Chapter 405: My Mom’s Surname Is Ruan Too; You’re Both from The Same Clan!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The other kid’s face soured immediately. As a little kid, he felt uneasy after his lie was exposed and looked somewhat embarrassed. Ruan Danchen was about to go easy and tell Qi Youxuan to just let the kid stay in line, but the kid said, “So? Why are you so nitpicky? It’s just one person. How much time will I take from you? In any case, I can just let you all stand in front of me!”
The kid noticed that adults formed the bulk of people lined up behind Qi Youxuan. He figured that Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen would feel embarrassed to argue with a child.
“How could you saw that? It’s not about how long the wait is. Cutting in line is not the right thing to do! Haven’t your parents ever taught you about this? Haven’t your teachers ever taught you?” Qi Youxuan got angry.
His temper was actually quite good initially and he was magnanimous—as long as the kid knew those actions were wrong and apologized, Qi Youxuan would have let the kid continue to stand in line.
Surprisingly, the kid not only refused to apologize after his lie was exposed—he even reaffirmed his stance, angering Qi Youxuan even further.
Ruan Danchen patted Qi Youxuan’s head. He was still very angry, but Ruan Danchen’s soft touch decreased his anger by half.
She knelt down and hugged Qi Youxuan, saying, “Okay, that’s enough. You’ve already made a spectacle of him after exposing his lie and teaching him a lesson. I think he wants to apologize to you, but is too embarrassed and angry that he felt ashamed. Don’t be angry. Let’s be tolerant okay. You see, our friend is all alone here. He’s been standing for so long but his family hasn’t shown up. It’s lonely for him.”
Qi Youxuan pouted, but after some thought, he nodded and said to the little boy in front of him, “I won’t criticize you for standing here in line, but due to your actions of cutting in line, you must say sorry to me. And since I allowed you to stand here in line, so you have to thank me for that too.”
The other kid remained obstinate. He stubbornly refused to utter an apology to Qi Youxuan, but he did not leave the spot either.
Someone from behind criticized, “Which family does this kid belong to? Jumps queue but doesn’t apologize. Does he even have any manners?”
“He’s a kid, you can’t hold that against him.”
“From the looks of it, his family didn’t teach him well.”
“Nannan, why did you come here alone? Grandma was looking all over for you,” a shocked and agitated voice was heard.
Ruan Danchen turned to look, and to her surprise, it was the same indecisive old lady that stared so long at the menu in McDonalds and left everyone behind waiting for so long.
The old lady had a cup of hot milk tea in her hand. She probably went to buy the drink for the boy, but instead of standing in line, he cut it, causing the old lady to be unable to find him.
That Nannan boy saw his grandmother as a saving grace and wailed loudly all of a sudden, crying and shouting, “Grandma,” before throwing himself over to the old lady.
“What is it, what is it? Who bullied you? Who did something bad to you?” the old lady asked as she shielded her grandson in her arms. Her first line of sight was Qi Youxuan.
The reason was because he stood with Nannan, and squabbles among kids were common.
“It’s him!” Nannan pointed blatantly at Qi Youxuan.
Ruan Danchen frowned and protected the boy behind herself.
Before she could say anything, she heard Nannan complain, “They bullied me. They thought I was alone, so they bullied a small boy like me. His mommy said that I stood here for so long but no one came to look for me!”
The old lady was not happy to hear that. She said to Ruan Danchen, “I thought you were a reasonable young woman when you helped me at McDonalds just now. Who knew you were such an irrational person? How do you teach your child? Saying those kinds of things to a little boy is too much! How can you bring up your child like this? Not only did you not stop an argument between children, you yourself make nasty comments about my grandson. How could you have the heart to say all that out loud! Based on all this, your son doesn’t have any manners too!”
Ruan Danchen could not stand it if people said unsavory things to Qi Youxuan. She could bear with it if it was directed at her, but saying those things to Qi Youxuan was a big no-no. More so, when Qi Youxuan did nothing wrong to deserve all those words from the old lady.
Taking a deep breath, Ruan Danchen decided to pull Qi Youxuan before her and protect him. She made sure his back was facing the old lady, so she did not have to look at the old lady’s fierce-looking face.
Ruan Danchen was caressing Qi Youxuan’s head, letting him ease his worries while she turned to the old lady. “He’s a young kid, but he already knows how to twist the truth. I’m the one who should be asking whether your family taught any manners. I didn’t say anything out of respect for an old lady like you, and I expected you to be a rational person. Seems like I overestimated you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” the old lady berated. She pointed at Ruan Danchen in anger and was trembling madly. “How dare you speak like that? You should be respecting the old and cherishing the young!”
Compared to Ruan Danchen’s calmness, the old lady seemed violent and sinister. Onlookers were sweating just by looking at her, wondering if she would exert herself too much after getting so worked up.
There were too many instances where people scammed someone by setting up an ‘accident’ to make it seem as though the ‘victim’ sustained some sort of injury from the target. If the old lady really did faint, no one would dare to step forward and help her up.
Moreover, the old lady did not seem to be a reasonable person. What if their kindness was repaid by a beating from the old lady?
None of the bystanders took pity on the hag.
Ruan Danchen ignored the old lady’s anger but remained calm instead, saying, “Our little friend here cut in line for no reason and stubbornly wanted to stand in front of my son. My son told him to line up at the back instead of jumping queue. Your grandson said he went to the toilet and he originally stood in front of my son. He said he was merely getting back to his original position after coming back from the toilet.”
