Chapter 28

After taking care of Nuo Nuo and sending her off for a bath, Sheng Zexi, seeing there was nothing else to do, greeted Xu Ai and went upstairs.

Once upstairs, he turned on his computer and put on his glasses, intending to work. The lights in the distant buildings shone brightly. Normally, encountering that person would sour his mood, but tonight felt different. Looking at the night outside, he found it beautiful.

He rarely felt the night was so beautiful.

Thinking of the items Xu Ai bought for him, he remembered he hadn’t tried them on yet. So, he took them out, unpacked the tie, and examined it. The quality was good, though he had never worn such a red tie before. Still, he thought trying it wouldn’t hurt.

With deft fingers, he tied the tie slowly, unlike his usual quick and efficient manner.

It didn’t take much time.

After tying the tie, his gaze fell on the belt, contemplating whether to try it on too.

The tie looked good on him.

Sheng Zexi took out the belt, planning to replace his old one.

Just then, the study door opened, and Xu Ai’s voice and face appeared: “You should get up early tomorrow…”

When she finished speaking and saw the scene inside, she was stunned.

She hadn’t expected to find him changing clothes.

The study’s lighting wasn’t very bright. He stood not far away, his legs straight, his shirt pulled up, revealing a toned V-line and defined abs. With glasses perched on his nose, he looked scholarly yet sexy.

Who would have thought that beneath his clothes he was so well-built?

Those abs made you want to reach out and touch them.

Sheng Zexi saw her enter and, staying calm, his deep black eyes filled with inquiry.

He methodically threaded the belt through the loops and fastened it.

Xu Ai had never seen him like this and was utterly shocked, staring for a long while before realizing it. Her face flushed, and she looked down, finishing what she had to say.

“I came to tell you to get up early tomorrow and take Nuo Nuo to kindergarten…”

Then she raised her hand, quickly closed the door, and hurried to her room.

Feeling a bit parched, Xu Ai realized there was no water in her room, so she went downstairs to get a bottle from the fridge, sipping it slowly. As her throat cooled, her mind cleared, but she was still speechless, mumbling, “Who changes clothes in the study?”

Just as she finished grumbling, she turned and bumped into someone, crashing into a firm chest. Holding her head, she frowned and looked up, only to see Sheng Zexi’s face.

Her face, which had just cooled down, turned pink again. Xu Ai stammered, “When did you come down?”

“When you were daydreaming,” he replied, reaching into the fridge for a bottle of water. He glanced at the back of her head, asking, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Almost biting her tongue from the shock, Xu Ai felt embarrassed and annoyed that he had come down as well.

“Why did you come down?” she asked, feeling flustered. Wasn’t he supposed to be in the study? Why did he follow her down?

Seeing her release her hand from the back of her head, Sheng Zexi opened his water and took a sip. Then he placed his hand where she had bumped. Xu Ai’s back stiffened.

Though he didn’t feel any bump, Sheng Zexi’s eyes deepened with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need some medicine?”

His voice was low, and they were so close that Xu Ai couldn’t help but recall the earlier scene. She didn’t know what came over her, but the next thing she knew, she had slipped out from under his arm, mumbling, “I’m fine.”

She didn’t look back as she hurried away.

Climbing the stairs, Xu Ai felt her face burning, and the spot on her head where his hand had touched was hot as well. She quickly used her cold drink to cool her face.

Meanwhile, Sheng Zexi, watching her leave, couldn’t help but smile.

The way she darted off reminded him of a little animal.

The next day, it was the first day of kindergarten.

Hearing that there would be many children at kindergarten, Nuo Nuo was initially excited, but the thought of her parents not being there made her unhappy. The night before kindergarten, she tried to negotiate with her parents: “Mommy, Daddy, can’t you stay with me at kindergarten?”

Xu Ai, who hadn’t slept well, was groggy and a bit stunned by her daughter’s request. Unsure if she understood correctly, she explained, “Mommy will take you to kindergarten. After dropping you off at the gate, you’ll go in with the teacher. In the evening, Mommy and Daddy will pick you up.”

