My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 16

“You should rest,” Qu Mingluo said, “I’m just in your way here.”

Qi Jiezhi shook his head. “Of course that’s not the case!”

“Rest,” Qu Mingluo repeated, “I’m heading back now.”

“Alright.”

Qi Jiezhi watched him leave before lying back down on the bed. He couldn’t help but wonder, for someone like Qu Mingluo, what did he actually represent right now?

But rather than dwelling on that mystery, he realized he should probably consider what Qu Mingluo meant to him. His own heart was wavering, and he was overly sensitive whenever the man appeared, which was clearly his own issue to deal with.

“Qu Mingluo…” Qi Jiezhi whispered the name softly, then shook his head.

He had already showered earlier and was debating whether to take another one. He didn’t feel particularly comfortable, and there were definitely signs of a cold coming on, so after a moment of thought, he decided against it.

Lying in bed, he felt a bit dazed. After an unknown amount of time, he drifted into a fitful sleep.

The next day, Qi Jiezhi woke up to his alarm. Taking a deep breath, he felt mostly fine and planned to change his clothes for work. After washing up, he got dressed, but as soon as he opened the door, he found Qu Mingluo standing there.

“You don’t need to go to the office today,” Qu Mingluo said. “I’ll handle your leave, don’t worry.”

“I’m fine now,” Qi Jiezhi replied. “President Qu, the preventative medicine you gave me was very effective.”

“Even so, you should rest,” Qu Mingluo insisted. “I’ve already made the arrangements. It was exhausting going to the amusement park with Xiaoxing, and it was inconsiderate of me to let you work yesterday. This is your compensation.”

“President Qu,” Qi Jiezhi started, unsure of what else to say, “thank you.”

Qu Mingluo didn’t say much else, simply watching him step back inside before the door closed.

Qi Jiezhi felt that as a boss, Qu Mingluo was truly doing everything he possibly could. If given the chance, he hoped to contribute whatever small strength he had to the company.

Having just changed into work clothes, he now changed back into his pajamas. When he was home alone, he preferred wearing pajamas. He worked a lot and had very little time to himself, so he cherished these quiet moments.

He went back to bed for a little while, and when he finally got up, he discovered that Qu Mingluo had arranged for breakfast to be waiting for him downstairs.

Qu Mingluo was incredibly thoughtful.

Qi Jiezhi felt that if he could truly meet someone like this, someone who wasn’t so out of reach like the distant moon or a cool breeze, he would want to…

Hold them in his arms.

Qi Jiezhi ate his meal in silence and tried to push those thoughts away. Checking the work group, he saw that no one had assigned him any tasks or even asked him any questions. Clearly, Qu Mingluo had given specific instructions.

After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Qu Mingluo: [Thank you, President Qu. I’ll go pick up Xiaoxing this evening.]

He followed up with: [I want to go myself, I’ll consider it part of my rest.]

Qu Mingluo replied: [As long as you find it relaxing.]

Qi Jiezhi stared at those words for a long time. It was clear Qu Mingluo’s stance hadn’t changed, he still felt that Qi Jiezhi’s own feelings were what mattered most and he wouldn’t interfere. He was respectful and understanding enough to make others feel completely at ease.

In a professional setting, he wasn’t usually like this.

Qi Jiezhi decided to stop overthinking, as it wouldn’t do him any good. When the time was right, he went with the driver to the school. He had never actually picked up Xi Xingyu before. He always had his own responsibilities, first with school and then with work.

So, this experience was quite special for him too.

Since he was picking up Xi Xingyu, Qi Jiezhi didn’t forget to prepare a few things. After a full day of school, the boy would definitely be hungry. He bought some snacks that Xi Xingyu usually liked before waiting at the school gates.

When Xi Xingyu looked over toward him, many other children were staring as well. Qi Jiezhi briefly wondered if he had dyed his hair some strange color, but since he hadn’t, he didn’t worry about it.

There was still some distance from the gate to where he stood, so Qi Jiezhi just stayed in place and waited. When he saw Xi Xingyu running toward him, he opened his arms wide.

Xi Xingyu immediately dove into a hug. “Brother Xiao Qi!”

“Hey there!”

“This is great! I told them I had an especially handsome brother, but they didn’t believe me. Now that they’ve seen you, they’ll definitely believe it.”

His voice was full of excitement, clearly convinced of his own words. Qi Jiezhi wasn’t about to argue. As long as Xi Xingyu was happy, that was enough.

