“You’re a bad mommy, hmph!” Lu Zhishen stood with hands on hips, cheeks puffed out as he glared. “I’ll never speak nicely to you again!”
Lu Zhishen turned away stubbornly, then teared up and looked toward Yu Qianran for comfort.
Yu Qianran opened his mouth, unsure how to console him, and softly called out, “Shenshen.”
“Ranran is good.” Without another word, Lu Zhishen hugged Yu Qianran.
Ji Nuan twitched her lips. She didn’t even need to guess at Lu Zhishen’s little schemes, they were crystal clear from her vantage point. How had she never noticed the little tyrant had such acting talent?
Gu Kexin’s beautiful eyes held a smile as she invited, “Let’s eat together.”
Ji Nuan hadn’t wanted to trouble Gu Kexin, but her son was already pulling Yu Qianran inside. She offered a polite smile and said courteously, “Thank you for the trouble.”
Hearing the commotion behind him, Lu Zhishen revealed a triumphant grin.
Yu Qianran blinked, but Lu Zhishen stopped him with a “shh” gesture.
Lu Zhishen muttered, “Ranran, I want to spend more time with you.”
Yu Qianran nodded. “Mm.”
The elegant crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, making the dining table appear even more gentle. The silverware and exquisite dishes shimmered under the light.
Yu Qianran sat with Gu Kexin on his left and Lu Zhishen on his right. Diagonally across from him on either side sat Yu Zeyan and Ji Nuan.
He kept his head down, focused on his own meal, when suddenly a piece of fish appeared from his left. Before he could pick it up, a pair of chopsticks holding a chicken wing arrived from his right…
At the table, two adults and one child were piling food into his bowl. He blinked, watching as the mountain of food in his bowl grew taller and taller.
Yu Qianran tilted his head in thought, then protested, “That’s enough. Ranran can’t eat this much.”
All three simultaneously withdrew their chopsticks.
Yu Qianran’s clear eyes swept over them thoughtfully. He picked up his chopsticks with his right hand and began serving food from the nearest dishes into each of their bowls, one by one.
He glanced at Ji Nuan, who only had plain rice in her bowl, bit his lip, mustered his courage, and placed a piece of meat into her bowl as well.
Yu Qianran nervously met Ji Nuan’s gaze, his small hand still hovering in place.
“Thank you, Ranran.”
He heard Aunt Ji Nuan’s gentle voice and saw her lovely smile!
Maybe she wasn’t so scary after all.
The consequence of this gesture was that the pile in his own bowl grew even taller.
Yu Qianran: “…”
He really couldn’t eat this much!
Lu Zhishen leaned close to Yu Qianran and whispered, “Ranran, if you can’t finish, you can give it to me.”
“Really?” Yu Qianran hesitated. “Can you eat all that?”
Lu Zhishen said proudly, “Of course!”
Yu Qianran scrutinized Lu Zhishen’s resolute expression, then nodded and began transferring the food he couldn’t finish from his bowl to Lu Zhishen’s.
He stopped when the two bowls were about the same height, his eyes sparkling as he smiled in relief. “Okay, Shenshen is helping me eat so much.”
Lu Zhishen grinned broadly and foolishly. “Yeah, yeah, leave it all to me.”
The two children worked hard to finish the food in their bowls and refused any further offerings from the adults.
The three adults, isolated by the children: “…”
…
After dinner, Ji Nuan had no intention of staying long. She took Lu Zhishen’s hand to say goodbye.
Yu Qianran waited until Lu Zhishen was out of sight before closing the door. When he turned back, he found his parents sitting on the sofa, watching him.
He looked at them curiously. “What’s wrong?”
Gu Kexin and Yu Zeyan replied in unison, “Nothing.”
Yu Qianran blinked. Adults were so strange.
He would never be a strange adult when he grew up.
On the other end, Lu Zhishen had just returned home and couldn’t wait to tell Ji Nuan about transferring schools.
“No way,” Ji Nuan firmly refused.
Lu Zhishen pouted, “Why? I have to go to kindergarten half an hour earlier than Ranran every day and come home half an hour later.”
Ji Nuan crossed her arms and leaned lazily against the sofa. “You could move back to the city center.”
Lu Zhishen retorted anxiously, “No, then I wouldn’t be able to play with Ranran.”
Ji Nuan didn’t take Lu Zhishen’s words seriously at all, thinking he was just fooling around. “Lu Zhishen, I won’t agree without a proper reason.”
“Mom, I just want to go to school with Ranran,” Lu Zhishen walked up to Ji Nuan, looking serious. “I think that’s a proper reason.”
“Doesn’t count,” Ji Nuan dismissed it. “This time you like Ranran, so you want to transfer schools. What about next time? If you like another friend, will you want to transfer again?”
“I won’t, I’ll only like Ranran,” Lu Zhishen said firmly. “Mom, please agree. I promise I’ll listen carefully in class from now on, okay?”
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with hope.
He didn’t have any other bargaining chips to make his mom agree, this was the absolute best he could offer.
Ji Nuan fell silent.
