Chapter 2125: Chapter 2125: The Eighteenth Coming-of-Age Ceremony (Part 7)
She wanted to go in, but for some reason she just felt a little timid.
Ruan Jiaojiao stood outside hesitating for about half a minute, and then Lu Zishu came out through the front gate. Seeing her, he asked in puzzlement, "What are you doing standing out here on the road?"
Ruan Jiaojiao said, "Grandma asked me to call you all over for dinner."
"Oh, then we’ll be there in a bit. Do you want to come in first?" Lu Zishu stepped aside to make way.
Ruan Jiaojiao thought for a moment and walked in. When she entered, Lu Xian was still in the shower and hadn’t come out yet. Zhao Li was off to the side fussing as she tidied his luggage, but inside that duffel bag, apart from some dirty old clothes, there was nothing else.
Zhao Li found it strange. The Lu Family wasn’t short of money—after all these years abroad, Lu Xian only had this pile of shabby clothes?
Just then, crying came from the guest room, and the sound grew louder and louder. One "Daddy" after another, the way he called tugged at the heart.
Zhao Li hurriedly opened the door. Inside, the little boy who had already woken up had one foot on the floor, and he ran toward them, wailing as he went, calling for Daddy.
Zhao Li wanted to step forward and pick him up, but the child dodged her and flung himself straight into Ruan Jiaojiao’s arms. "Scared, hug hug."
The little boy was mixed-race, pretty like a doll. Even his crying made people ache for him, but before Ruan Jiaojiao could feel sorry for him, she was stunned by the way he’d thrown himself into her arms.
The little boy clung to her thigh, rubbing against her as he cried, calling her Mommy in a pitiful, aggrieved voice.
Ruan Jiaojiao thought of Little Potato, who usually clung to her asking to be held, and her heart softened. She was just about to bend down to pick him up when it seemed Lu Xian in the bathroom heard the noise. His hair wasn’t even dry yet when he ran out, barefoot, striding quickly over to scoop the little boy into his arms, soothing him in a gentle voice.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with deep, striking features—no matter how you looked at him, he didn’t seem like the type who’d be good at coaxing kids. But the way he was comforting the child now was practiced to the point of expert, and unbelievably tender.
The little boy had very little sense of security. Cradled in his arms, it took quite a while of comforting before he gradually calmed down.
Seeing that he’d stopped fussing, Lu Xian finally looked over at Ruan Jiaojiao and said apologetically, "He just woke up, he’s a little out of it. Don’t take it to heart."
"It’s okay, Brother Xian." Ruan Jiaojiao shook her head.
Lu Xian nodded to her again, then turned to Zhao Li and said, "Mom, you two go out first. I’ll talk to him for a bit and we’ll come out later."
Zhao Li could only nod. The three of them left the room.
Standing at the doorway, looking at the tightly closed door, Ruan Jiaojiao felt a bit mixed up. Thinking of the words he’d just used to apologize to her, she sighed inwardly. In the end, they had grown distant after all.
She turned to Zhao Li. "Godmother, Grandma’s already finished cooking. When Brother Xian comes out later, you all come over for dinner. I’ll head back first."
"Alright." Zhao Li responded, "We’ll be there right away."
Back home, Ruan Jiaojiao couldn’t help letting out a sigh. The Ruanlin Family’s old lady asked her what was wrong. Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t say; there wasn’t really anything to say anyway. They’d all grown up—life was different now. The ones who were meant to grow apart would grow apart in the end.
It was just that she was someone who clung to feelings a bit too much, so she always found it harder than others to let go.
Before the Lu Family arrived, Duan Xi came back first. Ruan Jiaojiao immediately went up to him. As soon as he stepped into the house, Duan Xi gave the place a once-over. Ruan Jiaojiao knew what he was looking for and explained with a smile, "He hasn’t come yet."
Because of Lu Xian’s sudden return, aside from calling Lu Zishu, Ruan Jiaojiao had also texted Duan Xi, so Duan Xi already knew that he was back.
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