spring bite mark

Chapter 52 Give Daddy Some Time

"Mom, a friend wants to see me."

Jiang Manman told Chen Suyan, found a quiet place, hesitated, and then pressed the call button.

As expected, it was Xie Jian again.

The light across the street was dim.

Xie Jian's chubby face was pressed against the screen, a fever-reducing patch was still on his forehead, and his eyes were red and swollen, with tears streaming down his face.

"Manman." His voice was extremely hoarse, and he was sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sick and can't come to see you."

"It's okay, come visit Auntie again when you have time," Jiang Manman comforted her softly.

Xie Jian sniffed, his little nose turning bright red: "Okay."

Jiang Manman asked again, "Is there anyone at home to take care of you? Are you feeling very uncomfortable when you're sick?"

Xie Jian nodded, his face jiggling slightly as he did so: "My daddy takes care of me. Being sick is awful, but not being able to see Manman is even worse."

Jiang Manman never expected that she held such an important place in the heart of this child she had never met.

She gently hummed in agreement and coaxed, "Then get well soon and come see Auntie whenever you have time. Or Auntie can come to Hong Kong to see you sometime when she's free."

Xie Jian gave a heavy, nasal "hmm".

He was about to speak when footsteps appeared in the shot, followed by a pair of long legs on the screen.

Jiang Manman was stunned.

Then Xie Jian raised his eyes and looked up at the top of those long legs, "Daddy."

Jiang Manman's heart skipped a beat. She was considering whether to greet him subtly when, in the next moment, a blurry outline appeared in the backlight of the camera, and then Xie Jian's video call was disconnected.

Jiang Manman: "..."

Port city.

Royal Water Bay.

In the dimly lit room, Xie Yunxi held Xie Jian in his arms.

He was clearly an extremely arrogant and frivolous person, but in front of the child, he restrained all his sharpness, his expression softened, and he was very careful and patient.

Xie Jian buried his face in his chest, crying and trembling all over, while his small hands tightly clutched the invitation to the private banquet on the cruise ship, squeezing it out of shape.

Not far away, the luggage that was originally neatly stacked was now in a mess, obviously after a fit of temper.

Xie Yunxi reached out and touched his rising body temperature, coaxing him softly, "There's still a chance."

"Why did you just block my video?" Xie Jian questioned.

"Because you looked really bad just now," Xie Yunxi sighed. "Do you want her to see you at your ugliest?"

Xie panicked: "She's been staring at me for several minutes, what should we do?"

"The light is very dim," Xie Yunxi said softly, completely ignoring his chubby face, which was clearly visible in the camera lens. "She can't see it."

Xie Jian felt relieved and wiped away her tears: "When I get better, can I find a chance to visit her?"

Xie Yunxi absentmindedly hummed in agreement: "Okay."

Xie Jian then made another request: "Can I bring my brother along?"

"No." Xie Yunxi's tone softened slightly. "You can go see her, but not your brother."

Xie Jian looked bewildered: "Why can't he?"

Xie Yunxi's eyes were dark. "Because he's different from you." Xie Jian wanted to ask more, but Xie Yunxi had already put him down and handed him a cup of warm water. "Drink some warm water, go to bed and rest. I'm going to check on your brother."

The other child stayed in a darker place.

It was daytime, but the curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out the sunlight. The little child sat on the floor by the curtains, hugging his knees and lost in thought.

Xie Yunxi walked over, squatted down in front of him, opened his arms to him, and spoke in a voice that was two degrees gentler than when he was speaking to Xie Jian:
"Ayu, come here and let Daddy hug you."

The child remained still.

He too had a fever-reducing patch on, his lovely peach blossom eyes quietly fixed on Xie Yunxi's face, his tone extremely calm:
"I'm not a three-year-old anymore, don't do shameful things like hugging and cuddling to me."

Xie Yunxi stared at him for a long time, then reached out and pulled him into her arms.

He gently stroked the child's fluffy head in his arms, his voice low and deep:

"Give Daddy some time, and I'll make sure you can appear in public openly and honestly."

The child blinked indifferently, but didn't respond.

imperial capital.

Night Chaser Cruise Ship.

Because of Xie Yuheng, more and more wealthy and famous people gathered at the boarding gate, chatting enthusiastically with Xie Yuheng.

In the distance, another row of luxury cars drove up.

In the crowd, Li Ke reminded Xie Yuheng: "Boss, Miss Murong has arrived."

Xie Yuheng's expression darkened slightly. He stopped his casual conversation with the others and slowly frowned: "Let's go, let's board the ship."

Li Ke hesitated: "Then Miss Murong?"

"Don't bother."

Xie Yuheng boarded the ship indifferently, and as he left, the others followed suit, instantly emptying the crowded boarding gate.

Port leisure area. Jiang Manman sat on a chair as the luxury car convoy of the Murong family of Hong Kong drove past her in a grand procession and stopped in the parking lot. Then, the very famous Miss Murong from Hong Kong's social circle stepped out.

Jiang Manman had heard her name many years ago, but at that time her name was associated with Xie Yuheng by countless people, which became a past that Jiang Manman was unwilling to mention.

At this moment, this Hong Kong socialite, dressed in a stylish black evening gown, was surrounded and boarded the ship with an impressive aura. She and Xie Yuheng were separated by layers of people, their eyes meeting briefly before parting.

Another ten minutes or so passed before the people from Muchan Studio finally arrived.

They all came together from the studio, having chartered a bus.

A group of people disembarked from the bus in a daze, and the next moment their eyes were drawn to the giant cruise ship. The ultra-luxurious cruise ship, hundreds of meters long and nearly 300,000 tons, was beautifully docked in the port, its level of luxury comparable to the commercial center of the capital, forming its own world of extravagance and debauchery.

Jiang Manman waved to them: "Come here, all of you."

"Ahhh! Boss! I always thought it was one of those small sightseeing cruise ships." Shan Shan clutched her chest, stammering, "What should I do? I only brought three thousand yuan with me. This cruise ship looks like a money pit. I'm afraid I won't even make it through the first day."

Not only her, but many of Mu Chan's employees also looked timid and somewhat frightened.

Ayla, who had seen more of the world, was still utterly shocked. She took out the invitation, examined it closely, and couldn't help but speak:
“Boss, Assistant Jiang only said it was a private banquet on a cruise ship, not that it was the third largest and most luxurious cruise ship in the world! A few months ago, there were rumors that the prince of the Beijing circle had bought back the third largest cruise ship in the world and renamed it Night Chaser. I saw photos of the cruise ship at that time, and I never dreamed that I would ever have the chance to go on board.”

"Is it... very famous?" Shan Shan asked, not understanding.

“It’s very famous.” Ayla’s eyes lit up as she poured out everything she knew. “Let me put it this way, every room on this cruise ship is as luxurious as a five-star hotel in Beijing, and there are even many family villas. There are dozens of top restaurants and bars, and you can also see the world’s most famous luxury brands on board. It’s comparable to the most bustling luxury shopping street in Beijing.”

Shanshan said in alarm, "Now that you mention it, I'm afraid my three thousand won't last even an hour..."

(End of this chapter)