What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 643: Chapter 643: Little Baby (Part 3)

“The last thing he said to us?” Mr. Xiang, holding Baby Alice, furrowed his brows in thought and said, “He mentioned that when he is not around and if we encounter any trouble, we should ask ‘Xiao Xia’ and ‘Xiao Tang’ for help.”

Then Mr. Xiang paused, reflecting, “‘Xiao Xia’ and ‘Xiao Tang’? From the timeline, at that time, Xiao Xia should have been…”

Speaking to this point, Mr. Xiang lowered his eyes to baby Alice in his arms, grimaced without continuing. But he knew that Mrs. Xiang understood the implications of his words.

On timeline estimation, Xia Libing should have been pregnant by that time—of course, Xiang Kun might not have known back then. But the fact that they had had a relationship was clear to him.

Since the two of them had been in a relationship by then, why did Xiang Kun name “Xiao Xia” and “Xiao Tang” specifically the last time he spoke to them?

Moreover, when Mrs. Xiang asked further, he even mentioned that they were partners, closer than a boyfriend and girlfriend, even spouses, and would never part ways.

Mrs. Xiang didn’t immediately discuss this with Mr. Xiang. Instead, she fed baby Alice, not only giving her the mush from the package that Old Xia had brought, but also mashed shrimp meat, fish, and carrots.

Mrs. Xiang’s fondness for Alice had already skyrocketed before this. After feeding her this meal, her love deepened even more. This child was just too well-behaved and too adorable!

While feeding her, Alice would eat anything she was given, and she ate quickly. She didn’t fuss at all, she was so peaceful and even her eating style was very cute, her chubby little face was appealing. Mrs. Xiang was almost melting with affection, hardly ever ceasing the smile in the corners of her eyes or mouth.

After feeding Alice her meal, she held her for a while on the couch in the living room. Noticing that Alice was tired, she took her to bed for a nap. Only then did Mrs. Xiang and Mr. Xiang sit down for a meal and chat in the dining room.

“At first, I suspected that Xiang Kun would have gone to Europe on business for so long. He may have been trapped in emotional dilemmas and wanted to figure out whether to decide between Xiao Tang or Xiao Xia,” Mrs. Xiang said while holding a bowl, standing near the passage in the dining room. Through the open bedroom door, she watched Alice nap. Alice, with her loosely clenched little hands and her little feet, clad in green socks, stretched out from the quilt, brought her a ton of joy.

“So… Xiang Kun is running away to Europe because he’s finding it hard to make a decision? That’s rather lame…” said Mr. Xiang, unsatisfied. However, he, like Mrs. Xiang, watched Alice sleeping soundly on the bed through the open door of the room, and so, he still had a smiling face, crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes.

Mrs. Xiang said: “He might not have planned to go out there for that long. However, once Alice was born, he probably got the news and was too afraid to come back. So he stayed there until now.”

Mr. Xiang immediately shook his head: “No, if you say that our son fled the country because he’s in a love triangle, I can reluctantly understand. But now that he has a child, going by what I know about him… he’s not such an irresponsible person that he knew he had a daughter and still deliberately avoided coming home.”

“Yes, so I only briefly considered that possibility, and it seems too unlikely. Moreover… if Xiang Kun went to Europe, torn between being with Xiao Tang or Xiao Xia, why would he, before he left, specially have both of them over for dinner at our house, and specifically instruct us that we could reach out to them if we encounter any difficulties?” Mrs. Xiang analyzed.

“Right.” Mr. Xiang gently tapped the edge of his bowl with chopsticks, saying, “If this kid really ran away due to relationship issues with Xiao Xia and Xiao Tang, he probably wouldn’t have brought them both to our house back then. Furthermore, he even mentioned that we could reach out to them when in trouble. This boy… surely can’t be that thick-skinned. If he was really that thick-skinned he wouldn’t have had to run away abroad.”

Mrs. Xiang also said: “Moreover, when we met that time, I felt that Xiao Xia, Xiao Tang, and Xiang Kun looked quite natural together, just like… just like… Ah, I can’t think of a good description right now.”

“Like a family?”

“Not exactly. Family is familiar and understanding, but it doesn’t necessarily mean being in unison. However, the three of them… It was more about this… good cooperation. Remember when Xiang Kun was cooking and Xiao Xia was his sous-chef, then Xiao Tang, Xiao Yang, and Xiao Pingguo came to play cards and chat with us? Everything felt natural and clear. There wasn’t even an attempt to make a show of being polite by going into the kitchen. When facing us, they were very polite, but when dealing with each other or with Xiang Kun, they seemed to know what they were supposed to do. The whole situation… it’s somewhat… harmonious?”

Mr. Xiang laughed, “Isn’t that the feeling of the partners he was talking about?”

