Chapter 4 Booked (1)

Meng Shihao gave Qin Yiyi a tender smile, "Yiyi, hello, I'm Brother Hao." The young boy was clean and gentle, with soft flaxen hair hanging by his ears, handsome features, and fair skin; even the upturned corners of his lips seemed especially delicate and pink. Yiyi liked him at first sight and smiled fondly at Meng Shihao, considering him her ideal type of brother.

It wasn't that Qin Yiyi disliked her own brothers. Her eldest brother was sunny and cheerful, and her cousin was harmless and gentle in appearance, but Yiyi had seen her cousin grown up—a classic case of a sheep's skin over a wolf's heart. Though both cherished her, they fell far short of the gentle and considerate ideal she held in her mind.

Then she turned to look at the quiet little boy next to him. It was undeniable that even though the child seemed isolated in his own world, untouchable, just standing there without doing anything, he was still a glowing presence.

Qin Yiyi scrutinized the little boy named Meng Shichen closely, and her undeniable stare made the boy turn his head slightly. Their eyes met.

This kid in three words, stunning! Skin softer and more delicate than a girl's, shiny short black hair, delicate features with distinct edges, deep facial contours, slightly sunken eye sockets, and eyes unlike her pure black ones, purplish black, which, if looked at closely, had a faint mesmerizing effect. Luckily, he was young now, and it wasn't too obvious, just like the SD dolls she had seen in the future. But the little boy's personality was obviously sensitive and aloof. To Qin Yiyi, he was only to be admired from a distance and not to be played with, so she felt no affection towards him.

When it came to judging people, Qin Yiyi was an expert. In her past life, because she was beautiful, she was always put in external relations regardless of which company she worked for, so she had basically met all kinds of people. Such people required careful, effortful handling, and she felt she didn't have the time for that.

While Qin Yiyi was still earnestly making eye contact with Meng Shichen, the adults around them were struck by the darling expression on the little one's cute face. At that time, the term "moe" wasn't popular yet, and not knowing how to express their feelings, they only had physical actions to rely on. The little face was nibbled on again and again, and even Meng Shihao, who was always so proper, couldn't help himself. Meng Shichen, seeing the little one no longer looking at him, pursed his lips.

At that moment, Qin Yiyi was sighing inwardly, pleased that everyone liked her but not quite accustomed to such warmth. Getting kissed on the cheek was one thing, but a kiss on the mouth would be too unsanitary.

"Yiyi baby, who do you like after looking for so long?" The old man Meng, seeing the little one as if she truly understood his words, his eyes deepening, asked softly.

Qin Yiyi was startled and smiled foolishly with her mouth agape. The confusion in Elder Luo's eyes dissipated, and he resumed the competition with Qin Guosheng to spoil the child. While they weren't paying attention, Qin Yiyi moved her little body, which had just been frightened stiff, and reminded herself to be careful and cautious in the future.

"Dinner's about to start, Yunshang, why haven't your in-laws arrived yet?" Grandma Qin, after preparing the banquet, went to call everyone to the table and after arranging a round, realized that the in-laws hadn't arrived. It was Yiyi's full-month celebration, and her maternal grandparents' family was an important part of it.

Hua Yunshang's gaze shifted away from her daughter and swept around the room; indeed, she didn't see her father, and she too became anxious. After all, the guests were all distinguished figures, and it would be extremely rude to make them wait, not to mention what they would think of her as a daughter-in-law and of her maternal family.

Meng Zhong'an saw his younger sister's anxiety and stood up, saying, "Yunshang, you go make the call, we're all here looking after Yiyi darling. You can rest assured about this side."

Hua Yunshang nodded at her older sister-in-law, ready to make a phone call.

Before Hua Yunshang could head to the study to make the call, Yiyi's maternal grandfather, Hua Wence, arrived with his wife, Ye Qiqing, carrying a little girl in his arms.

Speaking of this little girl, it wasn't that Yiyi had forgotten to mention her; she had intentionally glossed over her. The girl in her grandfather's arms was Yiyi's cousin, named Hua Chuyao. She was three years older than Yiyi and was the child of Yiyi's late uncle.

In fact, the death of Chuyao's parents had something to do with Yiyi's mother. At the time, Chuyao had just got pregnant and didn't want to miss the opportunity to hold an art exhibition in another province. Since the family was artistic, her younger brother, who was very close to her since childhood, volunteered to go and scout the location on her behalf. It was a dramatic turn of events: they ran into a heavy rainstorm, and a head-on collision with a drunk-driving truck took their lives instantly. So, the one who was most affected was not the elders, but her mother, who was so emotional she nearly had a miscarriage. The only thing to do was to lavish all the guilt she felt towards her brother's family onto her niece.

Every cause has its effect, and in her previous life, Yiyi was equally pampered, which inevitably led to her being spoiled and ignorant. But her cousin was much more calculating, deceiving many with her sensible and pleasant behavior. Whether out of jealousy or hatred, she was ruthless in her treatment of Yiyi. At school, she was the gentle and kind-hearted poor orphan, while Yiyi was portrayed as the tyrannical and vicious rich girl. Now, thinking back, her own rebellious and self-destructive behaviors could be considered a major cause. Such a young child, unable to articulate or defend herself against the misunderstanding of others, only grew more peculiar and irritable. Thinking of how her naïveté had deeply hurt her family, turning those once proud and adoring gazes into ones of indifferent disappointment, Yiyi felt a twinge of pain, and a coldness gradually settled in the depths of her eyes.

Yiyi had been capricious in the past, but at heart, she was still tender. Her mother always murmured in her ear that they owed her cousin, so even when she knew of her cousin's malice, Yiyi could never bring herself to retaliate, and in the end, nothing could be salvaged. Moreover, her cousin's actions against her were like a soft knife cutting through flesh—painful but ineffable. She blamed her own lack of resilience and vigor. Now, given a fresh start, Yiyi didn't want to harbor any resentment toward her cousin, who was still a child, but she couldn't help feeling some resentment when she saw her. She had paid her dues in her last life; having lived twice over and seen much of the world's darkness, any semblance of conscience had long eroded. If her cousin were to come to harm in the future, no one could blame Yiyi.

Yiyi in this life was different; with her grandfather as her staunch supporter, even if she acted out of line, who could say anything? With this thought, Yiyi gave her grandfather a warm smile. In this life, she would not let those who love her be disappointed or saddened.

Aware as if by intuition, Grandfather Qin turned to his granddaughter and saw that smile. For some reason, he felt a bit of heartache. Clutching his precious granddaughter tighter, Grandfather Qin self-mockingly thought that such a young child couldn't be heartbroken, but realized he couldn't bear to see his granddaughter unhappy. His original intent to groom her into the most excellent talent suddenly changed; with his protection and that of her uncles and brothers, his precious one was to live a life without worries, utterly unrestrained.

As soon as Hua Wence entered, he could tell that everyone had arrived, and being late was indeed impolite. He smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry for being late."

"What are you talking about, dear relative? We have children in our family too; we know how troublesome it can be for the little ones to go out," said Madame Qin, smoothing over the situation.

Yiyi's maternal grandmother, Ye Qiqing, herself of a noble family background and a professor, naturally understood the underlying meaning of those words. She smiled amiably, saying, "Little children are bound to be naughty, you are fortunate—your children have grown up and are so obedient." This kind of small domestic talk was most appropriately initiated by the ladies.