Chapter 6: School Kid, Auntie Will Take You For a Ride
1458 Words
"Honey, let's talk about this. Why bring up divorce?" Mr. Shen immediately tensed up as soon as he heard those words.
"Divorce now, let's do it right away. The Shen family can't afford a woman like this!" Mrs. Shen chimed in, her anger flaring.
Once they divorce, all the money from the second son will go to Junbao.
Shen Zhiyu's expression immediately darkened upon hearing this.
"Mom, I'll arrange to send you back to the old family home tomorrow. Our place is small, we can't afford to keep you here."
Mrs. Shen was taken aback by this statement.
No matter how good the old family home is, it can’t compare to the comfort of her second son's place. She doesn't need to do anything, doesn't have to work in the fields, enjoys fine food and drinks, and is pampered. Going back to the old family home means having nothing.
She immediately burst into dramatic tears.
"How am I supposed to live now? I raised you for nothing..."
Mr. Shen didn't have time to bother with the situation and hurried after Mrs. Shen, only to be shut out by her, who slammed the door behind her.
"Mom, please don't be like this. Dad's not that bad." Shen Xiaoxiao quickly rushed to defend her father once they reached the bedroom.
Although her dad was soft-hearted, he wasn't someone who couldn't see the bigger picture.
Mrs. Shen gently patted her daughter's head.
"Don't worry, your mother knows. Your father values relationships too much, so it wouldn't be right for him to bring it up, but I have to say something."
Shen Xiaoxiao realized it immediately, and quickly gave her mom a thumbs-up.
"Mom's really impressive."
Mrs. Shen smiled lightly and tapped her daughter on the forehead. "You're always so outwardly strong, but too honest inside. When you were a child, Shen Jun hit you and you didn't speak up. You’re doing the same thing now. You should stand up for yourself more. Don't let people bully you outside."
Shen Xiaoxiao chuckled. "Don't worry, Mom, I won’t let anyone bully me."
She leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.
"You're still young, don't worry about marriage yet. Just be happy."
Shen Xiaoxiao nodded, feeling a bit guilty.
She had already gotten her marriage certificate, and if her parents found out that she married just one day after meeting him, they would probably faint from anger.
The two chatted for a while. As the time was getting late, Mrs. Shen stood up.
"Alright, you rest. I'll go check on your dad."
After Mrs. Shen left, Shen Xiaoxiao got up from the bed, slowly took out the marriage certificate hidden in the bottom of her bag, and lightly rubbed it. After a while, she put it back and hid it under a book in the nightstand.
She slept soundly that night. The next morning, she was woken up by the sound of her phone.
A message from someone named Qin popped up in WeChat, with a moon-shaped avatar.
"I have an issue here and will be delayed for a few days. I should be back in three days at the latest."
Who’s this?
Shen Xiaoxiao stared blankly for two minutes before remembering: She was married now.
Grabbing her phone, she thought for a moment and replied with a simple "Okay."
Then, she felt it was too dry and quickly searched for a cute cat emoji and sent that instead.
On the other side, Qin Shi was on the phone with the old man, explaining the household registration issue. He heard a couple of beeps from his computer and glanced at it, seeing the cute hand-drawn cat gif. It was soft and adorable.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"Kid, are you listening to me?" The old man on the other end scolded tiredly, not hearing a response from his grandson.
"Grandpa, when I get back from my business trip, I'll bring her to see you." Qin Shi said.
He had never intended to hide the fact that he was married; it just happened that he had to go on a business trip right after they got their marriage certificate, which caused the delay.
"Hahaha, good, good!" The old man immediately hung up the phone, satisfied with the confirmation.
Qin Shi looked at the emoji for a moment, then added another message.
"Go check out the house when you have time, renovate it the way you like. As for the money... Qin Taijia, I'll give you the bank card when I return."
"Aww~~"
With a startled cry, Shen Xiaoxiao quickly threw her phone aside, feeling it was too hot to handle.
She wrapped herself up in the blanket and rolled around in bed.
Ah——
Does this man have to be so considerate? He’s already adopting the new identity so quickly.
She had only said it jokingly that day, but now he was taking it seriously. How could he do this?
She kept staring at the screen, unable to think of a suitable reply, her face still flushed.
"Xiaoxiao, come downstairs for breakfast."
Her mom's voice came from outside, and Shen Xiaoxiao hastily tossed her phone aside and quickly jumped out of bed.
It was the weekend, and the family rarely had breakfast together.
At the dining table, the atmosphere was especially awkward today.
Mrs. Shen had a stern face, while Mr. Shen was obviously trying to please her.
"Honey, it’s my fault this time. I promise, I won’t do it again." Mr. Shen quickly apologized.
Mrs. Shen snorted coldly.
"Words are easy, but yesterday you said you’d send the old lady away, and today you ended up sending her to the hospital. She was fine before, but now suddenly she's 'sick' just because you feel guilty?"
Mr. Shen quickly smiled in appeasement. "Don't worry, I've handled it. Please don't be upset. Being upset isn’t good for your health, and I care about you..."
The sugary talk gave Shen Xiaoxiao goosebumps.
She hurriedly finished her breakfast, rushed to her bedroom, and slammed the door behind her, all in one go.
Since she was a child, she knew her parents had a good relationship, and while it had become a habit, it still made her uncomfortable.
In the afternoon, Shen Xiaoxiao was preparing to look for a job. She had some free time and was about to start playing a game when she saw a message on QQ.
"Want to play a game? Take me along."
The contact was labeled "Elementary School Kid."
Despite being less than half her shoe size, this little brat had recently been speaking with an unusually cocky tone, often making Shen Xiaoxiao want to smack him.
But this kid was also a pro at trash talking lately. If anyone insulted her in-game, he’d rush in immediately, using no bad words but speaking fiercely and sharply.
"Sure, just don't run around today. Stick behind Auntie, and I’ll carry you."
Shen Xiaoxiao easily agreed and started the game, intending to play a few rounds with the little one.
The kid was a newbie, terribly bad. After a couple of rounds, Shen Xiaoxiao, while trying to carry him, ended up losing every single time.
"I told you, stay behind me, don’t run off! You’re feeding the enemies with your mistakes, and when I told you to run, you didn’t. Who’s supposed to carry you?"
After three rounds, Shen Xiaoxiao’s temper flared, and she was getting annoyed.
"The internet’s bad today, we’ll play next time."
Qin Shi was typing on his phone with a grim expression, his face dark.
"If I find out who was teaching the old man to play games, I’ll rip their head off."
He had bet on reaching the rank of Starry Glory in one month, and now, he had to give the phone to the old man. That was fine, but then the old man had gone and called a 20-something woman “Auntie” in-game pretending to be a schoolboy!
The mere thought of it was painful.
"Mr. Qin." The secretary, just entering, saw her boss’s dark expression and instantly lowered her voice.
"Speak."
Qin Shi threw his phone aside and twisted his aching neck.
"The acquisition deal is nearly done. The talks with them are going well, and Mr. Yan has confirmed that he’s free tonight. I’ve arranged to meet at 5 PM."
Qin Shi nodded, unsurprised by how quickly the other party had compromised. At this rate, they should be able to sign the contract before noon tomorrow, and the follow-up matters could be wrapped up in two days.
"Alright, let’s finish this by then."
Just before the secretary left, Qin Shi called him back.
"Book a return ticket for noon, two days from now."
- Writer
