If You Could Hear My Heart

Chapter 581: Chapter 581: Shen Chi is More Like a Father
 

The little girl clenched tightly onto the large seashell with both her small hands, only flashing a smug smile at Xu Chaomu when she felt it was safe.

“I saw this one first,” Xu Chaomu squatted in front of her and pretended to be fierce.

The little girl shook her head vigorously: “No, no, it was Niuniu who saw it first!”

The little girl was fair and chubby, with a round face that was particularly adorable. She had many little braids on her head, each tied with a differently colored hairband.

Barefoot, Niuniu wore a pink poofy dress and squatted in front of Xu Chaomu, not showing any weakness.

“Sister likes this, can you give it to sister, please?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because Niuniu likes this too!” The little girl guarded it tightly, afraid that Xu Chaomu would snatch it away.

“If you give it to me, I’ll give you candy,” Xu Chaomu coaxed her.

She squinted her eyes, showing patience she didn’t know she had. If this were five years ago, she would have hated children.

Back then, whenever she saw children, she liked to scare them. For example, she would shout loudly at them, “Don’t move”…

If it were thirteen years ago, no one else would even have a share of this seashell; what was hers was hers, and what wasn’t hers would have to be hers too!

Back then, nobody could tame her.

But there was that one person, the knot in her life she could never untie.

“Mommy said we can’t take candy from strangers,” the little girl declared earnestly, though she seemed quite eager for candy.

“But the prettiest sister is always the kindest.”

“Are you praising yourself, Sister? That’s so shameless…” the little girl teased her.

“…” Xu Chaomu was suddenly at a loss for words, her head swimming.

Um, was she being bullied by a little girl?

After saying this, Xiaopang picked up her large seashell and smiled joyously at Xu Chaomu.

Her hands were too small, and the seashell seemed too big to be held in her palm.

But she didn’t care and played happily with it.

“Sister, isn’t it pretty?” Niuniu boasted to Xu Chaomu about her trophy.

“It’s pretty.”

“Even if it’s pretty, I won’t give it to you.”

“…” Xu Chaomu once again had a face full of bewilderment.

Xiaopang joyously got up, bouncing off to collect other interesting items.

Xu Chaomu walked back to Shen Chi, defeated, and sat down on a rock next to him.

Shen Chi was gazing profoundly at the distant sea, where the water shimmered under the sun. Seagulls circled around, creating a harmonious scene.

As soon as Xu Chaomu approached, he caught the unique fragrance that belonged to her.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Chi saw her pouting.

“I couldn’t find any seashells, and a little girl called me shameless.”

“Really?” Shen Chi seemed to take pleasure in her misfortune, “What did you say?”

“I wanted to give her candy, and she said we can’t accept candy from strangers. So I said, the prettier sisters are the kindest. She called me shameless.”

“Oh, a little bit.”

“Shen Chi! We can’t play happily anymore!” Xu Chaomu huffed.

“My bad, my bad,” Shen Chi said, barely holding back his laughter.

Only then did Xu Chaomu huff again and jump down from the rock.

At that moment, seeing Xu Chaomu in such a good mood made Shen Chi feel inexplicably better as well. Indeed, it was a wise decision to take a vacation and bring her out to play.

Yesterday, she had laid in bed all day without speaking a word to him, and it had really scared him.

Now, she finally deigned to call his name.

Xu Chaomu continued her search for new seashells, and as she bent over and walked, Xiaopang ran back to her, holding that pretty seashell in her hand.

“Sister, this is for you.” Xiaopang handed the seashell to Xu Chaomu.

“Huh?” Xu Chaomu was curious, “Why are you willing to give it to me now?”

“Because I don’t want it anymore.”

“…” Xu Chaomu’s mouth twitched.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it,” Xu Chaomu accepted it.

Just as she reached out her hand, the little girl swiftly pulled hers back, giggling mischievously at Xu Chaomu.

“I want candy.”

“Didn’t you say you shouldn’t accept things from strangers?”

“We can’t accept things from ugly people,” the little girl stated seriously.

Xu Chaomu’s face lit up with satisfaction: “Good girl, now say it out loud, sister is very pretty, isn’t she?”

“Not really, it’s the brother by your side who’s very handsome.” The little girl giggled and ran toward Shen Chi.

Xu Chaomu was utterly exasperated, hands on her hips, glaring at Xiaopang as she ran toward Shen Chi.

Shen Chi had been watching Xu Chaomu talk with the little girl, and now Niuniu ran up to him.

“Brother, I want to give this to you.”

The little girl spread out her plump hands, and a seashell lay quietly in her palm.

“Very pretty,” Shen Chi smiled and accepted it from her hand.

“Brother, you’re so handsome, will you come home with me?”

“No!” Before Shen Chi could answer, Xu Chaomu came running over.

“Why not? Auntie, you’re just jealous that I have a seashell, and you don’t.” The little girl glared at Xu Chaomu, puffing with anger.

Xu Chaomu’s mouth twitched, the girl had just called her “sister,” and now she was “auntie.”

“If I go home with you, Auntie here won’t know her way home,” Shen Chi said seriously.

“How can Auntie be so dumb.” The little tyke shrugged.

“That’s right, she’s very dumb. Otherwise, look at her now, she hasn’t found even one seashell,” Shen Chi said earnestly.

“Brother, will you play with me?”

“He’s not your brother, he’s your uncle!” Xu Chaomu corrected her from the side.

“What, brother looks younger than you,” the little girl huffed at Xu Chaomu.

“…” Xu Chaomu admitted complete defeat.

Shen Chi, however, was quite happy; he took the little girl’s hands with his large ones and lifted her up.

He sat down on the rock, letting the little girl sit on his lap.

“Brother, you smell really nice,” the little girl laughed, her eyes curving into crescents.

“Really?”

“Yes, just like the fruit candy I eat.”

Shen Chi smiled; it should be Xu Chaomu who smelled like fruit candy. She always had a sweet scent about her, her smile was sweet, and so were her eyes.

After all, children fear nothing.

Yet, to some, he was more terrifying than the devil himself.

“Brother, what is that?”

“A sailboat.”

“Oh, look, that bird can’t keep up, it’s not flying fast enough…”

“It’s tired from flying.”

Xu Chaomu was left aside; she kicked the pebbles under her feet, feeling depressed.

But every time she looked up, she saw Shen Chi holding the little girl, laughing happily.

She hadn’t seen him laugh so heartily in a long time; he really looked like the boy next door.

Shedding his depths and sophistication, at that moment, Shen Chi resembled a father in her eyes.

Unconsciously, her hand brushed over her abdomen as she remembered how out of control she had been the night before, so much so that she didn’t want this child.