Chapter 76: …It Was Her Heat Cycle
Besides the installation of the invisible canopy system, the garden and fish pond had also been redesigned, making them even more suitable for fishing and tending to flowers and plants.
After Ming Zaozao woke up, she saw the newly built fairy-tale treehouse by the flower corridor, and her eyes lit up. Holding Ming Fei’s hand, she climbed up the safe and secure rainbow staircase step by step. When they entered the treehouse, Ming Zaozao exclaimed happily,
“Mommy!”
“Mm.”
Ming Zaozao’s round eyes curved into crescents: “It’s the little house from ‘Flying Kitty,’ Baby likes it! Mommy, do you like it?”
Half an hour before Ming Zaozao woke up, Ming Fei had already familiarized herself with all the changes in the villa. Looking at the dreamcatcher wind chimes in the fairy-tale treehouse, she reached out and pinched Ming Zaozao’s cheek.
“How could Mommy not like it?”
Ming Zaozao’s dimples appeared: “Mm-hmm!”
After saying that, she hopped to the window where the astronomical telescope was placed, her eyes blinking as if planning something. Then, she looked at the spring scenery outside the window, lowered her head, and opened the display screen on her smartwatch, sending a message to Zhu Yiqiao, who had created all these surprises.
[Zaozao the Great: [Little bear staring.gif]]
[Zaozao the Great: [Little bird chirping.gif]]
Zhu Yiqiao replied very quickly.
[Auntie Yiqiao: Zaozao, do you like the treehouse?]
Ming Zaozao used the text-to-speech function to play Zhu Yiqiao’s message, and Ming Fei, who was studying the telescope, also heard it, but she didn’t expect Ming Zaozao’s subsequent reply.
“Baby likes it very much!”
“Auntie, let’s sleep in the treehouse together tonight, okay?”
Ming Fei didn’t react to “sleep together,” assuming Ming Zaozao just wanted to sleep with Zhu Yiqiao. But the next sentence was—
“Baby, Mommy, and Auntie, the three of us, sleep together.”
Ming Zaozao asked crisply, “Auntie, okay?”
The previous reply had been in text form, but this time it was a voice message. Ming Zaozao happily clicked on it, and Zhu Yiqiao’s voice echoed softly in the room, a simple word, yet it made Ming Fei’s heart skip a beat.
“Okay.”
Ming Zaozao cheered and continued chattering, while Ming Fei, lost in thought, only vaguely heard her.
…Sleep together?
If it were yesterday, she could still find an excuse for herself—it was normal between good friends, especially since Zaozao was their daughter.
But the problem was, twenty-four hours after yesterday, she had already figured out her own feelings. Developing inappropriate feelings during the contract period was a breach of contract, a transgression, let alone knowingly sleeping together.
She wanted to find an excuse to slip away, but meeting Ming Zaozao’s expectant and joyful gaze, she couldn’t lie and refuse.
“Mommy, like last time, Baby will sleep in the middle, Mommy on the right, and Auntie on the left, okay?”
“Baby will also bring Little Shark, Bunny, and Little Bear, okay?”
After much deliberation, Ming Fei still couldn’t bring herself to refuse her daughter.
Because the academy suddenly called for an online meeting, after staying in the treehouse for half an hour, Ming Fei took Ming Zaozao back to the villa’s living room.
She went up to the study on the second floor alone and listened to the final exam arrangements for an hour. The notes in her notebook gradually changed from the general arrangements to doodles, and finally to Zhu Yiqiao’s name.
Zhu Yiqiao
Zhu Yiqiao
…
As the long meeting ended, she drew a cat holding a dried fish in its tail after the three characters “Zhu Yiqiao.”
“…Okay, that’s all for the key points of this meeting. I hope all teachers can successfully…”
The department head, who was chairing the meeting, had already mentioned the end, but continued talking non-stop after this sentence. And when Ming Fei realized that she had been distracted, thinking about Zhu Yiqiao, she immediately pulled herself back and patiently listened to the last fifteen minutes.
As the sky gradually darkened, the time on the display screen changed to 5:10 pm. Ming Fei, after the meeting ended, didn’t leave.
She looked down at the contents of her notebook and found that she had been distracted even earlier than she thought, and had been thinking about Zhu Yiqiao much earlier as well.
Because the almost full page of “Zhu Yiqiao” was the best proof.
She silently stared at this page for a moment, tore it off, put it in her favorite book, then logged onto the public network and started searching for the answer to the question she had been pondering since realizing her feelings.
—Does liking someone mean you have to be together or possess them?
This question was highly debated. According to statistics, 52% of people believed that liking someone didn’t necessarily mean pursuing a relationship, while the remaining 48% held the opposite view, believing that liking someone inevitably led to the desire to possess them.
[Not wanting to possess them means you don’t like them enough, at most it’s just a slight infatuation.]
[If I like someone, I will use all my courage to confess to them and strive to be with them.]
[There are many kinds of liking. Most people’s liking seeks reciprocation, so I agree with the latter.]
