Chapter 543: Chapter 543: The Rain Falling from the Sky Is My Tears When I Miss You

After being teased by his nephew, Xie Qingci just followed along and laughed. Yu Xia, with nowhere to vent her frustration, looked at his smiling face and expressionlessly announced a requirement to control video call times, setting a limit of one hour per day.

As joyful as Xie Qingci was before, he was now equally depressed.

He tried to salvage the situation: "Can’t we talk about this? I’m all alone abroad, already unable to see you, and now you’re depriving me of the chance to see you even on video?"

Yu Xia remained indifferent: "Isn’t Mr. Yang human? Isn’t your assistant human?"

"...It’s not the same. Sis, I shouldn’t have laughed just now. How about you scold me a bit?"

She forced a smile: "I’m not the kind of uncultured person who casually scolds others. One hour of call time, that’s it. Today has already exceeded the limit, so it’s deducted from tomorrow’s time."

Xie Qingci once again put on a sad, downcast expression, leaned closer to the screen, and softly asked, "Does it really have to be this way?"

Though he hadn’t said the rest, Yu Xia, familiar with his manner, could already fill in his usual lines in her mind—

I’m so upset, I’m so distraught I can’t even eat, aren’t you going to say something to comfort me, and so on.

His tone was like a frail white lotus, yet in reality, he was a stocky man over six feet tall.

She gave a fake smile: "Yes, it really has to be."

Xie Qingci put on a pitiful look like a wet dog: "But we don’t even call every day, and there’s still half a month to go, I..."

"In difficult times, everyone needs to adapt to a new rhythm of life," she recited something she’d heard somewhere, adding lightly, "Get used to it. Ah, now we’re five minutes over, if you keep going, there’ll only be half an hour tomorrow."

"...Let’s talk about tomorrow’s tomorrow."

Yu Xia sternly criticized him: "Look at you, this reflects your outlook on life. If you use everything up today, what about tomorrow? You have no planning." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Sitting beside and forced to watch a classical poetry show, little Yu Yue finally realized his aunt was speaking in such platitudes because he was beside them.

He sighed, resting his chubby cheeks in his hands, looking utterly disinterested as the cartoon characters on the show recited "Grasses start growing, warblers fly in February days."

Xie Qingci also wanted to sigh.

"Yes, you’re right, there’s a problem with my outlook on life. But people need to accept differences, right? What if it’s the end of the world tomorrow? Then every second of our over-timed call today is a gain."

As the discussion turned philosophical, little Yu Yue couldn’t bear it any longer and willingly grabbed his homework, running to the balcony.

Facing the setting sun, he’d rather recite his lessons three times over and write five journal entries than continue listening there.

So young, yet bearing an air of world-weariness.

Yu Xia watched his small figure running out with some relief, then lowered her voice to Xie Qingci: "Hang up! A video call every day, aren’t you getting too clingy?"

Lowering his voice to match hers, Xie Qingci’s tone changed entirely: "No, after being apart for a month without seeing you, now you’re limiting call times too. Are you tired of me?"

"...No, but didn’t you hear Yu Yue? This is too clingy; even five-year-olds wouldn’t do this."

He maintained his stubborn expression: "I’m not five."

"True, you’re twenty-one, yet not as sensible as a five-year-old!"

"Anyway, I disagree. You may be heartless, but I can’t take it."

He wore an accusatory expression, as if saying with his look—You heartless woman, betrayer.

Yu Xia was left speechless, opened her mouth, then switched topics to ask, "Then when will you come back?"

Xie Qingci: "In half a month. Weren’t you paying attention? I clearly mentioned it before."

"...Sorry, I must have missed that."

It was quite awkward, she honestly hadn’t heard it.

Xie Qingci looked at her with a sorrowful gaze, then very naturally used this as leverage to make further demands:

"See, long-distance relationships are dangerous. How quickly you just brushed me off like that. How about we start keeping the video call on from morning?"

Yu Xia: "..."

Why does it feel like negotiating to make money, only to end up spending all my savings?

Trying to deal with this man who could only communicate online was exhausting. After a pause, she eagerly suggested, "You’d better come back soon."

"Missing me that much?"

"Yes, missing you terribly, thinking of you day and night, dreaming of you. Hai City’s skies have been moved by my longing; it’s been raining these days."

Xie Qingci leisurely replied: "Is that so? Seems you’re not missing me enough, I check Hai City’s weather forecast every day, it’s just light rain."

See, he really was difficult, even this he had to nitpick.

After finishing the exhausting phone call, Yu Xia went to her room to find a charger, only to bump into Yue Ling, who was holding a phone when she returned.

On the phone screen, her brother’s face took up the entire view, and from the half-finished sentence she overheard from Yue Ling, it seemed Yu Heng was wanting to talk to his wife’s belly again.

The brother and sister met once more through the screen, and Yu Xia showed an expression of disdain.

"Seriously, bro, why are you so clingy? You just talked on the phone for half the day before dinner, and now you’re here again, disturbing Sister-in-law’s rest. Aren’t you supposed to be working abroad, not on a vacation?"

Yu Heng looked a bit awkward, and with a frown, he said: "If you have nothing to do, go tutor Yu Yue with his homework. Is it a problem for me to make a call?"

Yu Xia rolled her eyes.

Yue Ling covered her mouth, laughing, as both of them stubbornly refused to admit their clinginess.

The two crossed paths, one charging the phone and returning to her room, the other holding the phone going to the living room.

Soon enough, Yu Xia could hear Yu Yue’s voice from the balcony, along with her brother’s exasperated shouting.

"Dad, it’s you again?"

"Who else could it be?!"

"Dad, you’re really so clingy."

"Go back to your room! Seeing you gets me annoyed!"

Yue Ling’s laughter couldn’t be stopped.

...

Time flies when you’re anticipating something, and half a month passed in a flash.

Xie Qingci was coming back.

Yu Xia didn’t rush back to her single apartment. Together with Yu Heng, who had finished his work trip, she accompanied Yue Ling for a prenatal checkup.

Yue Ling was now six months pregnant, her belly large enough to make her maternity dress look like she was smuggling a watermelon.

Yu Xia kept glancing at it.

Yu Yue loved looking too, though always cautioned by repeated reminders at home, he didn’t dare touch it directly, and now walked slowly instead of running around.

In the car on the way to the hospital, Yu Xia instinctively glanced over again. Yu Yue asked her, "Auntie, I’ve never seen mom pregnant. Have you never seen it either? You should have when I was in mom’s belly, right?"

"I have seen it," she said, gently placing her hand on Yue Ling’s belly, eyes not lifting as she replied, "But that was a long, long time ago. Back then, your aunt didn’t understand anything."

"Will Auntie also become pregnant? Like mom, and have a little sister."

"Hmm, who knows?"