My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 27

Qu Mingluo was already waiting for him downstairs. At the thought of this, Qi Jiezhi rushed down as fast as he could.

However, he didn’t see Qu Mingluo’s car, which meant the man was likely waiting to walk over with him. But in his rush, Jiezhi hadn’t noticed exactly where Qu Mingluo was standing.

When he finally spotted him, Qi Jiezhi’s heart leaped into his throat and he sprinted toward him.

“Brother Ming!” Seeing Qu Mingluo on the verge of collapsing, Qi Jiezhi caught him just in time to steady him.

Qi Jiezhi fumbled in his pocket and handed him a piece of candy. But this time, in his haste to bite into the candy, Qu Mingluo accidentally bit Jiezhi’s finger.

Unlike last time, this time Jiezhi’s finger actually bled.

“How does President Qu plan to compensate me?” Qi Jiezhi asked, looking first at his finger and then at Qu Mingluo.

“How about marrying me in return? What do you think?” Qu Mingluo asked, his eyes searching Jiezhi’s face.

“That sounds more like returning a favor with a grudge,” Qi Jiezhi joked.

Qu Mingluo asked, “Does my proposal truly make things difficult for you?”

“Brother Ming,” Qi Jiezhi said, “I didn’t mean it like that, but please don’t…”

“Hmm?”

Qi Jiezhi looked down and whispered, “There’s no need to make me worry like this.”

“I’m sorry. I realized I might be feeling unwell, so I came downstairs,” Qu Mingluo said. “I thought you might like me better this way.”

Qi Jiezhi found it hard to believe. “What kind of crazy logic is that?”

Qu Mingluo nodded slightly. “I must have been out of my mind.”

Qi Jiezhi had originally intended to lecture him, but in the end, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Brother Ming, you’re very different like this,” Qi Jiezhi said. “You’re nothing like your usual self.”

Qu Mingluo felt a bit embarrassed. He knew he was undeniably slow when it came to matters of the heart. He wasn’t always sure how to do things that would make Qi Jiezhi happy, but when you like someone, you naturally want them to be joyful.

Even in the most high-stakes business dealings, Qu Mingluo had never felt this at a loss. In the realm of emotions, he was still an amateur.

“Let’s go get something to eat, my treat,” Qi Jiezhi said. “You pick the place.”

“That would be embarrassing. I’m already the one who caused you trouble.”

Hearing this, Qi Jiezhi immediately smiled.

“So, Brother Ming, you actually know you’re causing me trouble,” Qi Jiezhi teased intentionally.

“I’m sorry, I thought…”

“Thought your fragile side would make me feel more pity for you?” Qi Jiezhi asked.

“I’m sorry,” Qu Mingluo repeated.

“Because you not only know that I’m gay, but also that I’m a top?” Qi Jiezhi continued to press.

“Perhaps that was part of it, but it was certainly a lapse in judgment on my part,” Qu Mingluo admitted.

“You’ve been working overtime until now, you’ve worked hard,” Qi Jiezhi said. “Let’s just go eat and stop talking about this.”

Qu Mingluo naturally had no objections. Whatever Jiezhi said, he followed.

Before long, they arrived at a restaurant. Qu Mingluo hadn’t named a place, so Qi Jiezhi chose one he knew the other man liked. Qu Mingluo was genuinely touched by the gesture and thanked him immediately.

“Brother Ming, there’s no need to thank me. You’ve always been good to me,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I’m just treating you the way you treat me. I hope I didn’t get it wrong.”

“Of course not. It’s my honor,” Qu Mingluo replied.

To him, the fact that Qi Jiezhi was even willing to look at him was a wonderful thing, considering he was the one who had confessed first. If Qi Jiezhi found it unpleasant and wanted to stay away, that was his choice. Even if Qu Mingluo felt unhappy about it, he would never disrespect that decision.

By habit, Qu Mingluo couldn’t bring himself to do anything excessive, he only wanted to win Qi Jiezhi’s affection. The power to decide remained entirely in Jiezhi’s hands.

Once Qu Mingluo recovered from that initial spell of weakness, he felt much better.

“Xiao Qi, actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Qu Mingluo said.

“What is it?” Qi Jiezhi asked. “About the glucose tablets?”

“Yes.”

Qi Jiezhi explained, “A long time ago, I used to hate eating breakfast. One time my blood sugar dropped so low I almost fainted. Someone gave me two glucose tablets, and I’ve carried them with me ever since.”

He decided to keep going with the story.

