CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: I LIKE SISTER XIAOQING

Qi Yun playfully pushed the muscular man aside, adjusted his collar, then said with a smile, "No need to get so agitated; you wouldn’t want this secret to be known by everyone, would you?"

The muscular man, pushed away by Qi Yun, staggered a bit, his face a mix of anger and fear.

He glared viciously at Qi Yun, clenching his fists, his teeth gritting audibly.

Qi Yun showed no fear, calmly meeting his gaze.

After a moment, the muscular man’s expression changed, and he instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

"What... what do you want?" he asked, trembling, with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

He could imagine the discrimination and ridicule he would face if this matter were exposed, leaving him no face to meet anyone again.

Qi Yun looked at his pitiful appearance, feeling a bit disgusted but not holding a deep grudge, and said indifferently, "As long as you all stay quiet in the future, I can pretend this never happened."

"Re... really?" The muscular man’s eyes brightened at these words; he thought Qi Yun would use this matter to blackmail him.

He didn’t expect the other party to make such a simple request, filling him with relief.

His face immediately plastered with a flattering smile, he hastily patted his chest in assurance, "Don’t worry, we promise we won’t disturb you again!"

Seeing his goal achieved, Qi Yun nodded and prepared to close the door.

At this moment, the muscular man, as if remembering something, hurriedly took a step forward and asked, "That... that photo, where did you get it from?"

"From the domestic section!"

"Bang!"

After closing the door, Qi Yun didn’t give this small episode any further thought and went to the kitchen to prepare some paste for sticking couplets.

Even though it was just father and daughter for the New Year, there should be some festive atmosphere.

At that moment, there was another knock on the door.

Qi Yun opened the door to see Zhao Qing standing at the entrance with a bowl in her hands.

"Brother Qi, I made some fruit yogurt, thinking Nuannuan would surely like it, so I brought some over," Zhao Qing said with a gentle smile, handing over the bowl.

Qi Yun was slightly taken aback, took the bowl, and said with a smile, "Alright, thank you. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Zhao Qing blinked, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Sure."

Qi Yun stepped aside to let her in, placed the bowl on the coffee table, poured a cup of tea for her, and then returned to the kitchen to keep an eye on the paste in the pot.

"Nuannuan is sleeping in the room. The fruits on the table are washed; help yourself."

Zhao Qing softly responded, "Okay," and sat down on the sofa.

She picked up the teacup, sipped a little, and casually glanced around the room.

"By the way, Brother Qi, why haven’t I seen Nuannuan’s mom around?"

Inside the kitchen, Qi Yun’s hand stirring the paste paused for a moment and he slowly said, "Her mom and I divorced."

Zhao Qing was momentarily stunned by this, realizing she’d perhaps asked an inappropriate question, and quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, Brother Qi, I didn’t know..."

"It’s fine, it’s all in the past."

Qi Yun forced a small smile, holding a bowl of paste, and joined Zhao Qing on the balcony to start putting up window decorations.

Zhao Qing noticed he seemed to struggle doing it alone and stepped up to help.

"By the way, Brother Qi, were those three guys upstairs from 401?"

"Yes, that’s right. Do you know them?"

Zhao Qing quickly shook her head, "No, but I’ve seen them. Their house is so noisy, no consideration at all."

"Isn’t it? But they probably won’t be noisy anymore."

Zhao Qing’s face showed skepticism, "Huh? Why?"

"They just came to apologize, said they realized their mistakes and would be mindful in the future," Qi Yun said casually as he worked.

Zhao Qing snickered and pursed her lips, "As if they’d admit fault. Even the property management and police came before, and it was useless."

Qi Yun chuckled and shook his head, without further explanation, asking instead, "I noticed you haven’t put up couplets at your door either, spending the New Year alone?"

Zhao Qing hesitated briefly, a hint of loneliness flashing across her face, but she quickly recovered her smile, "Yes, alone."

Qi Yun sensed the low spirit in her voice, looked at the extra couplets and window decorations in his hand, and asked, "I bought too many earlier; how about I put them up for you too?"

Zhao Qing’s long eyelashes fluttered, just about to reply, when a childish voice came from behind.

"Daddy, I’m awake." The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, shuffled in her slippers, and came out of the bedroom, "Huh, is Sister Qing here to play with me?"

Qi Yun’s face instantly softened with a tender smile, turned, and said, "Yes, Sister Qing brought you some tasty treats."

On hearing about the treats, the little girl perked up, her eyes shining brightly.

She quickly ran to the coffee table, saw the bowl of fruit yogurt, and jumped with excitement, "Wow, it’s my favorite fruit yogurt! Thank you, Sister Qing!"

Zhao Qing, seeing the little girl’s joy, couldn’t help but laugh, "If Nuannuan likes it, I’ll make more for you tomorrow, okay?"

Nuannuan, hearing Zhao Qing’s words, squinted her eyes in delight, nodding repeatedly, "Okay, okay, Sister Qing is the best! I like Sister Qing the most."

Watching his daughter’s joy, Qi Yun laughed along, "You two play for a while, I’ll go put up the doorway couplets for you."

Zhao Qing nodded, not refusing, "Okay, thank you, Brother Qi."

Qi Yun took the paste and couplets and went out, quickly and deftly putting them up.

After returning, they chatted a bit more and Qi Yun learned that Zhao Qing was actually a teacher at Star Kindergarten in the neighborhood, explaining her love for children.

With her looking after his daughter, Qi Yun felt more at ease about her schooling after the New Year.

Seeing how late it was getting, Qi Yun stood up to heat dinner, which had been prepared by Brother Peng’s wife in the morning, who had specially set aside a portion for him to take home.

He considered inviting Zhao Qing to join him, but she hesitated and politely declined with a diet excuse.

Qi Yun didn’t press, seeing her out with a smile.

"Daddy, I like Sister Qing," Nuannuan said, tugging on Qi Yun’s clothes after he closed the door.

Qi Yun squatted down, gently tapped her nose, and softly asked, "Why?"

Nuannuan tilted her head, thought earnestly, and said, "Because Sister Qing makes super delicious fruit yogurt for me, and she’s beautiful and speaks softly."

Listening to his daughter’s innocent words, Qi Yun couldn’t help but laugh; a child’s affection is truly simple.

Meanwhile, back home, Zhao Qing took out a yoga mat to exercise.

She had just put on her Bluetooth headphones when she noticed something unusual.

Usually, at this time, there would be noise coming from upstairs, requiring her to wear headphones to block it out, but today it was unexpectedly quiet.

She couldn’t help but recall Qi Yun’s words earlier; could those guys really have had a change of heart?