Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan went to the international school to pick up the children. Wen Yi and Wen Le got into the car first. The moment they got in, they were like chirping birds, talking nonstop. Wen Yi poured out everything that happened at school as if spilling beans, while Wen Le chimed in beside her like a comedic partner, occasionally adding a line or two, making the scene quite amusing.
Wen Lun came out of the campus drenched in sweat, walking with his group of rowdy friends. When they saw the car waiting for him outside, they ran over and greeted Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan, “Hello, uncle and auntie.”
Looking at their youthful, energetic faces, Xia Zhi smiled and replied, “Hello.”
Youth really was wonderful.
Wen Shihan also greeted them warmly.
Wen Lun casually pulled open the car door and said to Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan, “They’re a bunch of troublemakers, just ignore them.”
“You’re the troublemaker. Ah Lun, come down and fight me one on one if you dare.”
“Yeah, get down here. Let me show you what a real troublemaker is.”
Wen Lun raised his eyebrows, putting on the air of a proud young master. “As a model student raised under the red flag, I can’t be bothered to fight you.”
Wen Lun’s friends: “…” Where did your sense of shame go?
After joking around for a while, they all dispersed like birds, getting into their respective luxury cars that had come to pick them up. They waved at Wen Lun, Xia Zhi, and Wen Shihan before driving off.
The last to appear was Wen Yu.
Before Xia Zhi noticed him, she heard Wen Lun clicking his tongue in a teasing manner. Following his gaze, she saw Wen Yu walking out of the campus with a girl, chatting and laughing.
It was the same girl from the morning, the same figure.
And for the first time, Xia Zhi saw her future daughter in law clearly. The girl was very beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth. Her eyes seemed to speak, and when she smiled, they curved into lovely crescents.
Wen Yu got into the car under the intense gaze of five pairs of eyes. He remained calm, as if he did not notice their curiosity. He set down his backpack and fastened his seatbelt.
Xia Zhi was the first to lose her composure.
With a warm, motherly smile, she called out Wen Yu’s name.
Wen Yu turned to look at her and said, “Mom, don’t smile like that, it looks scheming. It scares me.”
Xia Zhi: “…”
“That’s not a scheming smile, it’s a loving mother’s smile!”
“Mm.”
“Wen Yu, who was that girl you were talking to just now?”
“My classmate.”
She blinked at him. “Do you like her?”
“Mom, you’re so nosy,” Wen Yu said, speechless.
When it came to her son’s love life, how could she, as his mother, not be curious?
“Just tell me.”
Indulge her curiosity.
Wen Yu lifted his eyelids slightly and said something that surprised Xia Zhi, “I don’t like her.”
Xia Zhi: “?!”
How could that be? She had seen it with her own eyes. And Wen Yu had been smiling so happily at that girl, saying he didn’t like her had to be false.
But then she reconsidered. Although Wen Yu seemed mature, he was still just a seventeen year old boy. At that age, most were shy and would not openly admit their feelings in front of their parents.
Xia Zhi waved her hand. “I know, I know.”
“Mom, what do you know?” Wen Le chimed in from the side.
Wen Lun joined in, deliberately speaking in a high pitched voice, “Big brother likes that girl, Shen Yu.”
Xia Zhi thought, so that girl’s name is Shen Yu.
Wen Yu shot Wen Lun a sharp glare and said coldly, “If period dramas don’t cast you as a eunuch, it would be a waste of your talent.”
Wen Lun: “…”
“Oh, wait, that’s not quite right, you shouldn’t play a eunuch.”
Wen Lun let out a sigh of relief. It seemed his older brother still cared about him, at least he had not condemned him to a childless fate.
But then…
“You should play a gossiping busybody.”
Wen Lun: “…”
Wen Yu wielded verbal attacks with ruthless precision.
Wen Lun completely gave up resisting.
In this family, he had always been the thick skinned one anyway.
