Inferior A After Having a Baby with the Top Boss 83p1

Chapter 83: Start Pursuing Zhu Yiqiao From This Moment On p1

…Little… Kitten?

Ming Fei, her memory stuck at the point of her third abandonment, after sending the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum, One Raccoon Hill deleting her account, packing her belongings, and preparing to return to the orphanage, blinked in confusion.

She looked up at Zhu Yiqiao, her clear almond eyes like a pool of autumn water. Compared to the big cat in front of her, she, still slightly wary, was more like a cautious kitten entering new territory.

“Hello, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she said.

To go to the Trial Court, one had to wear a uniform. Zhu Yiqiao had taken off her cloak before entering the living room. The dark uniform accentuated her tall figure and cold temperament, completely different from the seventeen-year-old One Raccoon Hill in Ming Fei’s memory.

She seemed to have guessed this and explained in a low voice, “Your nickname on ‘Supporters of the Rose’ was Tree of Mystical Jade. Through that software, you met a good friend who was also a supporter of the Mehertaer faction, her nickname was One Raccoon Hill, and you two were very much alike, your nicknames taken from the same book.”

“You would send her messages after finishing your homework at ten o’clock, asking her what books she read today, what flowers she liked, whether Rose Star really existed, and when her birthday was.”

As the events of the past year unfolded, surprise filled Ming Fei’s eyes, widening them.

Zhu Yiqiao continued, “…You two agreed to exchange birthday gifts. The address she gave you was the Nan’er Central Garden in the Luo Ya district of the North. Two days before you sent the gift, she didn’t reply to your messages, and after you sent the gift, you found that she had deleted her account. Correct?”

Ming Fei, her wide sleeves rolled up twice, nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken and asked uncertainly,

“How do you know all this?”

And she knew it so clearly, as if she had been there. She thought.

Zhu Yiqiao replied, “Because I am her.”

A question mark popped up above Ming Fei’s head: “But… she was seventeen, you should be an adult now, right?”

“I’m sorry,” Zhu Yiqiao said calmly, “Because my identity was sensitive and special, I couldn’t tell you my real age and name at the time, so I lied.”

At the same time, Xu Zhou, standing at the door, wanted to approach them, but Xue Xun quickly grabbed her hand, shook her head, and gestured for her to wait. Xu Zhou didn’t struggle, her lips pressed into a thin line, staying where she was.

Ming Fei’s mind was a mess.

She didn’t know where she was, two complete strangers were standing not far away, and the explanation given by the person in front of her had no loopholes, because in their daily interactions, she could also sense that One Raccoon Hill’s family was well-off, at least worlds apart from hers.

But she still had one last question.

She asked softly, “Then why did you delete your account without saying anything?”

Zhu Yiqiao apologized again: “I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to do that, I never meant to disappear from your world. The reason is rather complicated, but in short, my mother, to help me leave the North, had people erase all traces of me.”

“But in any case, I didn’t handle this matter well. I’m sorry.”

Ming Fei was silent for a full minute, sorting everything out. The wariness in her heart gradually dissipated, replaced by surprise and joy.

It was One Raccoon Hill!

Her only good friend.

During this minute, Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze never left Ming Fei’s face. Just as she saw Ming Fei lower her head, thinking that she was still suspicious or didn’t believe her, she suddenly felt a warmth in her arms.

—It was a hug that transcended time and space.

Thirteen-year-old Ming Fei hugged her.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Ming Fei’s voice was soft. “I’m very happy to see you. But don’t lie to me again in the future.”

Zhu Yiqiao paused, then immediately hugged her back.

“Mm.”

“Me too. Very happy, very happy.”

Ming Fei changed into clothes that fit.

As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw Zhu Yiqiao waiting for her outside.

Forty minutes ago, after a half-hour explanation, she now knew that One Raccoon Hill’s name was Zhu Yiqiao, and she also knew that she had an older sister who had been looking for her for a very long time.

She didn’t have to go back to the orphanage anymore.

During this time, she also noticed that her older sister and another woman named Xue Xun seemed to have a special relationship.

Despite all this, she still felt that everything was a little strange, but she didn’t want to think too much about it, because she didn’t want to go back to the orphanage, didn’t want to be adopted and abandoned again and again.

She told herself—if it felt unreal, just treat it as a beautiful dream, a dream that made her feel happy.

Therefore, seeing Zhu Yiqiao, she smiled brightly.

“Jiejie.”

“Mm.”

Zhu Yiqiao approached and patted her head: “Do you want to go out and play?”

“Jiejie, do you have time?” Ming Fei asked considerately. “Will it trouble you?”

“I have time, it’s no trouble.”

Perhaps because of their past, or perhaps for other reasons, Xu Zhou compromised on the matter of little Ming Fei going out. She and Xue Xun would accompany Ming Zaozao, who was still in the dark, while Zhu Yiqiao would take little Ming Fei out alone.

As for why they kept it from Ming Zaozao, there were many reasons, the most important one being that they were afraid she would worry, and also afraid that Ming Fei would be suspicious.

Because after Xu Zhou played the surveillance footage and saw what happened after Ming Fei left, Zhu Yiqiao immediately sent the remaining half of the pill to Dr. Tang. After urgent analysis and investigation, Zhu Yiqiao confirmed that it was a secret drug developed by the Ole Empire’s royal family.

