The door was opened, and the house was empty.
When Xia Xiu was nowhere to be seen at 7:15, Ji Xiaoxiao began to panic slightly.
"Is Lin Mu prepared to fight to the death?"
Ji Xiaoxiao shook her head. No, given Lin Mu's cautious nature, he would never go all out and fight a desperate battle unless it was a matter of life and death.
"It's probably because of traffic."
Ji Xiaoxiao was thinking this, but she had already dialed the emergency number on her phone.
Lin Mu used the excuse of playing to take Xia Xiu out. When the original owner asked where they were going, Lin Mu refused to reveal it, saying it was a man's romance and women shouldn't get involved. If Ji Xiaoxiao knew their location, she would have gone there herself long ago; why would she need to threaten her verbally and put herself at a disadvantage?
Ji Xiaoxiao put the child on the sofa and brought him some toys. "Be good, Xiaobao, play by yourself."
"Hmm." Xiao Bao picked up the toy and waved it around, his eyes narrowing into slits as he laughed.
With the child quiet, Ji Xiaoxiao was relieved. She patiently waited until 7:30, but just as she was about to call the police, the door opened.
"Sister? Sister?" The boy's urgent and flustered voice reached Ji Xiaoxiao's ears, and Ji Xiaoxiao couldn't help but burst into tears. She was at a loss, not knowing where to put her hands.
Ji Xiaoxiao stepped forward and saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old with a face as handsome as jade. His dark, bright eyes looked around as if searching for someone or something. When he saw Ji Xiaoxiao coming towards him, the boy broke into a big smile, and at that moment, the world lost its color.
"My sister is here."
Ji Xiaoxiao opened her arms, and Xia Xiu leaped up and jumped in.
"Sister, I miss you so much," Xia Xiu said pitifully, pouting.
“My sister also wants to do some minor repairs,” Ji Xiaoxiao said.
The two siblings talked for a while. Xia Xiu saw Xiao Bao sitting alone on the sofa playing with toys. His eyes lit up, and the meaning was self-evident.
"Go ahead." Ji Xiaoxiao patted Xia Xiu's head.
Xia Xiu jumped up happily and skipped off to play with Xiao Bao.
Lin Mu stood at the door, his face grim, looking as if Ji Xiaoxiao owed him a hundred thousand.
"You're back," Ji Xiaoxiao said casually.
"Is this how you talk to me?" Lin Mu said.
Ji Xiaoxiao pouted and turned to go upstairs.
"Xia Qing, stop right there! What do you mean by this?"
Lin Mu was already seething with anger, and Ji Xiaoxiao's indifference only added fuel to the fire, making Lin Mu's rage burn ever brighter, threatening to engulf the heavens and the sea.
Ji Xiaoxiao didn't take it seriously. She walked slowly into the room to pack some clothes and then left Lin Mu's territory with Xiao Bao and Xia Xiu.
"Wait, Xia Qing, what are you doing?" Lin Mu asked hurriedly when he saw Ji Xiaoxiao carrying large and small bags.
"Leave here." Ji Xiaoxiao grabbed one child in each hand.
"Leave? Why leave?" Lin Mu shouted.
With Xia Xiu gone, his plans are now indefinitely postponed.
Lin Mu strode past her and blocked Ji Xiaoxiao's path, saying, "I won't let you leave."
Ji Xiaoxiao stared coldly at Lin Mu, her icy gaze like that of a venomous snake.
Lin Mu shuddered and first softened his tone, "Xiao Qing, what did I do to make you angry? Tell me, I'll change it, correct it properly, and try not to let it happen again."
The marital intimacy, if it were the original owner unaware of the truth, might have been half-heartedly kept. But Ji Xiaoxiao wasn't so easily fooled; her expression showed no improvement.
"Do you know how much I value Xiao Xiu? We agreed to be back at seven o'clock, but what time did you bring Xiao Xiu back? Do you know how heartbroken I was during that time?" Ji Xiaoxiao's eyes were red, and a crystal tear slid down her cheek.
Lin Mu replied hesitantly, "That's because of traffic, that's why I came back late."
Traffic jam? It's not a holiday, there's no traffic jam. The reason Lin Mu returned late was simply because he was agonizing over whether or not to take the risk, and his deliberation caused him to miss the deadline. In the end, Lin Mu compromised, swallowing his anger for this moment, and decided to plan for another day.
"You're lying. I get annoyed just looking at you now. I'm going to stay somewhere else for a few days."
Ji Xiaoxiao was about to leave with her two children when Lin Mu hurriedly spread his arms to block their way.
“Xiao Qing, Xiao Xiu and Xiao Bao are so ignorant. You, a woman, take those two rascals out. You'll be the one who suffers all the hardship and exhaustion. We're husband and wife; we should share happiness and hardship together,” Lin Mu said.
“You’re right,” Ji Xiaoxiao agreed.
"Yes, we're husband and wife. Why should you be the only one who's exhausted while I, a grown man, stand aside? Xiao Qing, if you're angry with me, then punish me severely. Leave Xiao Xiu and Xiao Bao to me to take care of. I'll just work myself to death."
Lin Mu smiled, thinking, "Foolish woman, so easy to fool." Suddenly, Ji Xiaoxiao reached out her hand, looking at him expectantly.
"What are you doing?" Lin Mu asked, puzzled.
“Give me the money. You said we’re husband and wife, we share happiness and hardship. I want to take Xiaobao and Xiaoxiu out for some fun. We’re not going to stay in a cheap hotel anymore. Give me more money. We want to stay in a five-star hotel and have a luxury meal.”
As she spoke, Ji Xiaoxiao's attitude softened considerably.
Lin Mu thought that Ji Xiaoxiao was just throwing a little tantrum, taking the child out to play for a few days, and would come back after calming down, not living away from home for years. So he was generous and gave Ji Xiaoxiao a credit card and a debit card.
"Where's the password?" Ji Xiaoxiao quickly put the two cards into her pocket.
Lin Mu recited a string of numbers.
"Okay, then. We'll go home when we're done playing."
Ji Xiaoxiao led her two children, walking slowly and leisurely.
Driving to the vicinity of the school district in X City, Ji Xiaoxiao carried Xiao Bao on her back and held Xia Xiu's hand in one hand, walking along a crossroads. There were very few cars on the crossroads, only energetic young men and women riding bicycles, their laughter echoing along the way.
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