Chapter 62: I Just Want to Tell You a Story

Sensing something off in Su Qinghu’s tone, Chen Lie repeated to her what Dadan and Erdan had said earlier.

“Hmm—” Su Qinghu drew out her voice, glanced at the bedroom with the lights on, and asked Chen Lie, “What are they doing in the bedroom?”

Isn’t homework usually done in the study or the living room?

Chen Lie replied, “I made them do horse stance as punishment.”

“Is their punishment time up?” Su Qinghu shook her watch with a bright smile. “If not, you go cool the boiled water, and I’ll supervise them for you.”

“Ten more minutes.” Chen Lie didn’t think there was anything wrong with Su Qinghu not siding with the kids. He nodded at her. “I’ll go get your water ready.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

His tall, upright figure was striking, and the faint lines beneath his shirt were equally attractive.

Su Qinghu raised her eyebrows, almost whistling.

In this world, it’s not just men who like to look at beautiful women—women also love to admire clean, handsome men.

After catching her breath, Su Qinghu took off her heels, slipped on her slippers, and went to the bathroom. She washed and dried her feet before returning to the living room.

She knocked twice on the door to Dadan and Erdan’s bedroom, her voice rising playfully, “Comrades, I’m coming in!”

With that, she lifted the curtain and walked right in.

“Oh, not only are you being punished to stand, but you’ve also been beaten?” Su Qinghu said gleefully, “Serves you right!”

Dadan’s forehead was covered in sweat. He didn’t even look at Su Qinghu, just trembled as he stubbornly held his horse stance. Hmph, grown-up troublemaker.

Clearly, the two had been holding the stance for a while. Erdan’s skinny little face was shaking with effort.

“Dad didn’t hit us,” Erdan blurted out, then quickly shut his mouth and tensed up. Only when Su Qinghu raised her eyebrows at him did he add, “We got hurt fighting.”

“You really got into a fight?” Su Qinghu strolled over as if she were taking a walk in the park. Seeing neither of them answered, she poked at their sore spots with a smile, “Don’t tell me you got targeted while showing off your wealth?”

Dadan pressed his lips together and glared at her, “Of course not!”

Erdan hesitated, feeling embarrassed. He glanced at Dadan and said nothing, tacitly agreeing with his brother.

“Really?” Su Qinghu turned and leaned her face close to Erdan’s, startling him into yelping, “Don’t get so close! If I can’t hold on, I’ll have to start the horse stance all over again!”

They’d already had to restart twice, each time resetting the timer…

Su Qinghu pulled over a stool and, obligingly, didn’t get too close. She sat right in front of them. “Come on, you’ve got five minutes left. Let me tell you a story to help you relax.”

Dadan: “No need! Not listening!”

Erdan hesitated, unsure whether to listen. He looked at Su Qinghu with curiosity in his eyes. For some reason, his new mom at this moment reminded him of a big tiger basking in the sun on the grass…

“Erdan, want to hear it?” Su Qinghu asked.

Erdan shivered. “…Maybe not now? We’re about to eat. How about after dinner?”

He gritted his teeth, holding the stance. “Mom, please don’t talk to me. I’m running out of strength.”

“Neither of you want to listen?” Su Qinghu sighed, as if to say, If you don’t want me to tell it, then I won’t.

Dadan didn’t move, but Erdan nodded in agreement. “Yeah, not now.”

Su Qinghu: “No way! I’m telling it right now!”

Dadan: …See? Still a troublemaker, even grown up!

Erdan pressed his lips together, biting his molars, and said nothing. Since the new mom insisted, so be it—just as long as it’s not too funny.

“I’m starting now,” Su Qinghu said, sitting on the little stool. She glanced at the two little rascals on either side, chuckled, and began their heart-pounding journey. “Today was my first day working at the newspaper, and as a reporter, I went on two assignments.”

“Do you know what reporters do?” Su Qinghu asked and answered herself. “From national affairs to petty theft, reporters can cover anything.”

Dadan’s expression didn’t change, but Erdan’s arms, held out in front of him, trembled, his heart beating faster.

Su Qinghu noticed Dadan’s legs pause for a moment and smiled.

Look at you, pretending to be so calm—your body’s already given you away.

She shifted her gaze from Dadan’s trembling legs to Erdan’s uncertain eyes and smiled. “Erdan, what’s wrong? You look pale.”

Without thinking, Dadan’s eyes shot to Erdan, only to realize he’d been tricked when he saw Erdan’s dark face.

