Love for You

"She really looks so much like you, just like you when you were little."

"What was I like as a child?"

"Bright eyes, clean features, long eyelashes when you lowered your head, and quite willful when you lifted it." She sighed softly. "Haven't you noticed how bossy Little Orange is too? She never lets anyone touch her toys and cries whenever she sees me holding your hand."

"More than that, when Gino's girlfriend came to the office looking for him, Little Orange refused to let her in, tugging at Gino's pant leg while crying hysterically. When I took her to a bar, she stood in the dance floor wiggling on her own and demanded applause."

"Ah? You took her to a bar?" Miao Jing looked exasperated. "She's only one year old. Did you take her to drink or dance at the bar?"

"No, I went to pay the rent and chatted with the landlord for a bit. It was mid-morning, and there wasn't a soul in the bar." Chen Yi touched the tip of his nose. "We were only there for five minutes."

"If it's really not feasible, just leave her at home."

"What's wrong with her being with me? Pereira is there anyway, and I can talk to her and play with her. Don't worry, I know my limits."

"Tonight in the bathroom? Hmm?" Chen Yi buried his face in her neck. "Let her sleep peacefully."

"What if she wakes up?"

"We'll make it quick." He scooped her up in his arms. "Turn off the lights and keep quiet so we don't disturb her."

Chapter 57: Making You My Home (Part 4)

Little Orange was usually taken care of by Pereira, with Miao Jing and Chen Yi mainly assisting. Perhaps due to the bilingual environment, she started speaking relatively late and remained at the level of saying "mama" and "papa" for a long time.

Spanish-speaking children of the same age were already babbling many words, but Little Orange remained remarkably composed, communicating everything with a steady gaze and a pointed chubby finger without uttering a word.

Black-haired, dark-eyed Chinese babies were rare in the area. The community playground was mostly filled with mixed-race or white children, making Little Orange stand out. The other children would call her cute and let her sit quietly in the sandcastle as the Chinese princess who needed rescuing. However, Little Orange preferred chasing after the older kids, and her favorite activity was going to her dad's office, where things were more interesting.

Adhering to the principle of staying low-key while prospering, Chen Yi never moved his office to a better location. The Chinese community in Bogotá was concentrated in the trade associations, each with their own turf and internal conflicts. He stayed clear of all factions, keeping his business operations modest and inconspicuous wherever he went, appearing content with modest wealth.

Household finances were managed separately. Miao Jing still had the 400,000 they had brought abroad initially, plus her own salary, which together constituted a solid savings. Chen Yi's financial situation was more complex and unpredictable. He ran his company with a carefree attitude, and Miao Jing later found out that buying the house and gifts for Little Orange had nearly drained his company's last cent. He then spent a few days at the billiards hall and returned with a bag of cash to cover shipment payments.

Over the past two years, he had made many friends from all walks of life—from government officials, bankers, and police officers to gangsters and slum dwellers. Occasionally, during social engagements, Chen Yi would bring Little Orange along, taking her to handle matters while she sat on his lap, holding her doll and quietly chewing on a teething biscuit.She would sometimes be taken away by the pretty older sister to play for a while, finding all sorts of little trinkets to amuse Little Orange, rolling around on the sofa or drinking sweet juice, chatting and telling stories with her. Although Little Orange couldn’t speak much, she understood, nodding or shaking her head, grinning, and making all kinds of funny expressions.

Chen Yi stepped out of the meeting room and saw Little Orange curled up on the sofa, flipping through a colorful picture book filled with various travel scenes and landscapes. She loved bright colors and enjoyed looking at familiar things in the book—forests, flowers, cars, and little animals.

"Sleepy?" Chen Yi gently tugged her pigtails. "Shall we go find Mommy?"

Little Orange nodded.

Chen Yi scooped her up, letting her hang on his arm as he walked out. Her chubby, lotus-like arms wrapped around his neck, and she let out a yawn—even though Daddy’s body was firm, his shoulders and back were broad and comfortable, perfect for leaning on to sleep.

"Daddy."

"Hmm?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm…"

"What does 'mmm-hmm-hmm' mean? Don’t tug on Daddy’s clothes, and don’t drool on his collar. Kids shouldn’t eat too many lollipops—your teeth will rot, and bugs will crawl into your tummy. Mommy will scold Daddy too. Isn’t it awful when Daddy gets scolded? Mommy only kisses Little Orange, not Daddy, and she doesn’t hug Daddy either. Just think how pitiful Daddy is, all alone."

He coaxed her like this, settling Little Orange into her car seat before driving off to find Miao Jing. Si Nan had been living in Colombia for over six years and was planning to return to China. Miao Jing was accompanying her for a final farewell tour around Bogotá.

Miao Jing and Si Nan were chatting at a café near Bolívar Square when they noticed a father and daughter approaching outside the glass window. The little girl, delicate and doll-like, wore a white pinafore dress and little boots, perched in her father’s arms with a fruit-flavored lollipop in her mouth and a handful of flowers in her arms. Her father, dressed in a crisp black shirt and black trousers, stood tall and slender.

"They’re here," Si Nan remarked, turning her gaze back. "Daddy in black, Little Orange in white—the black-and-white pairing looks so lovely."

Miao Jing chuckled. "He had a client meeting today. All his light-colored shirts either got stained with Orange’s juice, milk, or drool, so he switched to black in one go."

"After all these years, I still think you two are the happiest. Every day is so sweet it’s almost sickening. Little Orange has grown so big in the blink of an eye—it’s truly enviable."

Si Nan couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Over the years, she had dated several men, both Chinese and foreign, but none had brought her the level of happiness Miao Jing enjoyed. From the very first day she met Miao Jing, Chen Yi had always been by her side, inseparable, every moment picture-perfect and heartwarming.

"Once you return to China, perhaps you’ll quickly find the right person too," Miao Jing comforted her, then smiled as she recalled something. "You always say you envy me, but there’s really nothing to envy. You probably never saw how fiercely Chen Yi used to scold and bully me, or how we’d argue until the world turned upside down. And then there were his ex-girlfriend, my ex-boyfriend, all of us sitting together… The ending is just a small part of the whole story."