For a moment, Sang Xiao understood what it meant to truly be a little bird clinging to a human. She was currently held in Kuang Qingshang’s arms, and the top of her head only reached Kuang Qingshang’s collarbone. She looked down and saw that Kuang Qingshang was just wearing ordinary sneakers.
And Kuang Qingshang’s chest was right on her face.
Sang Xiao’s cheeks were flushed red.
Why does Kuang Qingshang like to hug people so much? Doesn’t she know that for a petite person, it’s pretty much the same as a head pat?
Kuang Qingshang’s skin was burning hot, her breathing was rapid, and her body was steaming. If Sang Xiao didn’t know she had just exercised, she would have thought she had a fever.
Sang Xiao had no idea what kind of stimulus Kuang Qingshang had experienced to abuse herself like this. It was the first time she had seen someone work out as if their life depended on it; she was worried that Kuang Qingshang was close to exhaustion.
“That…” Just as Sang Xiao spoke, Kuang Qingshang relaxed her body and leaned against her. Sang Xiao quickly pushed her: “You’re a little heavy.”
She was about to fall over.
Kuang Qingshang immediately straightened up, still leaning lightly on Sang Xiao, and her breathing slowly returned to normal. Sang Xiao’s tone gradually became similar to how she would coax a kindergarten child.
“Let’s eat lunch first, and then you go catch up on sleep. You can’t keep doing this.”
“Mm.” Kuang Qingshang finally let go of Sang Xiao and went to take a shower without saying a word.
Sang Xiao let out a sigh of relief. As she relaxed, she wondered if Kuang Qingshang really had some psychological issues. How could someone be like this? If she hadn’t called Kuang Qingshang, was Kuang Qingshang planning to exercise until she collapsed from exhaustion?
Sang Xiao turned to ask Aunt Li if she knew anything, but Aunt Li had already discreetly slipped away when they were hugging.
After Kuang Qingshang came out of the shower, she seemed much more normal, showing no sign of distress, as if the person who had silently hugged Sang Xiao just moments ago was someone else.
After the two finished lunch, Sang Xiao urged Kuang Qingshang to take a nap again. Last night, she had only slept for a maximum of four hours, and she had just spent at least three hours in the gym.
Sang Xiao was genuinely afraid that Kuang Qingshang would suddenly die.
Kuang Qingshang nodded and went to sleep.
She was truly like a kindergarten child, even needing to be urged to sleep. Did Kuang Qingshang have anything to do with a child? No.
But thinking that Kuang Qingshang would be leaving tomorrow, Sang Xiao was very lenient with her.
A life of freedom was beckoning her.
After Kuang Qingshang finished her nap, the two went to her grandfather’s house together. Kuang Qingshang’s grandfather was old, and her grandmother had passed away early. There were only two live-in nannies to care for him, so the younger generation would often come over to keep the old man company. When Sang Xiao and Kuang Qingshang arrived, Feng Shu and Kuang Xun were already there.
Kuang Xun was playing chess with the old man, and Feng Shu was looking at a tablet next to Kuang Xun.
Feng Shu is a typical successful career woman. Perhaps being single keeps one young, or maybe a successful career is invigorating; in any case, Feng Shu looked surprisingly young, with no sign of fatigue on her face, but rather an air of confident success. Her features are quite handsome, and Kuang Qingshang clearly inherited her looks, but compared to Kuang Qingshang, Feng Shu was unexpectedly easy to talk to, and the moment she opened her mouth, one felt she must be a good person to get along with.
As soon as Sang Xiao arrived, Feng Shu waved at her and said with a smile, “Xiao Xiao is here. Come here and help me look at this necklace.”
Sang Xiao already had many nicknames. Perhaps because she was cute from a young age, she was very popular with elders. However, being liked by the person who could be called her mother-in-law was quite surprising, considering that online stories are usually about conflicts or competition between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Sang Xiao sat next to Feng Shu and softly called her “Mom,” but it wasn’t as natural as Kuang Qingshang calling Sang Xiao’s father “Dad.” When Sang Xiao was little, she would innocently call out whatever others told her to. As she grew up, the more intimate the address, the harder it was to say.
While Sang Xiao and Feng Shu were choosing a necklace, Kuang Qingshang quietly watched the chess game nearby.
After they had been looking at necklaces for a while, Feng Shu asked, “Qingshang hasn’t bullied you, has she?”
Sang Xiao’s cheeks were slightly red. “No, she hasn’t.”
She did think about what happened last night, but Kuang Qingshang still had her teeth marks on her arm now.
Kuang Xun, however, maintained her perpetual poker face. Since greeting Sang Xiao with a faint nod at the beginning, she hadn’t said another word.
The Kuang family members were all quite tall. As soon as Sang Xiao arrived, she felt like a child who had mistakenly entered the adult world. After Feng Shu chatted with Sang Xiao for a while, she even gave her a credit card and told her to spend freely. She also said that since Kuang Qingshang was often not home, Sang Xiao could contact her directly if she ran into any trouble.
Sang Xiao felt like a child who had just received a New Year’s monetary gift from a relative. After failing to politely refuse, she was flattered and accepted her kindness.
Kuang Xun also said that Sang Xiao could reach out to her if she needed anything.
It was then that Sang Xiao learned that Kuang Xun had just graduated and was starting her own business with friends, instead of directly joining the company. Feng Shu was quite supportive of her daughter trying to make her own way.
After Sang Xiao thanked them all, the group sat together, chatting with the old man. When the conversation turned to why Sang Xiao became a kindergarten teacher, Sang Xiao straightforwardly said that she liked children. Feng Shu didn’t use the opportunity to urge them to have children, only saying that people who liked children must be very caring.