“What he’s talking about! What ‘partners’? What nonsense,” Mrs. Xiang said, then frowned. “But it seemed that between Xiao Xia and Xiang Kun, there wasn’t that kind of feeling young couples have. Their cooperation was more reminiscent of a left hand cooperating with the right. Quite tacit. On the other hand, Xiao Tang sometimes became a bit shy when talking about topics related to Xiang Kun.” Mrs. Xiang recalled.

Mr. Xiang pondered: “Yes, Xiao Xia’s personality does seem a bit strange. Sometimes she seems lively and outgoing, and other times she becomes so quiet that you wonder if she’s feeling down or facing some problem.”

“Xiang Kun told me Xiao Xia is quiet and reserved by nature. It’s only in front of us that she deliberately appears outgoing and lively.”

“Ah, they’re all good kids.”

Just then, Mrs. Xiang’s cell phone suddenly rang, causing her to start. Fearing she would wake up the little one, she had already decided was her “beloved granddaughter”, Mrs. Xiang quickly pressed the mute button. Then she took a look at the caller ID—it was “Xiao Tang”.

Mrs. Xiang was startled and exchanged glances with Mr. Xiang who had also seen the incoming call. Talk about speaking of the devil! Why would Xiao Tang call at this time? What could it be about?

“Hello, Xiao Tang. Ah, your Uncle Xiang and I have just finished lunch. Are you still in Chongyun Village? How are Xiao Yang, Xiao Pingguo, and Xiao Lingdang? Oh, you’re already in Peng City. Xiao Lingdang is starting school?”

After a bit of small talk over the phone, Tang Baona on the other end suddenly sounded both hesitant and indecisive. Then, as though she had made up her mind, she asked softly, “Auntie, are you able to contact Xiang Kun?”

“I just called Xiang Kun at noon, but a man who claimed to be his assistant picked up, saying that he was out at sea with clients and didn’t bring his phone… by the way, Xiao Tang… aren’t you and Xiang Kun partners? Can’t you contact him directly?” Mrs. Xiang asked in confusion. When she was worried about Xiang Kun before, she occasionally called Tang Baona and Xia Libing to ask about Xiang Kun’s work status. After all, they were partners and worked in the same company.

“Oh, I see…” Tang Baona’s voice seemed a bit reserved, “I just called him but couldn’t get through, I’ll try to contact him again… Auntie, you saw Xiao Bing today, right?”

“Ah, yes, Xiao Xia did come by today at noon, but she had to catch a flight and left already…” Mrs. Xiang suddenly felt a bit worried.

“Hmm, I understand. Auntie, that’s all for now. Please come and visit Peng City or Tongshi Town when you have time.”

As soon as Mrs. Xiang finished her phone call with Tang Baona, Mr. Xiang, who had been eavesdropping on the other side of the phone, immediately asked, “Is Xiao Tang aware of Alice’s situation now?”

“It’s possible.” Mrs. Xiang said with a frown, “Her tone didn’t seem right.”

“Could it be because of relationship problems, and that’s why our son has been hiding in Europe and does not dare to return?” Mr. Xiang said, “Look, there could be a possibility. Before going abroad, Xiang Kun and Xiao Xia were in a relationship, then broke up. As a result, during his time abroad, he got together with Xiao Tang, wanted to be with her, but found out that Xiao Xia had his child and secretly gave birth to it, making their relationship all the more complicated.”

“What kind of jumbled mess and cliché plot is this!” Mrs. Xiang glanced at Mr. Xiang, took the clean bowl from his hand, and said as she walked towards the sink, “Xiao Tang is also in the country. How could they have been a couple online? And didn’t we just analyze the situation? If their relationship was truly this complicated, Xiang Kun wouldn’t have said those things before leaving. But the current situation… especially with Alice now… sigh, I don’t understand it either. We should wait until we get in touch with our son and let him explain. I’m a bit worried. Could our son be really avoiding us, Xiao Tang and Xiao Xia?”

Mr. Xiang suddenly said: “You think, Xiao Xia mentioned she’s going abroad, is it possible that she intends to find Xiang Kun?”

Mrs. Xiang, who was cleaning up the dishes, stopped her actions, thought for two seconds, and nodded: “Indeed, it’s not impossible”.

“Let it go, let the children handle their own affairs. By the way, what should we do about the matter Xiao Xia mentioned?”

“What matter?”

“The matter of naming Alice.” Mr. Xiang said, and then leaned his neck out to look inside the wide-open bedroom door. Upon seeing Alice lying face up on the bed in a huge letter ‘x’, his previously furrowed brows relaxed, corners of his mouth lifted, smiling thickly: “Anyway, no matter what, Alice is our family’s child.”

“We need to think carefully about the name, especially for a girl. We need to think it over. Wait until we get in contact with Xiang Kun.” Mrs. Xiang said.

“About that… Remember when our son started working, there was a Chinese New Year when he came home, and we spoke about his cousin having another kid, and they were wrangling with naming him?” Mr. Xiang said, “Do you remember the name he came up with at that time?”