—This drug could regress a person’s body and memory back to a certain day in the past, and the effect only lasted for one day.

As for why it remained a royal secret drug, and why Yu Qingyan and Yan Nanzhi specifically left this pill behind, Xu Zhou guessed that it was probably related to the mysterious race with mental powers.

Finally, combined with Dr. Tang’s advice not to stimulate her memory, the three of them discussed and agreed that Zhu Yiqiao, little Ming Fei’s most trusted, most relied upon, and even… most beloved good friend, would accompany her.

Leaving Xu Zhou’s villa, Ming Fei sat in the hovercar, curiously looking at the snowy scenery along the way.

Thirteen-year-old Ming Fei possessed a maturity and precociousness beyond her years, but she was also more energetic and lively than her twenty-five-year-old self. She expressed herself like Ming Zaozao, her eyes frequently glancing at Zhu Yiqiao. Whenever Zhu Yiqiao asked what she was thinking, she would answer sincerely,

“Jiejie, you’re so beautiful.”

Zhu Yiqiao pinched her cheek: “Then do you like me?”

Ming Fei didn’t quite understand: “What… like?”

“Compared to the me you imagined, do you like the me you imagined before more, or the me sitting next to you now?”

Ming Fei answered seriously, “They’re both Jiejie.”

She smiled shyly, her dimple faint: “I like both. Jiejie is my only friend, and also my favorite friend.”

A smile flickered in Zhu Yiqiao’s eyes: “Not best friend?”

Ming Fei nodded: “Mm, best friend!”

After saying that, she reached out her hand, but then, afraid that Zhu Yiqiao would find her childish, she hesitated and withdrew it.

Zhu Yiqiao, noticing her movement, suddenly thought of the scene of Ming Zaozao making pinky promises with Ming Fei. She put down her reader, extended her hand, and asked,

“Want to make a pinky promise?”

Ming Fei asked uncertainly, “Can we?”

Zhu Yiqiao answered with her actions.

Twenty-five-year-old Ming Fei’s hand, when fully opened, could cover Zhu Yiqiao’s, but now, at the end of her thirteenth year, her hand was a whole size smaller than Zhu Yiqiao’s.

As their pinky fingers hooked together, Zhu Yiqiao said, “It’s a promise.”

Ming Fei’s eyes lit up with happiness.

The hovercar stopped at the commercial street in the city center, and Zhu Yiqiao finally revealed the content of the promise: “I won’t leave, no matter what happens.”

They both put on masks before getting out of the car. Before leaving, Zhu Yiqiao had specifically changed out of her uniform. Now, she was wearing a black coat, a smoke-gray scarf covering most of her face, and silver-rimmed glasses on her nose. Passersby wouldn’t recognize her easily without a closer look.

As snowflakes fell, Ming Fei stood under Zhu Yiqiao’s umbrella, her eyes sparkling as she looked at everything.

Accompanied by Zhu Yiqiao, she bought many things with the card Xu Zhou had given her, most of which were for Zhu Yiqiao and Xu Zhou. She happily ate a candied hawthorn stick, the smile in her eyes almost overflowing.

Because in the past, such a situation only existed in her imagination. She had to think for a long time even before buying a single candied hawthorn stick.

When she finished the last hawthorn and threw the bamboo stick into the trash can, returning to Zhu Yiqiao’s umbrella, Zhu Yiqiao wiped the sugar residue from her lips with a tissue.

Ming Fei’s dimple appeared as she smiled shyly.

“Thank you, Jiejie.”

“You’re welcome.”

Arriving at the reserved restaurant, Ming Fei placed the gift she had bought while Zhu Yiqiao was on the phone in front of her.

“Jiejie, this is a gift for you.”

She lowered her eyelashes: “You told me before that you like pears very much. The crystal pear on this bracelet is very beautiful.”

Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze fell on the bracelet.

The clear crystal pear emitted a pear fragrance, and the pearls on both sides were round and pinkish. As she closed the gift box, a gentle expression appeared in her eyes.

“Thank you, Ah Fei, I like it very much.”

Ming Fei smiled: “I’m glad you like it, Jiejie.”

“Do you want to go somewhere with me this afternoon?”

Ming Fei immediately replied, “Yes.”

Zhu Yiqiao took off Ming Fei’s scarf, her gaze lingering on Ming Fei’s face for a few seconds.

“You agreed without even asking where?”

Ming Fei’s eyes curved into crescents with a smile: “Mm-hmm!”

During lunch, the dishes in Ming Fei’s bowl piled up like a small mountain, almost all of them picked up by Zhu Yiqiao with the serving chopsticks. Her cheeks puffed out as she ate, like a little hamster storing food, even getting a little lightheaded in the end.

So much so that on the way back to another villa in the city center, Ming Fei fell asleep against Zhu Yiqiao’s shoulder.

Arriving at their destination, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t wake Ming Fei. Under the warm light in the car, she quietly looked at Ming Fei for a long time. It wasn’t until Ming Fei’s eyelashes fluttered and she gradually woke up that Zhu Yiqiao looked away, leading the slightly dazed Ming Fei out of the car.

She rarely came to this villa.

After watching Ming Fei fall asleep in the master bedroom, she turned and left, going to the study next door to work.