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The high-end club located in the suburbs of City B was draped in black today.
Two long black drapes hung from the grand entrance, fixed from the center to both sides and forming a semi-circular arc.
In the middle of the drapes, a large character "mourning" stood out, accentuating a solemn and chilling atmosphere, bringing a sense of quiet reverence to everyone who entered.
On this day, numerous luxury cars that were rarely seen by ordinary people, arrived at the club's entrance one after another.
Men and women dressed in black suits and formal attire stepped out of the vehicles with solemn expressions while walking in harmony into the funeral hall, adding yet another wreath to the already overflowing pile in the vast auditorium.
Another black Bentley delivered a silent and solemn couple, followed by a majestic black Cadillac. The doorman opened the door, and out stepped a slightly younger couple and an adorable little boy.
The handsome man handed the invitation to the waiting butler before leaving his wife and child to sign in and express his condolences. Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded his wife not to let their "Little Devil" cause any trouble.
The gentle and elegant woman softly agreed, then took the beautiful and delicate boy by the hand and walked toward the auditorium.
The boy had almond-shaped eyes with long, narrow corners that give him a slightly enchanting look, but the boyishness in his brows kept him from appearing too feminine. He curiously glanced around and finally couldn't help but ask, "Mom, where exactly are we? Everything's black... it doesn't look nice."
Hearing this, the graceful woman couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Before they even reached the main hall, she bent down and answered her son's question with a smile, "Mom brought Xiao Xia to see an old friend. Although she's asleep now, she's still very beautiful. Xiao Xia must remember not to speak once we're inside, or else... there'll be no chocolate tonight."
Immediately grasping his weakness, Jing Xia quickly shut his mouth and mimicked zipping it up.
This comical and adorable expression made the woman's smile even brighter. However, when she turned her gaze back to the black-and-white photo hanging above the coffin in the center of the auditorium, her smile instantly faded.
She let out a deep sigh as her delicate brows filled with sorrow.
The woman who could summon the three members of the Jing family in City B to pay their respects was certainly no ordinary person.
If it weren't for Master Jing's minor heart attack earlier that morning, even the head of the Jing family would have been present today.
It wasn't for any other reason but because of the person who had passed away.
Mother Jing actually knew this person. To say they knew each other was a stretch—they had exchanged a few words in childhood but hadn't interacted much beyond that.
City B was vast, but the circle of influential people was always small and limited to just a few families.
The deceased woman was born into the political Wang family, the only daughter and a treasured pearl since childhood. She later married into the prestigious Ji family, known for their military achievements.
This seemingly glamorous and flawless life, Mother Jing knew, was not a happy one for her unfamiliar Sister Wang.
The prestige of the Ji family was well-known, and her husband was now the youngest Lieutenant General in China.
But fame and power also came with obligations and responsibilities.
General Ji rarely returned home and spent only a few months each year in City B, and even then, he was often unable to reunite with his family.
For a woman, this was loneliness.
Thus, this woman, born into privilege and seemingly living like a princess, passed away before even reaching the age of 35. Although congenital asthma had no cure with current technology, deaths from it were rare. Yet, Sister Wang still left this world.
She left behind a stern and severe young husband and a... naive and adorable son.
Thinking of this, Mother Jing suddenly calmed down. She bent down and said to her son, "Xiao Xia, you might meet a little brother today. Hmm... the little brother might be in a very bad mood, but if you run into him during tonight's banquet, you must not bully him, understand?"
The only son of the Ji family was 9 years old, while little Jing Xia was only 4. Logically, it should be the former who might bully the latter. But Mother Jing's serious and earnest expression directly confirmed the mischievous nature of her little devil.
"Xiao Xia will definitely take good care of the little brother!" After a pause, Jing Xia blinked curiously, "Mom, is the little brother good-looking?"
Mother Jing playfully tapped his head, "You little rascal!"
Filled with curiosity about the little brother, Jing Xia naively attended the afternoon memorial ceremony but did not see the legendary little brother at the venue. Disappointed, he followed his parents to the evening banquet.
When he saw the long tables filled with cakes and pastries, any thoughts of "little brother" or "little sister" were already thrown to the wind.