He shrugged. “A gossiping busybody is fine, better than you, big brother, acting like a coward. You clearly like Shen Yu, yet you refuse to admit it.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Wen Yu ground his teeth slightly and said, “Shen Yu is two grades above you. You should call her Senior Shen, not Shen Yu.”
“Look at that, look at that,” Wen Lun said as if he had discovered something remarkable, turning to Xia Zhi. “Mom, did you see that? It is just a form of address, and he is already this jealous.”
Xia Zhi nodded in agreement.
The jealousy was indeed quite strong.
Wen Yu glanced at Wen Lun, then suddenly snatched the schoolbag from his hands and exposed him. “Dad, Mom, second brother has a lot of love letters from girls in his bag.”
Wen Yi immediately crawled over and pulled open Wen Lun’s bag. Her mouth dropped wide enough to fit two eggs. “Mom, there are really so many love letters in second brother’s bag!”
Xia Zhi looked over. Sure enough, there were stacks of envelopes in different colors, filling the bag to the brim.
As the one being exposed, Wen Lun remained completely unfazed. He crossed his hands behind his head and said smugly, “Can’t help it, I am just that popular.”
As soon as he said that, a chorus of disgusted sounds rose inside the car.
Wen Yi wrinkled her nose in disdain. “Second brother, not only are you thick skinned now, you don’t even know what shame is anymore.”
Wen Le added, “Exactly.”
“You two little kids who have never received love letters are just jealous.”
Wen Yi: “…”
Wen Le: “…”
Xia Zhi studied Wen Lun. Although he was only fifteen, his handsome features were already evident. Combined with his laid back, slightly rebellious demeanor, he gave off a roguish charm. It was exactly the type many middle school girls seemed to like.
But looking at that pile of love letters, she wondered how many girls’ hearts he had broken.
A true heartbreaker.
Wen Lun seemed to read the concern in her mind. He raised his hands in surrender. “Mom, I did not string any of them along. They all slipped those letters into my bag while I was out playing ball during breaks. I don’t even know who they are, so how could I have hurt them?”
Wen Yi immediately added, “There was a girl who confessed to second brother in person once, and he rejected her directly. He made her cry.”
Wen Lun: “…” Snitching on him again.
He spread his hands and shrugged. “I didn’t like her. If I kept her hanging, wouldn’t that make me a jerk?”
“Then do you have someone you like?” Xia Zhi asked curiously.
With his carefree attitude, she assumed he probably did not, yet unexpectedly—
Wen Lun said proudly, “Of course, I have a girlfriend.”
The car instantly fell silent. All eyes turned toward him.
Xia Zhi was shocked. She had not expected that at fifteen he already had a girlfriend. Wasn’t that too early?
Even though she was not overly conservative, he was still just a middle school student. Did he even understand what love was?
No, she had to say something.
But before she could speak, Wen Le burst out indignantly, “Second brother, that’s so unfair. You have a girlfriend and didn’t tell us!”
Wen Yi added, “Exactly.”
Wen Yu asked bluntly, “Who is it?”
Wen Lun did not answer immediately. He leisurely whistled a few times. Only when Wen Yu shot him a deadly glare did he finally reply, “My game console.”
Wen Yu: “…”
Wen Le: “…”
Wen Yi: “…”
Wen Lun turned to complain to Wen Shihan, who was sitting behind. “It’s a pity my new girlfriend hasn’t been bought for me yet.”
Caught off guard, Wen Shihan lifted his eyelids slightly. His gaze was deep and silent, yet more intimidating than words.
Wen Lun quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I won’t think about it anymore.”
Wen Shihan then shifted his gaze to Wen Yu. “You deliberately changed the topic just now. Tell me, how far have things progressed between you and that girl?”
Xia Zhi suddenly understood. No wonder Wen Yu had rushed to expose Wen Lun’s bag earlier, he had been trying to divert attention.
And it worked. Once the love letters came out, everyone’s focus shifted entirely to Wen Lun, and no one paid attention to Wen Yu and that girl anymore.
Wen Lun exclaimed, “Damn, big brother, you’re way too cunning.”
