My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 5 | Moonlight and Dreams | Novela.app

When Li Zi was nine years old, her mother hired workers to build a treehouse in the large tree in their yard, ostensibly to create romantic and fun childhood memories with her daughter. Unfortunately, shortly after it was completed, another major project dragged her back to the office. One autumn night, Li Zi saw a news report on television saying that the moon that night would be the roundest and most beautiful seen in a century. She decided to pay a visit to the treehouse. The nanny helped her set up the ladder. Clutching her cat, Li Zi climbed up and sat on the wooden planks against the wall. "Woof! Woof!" Below, Golden wanted to come up too, but he was held back by the nanny. Left behind in his loneliness, he circled the tree, howling incessantly. Li Zi found his behavior both hilarious and adorable. Stroking the lazy cat in her arms, she called down to the large Golden Retriever: "Golden, it’s your own fault for eating so much and getting so fat. If you came up here, the treehouse would collapse under you!" "Whimper..." Golden seemed to understand his little mistress's teasing. He flopped down next to the ladder, ears drooping, and sulked in dejection. "Silly dog," Li Zi chuckled, looking up at the sky. The weather was perfect. Hardly a dark cloud could be seen in the night sky; it looked as if a thin veil had been swept aside by the wind. Specks of starlight were strewn across the night curtain, and just above the distant rooftops hung that "jade plate," said to be a once-in-a-century sight. It looked so close, yet it possessed a beauty that was untouchable. "So beautiful." "It really is huge." Two voices sighed in unison. Li Zi started. Following the sound, she realized that at some point, someone had stood in the shadows beneath the outer wall. He, too, was gazing at the night sky. "Li Zhenting?" Hearing the familiar young voice, the discovered boy stiffened. He turned his head and said guiltily, "Ha... ha, what a coincidence." Coincidence? Not necessarily. Li Zi didn't call him out. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to come up and watch together? The view is great from here." The boy looked at the girl sitting in the treehouse. Bathed in moonlight, she wore a white lace dress and held a cat as white as snow, untainted by a single speck of dust. He tucked his hands behind his back, rubbing away the dirt left on his arms from a fight, and replied, "No thanks." "Oh, alright then." Disappointed, Li Zi turned her gaze back to the moon. "Can I sit on your wall to watch?" the boy outside asked tentatively after a long moment of hesitation. "Huh? On the wall?" Li Zi was a bit surprised. "Yeah, I can climb up. Your wall isn't high, and there aren't any anti-theft measures..." "Of course! I wouldn't climb it without permission," the boy explained somewhat nervously. "You can. I trust you," the girl nodded, making a "please" gesture. The boy took two steps back, kicked off the ground, reached out with both arms to grab the top of the wall, and flipped himself up to sit. The distance between them shortened instantly. "Did you get into another fight today?" The moonlight was bright, so Li Zi immediately spotted the injuries on his body. "Ah... yeah." The boy didn't deny it, but he avoided her eyes. "Fighting isn't good." "You're still small; you don't understand." If he didn't hit others, others would only bully him. "But doesn't it hurt to get hurt? You must be in pain." A hint of worry peeked through the girl's quiet gaze. "That's just because I'm not strong enough yet. Soon, I'll be so strong that no one will be able to beat me," the boy declared. Li Zi didn't dwell on the topic. She watched the moon for a while longer before asking another question. "Have you thought about your dreams? My homework today is to write about my dream." This question... The boy, who never took his homework seriously, looked a bit troubled. "I don't know. Maybe doing something cool. I'll definitely become a very strong person." "Strong enough to protect the people I love." It was an answer brimming with youthful spirit. "What about you?" he asked in return. "Me? Maybe I'll be a doctor, or maybe I'll go into business like my mother, or maybe..." Her voice trailed off at the end, making it hard for the boy to hear, but he understood the first part. He gave her a thumbs-up, his eyes shining. "A doctor or a big boss? Those are great dreams!" Li Zi looked at him and echoed, "They are great." However, she had a more pressing matter at hand.