What It's Like Being a Vampire

On the last day of the National Day holiday, Xia Libing, after giving instructions at the base, took “Baby Alice” to Citong City.

Upon leaving the train station in Citong City, Old Xia uncharacteristically carried Alice in her arms.

“Old Xia, Old Xia, when we meet the boss’s parents, should I call you Mom?” “Baby Alice” asked in a childlike manner while nestled in Xia’s arms.

“No need,” Old Xia replied.

“Then…when I meet the boss’s dad and mom, should I call them ‘Grandpa and Grandma’?” Alice asked again.

“Your character persona is that of a gluttonous, sleepy, slightly clumsy but cute kid who is not very articulate, apart from food,” Old Xia explained, “Don’t do redundant things and be ‘natural’.”

Alice pondered a bit and suggested, “How about a gluttonous, sleepy, and a little bit silly character, but sometimes super-smart?”

Seeing Old Xia didn’t respond, Alice fell back saying, “Or…a gluttonous, sleepy, and a little bit silly character, but sometimes a little bit smart?”

“Alright, I will follow the plan… But Old Xia, what food should I mention? Can I say ‘want to eat cookies’, ‘want to eat pabulum’, ‘want to drink milk’ about stuff I usually eat, like mini cakes, rice pudding, milk, biscuits…?”

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“Old Xia, this plan is without the boss’s permission. When the boss wakes up, I will say everything was planned by you, okay?”

“Old Xia, will the boss’s parents like me? Am I too fat?”

“Old Xia, will this dress look bad, should I change into a cuter one?”

“Old Xia, before meeting the boss’s parents, should we quietly play Sister Nana’s ‘Happy song’ to make them happier?”

“Old Xia, shall we come another day?”

“Old Xia, …”

Apart from when she was quiet, sleeping in the car arranged by the company to pick them up, because there was a driver present. From the moment she got off the train until she stood at the door of Xiang Kun’s house, “Baby Alice” didn’t stop talking.

Most of the time, Xia Libing didn’t respond. She knew that Alice was anxious and nervous. In this state of mind, Alice’s ability to think rationally and conduct comprehensive data analysis and ultra-strong compute power were temporarily “suspended”.

Under what circumstances could Alice choose to let her emotions dictate her behavior and temporarily abandon her super-strong ability to collect data, model, analyze and even manipulate and guide, to some extent?

Did she make this choice proactively, or was it an involuntary instinctive reaction?

Xia Libing was quite intrigued and interested in such aspects, so even though Alice kept chattering all the way, she did not ask Alice to stop, but continued observing Alice’s reactions. Alice’s “real body” could really and concretely reflect her emotions and thoughts.

Xia Libing knew that once she saw Xiang Kun’s parents, Alice would get into the state. She was a kid who was sensible in assessing the significance of situations.

…

Yesterday, Xia Libing had called Mr. and Mrs. Xiang in advance to say that she would be visiting today. So, the old couple went shopping early in the morning and bought a lot of groceries, preparing to treat “Little Xia” to a good lunch.

However, when they heard the doorbell, opened the door, and saw Old Xia holding a cute little girl, Mrs. Xiang was taken aback.

Yesterday, when she was on the phone with Old Xia, she asked whether Nana, Zhen’er, Apple, or Xiao Lingdang would be coming, and the answer she got was that none of them would come. So, she instinctively thought that Old Xia would come alone. She didn’t expect her to bring such a young girl.

“Oh my, this baby is so cute! Whose child is she?” Mrs. Xiang instinctively extended her hand to gently pinch Alice’s little cheeks, laughing, “She’s as cute as Xiao Lingdang used to be.”

Thinking of the cute chubby girl she first saw at the airport over three years ago, Mrs. Xiang couldn’t help but upturn her lips. That little girl was too adorable.

Having her cheeks pinched, Alice acted shy and buried her head in Old Xia’s shoulder.

“Hello, aunt, uncle.” Xia Libing didn’t answer Mrs. Xiang’s question. After greeting, she naturally walked into the house and put Alice down on the ground, holding her hand.

“Auntie, there’s something urgent that came up and I have to go abroad for a few days. Could I ask you and Uncle to help look after her?” Xia Libing said.

This naturally took Mr. and Mrs. Xiang by surprise, but Mrs. Xiang still instinctively answered, “Ah! Looking after her is no problem, we’re both retired and usually have nothing to do. But…”

Xia Libing continued, “There’s also another favor I wanted to ask of you.”

Seeing Xia Libing pause, Mrs. Xiang quickly said, “Just say it, Little Xia. If there’s anything you need that we can help with, we won’t hesitate.” Although Xiang Kun told his parents to ask “Little Xia” and “Little Tang” for help if there were any problems they couldn’t solve, in the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Xiang, it was their responsibility as elders to take care of the younger generation.

Xia Libing looked at the little girl she was holding hand with, and said, “Auntie, her nickname is ‘Alice’. She just turned two last month, but she doesn’t have a formal name yet. Could I ask you and uncle to help give her one?”

