My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 12

Xi Xingyu said, “He won’t, Brother would definitely love to hear you talk.”

Qi Jiezhi saw how pitiful the boy’s expression was, so he spoke up, “Brother Ming, what do you think?”

“Mhm,” Qu Mingluo replied succinctly, “We’ll go.”

“Yay! This is great!”

“But you have to behave tomorrow,” Qu Mingluo reminded him.

“I promise I’ll behave!” Xi Xingyu immediately raised his hand in a vow, then turned to Qi Jiezhi, “Brother Qi, you have to hold my hand the whole time tomorrow, or my mean brother might lose me.”

“How could I possibly lose you?” Qu Mingluo frowned, “Don’t slander me.”

“You almost left me behind at the parking lot last time!” Xi Xingyu accused.

“That’s because you fell asleep in the car.”

“That’s also because you said you’d buy me ice cream, but then you went to take a phone call, and after that, you forgot what you were doing. Anyway, you didn’t come back for a long time!”

Watching the two brothers bicker, Qi Jiezhi suddenly felt a soft spot in his heart. He had never experienced such an intimate moment with family, and… he no longer had any family left.

“Brother Qi?” Xi Xingyu tugged at his hand, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Qi Jiezhi snapped out of it and smiled, “I was thinking that I must hold onto you tightly tomorrow so you don’t get lost.”

“Right, right!” Xi Xingyu looked at Qu Mingluo triumphantly, “Brother Qi is the best.”

Qu Mingluo’s gaze lingered on Qi Jiezhi’s face for a second before he quickly looked away, “Go to sleep, we have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Okay!” Xi Xingyu went skipping toward the stairs, turning back halfway, “Brother Qi, see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow,” Qi Jiezhi waved.

With only him and Qu Mingluo left in the living room, Qi Jiezhi stood there, suddenly unsure of what to say.

“Brother Ming,” he eventually started, “Is there… anything I need to prepare for tomorrow?”

“No,” Qu Mingluo said, “Just be there.”

“The necklace,” he added, his voice very soft, “Wear it. Xingyu will be happy to see it.”

Qi Jiezhi paused, instinctively touching the star around his neck. Even though Qu Mingluo was the one who gave it to him, he still claimed it was just to make Xi Xingyu happy.

“Okay,” he said.

Qu Mingluo nodded and turned toward the elevator.

The next day, Xi Xingyu brought a Polaroid camera.

“Are you sure you want to carry that yourself?” Qu Mingluo asked him.

Xi Xingyu replied, “I worked so hard to get both of you to come with me, of course it’s so I can take pretty pictures. Pretty pictures are best when you can hold them in your hand right away.”

Since he put it that way, Qu Mingluo didn’t argue.

“Let’s go.”

“Fine, but I’m holding Brother Qi’s hand, not yours,” Xi Xingyu declared.

“Fine,” Qu Mingluo countered, “It’s not like I’m begging to hold your hand, is it?”

“I don’t care about you!” Xi Xingyu said, “With my Brother Qi here, I won’t even look at you, Brother.”

Qu Mingluo didn’t speak again, but his gaze fell on Qi Jiezhi with an indecipherable meaning.

“Xingyu, hold onto the Polaroid tightly, don’t drop it,” he said, changing the subject.

“I know!” Xi Xingyu hung the camera around his neck, carefully shielding it with his hands, “This is my treasure!”

The three of them headed out, and the driver was already waiting at the door. Xi Xingyu insisted on sitting in the middle, holding Qi Jiezhi’s hand with one hand and clutching his Polaroid with the other.

Qu Mingluo sat by the window with a tablet on his lap, seemingly still dealing with work.

“Brother, you’re working again!” Xi Xingyu grumbled.

“It’ll be done soon,” Qu Mingluo said without looking up, his fingers sliding quickly across the screen.

“You’re just pretending to be hardworking out here, otherwise you would have finished it at home!” Xi Xingyu said solemnly.

Hearing him talk like that, Qi Jiezhi immediately laughed, “Our Xingyu is the reliable one after all.”

Qu Mingluo said nothing until he finished his work and closed the laptop, “Now I’m reliable too.”

Qi Jiezhi looked at his profile. The morning light streamed through the car window, casting fragmented spots of light on that overly handsome face, giving off a very special feeling.

“Brother Qi,” Xi Xingyu leaned in, lowering his voice, “Doesn’t my brother look especially handsome when he’s working?”

Qi Jiezhi was caught off guard by the question, the tips of his ears turning warm, “Xingyu…”

“It’s okay, tell me secretly, I won’t tell him,” Xi Xingyu blinked, looking mischievous.

Qu Mingluo suddenly gave a light cough, and Qi Jiezhi realized the boy hadn’t actually lowered his voice enough.

“Xingyu,” he smiled, “Your brother is handsome all the time.”

That was the truth, so Xi Xingyu didn’t say anything else. After all, he felt the same way.

