"Are you two playing some kind of love rivalry game?" Jiang Panpan chuckled, carelessly igniting the fire against Xu Chacha. "Little cutie, does your aunt Mu Bai or your sister Yan Shu like you more?"
"I like them both." A perfect answer!
"Really?" Wen Mubai didn't know where he suddenly got the interest from. "It seems that some children who say 'I like my auntie the most' are lying?"
Chapter 16
"I like Auntie the most," Xu Chacha muttered softly, then took Xu Yanshu's hand. "But I also have to listen to my sister."
Xu Yanshu's expression softened considerably because of her words, but then she realized that what she had done was very childish.
Isn't this kind of vying for favor something only children do?
"Alright," Wen Mubai chuckled. "You've already learned to share your affections equally at such a young age?"
Xu Chacha blinked innocently, "What do you mean by 'equal distribution of favors'?"
"You'll understand when you grow up, you don't need to know now." Jiang Panpan laughed heartily, "This little one is so funny."
"Thank you, Sister Panpan." Thank you for asking me that life-or-death question!
"Are you still hungry?" Xu Yanshu handed over a glass of orange juice. "If you really can't eat, then forget it."
After calming down, Xu Yanshu realized that Wen Mubai's words made some sense. Moreover, she couldn't learn those bad habits from her parents, who seemed to want to fatten Xu Chacha into a big fat girl.
Xu Chacha took a sip of orange juice; the sweet and sour taste diluted the smell in her mouth, and her appetite returned.
"I want to eat meat." She put on disposable gloves and grabbed a piece of roasted lamb chop.
The lamb chops were delicate and small, juicy, and the fat seemed to have a milky aroma. She ate them in a few bites, her mouth full of oil.
Xu Yanshu waited patiently for her to finish eating before wiping her face with a tissue.
"This is delicious, sister, you should have some too." Xu Chacha handed one to her.
Xu Yanshu obediently opened her mouth and nodded, "Mmm, delicious."
"Right?" Xu Chacha winked smugly.
Wen Mubai didn't interfere between the two sisters anymore, and turned around to continue talking to Jiang Panpan.
I first met Jiang Panpan through an art competition held on campus. She was a talkative girl with a nice personality, so we naturally started talking.
"I really envy you for having such a smart head, you don't have to worry about the future." Jiang Panpan leaned against the table. "I'm different, if I can't make a living, I'll have no way out."
"Just lucky," Wen Mubai replied casually.
Behind Jiang Panpan stood three girls and one boy. The girls were art students from the same school as her, and the boy was a classmate of Wen Mubai.
Unfortunately, he realized that he had been standing there for almost half an hour, but Wen Mubai hadn't even glanced at him once.
Was he not standing high enough?
Xue Zikai shifted his 1.75-meter height and lifted his leg onto the side steps.
Okay, now they've finally shown themselves.
"Mu Bai, you look really good today." He tried to get the person in the middle of the crowd to notice him.
After a few seconds of silence, Wen Mubai spoke softly, saying a emotionless "Thank you."
Xue Zikai pressed on, "You seem to really like children. I have a little sister too, I'll introduce you to her next time."
No one replied.
"By the way, which university did you apply to? I've never heard you mention it before."
Still no one replied.
"Xiao Xue, shut up." Jiang Panpan frowned at him. "You're making me so embarrassed."
"Hehe..." Xue Zikai scratched his head, "Sorry."
"Auntie only loves one child like me, that's enough. Big brother, you can't steal her away!" Xu Chacha poked her head out, with cream still stuck to her lips.
Wen Mubai smiled, wiping the food crumbs from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "You don't understand the meaning of 'equal distribution of affections,' but you've learned how to steal someone else's love?"
Xu Chatou immediately shrank back: "I...I'd better keep eating the cake."
Xue Zikai, realizing he had made a fool of himself and couldn't join in the conversation between Jiang Panpan and the other girls, quietly left after a short while.
Wen Mubai was not a talkative person. He would only reply briefly when called upon, and otherwise remained silent.
His gaze fell on Xu Chacha, who was playing with Xu Yanshu, and for some reason, he suddenly became interested in the bow on her back that was swaying back and forth.
He had been playing with the end of the silk ribbon, intending to just tug at it for fun, but he hadn't been careful and had accidentally untied it.
"Ah!" Xu Chacha put her two little hands behind her back, touched the loose bow, turned around angrily, and after finding that the other party was Wen Mubai, she pouted, looking like she wanted to be angry but couldn't bear to be angry. "Auntie, this bow was tied by my mother for a long time."
"I'm sorry." Wen Mubai suppressed a laugh. "How about Auntie re-tied it for you?"
"Make sure it looks nice." Xu Chacha trustingly turned her back to her, "It has to look as nice as Mom's."
"Okay, Auntie will try her best."
Wen Mubai's fair and slender fingers twirled the tender green silk, quickly gathered it into a bow, and then carefully adjusted its fluffy shape, arranging the two ends of the rope neatly.
"Okay." She patted Xu Chacha on the back.
Xu Chacha took small steps and turned to show Xu Yanshu, "Sister, can you check for me? Is it pretty?"
"It looks good," Xu Yanshu coaxed her.
"Alright then," Xu Chacha said generously, "I forgive Auntie."
