Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Qi Youxuan rolled his eyes. Why must they run into their enemies so often?
He stared dejectedly at the pile of mushy banana on the floor.
Before the little boy could say a word, Chang Jianan was pointing at his box of takoyaki also splattered on the floor. Chang Jianan cried, “Give me back my takoyaki!”
The little boy scrunched his brows. He took a step back, wanting to stay further away from Chang Jianan.
Ruan Zeer was also holding on to the little boy’s shoulders cautiously, protecting him. Qi Youxuan rebuked, “What are you crying about? You’re the one that bumped into me on purpose, yet you’re the one crying? You brought this on yourself. You even made me drop my deep-fried banana and you won’t even apologize. There are so many people here—don’t you feel ashamed?”
Chang Jianan pointed at Qi Youxuan and wailed, “No, you’re the one who bumped into me! Qi Youxuan, what did I ever do to you? Why do you always attack me? I was forced to transfer schools because of you! How could you be so evil?”
Just then, Chang Jingqiu hurried over with Grandmother Chang. Chang Jingqiu saw Qi Youxuan first—her gaze then fell onto Ruan Zeer, but she did not know who he was.
Immediately, Chang Jingqiu comforted Chang Jianan as if nothing happened.
Grandmother Chang’s eyebrows knitted tightly together. “You two again? Why are you running around without adult supervision and causing trouble again?!”
“Old Madam, don’t blame us without knowing the whole situation first,” Ruan Zeer reproached, not allowing Qi Youxuan to take the stand.
Although Ruan Zeer was only eighteen, he was still Qi Youxuan’s uncle—when it was just the two of them, he had to protect Qi Youxuan.
“How’s this a false accusation? Can’t you see my grandson is crying? And you’re still holding a grilled squid skewer!” Grandmother Chang shrieked. Her ear-piercing voice made Qi Youxuan and Ruan Zeer frown instantly.
“It’s your grandson that bumped into Youxuan, not the other way around. There are so many witnesses here. If you want to lie, at least come up with something believable,” Ruan Zeer criticized before continuing, “Youxuan’s the victim. He didn’t do anything wrong. Your grandson, on the other hand, is already bawling his eyes out! He’s the one in the wrong yet he tries to frame Youxuan? How ill-bred!”
“Grandma, don’t stoop down to their level. Just think about who this child’s mother is—a disgraceful woman who thinks her status is so high up just because she found her family. Even so, some things are carved in the bones—just because her status changed, there are some things she can never change,” condemned Chang Jingqiu. She glanced at Qi Youxuan disdainfully as if she loathed the blood in his veins.
Chang Jingqiu could not think of a way to get rid of this problem in one fell swoop yet, so she could only try to ruin Grandmother Chang’s image of Ruan Danchen whenever she had the chance.
As long as Grandmother Chang’s hatred toward her continued to grow, it would reach a point where she would be disgusted just by the sight of her. She wanted Grandmother Ruan to despise her to a point of no return so that even if the truth came out, Grandmother Ruan could not forgive Ruan Danchen, despite the years of love and care she owed her.
Ruan Zeer glared at Chang Jingqiu furiously. He longed to retaliate with words just as hurtful as hers, but he was afraid that she might do something horrible to Ruan Danchen because of that, so he held it in and kept quiet.
Maintaining his composure, Ruan Zeer subtly squeezed Qi Youxuan’s shoulders. Instantly, Qi Youxuan knew that was his cue. His eyes immediately turned red and tears pitter-pattered onto the floor. However, the way he cried was different from Chang Jianan’s wailing.
Qi Youxuan cried in a half-suppressed manner, making him look a thousand times more pitiable than Chang Jianan.
Besides, it was true that there were many witnesses during the incident. Chang Jianan was the one who walked into them—the pretty boy and the chubby child did nothing wrong.
Ruan Zeer held back his emotions and faced them collectedly. His lips curled up into a mocking smirk. “Old Madam, you can’t be bullying us kids just because you’re an elder, right? Youxuan is only seven, yet every time you see him, you scold him and hurl insults at his mother. You always talk about how horrible his upbringing is, but what I want to know is where your manners are. I truly wonder who’s the ill-bred one here. Today, I came out with Youxuan without an adult with us. I’m merely a high schooler—I may not be able to protect Youxuan, but I will still do my best and not let him be bullied by the likes of you. You only dare to attack us because you think we’re just kids who don’t have adults to save them, right?”
The pretty boy spoke calmly and composedly, yet something about his tone made him sound awfully pitiable.
Moreover, everyone favored pretty boys like Ruan Zeer—especially ladies. On the other hand, bitter old women like Grandmother Chang were usually shunned, especially when they bullied pretty boys and little children.
