Chapter 12 – The Lost Children
Support the Translator fgMTL on his ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“Little Mi, let’s go out for lunch, my treat,” Zhong Qin invited in a lively manner.
“Did something good happen?” Mi Li was speaking through her bluetooth headset while putting together rag dolls with needles, rags and cotton.
“I got paid today. I’ll treat you to steak.”
“Haha, that really is a cause for celebration. Where to?”
“Geya restaurant on Changhong Street. Dress nicely, don’t embarrass me.”
“OK, I’ll be there at 12 sharp.” Ending the call, Mi Lei finished her work and went to the bathroom to freshen up. She put on a long skirt and wore a chic butterfly pendant around her neck. Carrying a small sachet, she stepped into a pair of elegant flats, and her whole person looked youthful and ladylike.
Mi Li made friends with a wide range of people: athletes, fashionistas, health experts, gourmets, etc. Zhong Qin was a fashionista who loved all kinds of luxury goods, but she had her own style and preferences and didn’t spend money blindly.
Arriving at the appointed place, Mi Li saw Zhong Qin seated by the window at a glance. She raised her hand in greeting and walked closer to find a strange man sitting opposite Zhong Qin.
“This is?” Mi Li casted a questioning look at Zhong Qin.
Zhong Qin and the man stood up at the same time. The former smiled and introduced, “Little Mii, this is my older brother, Zhong Yu. Brother, she is Little Mi, Mi Li.”
Mi Li was a bit surprised. She had thought this man was Zhong Qin’s boyfriend.
He was 27 or 28 years old, with good posture and a brilliant temperament. When staring at a person intently, it was as though his eyes were filled with only them. It was a type of gaze that could mesmerize thousands of girls with just one look.
“Hello.” Zhong Yu reached out to her with a smile in his eyes.
“Hello.” Mi Li shook his hand politely.
“Let’s sit.” Zhong Qin pulled Mi Li to sit beside her. Pushing the menu in front of her, she said, “Order whatever you want.”
“An Australian steak set meal.” Mi Li was not polite. She promptly ordered a pricey meal, then pushed the menu aside.
Zhong Yu took a deep look at her, and then ordered a set meal along with Zhong Qin.
“Have I mentioned my brother to you before?” Zhong Qin smiled with ulterior motives.
“No.” Mi Li appeared to be concentrated, not distracted, like an old monk clearing their thoughts and entering buddhahood.
“My brother has been working abroad and only returned to China in the past few months.” Zhong Qin glanced at her brother and smiled, “He works in IT with an annual income of tens of millions, currently single.”
Mi Li sighed secretly: Sure enough, did she invite me to set us up?
“I often hear Little Qin talking about you.” Zhong Yu said, “She’s arrogant and has few friends, but she praises you a lot.”
Mi Li’s eyes curved, and she glanced at Zhong Qin with a smile. “She praised me a lot? Is this the official definition of ‘roasting’?”
“Hahaha.” Zhong Yu couldn’t help laughing.
Zhong Qin protested in dissatisfaction, “When did I roast you?”
“Let’s be more honest, ok?” Mi Li looked at her with a helplessly doting gaze, a wave of affection passing between them.
Zhong Yu stared at her fixedly, his eyes shining with stars.
Mi Li met his gaze by chance. Her heart trembled and she experienced being electrifried for the first time. This man’s eyes were very charming; it was too lethal.
“Hmph, you aren’t aware of how fortunate you are. If others ask me to roast them, I won’t comply.” Zhong Qin raised her chin proudly.
“Yes, it is an honor to be roasted by you. Miss, please have tea.” Mi Li helped her pour a cup of hot tea.
Zhong Qin was very happy to be coaxed by her.
Zhong Yu smiled in his heart at the sight. Zhong Qin’s family knew how difficult it was to get along with her. She had an innocent personality, but was also arrogant and outspoken, which made it easy for her to offend people. She also wasn’t able to distinguish people approaching her with impure motives and would end up being deceived and hurt.
Recently, he often heard her talking about a girl and they seemed very close. Zhong Yu was a little worried, so he agreed to come and take a look at her. His excuse was that he was interested in her but he actually wanted to evaluate the person’s character with his own eyes.
However, after seeing her in person, he felt that finding a partner could also be put on the agenda.
The three of them talked happily and had a pleasant meal.
After paying the bill, Zhong Yu took out a small gift box from his pocket and handed it to Mi Li. “This is something I brought back from abroad. Little Qin also has a bottle. This one is my meeting gift for you. I hope you won’t dislike it.”
Mi Li looked at Zhong Qin hesitantly.
“Little Mi, just accept it.” Zhong Qin stuffed the box into her hand. “This brand is currently not available in China. You can try it out. If it’s good, our family may be able to discuss distribution rights[1] with this company.”
Mi Li opened the gift box curiously and took out a bottle of beautiful perfume.
“Perfume?” Mi Li turned the bottle to check its brand, “Angelo?”
She was shocked. Wasn’t this a brand from the other world?
“Angelo is a perfume brand founded in the past two years. Recently, sales abroad have continued to rise.” Zhong Qin explained, “It’s just that it doesn’t have much reputation in China. It is estimated that it will not be long before they enter the Chinese market. This bottle of Angelo Phantom is considered to be their signature product.”
Angelo Phantom…
This perfume had become a global top selling product in the other world. However, it hadn’t even entered the Chinese market yet in this world. It had only hit the shelves not long ago.
