In fact, Li Dawei always had ruinous intentions.
He wanted to drag Qiao Nan down and take her position.
For that, Qiao Nan would never think that Li Dawei was someone worth cultivating. He was a bothersome employee that always wanted to challenge the impossible, and no employer would dig that. When the time came to get rid of him, no one would go easy.
“Mom.”
The children danced their way to Qiao Nan’s side.
Qiao Nan avoided them. “Do you guys know how hot the weather is? Are the summer school’s classes manageable?” The kids had completed elementary school, and their results didn’t disappoint. They could make it into the elite class in the top middle school directly.
Qiao Nan didn’t want to stress the kids out, but she wouldn’t mind if they had the capability to perform.
“Mom.” Da Bao was holding two bags; one belonged to him, and the other belonged to San Bao.
Er Bao swaggered over. “Mom, you have to educate your oldest son on his outdated mentality. We are living in a time of gender equality, but he still values girls over boys. This is unacceptable. You have to discipline him so that he won’t drag our family down.”
“…”
Er Bao’s skit made Qiao Nan speechless. “Is it that serious? All Da Bao did was carrying San Bao’s bag instead of yours. How did something like this elevate to a moral level?”
Others might confuse Da Bao as a gruesome criminal who deserved a bullet.
Qiao Nan knocked on Er Bao’s forehead. “I’ll let you off since we are home, but don’t say such things outside. What if others hear you and misunderstand Da Bao? Da Bao would have a hard time in school.”
“No way.” It didn’t hurt at all, but Er Bao yelled in pain anyway. He just wanted Qiao Nan to comfort him. “It’s obvious that we are joking around. How bored must they be to care about our family business? They should take the time to take care of their results.”
No matter what happened within their family, it stayed within the family. Why would anyone else want to make assumptions about them? Did they want to be part of the family as well? If that was the case, sorry, but they had no intention of accepting a new member.
“No way? What if it does happen? Just end the framing. If someone is talking behind Da Bao’s back, you would be the first to fight him. Sometimes I wonder if you are just finding an excuse to start a fight.”
If others started the fight, he would be in self-defense, which made him innocent. If he was the one to pick a fight, it wasn’t his fault because others shouldn’t be criticizing Da Bao.
Recalling Er Bao’s words from the past, Qiao Nan felt her head ringing. How should she deal with the drama king?
“Mom, let’s head home. It’s burning outside, and I need a drink.” The children would rarely drink sweetened beverages thanks to Qiao Nan’s education. They would always carry a water bottle around. There were dispensers in the classroom, but San Bao had emptied her bottle. So, she was in a rush to get refreshments.
The weather was heating up like a stove in August, and San Bao wondered if her cheeks were on fire.
As soon as she left the air-conditioned room, sweat ran down her skin. She felt every one of her pores expand as she was drenched in sweat in no time.
“Fine, let’s move.” Qiao Nan wiped the sweat off San Bao’s cheeks, and the cool air in the car calmed San Bao’s frustration. Da Bao poured some of his water into San Bao’s bottle. “Da Bao is the best! Thanks!” San Bao gulped.
“Da Bao, I’m thirsty, too!” Er Bao was not too happy about that. It was legitimate that Da Bao was biased toward San Bao. He would carry her bag and share his drink, but Er Bao was never part of the equation. “Da Bao, have you forgotten that you have a younger brother as well? You should take care of me, too.” Er Bao felt like he was losing his position as a younger sibling.
Da Bao glimpsed at Er Bao. “Fine, I’ll let you have the first sip when we get back.” God knows who filled San Bao’s cup in the classroom all the time was. Er Bao sure loved to act pitiful before their mom.
It wasn’t Da Bao’s choice to have such a comical brother. Who would have known that his mother would give birth to a triplet? If it weren’t for the one-child policy, his mom might have made him another bunch of brothers and sisters. If everyone were as lively as Er Bao… Da Bao suddenly learned to appreciate the government’s policymakers.
“Welcome back. It must be burning out there! Wash up. Grandma has prepared your drinks. Should we have a watermelon straight from the fridge?” Miao Jing couldn’t stop smiling when she saw the kids. Among the children in the neighborhood, her grandchildren looked the best.
San Bao cheered. “I’ll wash up first.”
“I’m next.” Er Bao hurried.
Da Bao took a deep breath as the cool air in the room refreshed his mind.
After the siblings finished washing up, Da Bao headed to the washroom. When he came back, Er Bao and San Bao already had watermelon juice all over their chubby cheeks.
