My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 17

After Qi Jiezhi finished speaking, Xi Xingyu actually fell silent for a long while. He couldn’t quite put into words why. As he had said himself, most of the time, he barely saw Qu Mingluo at all. If it hadn’t been for the recent accident, Qu Mingluo likely wouldn’t have come over. Never mind taking care of him, even meeting up would have been difficult. These things were easy to imagine.

“Anyway, I just really like Brother, but I can’t see him often, so I always feel a bit sad,” Xi Xingyu said with a hint of grievance, looking at Qi Jiezhi. “He definitely thinks I’m being childish.”

Qi Jiezhi ruffled the boy’s hair, his tone exceptionally gentle. “At your age, it’s perfectly normal to feel this way. Your brother won’t mind.”

“Does Brother think I’m cute, too?” Xi Xingyu looked up at Qi Jiezhi. “Like you do, Brother Qi?”

Qi Jiezhi nodded. “Of course he does, because being cute is just who you are.”

Hearing this, Xi Xingyu cheered up instantly. Because he was so young, his moods shifted easily based on the feedback he received. A bit of praise made him glow, while a word of criticism would make him wilt immediately. Qi Jiezhi found it quite natural.

“Come on, let’s go eat first,” Qi Jiezhi said, changing the subject to keep the boy from overthinking. “I’m really looking forward to seeing where you’re taking me.”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Xi Xingyu cried. “I’ll lead the way, and then we’ll pick a table together.”

Not long after, they arrived at the shop Xi Xingyu had mentioned. Since it was a weekday, they didn’t have to wait in line. At any other time, there would usually be a long wait.

“Xingyu, this place looks like it has great food,” Qi Jiezhi remarked.

“Really?” Xi Xingyu’s voice was full of excitement, clearly feeling like he had found a kindred spirit.

“Of course. If I didn’t like it, I would tell you,” Qi Jiezhi told him earnestly.

They sat down at a table facing each other. Xi Xingyu felt this arrangement was perfect because he could keep his eyes on Qi Jiezhi at all times, watching his expressions to see if he truly liked the food or was just being polite.

Qi Jiezhi didn’t mind. This was Xi Xingyu’s idea, and he respected it. He was happy to go along with whatever the boy had planned. Xi Xingyu was a very independent child with a strong sense of his own mind, and his logic was usually quite sound. Qi Jiezhi was happy to respect him, stay by his side, and keep him safe. That was his responsibility, and he understood that clearly.

“I want this,” Xi Xingyu said directly when they went for a stroll after lunch and saw something that caught his eye.

Qi Jiezhi didn’t stop him. He let the boy pick things out according to his own wishes. These were his own affairs, and if he liked something, he should be allowed to have it. Once Xi Xingyu had bought what he wanted, he immediately led Qi Jiezhi to the shop he had originally planned to visit.

“Brother Qi, Mom used to really like the necklaces from this brand. I want to give you one.”

Qi Jiezhi was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. He knew that refusing would only make the boy unhappy. Yet, it was a very expensive gift, and he wasn’t comfortable accepting it so easily. He also didn’t want Qu Mingluo to have to step in and pay for such things for him.

“Xingyu, how about this,” Qi Jiezhi suggested. “You buy one for me, and I’ll buy one for you?”

“But I’m the one who wants to give you a gift. If you give me one too, then it’s just us exchanging gifts, not me giving you one,” Xi Xingyu countered.

Qi Jiezhi was momentarily at a loss. Xi Xingyu’s logic was so airtight that it was hard to argue.

“Alright, let’s go in together,” Qi Jiezhi said.

Before long, Xi Xingyu had picked out the gift he wanted to give.

“Brother Qi, I’ve picked it out for you,” Xi Xingyu said, walking toward him.

“I’ve picked out a gift for you, too,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I know you wanted to give me a present, but I think this one is perfect for you, Xingyu.”

Qi Jiezhi knew the boy well enough that, once he framed it that way, Xi Xingyu finally agreed to accept it. Once they had both paid, they put the gifts on each other.

“It looks really good!” Xi Xingyu exclaimed.

