“Don’t worry, young master, let’s ask first.” The butler soothed, sending a message to the teacher at the same time.
Ten minutes later, one adult and one child appeared at the infirmary door.
Lu Zhishen eagerly peeked inside and saw Yu Qianran and an unfamiliar child glaring at each other.
His body moved before his mind, rushing over with concern. “Ranran, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Yu Qianran, who had been locked in a staring contest with Xiao Hu, was abruptly interrupted. He turned his head to look at Lu Zhishen, who shouldn’t have been there, his beautiful eyes flickering with surprise and joy. He opened his mouth to reply, “Shenshen, he bullied me.”
Yu Qianran’s small hand pointed at the boy who stood half a head taller than him.
Xiao Hu retorted indignantly, “I didn’t bully you!”
“What?!” Lu Zhishen grabbed Yu Qianran’s hand and carefully examined him from head to toe. “Oh no, Ranran, how did you get hurt so badly? Does it hurt?”
Yu Qianran’s eyes welled up with tears as he whimpered softly, “It hurts.”
Like a young cub finally finding its protector, he couldn’t wait to pour out all the grievances he had suffered, hoping someone would help him get justice.
“Ranran, be good. Shenshen will blow on it for you. Blowing on it will make it hurt less.” Lu Zhishen’s dark eyes were filled with heartache. He gently held Yu Qianran’s hand and lowered his head, blowing warm, soft breaths.
“It tickles.” Yu Qianran shrank back, pulling his hand out of Lu Zhishen’s grasp.
“Then I’ll stop blowing.” Lu Zhishen’s face was still full of concern, but his gaze suddenly turned icy as he glared at Xiao Hu.
It was this kid who bullied his Ranran, hurt him, and made him suffer. Ranran must have bled a lot and felt terrible earlier!
Yu Qianran reached out and tugged at Lu Zhishen’s hand.
“Shenshen, don’t be angry. My mom will be here soon.” His soft, adorable voice interrupted Lu Zhishen’s resentful glare.
“How did you get here?” he asked.
“I went to look for you but couldn’t find you. I sent you messages, but you didn’t reply. Uncle Butler helped me ask the teacher, and she said you were in the infirmary.” Lu Zhishen pouted, still looking unhappy. “I dragged Uncle Butler here running. I was so worried about you.”
Yu Qianran froze, glanced down at his broken phone watch, and said guiltily, “I’m sorry, Shenshen. I made you worry.”
Lu Zhishen stepped forward and hugged him. “It’s not Ranran’s fault. It’s all his fault.”
Xiao Hu, who had been dragged into the spotlight again: !
“It’s not my fault!” Xiao Hu glared angrily at the two children hugging each other, pointing and shouting, “When my dad gets here, I’ll make you pay!”
That idiot Yu Qianran, he wouldn’t even play with him, and now he was hugging some annoying kid he didn’t even know right in front of him.
He wasn’t jealous at all!
Hearing this, Yu Qianran glared back angrily. “It is your fault!”
He’s so mean. Shenshen is much better, Shenshen never forces him to do things he doesn’t want to do, never bullies him, and never yells at him.
Yu Qianran instinctively tightened his grip on Lu Zhishen’s arm, as if holding onto a unique treasure.
The three children glared at each other while the teacher watched helplessly, silently praying for the two children’s parents to arrive soon.
She looked up and met the butler’s calm gaze, hinting with her eyes that he should take Lu Zhishen away first, but he silently refused.
What started as a conflict between two children had now involved a third, and this butler only seemed to indulge him without restraint.
The clock ticked softly, and as the school bell rang, a chorus of voices echoed from the distance.
“Teacher, where is my child?”
A deep voice sounded, followed by a man in a suit who arrived belatedly at the door.
“Dad!” Xiao Hu’s eyes lit up as he rushed forward.
“Oof.” The man exclaimed, bending down to scoop up his son. Xiao Hu settled securely in his arms. “Where are you hurt, Xiao Hu?”
Xiao Hu pouted, indignantly tattling, “Dad, my back really hurts. He made me fall.” His chubby finger pointed at Yu Qianran.
Xiao Hu’s father looked down coldly.
Yu Qianran and Lu Zhishen were almost clinging to each other, leading Xiao Hu’s father to instinctively assume it was the taller Lu Zhishen who had bullied his precious son.
“Whose child are you? How could you bully others? How did your parents raise you?”
Lu Zhishen pointed at himself.
Xiao Hu’s father nodded sternly.
Confused, Lu Zhishen tilted his head, revealing his canine teeth with an innocent expression. “I didn’t bully him, Uncle. If your eyesight is bad, you should go to the hospital.”
