My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 23

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit amused by his own attempt to deflect the attention onto someone else.

Xi Xingyu immediately fixed his gaze on Qu Mingluo. “Brother!”

“I’m not lying to you. If I really did trick you, couldn’t you just tell your mom and dad?” Qu Mingluo said comfortingly.

“Go ahead and trick me then, it’s not like anyone can control you anyway,” Xi Xingyu grumbled. “Bad brother, bad brother.”

Qi Jiezhi felt a bit more relaxed around Xi Xingyu, so he joined in on the joking.

“Xiao Xing, why is your brother being like this?”

“It’s too much.”

“Xiao Qi, come outside with me for a moment.”

Qu Mingluo’s tone didn’t betray any specific emotion, but as he followed him out, Qi Jiezhi still felt a wave of nervousness.

“You aren’t going to scold my Brother Jiezhi, are you? If you do, you’re a total cheapskate,” Xi Xingyu said, sounding very protective.

“I won’t,” Qu Mingluo replied, “and even if I were to scold someone, it would be you. It has nothing to do with your Brother Jiezhi.”

“I’ll go out with your brother for a bit,” Qi Jiezhi told Xi Xingyu.

Xi Xingyu watched them for a second, decided there was no real trouble brewing between them, and nodded his consent.

“Brother Ming, what is it?” Qi Jiezhi asked once they were alone.

“When you’re here, you don’t seem to go out of your way to distance yourself from me,” Qu Mingluo noted.

Qi Jiezhi had noticed this himself, but having it pointed out so directly made him feel a little self-conscious.

“It’s not that I’m intentionally distancing myself, it’s just that I’m not always sure how to face you,” Qi Jiezhi admitted.

He had never been the type of person who could perfectly arrange every aspect of his life. Even now, he felt he wasn’t handling things particularly well.

“I’ve been pushing you too hard, I’m sorry,” Qu Mingluo said.

He felt that these weren’t things he should force upon Qi Jiezhi. He should respect his thoughts and decisions. Qi Jiezhi deserved to have his own agency at all times, rather than changing his stance just because of Qu Mingluo.

Qi Jiezhi said, “I’ll give it some thought. Let’s head back inside first, or Xiao Xing will get impatient.”

Qu Mingluo nodded and didn’t push further.

When they went back in, Qi Jiezhi told Xi Xingyu, “It’s almost time for our lesson.”

“Alright then, I won’t pester you guys anymore,” Xi Xingyu said. “Actually, I’m pretty happy. My parents are coming back soon, and you guys are here too.”

“Is that enough to make you happy?” Qi Jiezhi asked. “There will definitely be even happier times in the future.”

Qu Mingluo nodded in agreement beside him.

Seeing them both say that made Xi Xingyu even more cheerful. He truly loved the way things were right now, and with the anticipation of his parents returning, having everyone together was his ideal scenario.

“Xiao Qi,” Qu Mingluo said, “just teach him like you usually do, don’t overthink it.”

Xi Xingyu asked, “If Brother Jiezhi can’t stay with me anymore, will he be sad?”

“Why would you ask that?” Qi Jiezhi replied. “I’ll be with you one way or another.”

Xi Xingyu nodded after hearing that. He wasn’t sure why he had asked, but he just felt like he had to.

Their interaction for the rest of the lesson proceeded as usual, as if nothing had changed. Xi Xingyu’s moods tended to come and go quickly, he was just a child, after all, so his temperament remained stable. Many things were important to him, but he focused on what was right in front of him rather than distant worries. That was only natural.

After the lesson ended, Qi Jiezhi went back with Qu Mingluo. It was a brand-new environment, something unknown to him.

However, once he actually arrived, he realized he didn’t dislike it as much as he’d expected. In reality, nowhere he stayed was actually his own house. These were all unfamiliar environments that required time to adapt to, it was just that these conditions were much nicer.

Qu Mingluo had clearly prepared for his arrival. Everything was ready, including necessary clothes and other essentials. Qi Jiezhi didn’t even bother looking up the prices of these items. He was the type of person who, upon receiving something expensive, would immediately think of how to repay the favor.

But now he knew that repaying Qu Mingluo for what he provided wouldn’t be easy.

A thought crossed Qi Jiezhi’s mind, though he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. He thought that if they didn’t end up dating, it would be really hard to settle the score. But then he felt that thinking this way made it seem like he was the one desperate to be with Qu Mingluo.