But that wasn’t what Nuo Nuo wanted. She wanted her parents to stay with her at kindergarten all day. “I mean, you stay with me as long as I’m there. I don’t want to be there alone. If you don’t stay with me, I won’t go.”

As she spoke, her little mouth pouted.

Xu Ai, who thought Nuo Nuo had been excited about kindergarten, was now faced with her daughter’s tears again. Feeling a headache coming on, she held her head. Beside her, Sheng Zexi, calmly eating breakfast, glanced at Nuo Nuo: “If you don’t want to go, you can start school next year.”

Then, his gaze rested on Xu Ai before shifting away.

Xu Ai, hearing Sheng Zexi’s words, felt a bit more awake. She couldn’t help but frown. Sheng Zexi, this guy should not spoil Nuo Nuo too much. If she doesn’t go this year, she’ll have to wait another year.

Plus, she didn’t have many friends at home. Xu Ai thought kindergarten would be good for Nuo Nuo.

She looked at Sheng Zexi disapprovingly and said, “That’s not a good idea.”

Sheng Zexi didn’t look at her, continuing to address Nuo Nuo: “But then you won’t be in the same class as your friend Pei Zhen.”

Nuo Nuo’s eyes, red from crying, stopped tearing up immediately at her dad’s words.

She lowered her head and started counting on her fingers.

She didn’t want to skip kindergarten. While she wasn’t thrilled about it, hearing there would be many kids and that Pei Zhen would be there made her want to go. If she didn’t go today, she wouldn’t be in the same class as Pei Zhen. To stay with her friend, Nuo Nuo compromised: “Okay, you don’t have to stay, but you have to pick me up early in the evening.”

Sheng Zexi, still calmly eating breakfast, looked elegant in his posture. He was already dressed in a suit and tie, ready to leave.

When this man dressed properly, he looked quite dashing.

And he was wearing the tie she bought?

He didn’t even wash it first. Tsk, doesn’t he have a cleanliness obsession?

Xu Ai, still haunted by the scene from the previous night, couldn’t help but remain silent during breakfast.

As they were about to leave, Nuo Nuo looked at her mom with concern: “Mommy, are you okay?”

Xu Ai shook her head but suddenly noticed a faint smile at the corner of Sheng Zexi’s lips. Instinctively, she felt he was laughing at her flustered state, so she shot him a fierce glare in return.

Thinking she was still upset about bumping her head, Sheng Zexi asked, “What’s wrong? Is your head hurting?”

“No, no,” Xu Ai quickly denied, grabbing her bag from the side and heading out first. “Let’s go. We still have to take the child to kindergarten.”

After dropping Nuo Nuo off at kindergarten and reminding her to behave, Xu Ai and Sheng Zexi parted ways at the bustling entrance. Nuo Nuo felt happy seeing so many children, but once she entered the classroom and realized there was no one she knew, her eyes quickly welled up with tears. Suddenly, she wanted to go home.

She missed her home. Everything here felt so unfamiliar. Even though she was at home, it felt so much better than being here. The kids around her were loud, and she didn’t recognize any of them.

As her eyes started to redden and the tears threatened to spill, a familiar figure appeared at the doorway—Pei Zhen, waving enthusiastically with a radiant smile that lit up the room. “Nuo Nuo!”

Nuo Nuo didn’t cry, but beside her, a louder voice broke down into tears. She turned to see a little girl in a purple dress with pigtails sobbing loudly.

Many children and parents were watching, and the little girl’s crying face looked quite unappealing.

Nuo Nuo felt a bit shocked. So, crying in front of everyone looked so unattractive?

Though she was still young, she cared about her appearance and didn’t want to look ugly in front of so many people.

With her small hands resting on her cheeks, she pondered seriously.

She thought that crying out loud in front of so many people seemed a bit embarrassing.

Quickly, she wiped her tears and smiled widely at Pei Zhen. “I’m here!”

Pei Zhen, knowing that Nuo Nuo tended to cry, had expected her to struggle with the new environment. However, it seemed like things were better than he had imagined, as Nuo Nuo wasn’t crying at all.