Chapter 225: Can You Be My Mother?
Jiang Ning still had concerns.
She was still secretly carrying out a mission right now.
Bringing a child along was indeed not safe.
Xie Jingyan saw Jiang Ning’s hesitant expression and pursed his thin lips: “It’s impossible for me to leave Yuan Yuan at the villa anymore. I can’t take her with me either. I’ve offended many enemies, and I’m afraid something might happen to Yuan Yuan. She’s also very shy with strangers, and as a premature baby, her body is weaker than her peers. She faints if she cries too hard. Compared to others, I think Yuan Yuan quite likes you.”
Jiang Ning turned her head and saw Yuan Yuan sticking out her butt, pretending to play with the cat but actually eavesdropping on the adults’ conversation.
She sighed inwardly. She couldn’t possibly tell Xie Jingyan about the mission she was on.
She reluctantly extended two fingers: “Two days, maximum two days, then you take this girl back.”
Xie Jingyan showed a smile and nodded: “That’s enough.”
He pointed at the mobile phone again: “Add as friends?”
Jiang Ning pursed her lips, then handed over the mobile phone.
Xie Jingyan’s friend request came through.
The name was still Chunfen, and his profile picture was still that hand photo from his youth.
It hadn’t changed a bit.
Jiang Ning added a note with his name for him.
Xie Jingyan glanced at it.
Then he added a moon icon as a note for Jiang Ning.
“All set. Besides handing Yuan Yuan over to me, is there anything else?” Jiang Ning asked.
Xie Jingyan shook his head: “No.”
He walked toward the entrance, turned his head, and saw Yuan Yuan holding a Strawberry Bear in her arms, looking at him eagerly. Xie Jingyan’s eyes softened a bit: “Stay with your aunt for two days. I’ll come back and pick you up.”
Yuan Yuan gave a sweet and obedient smile, her voice childish: “Mm-hmm, goodbye, Father.”
Xie Jingyan closed the door and left.
Jiang Ning’s mobile phone beeped once.
She opened it to look.
Xie Jingyan: [Transfer of one hundred thousand.]
Jiang Ning clicked her tongue. Damn, taking care of a little kid paid better than being an undercover agent, didn’t it?
He shelled out one hundred thousand just like that.
The two started staring at each other with big eyes.
Jiang Ning thought that if they kept staring like this, there’d be no need to sleep.
So she pointed at Yuan Yuan’s pajamas: “Go take a bath by yourself.”
Yuan Yuan blinked her big eyes, her little face very cute, her voice milky: “Aunt, I don’t know how to take a bath.”
Jiang Ning: “…”
She saw her short arms and legs and felt it might be a bit difficult for her.
For the sake of the one hundred thousand.
Jiang Ning picked up the change of clothes she had brought: “Take off your outer clothes. I’ll take you to wash up. Hurry.”
Yuan Yuan put the toy bear in her hands on the sofa and started taking off her little cotton-padded clothes.
Jiang Ning looked at this teddy bear and found it somewhat familiar.
Yuan Yuan looked up and saw Jiang Ning’s gaze lingering on her doll. She explained in her milky voice: “Aunt, this is a gift from Aunt Xiao He. Do you like it? I can lend it to you to play with.”
Yuan Yuan very generously handed her teddy bear to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning chuckled lightly: “Aunt doesn’t play with that. That’s for little kids.”
Yuan Yuan withdrew her hand and put the teddy bear back: “Okay.”
She quickly stripped herself naked and looked at Jiang Ning with her bare little body, waiting for the next instruction.
Jiang Ning, afraid she would catch a cold, quickly took her to the bathroom.
It took about half an hour of fussing.
Jiang Ning finally put clean pajamas on Yuan Yuan and let her lie on the bed first.
She rubbed her neck. After washing the little one, it was her turn.
When she came out, she found Yuan Yuan still sitting on the sofa.