Coincidentally, there were plenty of ladies on the street that day. All of them despised beautiful but rude women like Chang Jingqiu. Moreover, everyone saw what happened, so no one would tolerate Grandmother Chang’s false accusations.
Instantly, words of condemnation rained on them.
Ruan Zeer’s eyes shone with gratitude, making the strangers feel gleeful and accomplished. When they gazed into Ruan Zeer and Qi Youxuan’s eyes, their hearts melted.
Ruan Zeer picked Qi Youxuan up and walked right past Chang Jingqiu.
The little boy was still holding his grilled squid skewer. His large, clear eyes stared straight at Chang Jingqiu.
Only after Qi Youxuan lost sight of them did the little boy grunt, “I don’t want to let her live this lie anymore! Why should she live a good life in the Chang family?”
Ruan Zeer put Qi Youxuan down. Seeing the little boy’s dull and displeased expression, Ruan Zeer frowned.
“Uncle, I don’t want her to have a good life anymore,” declared the little boy, grasping firmly onto Ruan Zeer’s hand.
“Are you sure?” Ruan Zeer squatted down to the little boy’s eye-level and scrunched his brows together.
The little boy nodded aggressively. “Yes, I’m sure! Let’s think of a way to make Granduncle suspect her!”
Ruan Zeer scanned their surroundings and pulled the little boy to a corner. He wanted to advise Qi Youxuan against it but he was afraid that if he was not on board, Qi Youxuan would start scheming behind their backs. He had to keep a close eye on this boy.
“But Sister doesn’t want to go back,” Ruan Zeer pointed out, “Not for now at least. It’s not good to keep this from her.”
The little boy pouted. “We only need to let Granduncle know Chang Jingqiu is a fake—he doesn’t need to know about Mommy!”
Ruan Zeer rubbed his chin and pondered upon it for a long time. “That may be possible. Moreover, we can use this as a chance to find out Granduncle’s attitude toward all this.”
Hearing that, Qi Youxuan’s large eyes sparkled like stars. He stared at Ruan Zeer quietly and expectantly.
In truth, Ruan Zeer was also contemplating whether Chang Jingqiu already knew about this—otherwise, why would she pester Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan so much?
Even during the incident just now, Grandmother Chang was already losing the argument and had nothing left to say. Things could have ended there and they would each be going their separate ways. Nevertheless, Chang Jingqiu had to interject and drag Ruan Danchen into it. Although on the surface it seemed like she was advising Grandmother Chang to back down, Ruan Zeer doubted that that was her true intention.
When Ruan Zeer gave it more thought, he realized that Chang Jingqiu’s intentions must have been to tarnish Ruan Danchen’s name and make Grandmother Chang hate her to the bone.
“That’s right, we don’t have to be so straight forward. If we subtly arouse Granduncle’s suspicion, he will look into it himself—we won’t have anything to do with it then.” The little one nodded his head vigorously. He took a bite out of his grilled squid and chewed it delightedly. He even got sauce all over the corners of his mouth. “Yum, this is so chewy.”
Ruan Zeer thought hard about it. He truly could not stand Grandmother Chang and Chang Jinqiu anymore. Thus, he nodded in agreement. Nonetheless, he warned, “Listen up, no matter what we do, we must discuss it with each other before taking action. No one can act on their own accord. If any of us disagrees with the plan, we’re not doing it.”
“Of course.” The little boy nodded. “Your nephew’s a good boy.”
Ruan Zeer’s lips twitched as he glared at his ‘obedient’ nephew. Just a moment ago, that boy was plotting revenge, yet now he was acting cute to gain Ruan Zeer’s favor.
Even though Qi Youxuan was his nephew, he could not deny that this nephew was devilishly skilled at manipulating others.
…
Over at the Ruan family’s home, Ruan Keshan was frowning as he revealed, “A few days ago, I went to see Liu Ronghua to find out if she lied to us, but she was not home. I asked the security guards there and they told me that they have not seen Liu Ronghua for a long time, or they simply did not notice her return. Moreover, when I called her home phone, no one picked up. I’ve been there several times now but it was all for naught. Do you think that she knows about us finding out the truth and is avoiding us because of that?”
Qi Chenglin grumbled and added, “I’ve hired someone to look for her too, but they came back empty-handed as well. It seems like the security guards are right—she might not have returned for a long time.”
Qi Chenglin’s brows knitted tightly together. He was not one to believe in coincidences, so it was only natural for him to be suspicious.
“I’ll make them conduct a thorough search. We’ll find her no matter what. Whether she ran off by herself or was forced to vanish, there must be a reason,” Qi Chenglin surmised.