The amusement park was more crowded than expected. As soon as they got out of the car, Xi Xingyu excitedly rushed forward, only to be grabbed by the back of his collar by Qu Mingluo, “Slow down, there are a lot of people.”

“We’ll have to wait in line anyway, so there’s no rush,” Qi Jiezhi added, though he was much gentler.

“But I want to be the first one on the roller coaster!” Xi Xingyu stomped his foot, “I’ve waited so long, I should get to go up right away.”

“The lines are long.” Qu Mingluo opened the amusement park app and handed his phone to Xi Xingyu, while naturally standing by Qi Jiezhi’s side, “You look at this. Brother Qi and I will follow your commands and arrangements.”

He was standing so close that his shoulder almost brushed against Qi Jiezhi’s.

Qi Jiezhi instinctively took half a step back, but was pulled forward again by Xi Xingyu. The three of them were huddled together, navigating through the crowded masses.

“Brother Qi,” Xi Xingyu suddenly raised the Polaroid, “The two of you, get closer!”

“What?”

“Picture time!” Xi Xingyu had already jumped in front of them and pressed the shutter. The film slowly slid out, “I want to record today!”

Qi Jiezhi and Qu Mingluo looked at each other, the distance between them so small they could smell each other’s scent.

“Don’t move, I’m not done yet!” Xi Xingyu shook the photo vigorously. After a moment, he said, “Okay, done!”

The photo showed two slightly flustered people with the noisy crowd of the amusement park in the background. Their shoulders were touching, and their expressions were a bit unnatural, yet they looked unexpectedly harmonious.

“It looks good!” Xi Xingyu tucked the photo into his chest pocket with satisfaction, “I’m going to take so many pictures today!”

Qu Mingluo was the first to snap back to reality, reaching out to ruffle his nephew’s hair, “Let’s go, get in line.”

The line for the roller coaster was very long. Xi Xingyu stood between Qi Jiezhi and Qu Mingluo, holding one hand each, chattering about funny things that happened at school.

Qi Jiezhi listened, responding occasionally, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to Qu Mingluo. Just like before, the man remained expressionless, showing only his sharp, superior jawline.

Sensing Qi Jiezhi’s gaze, Qu Mingluo turned his head. The moment their eyes met, they both quickly looked away.

“Brother Qi,” Xi Xingyu suddenly asked, “Are you afraid of heights?”

“I’m okay,” Qi Jiezhi said.

“My brother is okay too, but I don’t know if he’s faking it. He’s never come to play with me before,” Xi Xingyu said, “He only agreed to come because you’re here, otherwise he wouldn’t have come at all.”

“That’s not true. If you hadn’t wanted to come, your brother wouldn’t have agreed,” Qi Jiezhi told him.

“You’re clearly just saying nice things for him,” Xi Xingyu looked at him, “Brother Qi, don’t think my brother is actually a nice person. He’s just pretending because he’s afraid you’ll run away.”

Xi Xingyu spoke very seriously, as if he wasn’t joking at all.

Seeing him like this, Qi Jiezhi just thought he was adorable. After all, when the boy talked about his brother, there was no malice, he was just expressing what he saw. He felt that his brother would always express himself directly.

Qi Jiezhi knew, of course, that the boy was just joking, certain that his brother wouldn’t get angry. If Xi Xingyu thought his brother wouldn’t like hearing such a comment, he wouldn’t have said it.

“Your brother is very good,” Qi Jiezhi told him, “He keeps his word, he didn’t lie to you, and he didn’t just stay buried in work and ignore you.”

“You really are taking his side,” Xi Xingyu grumbled, “You adults are all the same, ganging up on me.”

“That’s not true, Xingyu,” Qi Jiezhi said, “Who would have the heart to bully such a cute kid?”

Xi Xingyu nodded at that. To him, words meant to coax him were always welcome. After all, he knew he was indeed very cute and likable.

After waiting in line for a while, it was finally their turn.

“I want to sit in the middle,” Xi Xingyu said seriously, “Brother and Brother Qi, both of you have to be beside me to protect me.”

“No problem at all!” Qi Jiezhi agreed immediately.

“Understood,” Qu Mingluo said.

“See, he’s just a cold, mean brother,” Xi Xingyu said, “Nothing like you.”

“Fine then,” Qu Mingluo said, “You let Brother Qi be your brother. I’m leaving. Bye-bye.”

“You won’t,” Xi Xingyu pointed at the crowd ahead and then looked at the people behind them, “We worked so hard to get here, wouldn’t it be a waste if you left?”

“Don’t you dislike me?” Qu Mingluo said, “If you don’t like me, I’m leaving.”

“Mean brother, mean brother,” Xi Xingyu said, “You’re too much.”

“The mean brother is still your brother,” Qu Mingluo said, “Brother Qi isn’t your brother.”

“Then if Brother Qi marries you, will he be my brother?” Xi Xingyu asked with a blink.

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