Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 158: His Similarities to Her First Lover

Chapter 158: His Similarities to Her First Lover

Placing one arm behind Leslie’s back and the other under the crook of her knees, Calix carefully carried her from the bed to the wheelchair. Grinning, he was still amused by her answer.

"You can’t help from thinking about food all the time, en?" Calix playfully teased Leslie, moving his hands away from her, "Well, do you want it now? We can have lunch quite later."

The clock was pointing to eleven-fifteen. Lunch would be served in less than two hours. Aunt Wendy was already preparing for the meal.

Leslie gasped, just realizing the time. She didn’t expect that lunch hour was already closely approaching.

Did she really sleep for that long?

"Is that... okay?" staring at Calix, Leslie asked hesitantly, "You can... make it some... other time..."

Leslie was not really thinking about having the soup. She actually dreamed about Calliope. The answer came out spontaneously as she recalled Calix’s words to make some pumpkin soup for her.

Well, she couldn’t possibly tell him about dreaming of her daughter, right?

"It’s fine. Having pumpkin soup with garlic bread sounds so nice ah," Calix casually patted his stomach concealed by his thin sweater, "I’m quite hungry. Wanna watch me make it? We can eat Aunt Wendy’s cooking later."

Leslie’s eyes glinted. She nodded once, "I want to..."

Stayed in the bedroom when CEO Xu was making the soup? That would be so boring. She should ease her boredom by watching the handsome man cooking in the kitchen.

Wouldn’t it be more pleasing to her eyes and mind?

Smiling, Leslie couldn’t help but think how boastful Calix be if she ever voiced her thoughts out loud.

Calix unfolded a throw blanket before draping the soft fabric on Leslie’s legs, unaware of what was going on in her mind. His eyes drifted to something else.

"Want me to braid your hair?" Calix gestured at Leslie’s long hair.

The offer came out of nowhere, catching Leslie off guard. Blinking her eyes slowly, she let those words register in her mind before she threw a question to Calix.

"You know... how to braid... hair?"

Was he joking? Was this another one of his skills?

Calix’s lips curved into a smirk. Raising his brows, he claimed proudly, "I can do more than that ah. Just say it. Braided buns? Floral crowns? Classy chignons? Which one do you want?"

Leslie was stunned by how confident CEO Xu sounded. A thought slipped into her mind, reminding her of an adorable face she had just seen before heading to Rome with Calix.

"Calix, you..." Leslie narrowed her eyes, staring at Calix’s grinning face, "Do you always... experiment on... Mia? Your niece?"

Calix wiggled his brows, mirth glinting in his eyes, "What do you think?"

Leslie smiled in helplessness, unable to wrap her head around another unexpected skill possessed by Calix. She couldn’t help but imagine him playing around with the little Amelia’s hair.

"Then... try to style... my hair..." Leslie was tempted to experience CEO Xu’s hairstyling skill, saying no to the offer, "What will you... choose for me?"

"Do you want me to decide?" Calix pointed at himself.

Leslie smiled, nodding once. Her reaction garnered laughter from Calix.

"Hehe, alright~" Calix shrugged, thinking how easy the task was, "Let’s get you to the vanity."

Calix pushed Leslie’s wheelchair to the vanity table placed in the ensuite wardrobe. Sitting opposite the large mirror, she saw his smile brimming with confidence.

"I’ll start now," Calix reached for a keratin hair spray and hair brush sitting on the dressing table, "You just need to sit back and relax."

Leslie chuckled, "I can’t wait... to see the... result..."

From the mirror, Leslie focused on Calix’s reflection instead of hers. She watched him carefully detangle her hair with the brush after spraying her locks.

His fingers ran through her long hair, occasionally brushing his fingertips to her scalp, leaving faint sensations in its wake.

Looking up from the back of Leslie’s head, Calix stared at her reflection in the mirror. He exclaimed, "Okay, I’ll start styling now. Prepare to be amazed by yours truly."

Another helpless chuckle slipped out of Leslie’s lips, "Show me... what you’ve got... Mr. Xu."

Calix raised his brows, smirking at Leslie before he continued. His attention fell on her hair.

