Chapter 26

Qin Sheng scowled as he brought the two unlucky kids home. As soon as Qiao Zhenzhen stepped inside she dropped the items on the floor and took from Chi Shen whatever he had been holding. Qin Sheng looked disgusted and nudged the supplements with his foot. "What are these for?"
"We brought them for you, so you can eat them." Qiao Zhenzhen didn't dare say Qin Jing had asked her to bring them. She shrugged and pulled Chi Shen onto the sofa. Seeing the coffee table bare, she immediately turned to Qin Sheng. "Grandpa, where are my snacks?"
"...Who knew you'd be coming today?" Qin Sheng asked gruffly.
Qiao Zhenzhen put on an innocent face. "Did you throw them away?"
Qin Sheng snorted and said nothing. The housekeeper smiled. "Not thrown away, Mr. Qin put them away, waiting for the little miss to come and eat them."
"Who's waiting for her?" Qin Sheng retorted.
Qiao Zhenzhen giggled and immediately asked the housekeeper to bring out the snacks. Then she pulled practice books and textbooks from her backpack and began a new day of study.
Chi Shen sat quietly by her side. Once she had prepared, he turned to the place they hadn't finished yesterday and, in a hoarse, rough voice, earnestly began to explain the problems to her.
Qin Sheng hadn't expected to see Qiao Zhenzhen studying in his lifetime; his expression looked odd for a moment. After staring at them for a long time and making sure she wasn't deliberately deceiving him, he gave a light huff and didn't interrupt, pretending not to care, he examined the gifts on the floor instead.
They were all practical consumables, food and useful items. Though his body was sturdy, there were things he couldn't eat, and his joints ached in damp weather; these items were clearly chosen with his needs in mind. The more Qin Sheng looked, the more his expression darkened; his previously relaxed brow slowly furrowed.
When Qin Zhao came downstairs he saw Qiao Zhenzhen and Chi Shen engrossed in study, while Qin Sheng stood among the clutter with a stern face. He paused, curious, and walked over. "Dad, what are these?"
"Oh, Zhenzhen and Chi Shen bought them," Qin Sheng said coldly.
Qin Zhao rifled through the things on the floor and chuckled. "This must be my sister's doing. There's no way those two kids were so thoughtful, you're really..."
He didn't finish his sentence; Qin Sheng's severe look silenced him.
What Qin Zhao could guess, Qin Sheng had long suspected. He was already displeased, and now that his own son had exposed him, his anger grew.
With his temper rising, he had to let it out. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and walked up to Qiao Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, I want to ask you, those of yours..."
"Oh, Grandpa, don't speak yet, Chi Shen is in the middle of explaining a problem to me," Qiao Zhenzhen said, frowning at him. "If I get interrupted, it takes me ages to pick up the thread again."
Qin Sheng glared at her; after a long, huffy pause he grudgingly relented.
…Well, in any case this was an adult quarrel and couldn't be allowed to interfere with the child's studies, though the fire in his chest wouldn't go out and he felt like he'd burst. He frowned for a moment, then looked toward Qin Zhao, who was slipping away: "You, come here!"
Qin Zhao: "…"
Qin Sheng hauled Qin Zhao off to the study and tore into him for a good while, lecturing him about being in his thirties and still single.
The scolding kept drifting into the living room; Qiao Zhenzhen shivered inwardly. "Luckily I came prepared and knew he cares about studying, otherwise I'd be the one getting scolded right now."
After she spoke, she saw Chi Shen's face calm and added, "And you, don't think you can run off either."
"…Mm."
"Don't thank me; just focus on tutoring me," Qiao Zhenzhen said, and while the nanny wasn't looking, she secretly ruffled Chi Shen's hair.
A faint smile touched Chi Shen's lips as he lowered his eyes and explained the problems to her.
No new affection points appeared. Qiao Zhenzhen felt a little disappointed and secretly spoke to Xiao Ba in her head: "I used to boost his affection by ruffling him, why not today?"
"Maybe you've ruffled him so much you're numbing him," Xiao Ba suggested.
Qiao Zhenzhen frowned. "Then what should I do?"
"Try something bolder," Xiao Ba said.
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded, then quietly took his left hand tucked under the coffee table.
Chi Shen flinched and turned toward her, bewildered.
"Hold hands," Qiao Zhenzhen said sweetly.
[Affection +10, current 220]
Chi Shen's Adam's apple bobbed; the half of his body closest to her tensed. His usually cool palm, held in her hand, grew hot, and a fine sheen of sweat quickly formed.
Noticing he was distracted, Qiao Zhenzhen quietly let go of his hand. She glanced at his neck and saw it flushed with a broad red patch.
"…You're so easily embarrassed, how are you ever going to marry your sister?" Qiao Zhenzhen sighed.
Chi Shen paused. "I don't have a sister."
"I'm the sister." Mentally I'm twenty‑eight, am I not allowed to be a high schooler's sister?
Chi Shen blinked, and it took him a long moment to catch her meaning. The blush on his neck deepened instantly.
Qin Sheng came back out after letting off steam and saw him all flushed; he paused and asked, puzzled, "Are you allergic?"
Chi Shen: "…"
Qiao Zhenzhen snickered quietly and hurriedly buried her head in the homework.
She stayed at the Qin household with Chi Shen all day. Only when Qin Jing sent a hurrying text did she reluctantly say goodbye to Qin Sheng: "Grandpa, my mom worries I'll wear you out, she wants me home. I'll head off now."
