BXBX NOVEL Chapter 218: Xiao Ba Zong (2)
Chapter 218
Qi Shaobai sat in the middle of the sofa, with a laptop in front of him. The screen was on the score checking page, just waiting for the clock to hit 9 AM to refresh and login.
On one side, Grandma and Feng Yaoqin held hands tightly. Grandma was very nervous but didn\'t want to stress Qi Shaobai out, so she kept repeating with a smile, "Our little one will definitely be fine."
Qiao Li and Cheng Zhuo also came to witness Qi Shaobai\'s glorious moment. They stood behind the sofa, anxiously watching the clock get closer and closer to 9 AM.
On the other side of the sofa, Sheng Mumu had long since turned on the video recording function on her phone, with the lens aimed at Qi Shaobai.
In previous years, one could always see many excited college entrance exam score checking videos being shared on social media.
In some videos, everyone would be teary-eyed with excitement, with sounds of cheer filling the room.
In others, the student would jump a meter high in excitement, running around the house.
There were also some where the student would go weak-kneed with excitement, having to hold on to a chair as their legs shook, unable to stand up.
Thinking back on those videos she had seen, Sheng Mumu\'s eyes lit up with anticipation.
She zoomed the phone camera in even closer to Qi Shaobai with her fingers. She wanted to know if Qi Shaobai would have some sort of primal reaction if he checked and found a good score.
Like making monkey sounds, rolling around on the floor, or doing somersaults.
She could hardly wait.
She absolutely could not miss a single moment.
She must completely document future CEO Qi Shaobai\'s embarrassing past.
Keep it for when they\'re old, sitting in rocking chairs, having a good laugh~
Qi Mo sat next to Sheng Mumu, his arm draped over the back of the sofa behind her. Seeing a stray lock of hair falling over her eyes, he reached out and tucked it behind her ear.
He casually asked, "How much longer?"
"Ten more seconds," Sheng Mumu answered quickly without looking up, seemingly afraid of missing the time. She shushed him, signaling for him not to speak first.
Then, speaking into her phone camera:
"Look closely now, this man is called Little Qi—"
"..."
Qi Mo was a bit stunned, amused by her narration, struggling not to laugh out loud.
He wanted to laugh but was afraid the noise would disrupt her filming.
So he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip to divert his attention.
Qi Mo was not worried at all about Qi Shaobai\'s score.
Last night before bed, Sheng Mumu had checked Qi Shaobai\'s estimated score with him several times.
He had calculated that as long as there were no major scoring mistakes, Qi Shaobai\'s actual score should be 10-13 points higher than estimated.
Finally, the clock struck 9 AM.
Under everyone\'s watchful gaze, Qi Shaobai entered his login credentials.
His face was expressionless, his hands steady, his composure unruffled.
Only the tense line of his jaw betrayed his inner anxiety.
Page loading...
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The next second—
A clear cry of excitement sounded through the living room.
Qiao Li and Cheng Zhuo leaned over the sofa back and excitedly clapped Qi Shaobai on the shoulders.
As the lead singer of a band, Qiao Li\'s voice carried exceptionally well.
And was exceptionally infectious.
Even Zhang Housekeeper and the others standing a bit further back could ascertain the good news from this cheer. Their faces relaxed with relief.
Zhang Housekeeper clenched his fist and waved it slightly, "Well done Young Master!"
Grandma and Feng Yaoqin, still holding hands, swung their arms joyfully, happiness written all over the wrinkles around their eyes.
However, compared to everyone else\'s varied displays of delight, the main character Qi Shaobai was exceptionally calm.
A fleeting glint of elation flashed through his eyes.
But was quickly reined in.
He unhurriedly closed his laptop and said to his father, who was seated such that he couldn\'t see the laptop screen:
"Dad, 653 points, 13 points higher than estimated."
Sheng Mumu\'s gaze left her phone and looked directly at Qi Shaobai.
That\'s it? Nothing else?