Looking at the cup of milk tea in the old lady’s hands, Ruan Danchen said, “I think, if our little friend went to the toilet, you wouldn’t’ve left him alone and went to buy milk tea, right? We’ve been waiting in line for half an hour, so my son asked our friend how long ago he went to the toilet. He thought about it and said it was twenty minutes. He was smart. He told us he was gone for a long time, but he didn’t know that we had been standing here longer.”
The old lady’s expression was already very sour. Ruan Danchen continued to speak calmly, “We’ve exposed his lies, but not only did he not apologize, he insisted that him cutting in line was only going to add an extra one person to wait. In my son’s eyes, this has nothing to do with how long the wait is; this is a question of a person’s character, and a question of right and wrong. In the home and in school, my son was taught that cutting in line is a very rude thing to do. He would never do such a thing, and he won’t ever let anyone do the same. I saw your grandson being alone, with no one accompanying him to play here, probably because the adults were away for some time. So, I told my son to just let him stand in line before him.
“This isn’t a big issue, but in a kid’s eyes, what’s wrong is wrong, and what’s right is right. Although this isn’t something major, my son was the wronged one and yet he tolerated it. Your grandson likes this kind of game and my son does too. Kids are all excited. As for your grandson’s rude actions, my son compromised, saying that he would allow your grandson to be ahead of him in exchange for an apology and a word of thanks. How could he twist all that and say that we’re the ones bullying him?”
“You… You youngsters know how to talk. Of course my grandson couldn’t win an argument against you. You’re using that to bully my grandson, what kind of person are you!” The old lady’s expression changed.
The rest of them who stood in line could not take it any longer and began criticizing them.
“How can an old lady like you not know the difference between right and wrong? You just go around blaming others after hearing whatever your grandson says. And you’re saying that her son has no manners? What did her son say? Her son didn’t even say a single word!”
“Yeah, all of us saw it. Your grandson is the one who cut queue, lied, and was rude. The other boy tried to compromise with your grandson, but your grandson didn’t budge. When he saw you coming, he lied and twisted the truth. From whom did the young kid learn from, I wonder?” someone insinuated angrily.
Children were blank canvasses, and bad behavior was almost certainly learnt from someone else. People were enraged that such a small kid was given wrong treatment by an adult.
“You’re an unreasonable old lady. Why are you looking down on others just because you’re elderly?”
“Her son didn’t tell lies. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It was your grandson that lied again and again. You accuse others of not teaching their child well, so I’d like to ask you a question: if your family teaches your grandson well, does that mean you’re teaching him to lie and all that?”
“Her son was so kind to compromise with your grandson, but you’re now accusing them of having no manners. What kind of person are you?”
“Exactly, look how much the child has to suffer!”
“Looking at you, old lady, your attitude can never be a good role model for children. No wonder your grandson is like that even though he’s so young.”
“You should learn to control your temper. Once the child is taught the wrong things, it’ll be too late.”
One after another, the crowd hurled criticisms at the old lady. They could not help it, since they saw everything unfold with their own eyes. The things Ruan Danchen said to Qi Youxuan were not heard by those further away, but anyone who was nearby managed to hear it all.
With so many people vouching for the truth of the matter, the old lady could never be in the right even if she had a hundred mouths to counter them with.
The old lady was trembling with anger, and her face was even turning green.
‘What kind of people were they!
‘Saying that our family did not teach children well. Does all these ordinary people even know what her family status was?!’
“I’m telling you; you can never hope to be on the same level as my family!” the old lady remarked exasperatedly. “Hmph! I won’t take offence with all of you today. The atmosphere in today’s society is getting worse. Everyone only knows how to bully the old and the young. What kind of people are these!”
She began bringing her grandson away as soon as she said that. As she walked off, she said, “Nannan, don’t get angry. Don’t go to their level. They’re all useless people who bullied us.”
Everyone was utterly speechless.
Unreasonable old ladies made the news frequently, but none of them foresaw that they meet one in person.
The crowed rolled their eyes and could not resist commenting, “What kind of person is she!”
Qi Youxuan’s mood took a turn for the worse after what happened with the old lady and her grandson. He was not as excited to stand in line as before and simply hugged Ruan Danchen, looking incredibly listless.
Ruan Danchen was heartbroken to see that. She comforted him immediately, “Youxuan, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. Don’t keep thinking about it. You were a good boy just now.”
Qi Youxuan knew that, but his spirits were dampened and he remained very downcast.
Those two rows of people lining up found the little guy to be very adorable and handsome. They had all took a liking to him from the start, and some even smiled and teased him with their facial expressions when they lined up.
Seeing the boy’s wronged appearance made them feel heartbroken too. They thought about how good a child he was, as he had manners and knew how to compromise. He listened to his mother and heeded her advice, making sure that he did not put a burden on his mother. In the end however, he was bullied by the irrational grandmother-grandson duo.
Everyone began consoling him, although some rued that they did not have any candy or junk food that they could use to coax him.
One young lady, who came with her boyfriend, held a Spiderman figurine that she managed to win from a claw machine. It was not big, but it took a lot of effort to get it out.
She gave it to Qi Youxuan and said, “Little friend, don’t be sad. Here, have this.”
Qi Youxuan shook his head. “It was difficult for you to get that, right? I can’t take it. My mom bought a lot of minions for me today.”
The young girl’s heart shattered because he was such an obedient and considerate kid!
The first in line was a young man who looked like a high school student. His turn was next.
