"Oh, welco back, Mr. Xu."
Calix waved one hand, acknowledging Mrs. An’s greeting. His attention went elsewhere instead of the private caretaker.
Unable to believe his eyes, Calix couldn’t pry his eyes away from the sleeping Leslie in the wheelchair. Putting both hands on his waist, he felt helpless laughter bubbling up his mouth.
"What’s she doing here?"
Despite asking Aunt Wendy and Mrs. An, Calix’s heart had already whispered the answer.
"Mrs. Charlene insisted on waiting for you. She told and Mrs. An not to worry about her," reported Aunt Wendy. Her tone had a hint of laughter as she continued, "Seems like she can’t wait to see you."
When Leslie said she would like to wait for Calix’s arrival, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Raymond couldn’t help but worry. Mrs. An was also the sa. The forr had never stayed up this late.
But, Leslie’s insistence made the three older people relented.
"Mrs. Xu has just fallen asleep," Mrs. An moved from the couch near Leslie, standing a few feet away from Calix, "She kept asking whether you’ve arrived or not, Mr. Xu."
Slowly crouching opposite Leslie, the glint in Calix’s eyes softened. He reached out for one of her hands, lightly touching her fingers.
"I’ll carry her upstairs. Mrs. An, bring the wheelchair for ."
"Yes, Mr. Xu."
Standing up from the floor, Calix carefully slipped his arm to Leslie’s back while the other hand supported the crooks under her knees. He slowly straightened his body up, carrying her so close to him.
Instead of pushing the wheelchair like usual, he wanted to hold her all the way to her bedroom.
Leslie’s head gently nestled against Calix’s chest. He caught the familiar scent of her shampoo, enticing him to deepen his smile.
Looking down, Calix saw Leslie’s eyelashes fluttering montarily before they stopped. Perhaps she sensed the change in her surroundings.
"Then, I’ll reheat the soup before leaving," said Aunt Wendy whose heart was overjoyed to see how intimate and caring Calix’s action toward Leslie was, "Don’t forget to have it before you sleep, Mr. Xu."
"I’ll bring the wheelchair upstairs," uttered Mrs. An. She stepped toward the back of the wheelchair, "Mr. Xu, you should bring Mrs. Xu to bed first."
"Okay, thanks."
Calix nodded once toward the two older won before swiftly bringing Leslie out of the lounge, heading to the elevator. Despite being slightly rocked because of his movents, she still slept peacefully.
"I thought I’d see you in bed ah," Calix whispered, perceiving the cheeriness lacing in his voice. His eyes scanned Leslie’s countenance, curling one side of his lips, "You’ve really surprised , Leslie."
They had been video calling during the short business trip, sothing Calix looked forward to during the fleeting mont he thought of Leslie. He loved seeing her face through the screen when a huge distance kept them apart.
Calix quietly entered Leslie’s bedroom. He was already familiar with the setups in the dimd room. Lowering her to the mattress, he tried to be as careful as he could, not wanting to wake her up.
"Leslie, I’m ho."
After draping the blanket on Leslie, Calix sat on the edge of the bed. He still couldn’t take his eyes away from her. The bright balcony lights slipped through between the curtains, faintly illuminating the inside of the room.
Would she open her eyes even for a bit?
Calix blinked, thinking how silly he was right now. Chuckling softly, he shook his head in disbelief.
"How could I think like that ah? Sleep well, Leslie. Let’s have breakfast together tomorrow."
Calix looked forward to having als with Leslie again. Suddenly he felt weird dining alone or with other people. His eyes occasionally wandered to the table, wishing that she was there.
Extending one hand, Calix gently brushed his fingertips on one side of Leslie’s face. With a smile tugging on his lips, he stood up from the bed, preparing to leave.
Leslie was too deep in her sleep. She showed no signs of being aware of what had just happened to her.
Surprise dawned on Leslie when she finally woke up in the morning. The clock on the bedside table showed a quarter past six.
Blinking her eyes rapidly, Leslie stared at the ceiling. She silently tried to rember her previous recollections before falling asleep last night.
’Wasn’t I... waiting for Calix last night? When did I get in bed?’
Leslie rembered being in the lounge with Mrs. An. Did she drift to sleep during her wait?
’I can’t believe it. Did I really sleep?’
Grimacing, Leslie mourned her incompetency in staying up late. She was actually a champion in doing so. Her ability simply faded because of the state of her health right now.
"Sucks... I really wished to... welco him back last night..."
Heaving a sigh, Leslie made peace with her disappointnt. She could only wait for breakfast ti if she wanted to see Calix. He might still be sleeping out of exhaustion.
Leslie gripped the blanket, her mind wandering to the day she read Charlene’s diaries.
’Stay calm, Leslie. Nothing good will co if I act in a rush.’
Despite being tornted by more mysteries, Leslie refused to be scared off by them. She believed a reason or two lay behind everything that had happened.
’At least, I’ve learned sothing new. The headache was worth it.’
The pain only entirely faded in the late afternoon. Leslie locked all the diaries back inside the drawer. She planned to gradually read the others.
"Haa... I should clean myself now..."
Leslie slowly pushed the blanket away. With quite a difficulty, she rolled her body to one side before propping to sit up. The simple movents still took much more ti than usual but, being able to move satisfied her already.
Reaching out for a device on the bedside table, Leslie signaled Mrs. An to co inside and help her start her morning. The middle-aged lady imdiately appeared, bearing no signs of sleepiness.
"Good morning, Mrs. Xu," Mrs. An’s chirpy voice lightened the quiet early morning, "Did you sleep well?"
Mrs. An switched on the lights. She already set for the warm light to brighten the room instead of the glaring cool one.
"I didn’t wake up when my... husband returned, didn’t I?" Leslie smiled sheepishly. She fiddled with her ssy braid, "When did he co back?"
Recalling what happened at midnight, Mrs. An chuckled, "Mr. Xu arrived just at midnight. You fell asleep around half an hour before that."
"...what?"
In her confusion, Leslie let Mrs. An help her to the wheelchair. The caretaker pushed her toward the washroom, understanding the forr’s routine after waking up.
"Mr. Xu carried you to bed," Mrs. An slid the door open, revealing the spacious washroom inside, "Not by pushing the wheelchair but, literally carrying you in his arms."
"W-what did he do?"
Surprised by Mrs. An’s words, Leslie’s eyes slightly widened. She looked at the private nurse as Mrs. An entered the frosted glass shower cubicle.
"Mr. Xu didn’t want to wake you up. Hehe, isn’t your husband romantic, Mrs. Xu?"
Leslie blinked, her cheeks pinkening just by listening to Mrs. Xu’s words.
Romantic?
Well... CEO Xu was indeed a romantic man. The fact was undeniable.
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