Chapter 105 (1053rd update)

105:

As they were talking, the waiter brought over the apron.

Qin Cheng stood up and wanted to help Ye Qingxi get dressed.

Ye Qingxi: !!

Ye Qingxi quickly took it and said, "I'll wear it myself."

"Can you tie the strap at the back?" Qin Cheng asked.

Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi felt that he really underestimated her.

So, he immediately put the apron around his neck, put his hands behind his back, and started performing for Qin Cheng.

Once the bow was tied, Ye Qingxi turned around and showed Qin Cheng the bow she had tied.

Now tell me, can I tie it?

Qin Yuan almost burst out laughing when she saw his smug little face.

Seeing this, Qin Cheng had no choice but to obediently sit down and put on his apron.

Qin Yuan glanced at her nephew, who seemed a little regretful for not being able to help his younger brother, and thought to herself that the relationships between people were truly wondrous.

Qin Cheng is not a particularly enthusiastic or proactive kid.

In this respect, he is like his father, both being somewhat silent and indifferent.

So he never had any close friends of the same age.

At first, Qin Yuan was worried about this, but gradually he realized that Qin Cheng had his own self-consistent logic regarding emotions, so there was no need for him to worry.

Normally, children raised in single-parent families are often curious about their other parent.

But Qin Cheng didn't have that. His emotional needs were very special, which Qin Yuan called Qin Cheng's own emotional track.

In his emotional journey, his parents are on the same track. He thinks his mother is great, so it doesn't matter where his father is, what he's doing, or why he's not with them. Because this track is already occupied, it doesn't matter whether his father is there or not.

Similarly, the reason he cared about his maternal grandparents at first was because they occupied the older generation's side. Qin Cheng liked Qin Luan, so he hoped that his mother's mother and father would also like him.

But they didn't. Mu Feng didn't show up at that time, so Qin Cheng was somewhat disappointed.

But then, Mu Feng appeared. Mu Feng liked him and gave him love and tenderness. So, he naturally became the number one on this track, and Qin Cheng completely stopped caring about his grandparents.

The same applies to him.

For Qin Cheng, his parents' older and younger siblings were also on the same track. Because he had occupied this track early on, Qin Cheng didn't really care much about Mu Shaowu, Mu Shaoting, and Mu Shaoyan later on. He accepted their love, and he didn't care if they didn't love him.

He is a person with very few and specific emotional needs.

Before Mu Zheng appeared, Qin Cheng did not have a separate path to becoming a father.

Before Ye Qingxi appeared, Qin Cheng did not have a separate track for friends/brothers and sisters.

His feelings stemmed largely from a love for his mother extended to older relatives related to her, and similarly, from his love for his mother, he also had a need to love his uncle.

However, Qin Luan did not give him any older or younger siblings, nor did she bring back any other children of the same age who were not related to him by blood. Therefore, Qin Cheng was stingy and did not open up the sibling/friend track.

It wasn't until he fell in love with Mu Zheng, and because of Mu Zheng, because he met Ye Qingxi, and because Ye Qingxi felt that his father liked him, that he opened up this peer track that belonged to his brothers, sisters/friends.

Once Ye Qingxi takes over this track, based on his understanding of Qin Cheng, Qin Cheng's need for siblings and friendship will decrease even further.

Because as long as Ye Qingxi likes him and is willing to be with him, he will like her forever, and it doesn't matter whether other people enter this track or not.

However, this is also because Ye Qingxi is the only one on this track.

Qin Cheng's emotional needs in this regard are directed only at him; once Ye Qingxi leaves this race, he will inevitably be heartbroken.

The longer you're together, the more heartbroken you become.

He was able to easily give up on his maternal grandparents because they had never truly entered the race that belonged to them.

Qin Cheng wanted to let them in, but couldn't, and could only stand there with them outside the track.

But Ye Qingxi had already started racing on the track, so if he left, it would undoubtedly be a local earthquake for Qin Cheng.

Therefore, before Ye Qingxi appeared, and after Qin Yuan discovered her nephew's emotional logic, Qin Yuan was very careful not to take Qin Cheng to meet any children of the same age.

He also told Qin Luan not to take him along.

I'm afraid that because of his affection for them, he might accidentally develop a crush on one of the children and create a track that's only for his peers, only to end up getting hurt.

Qin Yuan first heard Qin Cheng mention Ye Qingxi at the end of the Mu family banquet. He said he had seen a very cute and pretty child, with a cute and cuddly appearance.

Qin Yuan asked him, "You like him?"

Qin Cheng denied it, saying, "He said my dad likes me."

Qin Yuan understood then why Qin Cheng liked him.

Later, Qin Cheng said that they would go to school together and stay in the same dormitory at noon.

Qin Yuan asked him, "Are you willing?"

Qin Cheng nodded. "He's very well-behaved."

Then, Ye Qingxi pointed out that Qin Cheng was Mu Zheng's child, and Qin Cheng happily told him that his father was his biological father.

Qin Yuan then called Qin Luan to find out what had happened, and was shocked.

He was amazed by Ye Qingxi's keen insight and decisiveness.

It's amazing that they were able to discover such a truth based on just a few small details, and after discovering it, they immediately came up with a method to prove it, and they actually succeeded.