"Thank you, Auntie." Wen Mubai straightened her wrinkled skirt, but then noticed the bandage on her knee. "How did you get hurt?"
Xu Yanshu: "You'll have to ask your sister about that."
Wen Mubai's face darkened. He grabbed Xu Chacha's hand and stared at her intently. "Tell your aunt, were you bullied?"
"Ah..." This matter has actually been resolved satisfactorily. Xu Chacha didn't particularly want to complain, otherwise, she might have been entangled with Wen Shiyu for a long time.
"Cha Cha." Xu's mother walked towards them from a distance. "Come quickly."
"Auntie, my mom's looking for me, I'm off!" Xu Chacha ran over like she was grasping at a straw, "Mom!"
Mother Xu caught the little baby who threw himself into her arms, and asked, "Did you have fun playing with your older brothers and sisters?"
"Yes, my sisters love me so much," Xu Chacha said.
"Because Cha Cha is so pretty, who wouldn't like her?" Xu's mother took her and Xu Yanshu's hands, greeted Wen Mubai, and led them away.
Mr. Xu was speaking on the stage. He wanted to take this opportunity to introduce Xu Chacha to everyone. His little princess should be the center of attention.
"Everyone knows why we've gathered here today." Mr. Xu took Xu Chacha from Mrs. Xu's arms. "My precious daughter is finally back by my side."
Xu Chacha felt a little awkward; she wasn't used to this kind of situation.
"Dad and Mom promise that we will never let you get hurt or feel wronged again." Mr. Xu touched her forehead. "We hope our baby can always be healthy, happy, and carefree."
"Cha Cha will grow up quickly and take good care of her parents."
"Hahaha, it's okay." Xu's mother rubbed Xu Chacha's head. "You can be Mommy's little darling forever."
"Come on, Chacha, would you like to say a few words?" Mr. Xu moved the microphone to Chacha's mouth.
Xu Chacha held the microphone in both hands, her lively, childlike voice rising in volume, "Wishing all my brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts good health, all the best, lots of money, and a good mood every day!"
"Hahahaha." Laughter erupted from below as everyone raised their hands to applaud Xu Chacha.
After listening to a few more words from Xu's father, Xu Chacha was finally put down. She breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards Wen Mubai with small, quick steps.
When it runs, the bow behind it bounces and jumps, making people's hearts itch with delight.
Jiang Panpan was the one who couldn't resist the ticklish feeling. She secretly followed behind Xu Chacha, wanting to tug at her bow.
Just as the evil claws were about to succeed, a hand suddenly appeared and slapped them away. Wen Mubai glared at her and said, "Don't pull."
"Only officials are allowed to set fires, while ordinary people are forbidden to light lamps!" Jiang Panpan retorted.
“Yes.” Wen Mubai replied confidently.
Jiang Panpan's jaw almost dropped: Is this still the Wen Mubai I know?
"Sister, shall we go play with the cats?" Having already completed the introduction, Xu Chacha felt it was okay if she left. "Auntie, we'll go too."
She grabbed one in each hand and pulled them forward like calves.
Wen Mubai put down his cup and was forced to keep up with her pace. "I know, my ancestor, slow down."
Fortunately, the little calico was still there, and as soon as Xu Chacha approached, it pounced on its short legs, as if it recognized her.
"Don't go too far, just play here." Xu Yanshu tied her hair up so that it would be easier for her to play.
"Okay," Xu Chacha replied readily.
Xu Yanshu shook her head and sat down on a bench next to Wen Mubai.
Looking at Xu Chacha's radiant smile, she felt a vague sense of satisfaction.
Just a few days ago, this little girl was timid and self-conscious, which made people feel sorry for her. But after being cared for by her biological parents, she has recovered her lively self so quickly.
"That's good. She should be like this at her age." Innocent and carefree, she doesn't have to worry about anything and can just enjoy the love and care of others.
Xu Yanshu said, "Luckily, she met you, otherwise she might be..."
Wen Mubai's voice was very soft, "Is that so? I think it's the other way around."
Her mother and father did not have a good relationship. Her mother was a rich girl who was pampered from childhood. She was proud, domineering, and beautiful like a rose with thorns.
Mr. Wen spent many years cultivating this rose, only to find that his thinking seemed to be wrong. A woman like Mrs. Wen should not hide behind a man and be a "woman behind the scenes".
Wen's mother was an internationally renowned fashion designer who frequently traveled abroad to attend various fashion weeks. She was always surrounded by outstanding men, and even wearing a wedding ring on her hand could not stop them from getting close.
So when Wen Mubai found out she had cheated on him, he wasn't too surprised. He even recalled a quote from the internet: "She just made a mistake that every man makes."
Because of Wen's mother, Wen's father had a very conflicted attitude towards Wen Mubai. He was proud of her talent and brilliance, and in public, he acted like a loving father who doted on his daughter. However, when they returned home, the two rarely spoke to each other.
He only cared about her exam rankings and competition results, and tried his best to make Wen Mubai a second version of himself, so that she had as few traits as her mother.
Perhaps when Wen Mubai's father reached that age, he would only care about interests and reputation. Therefore, the unreserved and passionate emotions that Wen Mubai felt from Xu Chacha were something she had never experienced in her previous life.
Even children understand this principle, so why are her relatives unwilling to let go of their resentment and loosen their ties?