Chapter 31

Bubble is a cheerful and outgoing little cub who is very willing to open up to her mother, Jiang Yan.

"Mommy, I want a daddy." Bubble nestled shyly against her mother's chest, honestly answering Jiang Yan's question. "Other children have daddies, and with a daddy, you can ride a big horse."

Jiang Yan stroked her daughter's fluffy head: "You want your dad because you want to ride a horse?"

"No, it's not that. Now that I have a dad, the kids won't laugh at me anymore."

That annoying girl, Duoduo, just laughs at her because she has a dark-skinned, chubby dad. She's going to find herself a fair-skinned, thin, and tall dad to make her jealous, hehe.

The unexpected answer caught Jiang Yan off guard and stunned her. She cupped her daughter's pale face in her hands and said in a deep voice, "Are there any children laughing at you for not having a father?"

Bubble nodded honestly.

Instantly, a surge of anger filled Jiang Yan's heart. She hadn't felt such intense emotions in a long time. She tried her best to control herself, biting her lip and falling silent.

A moment later, a clear, childlike voice filled with anticipation and intense curiosity.

"Mom, did you run away with a ball? Am I your ball?"

"?"

Jiang Yan's beautiful peach blossom eyes suddenly widened, her expression blank for a moment.

How did this child know?

Has she revealed this?

The quick-witted Bubble immediately understood from her mother's reaction, and she clapped her hands happily: "Mom, I really am the ball you led astray!"

Jiang Yan shuddered and quickly covered her mouth: "Baby, how do you know these strange words? Who told you about Mommy?"

Her puffy eyes curved like a crescent moon, sparkling as she looked at Jiang Yan, her little nose wrinkling with smugness.

She brushed her mother's hand away and chuckled, "Mom, I learned it from watching TV."

"In the TV series, the aunt and uncle fell in love and accidentally got pregnant. However, she and the uncle had a fight. She didn't want to be with the uncle anymore, but she couldn't bear to part with the baby, so she took the baby and ran away."

"Sister Yunyun told me this is called 'the little wife running away with the baby,' hehe."

"Mom, you never tell me about Dad. You lie to me that he popped out of a rock. I don't believe you. Sister Yunyun said that every baby comes out of Mom's tummy. Mom, you don't tell me who Dad is. It must be because you're hiding from him."

Bubble lay on Jiang Yan's lap, its little feet swinging wildly: "Mommy, did I guess right? I am the ball you led away!"

Jiang Yan was speechless.

Having such outstanding seeds can also be a problem; the daughter has clearly inherited her father's intelligence.

but--

It's a bit too advanced for a five-year-old to use terms like "spoiled wife" and "running away with a baby."

Jiang Yan rubbed her temples.

I decided to confiscate my daughter's tablet and turn off the automatic renewal buttons for all video apps.

After some lighthearted banter, Jiang Yan gradually calmed down and smiled calmly: "Baby, starting tomorrow, your homework load will double."

Like a thunderclap from the ground, Bubbles appeared, their big eyes welling up with tears.

"Mom! Why?"

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow: "Mom told me before she went on her business trip that I wasn't allowed to watch melodramatic short dramas. Did you secretly watch them, baby?"

“…I’m okay.” Bubble mumbled, her eyelids drooping, looking like she’d lost her parents. “But Mom, no one’s watching TV with Grandma. Grandma’s so lonely.”

The daughter lying on her lap was like a small flower covered by dark clouds, still full of vitality, but shrouded in a visible but intangible shadow.

Jiang Yan felt as if her heart had been gently pierced.

Due to her profession, she was often away from home. Before her daughter was born, her parents spent countless nights and days in their desolate home.

The elderly couple could only smile when she returned.

After she left, the elderly couple could only eat whatever they could find.

But since their daughter was born, the elderly couple has visibly become much more energetic. They are a traditional generation and eagerly await her marriage and children.

But she was a perfectionist and ambitious person who was determined that no man could tolerate her domineering nature.

Adhering to the principle of not interfering with each other's lives, she has no plans to get married, but she is not opposed to having her own children.

Her parents initially strongly opposed her decision, but after the child was born, they immediately changed their minds and agreed with her decision to keep the child and leave the father behind.

As for Xu Qingyan...

A fleeting struggle crossed Jiang Yan's eyes. He already had one child, so he probably didn't need another one.

"Baby, Mommy will give you double the love."

*

[Mushroom Class Wei Qinqin's Mom]: Teacher, what classes did we have at kindergarten today? My child always contradicts me when she comes home, saying she wants to rise up and be a queen, and oppose oppression. I point west and she goes east. It's infuriating!