“It was three years ago,” Qi Jiezhi said, “back when I was working a part-time job on the street behind the university town.”

Qu Mingluo froze for a moment when he heard this.

“Was the person who gave you the glucose wearing a hoodie with a paper airplane pattern on it?” Qu Mingluo asked.

Qi Jiezhi was stunned, then nodded slowly.

“That was the owner of Hengxin,” Qu Mingluo said. “I was the one who saw you first, and I was the one who gave you the candy.”

Qi Jiezhi was speechless. Neither of them could have imagined they shared such a history.

“Is that really how it was?” Qi Jiezhi asked. “What’s that word? Would you call this ‘destiny’?”

Qu Mingluo nodded gently. He had said before that he wouldn’t use a favor to pressure him. But if their connection truly went back that far because of him, he couldn’t ignore the bond that fate had woven between them.

Qi Jiezhi said, “I’ve always felt a bit awkward because you’ve been helping me all this time.”

“Hmm?” Qu Mingluo could tell he had more to say, so he didn’t interrupt.

“If that’s the case, then I think I really should date you.”

Qi Jiezhi said this with complete sincerity. He didn’t feel the need to hesitate any longer. One coincidence could be brushed off, but a connection from years ago was something he didn’t want to miss out on due to his own hesitation.

Qu Mingluo hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if he had intentionally skipped a meal today to look weak in front of him, his goal was clear: he liked Jiezhi and wanted to be noticed.

“Can I truly have such an honor?” Qu Mingluo asked, almost in disbelief.

“It’s not something I can’t agree to,” Qi Jiezhi told him.

Qu Mingluo nodded. “Okay.”

He had so much he wanted to say, but in the end, he only managed that one word. For him, dating Qi Jiezhi was a wish he had longed to fulfill. He had originally thought it would take a very long time to reach this point, but now he had a definitive answer.

“Then, can I change how I address you?” Qu Mingluo asked.

“Have you been thinking about that for a long time?” Qi Jiezhi asked, his eyes curving into crescents as he smiled.

Qu Mingluo nodded.

“Baby?” Qu Mingluo asked. “Can I call you that?”

Qi Jiezhi laughed. “Sure. If you want, you can use other names too.”

Qu Mingluo nodded, deeply satisfied. To him, Qi Jiezhi was a unique presence, a type of person he had never encountered while growing up. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to care for someone else. Without that chance encounter years ago, they might never have met.

It was precisely because nothing had gone according to anyone’s expectations that it felt so special. Qu Mingluo loved this twist of fate and cherished it immensely.

As they talked, it seemed on the surface that nothing had changed between them, but internally, both were feeling very different.

“Brother Ming, thank you for taking care of me for so long,” Qi Jiezhi said. “Actually, I was wondering, was I too impulsive just now?”

“Even if you were, I’ve already heard it, so you don’t have a chance to regret it now,” Qu Mingluo said with a smile.

“I never had any intention of regretting it.”

Qi Jiezhi wasn’t joking, he truly felt this was a wonderful development.

“Thank you,” Qu Mingluo said earnestly. “For making my wish come true.”

Qi Jiezhi replied, “When you put it like that, I don’t even know what to say.”

Qu Mingluo didn’t push further, he just smiled. They didn’t feel that everything was perfect just yet; there was still room to grow closer. After all, before this moment, Qi Jiezhi hadn’t formally confirmed they were in a relationship. Without this conversation today, it might have taken a lot longer to reach this stage.

Qi Jiezhi felt his impulsiveness was understandable, and looking back, he didn’t regret it. Deep down, he wanted to be with Qu Mingluo, his only uncertainty had been about the timing. The “when” wasn’t something he could ever be certain of anyway, so there was no need to overthink the rest.

“After we eat, let’s head back,” Qi Jiezhi said. “I think we still need to have a proper talk.”

Qu Mingluo felt the same way. Simply confirming a relationship like this felt a bit casual. But essentially, their thoughts were identical. To them, falling in love was something that was bound to happen between them, leaving no room for debate.

“No problem, as long as you don’t go back and tell me you’ve stopped liking me mid-conversation.”

Qu Mingluo was clearly joking, and Qi Jiezhi laughed. It was because they were so sure of each other’s feelings that they could say such things. Earlier on, Qu Mingluo would never have dared to speak so lightly.

“Brother Ming,” Qi Jiezhi said, looking into his eyes. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about something.”

“What is it?” Qu Mingluo’s attention was instantly captured.

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