Chapter 28
Qin Ye recalled Shen Tiantian’s carefree and happy appearance, and inexplicably felt that the words “little tyrant” suited him surprisingly well.
After just half a day together, Qin Ye felt that Shen Tiantian was like a sweet and sour candy wrapped in a sparkling, transparent wrapper.
Radiant and dazzling.
And also very cute.
Thinking this, Qin Ye’s mood improved a little. He turned his head, ignoring Ye Jiabao’s incessant brainwashing from the side.
“Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it.”
Qin Ye was young, but his stubborn personality was already beginning to show.
Once he had made up his mind about people and things, it was difficult for him to be influenced by a few words from others.
Ye Jiabao watched Qin Ye leave and stomped his foot in anger.
Little brat, when you get bullied by Shen Tiantian, you’ll have your turn to cry!
In the living room.
Shen Tiantian was lying on the carpet, arranging the wild mulberries his grandma had brought, dividing them into three small piles.
“One for me, one for cousin, one for me, one for Qin Ye…”
One of the piles grew larger and larger, and Shen Tiantian’s round, bright eyes curved a little.
He couldn’t hide his happy little expression and couldn’t wait to pull the pile of wild mulberries into his arms.
Just as Shen Tiantian finished dividing them, he looked up and saw his cousin and Qin Ye return. His expression was a little guilty. He pressed his lips together and giggled, looking up with his cute, milky little face.
“Cousin, Yezi, you’re back.”
In the blink of an eye, Shen Tiantian had changed Qin Ye’s name.
Fortunately, Qin Ye didn’t mind. A hint of confusion appeared in his misty gray eyes. He tilted his head and couldn’t help but ask:
“Is Yezi my name?”
Shen Tiantian nodded, pointed to the smaller pile of mulberries, and said considerately:
“That’s right. This pile is for you, and that pile is for cousin.”
He smiled very obediently, hugged his own mulberries, and his words seemed to be tinged with the sweet, fruity scent of the mulberries:
“I washed them myself. I put in… the labor, so I should have more.”
He blinked his distinct black-and-white eyes, as if afraid that Qin Ye and his cousin would be dissatisfied and want to trade their wild mulberries with him.
But in fact, his cousin Ye Jiabao was about to die of anger and didn’t even care for this pile of wild mulberries picked from the countryside.
The mulberry season was already over. These were just a few that Grandma had saved by drying them, so they naturally didn’t taste as good as fresh ones.
Qin Ye had no objections at all and even pushed his share to Shen Tiantian.
“Tiantian, you eat them. Grandma picked a basket before, and I’ve already had some.”
It was the first time Tiantian had met such a generous child.
He didn’t even want the sweet and sour mulberries!
After a moment of confusion, Tiantian quickly became happy again. He mixed the two piles of mulberries together and started to count how many he could eat.
Qin Ye squatted to the side, helping Shen Tiantian, who could only count to ten, count the mulberries.
“…eleven, twelve…”
Tiantian looked at Qin Ye, who could count past ten, his little eyes wide and round, his mouth slightly open in amazement.
“You can count!”
He couldn’t!
Qin Ye nodded. Although his eyes were not as bright as Shen Tiantian’s, they now had a little more sparkle.
“I also know a lot of words.”
He could read long passages, and his vocabulary was very impressive.
Shen Tiantian took a small breath, his little brain whirred, and with a ding, a small light bulb appeared above his head.
He stood up, patted Qin Ye’s shoulder, and, mimicking Shen Yuanchuan, began to make grand promises to Qin Ye.
“From now on, you follow me. When I inherit the company, I’ll let you do the accounting!”
And he, Shen Tiantian, would just have to happily eat the mulberries his grandma had picked, gnaw on little chicken legs, and wait for Qin Ye to finish the accounting!
So smart!
Shen Tiantian almost wanted to applaud his own clever little brain. He bounced on the spot and very generously gave Qin Ye two small mulberries.
“You eat. They’re sweet.”
Shen Tiantian squatted in front of Qin Ye, cupped his little face, a small lump of baby fat squeezed out from his palm, his eyes round and sparkling.
