Chapter 263: Chapter 0263: A Sense of Loss_1
 

Tang Ning finished breakfast and scurried to Xiao Baibai, excitedly asking, “Xiao Baibai, I heard you were quite impressive last night. Transform for me, let me see what you look like and how awesome you are?”

Xiao Baibai, munching on fresh beef, seemed not to have heard Tang Ning’s words at all.

“Feeling smug, eh? You think you’re something special now?” Annoyed, Tang Ning grabbed Xiao Baibai’s ears with one hand and lifted the whole dog up.

“Hurry up, transform for me,” Tang Ning ordered.

Being held up by her, Xiao Baibai growled at Tang Ning woefully, due to its irritation.

Any small animal would get angry if their delightful meal was interrupted.

But, anger aside, Xiao Baibai still showed no reaction.

If not for the proof, who would have thought that last night’s events were real?

Even Chen Xiao and Vermilion Bird harbored doubts.

This little white dog that Tang Ning bullied, only whining and growling, could it really transform?

“Tang Ning, stop teasing it, or it might bite you,” Ye Xiong said.

“If it dares, I’ll starve it. See if I don’t starve it to death.”

Seeing that Xiao Baibai would rather be bullied than transform, Tang Ning instantly lost interest and set it down, ready to go to school.

“Who’s sending me to school today?”

“I’ll take you!” Chen Xiao, having just finished eating, stood up and said.

“I’m going, too,” Vermilion Bird declared.

The two of them stood up at the same time, in a strangely synchronized manner.

“It’s just taking Tang Ning to school; do the two of you need to go together?” Ye Xiong’s eyes swept over Chen Xiao and Vermilion Bird’s faces, suddenly laughing, “You two wouldn’t be planning to send Tang Ning off and then go on a date, would you?”

“Screw off… As if I would date this old man. As if!” Vermilion Bird cursed.

“I’m a fan of table tennis, not an airport,” Chen Xiao retorted.

“I’m flat-chested and proud of it,” Vermilion Bird said, her gaze falling on Yang Xinyi, “We’re leaving together to avoid disturbing your world for two,” she said to Ye Xiong.

“Exactly, the soundproofing in this room isn’t great. We don’t want to hear anything that’s inappropriate for children,” Chen Xiao said with a smile.

“Rest assured, you won’t hear anything. If there were sounds to be heard, I would’ve heard them by now,” Tang Ning interjected unabashedly, clarifying, “Cousin doesn’t make sounds, maybe her husband isn’t up to the task!”

“Screw off…”

Hearing these irreverent jokers spout dirty jokes, Ye Xiong couldn’t help but curse loudly.

I am not incompetent; I just haven’t tried, okay?

Seeing him get mad, the three of them turned tail and ran.

Yang Xinyi had been silent all this while, her face red to the base of her neck.

Seeing that delicate blush on her cheeks, Ye Xiong’s little schemes began to stir in his mind.

“Wife, Tang Ning said you don’t make sounds. Why don’t we take advantage of the empty house and go back to our room to test if you really don’t make any sounds?”

“Screw off…”

Back in the room, Ye Xiong took a shower and went to bed.

Without sleep for a day and a night, on top of being constantly tense before that, he was extremely tired. As soon as he lay down in bed, he fell asleep.

He slept until the afternoon, and didn’t wake up until his phone rang.

The call was from Long Zaitian, asking about his friend’s injuries.

Ye Xiong briefly explained the situation and then hung up.

Only then did he remember a serious issue: He hadn’t yet told Yang Xinyi about the upcoming mission.

He checked the time on his phone, which showed it was already past two in the afternoon.

Ye Xiong got up, changed his clothes, and went downstairs.

Yang Xinyi was reading a book in the living room. Seeing him come out, she said, “I was about to wake you up. It’s almost time to go grocery shopping and cook.”

“I just woke up and still need to clear my head, wait a bit.”

Ye Xiong went to the sofa, sat down next to her, and after a moment of contemplation, blurted out, “In a couple of days, I have a mission.”

