Chapter 132
Li Xiaoya put away her phone and pointed at the building blocks, saying, "You just knocked it over. I can't put it back together."
"So?"
"Can you help me rebuild it?"
"Are you asking me?"
"Mm-hmm."
A glimmer flashed in Ke Muning's eyes. Suddenly, he found it quite amusing to watch her rack her brains trying to please him.
"I'll build it for you," Ke Muning said as he rolled up his sleeves.
His hands were large, with calluses from guns on his knuckles. The tiny building block pieces looked as if they might crumble at the slightest pressure in his grip.
In reality, they wouldn't crumble completely.
But he did manage to flatten two of them.
This was damn difficult to build!
"Don't buy this toy again," Ke Muning looked up and told his subordinate.
The subordinate nodded meekly.
As Ke Muning continued assembling the blocks, Li Xiaoya tilted her head and secretly observed him.
Something was off.
But what exactly?
Ever since he went in and came out again, he had been acting strangely.
The first time he came out, he didn't open the door so forcefully. At that point, he probably hadn't gotten any information from President Liu's mouth.
The second time he came out, there was such a commotion. What had happened inside? Something that angered him even more than President Liu's silence.
The strangest part was that he seemed furious when he opened the door, but the next second, it was as if he wasn't angry anymore, or rather, he had hidden his anger.
Li Xiaoya pondered slowly, trying to reason further.
But a child's experience was still too limited to understand adult thoughts.
She thought, if he had learned the truth from President Liu's mouth.
He must be very angry!
She would probably be strung up and beaten, right?
That's how it always happened on TV.
There was also that thing with lighting a fire in the furnace, heating up an iron rod, and pressing it against someone's body, making a sizzling sound like meat being grilled...
But she hadn't been strung up.
Nor had she been turned into grilled meat.
She was sitting here, and he was assembling building blocks.
The logic... didn't add up.
Li Xiaoya leaned forward slightly, moving closer to Ke Muning to ask, "How is that person doing?"
"You mean President Liu?"
"Mm, can I go see him?"
"No, he's been stripped naked."
"Oh."
"Should we still buy the small blanket?" the subordinate timidly interjected.
"Buy it. And get some teddy bears too..." Ke Muning paused, then suddenly said, "How should a little girl's bedroom be decorated? Buy more things to bring back."
The subordinate was taken aback: "Isn't she only staying here for one night?"
Knowing Li Xiaoya couldn't understand, Ke Muning smiled and said, "Who said she's only staying one night? She'll be living here for a long time."
The entire Gui Family household wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep from today onwards.
After saying this, he raised his chin slightly towards the translator: "Don't translate that last part for her, understand?"
The translator nodded blankly.
He thought to himself, isn't this man really a bad guy? When he smiles like that, he truly looks like the stereotypical villain from movies.
Two tall and burly subordinates were dispatched to purchase furniture, bedding, as well as small plates, bowls, cups, and other such items...
Ke Muning was in an exceptionally good mood at this moment.
Little lunatic.
No, little liar.
So vindictive! Even more vengeful than "an eye for an eye"!
But the good news was...
How could such a vindictive foreigner easily let Li Xiaoya off the hook?
President Liu got up, panting, finally feeling a bit of consolation.
The subordinate handed him a contract: "Keep your mouth shut, and this is yours."
President Liu looked down at it.
It was a project commission contract worth seven million, not yet stamped with the company seal. President Liu was suddenly elated, feeling that being poked in the backside wasn't so humiliating after all.
Great!
What a fair and just foreigner, rewarding and punishing accordingly!
Now President Liu was even more eager to see how Li Xiaoya would be dealt with.
Meanwhile, Ke Muning went straight upstairs and pushed open the door to Li Xiaoya's room.
The once plain model room had been transformed into a cozy and childlike bedroom after decoration.
Who knows what the subordinates were thinking, they even hung a row of toy dolls above the bed. The kind usually hung in baby strollers.
Moving closer, he could see the little girl who had already crawled under the covers.
She didn't seem to mind the unfamiliar bed and had her eyes closed as if ready to sleep.
Hearing footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes.
Ke Muning stopped by the bedside, holding up the translator for her to see: "I said I would teach you boxing."
"What will you give me in exchange?" Ke Muning asked her, "In the adult world, there are only exchanges of interests."
Li Xiaoya's face was nestled in the soft down pillow, making her look even smaller, like a delicate doll.
She looked at him and said, "I don't have many things..."
Is that so?
Didn't the Gui Family give her any shares?
Ke Muning thought for a moment and said, "Then you can teach me the Hua Country language."
Li Xiaoya wasn't actually very willing.
Because of this, the Hua Country language would no longer serve as an encryption method for him.
However, she currently had no reasonable excuse to refuse. Well, it's not like he would necessarily be able to learn it anyway...
So Li Xiaoya gave a slight nod.
The next day was a weekend.
Li Xiaoya slowly descended the stairs. Ke Muning was at the bottom, reading international news. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and asked, "Are you going home today? I can take you if you are."
Li Xiaoya heard the translation and shook her head.
"Alright," Ke Muning said, his lips curling almost imperceptibly. He knew she was desperately trying to prevent him from meeting Wei Er and his group.
How could just one day be enough?
He'd have to stay until he decided it was time to leave.
As the young girl approached, Ke Muning swiftly lifted her onto a dining chair.
The two sat together and had breakfast.
Seeing that he had no intention of leaving the villa, Li Xiaoya reluctantly said, "I'll teach you the Hua Country language then."
"Sounds good," Ke Muning replied, in a cheerful mood.
Just then, President Liu also woke up.
His legs, still sore from doing the splits, caused him to limp as he walked out. He immediately spotted Li Xiaoya.
Still... alive and well, huh.
Not a scratch on her, huh.
President Liu thought to himself that this kind of thing definitely required patience...
Then he saw Li Xiaoya turn around and pull out a bag with large characters printed on it — "Free Gift."
She took out several children's picture books from the bag and placed them in front of Mr. Mole.
She opened a picture book and, like a little adult, began to explain, "Um, the first one is the story of the Ugly Duckling looking for its mother... Come on, learn with me. Let's start by recognizing this character."
Ke Muning: ???
President Liu: ???
President Liu felt that he might have woken up a bit too suddenly.