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30: Raising a Child for Fun
"What do you think?" Ji Qingbei countered with a question of his own.
Their gazes locked in mid-air, and after a beat, Ji Qingbei added, "What's wrong? Disappointed she didn't come?"
The 'she' they referred to was clear to both.
Silence lingered for a moment before Oliver scoffed, "Disappointed? About what? Doesn't matter to me whether she shows up or not."
"Oh," Ji Qingbei raised an eyebrow, "since you don't care, I won't say anything else."
And with that, he remained silent.
Oliver's brows knitted tightly together, his gaze on Ji Qingbei filled with annoyance.
"Why play coy? If you know something, just spit it out."
"I'm playing coy?" Ji Qingbei feigned surprise, "I thought you didn't want to know, fearing it would annoy you. So I said nothing. But do you really want to know?"
Oliver's response was an irritated silence.
Damn it, why did he even know someone like Ji Qingbei?
Oliver was too exasperated to c
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Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 31: Perhaps It Was Never Meant to Be
"Play?" Lillian wrinkled her nose at the term."Yeah!" Sophie, propping up her chin, exclaimed with unbridled excitement: "Babies are such fun, you know? For instance, if it's a girl, you can dress her up every day like a live mannequin, reminiscent of those dress-up online games."Lillian just stared back, wordless and bemused, not having expected such a notion from Sophie, who rarely dabbled in games."Right, and when the time comes, I'll be the godmother," Sophie enthusiastically rubbed her hands together, a gleam in her eyes, "If you get too busy, I'll just move in and help you out. Hehehe, but let me declare, it's not for the sheer joy of playing with the baby that I'd move in, okay?"Lillian suddenly felt she understood the real reason behind Sophie's insistence on her keeping the child."Oh," Sophie suddenly grew serious, "I forgot to ask, did Serena come to you yesterday?""Mhm.""Darn, what did she have to say?"Lillian recounted the events of the previous day to Sophie, who
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 32: How Easily Can One Repay a Debt of Gratitude?
A debt of gratitude was incurred at that moment, and Lillian truly realized how timely Serena's call had been when she later scurried everywhere for help. The Shen family had lost all their assets, leaving behind only one property. When it came to restarting their business, Lillian intended to sell the property to give her father capital to begin anew, but Mr. Shen did not agree, stating solemnly:"The property should be dealt with as it must. I was successful starting from scratch before, and I can certainly do it again. Give the property to those people, and someday invite Serena for a meal. See if there's anything you can help her with to repay the favor as soon as possible.""Dad..."How easy is it to repay such a debt?Mr. Shen caressed his daughter's head with a warm smile: "Even if I have nothing, I won't allow our Nuonuo to bow down before a rival in love. Don't worry, I can rise again. I have a friend who will surely help us. I've already spoken to him."No, he was lying.Lil
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 33: No Desire to See Him Again
Mentioning Oliver triggered Lillian to recall the scene from the bar last night. Where was he? Clearly, Serena had taken him home. Considering what might have transpired and his absence from Mrs. Qin's side until now, Lillian felt the situation was painfully clear.She was perturbed deep inside but couldn't display her frustration in front of Mrs. Qin. So, she softly fabricated a plausible excuse for Oliver, "He stayed up late last night and couldn't wake up on time."As she spoke, Lillian realized she was stating the truth – Oliver indeed had stayed up late, but what he did, no one else knew.Mrs. Qin immediately showed a look of exasperation, "At his age, still staying up late."Lillian just smiled, not wanting to continue the dialogue.Mrs. Qin sighed at Lillian's good temper, "Only you can put up with his ways.""Not really," Lillian said quietly.Desiring to change the subject, Lillian suggested they take Mrs. Qin out in her wheelchair for a stroll in the garden, and she agreed.
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 34: Did You Come Looking for Me?
