Chapter 28: Little Cotton-padded Jacket’s Soul-searching Questions
Chapter 28: Little Cotton-padded Jacket’s Soul-searching Questions
Mu Chuntao did indeed leave the door unlocked; it opened with a gentle push.
Li Zian walked in and quietly closed the door behind him.
Mu Chuntao was lying on her side on the sofa in the living room, facing away from the door. She wore a thin nightgown, and such a short one at that, leaving her long legs almost entirely exposed to the air—only a little away from being completely uncovered.
As soon as Li Zian entered the living room, his blood pressure shot up. He did not know where to rest his eyes, and the urge to wildly write something like “The Memorial on Sending Out the Troops” with a pen felt very intense and hard to suppress.
But since he was already here, he could not just turn around and leave, could he?
“Chuntao, I’m here,” said Li Zian.
Mu Chuntao did not show the slightest reaction.
Li Zian approached the sofa and spoke again: “Chuntao, I’m here.”
Mu Chuntao still did not react.
Li Zian leaned forward to take a look and only then realized that Mu Chuntao had already fallen asleep. In her hand, resting on the inner side of the sofa, she held a wine glass, and she carried a faint scent of alcohol.
Li Zian felt a bit speechless.
You got yourself drunk—what’s bothering you so much?
A breeze blew in from the balcony, rustling a couple of pages of an adventure magazine placed on the coffee table. The wind also caught Mu Chuntao’s nightgown, making it lift slightly, for a moment revealing the scenery underneath.
Li Zian quickly averted his gaze and took a deep breath.
He was really having a hard time.
Then a fierce battle raged inside him.
Did she get drunk on purpose to give me a chance?
Should I take this opportunity?
How could I even think that—isn’t that taking advantage of someone?
Li Zian, oh Li Zian, you are truly a beast…
The flood inside him wanted to burst through the dam, but his reason built a levee downstream.
He felt so pent-up and conflicted.
In the end, Li Zian picked up a sofa blanket and gently laid it over Mu Chuntao.
“Sleep well; we’ll talk tomorrow,” Li Zian said softly, then turned and walked toward the door.
Mu Chuntao suddenly opened her eyes and giggled. “You really are a Liu Xiahui.”
Li Zian stopped in his tracks and turned around. “You weren’t asleep?”
Mu Chuntao sat up on the sofa, still smiling. “If it were any other man, he probably would have pounced on me by now, but you covered me with a blanket.”
Li Zian simply smiled. He walked over and sat down opposite Mu Chuntao.
“There was only one chance, and you didn’t take it. There won’t be another one,” Mu Chuntao said as she tossed the blanket aside. The lamplight shone through her nightgown—thin and sheer, revealing a scene that was faintly visible and invited the imagination.
Another case of nightgown temptation. First, Yu Meilin, and now Mu Chuntao—and this one was even more teasing. Li Zian suddenly felt he was truly having a tough time. What grievance, what grudge do you hold that you have to tease me like this?
He could not just take this loss lying down.
“Who did you say I was like just now?”
Mu Chuntao smiled radiantly. “Liu Xiahui. Do you know who that is?”
“I know—the one who remained unruffled even with a woman in his lap. Why don’t you come sit in my lap, and see if I stay unruffled,” Li Zian said with a laugh, his eyes boldly settling on Mu Chuntao’s legs.
Come on, let’s hurt each other!
Mu Chuntao instinctively pressed her legs together, her face turning red.
Li Zian was actually only daring enough to tease a little.
In this matter, he was inflicting heavy losses on himself while fighting the enemy. She teased him, and he suffered; he teased her, and he still suffered. If this teasing back and forth continued, what if he lost control and actually pounced on her? How would they handle that?
“So… you called me over probably to discuss something important, right?” Li Zian changed the subject.
A hint of a provocative smile appeared at the corner of Mu Chuntao’s lips. “What if I called you over to do something else?”
Li Zian felt speechless. Women really were so petty. He had already backed off, and she was still teasing.
Mu Chuntao chuckled. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I know it’s hard for you too—Yu Meilin doesn’t even sleep with you. If I light a fire in you, you have nowhere to put it out.”
Li Zian: “…”
Mu Chuntao shifted the topic. “Our Studio is about to open. Fan Rui introduced a client from Haijing Island, someone who runs a casino. He’s a big shot.”
“A casino owner? What’s his name?”
“His name is Wen Sheng. I’ve prepared the information for you—it’s in the document folder on the coffee table,” Mu Chuntao said, pointing to the document folder on the coffee table.
Only then did Li Zian notice the document folder on the coffee table. He felt a bit ashamed—she had intended to talk business from the start, and the teasing was just to lighten the mood. Yet his mind had wandered to all sorts of messy thoughts, so much so that he hadn’t even seen the document folder.
He picked up the document folder, took out the documents inside, and casually flipped through them.
Mu Chuntao said, “Some of this information I downloaded from the internet, and some came from what Fan Rui said. I organized it all, hoping it would be helpful to you.”
Li Zian asked curiously, “How does Brother Fan know someone who runs a casino, and why did he refer him to our Studio?”
Mu Chuntao smiled. “He’s lost quite a bit of money in the casinos on Haijing Island. And he likes making friends, so over time he got familiar with them.”
Li Zian put the documents back into the document folder.
“You finished reading them that quickly?”
Li Zian said, “These documents are just for reference. By the way, what’s his issue?”
“I didn’t get the details. He just said we should come over, and they’ll arrange everything there.”
“Go to Haijing Island?”
“Yes, the other side wants us to go there for an on-site service.”
