Before even meeting Zhuang Liuyun, Chi Ming had already pictured her in his mind. An old-fashioned woman raised under the constraints of feudal ethics, she was bound to be timid and indecisive.
Chi Ming didn't like such women and was impatient to deal with them, so he had already ordered someone to bring a box full of silver dollars and prepared to send her away.
When Zhuang Liuyun walked in with Zhuang Li, he was tapping the money box lightly with his knuckles, his face looking very majestic and stern.
Then his gaze froze, and his knuckles, which had been knocking on the box, froze on the lid.
Zhuang Liuyun's demeanor, clothing, and manners were exactly as he had imagined. She was indeed an old-fashioned woman, with the usual timidity, cowardice, panic, and helplessness of her kind.
However, she was still holding a young man by the hand. The boy was as thin as a willow tree, wrapped in a large black cloak, with a mink cap on his head and a mink collar around his neck, which made his face and eyes look even smaller and more pitiful and cute.
The boy's skin was as white as snow, but his eyes were darker than the black silk cloth covering Zhuang Liuyun's body. He stared at him, his eyes filled with curiosity and innocence. His cheeks were rosy from the cold wind, and the tip of his nose was a little pink, like a person molded from dough by a street artisan.
Chi Ming's mind went blank for a moment, but when he came to his senses, he immediately reached out and said, "Miss Zhuang, please take a seat. Who is this?"
Of course he knew who the young boy was, he just wanted to confirm it.
Zhuang Liuyun pushed his brother forward and whispered inaudibly, "Xiaobao, this is Brother Chi Ming. Hurry and call for help."
Zhuang Li took two small steps forward, then moved back, his eyes fixed on Chi Ming, but he refused to say hello.
Zhuang Liuyun blushed as he said, "Brother Chi Ming, this is my younger brother Zhuang Li. My father should have told you about his situation, right? He's different from ordinary people. He's a little slow-witted and doesn't talk much, so he couldn't greet you. Sorry, we were rude."
"It's okay, you guys can sit down." Chi Ming stared at Zhuang Li closely.
Zhuang Li also stared at Chi Ming, his eyes dark and without any emotion.
7480 asked curiously, "Master, why don't you talk to the gods?"
"Ah, I'm not going to say anything. I want to see what Chi Ming would do if I were a fool." Zhuang Li chuckled in his heart: "This game is fun, I like it."
7480: "..." When will the host change his bad taste?
Zhuang Liuyun pulled his brother to sit across from Chi Ming and nervously told him about his own situation: "There was no place for Xiaobao and me at home, so we left. On the train, I saw Chi Cheng's announcement in the newspaper. Don't worry, Brother Chi Ming, I'm not here to argue with him. I just brought Xiaobao to visit you. We plan to live in Shanghai in the future."
Zhuang Liuyun nervously picked at the tassels on her skirt.
Zhuang Li turned his gaze away from Chi Ming and looked at the white porcelain teacup he held in his hand. His dark eyes were like deep pools. He seemed to have developed a strong interest in the teacup.
Chi Ming picked up another cup of hot tea on the table, handed it to Zhuang Li, and asked softly, "Would you like some tea?"
Zhuang Li's gaze followed the raised teacup and fell back to Chi Ming's face.
Being stared at so quietly and intently by him, Chi Ming felt his heart flutter, and then his chest warmed. It was an indescribable feeling of satisfaction.
Zhuang Liuyun quickly waved his hand: "Brother Chi, don't give him a cup full of water, he will smash it."
Chi Ming, however, turned a deaf ear to Zhuang Liuyun's words. He gently pried open the boy's soft and delicate fingers, placed the teacup in his palm, and then held his wrist. He slowly handed it to his mouth, his tone more gentle than ever before: "Come, drink tea, drink slowly, be careful not to choke."
Zhuang Li's tightly pursed thin lips opened a gap under the contact of the cup rim, and the tip of his pink tongue poked out.
Chi Ming's eyes darkened for a moment, but he still held the boy's wrist firmly and taught him how to drink tea.
His other hand cupped the boy's delicate jaw, ready to catch any tea that slipped from his lips. This attentiveness was no less than Zhuang Liuyun's.
Zhuang Li gulped down two sips of tea, his expression still confused, but his eyes were brighter than before.
"I like this way of getting along." He said excitedly in his mind, "I've decided. I want to be a young master who has everything he wants for his whole life."
7480: "... As long as you are happy, Master."
Chi Ming looked intently at Zhuang Li who was drinking water silently, and a hint of joy unconsciously appeared at the corner of his lips.
He wiped the water stains from the boy's mouth with his fingertips, then looked at Zhuang Liuyun and said seriously, "It's not easy for a woman like you to live in Shanghai with your brother."
Zhuang Liuyun was afraid that he would send him back, so he quickly said, "Brother Chi, I have no other choice. By now, my brother should have seen the newspaper that Chi Cheng and I broke off our engagement. If I go back, he will definitely marry me off, and then my brother will have no one to take care of him."
She glanced at Zhuang Li with red eyes and said sadly, "Brother Chi, you just saw it too. Xiaobao can't even drink water. I really don't feel comfortable leaving him with anyone else."
Chi Ming pondered and said, "Xiaobao? Is this your brother's nickname?" His focus was completely off.