But he was even more shocked by Ye Qingxi's frankness.

It's not accurate to say that a five-year-old knows a lot, but it's not entirely accurate to say that he knows nothing either.

Kids these days are so smart. They have access to television, computers, and mobile phones at a young age, so they naturally mature earlier.

Ye Qingxi herself was very clear that she was not a child of the Mu family.

In this situation, he could easily pretend he hadn't noticed anything—since no one else had, it was normal for him not to have either.

Thus, Qin Cheng is still not the biological son of the Mu family.

Just like him.

Otherwise, it would be so awkward for him to be the only outsider.

He was only five years old and had just arrived in a strange family. Even if he had such thoughts, Qin Yuan could understand and wouldn't blame him.

But Ye Qingxi clearly didn't have any of that.

He was even afraid that if time was slow, Qin Cheng would be happy a second later if he knew. So he worked quickly with his father to complete a series of measures and tell Mu Zheng the outcome.

At that moment, Qin Yuan felt as if she could see a new track slowly opening up in Qin Cheng's heart.

I am genuinely happy for him.

He finally found someone his own age that he liked.

Moreover, the other person is a very good person.

Innocent and pure.

Given this, Ye Qingxi would certainly not harm Qin Cheng.

They will have a happy childhood together, walking hand in hand, supporting and relying on each other, just like any pair of brothers who have a good relationship.

Therefore, Qin Yuan wanted to meet Ye Qingxi, to express her gratitude to him in person, and to see what kind of person he was and what his personality was like.

He was simply too busy to meet him, and it wasn't until now that he finally had the chance to see him.

They are really cute.

Qin Yuan thought, "She's lively, polite, and interesting, and she's also very good-looking."

A child like that would be popular wherever he goes, no wonder both his sister and his nephew speak highly of him.

Qin Yuan thought that he was being a very good older brother to his nephew. She thought about how he had just helped Ye Qingxi wipe his mouth, wiped the table, asked for an apron, and even tried to tie the strap for him. She felt that he was really a good older brother.

He didn't have this strong sense of responsibility when he was young.

Qin Yuan realized for the first time that Qin Cheng seemed to quite enjoy being the older brother.

But before, no one could be the younger brother he wanted to take care of.

Now, it exists.

All three of them enjoyed the meal very much.

Towards the end of the meal, Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng ate half a bowl of chocolate ice cream. It was quite cold, so Qin Yuan didn't dare let them eat too much. She shared half with them and let them eat the other half together.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he bought some snacks for them, packed them up, and then sent them back to the Mu family's villa.

"Goodbye, Uncle." Ye Qingxi got out of the car, holding her little robot box, and waved to him.

Qin Cheng accompanied him, saying, "Uncle, be careful on the road, drive slowly."

"Okay," Qin Yuan replied.

"You guys should go inside now, it's cold outside. I'll take you to the aquarium another day."

"Mm." Qin Cheng nodded.

Ye Qingxi nodded in agreement.

He turned around, walked to the front door, pressed his fingerprint, and went inside.

"You're back." Aunt Zhang saw them enter the house and quickly went over to help Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng take the things they were carrying and put them down.

"Are you cold? I just made some soup, shall I serve you a bowl?"

Ye Qingxi shook her head, "I can't eat anymore."

"Where's Xiao Cheng?" Aunt Zhang asked.

Qin Cheng nodded; he wanted something hot to drink.

"Wait a moment," Aunt Zhang said, then turned and went to the kitchen to serve him some soup.

Qin Cheng sat down at the coffee table, picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and thought it tasted pretty good.

"It tastes pretty good," he said to Ye Qingxi.

After saying that, he scooped up another spoonful and handed it to Ye Qingxi, saying, "Try it."

Ye Qingxi wasn't hungry at first, but now that she was sitting next to Qin Cheng, smelling the sweet aroma of the black chicken soup served in a coconut shell in front of her, she felt a little hungry.

He took a sip out of curiosity, and to his surprise, it was actually quite delicious. It wasn't as sweet as he had imagined, but it did have a refreshing sweetness and wasn't greasy at all.

"Is it delicious?" Qin Cheng asked.

Ye Qingxi nodded.

Qin Cheng then scooped another spoonful for him.

Aunt Zhang looked at it and said with a smile, "It's not like we don't have any. Wait a moment, I'll go get you another bowl."

"Just a little less," Ye Qingxi quickly said. "I can't drink much."

"Okay," Aunt Zhang replied.

Ye Qingxi stretched and leaned back on the sofa.

Qin Cheng asked him if he wanted more drink. Cotton Candy tugged at his trouser leg, then jumped onto the sofa and stepped on his trousers to start kneading. Donut, meanwhile, lay between Qin Cheng's and his legs, trying to get him to touch it.

Hearing their voices, Mu Feng came downstairs.

It's warm inside.

Feeling this tranquil warmth, Ye Qingxi felt that this winter was not cold at all.

A week later, Qin Luan underwent surgery.

The surgery was a success.

The doctor gave them instructions on post-operative care, which Mu Zheng and Qin Luan noted down. After resting for another day, Mu Zheng returned to the old house and told Qin Cheng about Qin Luan's illness.