It was already past 1:30 a.m., but Tang Qi still couldn't sleep. The reason was simple—Lu Zhe still hadn't returned.
The young lady wasn't in her bedroom anymore; instead, she sat on the living room sofa, game controller in hand. However, although she was controlling Arno as she traversed the streets of 18th-century Paris, her attention wasn't on the game. She wasn't doing any main or side quests, there were no battles; she was simply parkouring and wandering aimlessly.
"When is he coming back...?" Her unintentional mutterings revealed the young lady's true thoughts.
However, just then, the sound of a door opening came from the entrance.
Tang Qi dropped the game controller as if she had been electrocuted, jumped up, and ran straight to the entrance, where she saw Lu Zhe who had just entered.
Lu Zhe closed the door and had just changed into slippers when he found a petite figure bumping into his arms.
He hugged the young lady and said with a wry smile, "Your ears are so sharp..."
Tang Qi lifted her head from his embrace and stared at him.
The entryway light wasn't on; only the living room light shone through the corner, providing some illumination. The girl's large, bright eyes, however, shone exceptionally brightly on her upturned face.
Tang Qi bit her lower lip and said, "Next time you go out this late, take me with you..."
Lu Zhe stroked her head, like petting a cat. He said, "Okay, next time something like this happens, I'll try to take you with me."
However, he secretly added in his mind that bringing Miss Tang along was fine, but only if Xia Xiaobing didn't know and Xue Xiaodie had no objections. Otherwise, it would be safer for him to be alone.
Tang Qi buried her face in his chest again, rubbing against him like a pet clinging to its owner. The two stood in the entryway, cuddling like this for quite a while.
However, when Tang Qi couldn't see him, Lu Zhe's expression would occasionally reveal a hint of anxiety...
“It’s getting late,” Lu Zhe suddenly said. “You should go to sleep too. Come on, I’ll take you to bed.”
Tang Qi clung to him, refusing to let go: "Can you come to bed with me?"
Lu Zhe smiled wryly, "I have to go to work tomorrow morning, Miss..."
After saying that, he pushed the clingy young lady away from his arms and led her into the bedroom.
"Okay then, take me to bed first." Tang Qi pouted at first, but after looking at his profile, she couldn't help but laugh.
The two entered the master bedroom.
Tang Qi jumped onto the bed, turned around, sat there looking at him, and asked, "Are you really not coming up?"
Lu Zhe: "I..."
The girl blinked her big eyes: "Really, really not coming up?"
Lu Zhe sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over, and kissed her.
After their lips parted, Tang Qi smiled even more sweetly. She noticed that Lu Zhe was sitting right in front of her, seemingly with no intention of leaving immediately.
Lu Zhe: "Do you know why I went out for barbecue and drinks with Luo Qiu tonight?"
Tang Qi shook her head: "I don't know."
Lu Zhe's expression turned serious: "Luo Qiu has a tumor and is preparing for surgery. He will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow."
Tang Qi was startled: "A tumor?"
Lu Zhe: "It's a benign tumor, not cancer, but the surgery still carries risks. So I wanted to ask you, do you know what happened to Luo Qiu afterwards?"
“I didn’t even know he had a tumor…” Tang Qi pondered, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration, “Right, the time I met you before my rebirth wasn’t now, it was after I started school. So that must have been after Luo Qiu’s surgery.”
Lu Zhe: "But later, you also met Luo Qiu, right?"
Tang Qi nodded: "Yes, so he's definitely alright!"
Lu Zhe patted her head and smiled, "What a wonderful little surprise... Okay, go to sleep now."
Tang Qi lay down, but still stared at him, muttering, "Then don't stop touching me like this, it feels better."
Lu Zhe kept stroking the girl's head with one hand, while taking out his phone with the other, opening the music player, and selecting a lullaby.
It's called a piece of music, but it's really just the continuous sound of rain. This kind of monotonous white noise can often be quite effective in helping you fall asleep.
"Close your eyes," Lu Zhe said gently, "Good girl, Little Rainbow Candy..."
Tang Qi obediently closed her eyes, and soon became drowsy.
She mumbled as she asked, "You haven't left yet, have you?"
Lu Zhe answered softly, "It's still there."
Tang Qi: "Then will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
Lu Zhe: "Yes."
"How can you be so kind..."
The girl's murmurs grew softer and softer, until the latter half of her sentence was so faint that it was almost inaudible.
Not long after, seeing that she had completely fallen into a deep sleep, Lu Zhe turned off the white noise playing on his phone.
He stood up, walked to the bedroom door, and slowly turned the doorknob.
He opened the door, but instead of leaving immediately, he stared at the petite girl on the bed for a long while.
Only after confirming that Tang Qi was truly asleep did Lu Zhe leave the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind him.
————
Xue Xiaodie stood outside the door, leaning against the wall of the corridor. She held her phone, quietly scrolling through her WeChat Moments, but her attention was somewhat wandering.
Through the walls and thick doors, she couldn't hear anything coming from inside the apartment, but she could imagine Tang Qi happily welcoming Lu Zhe home...
Although I thought I was mentally prepared, I still can't help but feel a little heartbroken.
Suddenly, the door not far from me opened.
Xue Xiaodie snapped out of her daze, turned her head, and saw Lu Zhe standing at the door, extending his hand towards her.
He lowered his voice and said, "Come in, she's asleep."
The girl smiled and said, "Little Rainbow Candy fell asleep so quickly? I thought I'd have to wait a while."
Lu Zhe: "It's almost 2 a.m. She should be sleepy by now. If we coax her a little, she'll fall asleep soon."
As they spoke in hushed tones, the two entered the room, passed through the entryway, and went into Xue Xiaodie's bedroom.
The second bedroom was right next to the master bedroom; in other words, Tang Qi, who was fast asleep, was only separated from the two of them by a wall. Therefore, although the house had good soundproofing, Lu Zhe and Xue Xiaodie still subconsciously controlled the volume.
Xue Xiaodie gazed at him and smiled gently, "Go wash up and go to bed. You don't need to stay here with me. You have to go to work tomorrow morning."
Lu Zhe recalled the scene of coaxing Tang Qi to sleep earlier, and couldn't help but hesitate: "Isn't it necessary?"
Xue Xiaodie put her hands behind her back, looking a little embarrassed. She said softly, "I already dragged you along for a walk tonight, and we walked for quite a while, so I'm very satisfied..."
Lu Zhe decisively said, "Alright then, you should go to sleep too. Don't prepare breakfast tomorrow morning, let's go out to eat together."
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