Chapter 332: Chapter 303: If You Want Me To Leave, Just Say It
Does he not have a mother?
Gu Qili gazed at the child’s plump and tender face, suddenly overcome with a wave of compassion. No wonder he ran away from home; it turned out he was motherless. Could it be that his father remarried, and so he wasn’t good to him either, leading the boy to speak in such a tone?
"My dad only cares about work every day. The only thing he cares about me is my grades, so there really isn’t much for me to write about." Mu Qinian probably realized his tone was a bit harsh and stopped talking about that matter. He picked up the speech material Bruno had prepared and started to read it out loud.
The little guy was expressive and emotional; once he started speaking French, it was as if he had become a different person, his voice crisp and his enunciation clear.
Gu Qili suddenly thought of her own childhood. It seemed that she also started participating in speech competitions when she was only four or five years old. She was too young to remember, and it was only later when she organized various certificates and awards that she discovered the dates.
"I’m done," said Mu Qinian with a cool little face. "What do you think?"
"Overall, it’s perfect, but the pronunciation of a few words is a little bit incorrect." Gu Qili picked up a pen, found those words in the notebook, and marked them anew with a red marker, "The word for ’wing’ should be pronounced ’aile,’ don’t curl your tongue, look at the shape of my mouth, it should be like this."
Mu Qinian humbly followed her and read it out twice.
Gu Qili then corrected a few more small details and picked up the manuscript to read it out loud as a demonstration.
Mu Qinian listened attentively, his eyes gradually revealing a hint of admiration. When she spoke French, it was even more pleasant to listen to than his teacher Bruno, the authentic Frenchman.
Most importantly, her style was very suitable for giving speeches.
"Did you remember it?" Gu Qili handed the manuscript back to him.
Mu Qinian suddenly leaned back, lying on the bed, quickly wrapped himself in the quilt: "I don’t want to read anymore, I’m sleepy."
"Hmm, okay, then go to sleep early," Gu Qili did not force him but instead went to dim the lights, knowing that he would be impatient. Yet she couldn’t help but add, "Make a call home."
As expected, Mu Qinian turned impatiently, presenting his back to her: "If you want me to leave, just say it directly."
"I don’t want you to leave. I’m just worried your family might be concerned," Gu Qili’s voice was soft and tender, like a feather tickling his little heart.
After waiting a while, Gu Qili thought he had fallen asleep and sighed, ready to leave. Suddenly the little bundle inside the blanket sat up, extending a hand irritably: "Lend me the phone."
Gu Qili smiled in relief and hastily went to the living room to get the phone for him.
Clutching the phone, Mu Qinian pondered over whom to send a message to.
His dad?
Forget it. He ran away from home just to make him worry and panic. His purpose hadn’t been achieved yet; how could he tell him?
It should be Uncle Yu. The old man must be worried sick.
Mu Qinian entered Uncle Yu’s phone number, sent a message, and then returned the phone to Gu Qili. Having run around all day, he was tired too. His eyes gazed at the ceiling, blinking twice before he fell asleep.
Gu Qili bent down to tuck in the corner of his blanket, staring at his face, which appeared particularly peaceful and beautiful in sleep. She was lost in thought, finding it somewhat unbelievable. She had picked up a little boy from the park and brought him home, and not only did she cook for him and tutor him in French, but now that he was asleep, she was standing here like a lovesick fool, stealing glances at the sleeping little cutie.
Perhaps it was because she missed Niannian so much that she ended up treating this Niannian as her own lost son, showering him with affection.
Gu Qili thought she must be crazy. She patted her slightly flushed face and took out a blanket and pillow from a cabinet, then quietly went to the living room.
As soon as she stepped out, her phone rang with an incoming call from an unfamiliar number. The caller was somewhat impatient but still very polite: "Hello, I just received a message from this number. May I ask if the young master is there with you?"
For a moment, Gu Qili hadn’t realized who this "young master" was, but she quickly thought of Niannian.
"Are you talking about Qini?"
"Yes," Uncle Yu was so excited he almost cried. That clever little rascal had tricked him early in the morning, and as soon as he turned around, the boy was nowhere to be found. He had been frantic with worry all day.
"He’s already asleep now."
"If it’s not too much trouble, could you provide an address? I’ll come to pick up the young master."
After Gu Qili gave the address, she suddenly felt reluctant to let go. She bit her lip, looking in the direction of the bedroom: "How about this? You come and pick him up tomorrow morning. It’s so late now, and it’s cold outside. Getting up and catching a cold wind can easily lead to a cold."
Uncle Yu thought she made a lot of sense, and from the message the young master sent, it seemed that he was getting along very well with this lady, indicating she was likely not a bad person.
"Then I will be troubling you."
"It’s no trouble at all."
After hanging up the phone, Uncle Yu sent a message to Mu Shuoqian, informing him that the young master had been found.
Mu Shuoqian received the message just as he was settling in in Paris. As he turned on his phone, several messages popped up, all from Uncle Yu.
