My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 8

Qi Jiezhi watched the cake in Qu Mingluo’s hand.

The little grey rabbit had already lost an ear. Cream clung to the fork, but Qu Mingluo ate extremely slowly, as if he were completing some sort of chore.

“Ming-ge,” Qi Jiezhi couldn’t help but call out to him. He hesitated to say more, though, fearing he might make it seem like Xi Xingyu didn’t care about his brother at all.

Qu Mingluo’s hand paused. “It’s fine.”

It was clear he had no intention of telling Xi Xingyu that he couldn’t actually eat much cake.

Qi Jiezhi understood his reasoning perfectly. After all, Xi Xingyu was just a kid, there was no need to burden him with such details. If the boy knew, he’d worry every time he baked, and he wouldn’t be as carefree as he was now.

A short while later, Qu Mingluo’s phone rang. He said, “Xiao Xing, I have a meeting to attend. I’ll take the cake upstairs to finish.”

Qi Jiezhi knew instantly, this was the “excuse” Qu Mingluo had mentioned finding earlier.

Xi Xingyu was far too young to catch the subtle subtext in those words. Neither of them expected him to, anyway. If a child his age could see through everything so clearly, it would only prove that his upbringing hadn’t been very comfortable.

Sure enough, Xi Xingyu nodded, his attention already shifting back to his own cake. “Then go quickly, Brother, don’t keep them waiting!”

Qu Mingluo stood up, carrying the plate with the earless grey rabbit toward the stairs. As he passed Qi Jiezhi, his footsteps faltered for a second. His voice was so low only Qi Jiezhi could hear it. “Don’t tell him.”

Qi Jiezhi said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

Xi Xingyu was actually very sensible. Knowing his brother had a meeting, he made no move to stop him. To him, his brother’s career was incredibly important, so he would never dream of being a distraction.

Qu Mingluo’s figure vanished around the corner of the stairs, his dark grey sweater flashing once under the light before disappearing.

Watching that direction, Qi Jiezhi suddenly felt like the cake in his own hand was becoming cloyingly sweet.

“Xiao Qi-ge,” Xi Xingyu said, “why aren’t you eating?”

“I am,” Qi Jiezhi replied, forking up a bit of cream. “Xiao Xing, this cake is delicious. Thank you.”

Xi Xingyu beamed instantly. “It’s rare for Brother to be here, so that’s why I made it for you both.”

Qi Jiezhi smiled. “Is it because your parents aren’t home, so your brother came to take care of you?”

Xi Xingyu blinked. “It’s definitely because you’re here.”

Qi Jiezhi’s hand stilled. “What does that have to do with me?”

“It does!” Xi Xingyu insisted. “Brother must have felt that you’d be uncomfortable or scared living here all by yourself, Xiao Qi-ge.”

Qi Jiezhi was stunned. Scared?

But looking at Xi Xingyu’s earnest expression, he suddenly realized that Qu Mingluo truly did care. Perhaps he was worried about not being able to look after the child alone, but at the same time, he had considered Qi Jiezhi’s needs. He worried that Qi Jiezhi would feel out of place sitting here alone, so he stayed to keep him company. After all, Qu Mingluo lived in this community but had never mentioned moving in with Xi Xingyu before.

A wave of warmth washed over Qi Jiezhi, but he didn’t know what else to say, so he simply reached out and ruffled Xi Xingyu’s hair.

“Let’s go do your homework,” Qi Jiezhi suggested.

“No problem, no problem!” Xi Xingyu had been exceptionally well behaved these past few days, mostly because he was looking forward to the trip to the amusement park this weekend. Since his brother was willing to take him to do what he wanted, he wanted to make sure his brother didn’t have to worry about him.

Qu Mingluo was incredibly busy with work, but fortunately, Qi Jiezhi was there to keep him company. At his age, Xi Xingyu still needed the presence of a guardian. Regardless of who it was, having an older figure around made him feel more secure, so he was grateful his brother had asked Qi Jiezhi to stay.

Qi Jiezhi hadn’t fully grasped this at first, but after spending a few days together, he realized it. In reality, Xi Xingyu was more dependent on him now than ever before. Precisely because his parents weren’t home, the only people he could rely on were Qi Jiezhi and Qu Mingluo.

Qi Jiezhi felt that failing to realize this sooner was his own oversight. From now on, he would pay more attention to Xi Xingyu’s state of mind and ensure the boy never felt uneasy.

Once Xi Xingyu finished his homework, he immediately brought it to Qi Jiezhi. Knowing the boy’s capabilities well, Qi Jiezhi was good at guiding his thinking. Before long, they had finished everything they needed to do.

“Xiao Qi-ge, go take some snacks and a drink to my brother,” Xi Xingyu said. “If I go, he’ll definitely think I’m bothering him, but he won’t feel that way if you go.”

