Chapter 13: Injured? (1)

Qin Yiyi was less than a year old when her mother ran out of milk, so Grandpa Qin had no choice but to have fresh cow's milk delivered every day for her to drink. Originally, she didn't like the taste of milk, but now, for the sake of her skin and figure, she planned to keep drinking it until she was old.

"Good girl, rest for a while," Meng Shichen took the empty milk bottle from Qin Yiyi's hand, then opened the seat behind her into a reclining chair and helped her lie down. It was important for children, who were growing, to get enough sleep. He had Qin Yiyi stay by his side so that he could take better care of her, not to make her suffer.

"Thank you, Brother Chen," Qin Yiyi said. After her many unsuccessful protests, she had become rather resigned to it. After all, she was still young and wouldn't grow taller without enough sleep.

Meng Shichen smiled gently. "Good baby," the book said. It was always good to encourage a child when they behaved, and he certainly did this well.

The teacher had adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward these two kids. The younger one was adorable and intelligent, and the older one was mature and talented. Since the principal had also signaled approval, and they didn't disrupt class, no one objected to Meng Shichen's lack of attention to the lesson as he consistently took care of his little baby by his side.

When the bell rang for the end of class, Qin Yiyi was rudely awakened. Being jolted awake felt terrible, so she couldn't help feeling quite irritable, and, unfortunately, there were always people who couldn't read the room.

"Meng Shichen, let's go out and play," a pretty little girl said proudly, lifting her little head as if it were a favor to him.

As soon as Qin Yiyi opened her eyes, she saw Xia Jiaojiao dressed in gaudy clothes. That little girl was quite arrogant, forming cliques at such a young age. Every day she led a few girls who took her lead, playing princess in the class, and most people couldn't be bothered with her, making her more and more self-satisfied.

Meng Shichen was already upset when his little baby was disturbed by the bell, but unfortunately, he couldn't get the school to cancel it. Now with an irritating presence added, his mood got even worse, and the chill he released instinctively kept the children, who still couldn't read social cues, at a distance.

The peacock was furious when the exceptionally handsome little boy didn't even glance at her, and she was too incensed to realize something was amiss.

Almost a month had passed since school started, and he was clever and beautiful. And when she talked to her dad at home, her father had also stressed the importance of getting along well with him. She thought it would be nice to have such a person as her prince. Moreover, she felt a twinge of envy every time she saw him doting on the little kid; her own parents never fed her like that. The more she thought about it, the more she was determined to win him over. She raised her arm high and slammed it down onto Meng Shichen's desk with a bang.

Meng Shichen, who was gently consoling Qin Yiyi, didn't react, and Qin Yiyi merely glanced down. The person with the greatest reaction was Xia Jiaojiao herself, who, in her excitement, hadn't controlled her strength, turning her palm red and hurting herself badly with the impact.

"Ah!" Unable to bear the pain, Xia Jiaojiao cried out, and as she hurriedly stepped back, she scraped her foot against the leg of the table, causing the entire table to suddenly tilt towards Meng Shichen.

Meng Shichen's quick reflexes steadied the table, but the books on it toppled off, threatening to fall on Qin Yiyi. Meng Shichen's arm swung swiftly to knock the books away onto the floor, resulting in an even louder noise.

He usually reads books brought from home, and those books, purchased from overseas, are almost exclusively hardbound with thick, rigid covers—just the thought of one hitting his precious Yiyi... Meng Shichen's expression grew terrifyingly dark as he continuously held Yiyi in his arms, inspecting her, not wanting to see even a single hair harmed.

Qin Yiyi also got a fright. Few people dared to speak to Meng Shichen, and the fact that Xia Jiaojiao didn't run away scared after his outburst but instead had the guts to slap the table was commendably brave.

Seeing Qin Yiyi staring blankly at the books on the floor, Meng Shichen thought she'd been frightened and began gently patting her back while soothing her in a soft voice, "Baby, don't be scared, big brother Shichen is here. Baby, don't be scared." It took a few repetitions before Qin Yiyi snapped out of it—after all, she was an adult inside, so when she was too calm in these situations, it could make others think she'd been petrified.

"Big brother Shichen, your hand." Meng Shichen had been so anxious earlier that he'd used his hand to open such a thick book. If he had gotten hurt because of her, she would have felt terribly guilty.

Meng Shichen's gloomy expression cleared up immediately when he saw that Yiyi was fine and even concerned about him, "Big brother Shichen is fine, baby, you are so good," he said, followed by another kiss. However, just because Yiyi was unharmed didn't mean Meng Shichen would let Xia Jiaojiao off the hook. He turned his head, his gaze piercing through her, and in a chilling voice that was terrifyingly low, he uttered, "Get lost."

Xia Jiaojiao, frightened by Meng Shichen's look, retreated several steps when she heard his command. Her hand, which had struck the table, still throbbed with pain, but she held back for the sake of her pride. Moreover, she hadn't dropped the book on purpose. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and she started crying out loud.

Meng Shichen frowned in disgust, picked up Qin Yiyi, and walked out of the classroom. Leaving behind a weeping Xia Jiaojiao and a silent crowd, he went to the principal's office and called someone to pick them up and take them home.

He was worried that Qin Yiyi had been scared and wanted to take her home for a thorough checkup by the doctor. But once they got home, Qin Yiyi refused to cooperate; she insisted that the doctor check Meng Shichen's arm first. Only after confirming he was fine did she allow the doctor to examine her. The result: neither of them had any injuries.

Meng Shichen had never felt this way before, a sensation as if his body were floating in warm water, and the joy in his heart felt as though it could overflow. His gaze toward Qin Yiyi grew even more tender, as if it could drip with water.

That evening, when Grandpa Qin came home, he was informed about the day's events, and he comforted Qin Yiyi a great deal. He was particularly incensed at the thought of Xia Jiaojiao, who had nearly hurt her.

In fact, the young lady didn't do it on purpose, and Qin Yiyi, being an adult, didn't see it as a big deal. If it had been intentional, given how much Meng Shichen cared for her, he would have made her pay on the spot.

It took a lot of kissing and explaining before Grandpa Qin calmed down. However, going back to school was definitely not an option. Meng Shichen didn't insist any further either; he couldn't bear to see his precious Yiyi getting inadequate sleep every night. Qin Yiyi also felt that going to classes was indeed pointless. Not to mention that she would eventually have to attend school when she reached the appropriate age, but she was actually too small now, with even her walk unsteady. Going out would only cause unnecessary worry for the adults. Besides, with her around, Meng Shichen had to look after her constantly, which left him with no energy to focus on his studies. Although the courses were easy for him, as a student, he ought to at least appear to be one.

The next day, Qin Yiyi slept in until the sun was high in the sky—not even getting up when Meng Shichen came to feed her breakfast, contently catching up on her sleep.

However, after a week of this routine, Qin Yiyi started to get restless. Meng Shichen had classes during the day and could only teach her for an hour each evening. As such, Qin Yiyi found herself idle all day.