What\'s going on.
Why aren\'t you running around?
Why aren\'t you rolling on the floor??
You should at least howl a couple times!
So boring.
It wasn\'t until she turned and glanced at the other Qi surnamed man beside her that she suddenly understood.
Qi Mo\'s composure put Qi Shaobai\'s to shame. He was leisurely setting down his coffee cup, his long, elegant fingers adjusting his expensive watch, glancing up to give Qi Shaobai a slight nod.
His deep voice was calm and steady:
"Mm, well done."
Sheng Mumu heaved a resigned sigh, "..."
Alright, Qi Shaobai was badly afflicted with father complex.
As long as Qi Mo was present, no matter how excited Qi Shaobai was, no matter how much he wanted to beat his chest and roar, he would hold it in.
Putting on a mature, steady demeanor, matching his listless father.
Sheng Mumu directed her frustration at not capturing Qi Shaobai\'s primal reaction footage at Qi Mo instead.
That night before bed, she was still lamenting the loss. She couldn\'t help kicking the man lying next to her who was flipping through a financial magazine.
Irritably, she said, "What\'s with you big boss types, would it kill you to be more cheerful and lively? Smiling at your kid more won\'t land you in jail, Mr. Qi."
The kicked man turned to look at her, stunned for a few seconds.
Then, relying on their long-built rapport to understand what she was blaming him for, he immediately expressed remorse.
"It\'s all my fault."
For causing her to miss recording such an interesting moment.
"Of course it\'s your fault!" Sheng Mumu felt completely justified. She continued to berate him, "Qi Shaobai\'s been influenced by you too, acting all old before his time at just 18."
Qi Mo\'s expression froze almost imperceptibly.
He closed his magazine, pulling her into his arms.
In a soothing tone he said,
"Don\'t be angry—"
He stopped mid-sentence, a smile spreading across his lips as he looked directly at Sheng Mumu.
"From now on, I\'ll smile like this, okay?"
Sheng Mumu\'s pupils shook.
She couldn\'t help bursting into laughter.
Her belly full of resentment dissipated in an instant.
The sight before her was just too amusing.
Qi Mo\'s current appearance was exceptionally comical.
The corners of his lips were lifted, the planes of his face strained upwards.
He was trying his utmost to present a cheerful, open laugh free of weariness and age.
A bungled effort from a handsome man was a rare sight indeed.
Not exactly ruined but still somehow sorrowful to look at.
It was the first time she had seen him laugh so brilliantly.
An inexplicable sense of discordance.
"Stop laughing. You look worse than crying," Sheng Mumu poked his face, laughing as she called for him to stop, "It\'s my mistake, I shouldn\'t have put you on the spot. Go back to normal."
But Qi Mo not only didn\'t restrain himself, his smile deepened instead.
His chiseled, refined brows lifted with the breadth of his smile, a glint shining in his pitch black pupils.
Deliberately teasing her, he asked, "What about this? Is this better?"
Sheng Mumu swept him a glance, laughing until her cheeks ached.
She pushed his face away with her hand.
"Really annoying, cut it out!"
Despite her reproachful words, Sheng Mumu\'s soft, cottony voice robbed them of any real blame.
Qi Mo moved back in as she pushed him away, pulling her into his embrace. His satisfied, blissful smile was back.
Then some days later—
Sheng Mumu spent an entire afternoon tea pondering Qi Mo\'s juvenile behavior that night, as well as Qi Shaobai\'s pretense of maturity.
She eventually concluded—abnormality is normality after all.
In TV shows and novels, domineering CEOs would usually have some unknown quirks.
For Qi Mo it was occasional childishness, loving malted candy.
For Qi Shaobai it showed in his severe father complex, deliberately feigning composure in front of his father despite his arrogant tsundere personality.
Having realized this, Sheng Mumu no longer dwelled on it.
She candidly accepted that she would be spending her long future days together with these two atypical domineering CEOs.