Chapter 501 Did your mother agree?

Zhou Mubin's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension. As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Nuomi exclaimed in surprise, raising her hands above her head, "Wow, we live in the same building! Do you also live in Unit 3?"

Zhou Mubin turned his head to look at Cui Xiao beside him. Her eyes held a hint of surprise and a trace of barely perceptible panic.

He nodded slowly, stopped in his tracks, and stood at the entrance of Building 15. The tenderness in his eyes seemed to overflow, and the expectation he had kept hidden for many years was finally about to break through the soil. "Yes, I live in Unit 3, 501."

Cui Xiao suddenly looked up: 501.

Isn't that the empty room upstairs from her?

Last month it still had a "For Sale" sign on, but it turns out...

Cui Xiao didn't say much, but she knew he must have chosen this position on purpose.

The three of them walked into the apartment building side by side. The corridor was unusually quiet late at night, with only the soft sound of Xiao Nuomi's little leather shoes stepping on the tiles.

When the elevator doors opened, Zhou Mubin instinctively stepped aside to let Cui Xiao and her daughter in before standing by the door himself, carefully keeping his injured left arm close to his side to avoid hitting the elevator wall.

The warm light in the elevator shone on the three of them. Little Nuomi clung to the elevator button panel, standing on tiptoe to count the floors, "1, 2, 3... We live on the 4th floor, does Uncle Zhou live on the 5th floor?"

Zhou Mubin smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over Cui Xiao.

She was looking down at his arm, which was wrapped in bandages, her brows furrowed and a hint of worry in her eyes.

With a "ding," we arrived at the 4th floor.

Little Nuomi skipped and hopped out, and when she reached her front door, she turned back and waved, "Goodnight, Uncle Zhou, see you tomorrow!"

Zhou Mubin leaned against the door frame and waved in response. The elevator doors did not close until Cui Xiao brought her daughter in and the door closed.

This was a house he specifically chose, located just one floor away from Cui Xiao's house.

If this apartment complex weren't all detached houses, he would definitely have chosen the same floor as her.

After giving Xiao Nuomi a bath, Cui Xiao wrapped her in a soft bath towel and carried her to bed.

The warm yellow light from the bedside lamp illuminated her daughter's face. Little Nuomi played with the ends of Cui Xiao's hair and suddenly whispered, "Mommy, Uncle Zhou got injured while saving us. He had stitches in his arm, so he definitely can't cook."

Cui Xiaozheng paused in his hand as he was drying her hair, and said nothing.

Little Nuomi pouted again, her voice full of heartache, "How about we let him come over to our house for dinner these next few days? Okay?"

Cui Xiao raised an eyebrow. "He can order nutritious meals or eat at the light-dish restaurant downstairs. It's very convenient."

"But the food from takeout and restaurants is all heavy on oil and salt, and it's unhealthy to eat too much of it."

Little Nuomi sat up, clutching the blanket in her little hands, and said earnestly, "Uncle Zhou is injured and needs to eat light food. Eating those things is bad for his wound. It's so pitiful. Mom, I'll feel bad if we don't let him come."

Cui Xiao looked at her daughter, who was twisting the hem of her clothes with her head down, looking self-reproachful and annoyed. She couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. She reached out and tapped the tip of her nose. "Fine, I'll listen to you. But you have to tell Uncle Zhou yourself."

Little Nuomi's eyes lit up instantly. She rushed over, hugged Cui Xiao's neck, and rubbed against her, saying sweetly, "Mommy is so great! You are the best mommy in the world!"

After coaxing her daughter to lie down, Cui Xiao chatted with her for a few more minutes, then softly asked, "Do you really like Uncle Zhou?"

Little Nuomi nodded without hesitation, buried her head in the pillow, and whispered, "Uncle Zhou will buy me cotton candy, watch the moon with me, and protect us... He's even better than the dad in the story."

Cui Xiao tucked the blanket around her daughter and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

As soon as I closed the door, I heard rustling sounds coming from inside, followed by the dial tone of my smartwatch.

She leaned against the doorframe, vaguely hearing her daughter's excited whisper, "Uncle Zhou, I have good news to tell you..."

Upstairs, Zhou Mubin had just changed into his pajamas. Seeing the three words "Xiao Nuomi" on the caller ID, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his lips. He answered the phone in a very soft voice, "Why aren't you asleep yet, Xiao Nuomi?"

Little Nuomi's sweet, childlike voice was full of pride, "I'm here to invite you to come over for dinner these next few days, okay? Mommy agreed. I convinced Mommy; I told her you're injured and can't cook, and that eating takeout isn't good for your wound, so Mommy agreed."

Zhou Mubin's hand tightened around the water glass, almost spilling the warm water. He suppressed his excitement but couldn't help asking tentatively, "Really? Your mother... really agreed? Isn't it too much trouble..."

He feared this was just wishful thinking on the child's part, and that a hasty visit would put Cui Xiao in a difficult position. His tone carried a hint of cautious anticipation.

"It's not troublesome at all."

Little Nuomi was eager to speak up for her mother, patting the bed frame with her little hand and raising her voice slightly before quickly lowering it again, "Auntie's cooking is amazing! I'll have her make you some clear pork rib soup tomorrow. Mommy's already agreed, so you can come without worry!"

Zhou Mubin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his smile impossible to hide, and even his voice became sweet, "Thank you so much, Little Nuomi. Uncle will definitely be there on time tomorrow. By the way, I'll come down after I change my dressing tomorrow morning. We made a promise to take you to kindergarten together, remember?"

"I remember, I remember!" Little Nuomi swung her toes excitedly. "Then Uncle Zhou, go to sleep early, goodnight."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Nuomi rolled around in her blanket with her smartwatch in her arms before falling asleep contentedly.

Cui Xiao leaned against the door frame outside the door, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the wall. She had heard the conversation between the two people on the phone just now very clearly.

Zhou Mubin's cautious probing warmed her heart, and a smile quietly appeared on her lips. She turned around and tiptoed back to her room.

The next morning, after changing his dressing, Zhou Mubin deliberately stood in front of the mirror in the entryway for half a minute.

He changed into a clean, off-white knit sweater, making sure the cuffs were neatly trimmed to avoid rubbing against the bandages, and even gently smoothed his hair a couple of times.

When he went downstairs ten minutes early, he was holding a small food container in his hand. He knew that Xiao Nuomi loved to eat it, so he had specially asked someone to prepare imported strawberries for his daughter. He was taking them to his daughter this morning.

When Zhou Mubin raised his hand to gently knock on the door, he controlled the force with his knuckles, afraid of knocking too loudly and disturbing the person inside.

The door opened almost immediately, and Xiao Nuomi, wearing a pajamas printed with round little bears, spotted Zhou Mubin at a glance. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she gripped his uninjured wrist tightly with her little hand.

She wasn't very strong, but she held on tightly, pulling and dragging him into the house. "Uncle Zhou, you're here! You're ten minutes earlier than agreed. Mom is in the bathroom, and Auntie is preparing breakfast in the kitchen. I can already smell the aroma."

When she pulled the cabinet to the entryway, she stood on tiptoe like she was showing off a treasure. Her short arms couldn't reach the top shelf of the shoe cabinet, so she jumped up and down a couple of times to grab the shelf.