Chapter 9 Si Xiaotie, you're doomed.
Zhang Man is currently experiencing a marital crisis, and Lin Ke called her back before Si Yuming and Si Xiaotie returned.
A year ago, Zhang Man quickly married a man she had known for less than three months. He came from a good family, was highly educated, and was good-looking. In Zhang Man's words, he was perfect in every way, and even if they divorced in the end, she wouldn't feel like she had lost out.
Now that we've been married for exactly one year, all the shortcomings and inadequacies that we hadn't carefully considered before marriage have been exposed, and the two of us have been arguing constantly, with big fights every three days and small fights every two days.
Zhang Man finally realized belatedly: "Keke, do you think I've been... a gay man's wife?"
Lin Ke didn't dare to speculate further. "It's hard to say. Think about it carefully again."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a swear word, "Wow, it seems to be true. I rarely see her on the phone, and she never interferes with my work or hobbies. I was actually foolishly enjoying this kind of freedom after marriage."
"I had to beg and plead to get him to sleep with me, and even after finally getting him to bed, it was over in three or four minutes. I didn't feel anything," Zhang Man said, getting angrier as she spoke. "Keke, isn't this illegal? Can I report him? That son of a bitch!! I'm so angry!"
Lin Ke endured her anger and waited for her to vent before calmly saying, "Don't jump to conclusions, Manman. Observe her for a few more days."
Hearing the woman's steady voice, Zhang Man gradually calmed down. "What you said makes sense. If that's really the case, he must be having an affair. I need to catch him in the act before I divorce him. I can't alert him. If he transfers his assets, I'll have nothing left."
Lin Ke hadn't expected her to have thought so deeply, and chuckled softly, "Hmm, we can't alert him, and... what if he's just impotent...?"
There was another silence on the phone, then Zhang Man suddenly asked, "Is President Si really that capable?"
The woman choked instantly.
"Tsk, forget it, I don't want to hear it. Your CEO Si looks amazing." Zhang Man sighed. "I'm so envious. You have a handsome and rich husband and a cute and well-behaved daughter. Lin Ke, you're a true winner in life."
Lin Ke did not answer.
She hurriedly said goodbye, put down her phone, and turned around when she heard a noise at the door.
Si Xiaotie carried a transparent acrylic box in her hand, and quickly ran in. The man behind her put her schoolbag in the entryway, bent down to pick up her shoes and put them away.
"Mommy, look at my little baby!"
Lin Ke thought she had bought some small animals again, but when she got closer to take a look, her heart stopped.
A large, furry spider, as big as her palm!
She turned pale with fright, took two steps back, and couldn't say a word.
Seeing his mother's expression, Si Xiaotie excitedly put away the suitcase, carefully hiding it behind his back. He opened his mouth, then shyly whispered, "Mom..."
Si Yuming, who had followed, also saw the woman's frightened expression. He was about to explain something when the little one in front of him spoke up again in a small voice, "Daddy bought it for me..."
He found it amusing; she really was his good daughter.
Si Yuming patted the little girl on the back of the head, took the box and placed it on the laundry cabinet on the balcony. Then, he comforted her according to the words the father and daughter had discussed when they returned, "This is a fire rose tarantula. It is docile and has very low venom. It is a relatively common pet spider. Xiao Tie promised me that the spider can only move around in the box and will not be released."
Si Xiaotie tilted her head back and added, "Yes! They won't let them out!" She grabbed the woman's hand and sweetly pleaded, "Mommy~"
Lin Ke looked down at the minor culprit, then glanced at the accomplice, and finally at the terrifying multi-legged creature. She still couldn't accept it.
That's really terrifying.
Si Xiaotie started hugging her leg, "Mommy, Spider will really be good." "Mommy, don't be afraid, Xiaotie will protect you." "Mommy~"
Lin Ke finally sighed and replied helplessly, "They can only be kept in a box and cannot be let out."
"Mmm!" Si Xiaotie was delighted. His short legs immediately tried to run to the balcony, but after a couple of steps he turned back, pulled Lin Ke down and gave her a kiss. "Mommy is the best!"
Once only the couple remained in the living room, Lin Ke glared at them fiercely.
If he hadn't agreed, how could Si Xiaotie have bought the spider?
The man, who was used to being in a superior position, rarely showed a fawning smile. "It's really nothing."
"What if it runs out and bites someone one day? What if it's not okay?"
"It's not poisonous."
Lin Ke was speechless and raised her voice: "Just because someone says it's not poisonous doesn't mean it's not poisonous. Are you a zoologist or a doctor? What if you buy some kind of mutant? Si Xiaotie likes to touch this and that. What if she really bites her? It may have very low toxicity to adults, but will it work on a three-year-old child?"
