Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 212 Chinese Valentine's Day
An Xiaoqian looked up at her mother, who was watching TV, and forced a slightly stiff smile: "Mom, I'm a little tired. I'll go back to my room and lie down for a while."

Hearing the sound, Liu Xiaoli turned her head, her eyes full of concern. She reached out and gently touched An Xiaoqian's forehead, asking, "What's wrong, Xiaoqian? Are you feeling unwell?"

An Xiaoqian took the opportunity to grab her mother's hand, shook it gently, and said in a coquettish tone, "Mom, I'm fine, I'm just a little sleepy, I'll be fine after a nap."

Liu Xiaoli breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "Well, it's good that you're alright. If you're sleepy, go to bed early."

After saying hello, An Xiaoqian walked quickly to her room and gently closed the door.

Then, taking a deep breath, she burrowed her head under the covers and eagerly pressed the dial button.

After the call connected, An Xiaoqian said sweetly, "Xiaobei, I want to eat something delicious. Can you come over tomorrow? I'll ask Mom to buy the groceries in advance, okay..."

As she spoke, she subconsciously wiggled her pert buttocks that were exposed outside the blanket, and a shy expression involuntarily appeared on her face.

Even while on the phone, Hu Xiaobei couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart, unable to resist.

He rubbed his temples on the other end of the phone, chuckled helplessly, and said, "Alright, alright, I just can't do anything with you. I'll come over tomorrow morning, work hard while making some good food for our Princess Sissi, okay?"

Hearing Hu Xiaobei's reply, An Xiaoqian laughed happily: "Hehe, it's a deal then! I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, remember it's in the morning!"

After hanging up the phone, An Xiaoqian felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She lay limply on the bed, her face beaming with an uncontrollable smile.

But when she realized what she had done, she found that her cheeks were already burning hot, and the scalding heat had spread from her cheeks to her ears, like steam rising from the clouds.

An Xiaoqian felt inexplicably complicated. She didn't know what she was doing, what she was thinking, or how she had ended up like this...

In her panic, she was like a frightened fawn, quickly burying her head deep into the blankets, trying to hide herself like an ostrich.

In bed, she gently shook her head from side to side, as if trying desperately to shake off those embarrassing thoughts.

Her long, beautiful legs were sometimes tense, her toes curling involuntarily, and sometimes kicking restlessly, as if this could dispel the unspeakable shyness and panic in her heart.

May 8, morning.

Hu Xiaobei arrived at An Xiaoqian's house as agreed. As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Xiaoli busy in the kitchen.

He didn't have time to look for An Xiaoqian. He quickly put down his laptop bag and hurried over to greet her, "Auntie, what brings you to all this busyness!"

Liu Xiaoli turned around with a kind smile on her face and said, "You're here. I bought the dishes that you and Qianqian both like to eat today."

"Then I'll eat more today." Hu Xiaobei deftly rolled up his sleeves and tied on his apron.

He then took the cleaver from Liu Xiaoli, smiled, picked up a cucumber, and with each stroke of the cleaver, sliced ​​the cucumber into even, neatly arranged pieces.

A hint of relief flashed in Liu Xiaoli's eyes, then she smiled and joked, "Xiao Bei, every time I cook with you, I can't help but think, when will I be able to cook as well as you? Then I, as your mother... won't have any sense of crisis!"

Hu Xiaobei smiled shyly, revealing a humble smile: "Auntie, please don't tease me. Qianqian only eats my cooking occasionally, which is why she finds it so special. My cooking can't compare to yours—it has a warm, homey feel."

The two skillfully prepared the ingredients while chatting happily.

Hu Xiaobei's movements were fluid; he poured oil, put the food in the pan, and stir-fried it all in one go. The food in the pan emitted an enticing aroma as he stir-fried it with incredible skill.

Liu Xiaoli assisted from the side, occasionally handing over some things; the two worked together very well.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the kitchen.

Liu Xiaoli took advantage of her free time to wake her daughter up. A few tens of minutes later, a variety of delicious dishes were laid out on the table.

After lunch, An Xiaoqian took Hu Xiaobei to feed the dogs. The two Schnauzer puppies happily circled around their feet when they saw their owners.

An Xiaoqian squatted down and gently stroked Candy's head, her eyes crinkling into two crescent moons as she smiled: "Xiao Bei, how about we play a command game? Let's see who can give the most accurate commands."

Hu Xiaobei also squatted down and reached out to tease Laifu.

Laifu stuck out his tongue and licked his hand, making him laugh out loud.