…
Ming Fei browsed through many replies, and based on this question, searched for examples of relationships breaking down after being together, and examples of people choosing to remain friends.
She found that the number of cases of relationships falling apart was far beyond her imagination, while many people who chose to remain friends had stable, long-lasting relationships on another level.
Based on all this, Ming Fei secretly made a decision.
But just as she exited the public network, the gland on the back of her neck suddenly released a trace of pheromones. Because she was still thinking about Zhu Yiqiao, and this trace of pheromones quickly disappeared, she didn’t pay much attention to it, assuming it was caused by taking off her pheromone bracelet.
After dinner, Ming Fei prepared the key points for the final exam, took a bath, then helped Ming Zaozao dry her hair, and finally took Ming Zaozao to the treehouse.
Because Zhu Yiqiao went to work after dinner, Ming Fei didn’t disturb her, sending her a message reminding her to pay attention to the time, and then brought Ming Zaozao over first. But she didn’t expect Zhu Yiqiao to be even faster than them. When they arrived, Zhu Yiqiao had clearly already been there for a while.
The fairy-tale treehouse was cozy and dreamy. As their eyes met, Ming Fei smiled: “Jiejie.”
Zhu Yiqiao: “Mm.”
Ming Zaozao, standing in the middle, smiled and rushed towards Zhu Yiqiao, chattering with her for a while, then took out Little Shark, Bunny, and Little Bear from her orange backpack, arranging them neatly before being attracted to the new cartoon playing on the display screen.
Ming Fei sat on the pumpkin-shaped sofa, browsing an e-book on her reader.
When Zhu Yiqiao sat down beside her, Ming Fei’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, her gaze still fixed on the book, but her heart pounded, drawn towards Zhu Yiqiao. She couldn’t suppress this physiological reaction caused by her affection and liking, and her warm ears were particularly noticeable under the warm light.
Zhu Yiqiao caught the faint blush.
She pretended not to notice, asking casually, “What are you reading?”
Ming Fei pretended to be calm: “‘Thousand Islands Fishing,’ a philosophy book recommended by Li Xing.”
Zhu Yiqiao asked again, “Ah Fei, can you tell me about this book?”
Ming Fei nodded, the traces of her affection slowly revealing themselves in her eyes and voice. Fortunately, she quickly noticed her slip-up, averting her gaze and softly explaining her interpretation.
This subtle atmosphere didn’t last long.
Ming Zaozao quickly became sleepy. She ran to them, rubbing her eyes and asking, “Mommy, Auntie, is it bedtime yet?”
Ming Fei turned off the reader and looked at Zhu Yiqiao, waiting for her answer. And this was the first time tonight that she looked at Zhu Yiqiao directly, without any concealment. Perhaps because she had clarified her feelings, she felt that Zhu Yiqiao seemed different from before.
A single glance could make her heart pound.
The animated owl clock on the wall kept swaying. Zhu Yiqiao glanced at the time and replied,
“Mm, it’s time for bed.”
Ming Zaozao was the first to agree: “Okay.”
After saying that, she consciously climbed onto the bed and sat in the middle, patting the left side with her left hand and the right side with her right hand, gesturing for the two of them to come up and sleep together. Ming Fei, as agreed, went to the right side. After she lay down, there was movement from the other side.
Zhu Yiqiao had also lain down.
A faint floral fragrance seemed to linger in the dim light. Ming Fei blinked, concealing her affection.
Only two star-shaped night lights were on in the room. Ming Zaozao slept between them, holding Zhu Yiqiao’s hand with her left hand and Ming Fei’s with her right. After tossing and turning, she suddenly placed their hands together. Ming Fei, as if electrocuted, wanted to withdraw her hand, but her pinky finger was hooked by Zhu Yiqiao’s, as if caught by a cat’s tail.
The reaction was even stronger, and Ming Fei’s cheeks burned. Fortunately, the person who accidentally held her hand immediately let go. She silently thanked the dim lighting, which hid her blush.
“Mommy~”
Ming Fei responded to Ming Zaozao: “Mm.”
“Baby wants to hear the story of the little fox.”
Hearing this, Ming Fei started telling the story of the fox crossing the river from the fairy tale book. Her voice was pleasant, at least both the adult and child listening to the story thought so.
“…From then on, the little fox found a good way to cross the river, and all the small animals in the forest were grateful to it. They no longer had to be afraid of the crocodiles in the river.”
Ming Zaozao applauded: “The little fox is so amazing!”
As the applause rang out, Ming Fei glanced sideways and met Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze. She quickly looked away, joining Ming Zaozao in applauding the brave little fox.
Ming Zaozao was inspired by the story: “The little fox is brave, Baby is brave, Mommy is brave, Auntie is brave, everyone is brave!”
Hearing this, Ming Fei felt that… she probably wasn’t brave, when it came to liking Zhu Yiqiao.
After listening to the story, Ming Zaozao said goodnight to both of them and quickly fell asleep, so fast that Ming Fei didn’t even react. Ming Fei prepared to close her eyes and count sheep, because sleeping with Zhu Yiqiao made her mind very active, and she had a premonition that it would be a sleepless night.