The woman spoke in one breath, becoming increasingly stern as she went on, her face turning red.
Si Yuming had never seen her like this before. More than anything else, he was surprised that she could have such fluctuating emotions.
"What are you laughing at?!" Lin Ke became even angrier when she saw the person opposite her smiling.
Si Yuming's lips curved into a smile, revealing a small dimple. He stepped forward and pulled the angry kitten into his arms, patted her shoulder, and said in a deep, gentle voice, "It's really nothing, don't worry."
Lin Ke was stunned for a moment, and the remaining anger in her heart was also suppressed.
What is he doing?
Try to coax her?
Before the woman regained consciousness and pushed him away, Si Xiaotie glanced back, then squinted his big eyes, cupped his little hands to his mouth, and whispered to the spider crawling in the box, "Spider, Daddy's coaxing Mommy who's turned into a dinosaur when she's angry. You can stay now."
......
Because of the sudden appearance of a small animal in the house, Lin Ke didn't dare go to the balcony all night.
The man was extremely polite and took the initiative to do the laundry and hang the clothes out to dry. She watched as the man squatted down and fed the spider with his daughter after hanging the clothes, and then looked at the large, hairy spider crawling around. She felt a chill and quickly turned around and went back to her room.
It was almost 10 o'clock before Si Yuming finally coaxed Lin Ke back to her room to take a shower. Lin Ke put away her study materials and prepared to go to sleep.
But as soon as I close my eyes, I think of that spider, and I just can't put my mind at ease.
How strong are spiders? Could they push open the lid and crawl out?
When Si Yuming came out of the bathroom, he saw her barefoot getting out of bed to lock the door. She then squatted down to check the crack in the door, using her hand to indicate the length to make sure the spider couldn't get in before she could put her hand to her heart to put her mind at ease.
The woman stood up, glared at him again when she saw him, and then went to close the window, shutting it tightly.
Si Yuming smiled, lifted the covers, and got into bed. After she got in, he patiently said, "I got Spider from a friend of mine. It's purebred and has complete test reports, so there won't be any problems."
"snort."
Lin Ke lay flat and pulled the blanket up.
He tried to hug her as usual, but today he was pushed away as soon as he reached out. The woman was like a frightened bird, saying, "Can you please not touch me suddenly? It's scary!"
"..."
Si Yuming felt embarrassed and didn't dare to touch her again.
He turned off the lights and went to sleep. Half an hour later, the person next to him was breathing steadily, and he also drifted off to sleep. He subconsciously reached out to grab the person next to him.
But as soon as they met, the woman trembled and mumbled something unintelligible.
Si Yuming opened his eyes and saw a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, and her body was trembling slightly.
He was startled, turned on the light, and called out to her, "Lin Ke?"
Not waking up, he moved closer and called out, "Wife?"
She seemed to hear me, and with her eyes closed, she hugged me tightly, whispering softly, "No... I don't want to... Go away..."
He was in pain from being strangled, his vision was heavy, his breathing was rapid and uneasy, and he was still trapped in a dream.
Si Yuming patted her back to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, it was just a dream."
"Okay, okay, it's alright now."
The woman gradually calmed down, and her stiff body slowly softened.
Si Yuming lowered his eyes and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of his hand.
After wiping her down, he quietly watched her until she fell back into a peaceful sleep.
He hadn't expected her to react so strongly, and he already regretted buying the spider for Si Xiaotie.
...
The next morning, Lin Ke still didn't go to the balcony, but instead called out to the little girl who was playing with the spider.
"Si Xiaotie, come and eat breakfast, then go to school."
"Here you are."
Si Xiaotie was in a great mood after his wish came true. He climbed onto his special little chair, picked up his chopsticks, and grinned, "Mommy, I'm going to tell Yuanyuan and Gu Yiyi that I have a spider!"
Lin Ke couldn't help but laugh, "Don't scare your friends."
"No way, Yuanyuan is very brave."
"What about Gu Yiyi?"
Si Xiaotie used both hands to pick up a dumpling and put it in his mouth, smacking his lips as he spoke: "Gu Yiyi is a coward."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke became serious and said, "Xiao Tie, you can't talk about your good friend like that."
"I know, that's why I will protect Gu Yiyi."
After breakfast, Si Xiaotie went to kindergarten. After getting off the bus, he waved goodbye to his dad and then took Teacher Bai's hand to go inside together, sharing, "Teacher Bai, my dad bought me a spider!"
