Chapter 113: Picking up my kid

Early morning.

Li Yi had a good night's sleep and walked into the ward feeling refreshed, only to see that Anubis's complexion on the bed was even worse than yesterday.

He wanted to ask, "Brother, what did you do last night to look so haggard?" but before he could even finish the initial sound of the first word, he was glared into silence by Anubis.

Anubis placed a finger to his lips and pointed at Qiao Suisui, who was sleeping nearby, giving him a warning look.

Li Yi tiptoed, looking very guilty as he closed the door, then walked back quietly and stood with his arms crossed, watching Anubis.

Anubis frowned and asked with his eyes: What are you doing?

Li Yi gestured and mouthed: You're not right, you are very not right.

Anubis ignored him.

Li Yi continued gesturing: The last time I saw an expression like that was on the face of my cousin's father's second wife, right when he decided to seal his heart, lock away love, and become a monk. But why do you have the face of a sage who has seen through the mortal world?

This sequence of gestures was too long. Anubis lost patience when he saw him gesturing about the "cousin's father's second wife" and left him on read.

Then, no matter how Li Yi tried to get his attention, Anubis just kept his eyes half-closed in a listless manner. Finally, annoyed by him, he simply closed his eyes and turned over.

Li Yi was someone who couldn't sit still. Seeing that he was being ignored, he turned to find Qiao. At this moment, he pulled a marker out from somewhere and revealed an evil, ferocious grin, intending to draw a turtle on her face.

Just as he drew a few strokes, Qiao Suisui felt an itch on her face and frowned slightly. Li Yi covered his mouth, unable to hold back a "hehe" sound. Anubis heard it and turned around. Seeing him holding the pen, he immediately sat up from the bed, got off, and snatched the pen—the entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid.

"Are you actually injured or faking it? How are you so swift?" Li Yi blurted out. His voice was extremely abrupt in the quiet room, and he only covered his mouth after he finished speaking.

Anubis frowned fiercely and grabbed his arm to drag him outside. At the same time, Qiao Suisui had already been woken up. She opened her slightly dazed eyes and saw the two of them "tugging" at each other above her head.

"Morning, what are you two doing?"

She rubbed her eyes, her expression somewhat blank, her hair slightly messy. The whole person had a sleepy cuteness, completely different from her usual self. Coupled with the turtle Li Yi hadn't finished drawing, it made both of them freeze as they looked at her. Anubis quickly averted his gaze, while Li Yi clutched his stomach and laughed.

"Hahahaha, Qiao, if your beast form is a turtle, I must raise you."

Qiao Suisui:?

Why is he cursing so filthily first thing in the morning?

Anubis said nothing, brought over a wrung-out handkerchief, handed it to her, and said, "Wipe it off."

Qiao Suisui blinked as she took it. She looked into a reflective water bottle and saw her face covered in messy lines, immediately understanding why they had that reaction.

"Fine, Li Yi, and here I was, giving up the position of Liu Bei to you."

Li Yi asked, "Who is Liu Bei?"

Anubis said, "A big brother."

Qiao Suisui put the handkerchief on the table and said to Li Yi, "I'm going to tell your mentor that the last assignment was written by me for you."

"Brother, you are my brother, don't, I beg you." Li Yi handed the pen to her, took the initiative to squat in front of her, lifted his bangs with his hand, and raised his face, saying, "Let you draw it back, let's make up."

Qiao Suisui held back her laughter; she was waiting for this. She didn't hold back, either, and directly used the pen to draw an inverted figure-eight oval over his eye sockets, then filled the inside completely black. After she finished, Li Yi opened his eyes—a living, breathing national treasure. Anubis was also amused by his appearance. The three of them laughed and played around; mostly it was Li Yi and Qiao Suisui making a scene, while Anubis watched them and smiled.

At this moment, the ward door was pulled open. Luka paused when he saw the scene before him, and upon seeing Qiao Suisui laughing heartily, his features visibly softened.

The man stood outside the door and didn't come in directly, instead saying, "Sorry to disturb you, I'd like to see Qiao."

Li Yi, sporting panda eyes, hurriedly greeted him: "Oh, oh, please come in, please come in. I'm Li Yi, Qiao's classmate."

Anubis also nodded at Luka and introduced himself concisely: "Bi."

His gaze moved back and forth between the man and Qiao Suisui without a trace.

Qiao Suisui smiled and trotted over to Luka's side, pulling his arm to bring him inside. Her tone carried the impatience of a child showing off to an adult: "Luka, these are the friends I mentioned to you."

After she finished speaking, she introduced them to the other two: "This is Colonel Sikesaisi."

Luka reached out to shake hands with Li Yi and Bi respectively, greeting them very formally. His palms were thick and solid, giving one a sense of absolute control. The strength of his handshake was also very firm, but not overly aggressive, instantly making one feel he was reliable.

Li Yi's hands trembled with excitement, holding his own hand as if it were a treasure: "Help me, I'm never washing my hands again. I actually shook the hand of the Empire's Sword! Dad! Your son has made something of himself!"

Qiao Suisui didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Not bad, Qiao, you really have it in you, the Empire's Sword is actually your connection." After saying this, Li Yi punched Qiao Suisui on the shoulder—that kind of teasing gesture between brothers. Luka, standing to the side, had his eyes turn cold instantly, but he didn't say anything.

"That's right, so don't provoke me often in the future." Qiao Suisui raised an eyebrow at Li Yi, her face showing the unbridled confidence of "I have someone backing me."

Anubis stood quietly to one side, his expression very faint.

While Luka was sizing him up, he was also sizing up Luka.

The pale golden pupils became translucent in the sunlight. The tall man stood behind her, needing no words, like a mountain, becoming the source of her sense of security.

Anubis felt the intimacy between Qiao and him; it was different from any other male he had seen her with. When she was with Zongfang, she had two or three parts caution; when she was with Lanze, although she was relaxed, she had a strong sense of boundaries. Only when she was with this man was she relaxed and confident, the whole person becoming vibrant.

"Colonel Sikesaisi, what brings you here to find Qiao?" Li Yi asked.

Luka deliberated for a moment, curled his lips, and said, "Coming to pick up my kid to go home."

"Ah? Doesn't Qiao have the surname Laiboli? What's going on? Is he your relative?"

Li Yi's brain couldn't keep up. He looked back at Bi in surprise, only to find that there was no change in his expression—neither surprised nor curious.

Qiao Suisui hurriedly waved her hands to explain: "I really am just a distant member of the Laiboli family. Luka is... is my..." She looked at Luka hesitantly, seeing the man waiting leisurely, not intending to help her out of the predicament, seemingly wanting to hear her answer as well.

"... my brother's good friend since childhood!"

"Oh~~~ then that's about the same relationship as my cousin's father's second wife!" Li Yi understood.

She gave two dry laughs and nodded: "Right, right." Then she let out a sigh, thinking that this world couldn't do without sunny idiots like Li Yi.

Finally, Qiao Suisui said goodbye to the two of them, promising to find time to come see Bi again. The three of them couldn't help but feel a bit sad at the thought that they could no longer meet at school. Even Li Yi, who was always optimistic, felt a bit uncomfortable.

After leaving the hospital, Luka, who had originally kept his distance from Qiao Suisui, directly carried her onto the flying ship. He took out a dampened, soft cloth and gently wiped her face bit by bit, asking as he wiped, "How did you end up playing until you became a little flower cat?"

(End of chapter)