Chapter 93: Love
In the end—
Ming Fei didn’t answer the question about learning to kiss.
Not every step had to be taken according to the book, especially since she was really shy and easily embarrassed in these matters. Moreover, she had already been bombarded with so many surprises today that she was dizzy.
First, the exceptional title evaluation, then being brought to “One Raccoon Hill,” witnessing Zhu Yiqiao’s thoughtful preparations, and finally, the person she liked confessed to her.
It was a romantic and heart-fluttering moment she would remember for the rest of her life.
Because of the overwhelming joy, for a moment, she even felt like she was dreaming, a beautiful, beautiful dream.
And learning to kiss on top of all that…
Ming Fei’s ears felt hot, and she stopped thinking about it.
Therefore, as soon as Zhu Yiqiao finished speaking, she reached out and covered Zhu Yiqiao’s lips, leaning in and kissing her between the eyes. As she released her hand and closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttered like a captured butterfly.
“…Goodnight, Jiejie.”
Zhu Yiqiao didn’t press further, not wanting to tease her anymore.
She just kissed Ming Fei’s right cheek: “Goodnight, Ah Fei.”
That night, they held each other close, both having sweet dreams filled with each other’s presence.
The hills in the morning were covered with snow. After breakfast, Ming Fei held Zhu Yiqiao’s hand and walked along the mountain path, going to see the Tree of Mystical Jade on the mountain peak.
The pear trees covering the mountainside were mostly in full bloom, their blossoms a mix of the most common snow white, subspecies of pinkish-white and light pink, and the pale purple unique to the Independent State. Pear blossoms and snowflakes fell together, and the two walking amidst them were like figures in a painting.
Reaching the peak, the colorful jade stones were untouched by the wind and snow. The green jade was like blooming green roses, the tree standing tall and straight, truly resembling the divine tree from Records of Ancient Mountains.
Ming Fei couldn’t help but ask, “Jiejie, when did you prepare these materials?”
Zhu Yiqiao explained, “A long time ago, when I was thinking about how to confess to you, I prepared this ‘Tree of Mystical Jade.’ According to the plan, I was supposed to bring you here yesterday to plant it, but after you regressed to thirteen years old, I wanted you to know that One Raccoon Hill hadn’t abandoned you more than confessing, I wanted you to be happy, so I brought it forward.”
Ming Fei smiled: “Perhaps everything happened for a reason.”
She confessed, “It was from that day on that I made up my mind to pursue Jiejie.”
A few snowflakes landed on Ming Fei’s shoulder. Zhu Yiqiao moved the umbrella over her and brushed away the melting snowflakes with her hand.
She asked, “Why did you hesitate before?”
Ming Fei was still honest: “Because Jiejie is too good, I wasn’t sure… if I was the best choice for Jiejie.”
Throughout the political and business circles, Zhu Yiqiao had many pursuers, and most of them were outstanding. There were even a few whom the citizens of the Independent State considered a good match for Zhu Yiqiao.
She had been hesitant.
But Zhu Yiqiao gave her confidence.
Gave her what was almost an explicit hint.
And it was the same now.
As wind and snow mingled, Zhu Yiqiao, standing under the umbrella, pinched Ming Fei’s cheek: “Ah Fei, they like Chief Judge Zhu, not the real Zhu Yiqiao, and definitely not the former One Raccoon Hill. To them, my power and fame are the most important. If I lose these, their affection will shift to the new Chief Judge.”
“Just like you think I’m too good, I also think that you are truly good and cute.”
She really liked that dimple, extending her right index finger and gently touching it, her voice and actions filled with tenderness: “I’ve already told you the answer, in my heart, you are irreplaceable.”
After a long moment, Ming Fei’s laughter rang out, brighter than the snow-covered mountains.
“Mm, I know.”
Leaving the hill, they took the hovercar to Xu Zhou’s villa.
During the journey, Ming Fei thought of the past. She glanced at Zhu Yiqiao, confirming that she had finished her work, and asked hesitantly,
“Jiejie.”
“Mm?”
“Were you…”
Zhu Yiqiao looked at her: “Why was I in that warehouse?”
Ming Fei nodded: “Mm.”
And you were so seriously injured. She thought.