Li Zian shook his head. “That won’t do. He needs to come here. I still have to take care of Xiaomei and the elderly lady—I can’t travel far.”
“But that’s a major client. Can’t you at least consider it?”
Li Zian said, “He’s the one asking me to solve his problem, not the other way around. Besides, even if it weren’t for Xiaomei and the elderly lady, from a branding perspective alone, I can’t just do on-site services easily.”
“Huh… What do you mean by that?”
Li Zian stood up and smoothed out his Tang Suit. “Didn’t you say you wanted to build me into a Master? I have to act like one. Have you ever seen a Master who does on-site services for people?”
Mu Chuntao leaned her upper body toward Li Zian, as if to get a closer look. But with that movement, the collar of her thin nightgown naturally drooped downward.
Li Zian caught a glimpse; that fair skin seemed poisonous, making his throat dry. He swallowed uncomfortably.
Mu Chuntao laughed. “I have to say, you look really good in this outfit; you have a bit of a Master’s style.”
“Only a bit?”
Mu Chuntao rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, come on, you are the Master, alright? I’ll contact that Boss Wen and tell him to come here. Whether he comes or not is up to him.”
“Then you go ahead and contact him. I’ll head back now.” Li Zian turned to leave.
“Won’t you stay and sit with me a bit longer?” Mu Chuntao got up from the sofa.
Li Zian did not turn his head. “I have things to do.”
“What things do you have to do so late at night?”
“Just things.” Li Zian quickened his pace.
A single man and a single woman alone in a room—if he stayed any longer and things got heated up, what would he do?
Once he got home, Li Zian headed straight for the bathroom. He badly needed to cool down.
…
The next morning, Yu Meilin carried Li Xiaomei downstairs. Little Cotton-padded Jacket was still rubbing her eyes and looked very sleepy.
Li Zian, who was serving porridge at the dining table, put down the bowl and asked, “Why did you wake the child up so early?”
Yu Meilin said, “Teacher Tang just called me. She said she had something to do today and took a day off. Grandma is going to the Guanyin Temple to chant Buddhist scriptures, so Xiaomei is coming with us to the company.”
Li Zian went over to her. “Give the child to me. You eat first.”
Yu Meilin handed Li Xiaomei to Li Zian’s arms and sat down to eat. In that short time, Little Cotton-padded Jacket, who had been rubbing her eyes and yawning, fell asleep again.
Li Zian gently rocked her, his eyes full of affection.
“You spoil her too much,” Yu Meilin said.
“Children all love to sleep. I’ll hold her and let her sleep a bit more. I’ll buy her breakfast when we get to the company,” Li Zian said.
Yu Meilin shook her head and didn’t bother to say more. When she finished eating and it was Li Zian’s turn to eat, she woke Li Xiaomei up and had her eat breakfast.
Kun Li was driving as usual, and the family of three sat in the back seat.
“Daddy, are we going to Disneyland?” Li Xiaomei looked at Li Zian, her bright black eyes full of hope.
Li Zian said, “We’re going to Mommy’s company.”
“What are we going to the company for?”
“To go to work.”
“Will I get a salary?”
Li Zian: “…”
Kun Li drove the car to New Star Company. Li Zian opened the car door and got out, carrying Li Xiaomei. He wanted to put Li Xiaomei down, but Little Cotton-padded Jacket wrapped her small arms around his neck, clinging to him and refusing to be put down. He had no choice but to carry her as he followed Yu Meilin into the office building.
The Large Office Area was very quiet. No one had come to work yet.
After entering their own company, Yu Meilin said, “Xiaomei, get down and move around. You’re three years old already; you shouldn’t always need someone to carry you.”
But Li Xiaomei still held onto Li Zian’s neck and said in a childish voice, “My feet hurt. I want Daddy to carry me.”
Li Zian immediately became worried. “Xiaomei, which foot hurts?”
“Both feet hurt. They can’t touch the ground,” Li Xiaomei said.
Li Zian reached out and gently pinched Li Xiaomei’s ankle. A thread of Zhenqi went out and came back, and he understood the situation in an instant. The little one’s feet were perfectly fine; she was lying. Even though he knew this, he still couldn’t do anything about it, and he himself wanted to carry her too.
Yu Meilin sighed, turned on the computer, and started working.
Li Xiaomei suddenly remembered something and said, “Daddy, why don’t you sleep with Mommy?”
Li Zian was stunned on the spot.
Yu Meilin also turned her gaze over, looking at Li Xiaomei with surprise.
“Uh, why do you ask that?” Li Zian asked curiously.
Li Xiaomei said, “Yesterday, I watched a TV drama with Grandma. In the show, the daddy and mommy slept in the same bed. Why don’t you two sleep in the same bed?”
Li Zian couldn’t help but glance at Yu Meilin, only to find that Yu Meilin was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, full of awkwardness.
“Daddy, Mommy, where did I come from?” Li Xiaomei asked another question.
“You were picked up in a park,” Yu Meilin said.
“You were fished out of a river,” Li Zian said.
Li Xiaomei blinked her big eyes. “So, was I picked up in a park or fished out of a river?”
Yu Meilin’s lips moved, but no words came out. She was extremely embarrassed.
Li Zian was also very awkward. He wished they had coordinated their answers earlier.
“Daddy, can you go to the river and fish out a little brother for me?” Li Xiaomei said.
“Xiaomei, why do you want a little brother?” Li Zian asked curiously.
Li Xiaomei said, “So he can play with me, and I can bully him when I’m unhappy.”
Li Zian: “…”
Knock, knock!
A knocking sound came from outside the door.