Seeing him was like seeing a savior for Lu Mingzhe.
He held Nian Nian up to the camera, "Don't rush to get the house, come to the hospital and watch the child for me!"
"Child?"
Looking at the doll, carved from jade and painted with powder, that suddenly appeared on the camera, Lu Qingxu was bewildered.
"Where are you now? Don't you have work? How did you end up babysitting for someone else?"
Lu Mingzhe: "I'm in Hangcheng. The child isn't someone else's, she's your niece. Stop with the nonsense and just come over."
After speaking, he hung up the phone and sent Lu Qingxu the address.
Lu Qingxu was still immersed in the shock and hadn't reacted. It wasn't until his driver asked him where they were going that he relayed the address.
Melody sat beside him, wearing a mask, looking out the window with a cool demeanor.
The weather had been getting warmer lately, and Hangcheng's sky was bright and sunny every day, dotted with white clouds. It was beautiful during the day and equally stunning when night fell.
She couldn't help but raise her DSLR.
Lu Qingxu watched her take a few photos and then quietly said to her,
"We might have to go somewhere else before heading back. Do you mind accompanying me for a walk?"
Melody wasn't in good health, and naturally, her mood wasn't good either.
If Lu Qingxu hadn't used pictures and videos from netizens to entice her with how beautiful Hangcheng was, she absolutely wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to be here.
Since she was here, she was here to sightsee, as long as the scenery was good.
"I won't go to places with bad scenery."
"Understood. You're interested in children, aren't you? I'll get you a child to play with later."
Melody had reached an age where maternal instincts were strong, and because of her illness requiring a mastectomy, she was always particularly sensitive to children.
She thought she was hiding it well, so when Lu Qingxu said that, she turned her head and gave him a displeased glance.
Lu Qingxu, startled, quickly apologized.
"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant you might be better at babysitting than I am."
The journey was smooth, yet it still took them an hour to reach their destination.
Lu Mingzhe sat on the green belt by the hospital entrance, holding Nian Nian, who had already fallen asleep, waiting until he felt like he'd waited an eternity.
The car stopped, and he saw Lu Qingxu. Despite his urgency, he carefully protected his sleeping daughter until Lu Qingxu walked over.
It was the first time in his life he'd seen his brother holding a baby. So small, so fair and pink. Lu Qingxu, while astonished, couldn't help but lean in to get a closer look.
Upon closer inspection, "Hey. She's quite cute. How old is she? Whose child is she?"
As he spoke, he reached out to pinch her cheek, but Lu Mingzhe, protective of his child, pushed his hand away.
"Are your ears malfunctioning? I told you she's your niece, and you're still asking whose child she is? How many older brothers do you have?"
Lu Qingxu was even more surprised.
"No way? Your child? You..."
He finally understood.
"No wonder she's so cute. Did Xiang Wan give birth? Did you find her?"
Lu Mingzhe was a little pleased but tried not to show it, pretending to be annoyed and tutting at him.
"Stop with the nonsense. Lift your arm, I'll teach you how to hold her."
During the hour it took for Lu Qingxu to arrive, Lu Mingzhe had called Xiang Wan countless times.
But she had silenced her phone and thrown it into her bag, and no matter how many times he called, there was no response. Lu Mingzhe was now frantic.
He was desperate to find her and entrust Nian Nian to someone.
Seeing his brother lift the child, Lu Qingxu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly let go of his suitcase and raised his hands.
One arm above, one arm below, he struck a very awkward pose.
"Is this how you hold her?"
"How old is she? What if she wakes up and wants to be fed?"
"I'll be back as soon as possible. There's formula in the ward. If she wakes up and wants to eat, ask a nurse to prepare it for her."
"The ward? Is she sick?"
"No. There's an elder in the ward, Xiang Wan's grandmother. Xiang Wan is having some trouble right now, and I need to go find her."
"There's no time for further explanation. In short, go up and take good care of the elder and the child. Don't hold your arms like that, keep them flat. A baby's neck bones are soft, the most important thing is not to hurt her neck."
Lu Mingzhe's anxious tone made him even more nervous.
"I've never held a baby before, this is my first time. You're really something to ask me to take care of her... How do I do it? Am I doing this right?"
Lu Mingzhe placed Nian Nian into his arms and held his two arms to position him.
"Like this. Then, when you get to the room, put her on the bed. I'll be back as soon as possible."
As he spoke, a taxi happened to come by the roadside. He raised his hand to flag it down and ran towards it.
Lu Qingxu looked at his brother sprinting away, then at the little person in his arms, the suitcase at his feet, and Melody behind him.
He was speechless for two seconds.
"Excuse me, you'll probably have to come to the hospital with me first."
Melody suppressed her curiosity about the little person and walked forward with a cold expression, grabbing the suitcase.
"Let's go. Where to?"
Lu Qingxu's body was as stiff as if he were holding a priceless treasure.
"I don't know. The location is in my WeChat. Open it and take a look."
Melody pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped the screen.
"Password."
"Your birthday."
"Huh?"
"Heh heh. After I found out your birthday, I changed it immediately. I heard that if you like someone, you should change all your passwords to her birthday."
Melody found his behavior annoying and rolled her eyes, shoving the phone back into his pocket.
"Don't keep saying you like me. I told you we have no future, aren't you tired of this?"
Ever since Lu Qingxu had chased her to the United States, he had dismissed the caregiver, Aunt Zhong, and focused entirely on taking care of them, mother and daughter. He vowed to take care of Melody until she recovered and even expressed his desire to marry her and have children.
This left Melody with a complex mix of emotions.
In the first twenty-something years of her life, she had been in several relationships.
There were those who genuinely wanted to marry her, and those who were just casual flings.
She had encountered all sorts of men, but she had never encountered anyone like Lu Qingxu.
The way they met was bizarre, and they had hardly spent any time together, yet he had become inexplicably fixated on her.
If her health were good now, and if she had a bright future, she wouldn't have minded the two-year age difference and would have been willing to give it a try.
Unfortunately.
He was in the prime of his youth, while she was terminally ill.
How could she possibly ruin the life of such a sincere young man?
Therefore, Melody's attitude towards him had always been poor.
But Lu Qingxu seemed to have no self-respect, no shame, and no matter what she did, she couldn't get rid of him.
Actually, in the car, she had overheard the two brothers talking about the child.
She had also noticed when Lu Qingxu was looking at Nian Nian just now.
Her fair, plump little hands, her chubby little arms, the primal instinct of motherhood drove her to come up and touch her, to hold her.
Even if it wasn't her own child, it would provide some temporary psychological comfort.
However, she didn't want to appear so pathetic.
She had chosen this path for her life, and even with regrets, she didn't want anyone to see through her.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Don't be angry."