Bai Yue meanwhile did not notice anything wrong, she ended her speech with a flourish, a tiny fist punching the air. Xue Ning was impressed at how she managed to memorise that entire spiel.
Clearly she was very intelligent, or more likely, her mother repeated it enough times that she knew it by heart.
The woman's face turned a blotchy red in embarrassment, refusing to meet either of their eyes. Instead, she glared at her daughter. "Bai Yue! Quiet! How could you say such nonsense in front of them!"
"Well, you and your daughter aren't wrong!" Jingwei gave a sheepish laugh, a hand rubbing his neck. The daughter was simply parroting her mother's views, and her mother had every right to be upset at how half of her family was stranded
"Don't worry about it," Xue Ning added, because the atmosphere was becoming unbearably awkward, and young Bai Yue finally realised that she had done something wrong, even if she wasn't sure what it was.
Her face fell and she stared back at the floor, her hands clutching the hem of her lacy pink dress. She began to sniffle.
Xue Ning immediately got on her knees so she could talk to Bai Yue face-to-face.
"Bai Yue, you didn't do anything wrong, and thank you for letting us know about this. It's very brave of you," Xue Ning said comfortingly.
"Really?" Bai Yue asked hopefully, with a watery smile.
"Of course. Sometimes, people need someone to tell them what they need to hear, even if it's not so nice. You had good intentions, your Mom shouldn't scold you for that," She patted Bai Yue's head and gave her mother a firm look.
"As a parent, you should be more careful with your words in future. Bai Yue merely repeated what you said."
"We'll be going now." The mother said shamefacedly, without responding to her statement "Sorry for bothering you. You don't have to humour her request."
Luckily, Sun Jingwei wasn't a vengeful man. If he was anything like the rumours surrounding his father and brother, their family could have been homeless!
She tugged her daughter away before Sun Jingwei could change his mind. Bai Yue was reluctant to leave though.
She dragged her tiny feet on the floor, and kept turning back to wave at them every few steps, a smile on her chubby face. Xue Ning and Jingwei waved to her until the lift doors closed, obscuring the both of them from view.
After that, Jingwei gave Xue Ning a fond smile.
"I didn't know that you're so good with children," Jingwei commented. Seeing Xue Ning interact with children was making him think about their future children, and he was hit with a pang of sudden longing so strong he almost couldn't focus.
"How would you have known?" She retorted. "You don't surround yourself with children. And I actually work with them, remember?" Then her face fell as she remembered that she was technically fired.
"Well, I used to work with them," she added, grumbling under her breath. She hoped that they were still keeping up with their practices, even when she wasn't there anymore.
"You got fired because of me, didn't you." Jingwei guessed, the familiar feeling of guilt twisting his insides. "You missed your work, so they kicked you out."
"It's fine," Xue Ning said, shrugging. "You're more childish than every student I've ever taught, so it's like I never left."
"In that case, I have to know, why are you so sweet and kind to Bai Yue, but not to me?" Jingwei asked teasingly, crossing his arms as he leaned in closer to her. "I'm feeling a bit jealous."
"Bai Yue is a child, you are just childish." Xue Ning replied easily as she gently shoved him away.
"Besides, am I not sweet and kind enough for you?" She asked, cocking her head deliberately to the side, as she cracked her knuckles. "Do you require more kindness?"
"On second thought, I'm fine with things now," Jingwei said, giving her a hopeful glance. "Though… I wouldn't say no to more kisses."
Xue Ning rolled her eyes. Shameless indeed. "Weren't you going to play the hero and get rid of the crowd? Come on, let's go then."
"You're coming along with me?" Jingwei asked in surprise. "Can I get changed first?"
"Of course. I'm your bodyguard, where else would I be?" Xue Ning replied matter-of-factly. "Sure thing, just remember to lock your door and we can go."
"As my wife commands," Jingwei gave a dramatic bow and went to change into a more presentable outfit for the press pictures.
=
It was easy to say that he would disperse the crowd of ravenous reporters, but when the lift arrived at the first floor, Jingwei couldn't help wondering if he had bitten off more than he could chew.
He had already thought of the words he wanted to say, but he couldn't help feeling nervous anyway, fiddling with the cufflinks on his collared shirt. Xue Ning grabbed his shaking hands and held them to stop himself from tearing off his shirt cuffs.
The moment the lift doors opened, all calm left the building. Jingwei could already hear the rabble of pushy voices and the constant camera flashes, audible even through the glass doors of the lift lobby.
It promised to be a madhouse out there, one that would only get worse once the press saw him actually walk outside.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Xue Ning asked again, sensing the hesitation and nervousness in his eyes. "I will not think any less of you if you don't wish to do it. The crowd looks rabid."
"I will think less of myself though," Jingwei replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself down, before shooting her a grin. "Besides, I already promised Bai Yue I'll do it. I'm not that much of a cad to break a promise to a young girl like her."
You're not much of a cad at all. Xue Ning wanted to say, but held her tongue. There was a hidden nobility inside Sun Jingwei that she found increasingly attractive, but then it only showed up when he was putting himself into possibly dangerous circumstances.
"I'll protect you no matter what," Xue Ning declared. "So go out there and do what you need to do."
"I know," Jingwei smiled at her lovingly, a hand reaching out to pat her head. Xue Ning, sensing that he needed the extra comfort, let him without batting his hand away.
"Why do you think I even had the guts to attempt this?"
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