Chapter 27 Into Those Little Troublemakers?

Chapter 27: That Kind of Little Troublemaker?

A look of distress appeared on the little girl's face, then she thought of a brilliant idea.

"Then I can go to your house during the day and go back to keep Mom company at night."

That would be just like going to daycare! Maybe she could even get two tanghulu sticks!

"Oh, is that so? You're a clever one. But what if I am a bad person? If you go with me, you might never see your mommy again, and you might even get hit."

The little girl looked at her, both shocked and puzzled, in disbelief. "Sister, you're so pretty, how could you be a bad person?"

Wow, a little judge of character based on looks.

Qin Shuyi extended a finger and tapped her little forehead. "You can't tell if someone is good or bad just by their face. Also, little kids should stay with their own mommies. I'm not your mommy, so I can't take you home. Come on, let's go find your family."

The little girl didn't want to find her family. Mommy and Daddy were just about to team up to spank her bottom.

She decisively hugged the pretty sister she'd instantly glued herself to again and shouted with all her might, "Mommy!"

Now she couldn't possibly be sent away, right?

However, before she could even finish gloating over her cleverness, her feet left the ground as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

A pair of large hands had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

The pretty sister had been replaced by an uncle who was also very good-looking but looked like he meant business.

"Little brat, has anyone ever taught you not to call just anyone 'Mommy' when you're out?"

"Help! Sister, help!" She flailed her little legs.

Qin Shuyi shot Ling Jue a reproachful look and rescued the struggling little girl.

"What if you hurt her?"

Ling Jue glared at the little girl who was secretly making faces at him, gritting his teeth.

The word 'Mommy'—how could she say it to an outsider first?

And if Qin Shuyi was her mom, then who was her dad?

The little girl pretended to be frightened and clung to Qin Shuyi, successfully scoring a series of snacks like chocolate and potato chips.

The two decided to take her to the customer service desk and ask for a store announcement to notify her family.

They had only been waiting at the entrance for a few minutes when they heard an earth-shaking bellow, "Cheng Ziyue!"

The power of being called by her full name made the little girl tremble so much that the potato chips in her hand fell to the ground.

"Help! Sister, help!"

But this time, Qin Shuyi didn't rescue her.

What came before the warm embrace was a loving slap from her mom.

By the time the girl's father, sweating from his sprint over, picked up his daughter who was wailing while clutching her bottom, trying frantically to calm her down, the girl's mother also approached Qin Shuyi and Ling Jue apologetically.

"I'm so sorry. She's always been slippery as an eel since she was little. Just now, she disappeared in the blink of an eye while her dad and I were shopping. Luckily, she ran into you. Thank you so much today."

Cheng Ziyue struggled like a hard-to-catch piglet, trying to break free from her dad's arms and reaching out to Qin Shuyi. "Save me, save me! I want to go home with sister!"

Ling Jue helped catch the little monkey who almost leaped out. Compared to the gentle dad, he promptly stuffed her back into the arms of her mom, who was getting ready to act again.

Sensing the dangerous vibe, the child instantly behaved.

Meeting the little girl's resentful gaze, a smirk tugged at the corner of Ling Jue's mouth.

Qin Shuyi pinched Ling Jue's hand.

He's so childish.

After declining Yueyue's parents' offer to treat them to a meal and seeing off the little girl, who was still reluctant and stubbornly wanted to go home with the pretty sister, the two returned to the supermarket to continue shopping.

A smile still lingered at the corner of Qin Shuyi's mouth.

Ling Jue asked, "Do you like that kind of little troublemaker?"

Qin Shuyi shook his arm. "Who's older, you or Yueyue?"

While waiting for Yueyue's parents earlier, the two had been bickering non-stop at the entrance.

Ling Jue twitched the corner of his mouth.

He disdained comparing himself to some brat who's still wet behind the ears.

"I don't like children," he said coldly.

Such fragile yet noisy existences—just thinking about them gave him a headache.

Qin Shuyi nodded perfunctorily. "Mhm, mhm, I know, I know."

"But you really like them," Ling Jue observed.

He hesitated. "Do you want to have one?"

If they had a child... He imagined it for a moment. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Probably not," Qin Shuyi shook her head. "Raising a child takes a lot of time and energy. I'm not ready for that yet."

"What about when you are ready?" Ling Jue asked.

Qin Shuyi looked at him strangely. "Haven't you always said you don't want to have kids? Why are you thinking about this now?"

Ling Jue felt a pang, like a cat scratching at his heart.

He didn't know how to raise a child.

His own childhood—the first half was noisy and chaotic, the latter half was empty and lonely. Most of the time, it was composed of nannies and tutors.

The scene of that family of three, noisy and bickering yet walking away hand in hand, was completely foreign to him.

Before, when he said he didn't want children, it was partly because he didn't plan to have illegitimate children, and partly because he genuinely wasn't considering having kids at the time.

But with Qin Shuyi, he was always torn and conflicted. Even he himself didn't know what he was subconsciously saying each time.

He pressed his lips into a thin line.

She hadn't ruled out the possibility for the future. So, in the future, would she have a child with some other man, a child that belonged to them?

At this thought, a restless heat spread through her.

…

The night air grew fervent and charged.

By the time Qin Shuyi was carried out of the bathroom, she had completely lost her strength. Yet the man, who’d been even more insatiable lately, had no intention of stopping.

When her body touched the cold floor-to-ceiling window, she shivered involuntarily.

Amid the stimulation of ice and fire, she was lost in a haze of passion.

In her daze, Qin Shuyi recalled her colleague’s words: if Ling Jue were to work as a gigolo, given his skills, many women would be lining up to pay for him.

What a pity—who knew how many more times she could savor this.

She didn’t dwell on the past or the future, but she deeply minded sharing a lover with others during the same period.

Noticing her distraction, he thrust harder.

Qin Shuyi bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Life’s pleasures should be fully savored—why let an uncertain moment ruin the mood?

Yet, at the very last second, she heard his frustrated voice, “We’re out.”

Her body abruptly cooled.

He nuzzled against her like a puppy, kissing her neck. “Not using one this time?”

“What if there’s a child?”

“Then we’ll have it,” he said casually, as if discussing adopting a cat or a dog—or perhaps it was a probe.

Qin Shuyi lifted her head and met his eyes, a mix of haze and clarity.

For a moment, neither spoke. In the darkness, the glass reflected the figures locked together yet at odds.

Qin Shuyi pushed him away, her tone gentle. “Let’s not.”

She picked up the bathrobe from the floor and walked back into the bathroom.

Ling Jue sat back on the sofa and lit a cigar.

After a long while, he gave a short, self-mocking laugh.

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