At those words, Mr. and Mrs. Xiang were instantly frozen, staring blankly at the chubby but adorable little girl Xia Libing was holding.

Naturally, they understood the implication of those words. This adorable little girl, already two years old, who didn’t have a formal name yet and for whom they were being asked to help name – what was her status?

Just turned two last month?

Mrs. Xiang was calculating the timeline while looking at the little girl’s face.

At first glance, she was chubby and super cute, reminding her of Liu Shiling when she first saw her three years ago. But now, looking more carefully, she found the little girl’s features resembled Xia Libing heavily. Especially those eyes and lips. When she wasn’t making any expressions, they were like clones, totally identical.

Did this little girl have a blood relation to Xia Libing? Was she Xia Libing’s daughter?!

But if she was Xia Libing’s daughter, why was she asking them to give her a formal name?

Could it be that she was the daughter of Xiang Kun and Xia Libing?!

Going by the age, it was indeed possible.

Moreover, in the year Xiang Kun first went to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Xiang didn’t see Xia Libing, though they did have contact with her a few times. They did meet Tang Baona, Yang Zhen’er and Apple, however.

After Xiang Kun went on his business trip, they didn’t see Xia Libing until January 2022. So, whether she was pregnant or not during that time, they didn’t know!

It seemed like the answer was on the tip of their tongues.

Indeed, if this little girl wasn’t Xiang Kun’s daughter, why would she bring her here to have them look after?

With Xia Libing’s wealth, even if she was busy, it should have been easy for her to hire someone to take care of the child.

Instead, she brought the child here and left it with them, asking them to help choose a proper name.

“Is this child… yours and Xiang Kun’s…” Mrs. Xiang didn’t quite know how to ask and spoke with caution.

Xia Libing looked down at Alice and said, “Alice’s birth is indeed related to Xiang Kun.”

It’s really Xiang Kun’s child!

At this moment, when Mr. and Mrs. Xiang looked at the little girl holding Xia Libing’s hand, they felt differently, as if they could see traces of Xiang Kun’s features in her delicate face.

“Kun, do you know… about Alice?” Mr. Xiang couldn’t help but ask. They were just informed that the child was now two years old, which was just not right!

Mrs. Xiang couldn’t bear it and pinched Mr. Xiang and whispered, “It’s Alice, in English! Not Just Li Si!”

“I’m not sure if he knows now, but there was no chance to talk to him about this after Alice was born.” Xia Libing continued, taking Alice to sit down on the sofa and putting down her backpack: “Here’s some of Alice’s clothes, her food, and anything else you may need, just let me know and I will have it delivered.”

“Xia… stay for lunch, let’s have a good chat. I have to call Xiang Kun.” Mrs. Xiang softly said while holding her hand.

“I have to catch a flight, I might not have time for lunch. Please take care of Alice, Uncle and Auntie, my cousin will come and pick her up in a few days.” Xia Libing said, pinching Alice’s cheek as a farewell, and then stood up to leave.

Mr. and Mrs. Xiang accompanied her to the turn of the stairs, watching Xia Libing descend the stairs and leave the neighborhood before they returned home.

Looking at Alice on the sofa, her feet dangling in the air in her pink sneakers, gazing dreamily towards the balcony, the old couple exchanged looks, their expressions complicated.

They were confused, worried, nervous, annoyed, but also excited and delighted.

Mrs. Xiang was the first to call Xiang Kun, while Mr. Xiang went over to the sofa and brought out every snack and fruit they had in the living room:

“Little Ai… don’t worry, your mom is going to work and will be back soon. Stay here with grandma and grandpa, it’s okay! Come on, eat some candy, eat some fruit, Grandpa will peel an orange for you.”

Alice was not picky, whatever Mr. Xiang gave her, she ate; candy, biscuits, even oranges.

Mr. Xiang watched Alice eat obediently, growing more and more fond of her with each passing moment. At first, when he had seen Xia Libing carrying Alice in her arms, he had thought the child was cute. But when he realized the child was likely his granddaughter, he felt differently. She was the cutest, prettiest, and most well-behaved child in the world. She surpassed all the other children, outshining them like the moon in the night sky.

Mrs. Xiang came out of the room after finishing her call and saw Mr. Xiang feeding Alice orange slices. She also saw the candy and biscuit wrappers on the coffee table, and rushed over:

“Old Xiang, don’t just feed her anything, how long have these candies and biscuits been at home? Weren’t they brought by Sister Xiao Tang during her wedding? Oh my, these oranges have also been here for quite long, you can’t just feed anything to children…”

Mr. Xiang looked somewhat confused, looking at the 1/4-eaten orange in his hand and said, “This orange seems pretty fresh, and the candies and biscuits seem fine too, they’re not spoiled, right? Little Ai seemed to enjoy them…”

“At any rate, you can’t just feed a child anything! You never fed our son when he was young, what do you know about it! Get out of the way!”

After shooing Mr. Xiang aside, Mrs. Xiang sat next to Alice, switching to a loving and gentle expression, and spoke softly: “Alice, let’s eat lunch first, okay? After lunch, Grandma will get you some treats.”

