Sheng Zexi thought he could adjust his sleep schedule during these years, hoping it would alleviate his struggles. However, just as he had concluded that, Nuo Nuo made her request.
Sheng Zexi’s expression darkened slightly as he asked, “Isn’t it good to sleep with Daddy?”
Nuo Nuo shook her little head. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “It’s not that it’s bad, but when I sleep with Mommy, I can sleep better.”
Sheng Zexi: “…”
“Daddy, remember that for next time, okay?”
After saying this, the little one dashed out quickly, even forgetting to put on her shoes, eager to cuddle with her fragrant mommy for a little longer before she woke up.
Sheng Zexi sat by the bed for a moment, contemplating. He concluded that Nuo Nuo probably didn’t want to sleep with him because they weren’t familiar enough and she wasn’t used to it. After that, he got up to wash up.
He briefly dealt with some work in the study, then put on a nice suit and watch before heading downstairs for breakfast.
He had just taken a seat when Nuo Nuo, still rubbing her eyes, came in with her mother. The little one had just taken a nap and looked quite sleepy, struggling to eat. Xu Ai watched her with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“Nuo Nuo, if you’re still sleepy, you can keep sleeping. Mommy will be leaving soon on her own.”
As soon as Nuo Nuo heard that her mother wouldn’t be taking her out to play, she perked up immediately, grabbed a spoon, and earnestly started eating her noodles. While eating, she told her father, “Daddy, I’m not going out with you today. I’m going shopping with Mommy.”
Xu Ai was going to work today, but since a project had just wrapped up, she wasn’t too busy. She planned to stop by the office briefly before taking Nuo Nuo shopping.
Sheng Zexi hadn’t planned to bring Nuo Nuo to the company anyway. As she was pulled along by her mother, he hesitated, wondering whether he should agree if the little one wanted to join him at work today.
In the end, he decided against it.
Sheng Zexi simply replied, “Mm.”
After breakfast, he went upstairs to grab his briefcase. As he glanced at the bank card on the table, he contemplated for a moment before taking it. When he saw Xu Ai downstairs, he handed it to her.
Xu Ai was startled when she saw him offering the card and looked at him with confusion.
Sheng Zexi said, “Take it to buy something for the child.”
The expenses for their villa were all covered by Sheng Zexi. Xu Ai still had a card he had given her when they first married. He regularly transferred money into it, and she had never spent it all. So, she found it strange that he was giving her another card.
Why?
Xu Ai didn’t understand.
However, she didn’t want to be polite and simply took it.
Any money in her hands was better than letting him waste it on himself later.
Nuo Nuo had already dressed up, wearing a light yellow dress with a pretty hairpin, and carrying a small yellow bag. Since they were going out today, the little one was especially well-dressed, looking much prettier than usual.
She looked well-behaved and not crying, even eagerly inviting her father, “Daddy, we’re going out to play. Do you want to come with us?”
Sheng Zexi had a packed schedule, so he obviously didn’t have time to indulge in such leisure.
However, before he could respond, Xu Ai interjected, “Daddy has to go to work.”
“Okay then.”
Nuo Nuo was still hopeful that her father could join them, clutching her little hands and asking, “Daddy, when will you be free? Can we go out to play together then?”
Sheng Zexi never seemed to have a free moment. Xu Ai felt that this little one was quite nagging and urged her, “Alright, let’s go.”
Sheng Zexi was also getting ready to head out. He left slightly earlier than Nuo Nuo and the others. Outside, the sun was shining perfectly. The little one was putting on her hat, and when she saw her father leaving, she happily beamed at him and said, “Goodbye, Daddy! I’ll bring you a gift when I come back tonight!”
Sheng Zexi paused for a moment, his grip on the briefcase tightening slightly as his gaze fell on the little girl’s flower-like smile.
His lips trembled as he replied, “Okay.”
Then he went out.
Once in the car, he recalled the child’s words before leaving and suddenly felt a bit unreal.
The little one actually said she would bring him a gift?
In his lifetime, he had received many gifts from business partners, but he had received very few from close ones. He had never thought that Nuo Nuo would give him a gift. It turned out that this tearful little girl was so thoughtful?
Sheng Zexi wasn’t sure if this was typical in a normal family, so he asked his driver, who had two kids, “Does your child also bring you gifts when they go out?”
The driver didn’t expect his boss to suddenly ask such a question and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh, my two kids, when they go out to play, they’re just focused on having fun. When they were younger, they never brought me anything. It wasn’t until they started working that they began to bring back things for me and their mother, like massagers, hand warmers, and some snacks and supplements.”
A smile appeared in the driver’s eyes as he spoke about his children, filled with happiness and pride at how his hard work in raising them had led to them remembering him and his wife in their later years.
Sheng Zexi was taken aback, suddenly feeling a bit curious about the gifts the little one mentioned.
He wondered what exactly she would bring him.
**
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