Chapter 378 - Danchen, You Can’t Be Trying to Pursue the General Manager, Right? (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ruan Danchen knew Qi Chenglin did not truly blame her for not sleeping, so she did not get upset.
Instead, she smirked. Her smile was gentle and her sickly body was soft and slithery. Face reddened, she shuffled toward him and hugged his arm. “I can’t sleep when you’re not around.”
Qi Chenglin was initially unhappy with her not resting, but how could he possibly be mad seeing her acting cute with him now?
Qi Chenglin stared at her from the corner of his eyes, his lips curled into a faint smile. He pulled her into his embrace and warned, “Don’t think that acting cute will work every time.”
“…” Ruan Danchen blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Qi Chenglin had not rested for the days; he was completely drained. The dark circles beneath his eyes were obvious. When Ruan Danchen noticed him trying to suppress a yawn, she hurriedly dragged him to the bedroom.
Qi Chenglin did not change into his pajamas and instead took off his shirt and tossed it on the sofa. Immediately after, he slumped onto the bed. He was in no mood to clean up or brush his teeth. He pulled Ruan Danchen into his arms and shut his eyes. Out of habit, he kissed her forehead. After making sure that his body temperature did not change, he was relieved and could finally relax.
Chin resting on Ruan Danchen’s head, he yawned. “I was in such a rush to get home that I forgot to call you after Song Yu gave birth. It’s a boy.”
The name ‘Youjin’ was given when Song Yu was still pregnant. Before that, they already knew the baby’s gender through one of her check-ups—Ruan Danchen knew too.
Ruan Danchen was also getting sleepy. She covered her mouth and yawned. Slowly, she drifted into sleep in Qi Chenglin’s warm embrace.
…
…
Ruan Danchen felt much more energized the next day. Although her nose was still runny, it was much better than the day before.
She woke up quite early but the bed was already empty. She had unknowingly tugged all the blanket to her side and rolled herself up in her sleep at night. Qi Chenglin’s side was cold and the bedsheet was wrinkled. She wondered how long he had been awake.
Moreover, there was no sound coming from the washroom.
Ruan Danchen jumped out of bed. She rushed through her morning routine, including washing up, changing and putting on some CC cream to hide her grim complexion. After using about 15 minutes to get ready, she dashed to Qi Youxuan’s room.
Unexpectedly, she opened the door to find that Qi Youxuan was not there either. His bed was still a mess but he was no longer there—only his teddy bear-themed pajamas was left on the bed.
Ruan Danchen glanced at the clock—it was only six in the morning. Typically, Qi Youxuan sprawled on his bed, drooling.
However, this morning, both the big one and the little one was gone.
Ruan Danchen headed downstairs curiously. When she entered the living room, she saw the well-dressed Qi Youxuan sitting under the Christmas tree. He had his back against her, his little hands tearing off the wrapping paper around a huge toy.
Ruan Danchen smiled. No wonder the boy woke up so early; he was impatient to open his gifts.
“Where’s Dad?” Ruan Danchen asked as she approached Qi Youxuan. She saw that the gift she bought Qi Chenglin was still under the Christmas tree, untouched.
Qi Youxuan placed his little plump hands on his forehead and uttered tragically, “He’s making breakfast.”
“…” Ruan Danchen was taken aback.
Qi Youxuan stood up, holding the toy under his armpit. “Aunt Ruan, it’s because of your encouragement yesterday that made Dad so motivated today, isn’t it?”
From his expression, Ruan Danchen could tell that what he meant was, ‘Why’d you have to encourage him?!’
“…” Ruan Danchen stared at him, then pinched his tender and chubby cheeks. “Don’t be like that. Dad woke up so early today just to make us breakfast. He’s working hard.”
Qi Youxuan pondered on it; it was rare for his dad to do such things. It was rather touching. In spite of that, his questionable culinary skills made Qi Youxuan shiver. He was having mixed feelings about this.
“I’ll bring the toy to my room first,” Qi Youxuan said, staring straight at the floor.
Hearing that, Ruan Danchen suddenly remembered something. She warned, “I recall that there are cupcakes in that box of yours. You’re not allowed to eat it as an excuse to not eat the breakfast Dad is preparing, okay?”
“…” Qi Youxuan was rendered speechless.
It had only been one night but Aunt Ruan had already betrayed him. The little boy regretted showing her his secret stash.