The next moment—
The phone on the bedside table lit up.
Ming Fei picked up her phone and opened the message.
[Jiejie: Sorry, Ah Fei.]
[Jiejie: I thought it was Zaozao.]
This excuse was full of holes, but Ming Fei didn’t doubt it.
[[Kitten shaking its head and saying it’s okay.gif]]
[Goodnight, sweet dreams.]
For an hour after replying to the message, Ming Fei couldn’t fall asleep. She came to a conclusion that only applied to herself: when the experimental stimulus, namely “Zhu Yiqiao,” was sleeping next to her, the feasibility of using methods like counting sheep or dumplings to fall asleep was very low.
At the same time, she also found that the feeling of liking someone was truly wonderful. Just lying next to her, she felt that even the air was sweet.
Like tasting the thickest, sweetest honey.
Although she went to bed late, she slept soundly, not waking up until nine o’clock in the morning.
And Zhu Yiqiao was already gone from the treehouse.
According to Ming Fei’s plan, she would take Ming Zaozao to Xu Zhou’s house this afternoon for three days. But because the Luci Group’s international partner suddenly changed their plan, and Xue Xun, who was in Taiya, was hospitalized with a stomach ailment, Xu Zhou changed her itinerary and decided to fly to Taiya.
Hearing Xu Zhou’s explanation on the phone, Ming Fei expressed her understanding.
“Jiejie, take care of Xue Xun Jiejie. I’ll take Zaozao to see her when you come back.”
“Mm.” Xu Zhou continued, “Xiao Fei, remember to change hovercars when you go to work during this time.”
Ming Fei smiled: “Okay, I’ll remember.”
Currently, in the villa’s garage, besides the three multi-functional hovercars Zhu Yiqiao had initially provided for her, there were two more limited-edition hovercars, one black and one white, gifts from Xu Zhou on the day she arrived.
The two sisters chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.
As the call ended, Ming Fei’s phone completely ran out of battery. She left it in the bedroom to charge, and when she was about to tell Ming Zaozao the news, Ming Zaozao was playing with Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan in the toy room on the second floor. Seeing her mother knock and then push the door open, she immediately hid as if playing hide-and-seek.
Although her hiding movements were slow and obvious, Ming Fei still pretended to search for three minutes before picking her up from a pile of plush toys.
After Ming Fei explained the change of plans to Ming Zaozao, 0619, with the word “reluctant” displayed on its screen, entered the room and projected Zhu Yiqiao’s video call onto the screen.
Zhu Yiqiao in the video was wearing her Trial Court uniform, the background the office Ming Fei had been to before.
“Ah Fei, there’s been a change in the research institute case, and I need to go abroad for a week.”
“It’s rather urgent, so I won’t be coming back to the villa. You might not be able to reach me during this time. If you feel any discomfort, contact Dr. Tang immediately.”
The video ended abruptly.
Ming Fei had always known that Zhu Yiqiao was very busy with work. She had long believed that Zhu Yiqiao was worthy of being the respected Chief Judge of the Independent State, so after realizing her feelings for Zhu Yiqiao, she never questioned herself why.
This question didn’t need an answer in the Independent State of Yi Meng.
And it was no exception for her.
Compared to them, 0619’s reluctance at the news of Zhu Yiqiao’s week-long trip abroad was even stronger, not only filling the screen with tears but also playing a famous farewell song.
Ming Fei silently listened to the entire song.
Although she didn’t like the overly melancholic tune, and although she had decided to hide her feelings and accompany Zhu Yiqiao as a “good friend,” staying within her boundaries, undeniably, the moment she finished watching the video, she already started to miss her.
Because of her feelings, the longing she felt in this separation was completely different from before, from shallow to deep, from thin to thick, this longing was like the accumulating snow outside, from a thin layer to a vast expanse of white.
Difficult to ignore, and difficult to control.
So much so that a week later, when she still didn’t see Zhu Yiqiao return late at night, her longing had snowballed into a giant cotton candy-like mass.
Fortunately, she had completely finished her teaching courses this week, and her gland hadn’t shown any abnormalities. If there were no meetings or lab work, she could work from home for the rest of the time.
On the tenth day of their separation, Xi He City welcomed a sunny day.
Under the bright sunlight, the snow began to melt. The snowball of longing, after absorbing enough heat, gradually melted away. This process should have been cold, but Ming Fei felt very hot, and her head was dizzy, so dizzy that she couldn’t even focus on reading.
She thought she had a fever, so she gave 008 instructions to take care of Ming Zaozao, then took her temperature. Seeing that it had reached the fever range, she immediately took a fever reducer.
But the medicine was completely ineffective.
As the sun in the sky set behind the valley, and the snowball of longing melted to the size of a candy, a hovercar drove into the villa.
At the same time, an overwhelming pear scent surged out, blossoming into a pear orchard in an incredibly short time. Ming Fei, sensing the state of her pheromones, finally realized what was wrong with her.
…It wasn’t a fever.
It was her heat cycle.