Reading the last one, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He thought to himself that he would certainly have to deal sternly with that boy when he got back. The boy was becoming too bold, daring to play the runaway game with him.
He replied to Uncle Yu on the phone: "Thank the person who helped him. Ask what they want, money or something else."
"Okay."
Gu Qili got up before six o’clock. Actually, she hadn’t slept well during the night. She had just returned to the country, and her jet lag hadn’t fully adjusted yet.
First, she checked on the two bedrooms, then took out bread and ham from the fridge to prepare sandwiches.
As she was slicing tomatoes, she suddenly felt a gaze on her. Turning her head, she saw Mu Qinian standing there. He was still in his autumn clothes, which were now wrinkly, and his hair was a mess, looking like a bird’s nest.
"Qinian, you’re awake." Gu Qili walked over and pointed to the side: "The bathroom is there. Go wash your face, we’ll eat in a bit."
Mu Qinian responded with an "Oh" and went to the bathroom, locking the door after entering. He pulled down his pants and quickly took care of personal business on the toilet. Then, he walked to the sink to wash his face. Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but examine the small space that was somewhat cramped and without the large bathtub for surfing,
At his house in Jingshan, he could only see the black and white colors of his father’s preference and had never been exposed to such warm and bright colors.
The little guy, who usually had a serious obsession with cleanliness, surprisingly picked up a warm yellow towel and started wiping his face. It must belong to her.
Mu Qinian wanted to brush his teeth but had no toothbrush. As he was feeling annoyed, there was a knock at the door.
"Qinian, I bought you a new toothbrush."
Mu Qinian thought this must be what they call ’mind-reading’ in the books. He wanted a toothbrush, and she brought it to him.
Opening the door, he received the children’s toothbrush Gu Qili handed him. Noticing the sweat on her forehead and the cashmere coat on her body, he frowned slightly, "Did you go out specifically to buy it?"
"Yeah." Gu Qili rubbed her hands together, smiling as she said, "Go ahead and wash, my food isn’t ready yet."
"Isn’t it cold outside?"
Gu Qili paused, then heard him continue, "I could have used yours as well."
As he was about to close the door, Gu Qili suddenly reached out to stop it, "Right, your family said they would come pick you up this morning."
Gu Qili didn’t know what relationship the person she called last night had with him, but from the anxious tone, it must be his guardian.
"I know." The thought of leaving made Mu Qinian inexplicably irritable. Turning to face the mirror, he looked at himself, his hair messy like a bird’s nest, and he frowned in disdain while rumpling it with his hand. Suddenly addressing Gu Qili, who was still in the mirror and hadn’t left, he asked, "Ally, do you know how to style hair?"
Gu Qili said, "I haven’t tried styling kids’ hair."
Still, she put on slippers and came in. First, she helped Mu Qinian wash his hair, dried it with a hairdryer, arranged it with her hands, and then, looking into the mirror, asked, "What kind of hairstyle do you want?"
"Something cool."
Gu Qili scrutinized for a moment, then took some mousse and spread it evenly on his hair, used a comb to spike it up in the middle, and in no time, gave him a mohawk hairstyle.
The little guy had good looks, and styling his hair like this made him appear taller, his skin whiter, and his eyes bigger.
"Does it look good?" Gu Qili placed her hands on his shoulders, leaned in close, and with her head pressed against his neck, they both looked towards the mirror together.
For Gu Qili, this was high praise. She patted his shoulder, "Go change your clothes and come eat."
Mu Qinian changed clothes, and Tongtong was up, with Gu Qili wiping her face.
Mu Qinian walked by, disdainfully saying, "So dumb, can’t even wash your face."
Upon hearing this, Tongtong immediately took the towel from Gu Qili, smiling as she tipped her head back, "Aunt Qili, I’ll do it myself."
Gu Qili handed her the towel and whispered softly to Mu Qinian, "Qinian, you should speak more gently to girls."
"My dad never talks to girls."
"He’s an adult, you’re a child. You’ll inevitably meet many girls as you grow up. Plus, Tongtong really cares about you. You didn’t go to class yesterday, and she was worried all day."
"Who asked for her worry, nosy parker." Mu Qinian huffed with a cold face and sat down at the dining table to start eating.
Gu Qili shook her head helplessly. It seemed his father’s influence on him was deep-rooted indeed.
"Come on, eat your sandwich." Gu Qili handed each of the little ones a sandwich.
"Thank you, Aunt Qili." Tongtong called crisply, taking the sandwich in her small hands and nibbling on it bit by bit.
"Thank you." Mu Qinian stared at the sandwich in his hand, lost in thought for a moment.
Gu Qili poured him some milk, "What’s the matter, don’t you like it?"
"How did you know I like sandwiches the most?" He lifted his glossy large eyes, his black pupils like two round grapes, "My dad hates sandwiches."
Before Gu Qili could fully comprehend the strange feeling in her heart, the doorbell rang.