Wen Yu showed no embarrassment at being exposed. He raised an eyebrow at Wen Lun, as if to say, what can you do about it?
Wen Lun ground his teeth. He had to admit that Wen Yu’s intelligence was far above his own. He really could not do much to this seemingly gentle yet actually shrewd and calculating older brother. At most, he could expose his carefully maintained image in front of Senior Shen.
But then again, Senior Shen would probably believe his brother rather than him.
Wen Lun brought the topic back, smiling mischievously. “Big brother, you still haven’t answered Dad’s question.”
Wen Yu shot him a glare and said, “Still just classmates.”
“And does that girl like you?”
As soon as Wen Shihan asked that, a crack finally appeared in Wen Yu’s calm expression. Wen Lun burst out laughing and said to Wen Shihan, “Dad, actually big brother doesn’t even know if Senior Shen likes him. She has a good personality and seems to treat everyone the same.”
Wen Yu: “…”
He shot Wen Lun a murderous glare. “No one will think you’re mute if you stay quiet.”
“I’m going to say it anyway,” Wen Lun insisted, never one to miss a chance to stir things up.
Wen Shihan said, “You still have about a year and a half before the college entrance exam, right?”
Wen Yu replied, “Yes.”
“If you really like her, you can make things clear to that girl after the exam.”
By then, Wen Yu would already be eighteen, the right age to start dating. If they truly liked each other, they could try being together.
Wen Yu’s eyes lit up, and he could not stop the smile from spreading across his face. “Dad, I understand.”
Wen Lun shot him a look of disdain. “Big brother, you should really look in a mirror and see how cheap that smile looks.”
Wen Yu could not take it anymore and smacked the top of Wen Lun’s head. “Shut up.”
Xia Zhi glanced sideways at Wen Shihan.
She had not expected him to be so open minded when it came to the children.
The whole family bickered and laughed as they made their way back to the villa.
The robot Xiao Pang greeted them with its usual enthusiasm. “Masters, you’re back. You were all out today, Xiao Pang was all alone guarding the empty house, I felt so lonely.”
As it spoke, its display screen showed tears streaming down dramatically.
Xia Zhi, “…” Hey, that’s a bit over the top.
Wen Le set his small backpack on the sofa and said, “Xiao Pang, you’re so dramatic.”
Xiao Pang immediately started sobbing and rushed toward Wen Le. “Young Master Lele, do you like Xiao Pang being dramatic?”
Wen Le replied, “I like it.”
Hearing that, Xiao Pang went full theatrical mode again. “Young Master Lele, Xiao Pang is so sad, I need a hug and a kiss to feel better.”
Wen Le hugged Xiao Pang, but its round body was too big, and his arms were too short to wrap around it completely. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on its cool cheek, asking in a soft voice, “Is that enough?”
A shy expression appeared on Xiao Pang’s face as it danced happily. “Xiao Pang is fully revived!”
Wen Lun clicked his tongue and remarked, “Look at you, so worthless.”
For Xiao Pang, this phrase was new. It asked curiously, “What does ‘worthless’ mean?”
Wen Lun glanced at Wen Yu. “Ask big brother, he understands it better.”
Almost the moment he finished speaking, a large cushion came flying toward him. Caught off guard, Wen Lun was hit in the back by the cushion Wen Yu threw. He immediately complained to Xia Zhi, “Mom, look at big brother, he has violent tendencies.”
Just as Xia Zhi was thinking about how to handle the situation, Wen Shihan strode past her and called out, “Wen Lun, come here.”
At the sound of his voice, Wen Lun’s hair seemed to stand on end. He said miserably, “Dad, are you going to hit me too?”
Wen Shihan, “…”
“Come here, I have something for you.”
“That something wouldn’t happen to be a beating, right?”
Wen Shihan, “…”
Wen Lun obediently stretched out his hands and said with a grin that resembled his father’s, “Dad, go easy on me, if you hit too hard, I’ll cry.”
Wen Shihan, “…”