As soon as Mrs. Xiang heard this, she immediately burst into laughter, but worried about disturbing Alice, she immediately covered her mouth and tried to suppress her laughter.

“That’s true, even though he was probably joking at that time, indeed our son doesn’t have any talent in naming.” Mrs. Xiang laughed.

When that topic was brought up, Xiang Kun told his parents that if he had a son in the future, he would name him “Go Forward,” “Turn Back,” “Charge Ahead,” and if he had a daughter, he would name her “Kind Beauty”. Although it was definitely a joke at the time, who knows if this guy might have some unique ideas and come up with some not-so-normal names like incorporating Xiao Xia’s last name, calling the child “Looking Towards Summer,” “Rolling Towards Summer,” “Walking Towards Summer,” and the like.

Mr. Xiang laughed, “If he really names her something like ‘Invincible’ or ‘Flowering Way,’ we won’t be able to explain to Xiao Xia later on. When Alice grows up, she might blame us, her grandparents, for not having stopped it at that time.”

Mrs. Xiang also nodded, “Hmm, actually, the most suitable person to name Alice would be Xiao Xia, but since she asked us to name her and she waited until Alice was two before getting her a big name, she wants Alice to have a closer relationship with her grandparents and establish a familial relationship. We definitely can’t decline, hmm, we have to think it over and choose wisely!”

What the old couple didn’t know was that although Alice’s body was indeed asleep, her consciousness was still in the “Super Sensory Item System,” and she heard their conversation very clearly, silently muttering in her mind:

“Actually, ‘Invincible’ sounds pretty good…”

She hesitated a bit whether to guide her “grandpa” and “grandma” to choose this name in some way, but she gave it up after thinking about it — it would be more meaningful if “grandpa” and “grandma” chose the name according to their true wishes.

So in the afternoon, when Mrs. Xiang was continually playing with “Baby Alice”, Mr. Xiang started making various phone calls to ask people about points to note when choosing a name. The old couple were holding their granddaughter for the first time, but there were quite a lot of relatives and friends around them who were already grandparents to many grandsons and granddaughters, and their experience with naming children was quite rich.

When Mrs. Xiang was making dinner for “Baby Alice” in the evening, Mr. Xiang had already “done his homework”, having prepared several names.

Mr. Xiang, adjusting his reading glasses, asked with a little notebook in his hand, “What about ‘Xiang Zhiran’?”

Mrs. Xiang frowned, “What? Together the name sounds like cumin? You thought it over all afternoon and made all those phone calls just to pick a name that sounds like a seasoning?”

Mr. Xiang quickly explained, “It’s the ‘Zhi’ from grass and meaning warm in Chinese. It comes from the phrase ‘An Zhi Ting Lan, Yu Yu Qing Qing’ from Fan Zhongyan’s ‘Yueyang Tower Record’, which means fragrance. The ‘Ran’ in the name, is the same ‘Ran’ from ‘burn,’ I specifically went to Old Liu to look up the birth date and time for Alice. Alice lacks fire in her “Five Elements,” so this ‘Ran’ is quite suitable. Then ‘Zhi’ belongs to wood, and wood gives birth to fire, it’s a match made in heaven.”

Mrs. Xiang was still unsatisfied, “No, we can’t have a name that could easily be mispronounced, or else Alice will blame us when she grows up and gets teased by classmates. And what about Fan Zhongyan’s ‘Yueyang Tower Record’? It sounds like you were asking your company’s old Accountant Xue, wasn’t it? He loves to show off his superficial knowledge.” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mr. Xiang, adjusting his reading glasses again, continued to consult his little notebook, “Then…what about ‘Xiang Shinran’? ‘Shin’ is the character for grass and diligence, and the ‘Ran’ is the same as in the previous name.”

Mrs. Xiang said angrily, “Why do you love using the character ‘Ran’ so much? The word that corresponds to the fire element doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the word fire in Chinese. Choose something that sounds better! I definitely won’t agree to use the word ‘Ran’.”

Mr. Xiang defended, “This ‘Ran’ character is very good, Alice’s birth chart matches this character very well, and the other fire-related characters are not as good as this one.”

“I don’t care, I disagree. Think again, think of something that sounds good. I won’t allow the use of the character ‘Ran’!” Mrs. Xiang stubbornly said.

After feeding Alice, the old couple finished dinner and discussed for a bit more. Mrs. Xiang went to the balcony to call Xia Libing: “Hello, Xiao Xia, are you abroad now? Oh, you are waiting for a transfer? Then I will cut to the chase. Your Uncle Xiang and I have thought of a name for Alice. It’s ‘Xiang Shinran,’ ‘Shin’ is the character for grass and diligence, and ‘Ran’ is from ‘urgent’. Your Uncle Xiang checked Alice’s birth chart, and she lacks the fire element. This ‘Ran’ character is the best, and the ‘Shin’ character belongs to wood, wood gives birth to fire…”