"Great, Laifu is quite enthusiastic today. Let me see if it has improved."

The two played a command game with the two puppies for a while.

Although Candy, the character An Xiaoqian chose, could always accurately complete the tasks, Laifu wasn't so stupid; he knew to imitate Candy's actions.

Therefore, even after playing the game for quite a while, the two dogs were still evenly matched.

An Xiaoqian suddenly remembered the passport and tilted her head, saying, "Xiao Bei, your passport is ready, remember?" Hu Xiaobei nodded and said, "Yeah, what's up?"

An Xiaoqian gazed at him with bright, sparkling eyes and said expectantly, "Bali now offers visa on arrival. After we get married, how about the three of us go there for a vacation? I've calculated it, and we have enough time."

Looking at her expectant eyes, Hu Xiaobei couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only smile and agree, "Okay, then we'll relax and have a nice birthday celebration for you."

Hearing their conversation, Liu Xiaoli, who was sitting to the side, laughed and interjected, "Okay, I'll be your... photographer later."

An Xiaoqian snuggled up to Liu Xiaoli, leaned happily against her mother, and said sweetly, "Mommy is the best!"

Hu Xiaobei said with a smile, "Let me take the photos. I'm sure I can take some amazing shots of Qianqian and Auntie."

"Hmm, that makes sense!" The mother and daughter exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with anticipation.

After a short break, Hu Xiaobei opened his laptop and prepared to continue entering the shooting plan.

An Xiaoqian sat quietly beside him, resting her chin on her hands, staring intently at him with curiosity in her eyes.

After a while, she finally couldn't help herself. She bit her lip slightly, a blush rising to her cheeks, and asked softly, "Xiao Bei, has anyone asked you out today?"

When Hu Xiaobei heard the question, her fingers paused on the keyboard. Although she didn't understand why she asked the question, she couldn't help but tease her: "Of course there is."

An Xiaoqian's eyes widened instantly, a hint of nervousness flashing across her face. She quickly asked, "Who is it?"

Hu Xiaobei deliberately kept everyone in suspense, continuing to enter information without replying.

An Xiaoqian reached out and gently patted him, scolding him, "Just tell me already, stop keeping me in suspense."

Hu Xiaobei didn't even look up and said directly, "Come closer, I'll tell you."

An Xiaoqian instinctively sensed something was amiss, but after only a 0.1-second hesitation, she still couldn't resist slowly bringing her face closer.

A warm breath slowly spread between the two of them.

Looking at her small face so close to his own, Hu Xiaobei couldn't help but reach out and gently knead her slightly puffed cheeks.

The delicate, smooth touch traveled from his fingertips, and in an instant, it surged through his body like an electric current, causing his heartbeat to suddenly lose its rhythm.

That feeling was absolutely satisfying!
He pondered it for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying smugly, "It's you, you little fool! Otherwise, why would I be here today?"

An Xiaoqian then realized that she had been tricked, and her face inexplicably flushed.

She turned her head away in a panic, her hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes, her pearly teeth lightly biting her lower lip, and she pretended to be angry and scolded, "Hmph, you just know how to bully me, how annoying..."

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of coquettishness, as if she were pouting at him.

Hu Xiaobei felt a jolt in his heart, a tingling sensation spreading through his entire body, but he dared not play with fire any longer.

Soon it was time to prepare dinner. Hu Xiaobei and Liu Xiaoli went into the kitchen again, and An Xiaoqian followed them in, wanting to help.

Liu Xiaoli smiled and said, "Qianqian, don't make things worse. Go wait in the living room, it'll be done in a little while."

An Xiaoqian persisted, saying sweetly, "No, I want to help you cook too."

Looking at her adorable appearance, Hu Xiaobei smiled and chimed in, "It's alright, let Qianqian cook a meal."

So the three of them busily prepared dinner in the kitchen.

Although An Xiaoqian really just cooked rice in a rice cooker...

After dinner, An Xiaoqian pulled Hu Xiaobei to sit in the living room and chat, not letting him leave.

Before I knew it, it was already quite late.

Liu Xiaoli glanced at the time, yawned, and said, "You guys chat, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Xiao Bei, stay here tonight, the room's all ready for you."

Having stayed here many times, Hu Xiaobei wasn't being coy at all: "Okay, it's really too late to go back now."

Upon hearing her mother's words, An Xiaoqian's face revealed a hint of barely perceptible joy.

The two chatted for a while longer before washing up and resting.

(End of this chapter)