"You should've left ages ago!" Qin Sheng snapped.
Jiao blinked, picked up the cake on the table: "Can I take this home? My mom hasn't eaten yet."
Qin Sheng's face darkened. "I don't even know her, why should she get to eat it?!"
"But she hasn't eaten all day," Qiao Zhenzhen said with wide eyes, inventing a lie. "She's been lazy lately and won't cook, just snacks; sometimes she gets stomachaches from hunger. If I take her this cake, it'll feed her for two meals."
Chi Shen remembered the spread of breakfast he'd seen that morning at Qiao Zhenzhen 's place and glanced at Qiao Zhenzhen in silence.
Qin Sheng's face grew even darker. "Is she sick? Is the Qiao Zhenzhen family so poor they can't even afford a housekeeper? Doesn't she worry she'll starve herself to death?"
"Exactly, exactly, I’ll scold her when I get home," Qiao Zhenzhen quickly agreed, then tried again, "So the cake..."
Qin Sheng snorted. "Not allowed!"
Qiao Zhenzhen: "…"
Qin Sheng shot the nanny a look and turned back to his room. The nanny hurriedly said, "Miss loves the beef noodles I make, I'll cook a bowl for you to take home."
"Thank you, auntie," Qiao Zhenzhen replied quickly.
Ten minutes later Qin Jing had arrived at the apartment gate, and the nanny handed Qiao Zhenzhen the insulated container. Jiao lifted it and walked out with Chi Shen.
It was already ten o'clock; the compound was quiet except for the sound of two pairs of footsteps.
After they'd walked a while, Qiao Zhenzhen suddenly asked, "Why didn't you ask me why I lied?"
Chi Shen paused. "I know."
"You knew?" Qiao Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow.
Chi Shen nodded.
Qiao Zhenzhen stared at him for a moment, then laughed, "You don't find me annoying, do you?"
Chi Shen stopped walking and looked at her with an unprecedented seriousness in his eyes.
Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't help but stop as well when their eyes met.
"I don't dislike you," he said solemnly.
"…I was just saying it, I didn't mean for you to take it so seriously," Qiao Zhenzhen said, half laughing, half exasperated. Seeing him still looking at her, she sobered a little. "I understand."
Only then did Chi Shen look away, and he resumed walking slowly. Qiao Zhenzhen walked beside him for a while and realized with a start that he'd grown used to being by her side.
…Good.
She lifted a grin, saw Qin Jing waiting outside, and ran over with the thermos. "Mom!"
"What's that you've got?" Qin Jing asked.
"Grandpa had me bring it for you," Jiao said.
Qin Jing was momentarily stunned; when she opened it the familiar aroma spilled out and her eyes immediately grew misty.
Seeing this, Qiao Zhenzhen quietly took her hand.
Qin Jing took a long while to compose herself before she smiled, a smile that was the brightest she'd had since the National Day holiday. "Let's go," she said.
"Mm!" Jia Qiao Zhenzhen o responded happily.
That bowl of beef noodles gave Qin Jing the courage she'd been missing. She started asking Qiao Zhenzhen to pass along her greetings to Qin Sheng more often, and when she went shopping she was carefree. Qiao Zhenzhen was happy to help, and to embellish things along the way, playing up Qin Jing's hardships now and then. After a few days, whenever Qin Sheng mentioned Qin Jing it was at worst exasperation at her stubbornness, not the anger he'd shown before.
The seven-day break vanished in the blink of an eye. The night before classes resumed, Qiao Zhenzhen looped her arm through Qin Sheng's and pouted, "Grandpa, once I go back to school tomorrow I won't be able to come see you every day."
"I'd love that." Qin Sheng snorted, though his mood wasn't very good.
Qiao Zhenzhen sighed, "I miss you, what am I supposed to do? Can I video-call you?"
"Could you put more thought into your studies? It's not even the first day and all you can think about is video-calling me," Qin Sheng frowned.
Qin Zhao immediately added, "Isn't it just because she's too attached to you?"
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded repeatedly.
Qin Sheng curled his lip in disdain, unusually without arguing back.
Qiao Zhenzhen and Chi Shen had stayed unusually late today; it wasn't until eleven that Qin Zhao forcibly sent them off. When they left, Qin Sheng had gone back into his room and hadn't seen them out, only that Qiao Zhenzhen, glancing back, saw a figure slip past his window; he was obviously watching them.
She gave a little laugh and ran toward her mother waiting at the gate of the complex.
Because she'd lingered at Grandpa's the night before, she couldn't get up the next morning. She struggled to her feet and was late, and Chi Shen, who'd been waiting outside the school gate for her, was late too.
Worst of all, the student on duty today was Zhao Lianqiao.
The girl sharing duty with Zhao Lianqiao saw that the late ones included Qiao Zhenzhen and, out of consideration for Zhao Lianqiao, at first wanted to let it slide. Zhao Lianqiao, however, snorted and immediately wrote both their names down.
The girl hesitated, "Are you sure you want to mark them?"
"She was late, why shouldn't I mark her?" Zhao Lianqiao replied arrogantly, shooting a provocative glance at Qiao Zhenzhen.
Qiao Zhenzhen gave a short, chilly laugh; there was a flash of frost in her eyes. From the way she reacted, Zhao Ying had already told her about the pregnancy. The sudden show of toughness could only mean Zhao Lianqiao thought she was about to take her place and become a daughter of the Qiao family.
She might very well succeed, unfortunately, the Qiao family she would step into might not be one she'd actually want.