Chapter 429: Chapter 418: You Are My Muse Chapter 429: Chapter 418: You Are My Muse In this black and white picture, he was like a robot dealing with work, continuously bustling along.
Until one day, a colorful butterfly landed in front of him, finally bringing color to his monochrome world.
He tried with all his might to keep the butterfly by his side, he even thought about locking her by his side.
Fortunately, the butterfly was ready to stay by his side for a while.
The moment Anan heard Zhan Qipei’s words, he immediately raised his head and gave the man a big smile.
“I knew it! Sister Qiao is definitely an Angel!”
Qiao Jing rolled her eyes subtly at Zhan Qipei.
“You’re even learning to talk like a child?”
Hearing him say she was an angel was fine coming from Anan, after all, he was a child with a touch of innocence.
But when the same thing came from Zhan Qipei’s mouth, she always felt it took on a different flavor.
A flicker of ambiguous emotion flashed in the depths of Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes, and he curved his lips into a smile.
The man’s originally deep voice turned slightly sensual at this moment, as he took a step forward and came to stand beside the woman.
“Fine, then I’ll change my phrase, you are my Muse Goddess.”
The corners of their garments fluttered in the wind, pressing tightly against each other, creating the impression of two people entwined together.
Qiao Jing met Zhan Qipei’s dark eyes, as the man’s deep gaze stared at her intently.
The man’s deeply passionate, unyielding gaze made her inexplicably feel the illusion that she was imprisoned by him.
As time slowly passed, the temperature at the tips of Qiao Jing’s ears began to rise incrementally.
She furrowed her brows and glared at the man.
“Pingping and Anan are still here, behave yourself.”
She was not unaware of what a man comparing a woman to the Muse Goddess implied, a subtle expression of love.
Zhan Qipei’s lips turned upward, with the laughter in the depths of his eyes almost spilling over.
To continue teasing the little woman, he deliberately leaned close to Qiao Jing’s ear, his warm breath scattering across her ear as he gently parted his lips.
“So what if I’m not proper? Besides, they wouldn’t understand.”
A sudden twitch coursed through Qiao Jing’s temple, and she pushed him away with her hand.
“Don’t come near me for now.”
Her skin wasn’t as thick as this shameless man’s.
She knew the little ones wouldn’t understand, but there were quite a few passersby as well, which always made her feel uncomfortable.
Zhan Qipei curved his mouth into a smile, leading Pingping as they followed beside Qiao Jing.
The deep aura that usually swirled around the man seemed much softer at the moment, making him seem less formidable than before.
This also made Pingping less afraid of Zhan Qipei, at least daring enough to look straight at the man now.
When the four arrived at the entrance of the children’s clothing store, Pingping realized something was amiss.
He furrowed his brow, his small face filled with great confusion.
“Sister Qiao, why are we at a place that sells children’s clothing?”
Both Pingping and Anan had thought Qiao Jing had come to such a high-end luxurious place to buy clothes for herself.
After all, Qiao Jing had already bought them lots of clothing before.
And this place looked so upscale, how much would it cost to buy clothes for them here?
“Of course, it’s to buy clothes for you two!”
After saying this, Qiao Jing turned to look at Zhan Qipei.
Zhan Qipei read the meaning in Qiao Jing’s eyes and directly took Pingping into the store.
Upon entering the store, a clerk quickly came forward to greet them.
Upon seeing Qiao Jing and Zhan Qipei, the clerk’s eyes lit up.
With the two customers’ striking appearances and their unique demeanors, it was clear they were either rich or noble.
She glanced at the two children again and immediately understood, deploying her best skill, flattery.
“Are the two of you parents here to buy clothes for the kids? Both children are so good-looking, they must have inherited that from their mom and dad.
Especially the two parents, you’re really a match made in heaven, so handsome and beautiful!”
When Pingping and Anan heard the words “parents,” “mom and dad,” they froze on the spot.
Blankness and unfamiliarity spread across their little faces, and Anan’s hand automatically fell from Qiao Jing’s grip.
Once Qiao Jing’s hand was empty, she froze for a few seconds, then looked at Anan’s face and then at Pingping.
She could tell something was off with the two children, probably because they were stunned by the clerk’s mention of mom and dad.
Because for Pingping and Anan, the words “parents,” “mom and dad” were just too unfamiliar.
In their memory, there were only brother, sister, uncle, aunt, and similar terms; they had never had someone play the role of parents.
Now that the clerk had mistaken her and Zhan Qipei as the parents of Pingping and Anan, these roles suddenly appearing in their lives were bound to be a bit overwhelming for them to process at once.
Zhan Qipei had actually been enjoying the praise about him and Qiao Jing being a match made in heaven, but he suddenly felt the wrist he was holding become feathery light.
It was as if he were grasping at a marionette; he looked down at Pingping and noticed the child was dazed.
He furrowed his brows, which were like trails of smoke, and looked at Qiao Jing.
Qiao Jing shook her head, signaling for the little ones to take a moment to themselves.
The clerk failed to see the joy of being complimented on their faces, and her professional smile immediately stiffened.
Had she complimented incorrectly?
Especially the two children, both were stunned.
Pingping was the first to come to his senses, shaking his head with a voice that became a bit choked up.
“These are our brother and sister, I don’t have…”
His tender voice was laced with a touch of hoarseness.
“We don’t have… a dad… or a mom.”
Tears uncontrollably started to brim in Anan’s large eyes, and her lips puckered as she reached out and took Qiao Jing’s hand on her own.
“Sister Qiao, do we… do we also have a mom and dad?”
Upon seeing the state of the two little ones, Qiao Jing’s heart suddenly ached.
She pursed her red lips and reached out to wipe away Anan’s tears.
“Of course, you do, and I believe that your mom and dad didn’t intentionally leave you behind, maybe they are also looking for you.”
Like them, she had no parents from birth and was almost frozen to death in the snow, but fortunately, Grandpa Zhang had taken her home.
But these two had grown up relying entirely on themselves; her bringing Pingping and Anan home was a bit like Grandpa Zhang in those days.
If Grandpa Zhang had been the one to encounter Pingping and Anan a few days earlier, he surely would have made the same choice she did.
Zhan Qipei’s gaze fell upon Qiao Jing’s face; he looked again at the expressions emerging on the two children’s faces.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether Qiao Jing had had the same look of confusion when she was little.
What was she like as a child?
Zhan Qipei’s brows gathered, and as he looked at Pingping and Anan, his gaze softened significantly.
The clerk, upon hearing this, realized she had spoken out of turn and immediately showed an awkward smile, starting to apologize.
“So it’s like that, my apologies.”
Pingping shook his head, then looked at Qiao Jing.
“Sister Qiao, you really don’t have to buy us any more clothes? We already have so many.”
Qiao Jing saw Pingping’s reddened eyes and felt a surge of tenderness, drawing him back to her side.
“It’s for you to wear at the orphanage.”
She had only bought them each a set of new clothes and a pair of new shoes, and Pingping already felt it was a lot.
She decided she would buy them a few more sets.