“Aunt, I want milk at night.” Yuan Yuan handed the milk bottle in her hand to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning: “…”
She went again to prepare milk for Yuan Yuan according to the steps, and only handed it to her when the temperature was right: “Drink it. You have to sleep after finishing, and you have to go to the toilet before sleeping. No wetting the bed.”
Yuan Yuan bit on the nipple, nodding her little head cutely.
Jiang Ning looked at her and suddenly felt that Yuan Yuan looked a lot like Sui Tang, with the same sweet and naive appearance.
Jiang Ning cleaned up the living room and finally took Yuan Yuan back to the bedroom.
She only had one sleeping place here.
Yuan Yuan didn’t disdain how small it was here either. Her little head turned everywhere, looking around.
Once Jiang Ning got on the bed, she slowly scooted over.
Jiang Ning naturally put her arm around the little body and yawned: “Sleep.”
Yuan Yuan leaned on Jiang Ning, her big eyes open, little nose sniffing.
Aunt had a nice gardenia flower scent. Being held while sleeping was so warm.
Was this Mother’s scent?
The chubby kid from the villa next door bragged to her every day that he had Mother to hold him.
Yuan Yuan wanted it too.
She hugged Jiang Ning’s arm, reluctant to let go.
Jiang Ning saw her fidgeting and asked: “Can’t sleep?”
Yuan Yuan looked up, her big black-and-white eyes gazing at her without speaking.
Jiang Ning frowned slightly, then had a flash of inspiration.
Oh, right. Kids probably need storybooks to be coaxed to sleep?
She lifted the quilt and got out of bed: “Yuan Yuan, wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”
In just a few minutes, Jiang Ning found a children’s storybook from somewhere, probably left by the previous owner. Jiang Ning had been planning to throw it away.
Now it came in handy.
She sighed inwardly. She’d never enjoyed this kind of bedtime coaxing treatment before, and she never imagined she’d one day use this service on Yuan Yuan.
Jiang Ning told Snow White, The Ugly Duckling, Little Tadpoles Look for Mother—a few little stories—and successfully coaxed herself to sleep.
Yuan Yuan was still very spirited.
Her little hand gently touched Jiang Ning’s face.
Jiang Ning, half asleep with eyes barely open: “Go to sleep quickly. I have to go to work tomorrow.”
Yuan Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered like little fans. She leaned close to Jiang Ning’s ear, as if making up her mind, and asked very softly: “Aunt, can you be my mother?”
Jiang Ning’s lips pursed slightly. She reached out to ruffle Yuan Yuan’s messy hair and chuckled lightly: “No.”
Yuan Yuan widened her eyes, a bit confused: “Why?”
She pulled Yuan Yuan close and muttered: “Go to sleep early. You can have anything in dreams. It’d be such a loss for an unmarried beautiful girl like me to suddenly become a mom.”
Yuan Yuan: “…”
In just a few minutes, Yuan Yuan fell asleep.
Only after confirming Yuan Yuan was asleep did Jiang Ning open her eyes.
She carefully got up, turned on the small night light by the bedside cabinet, and gently removed her wig, revealing her bald head. Her hair was very black, so the stubble that grew out was a layer of dark blue-black. Even with Jiang Ning’s appearance to carry it, it wasn’t attractive.
She stared blankly at herself in the mirror, then turned her head away and put it back on before going to sleep.
She didn’t want her shiny bald head to scare Yuan Yuan.
And it wasn’t attractive at all.
Seven in the morning.
Jiang Ning got up.
Yuan Yuan was still sleeping.
Jiang Ning put on her clothes and went to the kitchen to simply make breakfast. She knew how to heat milk and steam instant steamed buns.
After getting it ready, she went to call Yuan Yuan but found the little girl already clumsily trying to dress herself.
She was small, and the clothes weren’t cooperating in her hands. Her face was red from the effort.
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow, walked forward to dress her, and said: “For things you can’t do yourself, you have to call an adult, got it? Since your dad handed you over to me, I have to take good care of you.”
