When Bao Shaojin’s inner anger gradually surged, the usually clear-headed man realized that the little girl had no relation to him. So, on what grounds could he demand that she call him?
Bao Shaojin’s deep eyes glanced at the little girl, her jet-black hair cascading over her slender shoulders and falling scattered over her chest. As she moved, the ends of her hair swayed uncertainly.
The little girl had a delicate temperament, and Bao Shaojin always felt that even her hair seemed soft.
Regarding the incident where she almost got into trouble yesterday, Bao Shaojin had already learned the entire process from Assistant Lin. Having her summarize it was just to give her a gentle admonition and to warn the little girl to pay attention to her safety. However, when he saw her pure eyes, Bao Shaojin couldn’t bring himself to say certain words.
He originally wanted to tell the little girl what she might have faced if he hadn’t appeared with his entourage.
Before meeting her, Bao Shaojin had thought of a speech to scare her a little: to make her remember, he planned to explain in detail what kind of situation she would have been in if he hadn’t rescued her.
This thought was compromised the moment he saw her timid eyes!
The little girl wasn’t frightened, and besides, wasn’t she all right? Maybe this is what people mean when they say "fools have their blessings!"
The man remained silent, and An Yin timidly raised her eyes, accidentally meeting a sharp gaze. Startled, she pretended to look around, but Bao Shaojin could easily see through this clumsy attempt to cover up.
The little girl was thin-skinned, and Bao Shaojin didn’t expose her.
At this point, An Yin remembered some unpleasant moments between the two of them. Gathering her courage, she murmured, "Brother Shaojin, last time you took me to the hospital, I didn’t mean to lose my temper with you."
An Yin placed her hands on her thighs, her thumbs twisting together in an attempt to alleviate her nervousness.
Bao Shaojin sat upright on the sofa, his calm and profound eyes seemingly penetrating into her heart, capturing all of her unease. He didn’t plan to interrupt the little girl but quietly waited to see what else she would say.
"I just felt the hospital fees were too expensive, and I didn’t feel comfortable there, so I kind of talked back to you."
"Also, last night, after I showered, I originally wanted to find you, but I don’t know how... I just fell asleep."
By the end, her voice grew so faint that if Bao Shaojin didn’t have sharp hearing, he wouldn’t have caught what the little girl was whispering about.
"Brother Shaojin, thank you for ensuring Shi Qing and I escaped safely this time!" An Yin looked up, meeting the man’s dark eyes, and sincerely expressed her gratitude.
She was speaking from the heart. Although the man in front of her seemed domineering and strong, he saved her at a critical moment.
"You really want to thank me?" Bao Shaojin spoke.
"Mm-hmm." An Yin nodded several times, affirming that her previous words of thanks were not empty.
"From now on, you’re not allowed to call me brother." Initially, when she softly called him "brother," Bao Shaojin didn’t think much of it, feeling a tinge of novelty in the address.
He didn’t realize when it began, but hearing the little girl call him "Brother Shaojin" started to grate on his nerves, also making him conscious of the fact that the little girl was actually his cousin’s girlfriend! Her calling him "brother" was just following Bao Cheng’s lead.
An Yin assumed Bao Shaojin was still upset, just because she had mentioned to the aunt earlier that they weren’t familiar. Thinking of this, An Yin nervously explained, "Brother Shaojin, I said that to the aunt because..."
An Yin stammered, unable to come up with a reason.
Bao Shaojin was about to speak, but unexpectedly, the little girl beat him to it. Not only that, but although she wanted to explain, she couldn’t even find an excuse, which showed that the phrase "not very familiar with him" was indeed her honest feeling!
Bao Shaojin’s brows showed deep helplessness!
He had recognized a fact: the little girl was genuinely hopelessly naive!
Seeing that he remained silent and with the man’s face always displaying a haughty and calm expression, An Yin had no idea what he was thinking and could only muster courage to speak, "Are you angry?"
The little girl could actually sense that he was angry? That’s not easy.
Seeing her anxious and uneasy appearance, Bao Shaojin didn’t want to make things difficult for her. "I permit you to call my name."
He specifically said "permit." In T City, she was the first person allowed to call him "Bao Shaojin," and she was entirely oblivious to the weight of his words.
So, he was still angry, huh? Otherwise, why not let her call him "Brother Shaojin"? After ruminating repeatedly, An Yin came to this conclusion.
To appease him, An Yin decided she’d better behave and listen obediently!
"Then in the future, should I really call you ’Bao... Shao... Jin...’?" When reciting his name, An Yin deliberately paused to see the man’s reaction.
As expected, the expression on the man’s face remained unchanged, maintaining a consistently indifferent attitude.
"Mm." Knowing the little girl was simple-minded, and without explaining clearly, she could conjure up some wild and unnecessary theories, Bao Shaojin rarely responded to her childish questioning.
Receiving a definite answer, An Yin inwardly thought: Brother Shaojin is still annoyed, so he had her change the address. From now on, she must behave well to hopefully revert back to calling him "Brother Shaojin" soon!
An Yin believed that reverting back to "Brother Shaojin" would symbolize he no longer minded her saying "not familiar"!
This matter could not be rushed.
Right now, she had something else she wanted to tell him. An Yin blinked her clear, bright eyes and hesitated, "Shao... jin..." The word "brother" almost slipped out, but An Yin stopped herself in time. Seeing the man’s deep eyes slightly squint, An Yin took a deep breath and continued, "Previously, when I was hospitalized, you covered my medical bills, and you also bought clothes and shoes for me... It must have cost a lot. I don’t have much money now, so I’ll first transfer five thousand yuan to your WeChat, and I’ll pay back the rest later, okay?"
By the end, Bao Shaojin’s face grew dark! Between them, the little girl really was calculating! Every matter related to money, she remembered precisely.
Seeing the little girl’s determined eyes, Bao Shaojin was well aware that although she seemed delicate, she was stubborn. Having been in the business world for so many years, Bao Shaojin had this much insight.
If he didn’t agree, the little girl would find a way to return the money to him.
"Two thousand is enough!" Bao Shaojin said coldly.