With Erdan’s skin tone, how pale could he possibly get?

If Su Qinghu asked why he looked at Erdan, what was he supposed to say?

His mind raced anxiously, but Su Qinghu didn’t ask. Instead, she kept teasing poor Erdan.

“Erdan, stop rolling your eyes around,” she said, lying with a straight face. “When your eyes dart around, I just know you’re trying to lie to me.”

Erdan started to doubt himself. “I… I wasn’t rolling my eyes…”

Su Qinghu was about to say more when Dadan interrupted impatiently, “Are you going to tell the story or not? If you don’t start, the five minutes will be up and we won’t need any relaxing.”

If she kept dragging this out, it was only a matter of time before Erdan collapsed.

“I’ll tell it, I’ll tell it,” Su Qinghu said. “Since Dadan wants to hear it, I’ll tell it. How could I not dote on my eldest son?”

Dadan curled his lip in disgust. If he weren’t holding the horse stance, he’d be rubbing away the goosebumps by now.

“The story I want to tell is—” Su Qinghu paused, then grinned mischievously. “Sorry, my dear student, but today I have to catch you.”

Chen Lie came in with a glass of cooled boiled water and stopped in shock.

He looked at Su Qinghu, for a moment unable to find the right words to describe his feelings.

What kind of story is this?

Why is the title so long? So weird?

Dadan’s eyes widened as he stared at Su Qinghu. Erdan also looked at her, mouth agape.

What is this?

Why does the teacher have to catch their dear student?

Su Qinghu suppressed a laugh and tried to make her expression look serious. “This happened one summer—”

“Oh, right, that summer was just like today.” Su Qinghu smiled innocently. “A man saw two kids being robbed and beaten. His sense of justice flared, and without a second thought, he rushed over and pinned the thief to the ground.”

Erdan’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening even wider.

“Then, the two kids took the chance to snatch their money back and ran off without even saying thank you. The teacher, seeing they were safe, let it go and didn’t mind that the kids hadn’t thanked their rescuer. But when the teacher looked down, he saw a familiar face—it was a student he’d taught two years ago!”"

"**Chapter 63: Top-Tier Service**

Da Dan and Er Dan were both utterly bewildered.

This... this... this sounded way too much like them...

""The children the teacher saved never thanked him, and the person he caught turned out to be his former student. The teacher had a heart attack—""

Su Qinghu paused here, slowly looking up at the ceiling, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

The sigh left all three people present stunned. Da Dan and Er Dan both looked vaguely uneasy, but to say they felt guilty—well, not really.

Behind her, Chen Lie’s face had completely darkened. He gripped his cup tightly, his expression unreadable as he stared at the two kids.

After finishing her sentence, Su Qinghu fell silent, just staring at the ceiling. Every now and then, she’d shake her head regretfully, or sigh with a drawn-out “ai—”.

Anyone with half a brain, after hearing the whole story and seeing Su Qinghu’s current performance, would be led by the nose straight down the path she’d set.

Er Dan swallowed nervously and asked, “And then? What happened after that?”

Su Qinghu drew her gaze back from the ceiling, looked at him, and sighed again, her voice soft and distant. “Tell me, if the teacher had received some gratitude from the child he saved, maybe he would have—”

Would have—

Would have what?

Er Dan stared at Su Qinghu. “So... so did the teacher die?”

Da Dan visibly flinched. Compared to Er Dan, he understood much better what life and death meant.

Sensing the pressure mounting behind her, Su Qinghu stood up and walked over to Chen Lie, reaching for his water.

She tugged at it—

But it didn’t budge!

Su Qinghu finally met Chen Lie’s lowered gaze. “Loosen up a bit?”

Chen Lie narrowed his eyes at her actions and expression, the oppressive air around him easing a little, but he still didn’t let go.

With Su Qinghu, this overgrown child, if he let her drink water now, who knew when she’d ever finish her story?

“Finish it,” Chen Lie said.

Su Qinghu pursed her lips, puffed out her cheeks. “I’m thirsty, my throat’s dry, I don’t want to talk.”

What kind of tone was that? What kind of attitude?

Did she not know who she was talking to?!

Chen Lie stared her down for a moment. Seeing she wouldn’t back down at all, not the least bit intimidated, he pressed his lips together tightly. After a long moment, he called her name in warning, “Su Qinghu!”

“Here!” Su Qinghu blinked and saluted him. “How’s my form? Pretty standard, right?”

Chen Lie: “...”