Zhuang Liuyun, who hadn't finished complaining yet, said: "..."
"Yes, that's what everyone in the family calls him." Zhuang Liuyun was stunned for a while before answering.
Zhuang Li had already finished his tea. After Chi Ming took the teacup away, he still held his slender wrist and whispered softly, "Xiaobao, baby?"
He smiled, his majestic aura disappearing in an instant. He nodded and said, "That's a good name. Can I call you Xiaobao from now on?"
He questioned Zhuang Li seriously, not treating him like a fool because of rumors. He regarded Zhuang Li as an equal, just a young man who didn't know anything.
But it doesn’t matter, he can teach you slowly later, he has plenty of patience.
Zhuang Li blinked his dark eyes at Chi Ming, then lowered his head and poked the back of Chi Ming's hand, which was still holding his wrist, with his fingertips.
Chi Ming's hand instantly broke out in goose bumps, and an indescribable tingling sensation spread through his skin and throughout his body. This gentle poke not only hit his body, but also his heart.
He gripped the boy's wrist tighter and whispered softly, "Xiaobao, you agree, don't you?"
Zhuang Li naturally ignored him.
Chi Ming, however, pinched the boy's cheeks, which still had a little baby fat, with satisfaction.
Zhuang Liuyun didn't know what to say anymore. Chi Ming didn't respond to a single word of her prepared speech, his attention completely focused on his brother.
Just then, a servant came in with a bowl of washed fruit and placed it on the table.
Chi Ming finally let go of Zhuang Li's wrist, picked up an apple, and slowly peeled it with a knife. He then decided, "Then you should stay in Shanghai with Xiaobao. Don't go back."
"Thank you, Brother Chi!" Zhuang Liuyun was overjoyed.
Chi Ming was the King of Shanghai. If she wanted to settle down in Shanghai, she would have to ask Chi Ming for help in the future. She would never try to be so stubborn again in this life. Her brother had never suffered hardship, and she couldn't let him live the same life as she had in her previous life.
Chi Ming cut the peeled fruit into cubes and put them to Zhuang Li's mouth with a toothpick.
Zhuang Li didn't say anything, but just blinked his dark eyes and looked at Chi Ming.
Chi Ming showed a helpless expression, but still gently touched the apple to the boy's red lips and coaxed him softly: "Xiaobao, try it, it's sweet."
Zhuang Li licked the apple with the tip of his tongue before biting it with his teeth.
Chi Ming quickly said, "Slow down, be careful not to get your tongue pricked by the toothpick."
Zhuang Li chewed his apple and sighed inwardly. "How comfortable."
7480: "..." So jealous, it also wants this kind of pampered life!
Chi Ming fed Zhuang Li five or six apples in a row. Seeing the boy's narrow eyes curved and a satisfied expression on his face, he also smiled with satisfaction.
Taking a wet handkerchief from the servant, he wiped the corners of Zhuang Li's mouth, then wiped his own hands. Only then did Chi Ming ask about the real matter: "What are your plans for the future?"
Zhuang Liuyun was stunned. Before meeting Chi Ming, she had never imagined that he could be so attentive, gentle, and considerate. He took good care of his brother without a trace of impatience.
"I, I plan to find a job in Shanghai so that I can support Xiaobao." Zhuang Liuyun suppressed his shock and said seriously.
"What can you do?" Chi Ming took off Zhuang Li's mink hat and gently combed Zhuang Li's flattened curly hair with his fingertips.
Zhuang Li squinted his eyes and leaned back in his chair, like a cat having its fur stroked.
Zhuang Liuyun: "..." She felt like she was the outsider. Her brother was no longer her brother, but Big Brother Chi Ming's brother.
"I can embroider. I can work as an embroiderer in a cloth shop." This is the only skill Zhuang Liuyun has.
Chi Ming said coldly, "People nowadays like to wear clothes made of imported fabrics. The cloth shop hasn't hired embroiderers for a long time. You won't be able to find a job."
Zhuang Liuyun's cheeks flushed, and she stammered. In her past life, she had never spoken to Brother Chi, and had no idea his words could be so poignant. But it was no wonder; he was the most powerful man in Shanghai, and he didn't have to consider anyone else's feelings.
And he was right, embroidery could not support himself and his brother.
Zhuang Liuyun lowered his head in shame, his eyes red.
At this moment, Zhuang Li reached out and held her cold fingertips.
Zhuang Liuyun suddenly looked up, looked at him in surprise, and asked, "Xiaobao, are you comforting your sister?"
Zhuang Li said nothing, but just gently shook the hands that they were holding together.
Zhuang Liuyun immediately stopped feeling sad, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said firmly, "Brother Chi, there are many things I don't know, but I can learn. I would like to ask you to help me find a job. No matter how hard or tiring it is, I will do my job well. I will not let Xiaobao suffer with me."
"But he is destined to suffer if he follows you. What good job can you find as a woman? You can't give him the life he had before." Chi Ming ruthlessly hit Zhuang Liuyun's enthusiasm.
If he wanted to keep Xiaobao, he had to make Zhuang Liuyun understand that she couldn't survive in Shanghai as a woman with a child who knew nothing. Apart from him, they had no one to rely on.
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