MDMB 08

Chapter 08

 Sneaking a Midnight Snack

Thinking of this, he looked at the remaining half of the cake.

Little Qingqing stood on her tiptoes and happily pointed at it.

“Big Brother, cut here! This part is pretty~”

Following her suggestion, Fu Yueci cut off the nicest-looking piece.

He placed it on a plate, took a fork and knife from the utensil drawer, told the little girl where he was going, and walked out.

Fu Xueji’s room was at the very end of the hallway, quiet and secluded.

Holding the plate, he gently knocked on the door.

A moment later, the doorknob turned and the white door slowly opened.

Fu Yueci stood there holding the small cake.

“Third Brother.”

Fu Xueji’s gaze fell on the cake in his hands. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, but he said nothing.

“Ahem… I bought this for Qingqing tonight. Do you want to try some?”

He paused briefly before adding,

“It’s really sweet.”

Fu Xueji raised his eyes and asked an unrelated question.

“Her name is Qingqing?”

“Yes.”

The moment the little girl was mentioned, Fu Yueci suddenly became much more talkative.

“She’s the child Dad and I adopted from the orphanage this morning. She’s very well-behaved. Oh right, Brother, have you met her already?”

Fu Xueji covered his lips lightly with the back of his hand and coughed.

“I have. In the little garden.”

“Oh, right.”

The atmosphere fell silent once more.

After a long pause, Fu Yueci finally said,

“If you don’t want the cake, I can take it back.”

He had already prepared himself for rejection.

To his surprise, however, Fu Xueji slowly raised his hand. His skin was so pale it almost looked transparent as he accepted the plate.

“Thank you.”

After the door closed, Fu Yueci remained standing there for a long time, unable to recover from his shock.

His third brother had actually accepted it.

And he had even thanked him!

Fu Yueci clenched the hand hanging at his side, joy overflowing from his eyes.

If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging wildly right now.

Fu Sihuai did not return home for dinner that evening.

Only Qingqing and Fu Yueci sat at the dining table.

After holding it in for a long time, the little girl finally asked,

“Big Brother, is Uncle not coming home?”

Fu Yueci was in an exceptionally good mood. Turning his head, he replied casually,

“Yeah. Sometimes when work at the company gets busy, he doesn’t come back until midnight.”

“Oh~”

Qingqing lowered her eyes and stared at the rice in her bowl without saying anything else.

As usual, she ate a lot.

After all, she had been hungry since noon.

By the time dinner ended, it was already seven o’clock.

Fu Yueci went out to take care of something, while Qingqing returned to her room.

After carefully closing the door, she walked over to the balcony and looked at the jasmine plant.

With nothing else occupying her attention, all of her thoughts naturally centered on the flower.

The jasmine that had clearly been dead that morning was now stretching its branches and leaves beneath the evening glow, swaying lazily in the breeze.

Qingqing gently touched one of its leaves with her chubby little hand and spoke to it softly.

“You need to recover faster, okay~”

“You have to make Third Brother happy, understand?”

As if it could understand her words, the jasmine affectionately brushed its leaves against her fingertips.

Not long ago, it had been almost completely bare.

Most of its leaves had fallen off, its branches dry and withered. Aside from a tiny portion at the top, even the roots had seemed lifeless.

But now things were different.

A steady stream of vitality seemed to flow from its roots into every branch.

The flower buds that had once drooped like frostbitten sprouts were now standing upright.

Small, white, and delicate, they even seemed to release a faint fragrance if one leaned close enough.

Just like that morning, Qingqing stood on the balcony for quite a while, gently holding its branches.

At present, she knew two things about the little green specks inside her body:

They could accelerate plant growth.

And they could bring dying plants back to life.

These were discoveries she had slowly made while living at the orphanage.

When she returned inside, she noticed the flowers arranged in a vase on the table.

Several brilliantly blooming roses stood there.

Earlier that morning, Aunt Liu had thought the room looked too plain and had placed them there as decoration.

Qingqing walked over and cupped one of the rosebuds in her hands.

A faint green glow emerged from her fingertips.

The already gorgeous roses bloomed even more beautifully.

Their fragrance spread throughout the room at astonishing speed.

Qingqing took a deep breath and felt very satisfied with her handiwork.

This way, the flowers could live for a very long time.

And they would smell wonderfully fragrant too.

Afterward, she went to the bathroom by herself, took a bath, and happily climbed into bed.

In the middle of the night, she woke up from hunger.

Sitting up, she noticed that the room lights had somehow been turned off.

Only a small bedside lamp emitted a warm yellow glow that was gentle on the eyes.

Her stomach growled loudly.

Then she remembered the unfinished piece of cake from earlier.

At the time, Big Brother had wanted to throw it away.

She had refused.

In the end, it had been placed in the refrigerator downstairs.

Quietly, she opened her bedroom door just a crack and poked her little head outside.

The hallway lights were on, but it was completely empty and silent.

Tiptoeing like a little kitten, she carefully walked out without making a sound.

The lights in the living room downstairs were off as well.

Only a dim nightlight illuminated part of the room.

Qingqing sneaked over to the refrigerator, struggled to pull the door open, and finally spotted the cake she had been thinking about on the very top shelf.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

She reached for it.

Two seconds later, the little girl stared blankly at her own hands.

She… couldn’t reach it.

What a tragic discovery.

Holding onto the refrigerator door, she hesitated over whether she should drag a chair over.

But that would definitely make noise.

Just as she was struggling with the decision, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind her.

A large, well-defined hand reached over her head and touched the cake she had been longing for.

Qingqing: “!”

She instantly whipped around, craning her neck as far upward as possible.

At the same moment, the man behind her lowered his gaze to look at her.

Fu Sihuai was still dressed in his black suit.

His height was exceptionally imposing.

With a high nose bridge, thin lips, and deeply defined features, he looked handsome rather than intimidating, though there was clear exhaustion on his face.

“This one?”

His voice was magnetic and slightly hoarse.

Qingqing’s heart skipped a beat.

Partly because she had been caught sneaking food in the middle of the night.

And partly because she was still somewhat afraid of him.

Her face immediately turned red.

“S-Uncle…”

Fu Sihuai gave a quiet acknowledgment.

“Mm.”

Without another glance, he took the cake down from the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Holding it, he walked toward the dining table.

The solitary nightlight stretched his shadow long across the floor.

“Still hungry?”

Though his tone was calm, the pressure he unconsciously exuded was overwhelming.

Embarrassed, Qingqing shook her head.

In a tiny voice, she said,

“I was full… but then I got hungry again.”

Fu Sihuai said nothing further.

He had only just returned home.

Originally, he had intended to sit on the sofa and rest for a while before going upstairs.

But not long after sitting down, he noticed a tiny figure sneaking down the staircase.

He had remained silent as he watched the little girl make her way to the refrigerator.

Only when he saw her unable to reach the item on the top shelf did he finally stand up and walk over.