Chapter 137: Out of Reach |
Lan Yixian and her daughter left early.
That morning, Liu Changqing and his son skipped their usual morning jog. When Liu Changqing woke up around six, he noticed the mother and daughter were already gone.
Taking advantage of the quiet, he showered, aired out his leather shoes by the window, and washed his socks. After quietly leaving the house, he took a taxi to retrieve his van, which he had parked elsewhere the previous night.
By the time he returned with breakfast, he was greeted by the sound of Liu Xiazhi crying. Standing in the living room, holding the breakfast bag, he saw An Yuanyao struggling to comfort Xiazhi while Liu Zhiyue looked utterly helpless.
“What’s going on?” he asked softly.
“Daddy!”
Xiazhi immediately stopped crying and ran barefoot toward him.
Though small, her sudden impact made Liu Changqing stagger slightly, especially since his hands were full.
“Let me put the breakfast down first,” he said helplessly.
Liu Changqing felt his heart melt. This is my adorable daughter!
Turning to An Yuanyao, he couldn’t resist showing off. “Could you grab the breakfast? This little one’s too attached to me.”
“Okay.”
Bemused, An Yuanyao stepped forward to take the bag.
Liu Changqing patted Xiazhi’s head gently. “Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face?”
“No, not yet...”
“That won’t do! Go brush your teeth and wash up so you can have breakfast.”
Xiazhi didn’t move immediately. After a moment, she raised her tear-filled eyes and looked up at him.
“Wherever you go... take me with you...”
“Of course!”
Caught off guard, Liu Changqing hesitated briefly before agreeing with a big smile.
Only after repeated reassurances did Xiazhi reluctantly release him and head to the bathroom.
Watching this unfold, An Yuanyao couldn’t help but find it odd.
“Why is Xiazhi suddenly so clingy?” she asked, glancing between the bathroom and Liu Changqing’s grinning face.
“She woke up and didn’t see me, so she started crying,” he explained. “Neither you nor Zhiyue could calm her down, but I managed in no time. Makes sense, right? I am her dad.”
“Well, yes, but...”
“Have you washed up yet?” Liu Changqing interrupted.
“No, not yet...”
An Yuanyao instinctively touched her face, suddenly self-conscious. “Do I look... bad?”
“No, you look great,” he replied matter-of-factly.
Stunned, she didn’t respond immediately. Liu Changqing walked past her toward the table, turning to Zhiyue, who was sitting on the sofa.
“Didn’t you notice when Zhou Shiyan and the others left?”
“No, I didn’t realize...”
“Alright.”
The mention of Lan Yixian brought a momentary silence to Liu Changqing. Remembering her expression from last night, he quickly pushed the thought aside. With the mother and daughter’s issues resolved, there wouldn’t be much contact moving forward. Still, he’d miss their breakfast shop.
He unpacked the breakfast and set it on the table.
Curious, An Yuanyao leaned closer. “Who’s Zhou Shiyan?”
“She’s my son’s classmate. Lan Yixian’s daughter. Didn’t I tell you yesterday?”
“No...”
“Must’ve slipped my mind.”
An Yuanyao stared at him silently for a moment, then blurted, “Are you hiding something from me?”
“What? No!”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“Alright then...”
Relieved, she patted her chest. But something occurred to her, and she asked, “Since you’re not working at the bookstore anymore, are you still writing novels?”
“Yes, though only during downtime. My main focus isn’t on novels right now.”
“What’s your main focus, then?”
“Yesterday, I took you to that place. I’m working there now.”
Finished setting the table, Liu Changqing picked up a plastic cup of eight-treasure porridge, stuck a straw in, and handed it to her.
“Sweetened, with three scoops of sugar.”
An Yuanyao froze, staring at the porridge in surprise. Her eyes shimmered.
“You remembered I like sweet things...”
She reached out to take it, but Liu Changqing pulled it back abruptly.
She looked at him, startled, but before she could say anything, he spoke first.
“You haven’t brushed your teeth yet. Go freshen up!”
“...”
“Haha!”
Liu Changqing burst into laughter, finding her reaction amusing rather than intending to mock her.
Embarrassed, An Yuanyao’s face reddened as she lightly smacked him a few times.
Zhiyue, who had been observing from the sofa, felt increasingly uneasy.
Their relationship is getting... strange. Could it really be what I think it is?
Seeing his father grab An Yuanyao’s hand, Zhiyue decided he’d seen enough. Whatever. I’m done caring.
Meanwhile, Lan Yixian and Zhou Shiyan spent the morning tidying up their home. With no food left in the house, they headed out for a meal at a small rice bowl restaurant.
The two silently ate their tomato and scrambled egg rice.
Eventually, Zhou Shiyan put down her chopsticks. “Mom, there’s still a chance!”
“What?”
Pulled from her thoughts, Lan Yixian looked at her daughter’s serious face in confusion.
Biting her lip, Zhou Shiyan hesitated before saying, “Mom, you like Uncle Liu, don’t you? He’s not married yet. You still have a chance—”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Lan Yixian interrupted her, smiling faintly. “As long as you’re doing well, that’s all that matters to me. Nothing else is important.”
“But—”
“Finish your food. We still need to clean the shop. The tables and chairs need replacing.”
Zhou Shiyan fell silent. After finishing their meal, Lan Yixian paid, and the two headed toward the breakfast shop.
The sun was blinding, and the air was stifling.
Lan Yixian kept walking, raising her head to squint at the sky.
“You can’t see stars during the day...”
“That’s because the sun’s light drowns them out,” Zhou Shiyan explained. “But stars are still there during the day.”
Lan Yixian paused.
“Are stars heavy?”
“They might look small, but they’re actually huge and very heavy.”
“I see...”
Lowering her head again, Lan Yixian murmured, “In that case... I guess I’ll never be able to afford one.”
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