Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Liangliang is awesome! Right from the start, letting mom and dad sleep! 3 [Extra Chapter for monthly votes]
Qu Liushang never tried to stop her, his deep, probing gaze fixed on Si Mingjing, filled with an unspoken, searching question.
Sheng Liangliang’s little arms were wrapped tightly around Si Mingjing’s neck, tears lingering on her small face.
"Pretty lady, Liangliang wants Uncle," she whimpered.
"Uncle isn’t here. How about Big Sister takes you to see the doctor, okay?"
Liangliang felt miserable from her illness. Her little head rested on Si Mingjing’s shoulder as she listlessly nodded.
「...」
Si Mingjing brought Liangliang back to the Ye residence with a cooling patch on her forehead, which greatly alarmed Old Madam Ye.
"What happened? What happened?" she cried.
Ye Xinguang said, "Mom, it’s nothing serious. The child just caught a chill and has a fever. She wants to sleep."
Old Madam Ye said, "Quickly, let Liangliang sleep in Xiaobai’s room."
Si Mingjing then carried Little Liangliang to Ye Nianbai’s room and laid her on the bed. But the sick child was especially clingy, refusing to release her hold on Si Mingjing even while lying down.
She insisted that Si Mingjing stay and sleep with her.
Ill and in an unfamiliar environment, the child felt utterly insecure; only Si Mingjing could give her a sense of safety.
Because when she was alone and helpless on a deserted island, it was Si Mingjing who had rescued her.
Little Liangliang trusted Si Mingjing deeply. She snuggled into her embrace and looked up at her with tear-filled eyes.
Her beautiful golden eyes were exceptionally lovely, but, clouded by tears, they evoked even deeper sympathy from anyone who saw them.
"Auntie, Old Madam Ye, why don’t you two step out first?" Si Mingjing suggested. "I’ll stay with the child while she sleeps and keep an eye on her fever."
Ye Xinguang and Old Madam Ye both readily agreed. "Alright, alright, we’ll go out. We don’t want to frighten the child."
Mo Yinhe, who was handling work in the study, heard the commotion and came out. He saw the two women emerging from Ye Nianbai’s room.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, his tall, imposing figure standing in the hallway.
Ye Xinguang said with a pang of distress, "We brought Liangliang back. The child has a high fever. You should go in and see her."
Mo Yinhe strode into the room.
"Big brother~~" Little Liangliang recognized Mo Yinhe.
She trusted Mo Yinhe as well. Her godfather had said that Big Brother was her daddy. Liangliang wasn’t sure if it was true.
Mo Yinhe walked quickly to the bedside and bent down to look at his daughter. He gently rubbed Little Liangliang’s head with his warm palm and asked Si Mingjing, "Is it serious?"
"She just caught a chill," Si Mingjing replied.
Mo Yinhe nodded. Children who caught a chill could easily develop a fever. Xiaobai, that little rascal, often had fevers too. It wasn’t anything serious, so Mo Yinhe relaxed.
Little Liangliang reached out her small hand and tugged Mo Yinhe’s arm.
"Big brother, Liangliang is sick. Liangliang feels awful. Big brother, please stay and sleep with Liangliang~~" she pleaded.
Si Mingjing was taken aback. "Liangliang, Big Sister will sleep with you," she said.
But Liangliang, sick and acting particularly spoiled, wanted her daddy. "Liangliang wants Big Brother and Big Sister to both sleep with Liangliang~~~"
Si Mingjing’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Little Liangliang then asked, "Big brother, is that okay?" Her eyes, misty and pleading, made it impossible for anyone to refuse her.
Besides, Mo Yinhe had no intention of refusing.
Of course not! Si Mingjing silently protested in her heart, yet she heard Mo Yinhe’s gentle and affectionate voice, "Of course, it’s okay."
Mo Yinhe took off his shoes and lay down sideways on the bed, on top of the covers.
When he lay down, the bed dipped slightly, and Si Mingjing’s breath caught in her throat.
