"Lu Yanting, wait a minute!" Qiu Mang shouted hurriedly, her voice filled with obvious anxiety and panic.
Lu Yanting slowly stopped what he was doing, his deep, unfathomable eyes staring straight at her, a hint of confusion in his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"I...I'm a little tired," Qiu Mang said softly, biting her lip.
Lu Yanting sighed softly, his words tinged with a hint of teasing, "Didn't the tonic soup from this morning have any effect?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Mang's cheeks instantly turned as red as a sunset, the blush quickly spreading to her ears. She was both ashamed and angry, and for a moment she couldn't say a word.
Lu Yanting seemed to sense her embarrassment, and suddenly softened his tone, his originally cold eyes now filled with pleading.
"Honey, I already transferred one million to you this morning. After our contract ends, I'll give you the other half in full. Now, just cooperate with me, okay?"
Qiu Mang slowly lowered her eyes, a conflict churning within her. She knew she desperately needed the money to solve many of her life's problems. Yet, her legs still ached terribly, as if reminding her of the madness of the previous night.
Seeing this, Lu Yanting reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head, as if coaxing a tantrum-throwing child, his tone full of tenderness and doting.
"Stop fooling around, I'll try to be gentle. You'll be picking up your sister in a couple of days, and then we won't have as many opportunities to be alone together."
Qiu Mang slowly raised her head, looking into his eyes. The pleading in his deep eyes stirred a pang of pity within her. After a moment's hesitation, she gently nodded.
Seeing her nod, a hint of joy flashed in the man's eyes. Then he whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her neck, "In the kitchen, is that alright?"
In an instant, Qiu Mang's mind went blank, and all his thoughts were scattered and disordered.
...
An hour later, Lu Yanting carried the girl out of the kitchen. The man looked radiant, with a satisfied expression on his face.
Before going to bed that night, Qiu Mang finally received a call from Aunt Zhang, who said she would help send Qiu Li to Guangcheng the next day.
After hearing this, Qiu Mang breathed a sigh of relief. This was truly good news; now he had a reason to take a break.
The next afternoon, Qiu Mang arrived at the train station at the agreed time.
The train station exit was bustling with people. Qiu Mang stood on tiptoe, her eyes eagerly searching for a familiar figure in the crowd.
Before long, her eyes lit up as she saw Aunt Zhang leading the bouncy Qiu Li toward them.
"Sister Zhang! Qiu Li!" Qiu Mang waved her arms and shouted loudly, a bright smile spreading across her face.
Upon hearing her sister's voice, Qiu Li's little eyes instantly lit up like stars. She broke free from Zhang Sao's hand and stumbled towards Qiu Mang with her short legs, calling out in her childish voice, "Sister, sister!"
Qiu Mang hurried forward, pulled Qiu Li into a tight embrace, kissed her rosy cheeks several times, and then looked at Zhang Sao with gratitude.
"Aunt Zhang, you've had a really tough journey. I don't know what I would have done without your help in taking care of Qiu Li."
Aunt Zhang smiled broadly, waved her hand gently, and replied with a simple and honest smile, "Oh, Qiu Mang, why are you saying all this? Qiu Li always calls me Aunt Zhang this and Aunt Zhang that whenever she sees me. I adore her. Besides, Qiu Li is such a well-behaved and sensible child, so easy to take care of. She has such a sweet tongue, she's so eloquent. She's made me so happy the whole way here!"
Qiu Li tilted her little face up and looked at Qiu Mang with a proud expression, "Sister, Aunt Zhang said that Ali is very well-behaved, do you want to praise Ali too?"
Qiu Mang smiled and gently pinched Qiu Li's nose affectionately, saying with a smile, "You are such a clever and mischievous little devil!"
Suddenly, Qiu Mang looked at Aunt Zhang, hesitated for a long time, and then lowered her voice and asked cautiously, "Aunt Zhang, did my mother say anything when you brought Qiu Li out this time?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang's expression hardened. She spat and began to complain indignantly: "That woman, as soon as she heard that you were willing to take Ali with you, she couldn't wait for me to send the child out as soon as possible, so that she wouldn't have to spend an extra bite to eat every day! If I hadn't been so busy these past two days, I would have come over long ago!"
Qiu Mang pressed her lips together, a hint of sadness flashing deep in her eyes, and sighed softly, "I had too high expectations of her. I originally thought..."
She sniffed and forced herself to cheer up. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Aunt Zhang, you've come all this way to Guangcheng, let me take you around for a few days!"
Aunt Zhang waved her hands repeatedly, her eyes showing a hint of heartache, and advised, "Ah Mang, let it go. I know you mean well, but you've only been in Guangcheng for a short time. This big city is not like our countryside. You have to spend money everywhere, and the expenses are huge. You probably don't have much savings."
As she spoke, she glanced at Qiu Li and then said, "Besides, you two sisters will be living here from now on. A-Li is waiting for treatment, and there will be many places where money will be needed in the future. Every little bit saved counts."
Besides, as you know, there's a ton of farm work to do right now, and I only managed to squeeze in this trip in my spare time. Now that I've safely handed this little girl over to you, my mission is complete, and I need to go buy a train ticket home soon.”
Qiu Mang nodded repeatedly and said sincerely, "Aunt Zhang, you've gone to so much trouble for us sisters, you should at least have a meal before you leave."
After saying that, he dragged Zhang Sao and Qiu Li to a restaurant near the station without giving them a chance to argue.
At the dinner table, Qiu Mang kept putting food into Zhang Sao's bowl. Zhang Sao declined, but her face was full of relief and satisfaction.
After finishing their meal, Aunt Zhang insisted on leaving, so Qiu Mang had no choice but to see her off to her car. He then forced some money into her hand and repeatedly told her to be careful on her journey.
Night quietly enveloped the earth. Qiu Mang led Qiu Li by the hand back to Qiu Shui Ya Ju. After entering the elevator, Qiu Li obediently closed her eyes and quietly felt the elevator slowly ascend.
Qiu Mang looked at her with a hint of doubt and asked softly, "What's wrong, Ali?"
Qiu Li suddenly opened her eyes, her face full of excitement, and exclaimed, "Wow, so this is what it feels like to ride an elevator! It's like riding a rocket, I feel like I'm going to fly into the sky!"
Qiu Mang raised her hand and gently stroked her head a few times, saying tenderly, "Well, from now on, you'll be able to ride a rocket every day, aren't you happy?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Li nodded emphatically and replied crisply, "Happy!"
As soon as she opened the door, Qiu Li's bright black eyes were immediately fixed on the exquisitely decorated princess room. Inside, pink curtains swayed gently, the delicate little bed was cozy and lovely, and the sparkling crystal chandelier was dazzling, just like a dreamlike scene from a fairy tale.
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