Chapter 135: The Sneaky Kiss
“Uh, huh? Sister Little Ning, what are you rambling about?”
As expected, Xia Yu’s brain began to short-circuit again after being teased by Jiang Kekai. He was a bit dazed, trying to wrap his head around what she just said. “I’m saying, Little Yu, you’re so cute. Why not just marry me and be my wife? Then I can be by your side every day, right?” Jiang Kekai said with a grin, looking at the bashful Xia Yu. For some reason, she loved seeing him like this.
Although Jiang Kekai didn’t care about the answer, Xia Yu did. He avoided her gaze, feeling embarrassed and hesitating for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out the words, “Sister Little Ning, you know, I… don’t have that anymore, so I can’t marry you.”
As he spoke, Xia Yu felt a wave of sadness wash over him because losing that thing was the most heartbreaking thing ever. Now that he had brought it up, how could he not feel disheartened?
Indeed, Xia Yu’s knowledge wasn’t very broad; he had no idea how much Dr. T had actually done for him. He simply thought his ‘thing’ had been cut off. So, right now, Xia Yu didn’t categorize himself as a girl or a boy but rather as a ‘ladyboy’ or eunuch that kids often joked about. Maybe that’s just what he was, Xia Yu sometimes thought in his little head, as his knowledge was quite limited.
Xia Yu’s response surprised Jiang Kekai. She had imagined many ways Xia Yu could reject her, but she never expected him to be so harsh as to put himself down to refuse.
At the same time, Jiang Kekai realized just how insecure Xia Yu was deep down. This realization hit her—this matter had really impacted Xia Yu a lot. Even after a year, he still hadn’t moved on.
Gently ruffling Xia Yu’s adorable little head, Jiang Kekai decided not to bully him anymore. “Alright, Little Yu, you don’t have to look down on yourself like that. Big sis tells you, you’re a super cute girl now, got it, silly?”
“Mmm~”
Xia Yu was slowly turning into a steam girl.
Looking at such a cute Xia Yu, Jiang Kekai really wanted to cuddle up with him on the bed, or perhaps roll around in the sheets, but the damp hair on her head and Xia Yu’s still-fragile sanity told her it wasn’t time yet.
So, Jiang Kekai could only smile wryly at Xia Yu and pinch his little face. “Alright, Little Yu, I’ll go dry my hair first. I’ll come back to be with you later.”
“Mmm.”
With that, Jiang Kekai went to the vanity to blow dry her hair while Xia Yu secretly watched her from the bed.
Honestly, Jiang Kekai’s playful words earlier had made Xia Yu’s heart flutter. Despite guessing it was a joke, he still rejected her seriously when he could.
Before long, after finishing up her hair, Jiang Kekai wasted no time, throwing on her nightie and hopping onto the bed. If it weren’t for the fear of hurting Xia Yu’s injury, she would have pounced on him already—who needed to be so careful?
Lying next to Xia Yu, Jiang Kekai wanted to hug him but was worried about his injury, and it was tough on her. Suddenly, Xia Yu’s voice broke through her inner turmoil.
“Sister Little Ning, who was that person you kicked at the hospital? You two looked like you knew each other pretty well.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Kekai turned to Xia Yu and replied, “Oh, Little Yu, I almost forgot. That guy is a bad egg. He’s from the same group that kidnapped us.”
“Uh? Why did they kidnap us?”
“How would I know? Maybe for money?”
“Then why doesn’t the enforcement team catch them?”
“Little Yu, the world is complicated. You’ll understand when you grow up a bit.”
Jiang Kekai affectionately poked Xia Yu’s soft little cheek. She didn’t want to tell him too much because knowing too much would just make him worry. Why would she want Xia Yu to ponder over too many things?
How nice would it be to be carefree like this?
“There you go again, Sister Little Ning. You’re just like my dad and mom; you all like to talk this way and don’t tell me anything.”
Listening to Xia Yu’s tone, Jiang Kekai could clearly sense he was feeling gloomy. But she still had no plans to let Xia Yu in on everything. So, slipping her hand under the covers, Jiang Kekai held Xia Yu’s tiny hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping to shift Xia Yu’s attention.
Sure enough, it worked. Xia Yu’s mind was quickly distracted by the hand under the blanket…
That night, Xia Yu had no idea how he fell asleep, maybe he just got tired from playing with Jiang Kekai. With no school the next day, they could sleep in as much as they wanted. Of course, Jiang Kekai, being the self-disciplined Jiang family young lady, was the first to wake up.
