Chapter 292: Sister Flirts Shamelessly

The evening sun cast its amber glow over Xiao Yu as he sat on the balcony. Wisps of smoke curled upward, floating like delicate strands of cloud in the sunset.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu frowned and quickly extinguished his cigarette.

Turning around, he saw his wife standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and smiled. 

“Why are you out here?” he asked.

“Just checking on you.” Dressed in casual home clothes, Mu Qingwu walked gracefully over to him. “I couldn’t see you just now, and I thought you’d run away from home.”

“Ha!” Xiao Yu rolled his eyes. “Don’t come over here. Are you trying to inhale secondhand smoke?”

“This is our home, isn’t it?”

Mu Qingwu sat herself down on Xiao Yu’s lap.

“So assertive?”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Xiao Yu chuckled.

“Of course.” Mu Qingwu pinched his cheek playfully. “Scared?”

“Scared of what?” Xiao Yu blinked. “You’re not going to turn into a demon queen and eat me, are you?”

“Well, that depends. First, little brother has to behave.” Mu Qingwu’s smile bloomed like a flower. “Are you going to behave?”

“Absolutely!” Xiao Yu nodded, promising earnestly.

“Really?” Mu Qingwu nestled her face into his chest, her eyes shimmering seductively. “I don’t know why, but suddenly… I feel a bit cold.”

Xiao Yu, “…”

He couldn’t help but feel that when a girl says she’s cold while alone with a guy, it’s a kind of flirtation. And then, one thing leads to another. The lights go out, and… well, you get the idea.

Xiao Yu immediately understood, picked her up, and carried her toward the bedroom.

***

As the city lights came on, the warm bedroom was filled with a faint glow.

Mu Qingwu’s soul, which had been floating somewhere far away, finally returned. Her jade-like face rested on Xiao Yu’s chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat.

Xiao Yu, reclining comfortably against the bed, closed his eyes contentedly.

‘If only I could enjoy a cigarette during this sage time, life would be perfect.’

“Brother,” Mu Qingwu murmured softly, “you’ve never told me about your parents, have you?”

“What do you want to know?” 

Xiao Yu smiled.

“For instance, how did they end up together?” Mu Qingwu’s dreamy eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation as she asked, “But… wouldn’t that be something your mom and dad wouldn’t share with you?”

“Haha, you’d be wrong about that.” Xiao Yu laughed proudly. “I actually know all about it. Once, when my mom got a little too tipsy on her birthday, she spilled the whole story of how she and my dad fell in love. But if you want to hear it… not without a hundred kisses—mmph!”

“Just one. Take it or leave it.”

As their lips parted, Mu Qingwu’s eyes sparkled with a seductive and queenly dominance.

The bossy empress had returned.

“Fine, fine,” Xiao Yu chuckled, nestling into her embrace, half his body basking in her warmth and fragrance. “You know, my dad is younger than my mom.”

“What?”

Mu Qingwu looked both amused and surprised. She glanced at him and asked with a smile, “Could that be hereditary?”

“Maybe.” Shaking his head with a grin, Xiao Yu continued, “Mom said that back then, my dad seemed like just a kid to her. It was around the time she was 19, and she met him at the provincial sports school. She said my dad, this pesky transfer student from another province, latched onto her like a little stray puppy.”

“Ha!” Mu Qingwu laughed. “Mother-in-law is so strong. How did she not end up beating father-in-law?”

“She didn’t,” Xiao Yu said, momentarily lost in thought. “Mom told me that even though she once won first place in provincial sanda, she couldn’t last ten moves against my dad.”

“What?!” Mu Qingwu exclaimed in shock. “How is that possible?”

“Exactly, how is that possible?!”

Every time Xiao Yu thought about how his dad acted so timidly around his mom, practically treating her like a princess, he couldn’t help but wonder if his mom had been lying to him.

But the truth was that his dad, the mild-mannered man who had long since worn down the fire of youth, would stand without hesitation in front of his wife and kids if they were in danger. Even if it meant facing a lion.

“Mom told me that back then, Dad was noisy and immature, but also very romantic.”

With a smile, Xiao Yu continued, “Dad chased after Mom every day, calling her ‘Big Sister.’ He bought her flowers, took her to the movies, and went roller skating with her.”

“That must’ve been very romantic back then,” Mu Qingwu said with a smile.

“Yeah, twenty-some years ago, it was definitely romantic.” Xiao Yu nodded, grinning. “Mom said that Dad was a mischievous little stray pup and helped her dispel the gloom of a stifling city and gave her space to breathe. And so, Mom found herself playing with this little brat, her mischievous little pup, every single day.”

“The funny part,” Xiao Yu added, laughing, “was that during that time, it was actually Dad, the so-called ‘little brat,’ who was taking care of her. He kept coming up with ways to cheer her up. Mom said that only when she was with Dad could she forget the stress of training and studying at the sports academy, and feel excited about life again. And finally, after Dad confessed to her for the thirty-first time, Mom became Dad’s ‘second drink at half-price.’

“Back then, Mom even asked Dad a question: ‘Don’t you think it’s weird that I’m older than you?’ Dad laughed and said, ‘When you’re old, I’ll be old too. When I’m in my seventies, you’ll be in your seventies. When I’m in my eighties, so will you. How are you any older?’ In the end, Mom waited and waited for her little stray pup to grow up, but Dad went back to Bencheng.”

At this point, Xiao Yu grinned. “And you know the rest. Mom defied her family’s opposition, married far away in Bencheng, and lived happily ever after with her little pup. And then, they had me.”

“That’s so sweet!” Holding her brother in her arms, Mu Qingwu smiled tenderly. “Just like us.”

“Yeah,” Xiao Yu said, burying his face in her embrace. “Even though raising a child might be exhausting, it’s like planting a fruit tree. Waiting for it to bloom, waiting for it to bear fruit. Patience is more important than compatibility, understanding more important than love. Sweet words don’t need to be ‘I love you.’ They’re ‘I have patience for you now, and I always will.’ That’s why my parents are still so enviably happy.”

“We’ll make others envious too,” Mu Qingwu said, gently stroking his short hair. Pride lit up her gentle face. “Won’t we?”

“Mm.” With his arms wrapped around her waist, Xiao Yu murmured into her chest.

“And our baby,” Mu Qingwu added, her tone soft and full of pride, “will be proud of us too.”