[Hu Xinxin's mother from Mushroom Class]: My child is the same. As soon as she gets home, she wants to watch TV and eat snacks. If I ask her to do some homework, she says she'll call the police and have me arrested. (laughing and crying emoji)

[Yan Yuwei's Mom from Mushroom Class]: My daughter Weiwei said that a new kid in the class taught them, *wiping sweat* (image).

Teacher Liu: ...

The Queen, the new little one, is almost called out by name.

[Teacher Liu]: Dear parents, I'm sorry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly.

Immediately afterward, Xu Qingyan received a message from Teacher Liu. After understanding the whole story, Xu Qingyan calmly replied: 【Sorry for the trouble.】

Xu Qingyan walked straight to the living room after leaving the study. In the living room, the wriggling figure of the cub's mother resembled a cactus that had once gone viral online.

Xu Niancheng saw him first: "Brother?"

Xu Yirou, sitting on the sofa, glanced over quickly and then waved her little paw cutely: "Dabao, come here and watch together."

The ending theme of "Boonie Bears" was playing on the TV, and there was only a fruit platter on the table. Compared to the usual mountain of snacks, today's arrangement was incredibly simple.

Xu Qingyan couldn't help but feel gratified; her mother was a reasonable, communicative, and obedient child.

He asked with relief, "Mom, did you teach the children how to be a queen at kindergarten today?"

"How did you know?" The cub's face showed surprise. "Da Bao, did you put a camera on me?"

Xu Qingyan brought up the message interface and handed it to Xu Yirou.

Xu Yirou blinked her curled eyelashes, tilted her head and examined it carefully for a while, then asked in a puzzled tone, "Dabao, what are you doing? I can't read."

"..."

“I didn’t install surveillance cameras on you,” Xu Qingyan said in detail. “It was the parents of the children who complained in the group that the new children in the Mushroom Class were telling their children to act like queens at home.”

As he spoke, his deep gaze would occasionally drift towards his sister.

Xu Niancheng, who was also in the parents' group, never read the group messages. Xu Qingyan, as the president of Senming, had to pay attention to the activities in the parents' group frequently in addition to handling his work.

Feeling guilty, Xu Niancheng nervously pulled out her phone and quickly scrolled through the group messages.

"They actually tattled on us." Xu Yirou's little voice rose, her brows furrowed. "I know, those adults don't want children to be the queens of the house because they're afraid of trouble. They're such lazybones."

"Mom, tell me, how did you teach them to be queens?"

“Just like me,” Xu Yirou said smugly, spinning around. “I’m a woman of my word.”

Xu Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at her: "For example, you can watch TV for as long as you want, and eat as many snacks as you want?"

"Uh-huh!"

She's still...?

Xu Niancheng chimed in, summarizing without holding back: "Mom, you're a little tyrant, not a queen."

Having just had a fight with Jiang Jiang during the day, Xu Yirou was in a sensitive phase regarding the term "little tyrant," and upon hearing it, she immediately denied it loudly: "No, no, not a little tyrant!"

The brother and sister acted like a duet, one speaking and the other like a sales queen with exceptional eloquence.

The stubborn Xu Yirou couldn't last even one round before being defeated. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her daughter, choking back tears and blaming herself, "Then tomorrow, tomorrow I'll go apologize to the kids... sob."

It turns out being a queen is so risky; it can cause discord between children's parents. She almost caused a child to lose both parents, sob sob sob.

"Don't cry, don't cry." Xu Niancheng gently patted the cub's mother's back. "It's not that bad yet, Mom. There's still time."

With the educational goals achieved, Xu Qingyan and Xu Niancheng were able to breathe a sigh of relief again.

Xu Qingyan bent down and pinched Xu Yirou's little nose: "Let's go, Mom, it's time to eat."

Xu Yirou: 0.0

Okay.

She loves eating the most!

Eat more to grow taller.

The table was full of dishes that Xu Yirou loved, including pineapple fried rice, coconut chicken soup, curry crab, shrimp and vermicelli soup, grilled chicken legs, green papaya salad, and many other dishes that looked and smelled delicious.

Xu Yirou eats very well and has a good appetite. She doesn't need anyone to supervise her or chase after her to feed her.

Normally I can eat a bowl of rice and a chicken leg, but today I only ate half a bowl before putting down my chopsticks.

Seeing this, Uncle Yun couldn't help but ask, "Madam, is the food to your liking today?"

We recently had a few different chefs at home, and if the food they make doesn't suit our tastes, we need to make personnel adjustments immediately.

Xu Qingyan and Xu Niancheng perked up their ears to listen.

