Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Aunt Lan rushed over, squatting down to wrap her arms around the little girl, and coaxed her gently, “You can’t just hit people. Let’s go.”

Lu Qiaoyi stuck her tongue out at me, took Aunt Lan’s hand, and left.

Sister Fang hurried over to check my face, whispering, “Are you okay? She’s Ah Ron’s pride and joy, completely spoiled. She has a bit of a temper, so please don’t take it to heart.”

I smiled at her. “It’s fine.”

Just then, Lu Qiaoyi, who had already reached the door, suddenly ran back.

She climbed onto me, excitedly fiddling with the Mickey Mouse charm on my bag, and ordered Sister Fang, “I want this. Take it off for me.”

Sister Fang looked at me helplessly. “Sigh, just give it to her.”

As she spoke, Sister Fang reached out to unfasten the plush charm from my bag.

I pressed down on Sister Fang’s hand and shook my head at her.

I leaned down to face Lu Qiaoyi directly. “If you want it, you have to ask for it yourself.”

Lu Qiaoyi opened her large, innocent eyes and reached out toward me. “Then give it to me.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You were very rude just now, so I’m very angry. I don’t want to give it to you.”

Lu Qiaoyi had clearly never encountered anyone who would refuse her. She immediately got angry. “You’re mean! I’ll have Daddy kick you out! I want Mickey Mouse! Give it to me!”

I caught Lu Qiaoyi’s small arms. “Children who throw tantrums aren’t cute at all. They don’t get presents.”

Lu Qiaoyi pouted. “But I hate you. I want to be mean to you.”

I remained patient. “First of all, I am not your father’s girlfriend. Second, you misunderstood me. Shouldn’t you apologize to me?”

Lu Qiaoyi’s tiny face was filled with immense confusion.

At that moment, the nanny, Aunt Lan, walked over. She clearly didn’t want Lu Qiaoyi to apologize to a nobody like me, so she hurriedly tried to lead the little girl away. “It’s time to eat. You didn’t eat your vegetables properly today. If your father finds out, he’ll be angry.”

To everyone’s surprise, Lu Qiaoyi shook off Aunt Lan’s hand and clung to me. “Fine… since you aren’t Daddy’s girlfriend, then I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry.”

She touched the Mickey Mouse charm. “Can I have it now?”

I smiled. “If you eat your vegetables properly, I can give it to you as a reward.”

Hearing this, Lu Qiaoyi urged Aunt Lan, “I want to eat. I want to eat right now.”

Aunt Lan took an insulated lunch box out of her bag and knelt down to feed Lu Qiaoyi.

But Lu Qiaoyi pointed her small hand at me. “I want this pretty lady to feed me.”

I set the lunch box on an empty chair nearby and said to the little girl, “You’re already four years old. You should eat by yourself.”

Lu Qiaoyi thought about it, then picked up a child-sized fork and stabbed a piece of vegetable. She watched me while she ate.

I nodded gently, encouraging her. “Take a big bite.”

Aunt Lan was beyond shocked. “Oh my, I’ve never seen Qiaoyi be this obedient. Miss, you’re really something.”

I just smiled.

It wasn’t that I was “something”; I just had experience raising a child before.

Once Lu Qiaoyi finished her meal, I gave her the Mickey Mouse plush as a reward.

We made a deal: if she ate her vegetables properly from now on, I would give her a Donald Duck plush next time.

Lu Qiaoyi jumped for joy. She grabbed my hand and insisted I play games with her.

After playing for a while, she got sleepy.

Aunt Lan tried to take her back.

Lu Qiaoyi started crying and refused to leave, throwing another tantrum and insisting on finding Daddy.

I knew the little girl just missed her father.

Sister Fang saw it too and said hesitantly, “But Ah Ron is in a meeting, and there’s a script reading right after. Who knows when he’ll be finished? If Joey goes to bother him now, he’ll definitely be angry.”

I thought for a moment and beckoned Lu Qiaoyi over. “How about I tell you a story?”

Lu Qiaoyi’s little nose was red from crying. “What stories do you know?”

I said warmly, “I know a lot. ‘Cinderella,’ ‘The Little Mermaid,’ ‘Sun Wukong’…”

Lu Qiaoyi snuggled into my arms and opened her arms for me to hold her.

I picked her up, just as I had held Shen Yuqing many years ago, cradling her and gently patting her arm while I told the story.

Lu Qiaoyi’s small hand rested naturally against my chest. She sucked her thumb, her eyes fixed on me without blinking.

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

When Aunt Lan tried to take her later, she tightened her grip on me even in her sleep, crying out.

“It’s okay, I’ll hold her.”

Time ticked by. About twenty minutes later, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Lu Junrong walked in.

I hadn’t seen him in six months. He was a bit thinner, and his hair was cut shorter, making him look even more sharp and handsome.

Our eyes met. He froze for two seconds before striding over to take the child directly from my arms.

Lu Qiaoyi was still half-asleep. She whimpered and clung to my neck, refusing to let go, and mumbled, “Mommy, hold me…”

I froze and looked at Lu Junrong.

Lu Junrong’s eyes were cold. He roughly pulled the child away and handed her to Aunt Lan, his tone harsh. “Who gave you permission to bring her to the company!”

Aunt Lan apologized immediately. “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

After Aunt Lan left with Lu Qiaoyi, Lu Junrong turned slowly. He looked at me with an expression of pure indifference. “Xu Zhiyi, what is the meaning of this?”