For a second, Chen Lie felt utterly exhausted. He really wanted to punish Su Qinghu, make her run laps around the city wall, and add more if she didn’t finish!

“Take a sip.” Chen Lie relented a little, bringing the cup to her lips.

Su Qinghu’s eyes went wide in disbelief as she looked at him.

Good heavens! What a pleasant surprise!

She’d been thinking about training this man, making him realize that you can’t go head-to-head with a woman, because a woman’s tenacity is unmatched. She never expected such a delightful turn!

Chen Lie was feeding her water?

How was this any different from being pampered by a top-tier man?

Drink!

Even if it was just a sip, even if it wasn’t quite how she’d imagined, it was still worth it!

But... what pose should she use to drink?

Elegant? Flirtatious? Innocent? Fiery? Cool and sassy?

Before she could decide, Chen Lie pinched her chin, and with a deft twist of his fingers, pried her mouth open and poured in a mouthful of... water...

Su Qinghu: “!!!”

She blinked, realizing what had just happened. Her eyes went wide, and her anger shot up like a rocket!

That damn man!

Ruined what could have been a beautiful memory!

Top-tier man, my ass—it was all an illusion!

There was no top-tier man, no choice of drinking style, no romantic atmosphere!

All that was left was the mess of her shattered daydreams!

—She suddenly felt like crying.

Su Qinghu sniffled, holding back the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. “I don’t want to tell the story anymore!”

“...” Chen Lie frowned. “Su Qinghu.”

Su Qinghu glared at him, chin held high. “I just don’t want to, so what? You gonna hit me?”

Chen Lie watched as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lashes damp but not a single tear falling, the corners of her eyes tinged red. He let out a sigh. “No crying!”

“Can you not? I’m not even crying.” Su Qinghu took a deep breath, even managing to feel a little grateful that the man in front of her was tall—she had to tilt her head back, which helped keep the tears from falling. “Don’t slander me!”

By now, Da Dan and Er Dan’s legs were shaking from holding their horse stances for so long.

Chen Lie rubbed his temples and waved his hand, dismissing the two. “You two go eat.”

Da Dan and Er Dan didn’t move. They wanted to know what happened to the teacher, and whether Su Qinghu and Dad would start fighting.

“Go eat,” Chen Lie repeated, turning to them with a stern look. “This is grown-up business. You don’t need to be here.”

Su Qinghu took a deep breath and turned to Da Dan and Er Dan. “The teacher was fine, because he had his mother to guide him, and a strong heart to face everything.”

After she finished, Su Qinghu almost wanted to applaud herself through her tears. What a wonderful stepmom she was—even now, she didn’t forget to comfort and educate the kids, and to deliver the moral of the story!

Chen Lie watched her in silence, just in time to see a crystal-clear tear pause on her lower eyelid before rolling down her cheek.

He: ...

Wasn’t she thirsty? If she didn’t move, wasn’t that a sign she wanted him to feed her?

“What are you looking at!” Su Qinghu shot him a glare, grumbling, “I know I look good when I cry!”

Da Dan: ... Looks like everything’s fine now.

Er Dan: Wow, the new mom really does look pretty when she cries~~~

Chen Lie handed her the cup.

Su Qinghu: “I’m not thirsty! I don’t want it!”

Just seeing the cup made Su Qinghu want to cry again.

She remembered a video she’d seen once, where a vet was treating a beautiful horse. They’d boiled up some herbal medicine and forced it down the horse’s throat...

She felt like that horse now—a rare and beautiful Akhal-Teke, but when it came time for medicine, no one cared how pretty you were. They’d just pry your mouth open and pour it in...

Su Qinghu looked up at Chen Lie, swallowing her pride and her supposedly pure heart, and said sincerely, “Has anyone ever told you that a man like you would have a hard time finding a wife on your own?”

Chen Lie: “You’ve told me.”

Su Qinghu choked. She had? When did she say that? She didn’t remember at all.

Forget it. She’d just chalk it up to doing a good deed today. No point arguing with this damn man!

“You drink the water yourself!”

With that, Su Qinghu spun around and headed for the door.

Chen Lie grabbed her. “Where are you going?”

It was pitch dark outside now. It wasn’t safe to go out, and while she could be mad, she needed to stay home.

“Where am I going? Where else would I go?” Su Qinghu puffed up like a pufferfish. “Sir, can I go eat now? Can you let go of me?”

After a whole day’s work and a fight, she was starving—nothing else was wrong with her!

Chen Lie, feeling a little guilty, quietly let go of her wrist. “Mm.”"