“Alright, alright, alright. I can’t beat you guys.” Looking at the adult and child who were standing on the same side and were against her, she rolled her eyes at them in resignation. At the same time, she reminded her son, “Joy, there would be a lot of good food at the banquet. But, the banquet is at someone else’s home. It is different from ours. If you want to eat the food, let me know. I’ll take it for you. If not, the others would say that you’re being rude.”
“Okay, okay.” Although Joy did not quite understand Zhao Youlin’s words, he nodded and responded to her obediently.
Zhao Youlin smiled as she caressed her head. Joy looked down and ate a few mouthfuls of rice before he abruptly looked up and turned his head around to face her.
“What’s the matter again?”
“Mommy, you mentioned that tomorrow you would bring me to the outlet. Grandma has heard this too. You couldn’t break your promise.” Joy reminded Zhao Youlin cautiously. He was afraid that Zhao Youlin would break her promise.
Zhao Youlin touched her forehead helplessly. “I know. I wouldn’t go back on my word.”
“Okay, okay.”
The other members around the dining table were eating while watching the mother-son pair interacting with each other harmoniously. They locked gazes with one another in tacit understanding. Their gazes carried hints of warm smiles.
Children were easily tempted by good food. The next morning, Joy woke up unusually early. After he finished washing up and had his breakfast, he dragged Zhao Youlin to go out.
Restaurants normally opened for business early. As such, by the time Zhao Youlin and her son arrived, the outlet was already opened. The first batch of pastries were all out of the oven.
Ever since Joy attended kindergarten, he seldom came to the outlet. He entered through the door and easily became the subject of attention, and was most sought after by the group of young girls and boys.
“Aww… Joy, you finally came! I miss you so much. Come, let me hug you. Kiss…”
“Children’s skin is good. They are so smooth to touch and so soft to pinch.” A young man, who was standing on the side, came over and joined the crowd after hearing the commotion. When he saw Joy’s small round face, he could not help but stretch out his hand and pinched him. He lamented this after pinching him.
“Pervert, get lost! Don’t bully our cute little Joy. If you scare him, his mother would give her all to fight you!” Shuangshuang was holding Joy tightly and she shrugged off the young man’s hand who was messing with Joy’s face without hesitation, while shouting at him in a high-pitched voice.
Right after Shuangshuang spoke, the other young ladies, who were teasing Joy, immediately lended out their helping hands.
Joy’s face started reddening as a result of being bullied. His miserable small face and tears weling up in his eyes, made him look very pitiful. The group of young ladies bared their fangs like never before.
“Indeed. How could you even do that when Joy is such a cute kid?! Look, there are red marks on his small face!”
“That’s right! Wei Yizhi, how dare you! How could you bully a small child?! Why didn’t I realize you were actually such a scum?!”
“As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover! You are so cruel to a kid, much less to the others! Wei Yizhi, you really have let me down!”
Shuangshuang, “A wolf under a sheep’s skin!”
Wenli: “A hypocrite!”
Xinyi: “A pervert!”
The person who was called a wolf under a sheep’s skin and became the subject of an attack fell speechless.
Xiao Wei was the same young man who was busy with final examinations, thus he had been absent the last time. He was forced to retreat under the young ladies’ bombarding scoldings.
He widened his eyes and looked incredulously at the young ladies who usually had ladylike behaviors. Within an instant, they had transformed into she-devils. He tearfully defended himself, “I-I-I… I didn’t use force…”
“You didn’t use force?! If you didn’t, how did you leave behind your finger marks on Joy’s face? Do you know that a kid’s skin is very soft and tender?! A little force and it could cause unbearable damage to them!”
“That’s right! Joy is so cute. He must be a very handsome guy when he grows up. You pinched his face until it turned red. What happens if it’s disfigured?! Can you afford to bear the consequences?!”
“Exactly! Look at your crooked, ill-fated face! You certainly are no match to our cutesy Joy. You must have been jealous of Joy for looking cuter and more handsome than you, that’s why you committed to such a heartless deed! Wei Yizhi, you are scum!”
Wei Yizhi felt like he had been dragged into a trap out of nowhere even though he was innocent. He had only pinched the child’s face out of curiosity. Moreover, he had not exerted much force on it. How could he be so miserable and even turned out to be a public enemy? Although he was not so handsome to the point that even gods would be jealous of him, he was decent-looking and had nothing like a crooked face at all!
Xiao Wei, who had been wrongfully accused, parted his lips. As he was about to defend himself, the young ladies heard a grunt. They turned their heads around, looked in the direction of the sound and saw Joy’s flattened belly.
Joy’s small face turned red. He wrapped his hands around his neck tightly and said embarrassedly, “Sister, I am hungry…”
Joy did not address anyone specifically. The young ladies were so narcissistic that they thought he was calling them. They immediately shifted their attention from Xiao Wei and cried out in excitement, “Joy, are you hungry? Sister An Yue and Sister An Qi have just baked some cupcakes and they are freshly out of the oven. They are still very warm. Do you want them?”
“Yes, yes!”
“And freshly made yogurt! Cold and refreshing.”
“Yes, I want it! I want it!”
“Alright, alright, alright. We would take you to eat now.”
The group of young ladies came and left in a flurry of motion, leaving behind Xiao Wei, who could not speak out his unspeakable bitterness. He watched their silhouettes in a daze and was incredibly depressed.
A few young men who were standing at the side patted his shoulders and comforted him, “Don’t take it to heart. Women are their own species. Once they find a new love, they forget about their old flames. Hahaha!”
Xiao Wei wondered who he had offended.
Meanwhile, Zhao Youlin was standing at the side and quietly watching the adults making a fuss and playing around. A faint smile arched across her lips. When the ladies carried Joy inside, she raised her voice and shouted, “Don’t let Joy eat too much sweet stuff. Otherwise, his teeth would grow cavities!”
“Noted, Boss!”
Upon hearing Zhao Youlin’s words, the young ladies responded to her in unison. Zhao Youlin shook her head helplessly. She knew that although the lasses had promised her, once they saw Joy stared at the cakes pitifully, they certainly could not help but stuff all the good food into his mouth.
When her precious son was taken away, Zhao Youlin shifted her attention to the man who was sitting in a corner.
The man seemed to have sensed that someone was casting a probing glance at him. He looked up at Zhao Youlin. He rose up and walked toward her.
“Ms. Zhao, I have something to discuss with you. Shall we talk somewhere else?” Han Yichen stood in front of Zhao Youlin. Although he was seeking advice, he did not sound humble.
Zhao Youlin was stunned. The next moment, she smiled faintly. She never thought that before she found him, this person had already offered himself.
“Okay, let’s chat in the lounge.”