Qin Ye’s little hand, holding the mulberries, paused. Listening to Tiantian’s sweet and soft voice, he felt that something was not right.
But before he could react, the two small mulberries were pushed into his mouth by Shen Tiantian’s hand.
Shen Tiantian’s mission was accomplished. He patted the dust off his pants, stood up, and smiled sweetly.
“You ate the mulberries, so you have to work hard, okay? I’m going to play with Grandma now.”
After saying that, Shen Tiantian patted his little bottom and ran off.
Qin Ye looked at the departing Shen Tiantian, then at the pile of uncounted mulberries on the ground, and fell silent.
Ye Jiabao, who had been watching this scene from the side, almost laughed out loud.
“Qin Ye, that’s just Tiantian’s personality. Don’t mind him.” He even pretended to be considerate and patted Qin Ye’s arm.
Qin Ye didn’t respond. He lowered his head and quietly began to count the mulberries.
Ye Jiabao just tsked a few times, thinking that Shen Tiantian had finally started to exploit the little male lead.
It was getting late, and Ye Jiabao was afraid of running into those grim reapers of the Shen family, so he quickly left.
The sky darkened, like a piece of fine black jade, deep and lonely. Even the moonlight seemed cold and clear.
Specks of starlight twinkled, but their faint light was overshadowed by the moon, almost blending into the night sky.
Grandma sat on the edge of Shen Tiantian’s bed, ruffling the little one’s fluffy little head, her face full of affection.
“Our Tiantian is a blessed child.”
Tiantian had been excited all day because of his grandma’s arrival. Now, fatigue washed over him in waves, covering the little one on the beach of sleep.
“Grandma, Grandma is blessed too.” With that, Tiantian’s little mouth fell slightly open, and he fell asleep with a little snore.
Grandma just shook her head and let out a long sigh.
She watched her little grandson sleep soundly, her mind flashing through her early-departed younger daughter, her estranged elder daughter, her little grandson Ye Jiabao who seemed to be under a spell, and Qin Ye, who had to be sent to the Shen family as a little burden.
The atmosphere in the Shen family was cold and cheerless. Tiantian had two half-brothers, and his life was probably difficult.
The more Grandma thought about it, the more she pitied her little grandson. She opened her cloth handkerchief and tucked the rolled-up money under Tiantian’s pillow.
Then, she left the bedroom without a sound.
Shen Yuanchuan had a social engagement tonight and wouldn’t be back until midnight. He would be staying at the hotel next door.
Shen Xiuze had originally not planned to come back either. His final work was stuck at the last point and he couldn’t solve it, so he was planning to stay at the company.
Pressing his aching forehead, Shen Xiuze remembered that the little one’s grandma was coming today. His dark brows sank slightly. After thinking for a long time, he still took his coat and went home from his studio.
To his surprise, as soon as he arrived at the door, he saw the flashing car lights.
Shen Jinfeng got out of another car.
The two brothers stood at the door, looked up, and their eyebrows rose at the same time.
After years of fighting, the two brothers understood each other’s purpose for returning in an instant, and their expressions also carried a hint of understanding.
“Did you finish your project?”
“Did you handle the live-streaming app matter?”
They spoke at the same time, then stopped at the same time, a hint of amusement in each other’s eyes.
Although they couldn’t stand each other, it had to be said that your opponent understood you far better than you understood yourself.
Shen Xiuze was the first to enter the door. His coat, which he had worn all day, was still neat and proper, his posture upright, his aura cold.
“Come in. Do you want a late-night snack?”
It was unclear why, but if it were in the past, Shen Xiuze would never have asked Shen Jinfeng about a late-night snack.
They were not that close.
But when Shen Xiuze looked up and saw the light of the small night lamp coming from Shen Tiantian’s bedroom on the third floor, his heart inexplicably relaxed a lot, and the words came out of his mouth.
Shen Jinfeng casually tossed his coat onto the coat rack and replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes:
“Sure.”
And so, the two brothers inexplicably sat down at the dining table for a late-night snack.
The aunties had just gone to bed. Tiantian’s grandma was old and couldn’t sleep, so she helped the chef bring out the chicken noodle soup.
