Yuanyuan wasn’t great at reading the room or facial expressions, but she could definitely pick up on one thing:

The louder the voice, the scarier the person.

Terrified by the booming voice, Yuanyuan quickly scrambled behind Shen Ji, tugging at his shirt to hide herself.

Wow, brother Shen Ji is so tall! Hiding behind him feels so safe, like having a big umbrella.

To Yuanyuan, Shen Ji’s height made him the perfect shield. He was even taller than her big brother, and standing behind him made her feel completely protected.

“Hurry up and go buy some ice cream,” the man grumbled impatiently, pulling some money from his pocket and throwing it at Shen Ji’s chest. “Four. And don’t you dare come back without the exact change.”

His message was clear.

Four ice creams—one for each family member. Shen Ji was merely the errand boy, with nothing for himself.

Yuanyuan listened quietly for a moment, counting on her fingers several times before weakly asking, “Uncle, did you maybe forget to count someone? Including brother Shen Ji, shouldn’t it be five…?”

She wasn’t confident in her math, and even the last part of her question sounded uncertain.

The man finally noticed the little girl hiding behind Shen Ji, a cute doll-like child with a face too striking for him not to recognize.

She was the same girl from the amusement park—the one whose family had given Shen Ji the tickets. If it hadn’t been for her, his own kids wouldn’t have thrown such a tantrum, and his wife wouldn’t have berated him for an entire evening.

All the frustration that had been building up suddenly exploded.

“This is a family matter! What business does a little brat like you have meddling in it?” The man grew more furious as he spoke. “Mind your own business, or you’ll regret it.”

“N-no… don’t be mad at Yuanyuan,” the little one stammered, trembling behind Shen Ji. Her tiny voice wavered as she peeked out with one eye. “Yuanyuan has allowance. I can buy brother Shen Ji an ice cream.”

What did she mean by that? Was she implying he couldn’t even afford ice cream for Shen Ji?

The man took a deep breath, anger boiling inside him, about to burst through the top of his head.

Even though Yuanyuan’s voice was innocent, to him, it sounded like mockery.

Yuanyuan was clearly a child from a wealthy family. Her clothes were made of high-quality fabric, and the design was more luxurious than what his own kids wore.

On her wrist was the latest model of a phone watch he had seen advertised on TV—the same one his kids had been begging for. One of those watches cost as much as his monthly salary.

There was no way he could afford it.

Because of that, his younger daughter had cried all night, her sobbing keeping the entire household awake. His wife had scolded and even hit the child, but the crying hadn’t stopped. In the end, she’d taken her anger out on him, too, accusing him of being a failure who couldn’t even afford their daughter a basic toy.

With resentment festering inside him, the man had developed a deep-seated disdain for wealthy people. They flaunted their money and always looked down on others. Their kids were just as entitled.

“Don’t look down on me, you little brat,” the man spat, his eyes red with fury as he reached out to grab Yuanyuan. “If your father doesn’t know how to teach you, then I will! Do you even know what respect means?”

Yuanyuan, scared and confused, huddled behind Shen Ji, crying out in a small voice, “Yuanyuan’s not heavy! Really, I’m not heavy! I don’t eat much at all… hic.”

Driven by instinctive fear, Yuanyuan darted around behind Shen Ji, trembling pitifully.

The man, consumed with rage, blamed all of his frustrations on the small child. His furious expression was truly frightening.

“Stop!” Shen Ji’s voice, cold and sharp, was laced with anger as he grabbed the man’s wrist with surprising force.

Though his frame appeared slim, Shen Ji’s grip was terrifyingly strong.