Teacher Bai was stunned. "Buy spiders?"
"Yes, didn't you say that baby spiders are also good friends of humans? So Dad bought me a spider."
"..." Teacher Bai was speechless. She was right to say that, but she didn't expect this little girl to want to keep spiders as pets... and pet spiders could be bought so easily?
Upon entering the classroom, the little girl immediately let go of Teacher Bai's hand and ran over to her best friend, sharing excitedly without even taking off her schoolbag, "Yuanyuan, my dad bought me a spider yesterday, do you want to see it?!"
Yuanyuan spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "Really...? Where...?"
Si Xiaotie only realized what was happening after she finished speaking. Oh right, the spider was at home... The girl's eyes lit up, "Yuanyuan, come home with me tonight!"
"Is...is that okay?"
"sure."
Gu Yiyi entered the classroom and overheard them talking. "Where are you going? I want to go too."
Si Xiaotie chuckled and gestured with his hands as he repeated, "My dad bought me this huge spider, come home with me to see it!"
"Okay, okay."
Once most of the children had arrived, the teachers brought breakfast into the classroom and distributed it to everyone.
But Si Xiaotie had already eaten breakfast, so she chattered away between Yuanyuan and Gu Yiyi.
Yuanyuan spoke with difficulty and could only respond to her occasionally. Si Xiaotie ignored her and continued talking to herself.
However, she didn't hear any movement from Gu Yiyi for a long time. She looked over and saw a little boy with red eyes.
Si Xiaotie tilted his head and leaned closer to him, "Gu Yiyi, what's wrong?"
Gu Yiyi's body was twice her size, but her voice was soft and weak, "It's nothing..."
Okay, it's nothing, Si Xiaotie continued talking to Yuanyuan, "My spider can spin silk, but my dad said it only spins silk when it's fat and white. My dad also bought the spider lots of delicious food..."
"Little Fatty Gu, why are you eating so much?"
A sound suddenly came from the side. Si Xiaotie turned his head and saw Gu Yiyi's face flushed red.
The little girl frowned deeply, her beautiful eyes gathering a chill, just like her father's.
"Gu Xiaopang, will you turn into a pig's head?"
"My mom said that eating so much will turn me into a big fat pig."
Gu Yiyi pursed her lips, silently pushed the small cake in the bowl away, and dared not say anything.
Si Xiaotie clenched his fist and shouted loudly, "You can't bully Gu Yiyi!"
The girl who spoke was startled and shrank back. "I didn't..."
"You are a bad person!"
Yuanyuan tugged at her, "Little...Little...Little Iron..."
Si Xiaotie pushed him away and stood up aggressively. "Gu Yiyi isn't fat at all. My mom says we're still growing and need to eat a lot. You're not allowed to say Gu Yiyi is fat anymore, or I'll tell the teacher and my dad."
The little girl nodded quickly, then asked in a low voice, "Is your dad a policeman?"
Of course, Dad isn't a policeman; he works in an office. But Si Xiaotie's dark eyes darted around, and he raised his head, "Yeah, my dad's super powerful! He arrests anyone who does something bad!"
Si Xiaotie ignored her, stood on tiptoe and grabbed the two leftover buns from the teacher's table, put them in Gu Yiyi's bowl, and commanded, "Eat up, make sure you're full."
Gu Yiyi still didn't move. When she looked over again, the little girl was already talking to Yuanyuan again, her mouth never stopping.
He silently picked up the steamed bun and took a bite.
I don't want to be called "Little Fatty"... but the steamed buns are really delicious...
...
Having just signed the cooperation agreement, the translation team has two days to relax.
However, Lin Ke couldn't rest. Wan Lei secured her an interview opportunity at the regional international forum next month. This forum not only includes the common medical and financial technology sectors, but also other sectors she rarely encounters, such as military industry and energy. She had to be fully prepared.
Around 3 PM, I received a message on WeChat, which was running on my computer.
Lin Qiliang, three voice messages, which she directly converted into text.
[Keke, it's your aunt's birthday this weekend, remember to bring Xiaotie back.]
What is Yu Ming doing? I saw him go back to Beicheng? Let's go back together if we have time.
By the way, what kind of bag does your aunt want? See if you can find it; I'll send it to you later.
Lin Ke stared at these messages, gradually becoming lost in thought.
The year Lin Qiliang went bankrupt, his mother fell ill and passed away. Six months later, the Lin family welcomed Zhu Li, who was already pregnant, and the following year, a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, were born.