He turned around and told his friend to hold his spot, before walking over and kneeling before Qi Youxuan, “Little Brother, my turn is up next. Would it be okay if I let you play first?”
The little boy hesitated for a moment but eventually shook his head. He had earlier shown despise toward the other kid’s actions of jumping queue.
“Don’t worry. It’s not cutting in line. I’m the one who’s willingly letting you play. I don’t think anyone will have any objections against that,” the young lad smiled and said.
He was a handsome, the archetype of a radiant young man. With his courteous and graceful demeanor, he resembled Qi Chengzhi or Qi Chenglin, but was even more similar to Qi Chengji when still in Jixia High School.
After Qi Chengji went into the military however, all that refinedness disappeared, only to be replaced by pure masculinity.
Everyone seemed to be conveying that they had no issues with Qi Youxuan going first.
Blushing, the little boy looked yearningly at the car that was swaying from side to side.
“How about, you join me and we play together, Big Brother?” The little boy then began explaining. “Since I’m too short, I can’t reach the steering wheel or the accelerator, so I’ll sit on the passenger side while you drive. I’ll experience it with you from one side. I stood in line with my mom and she was supposed to drive while I sat beside her, but I think her driving skills aren’t as good as you.
Ruan Danchen, “…”
The little boy dragged his mother down without sparing her blushes at all!
Qi Youxuan never saw his mom drive before, since it was always his dad or Uncle Xiao Yang who drove him when they went out. Even if she had a driver’s license, she might not pass the levels with the skills she had. In particular, the game had so many sudden turns, which were even harder for her. It would have been a waste if she drove for a while and it was already game over.
Bystanders who heard that could not resist laughing, although they held it in almost immediately.
“…” Ruan Danchen stared speechlessly at the blissfully unaware Qi Youxuan, but thankfully the boy had already reverted to his buoyant character, making her slight embarrassment entirely worth it.
The young lad agreed immediately. Qi Youxuan was elated, because he got the chance the play earlier in addition to not offending anyone, thereby achieving both his aims in one fell swoop.
Qi Youxuan followed the young lad into the car, and the elder boy’s skills were not bad at all. He drove for a long time, satiating Qi Youxuan’s craving for the game.
Qi Youxuan then came down with his reddened cheeks, looking incredibly excited with no trace of the dispiritedness he had earlier.
Ruan Danchen thanked the young man and brought Qi Youxuan to play other games.
Even so, they were not able to try out most of the games, since the line was too long.
Ruan Danchen looked at the time and realized that it was almost five. When Qi Youxuan got down from one of the games, she brought him out of the place.
Qi Youxuan looked as though he did not have enough. Ruan Danchen booped him on the nose and said, “Don’t be so greedy. We can still come here and play next time. There’re too many games, and even if we don’t need to line up, we can’t play all of them in one day.”
“We can still come next time? Next time can we ask dad to come with us? I want him to drive the car. I’ll sit beside him. Dad’s driving skills are really good,” Qi Youxuan suggested excitedly.
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Ruan Danchen smiled and said.
As she spoke, Qi Chenglin’s call came.
“Where are you?” Qi Chenglin asked after hearing all the ruckus from the phone.
The indoor arcade was filled with noises of machines, music, and laughter. It was very noisy. Once Ruan Danchen brought Qi Youxuan out, everything was silent.
“In the mall. I brought Youxuan to buy some clothes today, and it just so happened that an arcade opened in the mall, so I brought him to play. Are you still in Jinshi City?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“I’m back. We’re entering the city now and heading home. Which mall are you at? I’ll go get the both of you.” Ruan Danchen heard Qi Chenglin’s magnetic and warm voice. It even had a twinge of glee in it.
Ruan Danchen told him the name and heard Qi Chenglin chuckling. “Coincidentally, I’m near. Wait half an hour for me.”
“Okay.” Ruan Danchen hung up and said to Qi Youxuan, “Dad’s coming back from Jinshi City and he’ll come fetch us. He’ll be here in about half an hour. Are you tired? Let’s go find someplace to sit.”
“Another half an hour, can we still go and play?” Qi Youxuan wanted to go back after hearing that.
“No.” Ruan Danchen did not indulge him any longer. “You’ve already played the entire day and you can’t go and play again. We will come back some other day. It’s too noisy inside, and it’s not good for your eyes and ears when you play too much. Letting you play the whole day is already excessive enough.”
The little boy saw how resolute Ruan Danchen was and knew that no amount of cajoling could persuade her. All he could do was pout slightly sadly and mumble, “Okay.”
Since they had to wait another half-hour more for Qi Chenglin to come, there were plenty dessert shops around the mall. Ruan Danchen brought him to the nearest one and asked for a bowl of mango pomelo sago and some mango crepe.
The portion was not that big and she was worried that the boy might get hungry. The desserts would fill his tummy a bit for the time being, and after Qi Chenglin arrived, they would all go to dinner together.
Mango crepes were cold and it was also a cold winter’s day. Despite the heating in the mall, Ruan Danchen allowed him to eat only one.
Although Qi Youxuan’s delectable treats were limited, he was happy that Ruan Danchen controlled him.
‘So this is how it feels like for Mom to control me!’
The little boy was dismayed that he met Ruan Danchen too late on. Six years had gone to waste already.
As he was drinking his mango pomelo sago, he pointed behind Ruan Danchen and asked, “Mom, isn’t that the Big Brother that played the game with me?”
