Chapter 10 Like

The maple trees in the Jiang family garden were in full bloom, their broad canopies shading the pavilion like giant umbrellas.

After drawing a big heart with her hands, Zhi Li’s dark eyes curved into crescents, sparkling with tiny flecks of light. “Grandma, I’ll study hard with the teachers! Thank you, Grandma!”

Song Yin didn’t particularly care how well Zhi Li would learn. Children from the Song and Jiang families generally weren’t micromanaged about academics—their inevitable circumstances had long taught them to strive on their own.

Occasional childhood rebellions were still within the elders’ expectations.

Thus, in Song Yin’s eyes, Xu Qingying and Zhi Li were the only two unpredictable elements in the family.

“Where’s your mother?”

“Mom’s on the phone! She said she’ll take me shopping this afternoon!”

Song Yin responded with nonchalance, but when her gaze met Zhi Li’s innocent almond-shaped eyes, she inexplicably suppressed her urge to leave and asked, “Who taught you to kiss people?”

Zhi Li’s eyes immediately crinkled with laughter, her voice cheerful. “Mom taught me!”

At this, Song Yin’s expression frosted over slightly.

The Butler also felt a flicker of doubt. Had she overthought things? Was Madam truly unchanged from before?

Already accustomed to her stern grandmother’s cold demeanor, Zhi Li showed no fear. Instead, she pursed her lips shyly and said, “Last night before bed, Mom kissed my forehead! That’s how I learned you could use kisses to show love!”

“Love?” Song Yin recalled the scene she’d witnessed that morning before leaving and asked indifferently, “Do you love your father?”

Zhi Li nodded emphatically twice. “Yes! I love Daddy, and I love Grandma!”

After answering, she suddenly locked eyes with the Butler. Driven by an unfamiliar instinct, she added brightly, “And I love Auntie Butler too!”

The Butler clasped her hands in front of her, amused by the addition. “Then why hasn’t Zhi Li kissed Auntie Butler?”

“Ah—”

Zhi Li was stumped.

Because Auntie Butler had smiled at her during their first meeting, and she’d smiled back—wasn’t that enough to show affection? Did Auntie Butler also need kisses to feel loved?

Her little mouth opened slightly, but before she could respond, her grandmother cut in. “Zhi Li, no matter what your mother teaches you in the future, remember this: you may only kiss family, not outsiders.”

Having delivered her habitual lecture, Song Yin inexplicably added, “Understood?”

“Understood!” Zhi Li glanced sheepishly at the Butler, then suddenly extended both hands above her head, forming another big heart. Bathed in sunlight, she launched another Sweetheart Bullet. “Auntie Butler, Zhi Li loves you!”

First time awkward, second time smooth—she couldn’t kiss outsiders, but she could send them hearts!

The Butler was genuinely sweetened to the core, her face softening with affection. “Auntie Butler loves Zhi Li too.”

Song Yin shot her a sidelong glance.

To think a mere heart could sway her so. No wonder she’d once lied to cover for Jiang Yuexiao after he broke a vase—this woman had absolutely no bottom line when it came to children.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Zhi Li turned at the sound to see Lightning sprinting toward her.

In the sunlight, the big dog’s fur rippled soft and fluffy in the wind, his watery blue eyes more beautiful than glass marbles.

“Lightning!”

“Woof!”

“Lightning!”

“Woof woof!”

The girl and dog had fallen into perfect sync.

[Is Zhi Li barking with the dog?]

[Can’t hear the audio, but it sure looks like it…]

【This family might not necessarily welcome Zhi Li, but the dog certainly does.】

【If they didn’t welcome her, why let Zhi Li kiss their cheeks twice and make heart signs both times?】

【Could anyone really refuse when Zhi Li kisses cheeks and makes heart signs?】

【I also think Grandma and the Butler might not refuse, but that doesn’t mean they particularly like her.】

In the garden, Song Yin and the Butler watched Zhi Li’s “conversation” with Lightning, feeling slightly surprised.

Lightning actually had a very gentle temperament. Unless ordered by its owner, it wouldn’t actively attack anyone. But it looked fierce and loved to play pranks, especially scaring children.

