Chapter 82

Xu Yirou paused briefly, then nodded obediently: "I am Erbao's great-aunt."

Xia Chuan raised the corners of his lips, his meaningful gaze sweeping over her: "Thank you for letting me know that my brother is here. Is there anything you would like as a token of my gratitude?"

"I didn't inform you," Xu Yirou said, shaking her head and stating matter-of-factly, "I don't even know you."

Xiao Zhu's expression was subtle; it must have been He Nianzhu who contacted Xia Chuan, which was why Xia Chuan was able to come.

Xu Yirou's round eyes looked the two brothers up and down.

"Are you really brothers? You don't look alike at all."

Xia Chuan glanced at his younger brother indifferently: "You tell me."

Xia Xiaoshan pulled away from his brother's leg and said honestly, "He is my older brother, and I am his younger brother. We are half-brothers."

Xiao Zhu also testified: "Rou Rou, they are brothers. I've watched their shows, they are genuine brothers."

Okay, Xu Yirou believed that the somewhat fierce-looking Xia Chuan was not a human trafficker. She put on a serious face:

"I don't need a thank you gift, but you can't be so careless in the future. There are many bad people out there. The little prince was lucky to run into us this time, but he might not be so lucky next time."

"You're so old now, you should learn to be a responsible adult and protect children properly."

...Interesting, he got a lesson from a little kid.

Xia Chuan raised an eyebrow, looking down at her condescendingly: "When you were with He Nianzhu, did you talk to him like this too?"

"Of course not." In front of outsiders, Xu Yirou still knew how to give her son face. She said proudly, "My second child is a sensible little boy. I don't need to teach him."

"Little kid?" Xia Chuan sneered. "What kind of little kid is a twenty-year-old adult? A top-tier giant baby."

He squinted leisurely and asked, "What about Xu Qingyan?"

"My Da Bao..." Xu Yirou opened her mouth, but suddenly realized something was wrong, "Why are you concerned about my Da Bao?"

Xia Chuan gave a forced smile: "The youngest person in the history of Senming Group, the precious gem of the He family, are you curious about his abnormal private life?"

Xu Yirou stared at him blankly, then suddenly realized, "So you're a fan of my Da Bao."

She said it herself: her eldest son is handsome and smart, how could he not have fans?

Xia Chuan immediately flew into a rage, like a monkey whose tail had been stepped on: "No, how could I possibly be his fan!"

Even disregarding the relationship between the two families, he could never regard Xu Qingyan, a boring, money-grubbing, cold robot, as an idol.

Ha, unless he goes crazy one day!

His sudden growl startled Xu Yirou, and Xiao Zhu immediately stepped in front of her to protect her, glaring at him warily.

Xia Xiaoshan opened her arms: "Brother, you scared her."

Xia Chuan snorted coldly, annoyed: "Shut up."

He realized he had just lost his temper. He had no experience in coaxing little girls, so he quickly wrote a check and handed it over: "A check for one million. Five hundred thousand is a thank-you gift, and five hundred thousand is an apology."

The smooth, effortless motion of handing over the check stunned Xiao Zhu, a working-class man.

Holy crap, the domineering CEO novel has become a reality! Is this the power of the rich?

You can just give away a million like that!

According to the clichéd rules of novels, Rou Rou would absolutely not accept the million-dollar check. Xiao Zhu took a deep breath and quickly went over in her mind how to persuade the other party to accept the money.

Xu Yirou's almond-shaped eyes widened: "For me?"

Xia Chuan nodded perfunctorily: "Take it."

"!!" Xu Yirou rubbed her little hands together happily, her cheerful little voice ringing out, "Mommy, I'm rich!"

Xiao Zhu: ...Okay, all that worrying for nothing.

Who would have thought that even a four-year-old child's level of understanding is higher than that of the female lead in a domineering CEO novel?

→_→

Despite shrinking in size, Xu Yirou remains deeply persistent in her pursuit of making small amounts of money.

—You can't afford to mess with money, no matter who you are with.

"Hehehe." The little money-grubber chuckled as he held the check.

It's here! It's here!

As the sun set, the restaurants along the street were filled with diners; it was getting late.

Xia Chuan planned to take Xia Xiaoshan back first, but Xia Xiaoshan kept looking back. After thinking for a while, she finally mustered up her courage and ran back.

The boy pulled a small Ultraman figurine from his pocket, pursing his lips slightly: "Thank you, Rou Rou."

Having made a fortune, Xu Yirou spontaneously applied a "God of Wealth" filter to Xia Xiaoshan. With his stunning good looks and the double buff of being a God of Wealth, even if he was a complete idiot, he would still be irresistible.

Xu Yirou took the Ultraman and showered it with compliments, her gaze fixed on it with intense passion.

"Wow, Ultraman is so cool, just as cool as you."

"Xiaoshan, how about we become friends?"

I won't call you all the time, at most... twice a week!

She seemed to really like him. Xia Xiaoshan was still holding the bottle of water when a thought popped into his head:

A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude in return.

Rou Rou gave him a whole bottle of water, only wanting to exchange contact information. The boy looked bewildered. What a...ungreedy Eastern girl.

Xia Xiaoshan's tense shoulders relaxed, and he looked at her: "Okay."

The two children, who had met by chance, easily exchanged contact information. As they walked away, Xia Chuan glanced at the little foreign boy, a hint of mockery in his voice:

"This is the first child you met after returning to China, right?"

Xia Xiaoshan nodded slightly.

"You gave her your favorite toy, so it seems you have a good impression of that little girl."

Xia Xiaoshan hugged the water bottle tightly: "She helped me. My father taught me that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude."