Ruan Danchen turned around to look, spotting the young man who sat in the car with Qi Youxuan as well as his friend. The two young boys came into the shop and was about to find a place to sit.
Qi Youxuan waved amicably. “Big Brother!”
The young lad saw him and smiled warmly too, before proceeding to bring his friend over.
There was still some space with Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan, so the two young boys joined them.
After chatting for some time, they found out that the young man was in year three of senior high. He was a top student in the school and was recommended to A University’s Department of Mathematics. His friend on the other hand, was accepted by a famous overseas university. The two of them, therefore, did not have any stress with their exams, so they came out during the weekend to enjoy themselves.
Inevitably, the two of them introduced themselves.
The young man’s friend was Li Yiming.
“I’m Ruan Zeer,” the young man smiled and said.
“Oh! My mom’s surname is Ruan too, you’re both from the same clan!” Qi Youxuan exclaimed excitedly. He was trying hard to be friendly with Ruan Zeer, causing the three of them to chuckle.
Ruan Danchen smoothed Qi Youxuan’s hair. The little boy’s logic was that all those with the same surname were of the same clan.
Chatting while they ate, Ruan Danchen slowly found out that the two boys’ families were not very rich. They were merely ordinary people. Li Yiming’s family was in the tea leaf business. Although it was not a large-scale operation, it raked in much more money than other people, so he could be considered quite well-off. Due to that, his family was able to bear the burden of sending him to study abroad.
“Ah, he, he’s the genius in math. It’s in the family,” Li Yiming pointed and Ruan Zeer and smiled. “His grandfather is a scholar in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is also professor in the A University’s math department, with a few disciples following usually. His father is also a math professor at A University and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well. His uncle used to be at J University, and if he’s still around, he’s probably going to join A University of B University.”
Ruan Zeer smiled somewhat dolefully. “I’ve never met my uncle before, but my dad says he would’ve achieved much more than my dad. His natural genius far surpassed my dad, even when they were young, and he was the one who had the most potential for taking over from my grandfather.”
“So, his family is just filled with math geniuses.” Li Yiming then quickly changed the subject after bringing up Ruan Zeer’s sad moment.
Although Ruan Zeer’s family was not rich, they were very knowledgeable scholars. All of them were, and no ordinary scholars at that.
All of a sudden, Ruan Danchen felt a gush of academic aura hitting her in the face. It was a bit stressful to be facing Ruan Zeer.
Having chatted for some time, Qi Chenglin called again to inform that he was already at the mall. Ruan Danchen then told him the name of the store they were at and its location.
Not long later, Ruan Zeer—who was sitting beside Qi Youxuan—saw a handsome man at the door. He stood proudly, with a grey wool overcoat worn over his suit, and although it looked travel-worn, the frost lent the man an abundance of masculinity.
The man standing at the door was the kind of man that could turn straight men gay.
His energy was one-of-a-kind, with no one in the entire mall, let alone the shop, who could possibly come close to him.
The man’s face was stiff and cold, but undeniably handsome. The frost on him gave him an extra layer of coldness.
Ever since the man showed up, Ruan Zeer noticed that many women’s gazes were pulled toward the man. None of those gazes ever shifted away.
The man however, seemed to ignore all their looks. His handsome face remained cold and he appeared to be looking for someone in the shop.
All of a sudden, the little boy beside Ruan Zeer raised his hand and waved, calling out, “Dad, here!”
Ruan Zeer looked on in shock as Qi Chenglin’s originally irritated expression softened upon seeing mother and child.
Qi Chenglin’s pupils were so soft, as if they were melting. He was all smiles, making for a complete contrast between his earlier stern expression. His eyes looked like it was filled with glitter, and his restrained warmth made him look even more charming.
The women in the crowd were incredibly disappointed after hearing the little boy shout ‘Dad’. Such high-quality men were either married or gay!
Qi Chenglin’s eyes no longer strayed in any other direction, so he was completely oblivious to their disappointed expression. All his attention was affixed to Ruan Danchen’s body, with his lips smiling ever so gently.
Li Yiming made way immediately and sat beside Ruan Zeer.
Both he and Ruan Zeer had never come across such a magnificent man before.
Li Yiming’s tea leaf family business was at most, a small business, raking in about two or three million a year. He was still a high school student who did not try his hand in dabbling with the family business. He might meet a few customers on occasion, so he could never have the same aura as Qi Chenglin had.
Ruan Zeer had plenty of contact with academicians, especially the colleagues and students of his father and grandfather. Nevertheless, the characteristics exhibited by academicians were entirely scholarly, like a knowledgeable gust of wind, which was different from businessmen, particularly someone like Qi Chenglin.
Qi Chenglin looked at all of them seated together, giving the impression that the two lads knew Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan. He was curious as to when Ruan Danchen got to know that kind of half-grown kids.
Ruan Danchen explained voluntarily, “I brought Youxuan out to buy clothes today, and the they opened an indoor arcade in the mall. I brought Youxuan to play and we got to know these two young men.”
She refrained from saying ‘kids’ even though she regarded them as kids.
Nevertheless, she also knew that such grown-up kids regarded themselves as adults already and hated being called kids.
Referring them as ‘young men’ made them feel very happy.
Ruan Danchen introduced them to Qi Chenglin and then told them, “This is my husband, Qi Chenglin.”
The two boys had no idea about the intricacies of the upper circle, and although Li Yiming did not admit to being a child, he was still one. The Qi family was a family he heard before, but other than that, he knew nothing more.
