Chapter 9: It’s More Fun When You Raise Them Yourself

The scene fell into a brief, quiet stillness.

At some point, Ji Huailuo slapped his thigh and burst into laughter. “Damn!!! How dare you!! How dare you describe him like that… although I agree!! Oh my God, I can’t—!!”

A solid wood tissue box on the coffee table unexpectedly hit him in the face.

Ji Huailuo let out a groan. “Don’t get embarrassed now. Wasn’t it you who asked her to rate him?”

“I asked her to rate him,” Zhou Cong said, his eyelids twitching. “Did I ask you to rate him?”

Zhen Chuang, completely confused, elbowed Hua Qingyang. “Were we just insulted?”

“……” Hua Qingyang, thoroughly entertained, responded, “Compared to Ah Cong, we might as well have been praised.”

Zhou Cong chuckled, his gaze fixed on a certain girl. “I thought my image was already that of a beast, but you seem to think highly of me.”

Xu Zhiqiao: “……”

“It seems,” Zhou Cong dragged out the tone, “I can still try a little harder.”

The word “try” was bitten out from between his teeth.

Xu Zhiqiao felt a chill run down her back and wanted to slap herself for running her mouth.

“Big Brother, let’s go home.”

Ji Huailuo glanced at the time. “Are your parents home?”

“They’re not,” Xu Zhiqiao said eagerly. “It’s just me and Sister Li.”

“Alright,” Ji Huailuo snorted. “Well, that’s my place, I’ll have to go back eventually.”

“……” Xu Zhiqiao paused, almost as if coaxing him. “It’s your place. I’m not going to fight for it. I’ll move out soon.”

Ji Huailuo furrowed his brows briefly, then returned to his normal expression. “Don’t act like a victim.”

Xu Zhiqiao nodded.

“Bro,” Zhen Chuang, observing their interaction, licked his lips and couldn’t help but speak, “You can talk like that to the brothers, but the little sister, well… she’s still a girl.”

Ji Huailuo’s words had been too harsh.

It was a miracle Xu Zhiqiao could take it with a straight face.

Ji Huailuo didn’t change his expression. “She’s worried her mom’s position won’t be stable…”

“Ji Huailuo,” Zhou Cong suddenly spoke, his voice calm, “That’s enough.”

Once those words were spoken, Ji Huailuo’s expression froze, and he didn’t say another word.

Xu Zhiqiao swallowed the discomfort rising in her throat and awkwardly said, “I’ll go help you with Er De.”

“Xu Zhiqiao,” Zhou Cong furrowed his brow, “You don’t need to, understand?”

There was no need for such flattery.

There was no need for such tolerance.

She didn’t owe Ji Huailuo anything.

If she feared Xu Shu wouldn’t be able to stand her ground in the Ji family, then Xu Shu should figure it out on her own.

“……”

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Hua Qingyang quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Didn’t you say you can’t touch dogs? Have Huailuo take care of it.”

Xu Zhiqiao didn’t respond.

Ji Huailuo, once again irritated, hated her expression. “Who told you to act all nice? You should just leave the way you came.”

With that, he stormed off.

Zhen Chuang and Hua Qingyang chuckled, “Little sister, you and Ah Cong go home. We’ll watch your brother, no problem.”

The villa had been vacant for a long time, and the spacious interior was tinged with a damp smell.

The sky had darkened, and only a little orange light, tinged with a hint of black, filtered through the window.

Zhou Cong lowered his brows, watching the uneasy girl standing there. He suddenly felt helpless. “Your mom’s relationship with Uncle Ji isn’t something you can fix just by flattering Huailuo…”

“I didn’t flatter him,” Xu Zhiqiao interrupted.

Xu Zhiqiao raised her head and looked him in the eye. “I just understand his feelings. I’ve been to my dad’s family, and I saw how my dad treats another child better than he treats me. I’m careful with my plants. I don’t want to Ji Huailuo to become like me because of myself.”

“……”

“I’m not crying for him,” Xu Zhiqiao said calmly. “I’m crying for myself. I couldn’t speak up in front of my dad, but seeing Uncle Ji treat Ji Huailuo like that… I just remembered myself.”

Zhou Cong’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

He… couldn’t quite understand.

At her dad’s family, she had to tolerate.

At her mom’s family, she was still tolerating.

“Hey,” Zhou Cong’s voice dropped. “Want to visit my secret base? I’ll only tell you, just you.”

“No.”

“…Don’t be so heartless.”

Xu Zhiqiao waved her hands, still walking toward the door. “I’m taking the bus back. Thanks, Big Brother Zhou Cong.”

“……” Zhou Cong laughed in frustration. “You better get in my car, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Xu Zhiqiao’s footsteps quickened as she tried to avoid him, looking like she wanted nothing more than to not be in the same space as him.

Zhou Cong never imagined this day would come.

He, actually… was being treated like a disaster by a little girl!

There was a bus stop just outside the neighborhood. Coincidentally, a bus arrived at that moment.

Xu Zhiqiao quickly boarded, scanning the QR code on her phone.

During rush hour, the bus was crowded. She grabbed the handrail, swaying with the motion, and through the slowly retreating scenery outside, she vaguely saw Zhou Cong’s car following behind.

Some high school students were chatting on the bus, probably coming back from a tutoring session.

“I heard the millet this time is great. I want to go.”

“My mom won’t let me. She says it’ll delay my studies.”

“It’s not far. Wen Chuang Street is just one stop away from your place.”

“Are you going?”

“If you go, I’ll go secretly. We’ll go together.”

“Okay, I’ll go then.”

Xu Zhiqiao blinked and quietly asked, “Is it a real-life comic exhibition?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Xu Zhiqiao glanced again at the car behind her.

When the bus reached Wen Chuang Station, Xu Zhiqiao slipped out from between the girls.

——–

Zhou Cong followed the bus step by step, reaching the Ji family’s villa cluster stop. He parked the car by the side of the road, waiting for someone to get off and face a scolding.

At this stop, there were only a few people left—two or three scattered passengers.

After dropping off passengers, the bus doors swayed shut.

Zhou Cong narrowed his eyes, quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, and with long strides, rushed to the front of the bus.

He thought he was going to board, but the driver opened the door again. “Hurry up.”

Zhou Cong bounded up the steps, holding the door with one hand, his sharp eyes scanning the interior.

No one.

Only two passengers were left in the back, the rest were empty seats.

The driver grew impatient. “I said—”

Before he could scold, Zhou Cong’s face darkened, his shirt billowing from the wind, and with his uncontrollable fury, he stepped off the bus.

Xu Zhiqiao’s phone was unreachable.

Zhou Cong clenched his teeth, the refined tone of the young master fading away as he sent a message, fuming: [Xu Zhiqiao, you’re not learning, huh?]

[Where are you? Call me back!]

[If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your family?!]

[Xu Zhiqiao!]

The night grew deeper, and Ji Huailuo should have been home by now. Zhou Cong’s heart sank lower and lower.

He dialed a number, his voice cold: “Help me check the surveillance footage for bus 25, from Huayuan Community to Qunying Villa, at every stop. I need it now.”

“Don’t ask,” Zhou Cong snapped, “I lost someone else’s kid.”

The other side replied something.

Zhou Cong, rarely losing control, growled: “How the hell am I supposed to know kids are this hard to handle?”

Then, grinding his teeth, he added: “It’s only fun when you raise them yourself!”