Chapter 72

The situation was quite simple. In Baby Panda’s class, there was a shy and introverted little girl who was bullied by one or two boys. Baby Panda, who was always considered a gentleman, couldn’t bear to see this any longer. In a fit of frustration, he directly confronted the boy and gave him a good beating.

Putting aside whether Baby Panda’s actions were right or wrong, his intentions were good. So why should they hide this from others?

Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan were not the kind of parents who were unreasonable. Even though Baby Panda hadn’t said much, they never thought about scolding him.

This matter needed to be handled well.

However, after crying his heart out, Baby Panda became even more withdrawn, saying nothing and quietly staying in his room.

Xu Yuan understood that Baby Panda felt wronged and upset.

Seeing her son like this pained her, but when she glanced at Meng Zhengrong’s furrowed brows, she suppressed her urge to hold Baby Panda in her arms.

She believed Meng Zhengrong could handle the situation better than she could.

That evening, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan went to Baby Panda’s room. He was sitting on the bed looking at a picture book, and when he saw his parents enter, he didn’t say a word.

What a stubborn little kid!

Meng Zhengrong sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. “Yucheng, even now you’re unwilling to tell us what happened? Do you really want us to find out from others?”

Baby Panda remained silent, his little fist clenching tightly into a small ball without him realizing it.

“Are your daddy and mommy a little disappointed? Who are you angry with right now? Baby Panda, please don’t keep secrets from us, okay?”

Seeing Meng Zhengrong like this, Xu Yuan felt a wave of emotions.

She had said long ago that Meng Zhengrong would be a good father one day.

She thought he was almost there.

Thanks to Meng Zhengrong’s patience, Baby Panda finally spoke up. Perhaps he wanted to calm himself down, but given his age, he couldn’t disguise many of his feelings. His voice was filled with grievance: “Li Tianyang bullied Tong Li. I don’t like how he treats her; I really, really hate it! I fought him to warn him not to bully others anymore. Did I do something wrong? Daddy, did I do something wrong?”

Upon hearing their child say this, both Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan fell silent.

They didn’t know how to respond.

In today’s society, there are countless people who bully the weak. This incident involved a little girl who was indeed the weaker party. Why did that boy choose to bully her and not another boy? This question reflects some issues in society.

Using violence to resolve violence is obviously not the best approach, but sometimes it seems to be the quickest way.

As adults, both Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan had to acknowledge this point.

Sometimes, it seemed that a fist was more effective than reasoning.

But could they educate their child in this way? Clearly, they could not.

They often complained about the “toxic positivity” of adult life, and sometimes felt the same aversion towards “self-help” advice. But as parents, if they didn’t give their child a world that was better than the real one, wouldn’t that be too cruel?

After going through this in his mind, Meng Zhengrong slowly said, “There’s no clear right or wrong in this situation; there’s only what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Baby Panda, if you think Li Tianyang is in the wrong, you can tell the teacher. The teacher will handle it properly. But you must not fight with him, okay?”

Baby Panda shook his head. “Tattling isn’t something boys should do.”

Meng Zhengrong felt helpless. “Didn’t you tattle on me frequently?”

Baby Panda’s chubby cheeks flushed red.

It was clear he was reminded of his own actions.

“And this isn’t tattling. Your intentions are good; you want Li Tianyang to correct his behavior and to prevent Tong Li from being bullied. What do you think?”

Baby Panda was almost convinced but then thought of another question and asked, “What if someone bullies me? Like how they bullied Tong Li?”

Meng Zhengrong wanted to say, “It’s good that you’re not bullying others.”

“Then you fight back.” Meng Zhengrong said this without a second thought.

This answer surprised Xu Yuan as she expected Meng Zhengrong to continue with the “self-help” approach but was taken aback by his sudden bluntness.

“If someone bullies you for no reason, then you fight back. And if you lose the fight, you have to endure it and not cry.”

Baby Panda looked innocent.

Hadn’t they just said that fighting was inappropriate?

“Okay, okay, this is a discussion that can’t go deep at your current age, so let’s set it aside for now. We can talk about it again when you start elementary school. Just remember one thing: when someone bullies others, try to handle it gracefully. But if someone bullies you and you end up crying, just go cry by yourself and don’t let me see it.”