“We must have our revenge when we find her!” declared Ruan Keshan furiously.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Chen Minxia opened the door. It was Ruan Zeer along with Qi Youxuan.
Before they went upstairs, Ruan Zeer conducted a thorough check on Qi Youxuan. Only when Ruan Zeer ensured that Qi Youxuan had no more squid sauce and gravy on his face did the two of them head upstairs.
Despite that, Qi Youxuan felt guilty for eating meat so the plump child kept his lips sealed the entire time. Even when he was greeting the adults, he put on a shameful expression and smiled without showing his teeth. When he spoke, his lips only parted slightly and his voice was soft and sheepish, making him look exceedingly adorable.
Grandfather Ruan was completely bought over by cuteness. He beckoned his little great-grandson over and pulled him into his embrace, cuddling him lovingly.
“Ah, our little Youxuan is so adorable,” praised Grandfather Ruan as he grinned ear-to-ear. He poked the little one’s chubby cheeks—it felt as if he was poking a ball of mochi.
As his finger sank into his fair, chubby cheeks, it was immediately bounced back out. They were oddly fun to play with.
Grandfather Ruan was completely entranced by his elastic cheeks. The little boy, on the other hand, was growing slightly annoyed. Thus, he ran to Grandmother Ruan.
Qi Chenglin, who was seated beside Grandmother Ruan, asked abruptly, “What did you eat?”
“Nothing!” The little one widened his eyes and quickly buried his face against Grandmother Ruan’s embrace.
Qi Chenglin tutted, “You’ve got cumin stuck between your teeth.”
Shocked, the little boy covered his mouth instantly. He ran his tongue all over his teeth but could not feel anything stuck anywhere. He even showed his teeth to Grandmother Ruan. “Great-grandma, are my teeth clean?”
“It was clean from the start,” Grandmother Ruan spilled. She did not have the heart to lie to the young and naive little boy.
Qi Youxuan loved eating barbequed food. If he were to eat anything behind their backs, it would, with no doubt, be his first choice. Even if his teeth were clean, Qi Chenglin could easily see through him.
The little boy twitched when he realized he had been duped. With a vexed expression, he turned to Qi Chenglin. “Dad, how could you lie to your own son!”
He turned away and dived back into Grandmother Ruan’s embrace. Sniffling, he whimpered, “Great-grandma, these are the kind of horrible things Xuanxuan has to endure every day! Great-grandma, you have to stand up for me! I only had a grilled squid skewer today. My deep-fried banana was knocked over by someone on purpose.”
With tears rolling down, the little boy complained about Grandmother Chang, Chang Jingqiu and Cheng Jianan’s condemnable actions.
Grandmother Ruan had long known about the situation in the Chang family. She was furious to hear the little boy’s complaint and yearned to march right up to the unreasonable Grandmother Chang and give her a piece of her mind.
“There had always been rumors about Grandmother Chang’s absurdity, but I didn’t know she could be so outrageous! If I have the chance, I’d like to meet her face-to-face one day. No wonder she didn’t accept Keyu back then! If I had known about her family’s senseless personalities, I would never have agreed, even if they eloped! Who does she think she is? They’re always complaining about others, yet they’re blind to their own flaws. They even pointed their fingers at a child and denounced his mother. How vile!” Grandmother Ruan’s entire body was trembling with rage.
Chan Minxia quickly went to calm Grandmother Ruan. The little boy, still deep in her embrace, was also coaxing her. “That’s why I love Great-grandma Ruan and Great-grandma Qi the most. I don’t like her at all! I’ll never call her Great-grandma—that would be a horrible insult to you!”
Hearing that, Grandmother Ruan’s anger vanished instantly. With a newly brightened mood, she hugged the little boy tight and showered him with praise.
“Great-grandma, Xuanxuan’s heart is filled with so many grievances!” cried the little one.
“Oh, my baby, you’ve been wronged. Don’t worry, Great-grandma will pamper you!” Grandmother Ruan pulled him into her tight embrace swiftly. She felt his weight crushing her thighs, yet she did not want to let go.
The little boy wiggled his fleshy butt and pulled Grandmother Ruan’s hand to his chest. “Great-grandma, Xuanxuan was treated unjustly today. He’s hurting right here. Tonight… Can you make up for it for your adorable little great-grandson? Please, Great-grandma, your great-grandson’s soul has been deeply wounded!”
“…” Ruan Danchen’s lips twitched as she watched her child try to manipulate Grandmother Ruan by acting cute and pitiable. She turned away, utterly speechless.
“Of course! Tonight, I’ll let you have braised pork trotters for dinner!” At that point, Grandmother Ruan was sure to give Qi Youxuan whatever he wanted.