As she blinked and took in the unfamiliar ceiling, Jiang Kekai remembered—she had moved in with little Xia Yu, hadn’t she? Sure enough, when she turned her head, she saw the adorable Xia Yu sleeping soundly beside her.
Leaning in closer, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but smile as she watched Xia Yu snoozing.
Slowly, she moved in, holding her breath and finally lightly planted a kiss on Xia Yu’s soft little face. Afterward, she felt like a sneaky little kitten who had just stolen a treat, grinning wider than ever before. She then got up to put on her slippers and head off for her morning routine.
As soon as the door swung open and closed again, Xia Yu opened his eyes, and his little face turned beet red.
He was indeed a very insecure kid.
Because of this, he was also sensitive. When Jiang Kekai came in close earlier, he had felt it, but he didn’t dare to move; he didn’t understand why.
Only after Jiang Kekai had sneaked away did he finally dare to open his eyes, feeling utterly embarrassed about being kissed by a girl. Gradually, bashful little Xia Yu buried his head under the covers, unsure how he would face Jiang Kekai next.
It’s funny how fear works; what you fear often comes to pass. Before long, Jiang Kekai finished her routine and came back.
As she stepped into the room, Jiang Kekai spotted Xia Yu hiding his little head beneath the covers, clearly telling her that he was awake. “Little Yu, what are you up to?”
Jiang Kekai grinned like a mischief-maker as she approached the princess bed and lifted the blanket.
Lo and behold, the delicate Xia Yu was peering at her with a slightly scared look in his eyes. For some reason, seeing that smile of Jiang Kekai’s made Xia Yu feel a little threatened.
Pinching Xia Yu’s cheek, Jiang Kekai asked with concern, “Do you want to sleep some more? If not, how about I take you to freshen up?” After hesitating for a moment, Xia Yu nodded in agreement.
…
At the same time, Xia Le was starting his end-of-term exams.
Yes, it was the end of June; today was Xia Le’s finals. He was in a rural elementary school and only had two subjects: Chinese and Math. He could finish them all in one day. Once the exams were over, he could go to Peng City with a village friend to spend the summer vacation with his parents. If all went well, he would likely attend junior high over there too. So, he wasn’t jealous of his little brother and sister going to school in the city because he knew he would eventually go there too—it was just a matter of time.
During this period, many adults returned from the city to bring their kids over for the summer, so Xia Hong wasn’t worried about Xia Le not having someone to take him.
Xia Hong didn’t want to wait too long for two reasons: he wanted to take Xia Yu away from that place that could trigger her anxieties and because he had too much work piled up that needed his personal attention.
So, Xia Le got left behind a bit.
Once the afternoon exams wrapped up, Xia Le officially graduated from elementary school. He felt a tad sentimental about leaving his buddies behind. Likewise, his friends were also a bit sad to see him go.
Hence, as they made their way home, their steps slowed down.
“Brother Le, you’re going to Peng City tomorrow. Do you know when you’ll be back?”
Xia Le shook his head, forcing a smile. “Not yet, but I will definitely come back during the New Year.”
“Alright, when you do, can you help me buy something? They don’t sell it in town, and the delivery won’t get to us.”
“What’s that? If I can find it, I’ll definitely get it for you.”
“A monocular telescope, the kind that stretches out like on TV.”
“Okay, I’ll remember that.”
At that moment, Xia Jun was still quite loyal to his buddies.
But regarding Xia Yu, Xia Le, for some reason—a bit because of their closeness—felt some aversion to her, not wanting his little brother to cling to him like a shadow, feeling it was a bit embarrassing.
Now that Xia Yu was like this, the older brother couldn’t help but miss his little brother from before. Who knows, maybe growing up had made him a bit more sensible. But that didn’t matter; they’d get to see each other again tomorrow, right?
With that, once home, Xia Le eagerly began packing for the trip to the city.
In the hospital bed, Lin Jie glared at the phone, watching his ‘friends’ from the Peng City elite group mock him. He angrily clenched his phone. Yes, Lin Jie’s younger brother had been saved.
However, to prevent any similar accidents from happening, Lin Hai had ordered him to stay hospitalized for recovery until he was completely healed. At the same time, Lin Hai also wanted to protect his son from the Jiang family; after all, he was a very precious son.
“Get someone to look into those two twins again! I want a super detailed report!” Lin Jie’s voice echoed in the hospital room, radiating frustration.
