My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 14

Qu Mingluo said, “You should go find a magic lamp to make a wish instead of making things difficult for your brother.”

Standing beside them, Qi Jiezhi couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up. Listening to the two of them talk was genuinely entertaining. The kind of familial warmth he had never experienced before was clearly visible in them, leaving him feeling only a sense of coziness and happiness. If he had to describe it, there was perhaps a small touch of envy.

“Brother, Brother! Brother Xiao Qi!” Xi Xingyu cried out, “The parade! Let’s watch it together!”

“Alright,” Qi Jiezhi agreed readily.

However, Xi Xingyu picked up right where Qu Mingluo had left off. “If you wish upon a magic lamp, can you two be together then?”

Qi Jiezhi had no idea why the boy was so obsessed with this idea, nor did he know how to explain the situation clearly to a child. The thought of actually dating Qu Mingluo was something Qi Jiezhi didn’t dare entertain, to him, such a thought felt like a serious overstepping of bounds. Though he had many thoughts swirling in his mind, he kept them to himself.

“Is this your favorite character?” Qu Mingluo asked Xi Xingyu.

The question instantly diverted the boy’s attention. Since he loved this character, he immediately started dancing around with excitement. For him, this was a major highlight that couldn’t be ignored.

“So cute!” Xi Xingyu exclaimed.

“Very cute indeed,” Qi Jiezhi echoed.

Qu Mingluo would occasionally join in their conversation, but he remained silent most of the time. This was simply his personality, he wouldn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm or criticize their interests, but he didn’t have much to add either.

“This is so much fun,” Xi Xingyu said. “There are so many interesting things, I’m interested in everything!”

Qu Mingluo replied, “Then you’ll have to work hard for them yourself.”

“I definitely will, just you wait and see, Brother!”

“Alright.” Qu Mingluo didn’t discourage him.

At times, Qi Jiezhi would reflect on how much he had achieved compared to his past goals. When he checked them off one by one, he realized he had actually come quite a long way. Xi Xingyu had a better family and a better environment to grow up in, so he certainly had more opportunities. Qi Jiezhi felt certain that the boy would have the chance to achieve whatever he set his mind to.

Before the park closed, Xi Xingyu dragged the two of them to watch the fireworks. During the show, he snapped many photos with a Polaroid camera. Looking through them, he thought they all turned out beautifully.

“You two are just too good-looking, otherwise the photos wouldn’t look this nice. Thank you!”

Xi Xingyu wasn’t joking, he truly meant it. The moment the shutter clicked, the image was frozen in time, so the quality of the photo was always tied to the subjects’ actual appearance.

“Thank you for the compliment, Xiao Xing,” Qi Jiezhi said, looking at the photos. “Are any of these for me?”

Xi Xingyu carefully selected one and told him, “Put this behind your phone case right now.”

Since he had asked so directly, Qi Jiezhi didn’t refuse. He let Xi Xingyu place the photo in the back of his phone case. However, looking at the image of himself and Qu Mingluo again, he felt a bit dazed. For him, these moments were very precious.

After all, going to an amusement park wasn’t something he had experienced in the past. To visit such a place for the first time with Qu Mingluo by his side, along with the adorable Xi Xingyu, was a wonderful thing. Qi Jiezhi felt that he would likely look back on this day for a long time to come.

Because they had followed Xi Xingyu’s itinerary, neither he nor Qu Mingluo felt overly exhausted, and they even got to try some of the park’s special treats. Once the fireworks display ended, they finally headed back.

After showering, Qi Jiezhi stood by the window looking out at the sea. The scenery was breathtaking, and after a full day of fun, being here brought a sense of physical and mental peace.

Qi Jiezhi thought that, if possible, he would love to have a life like this. With a bit of luck, perhaps he could have this kind of life on his own. If he couldn’t find a suitable partner, being alone wouldn’t be a problem either. He had no desire for pets, he was certain he liked people. He rarely felt any special connection to other living creatures beyond a passing glance.

Qi Jiezhi placed today’s plush toy beside him. A moment later, Qu Mingluo appeared.

“I’m bringing milk to Xiao Xing,” Qu Mingluo said. “I poured a glass for you too.”