Finally, Qi Youxuan gathered up his courage and turned to Qi Chenglin. His father was staring at him with a chilling smile. The chubby boy quickly turned away and buried himself back into Grandmother Ruan’s arms. No matter what dreadful fate was awaiting him, his priority was to fill his tummy first. Otherwise, where would he find the energy to deal with it?
…
The next Sunday, Qi Chenglin had to entertain a client, so he would be late to arrive at the Ruan family’s home. Thus, Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan went ahead without him.
When Ruan Zeer found out that the painfully troublesome Qi Chenglin was not here, he rejoiced and thanked the Gods. As expected, the little one joined in with his celebration.
The two boys exchanged glances and while no one was watching and swiftly slipped into the bedroom meant for Ruan Keshan.
Ruan Zeer shut the door. The two of them pressed their foreheads together as they squatted at the innermost corner of the room. Both the elder and the younger boy moved extremely suspiciously. Even Ruan Zeer’s pretty face could not distract anyone from their fishy behavior.
Although the door was closed, Ruan Zeer still lowered his voice cautiously. He whispered, “I have intel that your granduncle is entertaining a guest in Shengyue this afternoon. All we have to do is stakeout at the front door.”
Qi Youxuan’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. He grabbed onto Ruan Zeer’s arm with his chubby little hands. “Uncle, you’re amazing!”
Hearing his nephew sing praises about him, the pretty boy’s face lit up brightly. He cleared his throat and straightened his back subconsciously. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be fit to be your uncle. It’s only natural for an uncle to be worshiped by his nephew.”
As he said that, the pretty boy lifted his chin proudly. He felt more triumph than when he got first place in his exams.
“Uncle, uncle, how did you find out about my granduncle entertaining a guest today?” inquired Qi Youxuan excitedly.
Ruan Zeer straightened his back even more. “I have a junior who has a crush on one of my bros. Her sister is your granduncle’s secretary. I told her I’ll put in a good word to my friend in exchange for your granduncle’s schedule.”
“Uncle…” The little boy gave Ruan Zeer a thumbs up. “You’re an awesome teammate!”
“…” Ruan Zeer was speechless.
“Come on, let’s get going.” Ruan Zeer stood up with a bland expression. He pulled the little boy to his feet too. “Otherwise we might miss our chance.”
Hearing that, the little boy followed Ruan Zeer to the door hastily. Unexpectedly, the moment they opened the door, they were met with Grandfather Ruan’s eerie grin.
“Hehehehe.” Grandfather Ruan might not know what was going on, yet he still grinned ear-to-ear with an expression cunning as a fox. “What were you discussing in there? You two sure are close. Hehehehehe.”
Grandfather Ruan’s sinister laugh made the two boys feel immensely guilty. Ruan Zeer quickly ran to Ruan Danchen to tell her he is bringing the little boy out to play. However, he could still feel Grandfather Ruan’s stare penetrating his skull. It made his hair stand.
Finally, the two boys rushed out of the house in a haste. They called a taxi and headed for Shengyue.
“Uncle, are we just going to wait at the front door? Isn’t that a little too suspicious?” The little one also thought that they would have too many targets to pay attention to if they staked out at the front door.
“Of course not!” Ruan Zeer took Qi Youxuan’s hand with one hand and patted his pocket with the other. “Uncle has money. This afternoon, I’ll treat you to a scrumptious feast!”
Hearing the word ‘feast’, the little boy pounced straight onto Ruan Zeer with his eyes sparkling like stars. Lifting his adorable little face, he sang, “Uncle, you are the light of my life! In your nephew’s eyes, you are the shiniest pearl in the sea. You are the most beautiful cloud in the sky! You are the one that your nephew worships! When I grow up, I will surely repay you! Whatever you want to eat, your nephew will buy for you. Even if it’s the hardest restaurant in the world to make a reservation at; even if I have to stay on the waiting list for a year, your nephew will definitely get you a table! When you grow old, I will surely take good care of you!”
“…” Ruan Zeer was completely speechless.
The pretty boy’s eyes twitched. His feet itched as he yearned to kick this nephew of his away.
Nonetheless, the chubby child still held onto his legs like a koala. His round stomach and chest were stuck firmly onto Ruan Zeer and his ample buttocks were raised up high—his manner was extremely comical.
Suddenly, they heard a loud snicker. Ruan Zeer was too embarrassed to find out the source of the snigger. With a flushed face, he turned to the sky, pretending that he did not know Qi Youxuan.
Ruan Zeer’s lips twitched. His lips moved gently and he spoke without opening his mouth—like a puppeteer. “Umm, my dear nephew… Please let go of your uncle first. Otherwise, how can Uncle bring you into the restaurant for a feast?”
