Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 19: Night Market Grill Stalls

The two chatted and laughed as they ate for nearly two hours before leaving the night market, fully satisfied. They bought some fruit on the way back and then strolled leisurely back to their rented apartment. Fortunately, the neighborhood where Li Xiaowan rented was relatively safe; otherwise, with two single women living in an old rental apartment, things might not have ended well. “I’m so tired. I don’t feel like taking a shower tonight.” As soon as Qi Xin'er got back to the apartment, she didn’t even bother taking off her shoes and just collapsed onto the living room sofa. Although the sofa was worn out and rickety, it was more than enough for Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er—at least they could use it as a dining stool or just sit on it casually to watch TV when they had nothing else to do. “If you don’t want to shower, then don’t. I don’t feel like showering tonight either. But I still need to boil some water to soak my feet. The water heater’s been broken for the past couple of days, and we haven’t had time to call someone to fix it,” Li Xiaowan said as she headed toward the kitchen. Normally, they washed their hair and took a shower almost every night—it had long since become a habit. If they skipped a day, they’d feel uncomfortable all over, as if they had OCD. Tonight, they were indeed too tired—or, to be precise, they just didn’t feel like washing up, especially Li Xiaowan, who was focused solely on finishing up quickly so she could get to bed. “Yeah, it’s all Feng Lingzheng’s fault. I used to look up to him so much, but I never imagined he’d turn out to be such a complete scoundrel.” However, as soon as Qi Xin'er finished speaking, she immediately began to regret it, silently berating herself: Why can’t I ever keep my mouth shut? Xiaowan’s already had a rough enough day today, and here I am blurting out nonsense. “It doesn’t matter to me anymore. Nothing about him has anything to do with me,” Li Xiaowan said indifferently, though deep down she couldn’t calm her mind. Since she was using an electric kettle, the water heated up in no time. Li Xiaowan fetched two buckets from the bathroom, poured hot water into each, then brought one over to Qi Xin'er and said, “Xin'er, get up and wash your feet. Once you’re done, go lie down in bed right away—you have to go to work tomorrow!” “Xiaowan, are you really going tomorrow?” Qi Xin'er sat up straight, preparing to soak her feet, and asked. “Of course! Aren’t you going?” Li Xiaowan looked at Qi Xin'er in confusion, wondering if the girl was worried about something. “No… All right, then!” Qi Xin'er said nothing more. “Xin'er, don’t worry. It’ll be fine. There are some things we just have to face. As long as the sky hasn’t fallen, there’s always a way to solve anything.” Li Xiaowan said this both to comfort Qi Xin'er and to comfort herself. “Li Xiaowan, I really admire you. After going through so much, you’re still able to stay so optimistic—that’s truly remarkable. You know, a lot of the time, when I see you putting on a brave face like this, it breaks my heart. I don’t know where your older brother and sister are. We’ve been looking for them for so many years, and we haven’t heard a single word from them.” Qi Xin'er felt both anxious and sad for Li Xiaowan. Their hometowns weren’t very far apart, and they’d played together since childhood. Ever since Li Xiaowan’s parents had left, aside from the occasional invitation from neighbors and villagers to come over for a meal, she’d spent most of her time at Qi Xin'er’s house. Back then, Qi Xin'er’s mother and Li Xiaowan’s mother had been very close friends. Even now, whenever Qi Xin'er’s mother mentioned Li Xiaowan’s mother, she couldn’t help but shed tears,so everyone avoided the subject whenever possible. For Li Xiaowan, the Qi family was like a second home, and they treated her very well. Whatever belonged to Qi Xin'er and her sister was also hers. Sometimes, neighbors would even joke with Li Xiaowan, saying, “Xiaowan, why don’t you just do what Xin'er does and call her parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’?” However, whenever this happened, without Li Xiaowan even having to respond, as long as the Xin'er sisters or Xin'er’s parents were present, they would immediately warn the person speaking, telling them not to talk nonsense in front of Xiaowan. Xiaowan noticed all of this. She knew they didn’t want to upset her, and she herself had no intention of changing the way she addressed them—especially before she turned ten. Li Xiaowan always believed her parents had only left her temporarily and would return soon, which led her to have frequent nightmares,in which she’d run after her parents, sometimes even losing her shoes in the process, yet never managing to catch up to them. Often, when she woke up, she’d find her face already wet with tears without even realizing it. Fortunately, Xin'er’s mother was there; whenever Li Xiaowan stayed overnight at their house, she would usually check on Xiaowan in her room in the middle of the night—even in the dead of winter, without fail. “Xiaowan… Xiaowan, why are you spacing out again? The water’s gone cold! Stop washing now—be careful not to catch a cold.” Qi Xin'er reached out and shook Li Xiaowan’s arm. “Xin'er, thank you. Thank you, Uncle Qi and Aunt Qi. Thank you, Lily.” Lily was Qi Xin'er’s younger sister. Qi Xin'er was taken aback by Li Xiaowan’s sudden outpouring of thanks. She’d been fine just a moment ago—why had she suddenly become so sentimental? “Xiaowan, do we really need to say ‘thank you’ to each other? Besides, Uncle Qi and Aunt Qi have long since treated you like their own daughter. When you weren’t around, my mom would always nag me, ‘Don’t let Lingling and you bully Xiaowan, okay? Xiaowan is just as much my little darling as you two are.’ God knows, when have we ever bullied you?” Even now, when Qi Xin'er spoke of it, her face was full of resignation. “Hehe! No wonder you two have always gone out of your way for me since we were little—whenever there was something delicious to eat or a pretty outfit, you’d always give it to me first. So it was Aunt Qi’s idea all along? Turns out you and Lingling weren’t being sincere after all.” Li Xiaowan wanted to tease Qi Xin'er a little. “You’re accusing me unfairly! That’s not true at all. Don’t you know that Lingling and I have always been sincere with you?” Qi Xin'er said, looking flustered, afraid that Li Xiaowan would get the wrong idea. “All right, I’m just kidding. I’ve noticed how kind you’ve both been to me. When Lingling was going to college, I should have pitched in, but you, Uncle Qi, and Aunt Qi absolutely wouldn’t let me—especially you. You even threatened to cut ties with me, so I had no choice but to back down. But from now on, I’ll work hard to ensure Uncle Qi and Aunt Qi can enjoy a wonderful retirement, and to help you and Lingling live a better life.” As Li Xiaowan spoke these words, her eyes revealed nothing but determination and resilience. “You naughty Xiaowan, teasing me again. Don’t worry about us—as long as you can lead a happy and fulfilling life, we’ll be completely satisfied. It’s just a shame that things don’t always go as we’d like. But I believe that with your kindness, diligence, and resilience, Xiaowan, you’ll one day lead a life even brighter than the sunshine. I, Qi Xin'er, am absolutely certain I’m not mistaken.” ” Qi Xin'er had always known that Li Xiaowan was not one to settle for mediocrity; one day, through her own efforts, she would surely build a better life for herself. And Qi Xin'er herself had to keep up with Xiaowan’s pace—she couldn’t fall too far behind. “Xin'er, I’ll take your good wishes to heart. If that day ever comes, just as you say, I’ll definitely treat you to a big feast. Don’t worry—there’ll be more than enough.” Li Xiaowan said playfully. “Just to be clear, it can’t be just one meal, okay!” Qi Xin'er noticed that Li Xiaowan’s expression—which had been gloomy when she first returned—was gradually beginning to soften, and she felt deeply reassured. “No problem—it definitely can’t be just one meal. It has to last a lifetime,” Li Xiaowan said earnestly, and she truly meant every word. “It’s a deal!” Qi Xin'er said happily. In truth, she didn’t really expect Li Xiaowan to take care of her for the rest of her life; deep down, she was simply overjoyed just to see Li Xiaowan doing well. “Don’t worry, it’s a deal—you can’t go back on your word,” Li Xiaowan said firmly. She then pulled out her phone to check the time and added, “Xin'er, it’s getting late. Let’s get some rest early!” “Okay. So, are you still going to go running tomorrow morning?” Qi Xin'er asked. “Of course I will—why wouldn’t I? As long as nothing unexpected comes up, I’ll definitely stick with it.” It was clear that Li Xiaowan was a person of great willpower; unlike some people who start out full of enthusiasm only to abandon their goals entirely in the end. “All right, then you should get some sleep too. Good night!” After saying that, Qi Xin'er pushed open the bedroom door and locked it from the inside. They rented a two-bedroom apartment. Although it was a two-bedroom unit, the rent wasn’t very expensive because of its remote location. Plus, the landlord was very kind; after learning about their financial struggles, he even knocked two hundred yuan off the rent. As a result, Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er only paid a nominal two hundred yuan each month, and that amount even covered utilities. In such a bustling metropolis, finding such a wonderful landlord among millions of people could only be described as a stroke of fate. However, Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er always kept in mind the principle that even a small kindness should be repaid with great gratitude. Before going to bed, Li Xiaowan had assumed she’d fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, but to her surprise, even after lying there for nearly an hour, she still felt no drowsiness. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep; if this continued, she feared she’d lie awake until dawn. Li Xiaowan tried her best to calm her mind, gazing up at the ceiling as she muttered to herself, “One star, two stars, three stars, four stars… a thousand stars, a thousand and one hearts…” Whoever said that counting stars helps when you can’t sleep—it doesn’t work at all! Li Xiaowan felt both frustrated and amused; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been awake this late. “Ding-ding...” Li Xiaowan’s phone, sitting on the nightstand, suddenly rang. In the dead of night, the sound was unusually clear and jarring, startling her so much she nearly jumped out of bed. Her heart was pounding wildly. “Who on earth could it be, sending a text in the middle of the night? It’s probably just spam.” Li Xiaowan didn’t want to bother with it at first, but then she thought, since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she might as well check what it was and play with her phone for a bit—maybe she’d drift off while she was at it.