Chapter 4

After taking some medicine, Nuo Nuo felt better. She was finally calmed down by her mother, Xu Ai, but she clung to her like a koala, unwilling to let go. The adorable way she held onto her mother made Xu Ai’s heart melt.

With a mix of amusement and exasperation, Xu Ai picked up her little girl and carried her upstairs, gently saying, “Since you’re feeling better, let’s go to sleep like a good girl. You can’t drink that much milk again, okay?”

Nuo Nuo had had several servings of milk today, so it was no surprise she had an upset stomach.

At this moment, Nuo Nuo was obedient, nodding her head, but when it came to sleeping, she shook her head and said, “Mommy, I want to play.”

Nuo Nuo had a lot of bad habits, one of which was her reluctance to go to bed. Even the housekeepers struggled to manage her because everyone spoiled her due to her cuteness. Xu Ai often felt tired from work, and when she tried to coax Nuo Nuo to sleep, she often ended up falling asleep herself.

As they walked toward the bedroom, Xu Ai continued to coax her, “Nuo Nuo, sweetie, it’s already very late. Can we please go to bed?”

Nuo Nuo shook her head and pouted, “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Then how about if Mommy tells you a story?”

Xu Ai had seen Sheng Zexi upstairs earlier, but he was nowhere to be found now. He must have returned to his study. Xu Ai didn’t care where he went. After all, he still had two years before he faced bankruptcy. Until he brought up divorce, she planned to use her current resources to work hard and provide a better life for Nuo Nuo.

Nuo Nuo loved listening to her mother’s stories, so she eagerly agreed.

Once they were back in the room, Xu Ai took out a storybook and began reading to her.

Nuo Nuo eagerly flipped through the pages, asking for the story of Snow White. Xu Ai started reading aloud, even though she was feeling sleepy. As the story went on, Xu Ai found her eyelids growing heavier, while Nuo Nuo remained wide awake, eager for the next story.

Xu Ai held her little treasure close and said, “Nuo Nuo, Mommy is tired. Can we go to sleep now?”

Nuo Nuo shook her head stubbornly, “Mommy, I don’t want to sleep.”

Xu Ai felt frustrated. She was already exhausted, and her daughter seemed full of energy. At her wit’s end, she suggested, “Why don’t you go find Auntie and ask her to tell you a story?”

This suggestion made Nuo Nuo unhappy. She sat on the bed and pulled her mother back, shouting, “Mommy!!!”

Xu Ai closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, not wanting to respond to her.

Fortunately, that night, Nuo Nuo, feeling a bit under the weather, settled down relatively quickly.

However, ten days later, Nuo Nuo was not so compliant. After a bath, she got her clothes dirty again, which already annoyed Xu Ai. Then the little one refused to go to sleep and insisted on playing with her toys. When Xu Ai took away her toys and put them in the cabinet, Nuo Nuo began to cry, her eyes turning red. Xu Ai felt bad but was also firm. “You need to get into bed right now.”

Nuo Nuo refused, pouting with her little hands behind her back, tears hanging on her lashes. She stubbornly insisted, “No, I won’t sleep.”

Xu Ai was extremely irritated. It was already tiring from work, and now she had to deal with a disobedient child. Ignoring her, she climbed into bed, covered herself with the blanket, and turned off the lights.

In the center of the room, only Nuo Nuo was left, feeling lonely.

Nuo Nuo wanted to crawl onto the bed to sleep with her mother, but she also wanted to play. After hesitating for a while, she looked around and saw her mother had fallen asleep. Could it be that she could sneak off and play?

A little voice inside her head started to debate. At her age, she didn’t have much rationality, and thinking her mother was asleep, she quietly left the room and headed to the living room.

In the living room on the second floor, Nuo Nuo found her toys and began playing on the sofa. The toys were so much fun that she wasn’t sleepy at all and completely forgot about her mother.

Xu Ai had not really fallen asleep. After pretending for a bit, she realized Nuo Nuo had left the room. Feeling a headache coming on, she decided she wouldn’t stress herself out. If Nuo Nuo didn’t want to sleep, then she wouldn’t push it. She would let the nanny keep an eye on her. Xu Ai was exhausted and had to work the next day, she simply couldn’t stay up for her little darling.

As soon as she left the room, Xu Ai saw Nuo Nuo playing in the living room. The little girl was quite sharp, the moment her mother appeared, she quickly glanced around and spotted a light on in one of the rooms. With a swift move, Nuo Nuo hugged her toy and darted inside, right into Sheng Zexi’s room.

Watching her go in, Xu Ai hesitated for a moment, debating whether to follow. If she didn’t go, Nuo Nuo would be in there. But if she did go, it would be Sheng Zexi’s room.

After a long hesitation, Xu Ai decided against it. No matter how unsavory Sheng Zexi was, he was still Nuo Nuo’s father. Regardless of their situation, he had to take care of her. Since Nuo Nuo hadn’t sought him out before, now that she had, he needed to look after her, right?