“Alright.”

Qi Jiezhi agreed and went to gather the items. To him, Qu Mingluo was someone he needed to look out for now, because simply put, Qu Mingluo had been very kind to him.

In his life, Qi Jiezhi had experienced much kindness, as well as baseless malice from others. Regardless, he maintained a healthy mindset. He was willing to repay those who were good to him, and he wouldn’t let himself be walked over by those who were mean.

He knocked on the door. “President Qu, may I come in?”

There was no sound from inside. Qi Jiezhi waited a couple of seconds and knocked again. “Ming-ge?”

“Enter.”

the voice was slightly hoarse, sounding as if it came from a great distance.

Qi Jiezhi pushed the door open and found Qu Mingluo sitting in a chair by the window, not at his desk. He noticed the small cake he had brought up was still sitting there, clearly, he wasn’t going to finish it.

“Ming-ge, you’re not eating anymore?”

“I didn’t want to eat it in the first place,” he said softly, “I just didn’t want to disappoint him.”

Qi Jiezhi walked over and picked up the cake from the windowsill.

“Then should I eat it?” he asked. “Let’s not let it go to waste.”

“Are you sure?” Qu Mingluo asked. “I’ve already eaten from that piece.”

“I don’t mind,” Qi Jiezhi said. “It’s the thought that counts from Xiao Xing. If it’s inconvenient for you to eat it, it’s my gain.”

“Fine.”

Even though he said that, Qu Mingluo’s gaze remained fixed on Qi Jiezhi as he ate. There was something flickering in his eyes as he watched him.

Qi Jiezhi forked the earless grey rabbit. The cream had melted slightly, but the sweet and sour flavor of the strawberries remained. He lowered his head to take a bite, sensing Qu Mingluo’s gaze on him like a tangible weight.

“Is it good?” Qu Mingluo asked, his voice still a bit rough.

“Even though it’s been sitting for a bit, it’s still good,” Qi Jiezhi replied. “Don’t you think so?”

Qu Mingluo didn’t answer, instead pushing a glass of honey water toward him. The glass was transparent, the liquid inside a pale amber, with his fingerprints still visible on the rim.

“I’ll pour you a fresh one,” Qu Mingluo explained. “I’m afraid you’ll find it too cloying if you eat too much.”

“No need,” Qi Jiezhi told him. “I can just drink this. Thanks.”

Qu Mingluo watched him, something flickering in his gaze before quickly settling back into stillness. He looked down and swiped his finger across his tablet, as if searching for a file.

Qi Jiezhi didn’t say anything else. He just finished the cake and set the plate aside.

“Is your work finished? Or was there no work at all?” Qi Jiezhi asked. “Actually, you find it a bit of a pity too, don’t you?”

“It’s just how things are,” Qu Mingluo said. “Strictly speaking, Xiao Xing and I aren’t that closely related by blood.”

Qi Jiezhi wasn’t surprised. He didn’t even want to imagine how many complications existed within wealthy families like theirs. He wouldn’t ask out of curiosity, those things had nothing to do with him. All he needed to do was manage his own affairs and avoid causing trouble for others.

Just like now, he was here simply because he was being paid. Qi Jiezhi didn’t feel the need to understand his employer’s family history. Furthermore, he had no intention of letting any strange relationship develop between him and his boss.

“If Xiao Xing asks, just tell him I ate it all and thank him for sending it up.”

Qi Jiezhi nodded and signaled that he was leaving.

For the first time, Qu Mingluo didn’t try to stop him or say anything else. Qi Jiezhi didn’t pry. He knew tomorrow would be the same as today, they would go to the company together and return together in the evening, maintaining this routine until the weekend.

After all, they didn’t have to go to the office on weekends, and Xi Xingyu didn’t have school. The weekend was the only time they would be truly free. On workdays, it was impossible to take Xi Xingyu to the amusement park, playing for only two hours wouldn’t be satisfying. An amusement park required a whole day to truly enjoy the experience.

As soon as Qi Jiezhi went downstairs, he told Xi Xingyu that his brother had accepted his kindness.

He reached the bottom floor and told the boy, “Your brother finished the cake, he said it was delicious.”

Xi Xingyu’s eyes lit up instantly. “Really?”

“Really,” Qi Jiezhi said. “He told me to thank you.”

“That’s great!” Xi Xingyu rushed forward and hugged him around the waist. “Xiao Qi-ge, since you arrived, Brother has become so strange!”

“How so?”

“He smiles now,” Xi Xingyu said. “He says thank you, and he…”

He trailed off, unable to find the right words.

“Anyway, it’s definitely not because of me,” Xi Xingyu concluded. “Brother must have accepted it all because you were the one who brought it up to him.”

“Does he usually not accept things?”

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