My Elite Boss Is Carrying My Child - Chapter 9

Qi Jiezhi was still a bit curious. After all, before this, Qu Mingluo hadn’t really shown anything particularly unusual.

“The thing is, my brother doesn’t actually like people talking to him too much,” Xi Xingyu said.

There wasn’t any regret in the boy’s voice, it was more of a simple statement of fact.

Qi Jiezhi suddenly realized that Qu Mingluo’s current demeanor might already be the result of a significant effort to accommodate everyone. In private, he was likely much colder, rather than being in this state where he could communicate normally.

It occurred to Qi Jiezhi that if it hadn’t been for that specific incident in the office, he might never have had the chance to exchange a single word with the man.

Sitting on the sofa, Qi Jiezhi watched Xi Xingyu continue to play with his building blocks. The child’s fingers were nimble as he manipulated the colorful wooden pieces, humming a tuneless song, clearly in a great mood.

“Xiao Xing,” Qi Jiezhi began, “Is your brother usually… always alone?”

Xi Xingyu didn’t look up. “Yeah, Brother is always by himself. Plus, he doesn’t like to talk. Before, when I asked him to play with me, he said he was busy. Now he’s willing to play, but I think…”

“What do you think?”

“I think he just likes looking at you.” Xi Xingyu looked up, his eyes bright. “Tell me, Brother Xiao Qi, do you have some kind of special magic that makes Brother keep staring at you?”

Qi Jiezhi chuckled. “How could I have magic?”

“You do!” Xi Xingyu insisted. “I feel like if it weren’t for you, Brother wouldn’t have come over to play with me at all.”

Hearing this made Qi Jiezhi feel a bit self-conscious. He figured that children’s thoughts are naturally simple, they find connections where none exist and assume they are “special” reasons. As for what the actual truth was, he didn’t know.

“Your brother is very good to you,” he said.

“I know,” Xi Xingyu replied. “But he’s always been a very good person.”

Qi Jiezhi’s hand paused. He didn’t quite know what to say. He was surprised by how perceptive this child was, and the boy wasn’t trying to pretend, he was simply saying what he saw.

Still, these weren’t things Qi Jiezhi should be prying into. Since no one had proactively brought these topics up with him, he wouldn’t ask a single question. He was just doing what he was supposed to do.

Qi Jiezhi had been teaching Xi Xingyu for a while now, so he naturally felt an affection for him and saw him as a cute younger brother. No matter what happened, he could never ignore this little boy.

After playing with him for a bit, Qi Jiezhi saw that it was getting late and told him it was time to rest.

“Then if I’m going to rest, you have to go too,” Xi Xingyu said. “You can’t let me go to sleep while you sneak off to play on your phone.”

Qi Jiezhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The boy was incredibly sharp, yet possessed that typical childhood innocence. A child like this always made people want to look at him a little longer.

Moreover, the boy had a very handsome face. It was impossible to doubt that he and Qu Mingluo were blood-related. Since “good-looking genes” aren’t exactly common, it seemed only natural that they shared certain similarities.

It wasn’t Qi Jiezhi’s first day staying there, so he wasn’t as uncomfortable as he had been the day before. Once he finished his tasks, he went straight to wash up and go to bed.

The next morning, his routine was exactly the same. Qu Mingluo dropped Xi Xingyu off at school first, then took Qi Jiezhi to the company.

Even though it meant making two trips, he didn’t seem to find it troublesome at all. Qi Jiezhi felt that the man had boundless energy, despite having so much on his plate, fatigue never showed on his face. Perhaps that was why he was able to hold such a high position at such a young age without anyone daring to covet his spot.

Just like the day before, as lunch hour approached, Qu Mingluo called Qi Jiezhi upstairs.

This time, Qi Jiezhi didn’t refuse. He knew that even if he did, Qu Mingluo would just send someone to notify him again. Rather than making such a fuss, it was easier to just agree from the start.

Initially, Qi Jiezhi found eating with him awkward, but he now realized that if he didn’t go up and everyone found out, it would be even more embarrassing. He had no intention of pretending to be “well-connected” or assuming any other special status at the company. He didn’t think those things were necessary, nor did he think they would actually help him.

If his own abilities weren’t enough, he wouldn’t be able to stay anyway. Qi Jiezhi didn’t count on the impossible, at all times, he knew that he was his own most important asset. Whatever others said wouldn’t affect his judgment, what he wanted had never changed. His goals were clear, and he wouldn’t let these matters distract him.

When he arrived upstairs, Qu Mingluo told him that today’s meal wasn’t made by the previous cook. This meal was prepared by the housekeeper from Qu Mingluo’s own residence.

“This is what I usually prefer to eat. Taste it and see if you like today’s or yesterday’s better, then I’ll have her keep making that one.”

Qu Mingluo specifically explained this, which moved Qi Jiezhi. There was no real need for the man to tell him these details. The fact that he was willing to say it proved he cared about Qi Jiezhi’s feelings. To put it bluntly, in an employer-employee relationship, there was no need for such consideration.

While Qu Mingluo wasn’t exactly “walking on eggshells,” he was treating Qi Jiezhi with genuine sincerity and cared about his preferences. Qi Jiezhi knew better than anyone that not everyone would do this. If the man didn’t like him or care about his thoughts at all, there would be no reason to go to such lengths.

“Thank you.”

When Qi Jiezhi was being sincere, he was very earnest. He did exactly what he did yesterday, heating up the food and sitting down to eat with Qu Mingluo.

Qu Mingluo clearly wasn’t focused on his own meal first, but was instead observing Qi Jiezhi’s reaction.

After taking the first bite, Qi Jiezhi praised it. “It’s really delicious.”

Qu Mingluo glanced at him and nodded.

Qi Jiezhi saw no reason to be perfunctory or lie. He could be honest about whether the food was good or bad, as it was just a matter of his own palate.

“Then I’ll have this housekeeper keep making the meals,” Qu Mingluo said. “It seems you prefer slightly sweeter dishes.”

Qi Jiezhi smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Qu.”

Seeing him so happy, Qu Mingluo didn’t say much else. To him, these were just small, convenient arrangements. Since they had to eat every day anyway, once Qi Jiezhi spoke up, he was willing to keep it in mind and handle it.

After finishing the meal, Qi Jiezhi said his goodbyes, intending to head back downstairs. The lunch break was quite long, and he could easily go down for a nap. Qi Jiezhi had always been a napper, he felt it gave him more energy for the afternoon rather than leaving him feeling sluggish.

“If you’re going down to sleep, why don’t you just stay here?” Qu Mingluo asked.

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