Zhu Yiqiao closed the encrypted electronic document and started playing with Ming Fei’s hand: “I was on a classified mission at the time. My teammate was someone I knew from the military academy. We happened to be assigned to the same team after graduation. The mission was going smoothly, but at a critical moment, that person suddenly shot at me.”
“The bullet missed, but it exposed the mission.”
Ming Fei frowned: “Why?”
“She was a spy planted in our team.”
Zhu Yiqiao’s voice lowered slightly as she talked about those war-torn years: “Such things are not uncommon in war and politics, but by the time I reacted, it was already too late to save the situation.”
“Those citizens who were held hostage couldn’t escape, and neither could I.”
Snowflakes danced outside the window. As the hovercar entered a tunnel, Ming Fei suddenly hugged Zhu Yiqiao tightly.
Zhu Yiqiao continued, “Because there was a spy in our team, I cooperated with the military investigation after I recovered in the medical pod. At that time, after my injuries healed, I applied to visit you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have survived that warehouse, but the military didn’t approve my application. I couldn’t leave the military until the truth was revealed.”
“After a thorough investigation, the military finally approved my application, but on the way to see you, I accidentally transmigrated to the Independent State of Yi Meng.”
Ming Fei recalled the timeline: “Jiejie, do you still remember what day it was?”
“The 18th.”
Ming Fei loosened her embrace slightly: “The 18th? Even if Jiejie had gone to the hospital that day, you probably wouldn’t have seen me. Because I was discharged on the morning of the 18th, and on the way back to the orphanage, I transmigrated to the Independent State of Yi Meng.”
“I did wonder why you didn’t come to see me, but it was just a fleeting thought.”
She smiled: “And, we’ve met now, haven’t we?”
Zhu Yiqiao replied, “Yes. If we had met earlier in the Ole Empire, my decision would have been the same as in the video. I would have asked you if you wanted to live with me.”
Ming Fei smiled: “I think my answer would also have been the same as in the video.”
Zhu Yiqiao kissed her dimple.
This thought had actually arisen the night Ming Fei was drunk.
That was also the first time she realized that Ming Zaozao’s personality was actually similar to Ming Fei’s. Therefore, she started to think, if Ming Fei’s childhood had also been surrounded by care, protection, and love, what would she be like?
Three sets of adoptive parents had discarded her like a worn-out shoe, but Zhu Yiqiao wanted to give her these things.
She was willing to carefully cultivate, protect, and cherish this rose hidden in the corner.
Flower petals were swept up by the strong wind as the hovercar arrived at the villa.
Because of a business trip, Xu Zhou had woken up early and held an international online meeting. After having breakfast with Ming Zaozao and bringing her to Ming Fei and Zhu Yiqiao, she chatted with Ming Fei for a bit, then said goodbye and left for the transit station.
It was a public holiday, and the city center was much more lively than usual.
Ming Fei and Zhu Yiqiao took Ming Zaozao to a children’s art exhibition. Besides the imaginative children’s paintings, there were also many limited-edition Lego sets, each incredibly exquisite.
Ming Zaozao stood in front of a giant Lego rabbit, looking up at it for a long time.
“Mommy!”
Ming Fei picked her up: “Mm?”
She had thought Ming Zaozao would say she liked the big rabbit, but Ming Zaozao first kissed her on the cheek, then said something that melted her heart.
“Baby remembers!”
Ming Zaozao’s expression was proud: “Next time it’s Mommy’s birthday, Baby will also build a big bunny for Mommy!”
Then, she asked the staff member in a childish voice if they could take a photo of the three of them.
The staff member had already recognized them, smiling brightly and taking a perfectly composed photo.
As they walked around, the photos with the animal Legos increased from one to fifty.
At noon, the snow stopped.
After having lunch at the exhibition’s restaurant, Ming Zaozao started to feel sleepy.
On the way back to the villa, Ming Zaozao fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. Ming Fei took a small blanket and covered her round belly.
Zhu Yiqiao, sitting next to them, was still working.
Seeing this, Ming Fei clicked on the display screen, checking the satisfaction rankings of the public opinion poll. Seeing that Zhu Yiqiao was at the top with 99.8%, Ming Fei turned her cheek and quietly leaned closer to Zhu Yiqiao.
