The villa seemed especially quiet in the early morning after the snowstorm subsided. Mu Xinrong sat under the warm yellow light of the restaurant, sipping warm cocoa.
His body was completely warmed up, and the soothing feeling from the bowl of warm chicken porridge in his stomach had not yet dissipated. His tense nerves finally relaxed as if they were soaked in warm water under Ye Qingliu's silent protection and the sweet fragrance of the cup of cocoa.
He was even a little drowsy, his eyelids drooping heavily, but he was trying hard to stay awake and keep his ears open to any movement coming from the guest room.
Just as his consciousness was about to slip into obscurity again—
“Click.”
There was a slight sound coming from the villa door, which was the sound of the smart lock being opened.
Mu Xinrong shuddered and instantly regained consciousness, looking towards the entrance vigilantly.
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps as brisk as jumping notes, a figure, wrapped in the crisp cold air from outside, rushed in like a nimble deer.
"Brother! I'm back! The snow is so thick outside! I almost fell!" The clear and pleasant female voice with a hint of coquettishness instantly broke the tranquility of the villa.
It's flowers immersed in the moon.
She was wearing a furry white hooded down jacket with a circle of fluffy white fur on the edge of the hood, which made her already delicate little face even sweeter and more lovely.
She stamped her feet to shake off the remaining snow on her boots, and then neatly took off her heavy down jacket, revealing the soft pink cashmere sweater underneath.
Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, swaying lively with her brisk movements. In her hand, she was holding a beautifully wrapped paper bag with a cute little bear pattern printed on it.
Mu Xinrong recognized her. She was Ye Qingliu's younger sister, a senior in the same school, but in a different class. Mu Xinrong had met her a few times, all because of Ye Qingliu. She was a lively, cheerful, and somewhat headstrong girl.
Hua Jinyue took off her coat and looked up to see Mu Xinrong in the restaurant.
A hint of surprise flashed in her gray-blue eyes, which were exactly the same as Ye Qingliu's but bigger and rounder. Then she immediately smiled brilliantly, revealing two cute little fangs.
"Hey! Brother Mu!" Hua Jinyue's voice was filled with surprise, like the sound of a crisp bell. "Why are you at my house? It's so late!"
As she spoke, she walked briskly towards the restaurant, carrying the teddy bear paper bag. She completely ignored the strange caregivers in the villa and only looked at Mu Xinrong with undisguised curiosity and enthusiasm.
"Uh...Jinyue, good evening." Mu Xinrong put down the cocoa cup a little awkwardly and stood up.
Faced with Hua Jinyue's innocent enthusiasm, he didn't know how to explain the chaotic situation late at night.
Just then, steady footsteps were heard from the direction of the kitchen.
Ye Qingliu came out carrying a small thermos. He had obviously heard his sister's voice, but his face remained expressionless.
He was wearing a light grey cashmere sweater with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Under the warm yellow light, he looked unusually homely and gentle, completely different from the cold and stern controller he had just been in the clinic.
"Why are you so late?" Ye Qingliu's voice sounded, still in a steady tone, but with a kind of gentleness and helplessness that Mu Xinrong had never heard before, which belonged only to Hua Jinyue, and even mixed with a barely perceptible trace of concern and reproach.
He walked up to Hua Jinyue, his eyes swept across her red cheeks from the cold, and his brows habitually furrowed slightly.
"Chatting with Xiaoya and the others! It will be too late if you are not careful!" Hua Jinyue stuck out her tongue, not afraid of her brother's slightly frown at all. Instead, she stood on tiptoe and raised the little bear paper bag in her hand high up as if presenting a treasure.
"Brother! Look! I brought you this! Sweetheart House's new strawberry cream cake! Super delicious! They said the line is long! I saved it especially for you!"
Her voice was sweet and sticky, full of the tone of asking for praise.
Ye Qingliu looked at the paper bag that was almost in front of him, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his gray-blue eyes behind the lenses, but that helplessness was quickly replaced by deeper indulgence.
Instead of taking the cake, he reached out and used his fingertips to very gently brush away a bit of white frosting that had accidentally gotten on Hua Jinyue's temples - probably something that had fallen from the cake box.
"Next time, let me know in advance and let the driver pick you up." Ye Qingliu's voice was low and gentle, with unquestionable concern.
His movements were natural and intimate. When he withdrew his fingers from brushing off the frosting, he also tidied up Hua Jinyue's bangs, which were a little messy from running.
"I know, I know! Brother, you are the best!" Hua Jinyue smiled with curved eyebrows, like a kitten that stole some meat.
She didn't care about her brother's "sermon" at all. Instead, she opened her arms and threw herself into Ye Qingliu's arms like a koala, giving him a big hug.
"Brother, I miss you so much!" Hua Jinyue's voice was muffled in her brother's cashmere sweater, with undisguised attachment.
Ye Qingliu was knocked back half a step by his sister, and his body visibly stiffened.
An extremely rare emotion called "being caught off guard" flashed across his handsome face, which had been frozen for thousands of years and intimidated countless girls at school.
But he did not push Hua Jinyue away. Instead, after the initial stiffness, he raised his hand very naturally and with a clumsy tenderness, gently hugged his sister back, and patted her on the back soothingly.
"Yeah." He responded softly, his voice filled with a softness and tolerance that Mu Xinrong had never heard before.
The slightly furrowed brows had already relaxed, and the corners of his lips even formed an extremely subtle but real curve.
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