She lowered her gaze and carefully observed her son. He seemed to have improved a lot compared to before, even knowing to lower his head and offer a trade.
She finally relented, “Alright, but you have to promise one more thing, you have to behave and not cause any trouble.”
Compared to Lu Zhishen’s dislike for studying, she was more troubled by the calls from teachers saying Lu Zhishen had argued or fought with someone again.
Lu Zhishen’s eyes lit up, and he said cheerfully, “Thank you, Mom. I love you the most.”
“Can I go to school with Ranran tomorrow?”
Ji Nuan: “…”
Even the fastest process couldn’t have someone handle the transfer after work hours.
She rubbed her temples. “No, the day after tomorrow.”
Lu Zhishen was a little disappointed but quickly replaced it with happiness.
In a good mood, he stayed with Ji Nuan until she shooed him away.
The next day.
During outdoor playtime at the kindergarten, Yu Qianran sat alone on a swing, gently swaying. His calm gaze swept over the group of children playing together before looking away.
He wasn’t jealous at all.
Shenshen said he could go to school with him tomorrow, and then he’d have a friend to play with too.
Yu Qianran’s legs weren’t long enough to reach the ground properly, so he could only touch the ground with his toes, using a little force to swing higher and longer.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over him, accompanied by an annoying voice, “Hey, haven’t you made up your mind yet?”
Yu Qianran sighed inwardly and looked up at Xiao Hu, who stood with his hands on his hips, looking arrogant.
He said seriously, word by word, “I don’t want to play with you.”
Xiao Hu glared angrily, “You really don’t know what’s good for you… I’ve given you so many chances. No one else gets this kind of treatment.”
Yu Qianran stayed silent.
He turned his head away.
“Yu Qianran, you’re really awful,” Xiao Hu’s eyes blazed with anger. “Why won’t you play with me? Do you look down on me?”
As he spoke, Xiao Hu stepped forward to grab Yu Qianran’s arm, trying to force him to play.
Yu Qianran, still sitting on the swing, swayed and couldn’t dodge Xiao Hu’s hand in time. He stumbled off the swing.
“Get away!” he said, his face pale, a flicker of panic in his eyes as he glared.
Xiao Hu remained stubborn and domineering. “No, I want you to play with me.”
Yu Qianran tried to pry open Xiao Hu’s chubby hand with one hand while using his legs to resist the force pulling him.
The soles of his shoes scraped against the plastic grass, emitting a sharp “squeaking” noise, leaving two white streaks behind the heels.
“I’m going to tell the teacher you’re bullying me,” Yu Qianran glared fiercely, threatening.
Xiao Hu paid no mind, tugging forcefully, “I’m not afraid of the teacher.”
Yu Qianran’s delicate face was tense, his brows furrowed with worry.
What should Ranran do?
He couldn’t beat Xiao Hu, Xiao Hu was stronger and more powerful. The other kids were all on Xiao Hu’s side, so he couldn’t ask them to fetch the teacher either.
Yu Qianran’s mind raced as his eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to spot a child from another class who could help.
If only Xiao Hu would let go…
Yu Qianran sighed, but that was impossible.
Wait, Yu Qianran’s eyes lit up. Xiao Hu couldn’t let go, but he could.
“Ah!”
“Thud!”
“Ouch, it hurts! Waaah!!”
Xiao Hu’s wails echoed across the playground, drawing the attention of all the children, as well as the teacher who hadn’t noticed the commotion earlier.
Yu Qianran’s lips were pale, his breathing ragged. A layer of mist gathered in his amber eyes as he lay on top of Xiao Hu, his arms scraped raw from friction with the grass.
The teacher rushed over, horrified, “Oh my goodness, get up quickly!”
She hastily helped Yu Qianran to his feet, then picked up Xiao Hu without even asking questions, carrying both children to the infirmary to treat their wounds.
In the infirmary, which took only five or six minutes to reach, the teacher urgently roused the resting doctor, asking her to tend to the children’s injuries.
“Are these two kids alright?” the teacher asked anxiously, watching as the doctor examined each child’s wounds.
The doctor calmly disinfected and applied ointment to Xiao Hu’s scrapes, “Just some superficial injuries.”
Yu Qianran lowered his gaze, staring at the wound on his arm, gently biting his lower lip.
It looks so ugly. Will Ranran have a scar? Mom and Dad will be sad… Shenshen…
The little boy sighed softly, his pale face making him appear even more pitiful.
“Alright, don’t touch the wound for now,” the doctor said to Xiao Hu before turning to Yu Qianran. “Your turn, little one. Show me your hand.”
Yu Qianran obediently complied.
The cold sensation of the disinfectant and the slight sting of the medicine made him instinctively want to pull his hand back, but the doctor held it firmly, leaving him no choice.
Only after both arms were coated with the cool ointment was he able to retrieve his hands.
While the wounds were being treated, the teacher had asked a colleague to watch over the other children. Now, she crouched down, her expression serious. “Tell me, how did you two fall?”
Xiao Hu spoke first, placing all the blame on Yu Qianran. “It’s Yu Qianran’s fault. It’s all because of him.”