Then—
She gently kissed her on the left cheek.
Even though she was the one who initiated the kiss, she was the first to become shy afterward.
Zhu Yiqiao didn’t let her off the hook, holding her hand and returning a light kiss on her cheek, then, as if nothing had happened, leaving the blush and racing heart to Ming Fei, and continued to focus on her work.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
Because Ming Fei saw the numbers on Zhu Yiqiao’s pheromone bracelet, her heart rate clearly faster than a minute ago.
She kept this little secret for Zhu Yiqiao, until the hovercar arrived at the villa area. She carried Ming Zaozao out of the car, all the way to the bedroom on the second floor for their nap, taking this secret with her into her dreams.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, Ming Zaozao woke up first.
Seeing that her mommy was still asleep, she nestled back into Ming Fei’s arms and continued sleeping for a while.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw her mommy and Pretty Auntie standing by the window, seemingly talking about something. She called out “Mommy,” and Ming Fei smiled and walked towards her, quickly picking her up.
“Zaozao, you’re awake.”
Ming Zaozao yawned: “Mm. Mommy, Baby wants to eat strawberry pie, and… blueberry tarts… that’s all.”
After listing a string of dessert names, Ming Zaozao reached out to Zhu Yiqiao: “Pretty Auntie, hug.”
In front of the two adults, she was truly tiny, like a small glutinous rice ball. Zhu Yiqiao effortlessly picked her up, letting her nestle in her arms and watch cartoons.
They watched an episode with her.
When the episode ended, Ming Zaozao muttered, “Little Bear is protected by Big Bear, but Little Bunny doesn’t have a Big Bunny to protect her…”
Hearing this, Zhu Yiqiao and Ming Fei exchanged a look.
Zhu Yiqiao looked away, down at the little one in her arms, and pinched her soft cheeks.
“Zaozao, do you want two mommies to protect you?”
Ming Zaozao turned around: “Auntie, where does Baby have a second mommy?”
The answer was right in front of her.
Seeing Zhu Yiqiao’s silence, Ming Fei, a little worried, wanted to express it tactfully. Suddenly, a cartoon started playing on the mobile display screen not far away. In the cartoon, there were two big cats and a kitten.
The two big cats in the forest grew up together as best friends.
As they grew up, their relationship became closer and closer, and they swore under the divine tree that they would always be together. But later, when they buried a seed of life under the divine tree, they were accidentally separated.
Their bloodline was nurtured in the seed of life, and the kitten soon came into this world.
The kitten grew up with the other big cat, from a kitten that couldn’t even open its eyes, to a lively, playful, and round kitten who loved picking dates. Two years later, the kitten met the separated big cat in a magic house.
The big cat recognized the kitten instantly, but the kitten didn’t recognize it.
The two big cats were reunited, licking each other’s fur, tears in their eyes.
From then on, the three cats lived together every day, but the big cat, because it had been away for so long, missed every important moment of the kitten’s growth. It felt guilty and blamed itself, not knowing how to confess to the kitten.
Soon, the big cat decided to give them more time, letting the kitten get to know it better, to understand its other mother.
This cartoon was very cute, and the images of the three cats were designed to closely resemble the real protagonists of the story.
This was the way Zhu Yiqiao and Ming Fei had agreed upon to reveal the truth. They both believed that at this stage, telling Ming Zaozao the truth about the gene theft wouldn’t benefit her in any way.
They both loved her and didn’t want her to have hidden doubts about her own arrival because of the gene theft incident.
After discussion, they decided to wait until Ming Zaozao grew up and could understand everything before telling her the story and the connections. So, they modified their story, using Ming Zaozao’s favorite way to first pique her curiosity, then explain further.
The cartoon ended with the scene of the big cat about to confess to the kitten.
After the cartoon ended, Zhu Yiqiao, facing the usually well-behaved and cute Ming Zaozao, felt a rare twinge of nervousness. Just as she was about to explain and confess, and ask Ming Zaozao if she would accept her—
Perhaps because of the connection of blood, or perhaps because Ming Zaozao understood the metaphor in the cartoon, Ming Zaozao suddenly buried her face in Zhu Yiqiao’s shoulder and neck, clutching her clothes and crying.
She cried and called her, “…Mommy.”