Chapter 405: My Mom’s Surname Is Ruan Too; You’re Both from The Same Clan!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The other kid’s face soured immediately. As a little kid, he felt uneasy after his lie was exposed and looked somewhat embarrassed. Ruan Danchen was about to go easy and tell Qi Youxuan to just let the kid stay in line, but the kid said, “So? Why are you so nitpicky? It’s just one person. How much time will I take from you? In any case, I can just let you all stand in front of me!”
The kid noticed that adults formed the bulk of people lined up behind Qi Youxuan. He figured that Qi Youxuan and Ruan Danchen would feel embarrassed to argue with a child.
“How could you saw that? It’s not about how long the wait is. Cutting in line is not the right thing to do! Haven’t your parents ever taught you about this? Haven’t your teachers ever taught you?” Qi Youxuan got angry.
His temper was actually quite good initially and he was magnanimous—as long as the kid knew those actions were wrong and apologized, Qi Youxuan would have let the kid continue to stand in line.
Surprisingly, the kid not only refused to apologize after his lie was exposed—he even reaffirmed his stance, angering Qi Youxuan even further.
Ruan Danchen patted Qi Youxuan’s head. He was still very angry, but Ruan Danchen’s soft touch decreased his anger by half.
She knelt down and hugged Qi Youxuan, saying, “Okay, that’s enough. You’ve already made a spectacle of him after exposing his lie and teaching him a lesson. I think he wants to apologize to you, but is too embarrassed and angry that he felt ashamed. Don’t be angry. Let’s be tolerant okay. You see, our friend is all alone here. He’s been standing for so long but his family hasn’t shown up. It’s lonely for him.”
Qi Youxuan pouted, but after some thought, he nodded and said to the little boy in front of him, “I won’t criticize you for standing here in line, but due to your actions of cutting in line, you must say sorry to me. And since I allowed you to stand here in line, so you have to thank me for that too.”
The other kid remained obstinate. He stubbornly refused to utter an apology to Qi Youxuan, but he did not leave the spot either.
Someone from behind criticized, “Which family does this kid belong to? Jumps queue but doesn’t apologize. Does he even have any manners?”
“He’s a kid, you can’t hold that against him.”
“From the looks of it, his family didn’t teach him well.”
“Nannan, why did you come here alone? Grandma was looking all over for you,” a shocked and agitated voice was heard.
Ruan Danchen turned to look, and to her surprise, it was the same indecisive old lady that stared so long at the menu in McDonalds and left everyone behind waiting for so long.
The old lady had a cup of hot milk tea in her hand. She probably went to buy the drink for the boy, but instead of standing in line, he cut it, causing the old lady to be unable to find him.
That Nannan boy saw his grandmother as a saving grace and wailed loudly all of a sudden, crying and shouting, “Grandma,” before throwing himself over to the old lady.
“What is it, what is it? Who bullied you? Who did something bad to you?” the old lady asked as she shielded her grandson in her arms. Her first line of sight was Qi Youxuan.
The reason was because he stood with Nannan, and squabbles among kids were common.
“It’s him!” Nannan pointed blatantly at Qi Youxuan.
Ruan Danchen frowned and protected the boy behind herself.
Before she could say anything, she heard Nannan complain, “They bullied me. They thought I was alone, so they bullied a small boy like me. His mommy said that I stood here for so long but no one came to look for me!”
The old lady was not happy to hear that. She said to Ruan Danchen, “I thought you were a reasonable young woman when you helped me at McDonalds just now. Who knew you were such an irrational person? How do you teach your child? Saying those kinds of things to a little boy is too much! How can you bring up your child like this? Not only did you not stop an argument between children, you yourself make nasty comments about my grandson. How could you have the heart to say all that out loud! Based on all this, your son doesn’t have any manners too!”
Ruan Danchen could not stand it if people said unsavory things to Qi Youxuan. She could bear with it if it was directed at her, but saying those things to Qi Youxuan was a big no-no. More so, when Qi Youxuan did nothing wrong to deserve all those words from the old lady.
Taking a deep breath, Ruan Danchen decided to pull Qi Youxuan before her and protect him. She made sure his back was facing the old lady, so she did not have to look at the old lady’s fierce-looking face.
Ruan Danchen was caressing Qi Youxuan’s head, letting him ease his worries while she turned to the old lady. “He’s a young kid, but he already knows how to twist the truth. I’m the one who should be asking whether your family taught any manners. I didn’t say anything out of respect for an old lady like you, and I expected you to be a rational person. Seems like I overestimated you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” the old lady berated. She pointed at Ruan Danchen in anger and was trembling madly. “How dare you speak like that? You should be respecting the old and cherishing the young!”
Compared to Ruan Danchen’s calmness, the old lady seemed violent and sinister. Onlookers were sweating just by looking at her, wondering if she would exert herself too much after getting so worked up.
There were too many instances where people scammed someone by setting up an ‘accident’ to make it seem as though the ‘victim’ sustained some sort of injury from the target. If the old lady really did faint, no one would dare to step forward and help her up.
Moreover, the old lady did not seem to be a reasonable person. What if their kindness was repaid by a beating from the old lady?
None of the bystanders took pity on the hag.
Ruan Danchen ignored the old lady’s anger but remained calm instead, saying, “Our little friend here cut in line for no reason and stubbornly wanted to stand in front of my son. My son told him to line up at the back instead of jumping queue. Your grandson said he went to the toilet and he originally stood in front of my son. He said he was merely getting back to his original position after coming back from the toilet.”
