Chapter 48: I Don’t Want Tea, I Don’t Want to Talk

Chen Lie was momentarily at a loss for words. He sighed, looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky, and after a while, lowered his head to meet Da Dan’s curious gaze and gave him an answer: “No matter how old a person is, everyone has the potential to be a troublemaker.”

Of the two kids, Da Dan was the more rational one. But sometimes he was a little too rational—before doing anything, he’d always imagine the worst-case scenario. Still, he wasn’t so much of a handful that Chen Lie ever needed to discipline him.

Er Dan, though…

Thinking of how Er Dan had tried to provoke him in the courtyard earlier, trying to drag him into trouble, Chen Lie fell silent.

Er Dan was mischievous, but unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t show his claws to Chen Lie.

On the other hand, Su Qinghu, an adult, never bothered to hide her claws in front of him. Not only did she show them, she even wanted to scratch him…

She really was a handful.

“If a naughty kid does something wrong, they get punished. But what about adults who act like naughty kids? Don’t they get punished too?” Da Dan asked Chen Lie.

Clearly, he didn’t count himself among the “naughty kids.”

Su Qinghu had just finished brushing her teeth and washing her face, and was about to take a shower when she realized she hadn’t brought a change of clothes. As she stepped out—before she even reached the living room—she overheard Da Dan’s question.

She immediately burst out laughing. “If a naughty kid does something wrong, they get punished. If an adult acts like a naughty kid, they get punished too.”

Da Dan looked at Su Qinghu in disbelief. Did she know what she was saying?

Of course Su Qinghu knew. She kept walking inside as she spoke, drawling, “If a naughty kid does something wrong, they get their butt smacked. So if an adult acts like a naughty kid, do they get their butt smacked too?”

Chen Lie warned her, “Su Qinghu!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Su Qinghu waved him off and went straight to the bedroom to get her clothes, so she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence.

Honestly, if the kids weren’t around, Su Qinghu really wanted to say: If a naughty kid does something wrong, they get their butt smacked. So if an adult acts like a naughty kid, do they get their butt smacked too? But would your dad even dare to lay a hand on me?

Of course, she never got the chance to say that.

Su Qinghu didn’t have many clothes. She’d bought a new outfit today, but that was just for appearances. So when she went to the bedroom, she didn’t have to rummage around—she just grabbed a soft shirt and was good to go.

Luckily, most of her clothes were cotton, and since it was summer, any shirt could double as pajamas.

She really needed to find time to buy some clothes. If nothing else, she at least needed a proper set of pajamas.

When she came out of the bedroom, Da Dan was still in the living room. Chen Lie, seeing her come out, tried to hide his pained and helpless expression, but since Su Qinghu came out so quickly, he didn’t quite manage to cover it up.

Su Qinghu raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Because Da Dan was still in the living room, she was a little self-aware—she figured both she and Da Dan were the sources of Chen Lie’s headaches.

“Da Dan, time for bed. If you stay up late, you won’t grow tall,” Su Qinghu called out as she headed straight to the bathroom.

Da Dan’s mouth hung open. He looked at her, then at Chen Lie, finding it hard to believe what he was seeing.

Did she not reflect on her actions at all? They’d just had an argument, and now she was acting like nothing happened, talking to whoever she wanted, not the least bit embarrassed?

“Go check your schoolbag. Once you’re done, go straight to bed,” Chen Lie patted him and walked over to the thermos to pour himself a glass of water.

As Chen Lie poured water, Da Dan suddenly said, “Dad, I used to think she was really impressive, that you couldn’t keep her, and that you weren’t really a good match for her.”

Chen Lie’s hand paused, and his expression became a bit complicated.

So this kid was bold too?

“But now, I don’t think she’s that impressive anymore.” Da Dan knew Su Qinghu was in the shower and couldn’t come out for a while, and the sound of running water would cover his voice, so he spoke more freely. “At first, her only flaw was spending too much money. Now she’s shameless and likes to argue…”

He went on and on, finally concluding, “So now, maybe you two are actually a good match?”

Chen Lie was holding his cup, about to take a sip, but when he heard this sudden twist, he put it down and couldn’t help massaging his temples.

“Right now, go check your schoolbag for anything you might have forgotten. I want to see you lying in bed in five minutes!”

Chen Lie issued the order directly. Seeing Da Dan’s rare look of confusion, he urged, “Move it!”

Da Dan was dumbfounded. Why did things always take such a weird turn? They were just having a normal conversation, and suddenly he was being told to do something! But seeing Chen Lie’s serious expression, his legs moved on their own, and he jogged off to check his schoolbag.

Chen Lie let out a long sigh. He’d been wrong—he’d made assumptions. There were three little troublemakers in this house, and all of them were pretty bold.

Da Dan’s attacks were verbal. At first, they seemed harmless, but in the end, they really hit home.

He’d listed several of Su Qinghu’s obvious flaws from an outsider’s perspective, then suddenly changed tack and said that made them a good match…

Chen Lie sat in the living room, watching Da Dan calmly but hurriedly check his schoolbag, then finally took a sip of water.

After Da Dan finished, he thought he’d use any extra time to help Er Dan with his bag. But as he was about to ask his dad for the time, he noticed Chen Lie’s wrist was bare.

“Dad, I’m done,” Da Dan called as he ran to the bedroom, reminding Chen Lie, “Help Er Dan check his bag too.”

Chen Lie waved him off, signaling he understood and telling him to go rest. After finishing his water, he got up to check Er Dan’s schoolbag.

When Su Qinghu came out from her shower and saw Chen Lie still in the living room, her heart skipped a beat.

No way, right? He’s not going to try to have another talk about that issue, is he?!

Chen Lie stood up, pointed to the chair beside him, and was just about to speak when Su Qinghu cut him off: “I don’t want to talk, and I don’t want tea!”

“Drinking tea late at night is bad for your kidneys,” Su Qinghu said warily, watching his every move. Fresh from her shower, her lips were a rosy red as she started rambling, “You know, you’re good-looking and your voice is nice too, right?”

Chen Lie: “…”

Su Qinghu ignored his exasperated expression and continued seriously, “If we talk and you’re too gentle, I might just end up staring at your face and listening to your voice, and whatever you say will just turn into a string of ellipses in my head.”

Before Chen Lie could put on a stern face, she went on, “But if you’re too sharp with your words, I’ll get all deflated, and when I’m deflated, I won’t want to talk. If it’s really bad, it might even affect my rest. If I don’t sleep well, I might not perform well on my first day of work tomorrow. If I don’t do well, I’ll embarrass you and the teacher…”

Chen Lie turned straight around and headed for the bedroom.

At the bedroom door, he stopped, turned back to look at the lazily smiling Su Qinghu trailing behind him, and said, “Have you read the international conventions? The ones about spreading and trafficking certain kinds of information?”

End of chapter."