I Could Afford You Too

Sheng Xiao glanced at Mu Qiqi from the corner of his eye but said nothing else, while she quickly gobbled her rice and said, "I'm going back to my room."

"That child, is she already full?" Su Zipei was completely oblivious of the unusual atmosphere between them and only watched as Mu Qiqi hurried upstairs.

After all, she did not want to let Su Zipei see her blush and invoke suspicions.

"Young Master Sheng, please don't mind her. She was wronged in school today," Su Zipei explained.

"Wronged?" Sheng Xiao's eyes promptly darkened.

Su Zipei lowered her bow and chopsticks at the question, and told Sheng Xiao about how Papa Mu had humiliated Mu Qiqi in school. "My animal of a brother-in-law even accused her of killing her grandmother...just like that."

"Still, even if it's just the teacher today, who could be sure that he wouldn't tell the whole world just to protect Mu Tangxue?" 

"In the end, Qiqi wouldn't be able to bear such a blow. What would others think, then?"

"Is she going to be labeled a murderer at her young age?"

Meanwhile, Mu Qiqi had hidden on the stairs to the second floor and was listening in on their conversation.

She felt devastated when she recalled how ridiculous her father had been at school and each of his loud accusations.

However, Sheng Xiao said nothing about any of that, and merely sent Mu Qiqi a message when Su Zipei cleared the table after dinner.

[Same place, same time. Wear more layers.]

Mu Qiqi wiped her tears away after reading it and quickly went back to her room, changing into some very warm clothes.

After all, what if Xiaoxiao took her to the beach again?

***

It was late into the night after Su Zipei had returned to her room that Mu Qiqi sneaked out of the house light-footedly before dashing as if she was in a hundred-meter sprint to where Sheng Xiao was.

He had swapped his sports car for an inconspicuous black sedan, and he brought her to the revolving restaurant in front of the amusement park which they had visited before.

Jianchuan was in full Christmas spirit at the moment, with a towering Christmas tree now placed in front of the amusement park.

Mu Qiqi loved it when she saw it.

"Xiaoxiao, I want to take a walk."

Sheng Xiao turned to look at her, but only nodded after he found that she was wearing a cotton-padded jacket. "I'll park somewhere quiet. You can only look."

"Okay." In fact, Mu Qiqi was already content with that.

As Sheng Xiao drove nearer to the flashing Christmas tree, Mu Qiqi quickly whipped her phone out from her back and took a picture.

"Xiaoxiao, look…"

Sheng Xiao was never one for festivities, since the only difference between Christmas and Qingming for him was the gifts that other people brought to Huang Yao.

Even so, he said nothing when he saw how much Mu Qiqi was enjoying the festive cheer. Instead, he led her away, heading straight to one of the barges in the amusement park.

They were alone on that boat floating over the river.

Although Mu Qiqi pretended as if she was enjoying the night view around them, her attention was actually completely devoted to Sheng Xiao.

He was sitting sprawled over the boat, and it was not until some time later that he asked, "Had a good look?"

Mu Qiqi quickly averted her eyes.

"Make as much noise as possible if the Mu family ever threatens you again with your grandmother's death. The entire team of lawyers representing the Sheng family would not mind working with the police to investigate the actual cause of her death."

"But only the two of us were in the room at the time."

"So what? It's either you or her. Even if you don't have any evidence against her, it's the same for her!" Sheng Xiao said coldly. "Your sister is pretending to be a white lotus and that wouldn't work on other people, although it certainly works with your family."

"If you're upset when something similar happens, fight back. Why are you holding it in?"

Mu Qiqi said nothing, but she nodded as hard as she could.

"Remember that your own happiness is most important. And there are also those you don't even have to spare a thought for!"

Over the breezy lake, Mu Qiqi was sitting opposite Sheng Xiao, listening to his lesson intently.

Because she knew that there were few in this world who truly wished for her happiness, and Sheng Xiao was one of them.

Then, he took her by her shoulder so that she could lean on his. It looked as if she was keeping her from falling into the river, but she was extraordinarily happy with any chance to get nearer to him.

And was he doing that because he liked her too?

Naturally she would never be brave enough to ask that, although she was pleasantly surprised enough with this…

Indeed, she was becoming braver the more he spoiled her.

"Have you changed your car again?"

"My car is in for repairs…" Sheng Xiao replied nonchalantly, but his handsome looks remained the envy of both gods and men.

"Xiaoxiao, my hands are cold."

Sheng Xiao said nothing, although he drew out a pair of red Christmas mittens from his pocket and tossed it at her. "Got it from Huang Yao's live event."

Mu Qiqi felt sweetness in her heart. Be that as it may, she felt that she was receiving more and more gifts from Sheng Xiao while she seemed to have given nothing back.

She wouldn't be able to afford anything expensive either…

"Xiaoxiao, I didn't prepare anything for you…"

Sheng Xiao snorted. "I could even afford you. What do you think I don't have?"

'But that's different…' Mu Qiqi thought, and decided that she would give him something acceptable.

***

Although it felt like they had spent a long time on the barge, it was actually quite brief—Sheng Xiao could not afford to have Mu Qiqi stay out so late.

It was already good enough for them to have come out to play, and so they returned to the car right after they left the barge and returned to the little mansion.

Right now, Mu Qiqi had no eyes for anything else other than that man she secretly admired—an admiration that increased bit by bit every single day.

Soon, they reached the little mansion and Mu Qiqi reluctantly got off the car, gently sneaking inside and into her room.

Sheng Xiao stayed downstairs and only drove away when the lights in her room went out.

However…

When he reached home and was about get down from his car, some stationery and a certain notebook scattered on the passenger seat caught his attention.

It must have dropped out when Mu Qiqi had taken out her phone just now.

Sheng Xiao picked everything up and placed them on the desk in his room. He left to wash up, before returning, wrapped in a bath towel and picking up the brown notebook.

The little one actually kept a diary…

Holding it up, Sheng Xiao lay down on his bed and switched his bed lamp on.

At first, he thought that he didn't have to read it since Mu Qiqi's every little thought was basically written on her face. Yet for some reason, Sheng Xiao thought that there had to be some content that would interest him!