Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: From now on, we are friends.

During the few days of sick leave at home, Ji Zeqiu hadn’t been resting well, tossing and turning every night, only to return to that dream where he curled up in a dark corner whenever he fell asleep.

He tossed and turned, waking up several times throughout each night.

“Can’t you sleep?” a voice as small and subdued as that of a mosquito came from outside the door.

Since the housekeeper didn’t stay overnight, the person speaking outside had to be Lin Xu.

Ji Zeqiu turned over and replied, “I was already asleep.”

“Liar, how can you talk if you are asleep?” Lin Xu murmured.

Ji Zeqiu ignored her. After a moment of silence, there came a “thud thud” of knocking at the door.

The knocking had a rhythm that set one’s heart on edge.

Ji Zeqiu’s temples throbbed with impatience as he got up to open the door, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of Lin Xu’s face hidden in the darkness.

This silhouette was so much like the person in his dreams…

It was almost as if it were…

“Are you having nightmares and afraid to sleep? Do you want me to lull you to sleep?” Lin Xu’s voice interrupted his train of thought.

“Who said I’m afraid to sleep? I was sleeping just fine until you woke me up!” Ji Zeqiu protested.

“I could hear noises from your bedroom in the bathroom; if you’re not having trouble sleeping, were you sleepwalking then?” Lin Xu eyed him.

She had drunk too much water and got up two or three times to use the bathroom that night, each time hearing noises from his bedroom.

Ultimately, she couldn’t rest easy, so she had come to check on him.

Ji Zeqiu’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but thankfully it was not very noticeable in the dim night. “Yes, that’s right, it’s sleepwalking.”

“Oh~” Lin Xu chuckled lightly, “I’ve been staying over for quite a while, and this is the first time I’ve heard that you sleepwalk.”

“It’s not like it happens every night, just that it happened today, is that a problem!” Hearing the mockery in her words, Ji Zeqiu’s cheeks reddened even further as he spoke indignantly.

“Alright, I won’t tease you,” Lin Xu said as she pushed him back toward the bed.

In no time, Ji Zeqiu found himself half-pushed, half-pulled back onto the bed and tucked under the covers.

“I’ll stay right here by your side, so you don’t have to be scared of having nightmares. I’ll wait until you fall asleep before I go back. Sleep now,” Lin Xu said softly, patting the blanket over his chest, her voice quietly comforting.

Ji Zeqiu’s restless feelings gradually subsided in the softness of her voice.

Suddenly,

he remembered the words Ji Tingyang had said when he took Lin Xu away from the villa.

“Let’s see if you can avoid letting her lull you to sleep.”

What had he answered back then?

He wouldn’t let this woman lull him.

But what about now?

The words he had spoken back then hit him like a boomerang.

Ji Zeqiu’s cheeks burned with shame as he struggled awkwardly, “I don’t need you to lull me!”

“Be good, don’t talk,” Lin Xu said, patting his head.

“You—” He was about to say more when she shushed him.

Lin Xu was quite adept at lulling someone to sleep; just a few months ago, she had used the same methods to put the five-year-old Xiao Zeqiu to bed.

It was no challenge for her.

An involuntary hum of a lullaby came from her lips, a favorite when she used to put the three children to sleep.

No lyrics, just this light, floating melody that wafted through the room.

Ji Zeqiu felt as though he had heard it somewhere before, but where exactly?

He thought and thought, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

The melody was like sunshine, illuminating his dark dreams, filling the entire room, leaving him no place to hide.

His whole being was basking in warmth, making him comfortable and at ease.

The nightmare did not continue, and that night he slept very peacefully.

When he woke up the next day,

Lin Xu was no longer by his side, and he didn’t know when she had left.

After waking up, Ji Zeqiu lingered in the bedroom, hesitating to open the door with his hand raised then lowered, never daring to face Lin Xu.

At his age, he actually needed someone else to coax him to sleep.

What if that woman laughed at him!

He hesitated for a long time but finally, responding to the nanny’s call of “time to eat”, he walked out of the bedroom.

During the meal, Ji Zeqiu kept his eyes down, without looking at Lin Xu the whole time.

It was only when picking up food, when their chopsticks touched in the dish, that Ji Zeqiu instinctively looked up at her, and then collided with her seemingly smiling eyes.

He flinched like a startled kitten, his fur bristling before Lin Xu had said anything.

“You insisted on coming in to coax me to sleep last night. I had no choice! It wasn’t voluntary!”

“Alright, you were forced by me.”

He turned his head and snorted coldly.

After his sick leave ended and he had lunch, Ji Zeqiu got into his agent’s car and continued on to the filming location.

Now with some free time and her injuries healed, Lin Xu finally had a chance to go out for a beauty treatment.

In the midst of it, she also took the time to visit a mall, but she didn’t expect to run into the little girl again in the luxury bag store.

“This bag was bought here, why on earth would you suspect it’s a fake!” Ji Yuqiao slammed the table, indignant.

“I’m sorry, Miss, we’re not saying this bag of yours is counterfeit. It’s just that it’s too worn and it’s also an old model now, so we’re unable to take it back,” the staff explained to her.

“Then you could give me a discount, I wouldn’t mind even if it’s just twenty thousand yuan.” This bag had cost her hundreds of thousands when she bought it.

“I’m sorry…” The staff’s expression showed difficulty.

“If you don’t take it, call your manager over, let’s see if he’ll take it!” Ji Yuqiao demonstrated her unreasonable stubbornness.

Lin Xu walked over and smiled at the staff, “Although this bag is an old model, it was a global limited edition of only ten at the time. Such a limited and discontinued item should be quite easy to resell. Maybe you could reassess its value?”

“This… alright.” Lin Xu was also a valued customer of the store, and upon hearing her suggestion, the staff nodded and took the bag to the back.

It wasn’t long before the staff came back out.

The bag could indeed be taken back, but due to significant wear, they could only offer twenty thousand yuan for it.

This was already quite good for Ji Yuqiao, who readily accepted.

“Thank you so much! I didn’t expect to see you again. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have been able to sell this bag.” Receiving the money, Ji Yuqiao was overly excited, even wanting to treat Lin Xu to a meal.

“No need.” Lin Xu was too embarrassed to let her foot the bill.

Seeing her selling the bag for cash, Lin Xu could guess she hadn’t reconciled with her family yet and was running low on funds.

Another meal would have left her with very little of the twenty thousand yuan. At this rate, who knew how many more bags she had left to sell.

“Alright.” Ji Yuqiao was not pushy, slapping her chest in a very hearty manner, “Given you’ve helped me so many times, we’re friends now. Let me know if you need anything in the future, I’m here to help.”

Though Lin Xu didn’t know what she could possibly need her help with, she still smiled and responded, “Okay.”

“Since we’re friends now, let’s add each other on WeChat,” Ji Yuqiao took out her phone.

Lin Xu likewise pulled out her phone.

But upon seeing the photo of Lin Xu with Ji Zeqiu on her phone screen, Ji Yuqiao’s expression suddenly turned to shock.