After letting out a big burp, Jing Xia noticed his parents seemed to be chatting with some uncles and aunts.
But there weren't many children his age in the entire venue.
Jing Xia strained his eyes to look around and suddenly saw a black-haired girl running out of the venue like the wind.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
Jing Xia's voice was drowned out by the low murmurs of conversation in the venue, and no one noticed a little boy navigating through the sea of people and running out of the venue and into the dark, quiet night of the garden.
"Huh... where did the little sister go?"
Jing Xia searched alone in the garden for a while but couldn't find the little girl he had seen earlier.
The cool, clear moonlight gently bathed the garden. Although he couldn't see the colors of the surrounding flowers, the rich, intoxicating fragrance in the air felt like a giant cotton candy that made Jing Xia's head feel dizzy.
"Hmph, couldn't find her, really..." Before he could finish, Jing Xia suddenly heard a faint, low cry.
The sound of crying was so faint that Jing Xia hadn't noticed it until now.
He quickly ran around the garden and finally found the person crying behind a wall of roses.
She sat in front of the cold marble fountain with her pale skin contrasting sharply with the dark stone, making her appear even fairer. Her hands rested casually on her lap with her gaze fixed vacantly and sorrowfully on the ground illuminated by the moonlight.
She didn’t speak and just continuously crying.
Tears streamed down her delicate and pretty cheeks.
No matter how much she tried to suppress her sobs, she was still just a child and unable to completely silence her cries. And it was precisely because of this that she was discovered by a little devil, a little pervert.
Jing Xia couldn’t help but swallow hard and took a step forward before asking, “Are you an elf?”
The little girl’s beautiful black dress and her exquisitely androgynous face—everything about her was perfect, except for her hair, which only reached her shoulders and didn’t quite match Jing Xia’s ideal of long, straight black hair. This little girl was practically the goddess of his dreams!
Such a goddess suddenly appeared in the quiet and peaceful garden while bathed in the gentle glow of the moonlight—what else could she be but an elf!
The little girl completely ignored Jing Xia’s words and just continued to cry on her own. But Jing Xia wasn’t discouraged at all.
He huffed and puffed as he climbed onto the marble platform in front of the fountain and not even realizing how tall this “elf” must be to sit so effortlessly on the platform.
“Hello, elf, my name is Xiao Xia. You’re so beautiful! Can I… ahem, can I give you a kiss?”
This shameless teasing abruptly stopped the little girl’s crying.
She blinked her long, narrow phoenix eyes before turning her head in confusion to look at the cheeky boy who had climbed up beside her. But before she could respond, she suddenly felt a warmth on her lips!
Her first kiss had been stolen in an instant!
“Wow, elf, your lips are so soft! Just a little salty from the tears. Why are you crying, elf? Don’t cry, let me kiss you again, and you’ll be happy, okay?”
The little girl would never give this obvious flirt another chance.
Her tears gradually stopped, and she coldly sized up the little boy in front of her.
Her gaze was as sharp as if she had been through countless battles, something that shouldn’t be present in a child. After a long while, she replied, “I’m not an elf. My name is Ji… just call me Xiao Cheng.”
Jing Xia was overjoyed: “Xiao Cheng?! What a cute name! For such a cute name, let’s kiss again, Xiao Cheng!”
“…”
Ji Chuancheng mercilessly slapped the boy who had leaned in again, sending him tumbling to the side.
She… no, he. Ji Chuancheng, though only nine years old, had never encountered someone so shameless in his life.
If it weren’t for the fact that he knew this boy must be a guest invited by his father, he would have beaten this little rascal to a pulp.
But the thickness of this little rascal’s skin was beyond Ji Chuancheng’s imagination.
“Xiao Cheng, why are you crying? You’re so cute, who dared to bully you? I’ll go beat them up!”
Ji Chuancheng remained expressionless.
“Xiao Cheng, don’t ignore me. I really like you. Will you marry me and be my bride? My family is super rich, you’ll never run out of money! You can spend however you want, as long as you marry me, hehe.”
A vein on Ji Chuancheng’s forehead began to twitch.
"Little Orange... just tell me why you're crying! It really hurts me when you keep ignoring me like this. Just say it..."
"My mom passed away."
Translator:
Aww cutiee