Inopportunely, Lin Shilu recalled Teacher’s words: What if you broke your legs too? You couldn’t even chase after them!
Little Deer hadn’t broken his legs, but he still couldn’t catch Teacher.
Mid-grief—one hand wiping tears, the other clawing for the prize—a cat paw appeared before him. Amid Lin Yao’s furious “Sheng Shisi, you got a screw loose?”, A Si said calmly: “Here.”
Little Deer stared blankly: It can be like this?
A Si had never been looked at so seriously by him; his gaze drifted aside, uncomfortable.
In that split-second daze, Lin Yao snatched it back, grumbling: “Fucking nuts, treating trash like treasure?”
Before he finished, Little Deer grabbed his collar: “Grab grab grab, go A Si!”
This pack of lunatics!
Little Deer was one thing—not quite wife but still little brother. But you, Sheng Shisi—what the hell were you?
Lin Yao snapped, slamming a fist into him.
Word of the scuffle quickly reached Lin Yuan’s ears. He’d just wrapped a meeting; coffee sharpened his mind but couldn’t shake the fatigue, and after holding back all day from watching a certain someone’s videos, his mood was fouler.
The projector flicked on, the lively scene piquing his interest.
His idiot son and Sheng Shisi tumbled in a heap, fists thudding dully, drowned out by Little Deer’s excited cheers nearby.
“Hit him, hit him!”
Oblivious that he was the eye of the storm, the boy fanned the flames while scooping up the dropped cat paw. He didn’t sit on it, just clutched it to his chest watching the fight—and casually hit record.
“Teacher, Teacher!” His pretty face crammed the screen, eyes sparkling: “Fighting makes a bad kid, right Teacher?”
“Right,” Shen Leyuan had a bad feeling. “Who’s fighting?”
“Them.”
Little Deer swung the camera to the brawling duo, thrilled: “A Si’s fighting—he’s being bad!”
“Teacher, kick him out of the group quick!”
Shen Leyuan: …
The video cut off. Little Deer got neither praise nor reward.
He lost interest in the brotherly brawl, listlessly hugging the cat paw back to his room. Spotting Teacher on the way perked him up a bit.
“Tea…”
Shen Leyuan whooshed past like the wind, bodyguards in tow.
“…cher?”
Little Deer’s beaming smile froze, bewilderment as he watched him vanish without a glance.
Had he messed up again?
Was fighting the right thing—to get Teacher’s attention?
Teacher, his soft pale palm sank into the cat-paw cushion, face buried in it, inhaling the faint teacher scent: Or does Little Deer always mess up, while others always get it right?
The boy’s gaze darkened, sinking into unstoppable delusions.
“Little Deer?”
Shen Leyuan halfway there realized something off—worried the silly kid would overthink. Panting, he doubled back, extending a hand to the boy, voice warm: “Come back with Teacher? I’ve got something to ask.”
Cheeks faintly pink, the boy nodded lightly: “Mm…”
Good—Teacher was back.
When Shen Leyuan led the dawdling Little Deer back to the classroom, the bruised-and-battered pair had already been separated. No need to ask; their faces were a palette of bruises, screaming old grudges.
He sighed softly. “What happened?”
He knew it was probably pointless—obviously about Little Deer.
Little Deer stayed mum, clutching the cat paw tight, eyes darting, scared Teacher would make him return it.
A Si stayed mum too—his usual taciturn self.
Lin Yao, polar opposite, reacted like a snake had bitten his ass: “What else? Fighting over my wife, duh. Fox spirit, can you not butt in?!”
Dead or alive, he couldn’t let the fox spirit know it was over junk.
Fuck, what a cursed fight.
Win or lose, no glory. Why’d he go so hard? Blame Little Deer—teaming with an outsider was bad enough, but cheering him on like that? Zero regard that one fighter was his bro.
Yeah, that’s what pissed him off—nothing else!
“Really?” Shen Leyuan eyed him skeptically.
Just his habit of bluffing the kids—no real expectation.
But the young hothead couldn’t hold it in, overreacting: “What else could it be?! You got issues? Go seduce my dad if you’re bored, aim to… fuck, can you just stay away from me?”
What the hell am I spouting?
All the fox spirit’s fault!
Even without being my stepmom, he’s like this—what if he actually became my mom? Nag me every day?
Shen Leyuan turned to Little Deer: “You tell me?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Yao seemed cocky but was panicked, gaze flicking to Little Deer like he feared the truth.
Little Deer hugged the cat paw tighter, acting even worse than Lin Yao: “Fighting over wife, yeah.”
Shen Leyuan shifted to Sheng Shisi.
The other two lobbed looks his way—one pitiful, the other loaded with “tell him and you’re dead” threat.
But Shen Leyuan didn’t ask.
