When Xiao Qi saw him coming over, he already understood most of the situation, and his already cold face instantly became even more gloomy.
"Young master, please let me explain..." The guard stepped forward with an awkward smile, trying to persuade himself to accept a less unpleasant form of punishment.
"Go clean up the latrine you didn't finish cleaning last time," Xiao Qi said unmoved, without even glancing at him.
"Oh..." The guard understood the price of bargaining with his young master and had no choice but to resign himself to going out to find a broom.
Taking the opportunity, Wanwan moved closer to Xiao Qi and sat on the low stool next to him. Her little face was all smiles, and a warm orange hue was sprinkled on her chubby cheeks, making her look like a round bun.
She rested her chin on her hand and looked intently at Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi awkwardly looked away and tried his best to focus on the book.
"Brother Xiao—" the little dumpling drawled, her voice soft and sweet, like a glutinous rice ball with honey, "Brother Xiao seems so unhappy today."
Xiao Qi's eyes flickered slightly, his hand paused in turning the page, and then he said coldly, "No."
Ignoring his feigned indifference, Wanwan lifted her leg and rubbed it against the edge of the bed, her knee sliding all the way to Xiao Qi. She then reached out her chubby little hand and grabbed the book he was reading.
"Brother Xiao, please don't be unhappy, okay? If Brother Xiao is unhappy, Wanwan will be unhappy too." Wanwan forcefully pressed the book down from his hand, her gaze meeting Xiao Qi's eyes without any obstruction.
Her wisps of hair on her forehead were dry, her round eyes seemed to hold sparkling stars, her small dimples were sweeter than honey, and her grinning face resembled a mischievous pomegranate. Two newly sprouted, white jade-like tiger teeth were revealed, making her both playful and adorable.
The blunt confrontation caused Xiao Qi's eyes to flicker, but he did not raise the book to block his view again.
"Is Brother Xiao unhappy because Wanwan didn't give you Master?"
Her bright, clear eyes, like pools of autumn water, shone under the lamplight, making them appear as if they held two handfuls of jewels. Her long eyelashes cast a soft shadow in her dark eyes, as captivating as the shade of a summer grove.
"No." Xiao Qi awkwardly turned his face away.
Wanwan stubbornly rubbed against him, pressing her face against his side like a cat wanting to share warmth, her wide eyes even clearly reflecting Xiao Qi's face.
"Brother Xiao, don't be upset. Wanwan can actually give Master to Brother Xiao." She said this very seriously, her voice almost overflowing with sincerity.
This girl is so innocent.
Xiao Qi couldn't help but chuckle. How could there be someone so desperate to get close to him? They were both adorable and silly.
"Brother Xiao is smiling!" Wanwan was instantly delighted. "However, Wanwan can't make the decision for Master. Whether or not Master can be given to Brother Xiao depends on Master's thoughts."
"Little one." Xiao Qi didn't say anything, but a helpless and indulgent smile appeared on his lips.
"Wanwan is so cold, Wanwan wants to hide under the covers too." With that, Wanwan kicked off her shoes, and the two little shoes fluttered to the ground like fish entering water.
After taking off her shoes, Wanwan snuggled into Xiao Qi's blankets like a disobedient kitten.
Startled, Xiao Qi straightened up and immediately jumped out of bed, his fingers gripping the corner of the blanket tightly, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.
Wanwan was confused. "What's wrong, Brother Xiao? Is the bed uncomfortable?"
This little girl has absolutely no idea about the difference between boys and girls!
Xiao Qi secretly rubbed his forehead, a barely perceptible blush rising in his eye sockets. He stopped looking at her and said, "It's okay, you can lie down if you want. I'm going out for a walk."
Xiao Qi slid off the bed and quickly walked towards the door.
Unexpectedly, as if the heavens were conspiring against him, a heavy rain began to fall at that very moment, and it came so suddenly that the steps outside were soaked through in the blink of an eye. Soon after, the rainwater rushed down from the eaves like a stream, gathering in the watercourse in front of the house.
A dark cloud drifted in from the horizon, instantly embracing Hailan Village, and the rain intensified immediately.
A babbling brook has formed in front of the house.
Xiao Qi stood still.
"It's raining heavily outside," Wanwan said, sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling in the air. "Is Brother Xiao still going out?"
Xiao Qi left his last oil-paper umbrella on the beach yesterday, and now he has absolutely no rain gear at home to help him go out.
"I'm not going." Xiao Qi said helplessly, and had no choice but to sit back down on the bed.
Wanwan immediately pulled the corner of the blanket over his lap and offered him a storybook. She rested her elbows on Xiao Qi's knees, her chin on her little hands, and looked at him expectantly. "Brother Xiao, can you tell Wanwan a storybook? Brother Xiao has never told Wanwan a storybook before. Wanwan wants to hear it."
Those dark, grape-like eyes once again drew Xiao Qi's mind into a clear lake of sparkling water.
He subconsciously shook his head, trying to get rid of these things that didn't belong to his style.
"Tell me, tell me." Wanwan thought he was refusing, so she kept acting coquettishly, holding onto Xiao Qi's knees and shaking them.
Xiao Qi had no choice but to agree, and he subtly placed his legs on the edge of the bed, casting two shadows, one long and one short, on the wall behind him.
As they were talking, Xiao Qi suddenly noticed a raindrop falling onto the storybook. Both of them were drawn to the raindrop and looked up at it.
As I watched, another drop of water fell, then a third, then a fourth...
It's starting to drizzle inside!
The two little ones hurriedly moved the quilt to a place where the rain wouldn't drip. Fortunately, the bed was safe. Apart from the bed, it was drizzling everywhere else. The two, one big and one small, could only sit with their knees drawn up in a dry and warm place, helplessly watching the sparse rain curtain in front of them.
Wanwan suddenly giggled as she looked at the house. Xiao Qi looked at her when he heard her voice, and she casually tugged at his sleeve. "I thought Brother Xiao was amazing at everything he did. Turns out, the little house he built leaks too! It rains heavily outside and drizzles inside. Will mushrooms grow inside the house like they do on a mountain after it's all rained out?"
Xiao Qi was both amused and exasperated. He pointed his index finger at Wanwan's forehead, and Wanwan instinctively closed her eyes and tried to back away, but almost fell off the bed.
It was late at night, and the rain outside was getting heavier. Wanwan couldn't go home, so she could only lean on Xiao Qi to rest. With the hypnotic sound of the rain, she fell asleep without realizing it.
When she woke up again, it was the next morning. Wanwan was covered with a small quilt, and the room had been cleaned. Xiao Qi was nowhere to be found.
"Wanwan, you're awake."
Just as Wanwan was wondering, Xiao Qi walked in from outside carrying a bowl of hot porridge. "A bowl of porridge got cold, have some hot porridge to warm yourself up. It's a good thing you didn't go home last night; the room you were sleeping in collapsed."
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