After spending half a year together, Xia Chuan still found it fascinating that her mixed-race brother would occasionally utter a few colloquialisms.

"You're quick to apply it."

"Then let's get along well." Xia Chuan gradually suppressed his smile, his gaze and thoughts drifting away, his calm expression revealing indifference. "After all, there will be many opportunities to interact in the future."

*

"What?! You made a million?!"

"OMG, Grandma, you're so amazing! You're truly my idol!"

On the hotel bed, Xu Yirou smiled and chatted with her granddaughter on her tablet, proudly announcing that she had made a million yuan that day.

"Bubble, wait for me to come home and I'll buy you and your wife a big diamond ring." This is money she earned herself, so she feels more confident spending it.

Bubble was touched, but shook her head and said, "I don't need it, Rou Rou. When I grow up, I'll earn money and buy you lots of handsome older brothers. One of them will help you with your homework, one will accompany you shopping, and one will massage and rub your back!"

Xu Yirou blushed, feeling both longing and shy, and said reservedly, "Let's talk about it later, we're still young."

Without comparison, there is no harm; Xiao Zhu felt a pang of sadness as she listened to the warm words between the cubs.

Look at her, I wish her best friend would be half as sensible as her.

Seeing that it was almost dinnertime, Xiao Zhu pointed to her watch and whispered, "Rou Rou, we should go out now."

"Okay, Bubble, I'm not talking to you anymore. Erbao is waiting for me to have dinner with him." Xu Yirou got out of bed. "I'm hanging up now, bye-bye."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Yirou happily went out.

He Nianzhu made a reservation at a nearby private restaurant, and after the meal, the mother and son went back to the film set together.

With no one else at the dinner table, He Nianzhu teased without hesitation, "Mom, I heard you made a lot of money today."

Xu Yirou's puffed-out cheeks paused: "How did you know?"

"Of course, don't you know whose son I am?" He Nianzhu put a piece of food on her plate, displaying the honest and simple demeanor of a filial son. "Mom, you weren't deliberately hiding this from me, were you?"

"No, I was just about to say that."

He Nianzhu's smile remained unchanged: "Oh, then I misunderstood Mom. Mom definitely didn't mean to hide it from me; she must have wanted to give me a surprise."

Xu Yirou lowered her head and let out two guilty hums.

She never intended to tell Da Bao, Er Bao, or Xiao Bao that she was secretly going to use the money on Pao Pao and Goose Wife.

"Mom, how much are you going to give me to spend?" He Nianzhu put down her chopsticks and casually reached out to the cub's mother, "One million! Asking for five hundred thousand isn't too much to ask, is it?"

"Five hundred thousand?!" Xu Yirou looked up abruptly, her sweet little voice rising in disbelief, "Isn't that excessive? You're robbing me, Erbao!"

That's just too much!

Xu Yirou was stunned by her son's enormous mouth.

He Nianzhu blinked innocently, looking heartbroken: "Mom, I don't like hearing you say that. You said before that you loved me the most, that I was your little darling. Your most beloved little darling only needs a little money, and you can't even bear to part with it?"

"I...no, if you take half, what about Da Bao and Xiao Bao?" Xu Yirou firmly rejected Er Bao's unreasonable request. "You can't be so greedy."

He Nianzhu rested her chin on one hand, her bright, fox-like eyes smiling: "Then Mom, you decide how to divide it, I'll do whatever you say."

I'll give you a big chicken leg!

The little figure on Xu Yirou's head rolled its eyes to the sky, plopped down on the ground and bounced twice, slamming its fist in a huff.

"Mommy has my own plans, don't worry about it." She mumbled, then glared at him softly. "You're even eyeing Mommy's little bit of money, humph, aren't you ashamed?"

He Nianzhu laughed heartily: "Mom, I was just kidding with you. You can spend your money however you want. If you don't have enough, just tell me. My money is your money."

Hearing these heartwarming words, Xu Yirou was happy for a few seconds, but then immediately sat up straight: "Your money belongs to my future wife, so you're not allowed to spend it recklessly. If you do, Mom will spank you."

The eldest sister-in-law had barely entered the house when her mother was already eyeing her future second daughter-in-law. He Nianzhu shook her head and chuckled, thinking, "She's really eating what's in her bowl while eyeing what's in the pot."

After finishing their meal, the mother and son drove back to the film set.

Everyone in the crew had seen the live stream to some extent and knew Xu Yirou, but when a small, green, fluorescent moth flew in, it still shocked everyone present.

Xu Yirou brought her fairy battle robe from afar, and specially wore it tonight to support Erbao and give everyone a little surprise.

With each movement, her slender, shimmering green wings fluttered gracefully behind her back.

All eyes were on her. She took small steps forward, her dimples blooming, and her jelly-like face bounced slightly.

"Hello everyone, I'm Erbao's great-aunt, my name is Rou Rou, thank you all for taking care of my Erbao!"

"I'll treat everyone to candy!"

With a wave of her hand, He Nianzhu, carrying a bag of candy, stepped forward and handed out candy to everyone with a cool and aloof expression.

"Erbao, why are you making such a grumpy face? The candy you give out won't taste sweet if you're like that."

The mother cub pouted and complained, "You were grinning from ear to ear while you were eating just now."

He Nianzhu: ...

With her mother having spoken, what could He Nianzhu do but spoil her?

He's an actor, so he can pull off any kind of smile with ease. One second he's all cocky and arrogant, and the next he's grinning with his big white teeth.

"My great-aunt bought these candies herself, everyone have some!"

Everyone: ...

Are you performing Sichuan opera face-changing here?