Upon seeing the message, Lillian instinctively lifted her gaze to Oliver, meeting his deep, dark eyes. He was staring intently at her. After a brief eye contact, Lillian pursed her lips and turned her head away, ignoring him.Oliver: "…"The phone vibrated again, and upon checking, Lillian saw another message from him. "Come here."No, she didn't want to."After Grandma's surgery, you can do as you please, but for now, behave and work with me. Didn't you say we're in a transactional relationship?"Reading his words, Lillian snapped back to reality. Indeed, theirs was a transaction. This whole time, theirs was a willing deal. Why was she being so sentimental about it?Taking a deep breath, Lillian slowly walked over to him. Despite mentally preparing herself, each step towards Oliver felt incredibly heavy.By the time she finally reached his side, Oliver's expression was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He gazed at the girl in front of him, utterly speechless.Suddenly, Oliver reached o
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 35: Pretending to be in Love
Lillian denied it subconsciously. "No." Then she counter-questioned, "Who told you that?"At her words, Oliver narrowed his eyes, "If it's nothing, why does it matter who told me?""Oh," Lillian spoke nonchalantly, "I just want to know who has such strong rumor-spreading skills. Gu Yanxi? Ji Qingbei? That's right, Ji Qingbei did call me, saying you were drunk and asked me to come over. I didn't get a chance to refuse before he hung up."Oliver's brows furrowed as he watched her speak without emotion."I was going to have the butler pick you up, but it was late, and I didn’t want to wake him given his age. Considering Ji Qingbei and Gu Yanxi were there, I thought they would take care of you. So, even if you were drunk, you'd be fine.""So what happened?"Her story was seamless, apparently without issues."So, after I thought it through, I went to sleep."Lillian finished, fixing him with a stare, "So, who told you I went to look for you? Thank him for me, for setting up such a positive
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 36: Your Feelings Are Not Wrong
Mrs. Qin paused for a moment, then asked, "Surgery earlier?""Yes."After that, Mrs. Qin fell silent.Lillian watched and thought for a moment before speaking up, "Grandma, surgery might sound scary, but the process isn't as dreadful as it seems. You just have to take a nap, and when you wake up, you'll find yourself all better."Her tone was light and playful when she said this.Even Oliver couldn't help but glance at her. It had been a long time since she'd looked so spirited.Perhaps her mood infected Mrs. Qin, as the older woman chuckled, "You just know how to cheer me up.""Not at all, Grandma. I'm telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the doctor tomorrow.""Alright, alright, I know you're worried about me, but I'm not scared."When they left the convalescent home, it was already 8 p.m. Lillian had wanted to stay with her longer, but Mrs. Qin needed to rest, so they had no choice but to leave.The two, seeming inseparable, clung to each other until they were a d
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 37: Let's Call a Truce
She was right; the data she held did indeed show changes, indirectly proving that her instincts hadn't misled her.Lillian hummed in affirmation, then fell silent, neatly folding the papers and putting them away. Once she was done, something occurred to her, and she said to Oliver, "Actually, I think Grandma is afraid of the surgery. This afternoon, you shouldn't have told her about moving up the date."Oliver was taken aback at her words. "Is that so?""Yes."He looked over at her and saw the seriousness etched on her face, suddenly realizing that her words at the nursing home weren't just empty talk. She genuinely cared for his grandmother, not just for his sake. This revelation wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment outburst. She truly saw his grandmother as her own.With this thought, Oliver's lips curled slightly, "Alright, I understand. I'll reassure her later."Because they were discussing his grandmother, an unusual calmness settled between them. But once the topic of Grandma ended,
Bump and Run: The Ex's Pursuit 38: It Doesn't Matter At All
"Yes, a truce," Lillian nodded gently, "Can we go back to the way things were before?"The way things were before? Oliver felt his heart leap at her words, not even realizing his own stuttering response. "You mean..."Lillian glanced at him then lowered her gaze, speaking earnestly, "I've given it some thought on the way back. Grandma seems stable now, and those minor changes don't seem to pose a problem. But with the surgery only half a month away, we don't need to be fighting. It would only upset Grandma if she senses something is off."As Oliver digested her words, he felt he grasped her intent. "You mean...""Don't you understand yet? It's a critical time, so we need to cooperate. After this half a month, you can do as you please. No one, and nothing, will hold you back."Lillian thought she had made herself crystal clear. "You're a smart man, you should get what I'm saying."Oliver tugged at the corner of his lips; how could he not understand? Essentially, she didn't want to reco
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