In Lin Qiliang's nearly fifty-year life, his mother has become a blur. The more important role in his life is his second wife, who accompanied him through bankruptcy, helped him rebuild his business from scratch, helped him get back on track after falling into difficulties, and gave birth to his twins.
He and Zhu Li treated him well, but not exceptionally well either; they were certainly not the type to cause gossip.
Lin Qiliang loved Zhu Li, and Lin Jialang and Lin Jiayan. Before that, he may have had work and wealth, so in the end, he didn't have much love and energy left to spare.
Before marriage, Lin Ke was indifferent, but after marriage, she became a great contributor to the Lin family. Zhu Li spoke to her gently and kindly, treating her as if she were his own daughter.
There are some things that Lin Ke, in her teens, didn't understand and longed for, but Lin Ke, who had everything at the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, felt disgusted by.
After getting married, she rarely returned to the Lin family. Every time she received a message like this from Lin Qiliang, she felt very irritable. Her connection with the Lin family had somehow become a burden.
When Ma Chanchan came to coordinate the work, Lin Ke snapped out of her daze and discussed with her the tasks for the next few days.
After checking, he replied: 【Okay, Si Yuming is busy with work, and Xiao Tie is going to visit her brother this weekend. I'll go back by myself.】
Xiao Tie would have an easier time with her, but she didn't want to use her daughter as a tool to appease and please them.
Lin Qiliang didn't reply for a long time, so Lin Ke stopped caring.
At four o'clock, she sent a message to Aunt Chen asking her to pick up Si Xiaotie from school first, as she did not plan to leave work early.
After thinking for a moment, I instructed Aunt Chen to finish all the housework that needed to be done on the balcony.
As long as that spider is on the balcony, she will never step onto it.
She left the company at six o'clock sharp, but before going home, she had to go to the flower shop in the mall next door to pick up the flowers she had ordered.
There are two universities nearby, and the shopping mall is bustling with people right now.
Lin Ke never expected to run into Lin Jialang here.
The eighteen-year-old girl was dressed maturely and was currently arm in arm with a man a few years older than her. The man's clothes looked impressive, but his demeanor was casual and somewhat irresponsible.
The two were picking out flowers when the girl picked up a bouquet of roses. She looked up, and their eyes met.
Lin Jialang panicked for a moment, but quickly raised her chin proudly and didn't let go of the man's hand.
Lin Ke frowned slightly.
She and Lin Jialang didn't have the usual sisterly intimacy; they were practically strangers. She had no reason to meddle, but Lin Jialang had just started her freshman year of college this September and was only eighteen.
The person next to her doesn't seem ordinary, nor does he seem like a good person. How could she have a boyfriend like this when she's just turned 18?
The man followed the girl's gaze, stared at her for a few seconds, then turned back and asked, "Do you know me?"
Lin Jialang hesitated for a moment, then pushed the person away without answering.
Lin Ke didn't want to make a fool of herself, so she went straight to the front desk and asked the owner for the flowers she had ordered.
Why is she worrying? Adults should be responsible for their own actions.
Conversations could be heard coming from behind.
"Let's go, I don't want to buy flowers anymore."
"Since we're already here, why don't we want to buy anything?"
"I just don't want it."
"What a hassle, who is it anyway?"
"Oh dear, my sister who married into a wealthy family, let's go, let's go!"
Lin Ke pursed her lips and took the flowers from the shopkeeper.
The phone quickly received a message:
Lin Jialang: [You're not allowed to tell Mom and Dad!]
She didn't reply.
The city was packed with cars during rush hour, moving at a snail's pace. Lin Ke glanced at a bunch of fresh sunflowers on the passenger seat, and her slightly gloomy mood slowly turned cheerful.
Si Xiaotie's favorite color is sunflowers, or rather, she loves anything bright and yellow; yellow is her signature color.
She would be overjoyed to see this bouquet of flowers. She would first give it a happy kiss, and then hug the flowers and spin around in the living room several times.
I got home around seven o'clock.
As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I heard a commotion coming from inside the house. It sounded like Si Xiaotie and a child.
Lin Ke unlocked the door and entered the house. The next second:
"ah--"
Startled, she cried out and quickly fled from the terrifying, furry creature crawling on the ground. Not daring to touch the ground, she jumped directly into the arms of the man who was playing with the child in the living room, clinging to him like an octopus. The sunflower also fell to the ground.
Looking at the stickers on Xiao Tie's dad's and mom's faces, Gu Yiyi asked curiously, "Xiao Tie, is your mom afraid of spiders?"
Si Xiaotie quickly squatted down, picked up the spider with both hands, and put it into the box. Although her father would coax her mother, she felt that she was doomed.
A note from the author:
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