Looking at the cup of milk tea in the old lady’s hands, Ruan Danchen said, “I think, if our little friend went to the toilet, you wouldn’t’ve left him alone and went to buy milk tea, right? We’ve been waiting in line for half an hour, so my son asked our friend how long ago he went to the toilet. He thought about it and said it was twenty minutes. He was smart. He told us he was gone for a long time, but he didn’t know that we had been standing here longer.”
The old lady’s expression was already very sour. Ruan Danchen continued to speak calmly, “We’ve exposed his lies, but not only did he not apologize, he insisted that him cutting in line was only going to add an extra one person to wait. In my son’s eyes, this has nothing to do with how long the wait is; this is a question of a person’s character, and a question of right and wrong. In the home and in school, my son was taught that cutting in line is a very rude thing to do. He would never do such a thing, and he won’t ever let anyone do the same. I saw your grandson being alone, with no one accompanying him to play here, probably because the adults were away for some time. So, I told my son to just let him stand in line before him.
“This isn’t a big issue, but in a kid’s eyes, what’s wrong is wrong, and what’s right is right. Although this isn’t something major, my son was the wronged one and yet he tolerated it. Your grandson likes this kind of game and my son does too. Kids are all excited. As for your grandson’s rude actions, my son compromised, saying that he would allow your grandson to be ahead of him in exchange for an apology and a word of thanks. How could he twist all that and say that we’re the ones bullying him?”
“You… You youngsters know how to talk. Of course my grandson couldn’t win an argument against you. You’re using that to bully my grandson, what kind of person are you!” The old lady’s expression changed.
The rest of them who stood in line could not take it any longer and began criticizing them.
“How can an old lady like you not know the difference between right and wrong? You just go around blaming others after hearing whatever your grandson says. And you’re saying that her son has no manners? What did her son say? Her son didn’t even say a single word!”
“Yeah, all of us saw it. Your grandson is the one who cut queue, lied, and was rude. The other boy tried to compromise with your grandson, but your grandson didn’t budge. When he saw you coming, he lied and twisted the truth. From whom did the young kid learn from, I wonder?” someone insinuated angrily.
Children were blank canvasses, and bad behavior was almost certainly learnt from someone else. People were enraged that such a small kid was given wrong treatment by an adult.
“You’re an unreasonable old lady. Why are you looking down on others just because you’re elderly?”
“Her son didn’t tell lies. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It was your grandson that lied again and again. You accuse others of not teaching their child well, so I’d like to ask you a question: if your family teaches your grandson well, does that mean you’re teaching him to lie and all that?”
“Her son was so kind to compromise with your grandson, but you’re now accusing them of having no manners. What kind of person are you?”
“Exactly, look how much the child has to suffer!”
“Looking at you, old lady, your attitude can never be a good role model for children. No wonder your grandson is like that even though he’s so young.”
“You should learn to control your temper. Once the child is taught the wrong things, it’ll be too late.”
One after another, the crowd hurled criticisms at the old lady. They could not help it, since they saw everything unfold with their own eyes. The things Ruan Danchen said to Qi Youxuan were not heard by those further away, but anyone who was nearby managed to hear it all.
With so many people vouching for the truth of the matter, the old lady could never be in the right even if she had a hundred mouths to counter them with.
The old lady was trembling with anger, and her face was even turning green.
‘What kind of people were they!
‘Saying that our family did not teach children well. Does all these ordinary people even know what her family status was?!’
“I’m telling you; you can never hope to be on the same level as my family!” the old lady remarked exasperatedly. “Hmph! I won’t take offence with all of you today. The atmosphere in today’s society is getting worse. Everyone only knows how to bully the old and the young. What kind of people are these!”
She began bringing her grandson away as soon as she said that. As she walked off, she said, “Nannan, don’t get angry. Don’t go to their level. They’re all useless people who bullied us.”
Everyone was utterly speechless.
Unreasonable old ladies made the news frequently, but none of them foresaw that they meet one in person.
The crowed rolled their eyes and could not resist commenting, “What kind of person is she!”
Qi Youxuan’s mood took a turn for the worse after what happened with the old lady and her grandson. He was not as excited to stand in line as before and simply hugged Ruan Danchen, looking incredibly listless.
Ruan Danchen was heartbroken to see that. She comforted him immediately, “Youxuan, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. Don’t keep thinking about it. You were a good boy just now.”
Qi Youxuan knew that, but his spirits were dampened and he remained very downcast.
Those two rows of people lining up found the little guy to be very adorable and handsome. They had all took a liking to him from the start, and some even smiled and teased him with their facial expressions when they lined up.
Seeing the boy’s wronged appearance made them feel heartbroken too. They thought about how good a child he was, as he had manners and knew how to compromise. He listened to his mother and heeded her advice, making sure that he did not put a burden on his mother. In the end however, he was bullied by the irrational grandmother-grandson duo.
Everyone began consoling him, although some rued that they did not have any candy or junk food that they could use to coax him.
One young lady, who came with her boyfriend, held a Spiderman figurine that she managed to win from a claw machine. It was not big, but it took a lot of effort to get it out.
She gave it to Qi Youxuan and said, “Little friend, don’t be sad. Here, have this.”
Qi Youxuan shook his head. “It was difficult for you to get that, right? I can’t take it. My mom bought a lot of minions for me today.”
The young girl’s heart shattered because he was such an obedient and considerate kid!
The first in line was a young man who looked like a high school student. His turn was next.
