Chapter 53 - Never Ever Forever

As early as three o'clock in the morning, when everyone in the Ye mansion were asleep, a pair of beautiful ash coloured eyes had been opened and since one o'clock. Lee Ai had been having trouble sleeping fully on the big bed in her room. She did not want to worry her handsome daddy so she kept it to herself.

But this night was unbearable. She had a nightmare of the accident that transpired with her parents. Not being able to sleep, she slipped out of her bed with Teddy Rennie in her hands. Lee Ai in her teddy printed pijamas, messy hair and a little bit red ash eyes walked out of the room.

Everywhere was dark which scared her that she immediately entered her room and shut the door. With eyes shut tightly, she tightened her grip around the teddy bear and chanted, " Little Ai is not afraid of the dark. Little Ai has daddy and Teddy Ren. Little Ai is a big girl and big girls do not get scared of the dark."

With that said, she ran out of her room towards Ye Chaoxiang's room opposite hers. Although it was a little distance but Lee Ai felt like she was running to the house next door. She even thought she was being followed by ghosts. This thought made her shiver and knocked on Ye Chaoxiang's room door only to discover that it was not locked.

Lee Ai hurriedly pushed the door, entered the room and shut it so that no ghosts will follow her inside. After taking deep breaths, she ran to Ye Chaoxiang's bed, climbed in and shook the sleeping man who has his back facing her. "Daddy wake up. Daddy wake up, wake up, wake up. Ghosts are trying to take Little Ai away. You have to chase them," she said while shaking his shoulders with her little hands. Ye Chaoxiang groaned.

He had been having series of operations recently which made him overworked. The hospital granted him a month live from the hospital for his hardwork yesterday so he had intended to sleep like a log till this afternoon.

Now his little baby had come to disturb his sleep. He was felt like crying. Turning to face his daughter, Ye Chaoxiang opened his eyes and saw Lee Ai's scared expression on her face. He quickly sat up to inquire about her fear but was immediately shut by her tight hug. Something is really wrong here.

"My love what's wrong?" Ye Chaoxiang asked while patting her back tenderly. Lee Ai looked up to him with teary eyes. "I had a very very bad nightmare. I-I saw mummy and daddy *hiccup* inside a car an-and there was blood everywhere and fire and people shouting and-"

"Ssh ssh it's in the past now. I am here for you," Ye Chaoxiang coaxed. "But I'm scared. I don't want to have those dreams anymore. I can't sleep because of it. I keep hearing their screams when I was in my room. I don't want to stay there at all," Lee Ai said in between her sobs.

Lee Ai was very happy when Ye Chaoxiang took the decision to adopt her as his child. His family and friends thought it unwise to adopt a child at his young age. But his was determined to make the little kid his own regardless of their reasons.

"What if no woman decides to marry or date you because you are a father of a three year old kid with no mother and that too at such a young age? What of the woman that eventually married you treats the little one badly? You have to settle down and think things through before acting. After that, any decisions you make will have our full support," his father said.

"Ssh, it's alright. You don't have to be scared of anything when you have me now. No more crying," he said coaxed. Seeing as she was still sobbing, he reprimanded her. "What did I tell you about crying?"

Lee Ai wiped her tears with her little hands, trying to stop her tears. "Crying will make my eyes red and swollen and heavy and gives a headache," she stated everything Ye Chaoxiang had lectured her against crying. "And what did I say big babies don't do?" He asked again.

"Big babies don't cry or get scared because they have their heroes around them," she answered again.

"And...?"

"And... and we should face our fears. But I don't wanna go back to that room," Lee Ai said the last part in an almost whisper. With her head down, hands fondling with the ear of teddy Rennie and cute lips shape into an adorable sad pout, she prayed silently to God to make her daddy allow her to stay with him in his room.

As if Ye Chaoxiang received got the order from God, he sighed and adjusted her in a comfortable sleeping position on the bed. He covered both of them with the thick blanket and hugged his little baby. "Sometimes it is good to fear because it kinds of give us a feeling of awareness and alertness. But it is still good to rely on people you love and they love you too, okay?" Ye Chaoxiang started his lectures again.

"I know that because you said nobody is an island and we need people's support just like others need our support," Lee Ai said. She never complained about Ye Chaoxiang's lectures because she learns alot from it. "Daddy, I don't want you to leave me alone. You will always be there, right?" Understanding where her question was coming from, Ye Chaoxiang placed a light kiss on her forehead. "That's right. I will always be there and same goes for your papa, mama, sunflower and everyone else. No one is leaving anyone. You will never be alone," he assured her.

"Never ever forever?" Lee Ai asked.

"Hmm, never ever forever. Now sleep.. Daddy has been working so hard and needs to rest a little longer."