“You little… kid, if you didn’t bully my son, what are you doing here? It couldn’t be the child next to you, could it?” Xiao Hu’s father said unhappily, catching himself and changing his tone in front of others.
The little kid next to him wasn’t even as tall as his son, looking soft and weak, nothing like someone who could bully his child.
Xiao Hu patted his father’s arm and pointed at Yu Qianran again. “Dad, it was him.”
Yu Qianran looked up, meeting Xiao Hu’s father’s gaze and easily catching the flicker of unease in his eyes.
Calmly, he stated word by word, “Uncle, Xiao Hu bullied me first.”
Xiao Hu’s father glanced at his slightly guilty son, then back at Yu Qianran, having already made up his mind.
“Little friend, you shouldn’t lie. Xiao Hu’s injuries are worse than yours.” He had already checked, this child only had minor scrapes, nothing as serious as his own son’s.
“Xiao Hu’s father, it really was Xiao Hu who started it,” the teacher interjected, seizing the opportunity to explain. “I also messaged you earlier, your child fell during the scuffle. It wasn’t Ranran bullying Xiao Hu.”
Xiao Hu’s father frowned. He had been about to shift the blame onto the other child,
“Ranran, are you okay?” Gu Kexin hurriedly rushed in, followed by several people carrying medical kits.
Yu Qianran immediately let go. “Mom, Ranran is fine.”
Gu Kexin, still worried, motioned for the medical staff behind her to step forward and examine him.
The medical staff reported, “Ms. Gu, the young master has minor scrapes on his palms and knees. They’ve been disinfected and are not serious.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Gu Kexin’s heart finally settled, and she lovingly patted Yu Qianran’s head.
Upon receiving the teacher’s message, she had immediately asked the butler to prepare the car and brought medical staff along, fearing something might have happened to Ranran.
Fortunately, Ranran was safe.
The teacher said, “Ranran’s mom, Xiao Hu’s dad, I called you both here because the two children had a conflict. I’ve already sent you the surveillance footage. I hope you can resolve this amicably.”
She turned to Xiao Hu’s father and Xiao Hu. “This incident was Xiao Hu’s fault. I hope Xiao Hu can apologize to Ranran.”
Xiao Hu pouted. “No way.”
If he apologized to Ranran, how could he ever be the boss again?
Absolutely, positively impossible. A king never bows his head.
The teacher looked toward Xiao Hu’s father, and Gu Kexin also turned her gaze in that direction.
Xiao Hu’s father snorted lightly, “It’s just a joke between kids, no need to apologize, right?”
Gu Kexin narrowed her eyes dangerously, her voice tinged with a chill, “This parent, do you really think you can just brush it off after your son bullied my child?”
“What do you want?” Xiao Hu’s father said dismissively. “It’s normal for kids to fall while playing. My son got hurt worse than yours, and I haven’t even asked your family to cover the medical expenses yet.”
Gu Kexin laughed in anger. She had encountered plenty of scoundrels like this before, but this time it was for Ranran, and she wouldn’t give the other party any face.
“Is that so? Seeing your behavior and attitude, I’m not at all surprised your child turned out this way. The difference between humans and animals is quite significant.”
“You!”
Earlier, on the way here, the butler had thoughtfully gathered information about the other party. Now, Gu Kexin smiled sweetly, “Since you refuse to apologize, I’ll have no choice but to sue you. I wonder how your company’s partners would feel if it came out that a senior executive was leading the charge in bullying children.”
Xiao Hu’s father’s face instantly paled.
He didn’t know the woman in front of him, but she gave him a dangerous feeling.
He couldn’t take the risk. What if she was someone he couldn’t afford to offend? After all, he hadn’t yet solidified his position. If the board of directors found out, they would definitely make a big deal out of it.
Xiao Hu’s father had no choice but to swallow his pride. “Xiao Hu, apologize.”
Xiao Hu was incredulous. “Dad?!”
“Hurry up!”
Xiao Hu didn’t understand, and Xiao Hu didn’t want to.
Gu Kexin wore a smile devoid of warmth, which, in Xiao Hu’s father’s eyes, was a silent threat.
Xiao Hu’s father’s expression darkened. “If you don’t apologize, you won’t get any toys this month.”
Xiao Hu was immediately shocked. “That’s not fair! I’m telling Mom!”
Slap!
A soft sound echoed, silencing the infirmary for a moment.
Xiao Hu wailed, “Wah wah wah! You hit me! I’m telling Mom!”
Xiao Hu’s father’s voice was stern. “Xiao Hu.”
“I… sob…” Xiao Hu whimpered pitifully, sniffling as his father placed him on the ground and gave him a slight push forward. Reluctantly, he stepped forward, wiped his tears, and mumbled like a mosquito, “Sorry.”