Ruan Danchen exhaled softly. She walked up to him and cupped her hands gently onto his little face. In a tender voice, she explained, “Dad’s working hard in the kitchen, making breakfast for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s tasty or not, you should still be thankful. Your dad has been taking care of me since the night before when I got this fever. He didn’t get much sleep that night and had been taking care of me the whole day yesterday too. Last night, he was busy in the kitchen with us and just as he was going to bed, he received a call to head to the hospital.”
“What happened?” Qi Youxuan questioned anxiously.
Ruan Danchen smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s your auntie—she was giving birth. It’s a boy. I’ll bring you to visit him later.”
Qi Youxuan was exhilarated.
Seeing this, Ruan Danchen quickly added, “Your dad only came back at four o’clock midnight yesterday. After merely two hours of sleep, he clambered out of bed just to make breakfast for us. Additionally, he still needs to go to work later. That’s why we have to show that we’re grateful, okay?”
After contemplating her words and realized that his dad had indeed worked hard, Qi Youxuan nodded.
Ruan Danchen patted his head lovingly and let him head upstairs to put away his toy.
The little boy was a child that one could easily reason with. He was also a boy of his words, coming straight down without eating anything after keeping away his toy.
Ruan Danchen turned to look into the kitchen. She noticed Aunt Zheng standing anxiously next to Qi Chenglin who was frying eggs.
“Sir, it’s time to take it out. Hurry up, sir. Hurry or it’ll burn,” instructed Aunt Ruan.
She came here early in the morning to prepare breakfast. To her surprise, when she entered the kitchen, Qi Chenglin followed. He scratched his nose and shyly hinted that he wanted to prepare today’s breakfast.
Aunt Zheng was dumbfounded. She had worked here for years but she had never seen Qi Chenglin cook a thing. While she was still in a daze, Qi Chenglin had already put on an apron. He even asked Aunt Zheng to stay by his side to guide him through it.
After what happened yesterday, Qi Chenglin could no longer trust recipe books. Instead, he had the experienced Aunt Zheng taught him how to cook.
Qi Chenglin was helplessly talentless in this area. His brows were furrowed and his body stiff. To him, cooking was like going to war.
Luckily, Aunt Zheng was there to guide him. The eggs were only burnt at the sides and the cold dishes he prepared smelt decent enough.
Aunt Zheng was so busy helping Qi Chenglin that she did not have time to cook porridge. Thus, they drank milk instead.
Qi Chenglin watched as Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan ate the egg but did not ask them anything. He merely sat there coolly.
Ruan Danchen smiled and praised, “It’s so good.”
Qi Chenglin looked at her with a soft expression before turning to Qi Youxuan.
“…” Qi Youxuan stared at the egg, then turned to his dad. Surprisingly, it tasted alright, so he nodded and said, “It’s tasty.”
Qi Chenglin was delighted. His expression melted. “I’ll have Aunt Zheng make burgers for dinner.”
Hearing that, Qi Youxuan took the chance to flatter Qi Chenglin. “Dad, the breakfast you made is so delicious! When can I have it again?”
Qi Chenglin bit his lips. “Wait till the weekends. I was just trying my hands today.”
Hearing that, Aunt Zheng let out a sigh of relief.
After finishing breakfast, Qi Chenglin left the dining room first and waited for Ruan Danchen. Ruan Danchen was staring at the bottom of the Christmas tree anxiously. She contemplated whether she should remove the gift. She thought, ‘I must’ve lost my mind when I decided to buy this.’
Unexpectedly, the gift was already gone—the spot he left the gift in was empty. Ruan Danchen blushed when she saw that Qi Chenglin was no longer in the living room. She guessed that he must have gone upstairs to take the gift away.
Not long after, she saw Qi Chenglin coming back down. Ruan Danchen swallowed nervously; Qi Chenglin, on the other hand, appeared to have no reaction. He kept the usual faint smile that he showed Ruan Danchen whenever he looked at her—there was not a hint of anger or crudeness in his expression.
Noticing Ruan Danchen’s gaze, he went up to her and raised his eyebrows.
“What’s the matter?” he questioned, standing beside her.
Ruan Danchen felt guilty. She paid close attention to Qi Chenglin’s reaction, but he was not exhibiting much emotion. Maybe he had not opened the gift. Perturbed, she asked, “You brought it upstairs already?”
“Mm,” he answered, as his gaze shifted to the Christmas tree. That was all he said. Ruan Danchen was extremely curious to know what he thought about the gift but the words would not leave her.
After a while, she eventually asked, “Have you opened it?”
Qi Chenglin glared at her. Just as he opened his mouth, Qi Youxuan dashed out from the kitchen, making Qi Chenglin shut his mouth immediately.