Shen Leyuan let them off lightly, called the doctor to check them over and prescribe suitable medicine, then led Little Deer back to his room. Along the way, he praised the boy warmly, “Little Deer didn’t join in, and Teacher is very pleased.”
Little Deer finally got what he wanted, his eyes sparkling like they were filled with stars as he grinned.
“But,” Shen Leyuan said, “next time they fight again, can Little Deer try to stop them somehow?”
Little Deer asked, “Will there be a reward?”
“There will.”
“Will Teacher like Little Deer a little more?”
“Depends on how you do.”
Little Deer puffed out his cheeks: Always like this—Teacher’s just brushing me off!
But his gaze fell on their joined hands, and he thought, It’s already pretty good. Little Deer needs to be even better and learn how to be a normal person.
Once Little Deer becomes a “normal person,” Teacher will like me.
Holding hands while walking was indeed Shen Leyuan’s reward for good children, but he couldn’t say it outright—otherwise, Little Deer would rigidly memorize this “exchange formula.” He hoped the kid would gradually understand on his own, rather than learn to fake it.
After sending Little Deer off, Shen Leyuan thought about calling the big shot.
But when he opened his contacts, he hesitated for a moment and ended up not dialing. Instead, he went to chat with the doctor, asking when the marks on their faces would fade.
The injuries were pretty bad—at least three to five days.
Beating each other up like this over someone they liked—what was the point? Shen Leyuan couldn’t understand it.
They weren’t wild beasts in mating season, where the winner takes the female. Little Deer was a unique individual with his own thoughts; brute force wouldn’t win him over.
Putting aside his worries, he posted in the group chat that tomorrow’s study hall would be changed to an outdoor class. He also had Little Deer notify Lin Yao to join—they’d be out of the villa, reducing the chances of running into the big shot.
Otherwise, a few lashes of punishment, and Lin Yao would suffer both physically and mentally. That wouldn’t do.
Sigh, corporal punishment…
The big shot had his own psychological issues too, but Shen Leyuan had no standing to advise him.
The next morning, Shen Leyuan got up and headed out. He hesitated, then placed an order through a delivery service for concealer. It arrived just after breakfast; he tested it himself and sent portions to each of the three problem children.
Lin Yao stared at the girly makeup item, his face turning pitch black.
His silenced phone suddenly pinged—Little Deer’s private message about the outdoor class.
Lin Yao had a sudden flash of insight and remembered the eggs the cook had sent yesterday, saying to roll them on his face to reduce swelling. So it was the Fox Spirit passing a message.
“Neurotic freak!”
Meddling busybody—the Fox Spirit really thought he was Mom now?
After cursing, he pulled Little Deer and Sheng Shisi into a new group chat and sent a voice message: “Hey, what do you think are the odds of the Fox Spirit climbing into position?”
The group went dead silent, until someone named “Orphan” chimed in.
Orphan: “I’ve done some digging—that guy’s salary starts at 100k, and he’s already pocketed two million-yuan checks. If it weren’t for a certain someone’s old house catching fire, I’d shred the Fox Spirit’s lesson plans and eat them.”
Little Deer finally bubbled up: “No eating!”
Orphan: “Oh? You actually care about your brother?”
Deer: “Teacher’s lesson plans are all with Dad. Little Deer can’t even get them—why should you eat them?”
After a pause, Lin Yao typed two words: [Fuck]
Then he @’d Sheng Shisi: [Quick interview: Little Deer’s poisoned this deep—what’s your take?]
Sheng Shisi stayed silent online, just like in real life—not even a period.
Boring. Utterly boring.
Lin Yao tossed his phone on the bed, picked up the concealer, squeezed some onto his hand, and sniffed it with a tsk. “Cheap crap—matches the Fox Spirit perfectly.”
No, the Fox Spirit isn’t cheap—100k a month.
But other guys’ little darlings dropped more than 100k on a single bag, while the Fox Spirit fretted over this and that, a young mom with three kids for a measly 100k a month. So yeah, still cheap.
Pah, pah, pah—what three-kid mom? He has nothing to do with me!
But if one day he really marries my dad…
The dream he’d desperately suppressed resurfaced. He covered his face and groaned, “Fuck, the Fox Spirit’s toxic!”
Just then, his phone pinged again.
Lin Yao felt a guilty start, splashed cold water to cool the flush on his face, then checked the group. Little Deer had posted: [Teacher left]
Left? Where to? Tired of being my stepmom?
Because of the fight with A Si?
He glared at his phone, as if he could glare the Fox Spirit right out of it.
Then Little Deer followed up: [@Big Bro, Teacher says outdoor class—so can we go out with him?]
No one replied.
Lin Yao glanced outside—the Fox Spirit’s car was already halfway up the hillside, about to vanish from sight.
He hurriedly typed, feigning nonchalance: [Sure, let’s go check it out then.]
Beneath that message, the ever-silent third person finally spoke up.
Sheng Shisi: 1