“So, they all saw me then?”

Xi Xingyu nodded. “You’re so good-looking, so now they all believe me.”

Qi Jiezhi felt that children were truly pure. At that age, they were simple and sweet, believing whatever they were told. Xi Xingyu had clearly been looking forward to this.

“I brought you some snacks, see if there’s anything you like,” Qi Jiezhi told him.

The two of them walked to the car, and once inside, Xi Xingyu opened the bag to look.

“Brother Xiao Qi, these are all my favorites!” Xi Xingyu was thrilled. To him, it was a wonderful thing that the brother he liked so much actually cared about his preferences. Being known and understood made him very happy.

“Then I’ll buy you a gift too, okay?” Xi Xingyu said, his eyes sparkling.

“What do you want to give me?” Qi Jiezhi asked. “If it’s something too precious, I definitely can’t accept it.”

“If it’s not precious, it wouldn’t be good enough for you,” Xi Xingyu replied.

“Why would you say that?” Qi Jiezhi said. “I don’t have those kinds of requirements, and I don’t think that way.”

Xi Xingyu nodded. “Brother Xiao Qi, if you don’t like my gift, I’ll go tell my brother, and then you’ll have to accept a gift from him instead.”

Hearing this, Qi Jiezhi made his choice instantly. There was no need to weigh the options. He really didn’t want to deal with Qu Mingluo in that way, so it was much better to just accept the gift from Xi Xingyu.

“How about we go out and play together?” Xi Xingyu asked.

“You should check with your brother first,” Qi Jiezhi said. “If he doesn’t agree, we won’t go.”

“Okay, I’ll call him right now,” Xi Xingyu said. “If it were just me, he might say no, but if you’re there, he probably won’t.”

“Alright.”

Xi Xingyu quickly made the call. “Brother, can I go shopping with Brother Xiao Qi?”

“Does Brother Xiao Qi want to go?”

Xi Xingyu had the phone on speaker, so Qi Jiezhi could hear the entire conversation. Upon hearing that question, Xi Xingyu immediately turned his gaze toward him.

“I want to go,” Qi Jiezhi said. He knew that if he gave a vague or indifferent answer, Qu Mingluo would assume he didn’t actually want to be there. Since he had already promised Xi Xingyu, he wouldn’t back out now.

“Okay then, go ahead. Be safe.”

With that, Qu Mingluo hung up, almost as if he was afraid of intruding on them.

“Brother Xiao Qi, don’t I know my brother well?” Xi Xingyu asked with a grin.

“You certainly do,” Qi Jiezhi laughed. “You’re very smart, Xiaoxing.”

Xi Xingyu was delighted to hear that. He liked Qi Jiezhi very much and loved being praised by him.

“Let’s go!” Xi Xingyu cheered, raising a fist in the air, clearly full of anticipation.

Watching him, Qi Jiezhi found it quite charming. Since Xi Xingyu was still young, all his emotions were written plainly on his face. He was happy because he was going out, and excited because his brother had granted his request.

“When we get there, let’s find a place to eat first, then we can go to the shops I like,” Xi Xingyu planned. “When I get back tonight, I’ll finish my homework really fast.”

Qi Jiezhi listened to the arrangements, nodding along. Seeing this, Xi Xingyu felt even better, knowing that Qi Jiezhi was willing to follow his lead and was looking forward to the trip too. It made him feel recognized and important.

They arrived at their destination soon after. Since it was a weekday, the mall wasn’t very crowded. Qi Jiezhi followed him, listening as the boy introduced his favorite stores.

“Then let’s go to that one,” Qi Jiezhi said. “If you say you like it, it must be great.”

Xi Xingyu loved hearing that, as it meant his taste was being validated.

“You’re so nice, I want to come out with you again next time,” Xi Xingyu said, his tone bubbling with excitement.

“But we just got here,” Qi Jiezhi pointed out. “We only just arrived, and you’ve already decided that?”

“Of course! With a handsome brother like you, even if you picked on me, I wouldn’t be mad, and I wouldn’t tell my brother either,” Xi Xingyu nodded seriously.

Qi Jiezhi laughed. “And why would I pick on you?”

“Maybe because no one else does,” Xi Xingyu teased. “I’m just talking nonsense.”

“Are you just trying to find something to talk about with your brother later?” Qi Jiezhi asked gently.

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