“What task?” Yang Xinyi was taken aback.

“Investigate a case,” Ye Xiong said, seeing the displeasure on her face, he explained, “This case is related to our future safety, as well as the life and death of a comrade-in-arms of mine. I must go.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“It’s hard to say, perhaps half a month, maybe a few months.”

If he could quickly find Li Chunpeng, the task would be done quickly. If not, he had no idea how much longer he would need to stay undercover.

Yang Xinyi’s complexion grew dim, and she didn’t speak for a long time.

Ye Xiong looked over and noticed the tears welling up in her eyes, her eyes were moist, and he couldn’t help feeling a little soft-hearted.

He walked over, hugged her, and comforted her, “Don’t worry, I believe the task will be completed very soon.”

Next, the two of them went to the supermarket to buy groceries together.

Because Ye Xiong was going to be away for a while, Yang Xinyi remained unhappy, unable to get excited about anything.

Clearly, she had grown accustomed to living with Ye Xiong and detested the days of separation.

That evening, Ye Xiong cooked a delicious dinner himself.

The entire group’s appetite increased greatly.

Chen Xiao, Vermilion Bird, and Tang Ning, all enjoyed the meal tremendously, almost wishing they could eat the plates themselves.

“Brother-in-law, your cooking is simply beyond words, I could eat the dishes you make a hundred times without getting tired of them,” said Tang Ning with her mouth full, hardly able to speak clearly.

“He won awards for his cooking in the military, of course, it’s good,” Chen Xiao said.

“Average, passable,” nodded Vermilion Bird.

“Would it kill you to give a compliment? Look at the mound of bones piled up in front of you, and you still have the nerve to say that,” Chen Xiao couldn’t help but chide her.

“Exactly, you’re the one who has eaten the most,” Tang Ning joined in.

Vermilion Bird pursed her lips and said nothing.

Just then, Yang Xinyi put down her chopsticks. “I’m full. You guys eat slowly. I’m going to feed Xiao Baibai.”

After saying this, Yang Xinyi stood up to get the food.

“Cousin, it seems you didn’t eat much,” Tang Ning watched her departing figure.

“Not only did she not eat much, but she also hardly touched her dish,” Vermilion Bird’s gaze fell on Ye Xiong and asked, “You two didn’t fight, did you?”

“No, you guys go ahead and eat!”

Ye Xiong put down his chopsticks and followed Yang Xinyi out of the villa.

“Could they really have had a fight?” Tang Ning asked, puzzled.

“It doesn’t seem like it. It’s more like…” Vermilion Bird hesitated before saying, “It looks like Yang Xinyi is jealous. Could it be because Ye Xiong didn’t come home last night and she’s not happy about it?”

“But this morning when brother-in-law came back, cousin didn’t seem to have any issue,” Tang Ning said.

“Stop guessing. They didn’t fight, nor are they jealous, it’s because of reluctance to part,” Chen Xiao interrupted.

Seeing the puzzlement on both girls’ faces, Chen Xiao explained, “In a couple of days, Boss has to go on a mission. It’s likely he won’t be back for a month.”

“What, another business trip? This guy is busier than a head of state,” Tang Ning slammed her chopsticks down on the table, losing her appetite as well.

The last rays of the setting sun shone into the villa’s garden.

On the lawn, the lush green grass stretched lazily in the golden sunlight.

By the doghouse, Yang Xinyi held a plate of fresh beef, placing it in front of Xiao Baibai.

Xiao Baibai, used to coming out, looked at Yang Xinyi, seemingly surprised that it was her, not Tang Ning, who was feeding it tonight. Hesitating briefly, it then picked up the plate and went back inside to eat slowly.

As it ate, it intermittently looked up at Yang Xinyi with its little eyes, seemingly puzzled.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been mean to you before, thank you for saving my life.”

Yang Xinyi said this regardless of whether it understood or not, stood up, and was about to head back.

Just then, a hand caught hers.

“Let’s take a walk outside,” Ye Xiong said with a smile.