CH 45

Lu Mingming was just a kid after all. Although she enthusiastically planned a “warm welcome” for Qi Yanbai, her energy couldn’t keep up. Shortly after finishing lunch, she began to feel drowsy, leaning on the easel, struggling to stay awake.

Lu Wenyu originally wanted to take her back to her room for a nap, but Lu Mingming wasn’t very willing. She played with the hem of Qi Yanbai’s clothes for a while before quietly admitting that she wanted to hear the bedtime story her teacher had told in class.

“Well, alright,”

………………………..

Qi Yanbai glanced at Lu Wenyu, who was sitting on the small bed opposite him, then lowered his head and smiled at Lu Mingming. He said softly, “After you listen to the story, you’ll go to sleep, okay?”

Lu Mingming nodded obediently, and as if she wanted to assure him with her actions, she soon closed her eyes, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders.

“Once upon a time, there was a poor child who lived in the most rundown house in the city. He couldn’t get enough to eat and didn’t have enough warm clothes to wear, he could only make a living by selling the coal he picked up every day,” Qi Yanbai said softly. “He was hungry and cold every day, shivering in the cold wind. But one day, a kind-hearted person met him and told him about a magical forest a hundred miles to the east of the city.”

“The forest had beautiful scenery, an endless supply of sweet spring water, and a magic dining table that always had new dishes. It was always sunny there, and there was no more pain or sadness. Any wish could be fulfilled.”

Lu Mingming, with her eyes closed, let out a soft “wow” and said, “That sounds so nice.”

“The child was very happy, so he immediately set off on a journey to find the magic forest,” Qi Yanbai continued. “On his way, he met a little white rabbit who he asked for directions. The little white rabbit said, ‘If you give me your trust, I will tell you the way to the forest.'”

“The child agreed, so the little white rabbit showed him the way to the magic forest,” Qi Yanbai said. “The child was very happy, and he continued on his way. But after a while, he got lost again.”

“At that moment, another little white rabbit appeared in front of him, and the little white rabbit said, ‘If you want me to show you the way, you must give me your love.'”

Lu Mingming yawned and asked sleepily, “Did the child agree?”

“Yes, he really wanted to go to the magic forest,” Qi Yanbai said softly. “So he agreed, and he followed the directions he got through love. He walked for three days and three nights and finally arrived at the entrance of the magic forest. This time, he saw another little white rabbit in front of the magic forest. The little white rabbit told him that to enter the happy magical forest, he had to give him something.”

Qi Yanbai paused for a moment and then said, “It was loyalty. The little white rabbit said that as long as the child gave him loyalty, he could enter the happy magic forest.”

“And then?” Lu Mingming mumbled, “Did the child agree again?”

“Of course,” Qi Yanbai lowered his eyes and smiled gently, saying softly, “The child and the little white rabbit then lived happily in the forest with plenty to eat and drink.”

Fairy tales are always beautiful. They are bright, and filled with unrealistic happiness, making people reluctant to break the illusion, even if they know it’s not real.

Lu Mingming fell asleep peacefully with the answers she wanted, and Qi Yanbai smiled at Lu Wenyu before quietly leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

The living room on the first floor was quiet. When Qi Yanbai went downstairs, he found that Lu Ye had somehow sat down in front of the easel and was making some changes to Lu Mingming’s “masterpiece.” Unfortunately, Lu Ye’s artistic skills were on par with Lu Mingming’s, and he had drawn a poorly proportioned stick figure on the paper, which didn’t look any better than the one drawn by Lu Mingming.

Qi Yanbai was indulgent towards him. Seeing Lu Ye “tampering” with the artwork, he didn’t stop him. Instead, he quietly approached Lu Ye from behind, bent down slightly, and hugged his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Lu Ye,” Qi Yanbai called him softly.

“Is Mingming finally asleep?” Lu Ye naturally turned his head and kissed him lightly, smiling, “What story did you read to her?.”

“Just a regular fairy tale,” Qi Yanbai smiled and recounted the story he had told Lu Mingming to Lu Ye. Unfortunately, Lu Ye didn’t have a romantic heart for fairy tales, and after hearing the ending, he raised an eyebrow and said, “But didn’t the boy in the story have any doubts?”

“Doubts about what?” Qi Yanbai was puzzled.

“Where did the magic forest come from?, and why did it have an endless supply of delicious food and water?” Lu Ye said, “And running into three little white rabbits in a row is too coincidental. It’s like a fairy tale covering up a child trafficking story.”

““Do you not think it’s good?” Qi Yanbai didn’t answer directly but asked in return, “Happiness, bliss.”

Lu Ye thought to himself that of course, it wasn’t good. If he were the kid in the story, he would have turned back immediately upon seeing the third little white rabbit at the forest entrance, called the police, and rounded up the gang of rabbit traffickers who kidnapped children.

But Qi Yanbai was someone who faced happiness and creativity every day from kids, and it was normal for him to carry a little bit of fairy tale in his heart. Lu Ye didn’t dare to provoke him with his shallow and “petty” adult thinking. Seeing that he asked seriously, Lu Ye quickly changed his tone and reassured him, “anyway it wasn’t terrible either? The idea of a happy life with everything good in abundance sounds nice.”

Qi Yanbai couldn’t really tell whether Lu Ye’s statement had a hidden meaning, but he seemed pleased with this answer. His eyes even brightened, and he couldn’t help but tighten his hold on Lu Ye’s arm, rubbing his face against Lu Ye’s affectionately, saying, “By the way, what are you drawing?”

“Nothing,” Lu Ye’s drawing skills were extremely poor, and he felt embarrassed to admit that he was “creating.” He scratched his face awkwardly and said, “I saw her drawing a bunch of kids, so I thought of adding you too.”

Qi Yanbai chuckled and, in that position, he held Lu Ye’s hand, guiding him to make a couple of strokes on the paper.

His chest pressed against Lu Ye’s back, and with each breath, they felt even more intimately connected. Lu Ye could feel his warm breath so close, and he suddenly had some distracting thoughts.

His fingers holding the pencil relaxed unconsciously, and his gaze gradually shifted from the paper to Qi Yanbai’s side profile. Then he reached out his hand, lightly grabbed Qi Yanbai’s chin, and turned his face towards himself.

Qi Yanbai was slightly surprised by this sudden action, and before he could even realize what was happening, Lu Ye moved closer and kissed his lips.

Qi Yanbai was taken aback, and he mumbled, “Why so sudden—”

“It’s not sudden,” Lu Ye whispered, “I’ve been wanting to do this since earlier.”

He said with a muffled laugh, causing a tingling sensation in Qi Yanbai’s chest.

“Yanbai,” Lu Ye gently nibbled on Qi Yanbai’s lower lip and asked softly, “how much do you like me?”

Qi Yanbai’s eyes flickered slightly, and his ears turned red, and he struggled for a while before finally mustering the courage to squeeze out a “i like you a lot” from his throat.

Lu Ye smiled and was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang.

Lu Ye furrowed his brows slightly. He regretfully released Qi Yanbai and took a few steps away to answer the phone. 

Qi Yanbai sat in front of the easel and watched as Lu Ye walked away, taking a few steps to answer the phone. He saw that Lu Ye’s expression had become serious within just two sentences, and he lowered his head slightly, responding with “yes” and “uh-huh,” and saying, “I understand.”

Qi Yanbai was distracted by his phone call, making Lu Wenyu who was approaching from Mingming’s room worry. She asked, “Is it something urgent at work?”

“It’s work, but not urgent,” Lu Ye smiled at both of them and said, “It’s about the arrangements after the New Year, but it won’t disrupt our meal tonight.”