After the family finished dinner, the old man asked, “Are you two staying here tonight? Xiao Sang hasn’t stayed here before.”
Upon hearing this, Sang Xiao was about to refuse. She had to work tomorrow and needed to get to the kindergarten early. Before she could speak, Kuang Qingshang interjected, “Grandpa, I have to return to the team tomorrow, so I need to go back and pack my things today.”
The old man puffed out his beard, displeased. “Didn’t you say you could stay for half a month?”
Kuang Qingshang explained the specific situation.
Only then did the old man relent. “Forget it then.”
The old man owned a large Golden Retriever. Sang Xiao was usually quite afraid of dogs, but this Golden Retriever was very gentle and especially enthusiastic.
While Sang Xiao was playing with the dog, Feng Shu called Kuang Qingshang into a room. From the balcony, they could clearly see Sang Xiao and the Golden Retriever chasing each other in the yard. “You’re leaving so soon again? When are you planning to come to the company to help me?”
Kuang Qingshang was much more relaxed in front of Feng Shu, and her voice was lighter. “Mom, I haven’t decided yet.”
Feng Shu sighed. “Since you joined the school team in high school, you’ve rarely been home. It was fine before; your sister and I supported you, but it’s different now. You are married.”
“You were the one who insisted on marrying her in the first place.”
Feng Shu recalled that when Kuang Qingshang was playing basketball out of town, she suddenly called her and said she was getting married. At the time, Feng Shu was stunned. She knew her daughter best—when did she secretly fall in love with someone? Feng Shu couldn’t possibly not know.
Feng Shu initially thought it was a teammate from the basketball team. She remembered someone named Zhuang Zhe who was quite close to Kuang Qingshang, but he was too tall.
Being tall is good, but being too tall isn’t ideal. If she could go back, Feng Shu would even hope Kuang Qingshang hadn’t grown so tall, nor would she wish for her to play basketball, only that she could be healthy.
So, one of Feng Shu’s requirements for Kuang Qingshang’s partner was that they be relatively ordinary in height. But she never expected the person Kuang Qingshang mentioned to be Sang Xiao, the Sang Xiao who was already close to marrying the Chen family’s son.
As for Sang Xiao’s height, that wasn’t an issue. Kuang Qingshang and Kuang Xun had both shot up in height, and Feng Shu, as a mother, hadn’t had the chance to fully enjoy the pleasures of motherhood before both her daughters grew taller than her, which had always been a major regret.
Feng Shu immediately asked, “Do you like her?”
Kuang Qingshang on the other end of the phone didn’t answer directly. She only listed the various wrongdoings of Sang Xiao’s ex-fiancé, Chen Gan: hanging out at nightclubs, supporting online influencers, group activities, and so on. Feng Shu had heard rumors about these things; everyone knew Chen Gan was an ignorant playboy.
Feng Shu wanted to say that her daughter’s own scandals were comparable to this ex-fiancé’s. Spreading rumors is fun for a moment, but refuting them is an ordeal. And Kuang Qingshang’s matters were genuinely difficult to refute.
Being energetic was true.
Appearing ascetic on the surface was true.
Special hobbies depended on what exactly was being referred to.
Group activities?
Playing basketball every day counts as a group activity, right?
As for accidentally killing someone? Sorry, no one was killed, but that person is already in prison.
But Feng Shu had always trusted Kuang Qingshang and didn’t ask further. She immediately extended an olive branch to the Sang family. The Sang family was flattered and ecstatic to secure this powerful connection; they had absolutely no objection to the marriage with Kuang Qingshang.
Thinking of the marriage that was hastily decided in a moment of impulse, Kuang Qingshang did not regret it. “I know. I will treat her well.”
Feng Shu offered no opinion on this. Since that incident, her daughter had become less and less talkative. She asked with concern, “Why do you look so pale? Did you not sleep well last night? Didn’t you two go to her parents’ house last night? You shouldn’t be too eager; don’t scare her.”
Sang Xiao looked like the kind of child who was very well-behaved and obedient. Her usual work environment was a kindergarten, where she interacted mostly with children. Her social circle was simple, and her thoughts were simple; whatever was on her mind was written on her face.
Feng Shu genuinely liked Sang Xiao. She was very afraid that her daughter would be unable to resist bullying her. As for the possibility of Kuang Qingshang being bullied? That was out of the question.
Kuang Qingshang’s face grew even paler upon hearing this, and her voice trembled slightly. “Last night, I almost couldn’t control myself…”
Feng Shu’s brow furrowed, and she dropped her teasing expression, becoming serious. “What happened?”
“I had a dream at the time, and when I woke up, I mistakenly thought Sang Xiao was in danger, so I couldn’t stop myself…”
Her meaning of “in danger” was that Sang Xiao herself was the dangerous source that she feared.
Feng Shu asked, “What did you dream about?”
The tips of Kuang Qingshang’s ears turned slightly red. She didn’t say what she dreamed, only recounting how she reflexively choked Sang Xiao after waking up.
“So you drowned yourself in the gym again? Using exercise to punish yourself? Being an athlete means you’re already overdrawing your body. Your body is already overloaded, and you’re still not taking care of it. Can’t you be a little kinder to yourself?”
As Feng Shu spoke, her eyes suddenly turned red. She stepped forward and hugged Kuang Qingshang. “Qingshang, you’ve always been a good child, you just have too high standards for yourself.”
“In all matters, judge by the action, not the thought. You have never truly harmed anyone, have you? Don’t suppress yourself so much.”