Chapter 42 (3/3)
“Then come keep me company for mahjong,” Old Madam Mei said, beaming. “You can play a few rounds, then stay for dinner. We’re family. If Qianxiu is away, naturally it’s our job to look after you.”
“All right. Thank you, Grandma,” Mu Wan said generously.
Old Madam Mei’s smile deepened, and she turned to Mother Mei. “She called me Grandma.”
The whole family burst into laughter again.
Mu Wan had never known this kind of family warmth before.
At the table, people chatted about work, about wine, about whatever came to mind. No topic ever dropped dead in the air. Someone always picked it up, and soon everyone would be laughing together.
She felt like a bird that had been homeless for years.
Liu Qianxiu had brought her back to a nest, let her have a family, and surrounded her with kinship.
Both of them had been drinking that evening, so they simply stayed the night at the Mei residence. And once they had decided to stay, there was no reason to worry about the hour. Old Madam Mei immediately set up the mahjong table.
Mu Wan knew how to play, and she played reasonably well. What she had not expected was that Liu Qianxiu was even better. He did not sit down at the table himself; he simply sat beside her and guided her moves. By the end, they had actually won a little.
A small wager made things lively. When it was finally time to rest, everyone dispersed cheerfully.
The entire afternoon and evening had left Mu Wan glowing.
She felt like a child who had spent the whole day at an amusement park—happy to the point of exhaustion, yet too exhilarated to calm down.
After they washed up together, Liu Qianxiu settled beneath him. The two of them moved carefully, cautiously, only once. When it was over, the excitement in Mu Wan had finally burned itself out, leaving only fatigue. Curled in his arms, listening to his heartbeat, she drifted toward sleep.
“Liu Qianxiu,” she murmured, “I was really happy today.”
“Ever since I got together with you, I’ve been happy every day. But this happiness still feels like a dream. Every time I think about you going to Austria, I get that hollow, sinking feeling, like I’m about to wake up.”
Her voice had gone a little hoarse with sleepiness. When she finished, she burrowed against Liu Qianxiu twice more, like a small brown bear.
“Liu Qianxiu, you’ll come back on time, won’t you?”
The little brown bear opened her eyes and looked at him.
What shone there was naked love and hope, but mixed in with them were fear and anxiety. That was the true shape of her heart.
Because someone who had never possessed anything, once she finally had something precious, would naturally fear losing it all the more.
Liu Qianxiu looked at her, his hand moving up to cup her warm cheek. It felt as though a torch had been lit deep inside him.
“Mhm,” he said softly.
With that answer, Mu Wan nuzzled against him twice more and drifted off at last.
Once her breathing had deepened into the long, steady rhythm of sleep, Liu Qianxiu rose from the bed, pulled on a shirt, and stepped out.
In the corridor, Mei Yaozhi was passing by with a bottle of red wine in hand, on his way back to his own room. The moment he spotted Liu Qianxiu, his eyes lit up. Then, after taking in his expression, Mei Yaozhi’s face went still too.
“Want a drink?” Mei Yaozhi asked, giving the bottle a small shake.
Liu Qianxiu nodded.
The two of them went to the wine room. After pouring Liu Qianxiu a glass, Mei Yaozhi poured one for himself and asked as he did so, “Is it that troublesome this time? Want me to come with you?”
“Help me take care of Mu Wan,” Liu Qianxiu said, lifting his eyes to him. “While I’m gone, help me look after her.”
The bottle paused in Mei Yaozhi’s hand. His brows drew together briefly. Then he nodded.
“All right.”
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