“Okay,” Qi Jiezhi didn’t decline. “Thanks, Ming-ge.”

He finished the milk quickly and placed the glass back on the tray. Qu Mingluo used a handkerchief to wipe the milk from the corner of Qi Jiezhi’s mouth, causing Qi Jiezhi’s ears to flush red instantly.

Qi Jiezhi couldn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops that he was gay. The problem was that living here made daily physical contact unavoidable. He couldn’t say much else, only silently praying in his heart for Xi Xingyu’s parents to return soon. Even though he felt this way, he kept it to himself.

“Get some rest,” Qu Mingluo said. “You worked hard accompanying Xiao Xing all day.”

Qi Jiezhi nodded but didn’t say anything further. He felt it was his responsibility since he had agreed to it, so there was no need to overthink it. However, that night, when he instinctively checked his messages, he saw a notification from the bank.

Clearly, it was from Qu Mingluo. But… it was far too much money!

While Qi Jiezhi had the goal of buying his own house, that was a task he needed to complete himself, it had nothing to do with anyone else. With Qu Mingluo helping him like this, he had no idea how he could ever repay him. If it were a one-time thing, it might not be a big deal, but now he seemed to be receiving a lot of favors in both his personal and professional life.

Qi Jiezhi felt truly embarrassed and worried that this would be a burden, as he didn’t seem to have any way to help Qu Mingluo in return. He considered sending a message but felt that wouldn’t be appropriate. Instead, he got up, went upstairs, and knocked on the door.

“Ming-ge, it’s me.”

“Come in,” Qu Mingluo glanced at him. “I figured you might come by.”

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit awkward because he really did want to decline such a large sum of money.

“I think you should understand that your value is worth far more than this,” Qu Mingluo said. “If you’re going to tell me that you’re too embarrassed to take the money because you like Xiao Xing, then I’ll have to start saying no to him in the future.”

Qi Jiezhi was smart enough to immediately understand what he meant.

“Don’t do that, Ming-ge,” Qi Jiezhi said. “If you insist, then I just hope I can be of help to you in the future.”

“I’m sure you will be, and I won’t be polite about asking when the time comes.”

Hearing this, Qi Jiezhi stopped arguing. It was clear that Qu Mingluo had made up his mind and wouldn’t let him return the money, so there was no point in pushing further. It was better to accept it for now and pay it back if the opportunity arose in the future. It was easy to see that Qu Mingluo wasn’t looking for a financial return.

Qi Jiezhi decided to stop dwelling on it, since he didn’t have a solution right now, there was no sense in looking for trouble. Returning to his room, he lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The sound of the waves outside came in pulses, leaving his emotions in a bit of a mess.

He rolled over, his fingers absentmindedly rubbing the photo behind his phone case. In the picture, he and Qu Mingluo stood side by side under the fireworks, shoulders touching. Looking at it felt like being transported back to that moment.

Qi Jiezhi pulled the photo out and held it up to the light. Qu Mingluo’s profile looked exceptionally soft, perhaps due to the Polaroid’s colors or the lighting at the time. Regardless, the softness in the photo was a stark contrast to his usual cold, sharp demeanor.

To stop his mind from wandering further, Qi Jiezhi tucked the photo back into the case. He sat up and quietly opened the curtains. In the distance, there were boats on the deep blue sea, everything was moving along in an orderly fashion.

Qi Jiezhi knew that dwelling on these things was just looking for trouble, but he couldn’t control his thoughts. However, once the sun rose tomorrow, it would be a normal workday again, not the weekend. No matter how he looked at it, today had been a very happy day. Letting these things bother him was quite foolish.

Qi Jiezhi completely gave up on his wandering thoughts and focused on the tasks ahead. For him, there were many things he had to do on his own, and those things had nothing to do with anyone else. He knew deep down that in all matters, he could only rely on himself.

Realizing this, he forced his eyes shut as the sound of the waves faded into a blur. In his daze, he suddenly thought about tomorrow. Logically, Qu Mingluo would be taking him to work again. There were five workdays in a week. Perhaps… that was what he really needed to get used to.

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