Yet Zhi Li wasn’t afraid?

Not only was she unafraid, she even ran over to greet this new dog friend—the first dog that had ever smiled at her upon meeting!

The checkered hem of her dress brushed against the lavender in the garden, scattering petals as she moved.

Zhi Li had barely taken two steps when Lightning charged straight toward her.

It spat out the ball it had been carrying in its mouth, the yellow sphere rolling across the lawn until it stopped at Zhi Li’s feet.

Lightning lifted its head, panting slightly, its pink tongue visible. “Woof!”

Zhi Li had played with chicks at home before but never with a dog. Still, she’d seen how people in the neighborhood played with puppies. She’d heard that big dogs like Lightning needed playtime to burn off energy so they wouldn’t destroy the house.

Last time, the driver uncle mentioned that Wei Liang took Lightning for walks to tire it out.

Zhi Li bent down to pick up the ball, raising her small arm high.

Lightning watched eagerly, its round blue eyes full of anticipation.

Whoosh—

The yellow ball flew far as Zhi Li threw it.

Lightning turned its head and dashed after the ball at full speed. It ran so fast that it soon returned with the ball in its mouth, and Zhi Li tirelessly threw it again and again to keep playing.

“Lightning finally found someone who’ll play with it endlessly,” the Butler remarked, her gaze lingering on Zhi Li’s radiant smile. “Zhi Li is such a sweet, endearing child.”

This time, Song Yin didn’t dismiss the comment about Zhi Li’s sweetness as premature. Instead, she withdrew her gaze and flipped a page of her book. “Do you think what Zhi Li said earlier was sincere, or was it something Xu Qingying coached her to say?”

Well…

The Butler hesitated too.

It had to be admitted that over the past month, the mistress had left quite an impression on them. Even if this morning’s behavior showed a change, it couldn’t erase her previous demeanor.

Playing hard to get?

Advancing by retreating?

The more the Butler thought about it, the more unsettled she became.

Good heavens! Without realizing it, she’d actually started viewing the mistress differently—all because Zhi Li was too adorable and well-behaved!

“Perhaps—” The Butler looked at Zhi Li’s innocent face in the distance, finding it hard to believe her words and actions were scripted. “Perhaps Zhi Li genuinely likes you and the master.” Of course, she also genuinely liked her, Auntie Butler—those little heart signs made with both hands looked utterly sincere.

Song Yin placed the book face-down on the wicker table and watched as Zhi Li abandoned Lightning to rush toward Xu Qingying, who had just arrived in the garden. Her tone was unreadable. “How starved for affection must this child be to like me and Yanheng after just one meeting?”

Then she glanced sideways at the Butler. “Liking you makes sense, though.” The moment you see Zhi Li, you grin like a blooming flower.

The butler caught the underlying meaning in Song Yin’s words and couldn’t help but think to himself, “So you’re aware of it too? Then why can’t you just smile at Zhi Li?”

——

“Shining Children” already had considerable viewership, consistently ranking first in popularity among live-streamed variety shows of the same period. After a morning of online buzz, six or seven related hashtags had appeared on Weibo’s trending list, with Yu Xinrou and Xu Qingying being the most discussed.

In the preview clip, Yu Xinrou mentioned that she had given birth prematurely to her son, which left him frail in his early years, leading her mother-in-law to spoil the grandson excessively.

Subsequently, viewers witnessed an extremely unruly child who even yelled at Yu Xinrou, his own mother.

This made netizens who had pitied Yu Xinrou due to Xu Qingying’s backstabbing feel even more sympathetic toward her. Some shared stories of their own troublesome children, while others urged Yu Xinrou to stand firm and discipline her misbehaving son properly.

After seeing Yu Xinrou’s trending topics, those who hadn’t watched the live stream were momentarily stunned when they came across Xu Qingying’s hashtags.

#Xu Qingying’s biological daughter is a kiss monster#

#A ‘Dad’ worth 3 million#

The production team edited clips of Zhi Li kissing her father and grandmother, and even sending hearts to her grandmother and the butler. The latter moment, in particular, wasn’t recorded with sound, prompting netizens to play detective, eager to decipher what was said between the grandmother and Zhi Li!

