She dutifully swallowed two pills, leaving Xu Chaomu half dead.
She glared resentfully at a certain person who remained calm and collected, grinding her teeth, "Bastard, have you ever heard of 'cherishing the fairer sex'?"
"Which part of you is 'fair' or 'delicate'? Don't flatter yourself too much!" Shen Chi stood up and left.
"You, you! If you dare, come back! Hey, bastard!"
Unfortunately, Shen Chi didn't even turn his head back and with a "bang," closed the door behind him.
When Shen Chi went downstairs, he saw his mother Zhou Ran and a middle-aged man sitting in the garden drinking coffee, with a thick stack of documents on the table.
He recognized the middle-aged man; he had been to the Shen Family house a few times, seemingly a lawyer.
He walked over and caught snippets of his mother's conversation with the man.
"Madam, Chairman Shen refuses to budge, so I'm afraid the young lady and young master might not end up with you."
"I don't expect him to budge; we both are well aware of his character. But the Shen Family is wealthy. Adi and Achi living with him might turn out much better than with me," Zhou Ran said lightly, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Madam, Chairman Shen was unfaithful first, you stand a great chance of winning. Don't you want to fight for it?"
"No, I have more important matters to discuss with him."
Zhou Ran's voice then dropped as she spoke quietly with the lawyer, who nodded repeatedly in response.
"Madam, good, I will draft the documents as soon as possible. You can depend on me to handle this," the lawyer assured.
Zhou Ran then nodded and smiled, "Mr. Fang, this coffee is specially brought in from Malaysia. You must try it."
Shen Chi stopped in his tracks, no longer moving forward and instead turned to leave.
He had always known that his father had another family outside, and despite his mother's years of holding on, she couldn't avoid the fate of divorce.
He had never felt that a union without love could end well, yet he was completely baffled by his mother's decision to bring Xu Chaomu home.
After returning to his room, Shen Chi called a psychologist, and soon, a female doctor wearing glasses arrived at the Shen house.
"Young Master Shen, what kind of psychological issue would you like to discuss?" the female doctor adjusted her glasses.
"Premature maturity."
"Premature maturity? Are you referring to psychological or... physiological?"
An image of Xu Chaomu's slender, almost bone-thin frame flashed before Shen Chi's eyes as he said indifferently, "Psychological."
"Oh!" the doctor jotted something down in her notes, "How old is the child?"
"Ten years old."
"And what are some of the child's behaviors that are too mature for their age? Also, is the child from an imperfect family?"
Too mature for their age? Did incessantly climbing on him count?
"She's an illegitimate daughter, lived with her mother, and her mother passed away recently."
"I see, no wonder. Children from unstable families indeed tend to mature earlier than those from normal families."
"Let me take you to see her."
Having spoken, Shen Chi led the doctor upstairs. Premature maturity was an illness, and he had to nip it in the bud.
"Xu Chaomu." Shen Chi knocked on the door.
Xu Chaomu hurriedly stuffed the comic book she had been engrossed in into her backpack. This time she was smarter; she wouldn't leave it under her pillow!
"Coming!" She ran over to open the door.
"Why lock the door in broad daylight?" Shen Chi frowned.
"I'm just scared of you, okay? Forcing me to take medicine is one thing, but what if you throw me down from upstairs? Then what would I do?" Xu Chaomu said earnestly.
"Are you afraid of me?" Shen Chi sneered coldly.
"When Shen Chi speaks, the earth trembles three times; how can I not be afraid?" Xu Chaomu rolled her eyes at him.
Shen Chi turned to the doctor and said, "You see the situation; handle it as you see fit!"
After he left, Xu Chaomu was still confused when the female doctor dragged her into the room.
Xu Chaomu guarded herself while retreating backward, "Don't come any closer, I don't like women!"
The corners of the doctor's mouth twitched; this child was indeed unusually precocious.
"I am a doctor. Come on, I just want to ask you a few simple questions," the doctor said with a kind smile.
"I'm Xu Chaomu, ten years old, orphaned with no parents. I don't like anyone, especially Shen Chi!" Xu Chaomu blurted out in one breath.
"Young lady, you seem to know a lot. Let's have a chat," the doctor said.
"Answer me a question first!" Xu Chaomu maintained several paces of distance.
Suddenly, she thought of the parts she didn't understand while reading the comic book. If she asked Shen Chi, he would definitely scold her for being ignorant, so why not ask this knowledgeable-looking female doctor instead.
"What's your question?" the doctor smiled.
She thought, what could a ten-year-old child possibly ask? Perhaps about pretty flowers or a nice dress.
However, what Xu Chaomu asked caught her completely off guard.
Xu Chaomu leaned in secretively, "Let's get one thing straight, you have to keep this confidential!"
"Of course, I promise not to tell anyone," the doctor vowed.
"Okay!" Kids are easy to placate. After hearing this, Xu Chaomu earnestly pulled out the comic book she had hidden in her backpack.
She turned to a part in the middle and, pointing to a man and a woman in the comic, asked, "Tell me, why is this woman saying 'no, no' while also laughing and hugging this man?"
The doctor blushed deeply at the sight, wondering where Xu Chaomu got such an adult-themed comic. This was absolutely not suitable for kids!
No, she had to report this to Young Master Shen and make sure he kept a close eye on this child, or there would be trouble in the future.
"You don't know either? Then what's the point of talking to you," Xu Chaomu said, somewhat displeased as she put away her comic book.
"Actually, young lady, at your age, you should go out more, to places like amusement parks or zoos. They are perfect for you," the doctor suggested.
"I'm done talking, I'm going to sleep," Xu Chaomu stated as she lay down in bed and covered herself with a blanket, finding the woman uninteresting.
The frustrated doctor left the room awkwardly.
Once she was gone, Xu Chaomu flipped out her comic book again, immersing herself in it enthusiastically.
These comics later became her primer, attempting countless positions when she pounced on someone. However, the man with an icy demeanor never responded with the passion described in the comics.
Later, she concluded that this man was frigid in that department!
As Xu Chaomu was engrossed in her comics under the blanket, the door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang!"
Frightened, Xu Chaomu quickly tried to hide the comic under her pillow, but her movements were too slow, and the book was snatched away by someone.
Xu Chaomu covered her face, thinking it was over, utterly certain that it was the female doctor who had snitched on her. She always knew that you couldn't trust petty people or women!
"Xu Chaomu, come here now!"
Shen Chi sat on the couch with his legs crossed and a dark expression, his eyes filled with anger.
Xu Chaomu didn't move for a long time. Should she go? Her future was bright and full of promise; she wasn't ready to die.
"Not coming?" Shen Chi inquired back.
"You, you promise not to hit me..."
Shen Chi looked up and snorted coldly.
"You, you promise not to scold me..."
"Let me reiterate, come here now!" Shen Chi's eyes were a cold abyss, his voice icy.