Calix’s swift and deft motions showed he was not simply boasting about his hairstyling skills. He started by braiding one side of Leslie’s hair. There were no flaws in his movements.

’He’s really experienced ah.’

Looking at Calix reminded Leslie of the times she did Calliope’s hair. Her daughter loved trying many styles, prompting her to continue learning.

Leslie’s teachers were the videos she found on the internet. Every single one of them assisted her in perfecting her skills. Sometimes, they took too much of her time but, she didn’t care about it.

Well, everything was worth it if Calliope was happy. Leslie also wanted to see her daughter with cute hairstyles as well.

Hehe, she didn’t expect him to be like that with his niece too.

And...

He was also like him.

Pursing her lips, Leslie tried pushing the creeping thoughts away. She didn’t want to entertain them. Yet.

Eventually, Calix finished with his task. He was unaware of the slight change on Leslie’s countenance.

"Tada! How is it?"

Leslie was amazed to see the end result. Calix neatly styled her hair into a crown braid. He even decorated it with tiny hair clips in the shapes of flowers.

"That’s... so pretty..."

"Do you like it, dear customer?" Calix grinned as he smoothened the back of Leslie’s head, "How many stars will you give me?"

"Five stars... from me..." Leslie chuckled, nodding a few times, "Calix... thank you..."

"Well, I’m glad that you like it," Calix shrugged, pretending that this was not a big deal at all, "Oh! How about taking a photo?"

"...a photo?"

"Yup! I think you haven’t taken any single photo after waking up," Calix slipped his phone out of the pocket of his pants, "This time, you’ll be perfectly captured by the camera!"

Leslie smiled, recalling their time back in Rome. Even if she wore pretty dresses and posed in front of touristy landmarks, she wouldn’t be visible in photos.

Recalling those moments upset Leslie. She didn’t know when else could she visit such a place like Rome. But, there was nothing she could do about it.

So, let’s start doing it now.

"Okay... Calix, please take... a photo of me..."

Leslie wanted to preserve this moment of her being adorned by the crown braid through a photo. It would be the very first photo she took after fully transmigrated into Charlene’s body – her new identity.

"A good choice ah, dear customer! Come, let’s get you there."

Calix pushed Leslie’s wheelchair to a part of the spacious walk-in wardrobe. Holding the phone, he assumed a position in front of her while counting.

"Don’t forget to smile! Oh, yeah! You look good ah! Three! Two! One! Smile!"

Kacha.

When Leslie saw the photo taken by Calix, her smile softened. How beautiful she—Charlene—was despite being in a bad state like this.

This was it. Her first photo.

"Thank you... the braid really... looks good..."

"I’ll send this photo to your phone," Calix slipped his phone into the pocket of his pants while asking Leslie "Then, shall we head downstairs now? The pumpkin soup won’t come out of nowhere magically. It needs to be made."

"Hehe... okay... Let’s go now..."

Calix pushed Leslie out of the ensuite wardrobe, heading to the elevator. Standing behind her wheelchair, he couldn’t see what was her expression now.

An expression she suppressed when he was styling her hair earlier.

’Why did I... think of that time?’

Lowering her eyes, Leslie fiddled with the throw blanket covering her legs. She didn’t want to think about it but, a particular memory resurfaced when she realized which hairstyle Calix chose for her.

Back when Leslie had just started dating Axel, he also picked a crown braid the first time he styled her hair. He said the hairdo suited her the most.

The memory should be vague after so many years yet, Leslie was not sure why it abruptly came to her mind right there and then.

’Why... must I think of it now?’

Leslie couldn’t help but try to recall how many similarities Calix shared with Axel.

His fondness for strawberries and crocheting toys.

His love for cooking and challenging her to duel later.

His invitation to dance under the moonlight.

His choice when offering to style her hair.

In actuality, everything might seem normal to most people but... Leslie didn’t know why she thought of Axel during those moments.

Pondering about it unsettled her.

Leslie had already admitted how easy for her to fall in love with such a man like Calix. But, even if she eventually did, she didn’t want to be reminded of how alike he was to her first lover.

’Please... I don’t want to think of Calix... as a replacement...’

Closing her eyes, Leslie tried to push those disturbing thoughts away. Fear crept into her heart the more she pondered about them.

Just...

Why?