So, Xu Ai turned and walked back to her own room, muttering to herself about how mischievous Nuo Nuo was for running off to the one person she disliked the most. Sheng Zexi had never taken care of Nuo Nuo before; her going to him would only make him impatient. She wanted to see just how long he could tolerate Nuo Nuo.

As Xu Ai thought this over, she grew more annoyed. She quickly patted her chest to calm herself. “Don’t get angry, it’s not worth it. Better for that little brat to seek out her dad every day than to annoy me about sleeping.”

Once back in her room, she didn’t come out again.

At that time, Sheng Zexi was not in his room but in his study. The room was lit up, but Nuo Nuo, fearing her mother would find her, was in a panic, trying to find a hiding spot. After looking around, her eyes landed on the bed.

She decided to cover herself with the blankets so her mother wouldn’t see her. If her mother couldn’t see her, she wouldn’t have to go back to sleep.

Nuo Nuo thought this idea was brilliant. She took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over her head, hiding herself. To make sure her mother hadn’t come, she peeked out for a moment, and when she didn’t see Xu Ai, she felt triumphant. Then she snuggled back under the covers, continuing to play with her toy.

The toys were so much fun that Nuo Nuo lost track of time. Eventually, feeling a bit sleepy, she rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then fell asleep with her toy in her arms.

Sheng Zexi returned home after midnight to grab some documents. At this hour, it was still relatively early for him. Although the doctor advised him to rest earlier, Sheng Zexi had always struggled with sleep. He thought it was better to work than to waste time forcing himself to sleep.

However, upon returning to his room, he sensed something was off. His instincts were sharp, and even before he opened the door, he felt something was amiss. But this was his home, not outside, so he pushed the door open without hesitation. Inside, he spotted a pair of tiny shoes at the foot of the bed.

Looking up, he noticed the blankets were huddled in a small lump.

Sheng Zexi was meticulous about his living habits. His bedding was always neatly arranged. The current disarray led him to one conclusion, but he was puzzled as to why Nuo Nuo would come to his room.

He had been home for a while, and Nuo Nuo hadn’t called out for him even once. What could have prompted her to suddenly come into his room?

With these questions in mind, Sheng Zexi lifted the blanket and discovered Nuo Nuo fast asleep, hugging her favorite little toy airplane. She was curled up like a small, pitiful creature, her face resembling a peach, with a few indentations from the blanket.

He fell silent for a moment, contemplating why she had come to sleep in his room. He considered whether he should return her to Xu Ai, but given her disdain for him, he might end up receiving a few sarcastic remarks about being an inattentive father.

In the end, he decided it was fine for her to stay here and sleep.

Gently, he pulled the toy from her arms, laid her small body flat on the bed, and tucked her in properly. He was a bit clumsy with this, worried he might wake her, but she remained undisturbed, sleeping soundly. Her long eyelashes were dark and beautiful, making her look even more lovely than other children he had seen.

Sheng Zexi had encountered many clients’ daughters, but in comparison, Nuo Nuo was indeed the prettiest of them all. When she wasn’t crying, she appeared quite well-behaved.

Now that she was asleep, she looked just like a little angel.

After finishing this, he turned off the light and left the room.

He spent more than an hour working in his study and started to feel a headache coming on. Realizing it was almost two in the morning, he decided to cut himself some slack, closed his laptop, and prepared to sleep.

Nuo Nuo was still there, sleeping soundly on his large bed, sprawled out like a starfish, though she seemed to have a tendency to kick off the covers.

Sheng Zexi had a hot body, so he had set the air conditioning quite low, and now he worried whether this little one might catch a cold. After adjusting the temperature, he tucked the blanket around her, nudged her little body slightly to the side, and lay down next to her.

That night, he surprisingly slept better than usual, though he kept feeling a soft presence nudging against him, accompanied by a faint milky scent. Occasionally, a little foot would rest on him.

As dawn broke, Sheng Zexi heard rustling noises next to him. He opened his eyes to see Nuo Nuo rubbing her eyes and sitting up. When she spotted her father awake, she looked at him and then climbed down from the bed, mumbling for her mother.

Although the hallway had motion-activated lights, it wasn’t safe for a child to wander out alone. Sheng Zexi got up and followed her to ensure she made it to Xu Ai’s room. He lingered at the door for a moment before returning to wash up and prepare to get out of bed.

Nuo Nuo had left, but her shoes were still on the floor by the bed. After washing his face and emerging, feeling much more awake, Sheng Zexi saw her tiny shoes and thought that if it weren’t for them, he might have believed everything that happened last night was just a dream.

However, he felt much better that day. Previously, he had woken up feeling groggy, with a dull headache. But today, he woke up with a clear mind, and his work efficiency was significantly higher, completely different from usual.