The two worlds always intersected or overlapped inadvertently. Did this phenomenon already exist, or did it only appear after she started jumping dimensions?
“Little Mi, why are you in a daze?” Zhong Qin interrupted her thoughts, “Try it, do you like the scent?”
Mi Li sprayed a little on the back of her hand. She leaned in and took a sniff.
It turned out that Angelo Phantom was such a fragrance? It was mainly composed of jasmine and rose, with floral notes such as violet, iris, lily, etc. It was fragrant and elegant, with a lingering scent.
Mi Li slowly opened her glimmering eyes, “A very good scent.”
Zhong Yu was amazed by the sudden elegance in her eyes. Clear and charming, it was more fascinating than perfume.
“Thank you, Brother Zhong.” Mi Li put away the perfume and smiled, “Next time if there’s a chance, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Okay, I’m ready at any time.” Zhong Yu’s affection for her had reached the level of “as long as she is willing, he would immediately start dating her.”
Zhong Qin snickered as she looked at her brother and then at Mi Li, thinking that there would definitely be more to come from the two.
After exchanging cell phone numbers with Zhong Yu, Mi Li bade farewell to the two and returned to Qingwei Homes.
Lying on the bed, smelling the refreshing fragrance, Mi Li fell asleep peacefully in a happy mood.
“What are you two devils here for?” Xi Baichen looked condescendingly at the boy and girl standing at the door with an unhappy expression on his face.
“Uncle Baichen, Grandfather told us to stay with you for a few days,” the boy whispered.[2]
Xi Baichen sneered in his heart. Was this the old man’s method of rectifying him? Throw him two little devils to try to tame him with cute faces and sparkling eyes?
“You two wait here.” Xi Baichen walked back into the villa to change his clothes, then stuffed the two little devils into the car and drove them straight to the police station.
After parking the car, Xi Baichen carried one in each hand and walked in, “Officer, I found two lost children. Please help contact their families.”
“Whoa, uncle, I’m a good person. There’s no need to hand me to the police,” the boy complained aggrievedly.
“We are not lost…” the girl retorted timidly.
The police officer saw that the two children were only six or seven years old, cute and adorable, and also very well-dressed. They were probably the children of a wealthy family. The police officer dared not delay and asked seriously, “Where did you find them? Do you know their family’s contact information?”
Xi Baichen took out a cell phone from the boy’s pocket and handed it to the policeman.
Police officer: “…” Since there’s a cell phone, why didn’t you contact his parents directly?
“I’ll be bothering you with them. I have something to do and will leave first.” Xi Baichen turned around and prepared to leave.
“Hey, wait, we have to trouble you to…” Before the police officer finished speaking, Xi Baichen had disappeared out the door like a gust of wind.
“Uncle!” The boy and girl looked at his unfeeling back, calling out in sorrow, and couldn’t believe that he would just toss them to the police station!
Xi Baichen returned to the villa without the slightest guilt. He ordered takeout for himself, poured a cup of coffee, and went online while waiting for food.
[ Old Bai, do you hate children? ] Mi Li’s voice suddenly came from beside him.
Xi Baichen stopped drinking coffee midaction, scanning left and right, “Where are you?”
[ On your neck. ]
Xi Baichen looked down, touching his neck, but there was nothing.
[ Here. ] The originally loose tie automatically tightened into a proper knot.
For the first time, Xi Baichen knew what it felt like to be strangled.
“When did you come?” He resisted the urge to tear her off and asked.
[ When you stuffed those two cuties into the car. ] Mi Li was shocked by the show he put on.
“Hm.” Xi Baichen did not explain, and continued to drink his coffee.
At this moment, his cell phone rang suddenly. It was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello.” Xi Baichen casually picked up.
[ Is this Mr. Xi Baichen? ] The other asked politely.
“Yes.”
[ Your two children are at the police station. Please come and pick them up. ]
Xi Baichen: “…I have no children. You’ve found the wrong person.”
[ But there’s only your number in both children’s cell phones. ]
Xi Baichen: “…”
[ Hahahahaha… ] Mi Li laughed until the tie trembled.
[ Can I trouble you to come as soon as possible? The two children said that they haven’t eaten the whole day. As their elder, how can you be so irresponsible? ] The police officer’s tone was very harsh.
Xi Baichen cursed secretly in his heart, That old man really dared to do it! He threw his grandchildren around willfully, leaving him no way out.
“I understand, I’ll be there immediately.” Xi Baichen hung up the phone, ferociously left the villa, and drove to the police station. He then brought the two little devils back to the villa under the eyes of the police who looked at him as though he was a child abuser.
When he got home, the takeout was delivered at the same time. One adult and two children sat face to face, six eyes staring silently at the steaming takeout.
A meal of a few dozen yuan was obviously not enough for three people.
- Not sure of the correct term for this. When a foreign company wants to break into the local market, they might partner with a local company and grant them exclusive marketing and distribution rights within the local market.
- The family/clan relationship between the children and Xi Baichen isn’t very clear. Since both Xi Baichen and the children call the old man their grandfather, then they should have the same seniority. However, members of a clan with the same seniority typically refer to themselves as siblings instead of as uncle/nephew no matter how large the age gap. Either the children are atypical or else they just refer to the old man as grandfather even though their generations are further apart and Xi Baichen also calls them the old man’s grandchildren in spite of this.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