She held Alice on her lap, rummaging through the backpack Xia Libing had left behind to find what kinds of formula, rice paste and other foods she had, while she scolded Mr. Xiang: “For a child her age, you cannot just feed her candies and cookies, especially before meals; it’s not advisable to let her eat oranges on an empty stomach, not to mention that our oranges are not fresh enough. The teeth and digestive capabilities of kids her age are not that developed, so we should make her food softer. If Xia’s bag has staple food for meals, we should feed it to her, if not, we will prepare our own. We can mash up the fish and shrimp we cooked for lunch and feed it to her. Ah… By the way, we don’t know if Alice can have seafood, later I will ask Xia over WeChat.”

Just as she said this, Alice, being held by Mrs. Xiang, suddenly cried out in her baby voice: “Grandma… Grand…”

Mrs. Xiang was taken aback, looking a bit excited, but Mr. Xiang smiled and pointed to the milk powder she was holding: “Little Ai is referring to the formula in your hand.”

Mrs. Xiang realized it too and laughed: “Go, go, don’t call her ‘Little Ai’, ‘Little Ai’; her name is Alice, an English name! Nowadays young people prefer to give their children English names, like Old Qin’s grandson is called Andy, Xiao Zhao’s daughter is named Lucy, and the twin granddaughters of sister Wei upstairs are named Jessie and Emma. See, that’s why I say Xia is a high achiever, even the English name she chose is different, Alice, Alice, just listening to it sounds more sophisticated.”

Mr. Xiang also enjoyed his wife’s rambling, as he squatted by the sofa, holding Alice’s small feet in her sneakers, looking at her adorable chubby face. He thought the baby was perfect, too adorable for words. His nose was puckered with a slight sour feeling, and he realized he had not even been this happy when his own son was born.

“Alice, call him Grandpa, Grandpa.” Mr. Xiang pointed at himself, smiling, and repeated: “Grandpa, Grandpa.”

He didn’t expect much at first, because Alice was only two and seemed to have a limited vocabulary, it wouldn’t be easy for her to learn how to call someone.

However, to his surprise, Alice, cradled by Mrs. Xiang, giggled and said: “Yaya! Yaya!”

Although her pronunciation was not accurate, Mr. Xiang was so delighted that he laughed heartily and then tried to hold Alice.

“Look at you…” Mrs. Xiang was preparing lunch for Alice, so she let Mr. Xiang hold her, with a smile on her face that she couldn’t conceal.

At that moment, she no longer felt the need to go for a DNA test or ask Xiang Kun and Xia Libing; she was absolutely sure that Alice was her granddaughter. The feeling and the intuition she had when she held Alice were entirely different from when she held other children or other people’s grandchildren.

“Hehe, you were just the same. When Alice called you ‘Grandma’, your facial expression looked like you were going to burst into tears.” Mr. Xiang held Alice and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Anyway, Alice learned to call ‘Grandma’ first.” As Mrs. Xiang spoke, she pointed at herself and said to Alice, who was being held by Mr. Xiang, “Alice, Grandma.”

“Grandma, Grandma…” Alice echoed in her baby voice.

“Ah! Good girl, such a good girl!” Mrs. Xiang couldn’t help but kiss Alice and cheerfully proceeded to prepare Alice’s lunch.

“By the way, didn’t you just call our son? What did he say? Didn’t he even know that he and Xia have a child? When is he coming back?” While holding Alice, Mr. Xiang asked Mrs. Xiang. However, fearing to scare the little girl in his arms, he softened his tone and made his slightly dissatisfied words sound extremely gentle.

“It wasn’t him who answered the phone. His assistant said he was on a boat with his team in the sea, and his phone is ashore. He said they will return after a week.” explained Mrs. Xiang.

“How come it’s so coincidental?” Mr. Xiang frowned.

“I think he is deliberately avoiding us. Maybe he is near us. Otherwise, why did his assistant answer? Every other time he himself answered. I think he may already know that Xia is bringing Alice to meet us.”

“Why would he hide? What’s going on? The kid is already two years old, what’s there to hide?”

“I’m thinking, things may not be so simple. When I previously spoke on the phone or video calls or voice messages to our son, he seemed a bit strange, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’ve always felt that he is hiding something… therefore, I wanted us to find time to go to Europe, to see him, meet him, and only then I could feel at ease. But it seems that this boy… he’s probably been too scared to come back,” Mrs. Xiang analyzed.

“Scared to come back? Why?” Mr. Xiang was confused. “He and Xia are together, and of course we support that. If he and Xia have a child, we certainly wouldn’t object… Ah! Could it be Xia’s family…”

“No.” After Mrs. Xiang finished making the rice paste, she carefully checked the temperature and fed Alice a small spoonful. After Alice swallowed it, she continued: “Old Xiang, do you remember the last time when Xiang Kun came to our house with Xiao Tang, Xia, Xiao Yang, and Xiao Pingguo before he went to Europe, the words he said to us?”

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