He turned around and told his friend to hold his spot, before walking over and kneeling before Qi Youxuan, “Little Brother, my turn is up next. Would it be okay if I let you play first?”
The little boy hesitated for a moment but eventually shook his head. He had earlier shown despise toward the other kid’s actions of jumping queue.
“Don’t worry. It’s not cutting in line. I’m the one who’s willingly letting you play. I don’t think anyone will have any objections against that,” the young lad smiled and said.
He was a handsome, the archetype of a radiant young man. With his courteous and graceful demeanor, he resembled Qi Chengzhi or Qi Chenglin, but was even more similar to Qi Chengji when still in Jixia High School.
After Qi Chengji went into the military however, all that refinedness disappeared, only to be replaced by pure masculinity.
Everyone seemed to be conveying that they had no issues with Qi Youxuan going first.
Blushing, the little boy looked yearningly at the car that was swaying from side to side.
“How about, you join me and we play together, Big Brother?” The little boy then began explaining. “Since I’m too short, I can’t reach the steering wheel or the accelerator, so I’ll sit on the passenger side while you drive. I’ll experience it with you from one side. I stood in line with my mom and she was supposed to drive while I sat beside her, but I think her driving skills aren’t as good as you.
Ruan Danchen, “…”
The little boy dragged his mother down without sparing her blushes at all!
Qi Youxuan never saw his mom drive before, since it was always his dad or Uncle Xiao Yang who drove him when they went out. Even if she had a driver’s license, she might not pass the levels with the skills she had. In particular, the game had so many sudden turns, which were even harder for her. It would have been a waste if she drove for a while and it was already game over.
Bystanders who heard that could not resist laughing, although they held it in almost immediately.
“…” Ruan Danchen stared speechlessly at the blissfully unaware Qi Youxuan, but thankfully the boy had already reverted to his buoyant character, making her slight embarrassment entirely worth it.
The young lad agreed immediately. Qi Youxuan was elated, because he got the chance the play earlier in addition to not offending anyone, thereby achieving both his aims in one fell swoop.
Qi Youxuan followed the young lad into the car, and the elder boy’s skills were not bad at all. He drove for a long time, satiating Qi Youxuan’s craving for the game.
Qi Youxuan then came down with his reddened cheeks, looking incredibly excited with no trace of the dispiritedness he had earlier.
Ruan Danchen thanked the young man and brought Qi Youxuan to play other games.
Even so, they were not able to try out most of the games, since the line was too long.
Ruan Danchen looked at the time and realized that it was almost five. When Qi Youxuan got down from one of the games, she brought him out of the place.
Qi Youxuan looked as though he did not have enough. Ruan Danchen booped him on the nose and said, “Don’t be so greedy. We can still come here and play next time. There’re too many games, and even if we don’t need to line up, we can’t play all of them in one day.”
“We can still come next time? Next time can we ask dad to come with us? I want him to drive the car. I’ll sit beside him. Dad’s driving skills are really good,” Qi Youxuan suggested excitedly.
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Ruan Danchen smiled and said.
As she spoke, Qi Chenglin’s call came.
“Where are you?” Qi Chenglin asked after hearing all the ruckus from the phone.
The indoor arcade was filled with noises of machines, music, and laughter. It was very noisy. Once Ruan Danchen brought Qi Youxuan out, everything was silent.
“In the mall. I brought Youxuan to buy some clothes today, and it just so happened that an arcade opened in the mall, so I brought him to play. Are you still in Jinshi City?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“I’m back. We’re entering the city now and heading home. Which mall are you at? I’ll go get the both of you.” Ruan Danchen heard Qi Chenglin’s magnetic and warm voice. It even had a twinge of glee in it.
Ruan Danchen told him the name and heard Qi Chenglin chuckling. “Coincidentally, I’m near. Wait half an hour for me.”
“Okay.” Ruan Danchen hung up and said to Qi Youxuan, “Dad’s coming back from Jinshi City and he’ll come fetch us. He’ll be here in about half an hour. Are you tired? Let’s go find someplace to sit.”
“Another half an hour, can we still go and play?” Qi Youxuan wanted to go back after hearing that.
“No.” Ruan Danchen did not indulge him any longer. “You’ve already played the entire day and you can’t go and play again. We will come back some other day. It’s too noisy inside, and it’s not good for your eyes and ears when you play too much. Letting you play the whole day is already excessive enough.”
The little boy saw how resolute Ruan Danchen was and knew that no amount of cajoling could persuade her. All he could do was pout slightly sadly and mumble, “Okay.”
Since they had to wait another half-hour more for Qi Chenglin to come, there were plenty dessert shops around the mall. Ruan Danchen brought him to the nearest one and asked for a bowl of mango pomelo sago and some mango crepe.
The portion was not that big and she was worried that the boy might get hungry. The desserts would fill his tummy a bit for the time being, and after Qi Chenglin arrived, they would all go to dinner together.
Mango crepes were cold and it was also a cold winter’s day. Despite the heating in the mall, Ruan Danchen allowed him to eat only one.
Although Qi Youxuan’s delectable treats were limited, he was happy that Ruan Danchen controlled him.
‘So this is how it feels like for Mom to control me!’
The little boy was dismayed that he met Ruan Danchen too late on. Six years had gone to waste already.
As he was drinking his mango pomelo sago, he pointed behind Ruan Danchen and asked, “Mom, isn’t that the Big Brother that played the game with me?”
