Edith heaved a long sigh as she walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. It seemed that she had too much excitement on the day and she was too tired.
Hazel was almost kidnapped and traumatized.
The little girl would then stick to her and would be anxious when she was far away. It took her a lot of tried to distract Hazel from thinking of that incident and coax her to sleep.
Edith lifted her hand and slowly massaged her head. She needed to figure out something that can help the little girl to overcome her fear.
Perhaps should suggest to President Mo to teach Hazel self-defense. Didn't they say that learning martial art would build someone's self-confidence?
She only wished that Hazel would overcome her fear and able to face the world with courage.
Edith opened the refrigerator and stood there for a long time as if deciding what she was going to make as midnight snacks. Her gaze paused at the cans of beer that she had bought a while ago and hesitated.
She had promised to herself that she will not drink as long as she was under Neil Mo's roof, however, she was itching to take a few sips after going through too much excitement she had gone through on that day.
After thinking about it for a while, Edith finally took out a can along with some ingredients to make some sandwiches.
Just one can of beer will not cause any harm, right? Anyway, it was not as if she would get drunk with just one can of beer, right?
After she had talked herself into it, Edith grabbed at the can. The can open with a soft pop and hiss. Edith took a long swig and heaved a satisfying breath.
She was planning to eat and finish her drink before Neil came back from the station. Anyway, just a few sips will not cause her to do something stupid, right?
Edith moved to butter the bread, slapped on some leftover shredded chicken from dinner, and lettuce to make her sandwich. Then, she took out her phone and turned on a costume drama that she had been following.
Sitting on the stool at the bar area, Edith then enjoyed her sandwiches and drink while plugging in her earphone to watch her drama and push whatever problem she had to the back of her mind.
With her ears plugged Edith was unaware that Neil had returned home. If she was not too focus on her drama, Edith should be able to hear the sound of the door closing and his footsteps. Unfortunately for her, the man heard her laugh from the kitchen and head over silently.
Edith took another swig from her drink and paused when she had a feeling as if being watched. She lifted her head and froze upon meeting Neil's gaze.
The drink got stuck on her throat and Edith started to cough loudly.
Seconds later, Neil walked over to her and pat her on her back to help her. She immediately sobered up at his touch. Edith lifted her head and took a few steps back to retreat from him.
"President Mo, you're back," Edith pulled her earphone and grabbed some napkins to wipe her mouth. Then, she grabbed a rag to wipe the drink splatter on the kitchen counter.
"Teacher Qian, you…Why do you always choke on your food or drinks whenever I see you eating?" Neil looked at the kindergarten teacher with an amused smile.
Right. Why was it that she would always show the embarrassing side of her in front of this man?
When they saw each other at Old Chen's noodle stall in Z Town, Edith was too surprised that she started to choke on her food. Then, the same thing happened again when he caught her having noodles in the middle of the night after she had started to move in.
Neil would probably think that she was greedy for food.
At this time, Edith really wanted to bury her head underground.
Her lips then stretched into an awkward smile. "President Mo, isn't it because you always walk around like a ghost?"
His eyebrow rose. "I walk around like a ghost?"
Edith bit at her lips, wishing that she did not say those words out loud.
What was wrong with her today? She kept on making mistakes!
"President Mo, that is not what I meant." Edith cleared her throat. "Just that, you walk silently and I could not hear any movement when you came back."
"Actually, you would hear me entering the door if only you did not have your earphone on."
Of course, he was right. Edith could only curse herself for her silliness.
The smile on his lips stretched wider upon watching Edith's embarrassed face. He raised his head to look at Hazel's bedroom and asked, "What about Hazel? Is she asleep?"
Edith nodded. "She went to bed an hour ago."
"Is she… alright?"
"The incident this afternoon had probably shocked her too much," Edith said. "But once she woke up, her mood would be better… I hope."
"You hope?"
"President Mo, I might not understand children psychology well. But every person had a different state of mind. Some were able to forget a bad experience and bounce back quickly after a good night's sleep. But knowing Hazel's personality," Edith paused and heaved a long sigh. "Even if she appeared as if she was alright the next morning, it was only because she wanted to hide what she felt so that she will not make us feel bad."
Neil's expression turned dark as he thought of the psychological trauma that Hazel will face after the incident. He quickly shifted his gaze and paused at the can of beer on the table.
Edith followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at her drink. "President Mo, would you like to drink?" She offered and swallowed while preparing herself for his rejection. She had seen him drink hard liquor but had never seen him drinking beer. Surely, he was going to decline, right?
His gaze stayed at the can for a few seconds longer and nodded. "Sure."
Edith quickly turned around to grab a can for him. She slid the can on the counter and watched as he opened the can. "You're hurt," Edith blurted upon noticing the slight redness on his knuckle. "Did you got yourself into a fight?"
She was familiar with this kind of bruise and could guess that Neil had thrown a heavy punch on something… or someone.
Neil studied the back of his hand and noticed the redness for the first time. He did not expect that it would leave some marks. "It's not that bad."
Edith frowned. She turned around and grabbed a pack of ice from the freezer. Then, she walked over to Neil, grabbed his hand, and pressed the pack of ice on his hand.
Neil let out a hiss upon the contact.
"Painful?" Edith raised a brow. "And you said it was not that bad?" She raised her head at this time and was surprised to see that they have been standing too close.
Slowly, Edith released his hand, stepped back, and continued to drink, acting nonchalantly, while hypnotizing herself to stop acting or saying anything stupid lest Neil will figure out her secret.
However, it was easier said than done. Her heart was beating furiously and it would not calm down no matter what.