As the conversation reached this point, Meng Zhengrong suddenly realized that Baby Panda didn’t really understand the logic behind what he was saying. It was better to wait until he grew a little older.

Xu Yuan could only shake her head in resignation.

However, she actually agreed with Meng Zhengrong’s perspective.

She just hoped that Baby Panda wouldn’t turn into a little troublemaker under their education.

Baby Panda: “…”

That’s how children are; many emotions come quickly and go just as fast.

In no time, Baby Panda seemed to have forgotten all about his previous grievances.

This relieved both Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong, as they had initially feared that their little chubby boy would be stuck on the issue, but he wasn’t. It was quite surprising.

Not getting stuck on something is a good thing. The world that adults face is not beautiful at all. Strangely, almost all adults hope that their children will see a beautiful world.

Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong continued discussing the matter before going to bed.

“That Li Tianyang actually bullied a girl. If that kid bullied my daughter…” Meng Zhengrong paused and let out a cold laugh. “Heh.”

“I’m thinking, is there really no other child besides Baby Panda who noticed this? Why didn’t that little girl tell her parents she was being bullied? Or did her parents know and just not care? Also, how come the kindergarten teachers didn’t notice something that even Baby Panda saw?”

This matter was neither too big nor too small.

Xu Yuan suddenly realized that something was off about the situation.

Meng Zhengrong hugged her and sighed, “I had someone look into it. Tong Li comes from a modest background; her parents worked hard to get her into this kindergarten through connections. Li Tianyang comes from a well-off family and has some status, so Tong Li’s parents wouldn’t dare to offend him. The kindergarten teachers also want to avoid any trouble. In fact, Baby Panda did the right thing.”

In this kindergarten, all the children came from wealthy families, and they would directly advance to prestigious elementary and middle schools. The teaching quality was top-notch.

Although it was just kindergarten, the class divide had already become apparent.

Perhaps even the kindergarten teachers were relieved that Baby Panda stood up to Li Tianyang.

Xu Yuan wasn’t surprised by this outcome; she just couldn’t help but lament that, no matter the era, it seemed to be this way.

“What if one day a child from a family more prominent than the Mengs or Xus bullies Baby Panda?” Xu Yuan asked.

Meng Zhengrong’s expression grew serious. “I won’t let him endure it.”

“If he’s bullied, I can’t force my child to swallow his anger. Xiao Yuan, this is our child; I want him to grow up well.”

Not to have to bear the burdens of the adult world too soon.

Just as Xu Yuan was about to say something, a sudden knock came from the door. She and Meng Zhengrong exchanged glances. Who could be knocking at this hour?

Meng Zhengrong got out of bed and walked to the door. When he opened it, he saw Baby Panda standing there in a onesie, his hair a mess, holding his pillow.

His big eyes looked expectantly at Meng Zhengrong.

Meng Zhengrong felt an ominous premonition and frowned. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Baby Panda quickly dashed inside, blowing a kiss to Xu Yuan, who was lying in bed, then turned to Meng Zhengrong and said, “Daddy, I want to sleep with you tonight.”

His expression was serious, almost demanding.

Meng Zhengrong shook his head firmly. “No, you’re too old for that. Aren’t you embarrassed to sleep with your parents?”

Baby Panda touched his face and cheekily replied, “Daddy, I’m not embarrassed. I’m not ugly.”

“Who said that?”

“So narcissistic, just like who…”

Baby Panda glanced at Meng Zhengrong. “Everyone says I look like Dad.”

Meng Zhengrong: “…”

“Daddy, you owe me an apology for today.”

“??? What?!”

“You said I didn’t do anything wrong, yet you yelled at me. So you need to apologize. But I know you won’t apologize, so let me sleep with you for one night as compensation.”

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Meng Zhengrong was confused. “When did I yell at you?”

“Your voice was much louder than before. That’s yelling! I felt very hurt.”

Baby Panda dramatically clutched his chest, “So you need to make it up to me.”

Meng Zhengrong thought to himself, this kid truly deserves the title of ‘Meng the Actor.’