Yu Qianran widened his eyes in disbelief, retorting, “It wasn’t me. You were the one pulling me.”
“It was you! Why did you suddenly fall over? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen, and I wouldn’t have been pinned underneath you,” Xiao Hu said through gritted teeth. “My back hurts so much now, and it’s all your fault.”
Yu Qianran had never encountered such a shameless child before, clearly, Xiao Hu had started it, yet he was blaming him for not cooperating!
He replied calmly, “You pulled me first. I lost my balance because of your tugging. If anyone’s to blame for the fall, it’s you.”
“Stop, stop, stop. Xiao Hu, you go first,” the teacher said sternly, fixing her gaze on him. “No lying. There are cameras.”
Her last sentence served as a warning to both children.
“I wanted Yu Qianran to play with me, but he wasn’t willing, so I went to pull him. But it was definitely Yu Qianran who deliberately fell over!!!” Xiao Hu was agitated, glaring angrily at Yu Qianran. “He was struggling with me, he must have done it on purpose! I’m not lying!”
“Teacher understands. Try to calm down a bit.” The teacher’s voice softened slightly as she sighed and looked at Yu Qianran.
Instead of explaining, Yu Qianran asked, “Teacher, can the surveillance cameras record sound?”
The teacher paused, then considered that the outdoor area was quite large and replied uncertainly, “They can, but I’m not sure if it actually picked up the sound.”
Yu Qianran curved his eyes into a gentle smile and said softly, “Teacher, let’s check the surveillance footage.”
Mom said that evidence is the best explanation.
Ranran knows what to do, he won’t let that troublemaker Xiao Hu falsely accuse him.
Xiao Hu was startled. If the recording captured everything, wouldn’t his own words be exposed too?! He protested urgently, “No!”
The teacher glanced at Xiao Hu and roughly guessed who had started the trouble.
Ignoring Xiao Hu’s objection, Yu Qianran met his gaze calmly with his amber eyes and smiled faintly. “Teacher, let’s go check now.”
“No, I don’t agree!” Xiao Hu stomped around angrily.
Xiao Hu’s protests were useless. One adult and two children sat in the surveillance room and watched the entire incident.
Xiao Hu’s face turned ashen, unable to utter a single word.
The teacher looked stern and said sternly, “Xiao Hu, you must not bully Yu Qianran. You need to apologize to him.”
“I won’t!” Xiao Hu pouted stubbornly and turned his head away.
The teacher said, “Xiao Hu, if you don’t listen, we’ll have to call your parents.”
“Go ahead and call!” Xiao Hu retorted defiantly, glaring at the teacher. “My mom will stand up for me. You’re bullying me too!”
The teacher felt a headache coming on.
“Are you sure you won’t apologize?” Her voice carried a hint of weariness.
Xiao Hu scoffed, “I’m not apologizing!”
On just the second day of school, such an incident had occurred. The teacher had no choice but to call the parents of both Xiao Hu and Yu Qianran.
The two children followed the teacher back to her office, each sitting in a chair, ignoring each other.
Yu Qianran’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he opened his clear eyes and stared intently at the smartwatch on his wrist.
A voice message from Lu Zhishen popped up on the screen.
He raised his fair finger, tapped the voice message, and pressed it to his ear: “Ranran, I came to the kindergarten with Uncle Butler. We’ll see each other soon.”
Lu Zhishen’s voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy, eager to meet Ranran.
Yu Qianran curved his eyes into a bright, cheerful smile and replied happily, “Okay, then send me a message later.”
Shenshen is here, he doesn’t care about other kids anyway.
Xiao Hu noticed the change in Yu Qianran’s demeanor. While secretly competing with the thought “I don’t care about Yu Qianran,” he couldn’t help but steal glances.
Lu Zhishen had insisted on coming to the kindergarten today; otherwise, he would have had to stay home. He followed Uncle Butler to his old school to watch him handle the withdrawal procedures, then rode in the car to Ranran’s school to complete the enrollment.
Since the condition for coming out was to behave, he couldn’t run around freely and had to send Ranran a message first to let him know he had arrived.
“Uncle Butler, are we done yet?” he asked impatiently, eager to find Ranran.
Uncle Butler smiled calmly and replied, “Yes, yes. Are you in such a hurry to see Ranran?”
“Hmm, you really understand me, Uncle Butler.” Lu Zhishen chuckled heartily. “Let’s hurry then.”
He knew that Ranran was in Class 1 of the middle section.
Pulling the butler along, Lu Zhishen made his way through the corridor and arrived outside the door of Class 1. Unable to contain his excitement, he peeked inside, searching eagerly,
Where was Ranran?
How could his dear Ranran have disappeared again!
He didn’t recognize any of the children in Class 1. Wasn’t Ranran supposed to be at school today? Had he come to the wrong place?
Pulling his head back, Lu Zhishen checked the doorplate, confirming again and again that he was in the right spot. His mind was momentarily muddled, filled with confusion.
“Uncle Butler, it seems like Ranran is lost.”