**Chapter 239: Cold Hands**
If it was daytime, it would’ve been fine, but trekking through this pitch-black night felt like an expedition in a spooky black chicken coop. After a short stroll, Jiang Bin and his wife got bored and decided to postpone their explorations until tomorrow.
They didn’t even know where their daughters’ rooms were, so Jiang Bin and Zhang Yunzhi didn’t bother calling Jiang Kekai or Xia Yu and just headed straight to the ancestral home of Xia Yu and Xia Ling.
Little did they know, at this very moment, Jiang Kekai was already awake, snuggled up to Xia Yu, secretly watching her adorable companion play video games.
What’s up with this little cutie? With all that wealth, why doesn’t she invest a little? Instead, she keeps getting killed by other players while grinding monsters. Poor thing! But to avoid Xia Yu’s notice, she stayed still and was utterly immersed in her secret surveillance.
However… Xia Yu felt a bit sore from lying on his side for too long and decided to turn over, only to discover Jiang Kekai stealing glances at him.
In a flurry, he covered his phone. Xia Yu awkwardly stammered, “L-Little Ning, when did you wake up?” “I’ve been awake for quite a while,” she replied with a chuckle, pinching Xia Yu’s cute little nose before jumping out of bed. “Seriously, Little Yu, you’re so engrossed in this game! Is it really that fun?”
Xia Yu buried half his face into the blanket, exposing just his eyes, still feeling a bit bashful. “Did you see everything, Little Ning? There’s nothing else to do… just a bit bored.”
“It’s not like I’m forbidding you from playing. Get up! Let’s check if dinner’s ready.” “Okay…”
With Jiang Kekai not nagging about his gaming habit, Xia Yu felt more relaxed, obediently putting on his shoes and outerwear before heading out with her. Just as they reached the floor below, a bodyguard approached Jiang Kekai and said, “Young Lady, the Master just arrived and is with the Second Young Lady.”
Dad’s here? That caught Jiang Kekai off guard. One would think someone of that stature would be at the Jiang family home, snuggling with Mom, not gallivanting around like everyone else!
Well, since he’s here, Jiang Kekai wasn’t about to be as timid as her younger sister or older brother. Taking Xia Yu’s hand, she confidently headed toward Xia Yu’s ancestral home.
On the way, Jiang Kekai could feel Xia Yu’s nervousness from how tightly he gripped her hand. “What’s up? Didn’t we just have a meal together? Are you scared?” “Well, he’s your father, after all. It’s a bit intimidating.”
“What’s he gonna do, eat you? No worries, you’ve got me!”
Though she said that, Xia Yu still felt anxious. Changing such thoughts isn’t easy, given the generational gap!
Upon arriving at the ancestral home, they walked in to find Jiang Bin and Zhang Yunzhi chatting away with Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan. The topic… seemed to revolve around them!
“Uh, um…” Xia Yu hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to wish the two a Happy New Year, “Uncle and Aunt, Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity…” He wasn’t sure if that was the right etiquette, but this is how younger folks greet their elders, right? It felt a little awkward.
Jiang Bin wasn’t oblivious to the traditions. He pulled out a bulky red envelope from his coat and handed it to Xia Yu. Zhang Yunzhi was equally generous in her New Year greetings.
Receiving the red envelope made Xia Yu’s heart soar. Who would have thought he’d actually receive one, and such a hefty one at that?
At that moment, Jiang Kekai mischievously leaned closer and whispered in Xia Yu’s ear, “Little Yu, if you had called them ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’, you might have gotten even more!” Though her voice was quiet, the adults’ attention shifted toward them, so everyone heard her.
Cough cough—
Jiang Bin, slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat and quickly sent his overly sensible daughter away. “Kekai, why don’t you and Little Yu go upstairs and check if your sister is awake? Dinner will be ready soon—tell them to come down.”
“Got it!”
Thus, Jiang Kekai took the blushing Xia Yu by the hand, believing it was just a matter of time before everyone was happy.
Upon reaching the second floor, Jiang Kekai didn’t hesitate to knock on the door, “Hey, sleepyheads! Are you two out of hibernation yet? Come out and eat!” *Creak—*
The door swung open, revealing Jiang Hanhang, the clueless little loli, with her messy hair. But her eyes were wide awake, indicating she’d been up playing games in bed. Without a word, she spun around, leaped back into bed, and clung tightly to Xia Ling, exclaiming, “Eek! This loli is freezing! Don’t ever make me answer the door again!”
Xia Ling, ever the sensible one, replied, “Come on! Your sister and I are right here. Mind your image, okay?”
“What image? She’s right here with me, right, Hanhang?”
Jiang Kekai wasn’t one to hold back with her sister. She reached in the warm blanket and pulled out the silly loli.
“Hey! You can’t just do that! What if I catch a cold?” Hanhang pouted. At least give her some dignity! Xia Yu was here, didn’t she worry about him getting jealous?
Using Hanhang’s body to warm her hands, Jiang Kekai lost interest in playing and tossed her into Xia Ling’s arms. “Alright, time to get up! Dad and Mom are here!”
“What? Mom and Dad are here too? Why are they not just chilling at home?”
This got Jiang Hanhang all perked up. Unlike her sister, she was still a bit intimidated by their parents, given how useless she felt. “I have no idea! Why don’t you go down and ask them? We should be quick; dinner is almost ready.”
With that, Jiang Kekai turned and led Xia Yu away, remembering to close the door again to give those two loli princesses some space to change.
In the living room on the second floor, Xia Le was sprawled out, playing games on the TV while propping his feet up, completely at ease.
Like Lin Jie, Xia Le was feeling a bit intimidated by Jiang Kekai since she was just too powerful. It wasn’t worth the hassle to mess with her. So, when he saw Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu approach, he promptly retreated to his room, knowing when to back away. As for Jiang Kekai’s demeanor, she didn’t care what others thought. She just wanted to make sure Xia Yu liked her.
The TV show wasn’t entertaining, so Jiang Kekai pulled out her phone and searched for the game Xia Yu was playing… Meanwhile, Xia Yu wasn’t wasting time either; he took out his phone and scoured the internet for game videos, seeing if leading was really as easy as it looked.