Ruan Danchen turned around to look, spotting the young man who sat in the car with Qi Youxuan as well as his friend. The two young boys came into the shop and was about to find a place to sit.
Qi Youxuan waved amicably. “Big Brother!”
The young lad saw him and smiled warmly too, before proceeding to bring his friend over.
There was still some space with Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan, so the two young boys joined them.
After chatting for some time, they found out that the young man was in year three of senior high. He was a top student in the school and was recommended to A University’s Department of Mathematics. His friend on the other hand, was accepted by a famous overseas university. The two of them, therefore, did not have any stress with their exams, so they came out during the weekend to enjoy themselves.
Inevitably, the two of them introduced themselves.
The young man’s friend was Li Yiming.
“I’m Ruan Zeer,” the young man smiled and said.
“Oh! My mom’s surname is Ruan too, you’re both from the same clan!” Qi Youxuan exclaimed excitedly. He was trying hard to be friendly with Ruan Zeer, causing the three of them to chuckle.
Ruan Danchen smoothed Qi Youxuan’s hair. The little boy’s logic was that all those with the same surname were of the same clan.
Chatting while they ate, Ruan Danchen slowly found out that the two boys’ families were not very rich. They were merely ordinary people. Li Yiming’s family was in the tea leaf business. Although it was not a large-scale operation, it raked in much more money than other people, so he could be considered quite well-off. Due to that, his family was able to bear the burden of sending him to study abroad.
“Ah, he, he’s the genius in math. It’s in the family,” Li Yiming pointed and Ruan Zeer and smiled. “His grandfather is a scholar in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is also professor in the A University’s math department, with a few disciples following usually. His father is also a math professor at A University and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well. His uncle used to be at J University, and if he’s still around, he’s probably going to join A University of B University.”
Ruan Zeer smiled somewhat dolefully. “I’ve never met my uncle before, but my dad says he would’ve achieved much more than my dad. His natural genius far surpassed my dad, even when they were young, and he was the one who had the most potential for taking over from my grandfather.”
“So, his family is just filled with math geniuses.” Li Yiming then quickly changed the subject after bringing up Ruan Zeer’s sad moment.
Although Ruan Zeer’s family was not rich, they were very knowledgeable scholars. All of them were, and no ordinary scholars at that.
All of a sudden, Ruan Danchen felt a gush of academic aura hitting her in the face. It was a bit stressful to be facing Ruan Zeer.
Having chatted for some time, Qi Chenglin called again to inform that he was already at the mall. Ruan Danchen then told him the name of the store they were at and its location.
Not long later, Ruan Zeer—who was sitting beside Qi Youxuan—saw a handsome man at the door. He stood proudly, with a grey wool overcoat worn over his suit, and although it looked travel-worn, the frost lent the man an abundance of masculinity.
The man standing at the door was the kind of man that could turn straight men gay.
His energy was one-of-a-kind, with no one in the entire mall, let alone the shop, who could possibly come close to him.
The man’s face was stiff and cold, but undeniably handsome. The frost on him gave him an extra layer of coldness.
Ever since the man showed up, Ruan Zeer noticed that many women’s gazes were pulled toward the man. None of those gazes ever shifted away.
The man however, seemed to ignore all their looks. His handsome face remained cold and he appeared to be looking for someone in the shop.
All of a sudden, the little boy beside Ruan Zeer raised his hand and waved, calling out, “Dad, here!”
Ruan Zeer looked on in shock as Qi Chenglin’s originally irritated expression softened upon seeing mother and child.
Qi Chenglin’s pupils were so soft, as if they were melting. He was all smiles, making for a complete contrast between his earlier stern expression. His eyes looked like it was filled with glitter, and his restrained warmth made him look even more charming.
The women in the crowd were incredibly disappointed after hearing the little boy shout ‘Dad’. Such high-quality men were either married or gay!
Qi Chenglin’s eyes no longer strayed in any other direction, so he was completely oblivious to their disappointed expression. All his attention was affixed to Ruan Danchen’s body, with his lips smiling ever so gently.
Li Yiming made way immediately and sat beside Ruan Zeer.
Both he and Ruan Zeer had never come across such a magnificent man before.
Li Yiming’s tea leaf family business was at most, a small business, raking in about two or three million a year. He was still a high school student who did not try his hand in dabbling with the family business. He might meet a few customers on occasion, so he could never have the same aura as Qi Chenglin had.
Ruan Zeer had plenty of contact with academicians, especially the colleagues and students of his father and grandfather. Nevertheless, the characteristics exhibited by academicians were entirely scholarly, like a knowledgeable gust of wind, which was different from businessmen, particularly someone like Qi Chenglin.
Qi Chenglin looked at all of them seated together, giving the impression that the two lads knew Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan. He was curious as to when Ruan Danchen got to know that kind of half-grown kids.
Ruan Danchen explained voluntarily, “I brought Youxuan out to buy clothes today, and the they opened an indoor arcade in the mall. I brought Youxuan to play and we got to know these two young men.”
She refrained from saying ‘kids’ even though she regarded them as kids.
Nevertheless, she also knew that such grown-up kids regarded themselves as adults already and hated being called kids.
Referring them as ‘young men’ made them feel very happy.
Ruan Danchen introduced them to Qi Chenglin and then told them, “This is my husband, Qi Chenglin.”
The two boys had no idea about the intricacies of the upper circle, and although Li Yiming did not admit to being a child, he was still one. The Qi family was a family he heard before, but other than that, he knew nothing more.