[“She must’ve been scolding Zhi Li for kissing people randomly. Look at the grandmother’s icy expression.”  

“After being scolded, Zhi Li kissed her again and sent hearts? Yeah, right!”  

“Grandmother is cold, but the butler is grinning ear to ear…”  

“Maybe she really did scold her—like telling Zhi Li to just call her ‘Grandma’ directly.”  

“???”  

“Zhi Li already called her ‘Grandma’ at breakfast.”  

“Wait, I haven’t watched the live stream. Can someone explain the ‘just call her Grandma’ joke?”  

“It’s in the trending topics—#A ‘Dad’ worth 3 million#.”]

Turns out, some netizens pointed out that the bank savings card Zhi Li received could only be issued with a minimum deposit of 3 million yuan. Combined with her stepfather’s cool yet domineering remark—”Just call me Dad”—when handing her the card, the internet erupted with a wave of “call me Dad” memes. This even gave “Shining Children’s” live viewership a significant boost.

Many netizens flocked to Xu Qingying’s live stream to join the fun.

At the moment, Zhi Li and Xu Qingying were having lunch—twelve meat dishes, ten vegetable dishes, six desserts, and three soups, all ordered that morning.

Before lunch, Jiang Yanheng had left for work and Song Yin for school, so only Zhi Li and Xu Qingying were enjoying this rather extravagant two-person meal.

They ate peacefully and comfortably, but the live chat was anything but calm.

[“LOL, after all that kissing, Dad and Grandma couldn’t even be bothered to join for lunch!”  

“It’s fine if they don’t join. Eating alone is more relaxing.”  

“Hahaha, Xu Qingying’s fans really know how to save face!”  

“Not a fan… One gives a 3-million-yuan card for calling him ‘Dad,’ the other hires top-tier tutors in every field. Who cares if they don’t eat together?”  

“I’d take 3 million from my dad in exchange for skipping lunch with him ANY DAY!!!”]

After lunch, Zhi Li played fetch with Lightning for a while. Around 3 p.m., Xu Qingying called her over to prepare for a shopping trip to buy some favorite daily necessities.

The garage door had just opened when Lightning came running over, a slightly scuffed yellow ball in its mouth, sitting outside the car door whining softly.

“Lightning, I’ll be back soon,” Zhi Li said from inside the car, waving at the dog. “You should go home now.”

Even as the car drove away, Zhi Li could still see Lightning lying in the same spot through the window, looking determined not to budge until she returned.

Xu Qingying gently pinched Zhi Li’s little ear. “Lightning really likes you.”

“Yeah!” Zhi Li sat back with a bright smile. “Lightning was so happy the first time we met!”

Uncle Wei, the driver, steered the car smoothly. “Lightning loves playing with balls, but the young master and Xiao Liang would rather take it running to burn off energy than play ball with it.”

“Why don’t they play ball with Lightning?”

“They say playing ball is too childish, and Lightning is too particular about fetching.”

Xu Qingying looked puzzled. “Too particular?”

“It won’t fetch if the throw is too high or if the ball lands in a puddle,” Uncle Wei recounted Lightning’s quirks like listing treasures. “Lightning is afraid of heights and hates getting dirty.”

Zhi Li, having already witnessed Lightning’s fastidiousness, added after Uncle Wei finished, “It won’t fetch from the edge of the pond either, as if afraid of falling in!”

Xu Qingying turned to Zhi Li. “So you fetched it instead?”

“Mm-hmm!” Zhi Li saw no issue with this, her little eyebrows lifting cheerfully. “It spends time playing with me too.”

The car was also equipped with cameras, and netizens watching the live stream heard the conversation between Zhi Li and Xu Qingying, instantly drawing out a flood of pet owners who shared their own pets’ quirky habits in the comments.

Meanwhile, the hired trolls assigned to stir up trouble in the live stream received new orders.

[Find people to keep steering the narrative.]  

[What’s the use of just giving a bank card? Did they provide the password? Even with the password, can they be sure there’s still 3 million left in the account?]