Chapter 98 I Just Love Being a Father

As Zhong Qiao stepped into the door with the child in her arms, she noticed two figures standing diagonally at the threshold. Her alarm bells immediately rang, and she turned around, only to find that it was Ji Hebai and the others.

She breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but feel confused.

"What are you doing?"

Ji Hebai tilted his head unnaturally.

Luo Xiu still had that cheerful look on his face: "Your brother asked us to help look after you, don't be afraid."

Zhong Qiao's heart was finally at ease. No wonder she didn't hear Siqi's footsteps following her. She must have been worried about Zhong's father and the others, and also worried about Zhong Long, so she followed to help.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Ji Hebai pursed his lips and said, "We won't go in. We'll just guard your door. You can sleep peacefully."

Zhong Qiao's attention was completely focused on this. Instead, he stared at him for a while, then suddenly leaned forward and asked, "Ji Hebai, are you hot? Why are your ears so red?"

Luo Xiu took the opportunity to look over, and hey, it was true, the ears were bright red. Ji Hebai didn't like to go out, so his skin was already fair, and the color difference was even more pronounced in contrast.

Luo Xiu chuckled: "Ji Hebai, you look like that scholar who's been teased."

Both of them were embarrassed.

Zhong Qiao suddenly recalled the last time she sent Jin Gui home. She was busy thinking about other things at the time and completely ignored many details. Now thinking about it, Ji Hebai's ears seemed to be red that time. She thought it was because he was cold at the time and didn't think about it too much.

Now it seems a bit strange.

Ji Hebai glanced at him indifferently. Knowing that he had said the wrong thing, Luo Xiu trembled violently and quickly shut up.

Watching the little movements between the two, Zhong Qiao's face suddenly felt hot and flushed. To prevent the two from laughing at her, she quickly closed half of the door and lowered her eyes: "It's okay, you guys can go back early."

At the last moment before closing the door, she met Ji Hebai's eyes.

Those were a pair of light-colored pupils the color of glass. Under the moonlight, they were clearly calm as water, but Zhong Qiao saw a hint of inexplicable burning heat. When the corners of the eyes drooped, they contained warmth and spring, which was enough to melt people.

Zhong Qiao closed the door with a swish, took a quick breath, and held the child's hand. When she felt the lively little life under the quilt, her violently beating heart finally calmed down.

She must have seen it wrong.

Zhong Qiao comforted herself while secretly cursing herself. Back then, she rejected Ji Hebai and chose Xu Shaojun by mistake. So she should bear the consequences even if she had to kneel down. How could she have such wild thoughts?

She drank a large bowl of cold water, fed Wanwan, and then lay down on the bed to rest. She tossed and turned, but couldn't fall asleep.

At about 2:00 in the morning, Zhong Qiao got up, only to find two figures still standing in the yard, talking.

She moved closer to the window.

Luo Xiu's exasperated voice came through vaguely.

"Ji Hebai, you're going to freeze me to death in this cold weather, aren't you? I'm not a good person anymore!" The figure fluttered his hands like a sparrow, protesting strongly to the other person, "What are you doing? Do you know? I should be lying at home at this time! I'm not here to be stupid with you in the middle of the night."

"I'm such a fool! I saw those two pitiful old people and agreed. If I had known it would be so painful, I shouldn't have agreed! Don't forget who rejected you back then. They already have a child, and you want to rush in and become a father?"

Zhong Qiao suddenly felt as if his face was slapped, and his previously chaotic thoughts were like being poured with a bucket of cold water.

It’s not that she likes Ji Hebai, but more that her self-esteem is a little hurt.

Although I knew that a divorced woman with a child would be looked down upon and criticized by others, whether in the 1970s or the 1990s, some would even make dirty jokes.

But Zhong Qiao didn't care much about it, but when she heard Luo Xiu say this with her own ears, she still felt a little uncomfortable.

A wrong choice ruined half her life, so should she be despised by others as a matter of course? She thought.

"right."

However, the next second, the cold voice from the courtyard came in with the sound of the wind and reached Zhong Qiao's ears clearly, as if all the blood in his body had frozen at this moment.

It was Ji Hebai's voice, and it even had a hint of arrogance, which was completely inconsistent with his usual appearance.

"I just love being a dad, isn't that okay?"

Zhong Qiao couldn't hear the rest of the words clearly. Her ears were buzzing and the world was spinning. In the end, she could only hear Luo Xiu's angry voice.

"Ji Hebai, I really look down on you. There are so many women out there, but you don't want them. You want a widow? And a mother-in-law? How did I slap you in the face back then? Have you forgotten? Were you born in the Year of the Dog in your previous life?"

"I don't care about you anymore, I'll freeze you to death!" Luo Xiu was obviously furious, feeling betrayed, and walked away angrily.

Ji Hebai was the only one left in the yard. He stood under the evergreen tree, saying nothing and doing nothing. The moonlight stretched his shadow, making him look infinitely lonely.

It was so long that the world was silent. Through the window, one could only hear Zhong Qiao's heart, which was as dead as water. There was a crack that even she herself did not hear. It was so long that she heard Ji Hebai's sigh, which was blown away by the wind.

In the end, Zhong Qiao even suspected that he must be hallucinating.

In the second half of the night, Ji Hebai was the only one still guarding. As he said, he did not go in, but sat under the evergreen tree. Zhong Qiao also did not sleep all night. At six o'clock in the morning, Ji Hebai finally moved.

He stood in front of the door, as if he wanted to knock, but finally hesitated and put his hand down.

He whispered, "Zhong Qiao, are you awake?"

Zhong Qiao stood up carefully, stood behind the door, and said nothing.

Then he heard him sigh again, and turning to the sound, Zhong Qiao was afraid that he would continue to stand guard, so he quickly responded: "Awake."

The footsteps outside the door paused, and there was a slight "hmm" sound, with a barely perceptible excitement in the tone.

"Then I'll be leaving first."

After a pause, he added: "Nothing should happen."

Before Zhong Qiao could say anything, the footsteps outside the door gradually faded away.

Zhong Qiao slowly opened the door. There was no one outside. Just as she was about to close the door, she caught a glimpse of a bag of breakfast hanging on the door knocker. She picked it up and it was still hot.

silence.

*

The people in the compound searched for the whole night, and they were all exhausted, with dark eyes and confusion, but they still couldn't find the kidnapper, and Zhong Laosan and the others didn't come back either.

"Dad, you and Mom should take a rest first."

Cui Liu also pretended to be an elder all night, and earned everyone's favor. At this moment, he went up to support the two elderly people who were in great pain.

"I'm here for you."

How could the two elderly people who were kept in the dark know that Cui Liu was behind their grandson's abduction?

When people are in despair, they are suddenly helped by others. The two old people finally looked at Cui Liu seriously at this time, and felt emotional. They always thought that the eldest daughter-in-law was unreasonable before, but now it seems that it was all their prejudice. The eldest daughter-in-law is quite reliable.

She was a little bit stupid, but at least she was the first one to take action when something happened.

"Okay." Old Mrs. Zhong wiped her tears and patted her hands. "I'll leave this place to you."

After saying that, she dragged her battered body, and, supporting Old Man Zhong, staggered home.

Little did he know that this was exactly what Cui Liu was thinking.

Starting from last night, through their conversation, Cui Liu knew that these people did not see the faces of Zhong Hong and his wife clearly.

That makes it easy.

As long as she can take back the right to decide who is looking for someone, and then deliberately give them a wrong direction to delay time, and wait until Zhong Long is sold far away, this matter will have nothing to do with her.

She is still the honest and decent Cui Liu, the wife of Boss Zhong.