"No, no, the food was delicious today." Xu Yirou pouted and wiped her mouth with a tissue. "But I can't eat so much in the future. I need to eat less."

Uncle Yun asked, puzzled, "Madam, why is that?"

Xu Yirou pinched the chubby belly: "I have too much fat, I need to lose some."

Jiangjiang called her a chubby girl, but she's not chubby at all; she just has a little extra fat on her stomach.

She'll lose a little weight in her belly if she eats less.

Xu Qingyan recalled what had just happened at the kindergarten and immediately understood that her mother was influenced by that rascal.

Xu Niancheng, however, was unaware that she had been stuck in heavy traffic on her way there. She received a message from her brother halfway there, informing her that the matter had been resolved, and then she turned back home.

"Chubby kids are so cute, they make little dents when you poke them." Xu Niancheng rested her chin on her hand, looking at her with a smile in her almond-shaped eyes. "Besides, Mom, you're not fat at all. Has anyone ever said you're fat?"

Xu Yirou complained angrily, "Jiang Jiang called me a chubby girl and said that Paopao has ramen noodle hair. I hate him so much."

One sentence reminded Xu Niancheng of a boy in her class who was always getting into trouble when she was a child, and she seemed to have beaten him up back then.

Did he pull your hair?

Xu Yirou nodded vigorously: "Yes, and then Bubble and I beat him up on the playground."

"He had a red mark on his face, it was so funny." She chuckled. "Bubble punched him and made him cry, and I took the opportunity to stomp on his feet twice to teach him a lesson for being mean and bullying us, hmph."

Knowing that her mother hadn't suffered any loss, Xu Niancheng gave her two thumbs up and praised, "Well done, he deserves it. He should step in and help when he encounters similar situations in the future."

The cub, who was all smiles just a moment ago, suddenly became listless and dejected the next.

“Bubble is transferring schools…” The cub’s eyes were slightly red, and his nose was sore. “Because we hit Jiang Jiang, Jiang Jiang’s mother is very angry, so Bubble is transferring schools.”

?

...Is this even possible?

This is so unreasonable! How can a victim be forced to drop out of school?!

Xu Niancheng frowned unhappily and glanced at Xu Qingyan: "Brother, was Paopao really forced to drop out of school because of this?"

Xu Qingyan's wandering thoughts were brought back. After a long silence, her expression unreadable, she said coldly, "That was a decision made by Bubble's mother."

The older brother's tone... seemed off.

The three siblings grew up together and knew each other's temperaments quite well; the eldest brother's indifference was subtly mixed with other emotions.

By the way, today is the first time my brother has met his 'blind date'. I hope nothing unpleasant happened.

Xu Niancheng was curious but didn't dare to ask directly, so she beat around the bush: "Big brother, this result is not fair to Bubble. The little girl is so innocent. She and her mother are good friends. We should help her as much as we can."

She refused to believe that her brother couldn't handle it.

Xu Qingyan gave a faint, cold smile: "Chengcheng, one-sided help only annoys people."

Xu Niancheng froze, then blinked hard. Wait, was her brother smiling?

—There's something inside.

A faint sob broke the tense atmosphere. The cub sitting on the main table trembled, its dark eyes brimming with glistening tears.

"Mom," the brother and sister said in unison.

Xu Qingyan took the tissue that Uncle Yun hurriedly handed him, stood up and half-squatted at Xu Yirou's feet, skillfully and gently wiping away the tears on her face.

“Dabao, Erbao, I don’t want Paopao to transfer schools…” Xu Yirou said, sobbing. “Why don’t you go and talk to Teacher Lin? I’ll just quit kindergarten.”

In her mind, Bubble transferred schools because she hit Jiangjiang, and Bubble hit Jiangjiang to protect her.

So she should be the one forced to transfer schools.

Xu Niancheng held the baby's mother's hand with heartache: "Okay, okay, Mom, don't cry. I promise you and Bubble can go to the same kindergarten."

There are always ways to get the two kids to study together; it won't be difficult for her.

Xu Qingyan, unusually, did not answer, his jawline taut and he remained silent.

At this moment, Secretary Feng, whom he had entrusted with an important task, called to report: "President, the other party's parents are really unreasonable and have made the unreasonable request that Miss also withdraw from school. I have firmly rejected it."

Secretary Feng was indignant; this was truly outrageous.

Then, changing the subject, he said, "However, I found out that the boy's family has business dealings with the group. Do you think we should terminate the cooperation?"

Xu Qingyan didn't hesitate for a second: "End."

Secretary-General Feng breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the reply, and most of his frustration dissipated. Come on, the business world is his battlefield!