Qi Jiezhi had recently received a necklace from Qu Mingluo, and now he had another from Xi Xingyu. He didn’t quite know what to say.

“Xingyu, do you like the one I bought you?” Qi Jiezhi asked.

“I love it!” Xi Xingyu said. “It’s so pretty. I’m definitely going to show off to Brother. You didn’t give him anything, but you gave something to me.”

“Is that so?”

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit awkward hearing that. He truly hadn’t prepared a gift for Qu Mingluo. It wasn’t that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind, but he just hadn’t encountered anything suitable. Besides, with Xi Xingyu there, he felt it would be a bit strange to say he was picking out a gift for the boy’s brother.

After they had finished their outing, Xi Xingyu indicated it was time to head back. He held up his phone for Qi Jiezhi to see. “Brother is coming to pick us up!”

Qi Jiezhi looked at the message on the screen and knew the boy wasn’t making it up, yet he was still surprised. He hadn’t expected Qu Mingluo to come all this way specifically to get them.

“Should we go buy something for your brother then?” Qi Jiezhi asked.

“Yes, definitely!” The boy was still full of energy. It seemed that as long as he was doing something with Qi Jiezhi, he was happy. Having company made him feel joyful. Qi Jiezhi could understand him to some extent, as he was likely the child of very busy parents. In such circumstances, he would treasure anyone who could play with him.

However, Qi Jiezhi and Xi Xingyu looked around for a long time without finding a suitable gift.

“What should we do, Brother Qi?” Xi Xingyu asked. “Is Brother not going to get a gift?”

Qi Jiezhi realized that was likely how it would turn out. The main reason they weren’t satisfied with anything they saw was that they felt Qu Mingluo might not like it. If he wouldn’t like it, there was no point in buying it. But if the two of them bought gifts for each other and left Qu Mingluo out, it wouldn’t feel right.

“How about this,” Qi Jiezhi suggested to Xi Xingyu. “When your brother gets here, the three of us can walk around together. We’ll see what he likes and buy it for him then.”

“That works! But will Brother be willing?” Xi Xingyu asked.

“He will, he will,” Qi Jiezhi assured him. “I’ll make sure to pester him about it.”

Qi Jiezhi smiled at the boy’s words. Xi Xingyu was always like this, expressing his thoughts with a touch of innocent charm. Qu Mingluo likely understood his brother well and wouldn’t react negatively.

After playing for a bit longer, they saw a message from Qu Mingluo saying he had arrived nearby. They just had to walk over to meet him. Xi Xingyu was still thinking about the gift, so he was practically bouncing with energy.

“Brother, Brother!” Xi Xingyu ran over and gave Qu Mingluo a hug.

Qi Jiezhi followed beside him and greeted him softly, “Brother Ming.”

Qu Mingluo looked at the two of them. He didn’t say much, just gave a nod.

“Brother, Brother Qi and I wanted to buy you a gift, but we didn’t know what you’d like,” Xi Xingyu said. “Come with us to look around, okay?”

His eyes were shining, clearly very excited about the idea.

“Why the sudden desire to give me a gift?” Qu Mingluo asked, immediately catching the point.

“Brother Qi brought me snacks when he picked me up today, so I wanted to give him a gift too,” Xi Xingyu explained. “I bought a gift for Brother Qi, and he bought one for me, so now only yours is missing.”

He explained everything in one breath, so Qu Mingluo understood the situation perfectly.

“So, you felt you couldn’t leave me out?” Qu Mingluo asked.

Xi Xingyu nodded.

“Alright then, let’s go for a walk together.”

“Yay!”

Having received a positive answer, the boy became even more excited. He felt this was truly something to be happy about. Qu Mingluo had almost no experience of going shopping with him because he was always so busy. But now, he was willing to take the time to pick out a gift with them. They all felt that for a gift to be meaningful, the person receiving it had to actually be happy with it.

They passed many shops that Xi Xingyu and Qi Jiezhi had already visited, so neither of them led the way this time. They wanted Qu Mingluo to choose, as it was his gift, and his preference was what mattered.

“You both picked gifts for each other, so why couldn’t you pick one for me?” Qu Mingluo asked them with a smile.

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