Chapter 14: The School Bully (14)

Zai Ye held the child tightly. This was a strange child of unknown origins, whose arrival had thrown his life into chaos, and he was still getting used to her presence. At times, when anxiety peaked, he even wished she didn’t exist.

But in this moment, he suddenly realized that he and this small child had formed a new family. Like his mother before him, he had found a new home of his own.

In this family, he was no longer the frightened, angry child who needed protection, but had become the protector of another.

He would never become the kind of parent who abandoned their own child.

At just two years old, Yu Qian could barely make sense of the jumbled memories in her own mind, let alone understand her dad’s sudden strange behavior. She couldn’t fathom why simply buying a cup she wanted had made him so affectionate.

The little “leaky cotton jacket” who had just radiated warmth began to squirm, finding the tight embrace uncomfortable.

Feeling his hair being yanked, Zai Ye snapped out of his complex emotions and released the squirming child.

The child looked at him innocently, holding up her small yellow duck cup. “Pour yogurt.”

Yogurt had now replaced cola as her designated drink.

Zai Ye: “…” He took her yellow duck cup, washed it, and poured half a cup of yogurt.

Yu Qian, however, seemed dissatisfied. She grabbed the yogurt bottle.

Zai Ye: “Finish this first, then refill. If you pour too much, it’ll spill…”

But Yu Qian wasn’t pouring into her duck cup – she was pouring into his handmade yellow cup. Only after filling both cups with yogurt did she seem satisfied. Holding her duck cup, she wobbled over and clinked it against the other yellow cup, exclaiming loudly, “Cheers!”

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Zai Ye remained silent for a moment before lifting the cup for a sip. Even though he hadn’t washed his cup, he silently finished all the yogurt his little “leaky cotton jacket” had offered.

The weekend quickly passed. Zai Ye returned to school, leaving Yu Qian temporarily at the “Soaring Lounge.”

Initially, Zai Ye had planned that if Li Xiu disagreed, he would try leaving the child with Nanny Wu for a day. He had installed cameras at home that he could monitor from his phone for peace of mind.

Unexpectedly, when he called Li Xiu, the man put on an act of reluctance with a dramatic “Oh, what a hassle,” but before Zai Ye could say more, cheerfully agreed: “Bring her over, bring her over. I’ll watch her a while longer.”

Zai Ye: “…” His tone clearly showed he was enjoying it.

On Monday, Yu Qian was unusually sluggish. Though she had no school or work to attend, the dreaded Monday biological clock seemed embedded in her body, leaving her tired and unwilling to move.

So that day, Yu Qian watched movies in the screening room at the Soaring Lounge. This small theater boasted a massive screen, comfortable seating, and regular snack and drink refills. While Li Xiu rarely used it, his cousin Liang Hao frequently brought friends for movie nights.

Today, Yu Qian had claimed the space. After much deliberation while the child nearly dozed off waiting, Li Xiu finally selected a youth romance film.

“The male lead in this ‘First Love Letter’ is a school tyrant. Xiao Qian, what do you think? Does he remind you of your dad?”

The screen showed a rebellious boy with unkempt clothing, earrings, and dyed hair – completely unlike Zai Ye.

Sitting beside Yu Qian, Li Xiu gazed nostalgically at the screen: “Your dad went through a rebellious phase two years ago. He dyed his hair and got called to the principal’s office three times before getting annoyed and dyeing it back. He even wore an earring on one side to look cool! See that attitude? Chin up, caring for no one – just like this!”

On screen, the school tyrant strutted down a hallway filled with screaming fangirls, the scene radiating shoujo manga vibes.

Soon, a blushing girl stopped him to confess. The school tyrant looked down at her disdainfully and said, “Who are you?” before walking away as she ran off in tears.

System 65, oddly fascinated by such tropes, lit up with commentary: 「The heroine hasn’t appeared yet. It’ll definitely be a resilient wallflower! Soon she’ll bump into him at a corner and spill milk all over him! Classic setup – physical contact sparking romance! Ah, so good!」

Meanwhile, Li Xiu kept chattering: “Your dad was even cooler than this guy. Wonder if he had any girlfriends at school. Oh, Xiao Qian, what if your dad gets a girlfriend and you end up with a stepmother? My poor Xiao Qian, what will you do then!”

Sitting on the wide, soft couch, Yu Qian ignored the noise from both sides, contentedly sipping her yogurt while watching the movie.

…

“Zai Ye, what are you looking at?” a boy asked, peering over.

Lately, they had noticed their leader frequently scrolling through his phone with either troubled or contemplative expressions. Today again, instead of gaming, he was absorbed in his screen.

Another boy leaned in to invite: “Zai Ye, want to play a round?”

Without looking up, Zai Ye continued scrolling. “No.”

“Hey, are you browsing Taobao? What are you buying… girls’ clothes?”

The boys, used to seeing Zai Ye in his unchanging black T-shirts and wristbands, found his current browsing – pages of adorable little girls’ dresses – completely jarring.

Ignoring their reactions, Zai Ye opened a product page and frowned in concentration. “Which looks better – the yellow duck dress or the pink strawberry dress?”

The group immediately split into factions: “Strawberry!” “Obviously the duck!”

Their competitive spirits ignited, and what started as a simple question quickly escalated into a fierce debate. The argument spread through neighboring classes and even reached the school forum, where someone started a poll.

Meanwhile, Zai Ye, who had sparked this chaos, simply added both dresses to his cart and purchased them, completely uninterested in their pointless argument.

That afternoon, during a rare proper PE class, Zai Ye walked at the back of the group, now browsing children’s water bottles with interest.

“Zai Ye!” a voice called out.

Looking up disinterestedly, he saw two younger girls approaching nervously.

After some awkward explanation about a previous encounter, one girl gathered her courage and asked, “Do you have a girlfriend? If not, would you consider me?”

Zai Ye’s expression darkened. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen…”

“You’re too young. Wait until university or after graduation.”

The girl’s expression crumpled. “What?”

“Have you considered how your parents would feel? How angry your father would be?”

The girl was devastated – not just rejected, but lectured. And why bring up her father?

Later, when Zai Ye went to pick up Yu Qian and saw a romantic scene playing on the big screen, he immediately confronted Li Xiu. “How could you show this to a child?”

“She doesn’t understand anything,” Li Xiu yawned.

“What if she starts dating early?” Zai Ye fumed.

Li Xiu rolled his eyes. “She’s two.” After a pause, he added meaningfully, “Besides, having a child at barely eighteen isn’t much better, is it?”

In the awkward silence that followed, Yu Qian suddenly giggled.

Zai Ye’s face darkened like a pot bottom. He felt strangely wronged, but couldn’t quite explain why.