The child’s bed was already small, and with three people on it, the space was incredibly tight. Little Liangliang’s tiny body was almost lost between the two adults.
Si Mingjing felt Mo Yinhe lying right beside her, so close that her every breath seemed to brush against him.
Si Mingjing tried to get up, but Little Liangliang grabbed her arm and held on tight. With her left hand, Little Liangliang took Si Mingjing’s arm and placed it on Mo Yinhe. Then she took Mo Yinhe’s arm and placed it over Si Mingjing’s. She settled herself in the middle.
"Big brother, Big Sister, Liangliang really likes you both," Little Liangliang murmured, happily snuggled between them, and contentedly closed her eyes.
This is too intimate, Si Mingjing thought, her heart pounding in her chest.
She tried to move, but Mo Yinhe whispered, "Don’t move."
His voice was low but left no room for argument.
Little Liangliang opened her large, tear-misted eyes and gazed pitifully at Si Mingjing. Her small head burrowed into Si Mingjing’s embrace, so dependent that Si Mingjing found herself unable to resist.
"Big Sister, please stay and sleep with Liangliang, okay?" Little Liangliang bit her lip, looking so forlorn that it seemed tears would spill at any moment if Si Mingjing refused.
Si Mingjing completely relented and stayed still. She gently moved her arm from Mo Yinhe and caressed the child’s fever-flushed, wan face.
"Alright, alright, Liangliang, don’t cry. Your tears are breaking my heart. Tell Big Sister, why do you want both Big Sister and Big Brother to sleep with you? Isn’t it good enough for just Big Sister to be with you?"
Little Liangliang’s brows knitted together. "No," she pouted.
"Why not?" Si Mingjing gently coaxed, trying to understand the child’s thoughts.
Little Liangliang bit her lip, silent for a long moment. Then, in a small, proud voice, she declared, "Liangliang isn’t jealous at all!"
"Hmm?"
"When Zuozuo is sick, her mom and dad always hold her while she sleeps. Liangliang is not jealous of Zuozuo at all!" Having said this, she squeezed her beautiful eyes shut, and tears immediately welled up and streamed down her face.
She was clearly very jealous.
Si Mingjing’s heart ached with understanding. When she was young, after her mother passed away, she too had been on Prison Star, jealous of other children who could bask in their parents’ affection. On Prison Star, some male and female prisoners formed relationships and had children. Those children, younger than her, enjoyed the love of their parents. Si Mingjing admitted she had been jealous too.
When she felt that envy, she would cling to her two medical mentors, Ban Chugang and Zhang Meimei, holding Ban Chugang’s hand with her left and Zhang Meimei’s with her right.
Si Mingjing gently wiped away Little Liangliang’s tears. Understanding the child’s feelings perfectly, she said tenderly, "Don’t cry. Big Sister is here with you, and Big Brother will be too."
"Big Sister, you have to keep your promise~~"
Little Liangliang once again closed her eyes, a blissful expression on her face.
She felt so sleepy, so tired, and so utterly miserable. Soon, she drifted off to sleep.
In the quiet room, only Si Mingjing and Mo Yinhe remained. The sleeping arrangement, their close proximity... an indescribably intimate atmosphere settled between them.
Si Mingjing deliberately slowed her breathing, afraid that the warmth of her breath might ignite the simmering tension between them, like a spark setting a prairie fire.
A hint of deep amusement flickered in Mo Yinhe’s eyes.
Si Mingjing’s face grew hotter. In a very low voice, she asked, "What’s so funny?"
Mo Yinhe smiled without answering, simply saying, "Our daughter is back, and she’s my sweet little comforter. I’m happy."
Mo Yinhe gazed at his daughter’s face. Her small, palm-sized face truly resembled Si Yuan. She was his biological daughter, yet he had allowed her to be lost and alone for four and a half years. A wave of self-reproach and profound tenderness washed over him.
He lowered his head and gently kissed his daughter’s small forehead. The arm resting over Si Mingjing suddenly tightened, pulling both mother and daughter into his embrace.