Shen Xiuze had changed into gray-blue home clothes. The high-end clothes on him had a unique sense of luxury, and his whole body exuded a noble aura.
Shen Jinfeng was no less impressive. A smile played at the corners of his eyes, gentle and modest. He was just wearing pajamas, but he was in no way inferior to any celebrity.
“Thank you, Grandma. We’ve troubled you so late at night,” Shen Xiuze said politely.
Grandma waved her hand and said it was nothing. She sized up the two brothers, and couldn’t help but suck in a breath inwardly.
As expected, dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes. The children Shen Yuanchuan produced were indeed more handsome than others.
Grandma watched as the two of them ate with refined and polite manners. She sat to the side and rubbed her hands nervously, a hint of anxiety hidden in her kind expression.
After a while, Grandma finally spoke:
“Tiantian is a silly child with a bit of cleverness. I raised him, so I know he’s a good person at heart. I hope you two big brothers can take good care of him.”
Shen Xiuze saw the old woman’s helplessness, lowered his eyes, and responded softly.
Even Shen Jinfeng rarely retorted and also obediently hummed in acknowledgment.
Only then did Grandma feel relieved. The little old lady put her hands behind her back and went back to sleep.
The portion of chicken noodle soup was small. It was not easy to digest at night, so the chef had deliberately made it very light.
Shen Xiuze ate a couple of bites and stopped, wiped the corner of his mouth, his expression inexplicable.
Shen Jinfeng, on the other hand, laughed and sighed:
“Shen Tiantian is quite lucky to have a grandma who worries about him so much.”
Thinking of something, Shen Jinfeng’s gaze dimmed. He picked at his chicken noodle soup, feeling that it was extremely boring.
He was about to say something else when he suddenly heard a small roar from the door.
“Aow!”
Shen Tiantian rushed over, so angry that his fluffy hair stood on end. He used his static-filled hair to touch Shen Jinfeng’s arm.
Before Shen Jinfeng could react, in the next second, he was zapped so hard he almost ascended to heaven.
“Shen Tiantian? What are you doing?”
Shen Tiantian folded his short little arms, huffed, and gritted his back teeth.
“You and big brother are eating delicious food behind my back!”
Shen Tiantian had woken up in the middle of the night and didn’t see his grandma. He was dazed and wanted to find his grandma to sleep with.
But as soon as he got out of the elevator with his little pillow, he saw his two brothers eating alone behind his back!
Shen Tiantian was furious. His already messy and spiky hair from waking up was now standing straight up on his head, expressing his boundless anger.
Clenching his little fists, Shen Tiantian nimbly climbed onto the baby chair and, like a little rascal, held out his little hands to his two brothers.
“I want some too!”
The corner of Shen Jinfeng’s mouth twitched. “…”
Where did this little rascal come from?
Shen Jinfeng almost laughed out of anger, but looking at the little fat cub’s stubborn little face, he couldn’t help but say through gritted teeth:
“Alright, alright, here you go.”
Shen Jinfeng pushed the more than half-eaten chicken noodle soup to Shen Tiantian.
Shen Tiantian didn’t mind. He held the small bowl and slurped it down.
The portion of chicken noodle soup was indeed small. Shen Tiantian finished it in two bites, a piece of green onion stuck to the corner of his mouth. He tilted his head and looked at Shen Xiuze.
Shen Tiantian didn’t say anything, but Shen Xiuze had already consciously pushed his chicken noodle soup to him.
Shen Tiantian squinted his little eyes and nodded, expressing his great satisfaction.
It seems his position as the overlord of the family was becoming more and more stable!
Translator’s Notes
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Yezi: This is a nickname Tiantian gives to Qin Ye. It literally means “leaf.” It’s a cute, simple nickname.
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Chuunibyou: A Japanese term, often used in Chinese online communities, referring to the “eighth-grader syndrome.” It describes teenagers who have delusions of grandeur, believe they have special powers, or act overly dramatic. Tiantian shouting “Go, Miracle!” is a mild, childish form of this.
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Doge.jpg : This is a common way to indicate sarcasm or a joking tone in Chinese online comments, similar to using “/s” in English. The “doge” meme face is used for this purpose.
