Chapter 37: An Unexpected Kiss

Think for myself?

Su Qinghu raised her eyebrows slightly, staring at Da Dan for a while. Only when he was about to lose his composure and look away did she finally shift her gaze to Er Dan.

Er Dan kept his little face tense, stubbornly meeting her eyes without backing down at all.

Look at that! Even though she was talking to him, she still looked at his older brother first! When his brother told her to think for herself, she obediently did as told!

""You—""

Seeing his angry little face, Su Qinghu couldn’t help but want to laugh. But she had barely said a word before the child exploded again.

Er Dan shouted at her, ""Are you trying to scold me? Are you going to say I’m meddling? Are you going to tell me you just like Dad and my brother? Go ahead and scold me! I am meddling! If you want to like them, then go ahead, I don’t want you to like me! I can be just fine on my own! Hmph!""

By the end of his outburst, whether from exhaustion or anger, his little cheeks were flushed red, making him look especially adorable.

Su Qinghu held back her laughter, suddenly stood up with a serious expression, and took a step to stand right in front of Er Dan.

Er Dan nervously clenched his little fists, but still stubbornly held her gaze, his head held high, refusing to show any fear.

Was she going to hit him?

Er Dan’s eyes instantly turned red, but he fought hard not to let himself cry.

If she hit him, he’d never forgive her! He’d cut ties with her! Even if his brother and dad liked her, he’d never speak to her again!

Su Qinghu rolled her shoulders, then bent down, hands on her knees, and met his eyes from about ten centimeters away.

What a stubborn little guy!

He was already so aggrieved, yet still so hard-headed...

She leaned in and planted a loud kiss right on his forehead.

Er Dan was stunned, completely frozen, watching as Su Qinghu stepped back to her original spot, smiling at him, looking utterly bewildered.

Just now...

Did Mom just kiss him?

Su Qinghu finally let out the laughter she’d been holding in, reached out to ruffle his hair, and said gently and lightly, ""Keep liking me, okay?""

Er Dan was still staring at her in a daze. Why? Why did she kiss him? Wasn’t she supposed to like Dad and his brother the most? She even smiled at them more...

Chen Lie and Da Dan were also shocked by Su Qinghu’s sudden kiss.

You couldn’t blame them—people in this era rarely said things like ""I like you"" or ""I love you"" so directly, let alone expressed affection through physical gestures!

Kissing wasn’t something you’d see even between lovers, much less between elders and children. At most, you’d get a pat on the head and a few words of praise.

So it wasn’t until she spoke again that they snapped out of their daze.

When Chen Lie came back to his senses, his expression was as stiff and proper as ever. Da Dan, on the other hand, was looking at Er Dan with a very peculiar expression.

If Su Qinghu had seen Da Dan’s face, she might have realized that his look was one of pure envy.

But Su Qinghu didn’t notice. She just looked at Er Dan, patted his shoulder, and said, ""Keep liking me, okay?""

Er Dan’s cheeks, already red, turned even redder, but now there was no anger left—only embarrassment.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, raising his chin slightly and pursing his lips as he looked at Su Qinghu.

She said he should keep liking her, so does that mean he has to? Why should he?

He wasn’t going to forgive her that easily!

""Well? Are you going to keep liking me or not?"" Su Qinghu looked at his little act, nearly laughing herself sick, but she had to give him a way out. ""Fine, if you don’t like me, you don’t like me. I’ll just find someone else to take your place.""

Er Dan’s eyes widened instantly. You can just find someone else to like you?

""I like having lots of people like me. You used to like me, but now you don’t, so that’s one less person. How can that be? I have to make up for it!"" Su Qinghu muttered to herself, as if doing the math.

Er Dan: ""My liking is mine! Other people’s liking isn’t the same as mine!""

""Well, different or not, it’s all liking,"" Su Qinghu shrugged. ""Anyway, the number of people who like me can’t go down.""

Er Dan fell silent, his little face even more tense, all his earlier pride and stubbornness gone.

Chen Lie watched the two of them, big and small, and sighed quietly to himself.

Sure enough, no matter how old or young, when someone’s being a brat, age doesn’t matter.

Da Dan, being nine years old, understood things better. He got what Su Qinghu meant, but he didn’t understand how you could just replace someone’s affection.

He turned to look at his father, Chen Lie, but didn’t meet his eyes.

—Dad was rubbing his forehead.

Da Dan paused, then looked back at Er Dan and Su Qinghu.

Su Qinghu was already standing up. ""Come on, whether you like me or not, we still have a movie to watch.""

Er Dan didn’t move, his little chest heaving with anger. ""I don’t like you lying to me!""

She kissed him just now, so he’d forgive her for looking at his brother and dad more, for smiling at them more.

His fondness for her had come back a little.

If she could just explain why she lied, whether it was on purpose, then maybe he’d like her a little more...

""All warfare is based on deception,"" Su Qinghu waved her hand. ""There’s too much trickery involved, and you’re too young—it’s too much trouble to explain...""

Seeing the little one getting worked up again, Su Qinghu immediately turned to the silent, handsome man. ""You’re their father, you have a duty to educate your children. Now, please explain those five words I just said to them.""

Chen Lie: ""...Okay.""

She wasn’t done. ""And make sure you explain it in a way they can understand.""

Chen Lie: ""Okay.""

Having found someone else to do the work, Su Qinghu cheerfully turned back to the little rascal. ""I’ll give you a choice. Do you want to finish eating first and then listen to your dad’s explanation, or listen first and then eat?""

Er Dan looked at Su Qinghu, then at Chen Lie, then at the fries, chicken nuggets, and soda in front of him, and was silent for a long while.

Su Qinghu could practically see his inner struggle. Of course, the fact that he was struggling meant he was willing to trust her, that he instinctively believed her explanation might convince him.

Er Dan: ""...""

Er Dan felt like whatever he chose, his brother and dad would laugh at him.

Da Dan watched him and sighed quietly to himself. ""Chicken nuggets don’t taste good when they’re cold. You should eat first, then let Dad explain.""

What else could he do? If he didn’t look out for his little brother, who would?

Chen Lie also spared his pride. ""Go ahead and eat.""

Er Dan: ""Then I’ll eat while you explain. That way we save time and get the best of both worlds.""

Su Qinghu almost choked. This little rascal!"