Who knew if Qu Mingluo was already regretting things?

Sitting across from each other at dinner should have been a routine occurrence by now, but with the change in scenery, Qi Jiezhi still felt a bit out of place. People really do become reliant on their habits.

“Brother Ming, thank you for letting me stay here.” Later that evening, while they were spending time together, Qi Jiezhi took the initiative to thank him.

He felt that, regardless of the circumstances, he was imposing. The rent he used to pay wouldn’t even cover a decent apartment, let alone a villa like this.

“Maybe I should transfer the rent to you first?” Qi Jiezhi suggested. “Otherwise, I’ll feel too guilty living here.”

Qu Mingluo laughed. “If you put it that way, then go ahead and transfer it.”

Qi Jiezhi quickly sent the money over, but soon heard Qu Mingluo ask, “Did you secretly give me extra?”

“How could I, Brother Ming?” Qi Jiezhi said, looking at him.

“To pretend you aren’t lying, you even looked me in the eye, but whenever you aren’t confident, your gaze doesn’t quite focus.”

Qi Jiezhi was stunned by the analysis. He had indeed given a bit more, but compared to a house like this, it was just a drop in the bucket. Even with the extra, he felt it was far too little.

“I’ll refund some to you,” Qu Mingluo said.

Qi Jiezhi shook his head. “Even with that, it’s still very little. It’s fine.”

“I’m a man of my word, I don’t need extra payments from you,” Qu Mingluo insisted. “If you won’t accept the refund, I’ll just send back a random amount.”

“Then just send a little back,” Qi Jiezhi conceded. “I definitely won’t overpay next month.”

“Deal,” Qu Mingluo said.

He refunded some of the money, leaving the final amount at exactly 520.

Qi Jiezhi was very sensitive to numbers, so he recognized the significance immediately. Qu Mingluo had likely chosen that number on purpose, making his intentions quite clear.

“I like you,” Qi Jiezhi said.

“I like you too. No matter what kind of ‘like’ it is, I can say it to you, though saying it now might still be a bit forward,” Qu Mingluo told him.

Qi Jiezhi couldn’t quite describe the feeling. He felt the affection, so he spoke his mind, giving himself space to think. But even so, his own thoughts and emotions continued to surface. These were challenges he had to overcome himself, they had nothing to do with Qu Mingluo.

At any given time, Qu Mingluo wasn’t a hard person to like. His personality and experiences had shaped him into who he was.

“Okay…”

After chatting for a while, Qi Jiezhi went upstairs. Moving in would actually make commuting together much easier.

Then he realized he was overthinking things, since they had been going to work together anyway. Qu Mingluo had always been the one waiting for him, but the only real difference now was that since Xi Xingyu’s parents were back, Qu Mingluo didn’t have to make extra trips.

Qi Jiezhi wasn’t sure what to feel. He originally thought that someone of Qu Mingluo’s status wouldn’t want to do everything himself. Yet, he was willing to fuss over his brother’s affairs.

Xi Xingyu wasn’t even a sibling related by blood, but a somewhat distant relative. It was as if Qu Mingluo was simply a very helpful person by nature, but Qi Jiezhi wouldn’t pry into the reasons why. Other people’s business was their own, he wouldn’t interfere. It was a matter of basic politeness.

“The room you picked was decorated according to your own ideas, but if you don’t like it that much, you can look at the other rooms tomorrow,” Qu Mingluo said. “Your comfort is the most important thing, there’s no need to settle for something you don’t like.”

“Since I chose it, I definitely like it. Don’t worry, Brother Ming.” Qi Jiezhi smiled at him. “Thank you for caring about me so much. I’ve never had someone like that before.”

Qu Mingluo paused for a moment upon hearing that, then realized Qi Jiezhi was just speaking from the heart.

Was he… finally willing to share his true thoughts?

“If you’re willing to share these things with me, you can tell me more in the future,” Qu Mingluo said seriously, without a hint of jest.

To him, this felt like the beginning of Qi Jiezhi opening up. If he had the desire to share, it meant Qu Mingluo was starting to become someone special to him.

“Okay,” Qi Jiezhi said, “but my past experiences aren’t exactly pleasant stories.”

“I’m happy to listen. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you.”

“Are you really willing to listen to me ramble on about all that?” Qi Jiezhi asked.

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