Yu Qianran blinked and said softly, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”
Xiao Hu gritted his teeth in frustration, especially with his father threatening him from behind. “S-o-r-r-y!” he roared through clenched teeth, as if seeking revenge.
Yu Qianran replied, “I don’t forgive you.”
“You!” Xiao Hu’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had already apologized!
Ignoring Xiao Hu, Yu Qianran turned and hugged Gu Kexin’s leg, looking up at her. “Mom, I want to go home.”
Gu Kexin agreed, “Okay.”
Yu Qianran happily took Lu Zhishen’s hand. “Shenshen, let’s go home together.”
Lu Zhishen nodded eagerly. “Okay, okay, I’ll listen to Ranran.”
With the matter resolved, Gu Kexin finally had the mood to focus on other things.
She spoke gently, “Shenshen, are you transferring schools today? Which class are you in?”
Lu Zhishen replied obediently, “Auntie, I’m in Class Two of the senior class.”
Gu Kexin asked, “Have you been to your classroom yet?”
“Not yet,” Lu Zhishen shook his head.
School wasn’t as important as Ranran. Besides, he was smart enough not to get lost.
Gu Kexin smiled warmly. “How about Auntie takes you to get familiar with the classroom before we go home?”
She knew Lu Zhishen was a good kid, and without asking, she understood he was here for Ranran. She had clearly seen Ranran clinging tightly to Shenshen, obviously relying on him.
Seeing the two children getting along well, she felt reassured.
Lu Zhishen shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, we can go back directly.”
Going back early meant more time to play with Ranran.
Yu Qianran blinked, a bit curious. “Shenshen, don’t you have classes today?”
Lu Zhishen’s expression stiffened, as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
He shouldn’t have to, right…?
Didn’t he just transfer schools?
Lu Zhishen looked pleadingly at Uncle Butler.
Uncle Butler said, “You have to go to school.”
Lu Zhishen: “…”
He stubbornly insisted, “No, I want to go home too.”
The butler refused mercilessly. “Not allowed.”
Lu Zhishen was about to throw a tantrum when the butler preemptively brought up Mr. Ji. “Mr. Ji said if you don’t listen, you’ll be transferred back.”
Lu Zhishen immediately fell silent, like a chicken.
Feeling wronged, he turned to Yu Qianran for comfort.
“Shenshen, be good. Ranran will wait for you at home,” Yu Qianran patted Lu Zhishen’s arm.
Lu Zhishen pouted. “I want to play with Ranran.”
“Hmm…” Yu Qianran thought for a moment, a clever idea flashing in his little head as he turned to the butler and requested, “Uncle, could you call Auntie? Ranran wants to chat with her.”
The butler: “…”
Lu Zhishen’s eyes lit up, looking at the butler as well. “Yeah, my mom really likes Ranran. She’ll definitely agree if Ranran asks.”
The butler, receiving the hopeful gazes of the two adorable children: “…”
Young master, don’t you have your own phone?!
Resigned, the butler took out his phone and called Mr. Ji, explaining the situation.
Ji Nuan fell silent, then told the butler to hand the phone to Yu Qianran.
“Hello, Auntie,” Yu Qianran greeted obediently, adding sweetly, “Auntie, can you let Shenshen play with me today? Ranran likes Auntie the most.”
Ji Nuan’s voice came through the receiver. “But if Shenshen doesn’t study, he’ll become dumb and get bullied by others. What should we do, Ranran?”
“Ranran will protect Shenshen,” Yu Qianran replied without hesitation. “Ranran doesn’t study all the time and isn’t dumb. Shenshen won’t be dumb either.”
He recalled the times he went to find Shenshen, only to see him always in class. A hint of fear rose in his heart, worried that Auntie Ji wouldn’t let Shenshen play with him and would make him study all the time.
“Does Ranran really want Shenshen to play with you?”
Yu Qianran nodded with an “Mm.”
Ji Nuan teased, “Then, is Ranran willing to play with Auntie?”
Yu Qianran tilted his little head. Playing with Auntie meant less time with Shenshen, but if he didn’t play with Auntie, Shenshen couldn’t play with him today…
“Then… then the three of us can play together!”
That way, he wouldn’t have less time with Shenshen.
Ranran is so clever.
Yu Qianran didn’t hear Ji Nuan’s response but caught a faint chuckle.
“Auntie?” he called tentatively.
Ji Nuan said, “Alright then. Ranran, remember to come visit Auntie’s house both days this weekend.”
After hanging up, Yu Qianran handed the phone back to the butler with both hands, not forgetting to thank him politely.
“Shenshen, let’s go home!”
Like a triumphant little rooster, he held Shenshen’s hand, chest puffed out, and strode forward.