You are truly vicious.
Qiu Baiyu walked out of the study holding her employment contract.
Although she got it from that detestable male lead, it was something she earned through her own ability, and she felt slightly pleased.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Jiang Zimin sitting alone by the railing, hugging it and staring blankly downstairs, looking lost.
“What are you doing here?” Qiu Baiyu asked, “You look a bit unhappy.”
Hearing Qiu Baiyu’s voice, Jiang Zimin immediately snapped back to reality.
She first glanced at Qiu Baiyu, then looked at the study room, and after a few seconds, shook her head: “Auntie, I’m not unhappy…”
There was a bit of small expectation in her eyes: “Did Dad call me in?”
Qiu Baiyu turned to look at the tightly closed door of the study and understood something.
“I’ll go ask,” she said.
Jiang Zimin stood up and shook her head, saying, “Don’t go, Dad said he’s very busy…”
Finishing her words, she lowered her head and stood there dejectedly.
Seeing this, Qiu Baiyu remained silent.
The child before her still yearned for her father’s love, but her father’s eyes didn’t have her in them, as if he never considered how to keep her in his heart.
And as an adult, she didn’t know how to help mend the father-daughter relationship.
She herself didn’t know how to get along with her father, so how could she teach others?
Is it really necessary to mend it? With the male lead’s behavior, this father-daughter relationship isn’t absolutely essential…
Qiu Baiyu walked up to Jiang Zimin holding the contract, squatted down, and asked, “Do you want to go out to eat? I’ll treat you, you can eat anything you want.”
Jiang Zimin thought for a moment, then happily nodded: “I do!”
Qiu Baiyu raised a finger: “But I have a condition.”
Jiang Zimin: “What condition?”
Qiu Baiyu: “You have to lead the way for me, I don’t know the directions.”
Jiang Zimin: “?”
Under the street lamp, one big and one small sat on the bench in front of the ice cream shop, eating ice cream.
This place wasn’t far from the Jiang residence, so there was no need to drive. Sometimes, Jiang Zimin would come out by herself to buy a cone and sit on the bench by the roadside to eat.
But eating a cone by the roadside with an adult from home was her first time experiencing this.
She secretly glanced at Qiu Baiyu.
The adult was quietly eating her ice cream. She stuck out her tongue to take a lick, savoring the taste lightly in her mouth, then raised her eyebrows, her eyes brightening slightly, as if she was quite satisfied with the flavor.
Qiu Baiyu noticed the gaze being secretly sent from beside her and spoke without thinking, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Jiang Zimin paused while holding her cone.
She’d been caught.
But hearing Qiu Baiyu’s words, she couldn’t help but ask, “Auntie, what were you and my dad talking about just now?”
Qiu Baiyu’s gaze slowly fell on her.
After all, she was still a child, very curious, but there was nothing that couldn’t be said.
“I discussed a job with him.”
“A job? What kind of job?”
“A job taking care of you.”
“?”
“I take care of you, and your dad pays me.”
Jiang Zimin blinked after hearing this.
She didn’t quite understand why a stepmother taking care of her could be considered a job, and why discuss this out of the blue?
“Auntie, do you need money?”
“Yes.” Qiu Baiyu was honest.
“My dad has a lot of money. He gives me pocket money every month. Didn’t he give you any?” Jiang Zimin was puzzled.
“That’s your dad’s money, not my money.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“If my dad gave it to you, wouldn’t it be your pocket money?”
“What if one day he suddenly doesn’t want to give it to me anymore? Then where would my money come from?”
Jiang Zimin was stumped by the question.
She was still young and had fixed pocket money every month, never lacking it, so she had never thought about what to do if one day there was no pocket money.
“If he doesn’t give it, then just ask him for it!”
“What if I ask him and he still doesn’t give it, just doesn’t want to give me money?”
“Uh…”
Seeing her troubled expression, Qiu Baiyu raised her hand to pat her head, speaking gently: “That’s why Auntie discussed the job with your dad.”
“The pocket money is given by your dad. After all, it’s your dad’s money; I can’t control how he handles it. But the money I earn from working is obtained through my own efforts, and it’s mine. No one can take it away.”
Jiang Zimin seemed to understand, but not fully.
The young girl vaguely grasped a principle: earning money yourself provides more security.
“So, spending the money you earn yourself makes you happier?”
“Yes, it’s our money, and we decide how to spend it. Of course, it makes us happy.”
“Wow…”
A hint of longing appeared in Jiang Zimin’s eyes.
Earning money and deciding how to spend it yourself sounded really cool…
Then Jiang Zimin thought of something else. She looked up at Qiu Baiyu, her eyes bright: “So, will you always protect me in the future?”
If taking care of her meant earning money, and Auntie Baiyu needed money so much, then Auntie would surely take good care of her and always protect her, right?
With Auntie Baiyu around, no one would dare to bully her.
She would be a child who has someone looking after her from now on!
Qiu Baiyu raised her hand and patted her head, “Yes, I will always protect you.”
“We have an agreement.”
Jiang Zimin held her ice cream cone, her eyes bright, suddenly filled with anticipation for the future.
“The ice cream from this place is pretty good. Thank you for bringing me here,” Qiu Baiyu said.
“You’re welcome!” Jiang Zimin replied with a happy smile.
She felt that her relationship with Auntie had gotten much closer!
After Qiu Baiyu left, Jiang Shen stayed alone in the study.
He quickly put thoughts of Qiu Baiyu aside, reached for his phone, unlocked it, and found a particular chat window. His fingers hesitated on the screen as if pondering how to start the conversation.
He remembered the reason he came back and the pre-prepared excuse. Finally, he began typing line by line in the input box.
[Jiang Shen]: Are you busy?
[Jiang Shen]: Lu Hong and the others haven’t seen my new home yet and have been urging me to show them. So, I’m planning to invite everyone over for dinner and a small gathering.
[Jiang Shen]: Xiaoyue, do you want to join us? Since you just returned to the country, it would be a good chance for you to meet everyone.
Xiaoyue, also known as Yi Wanyue, was younger than him.
Yi Wanyue’s reply was not quick.
It took a few minutes before she responded.
[Yi Wanyue]: New home?
[Yi Wanyue]: Are your wife and child living with you?
Living with me?
Why would she ask that?
Jiang Shen looked at Yi Wanyue’s two messages. As he stared at them, a thought suddenly popped into his head: Could she be… jealous?
Could she finally be realizing his feelings for her?
[Jiang Shen]: Yes
[Jiang Shen]: This was bought after you went abroad, you haven’t seen it yet
Actually, this wasn’t really his new home, but it was larger and more convenient for hosting guests, so he chose this place to hold the gathering.
[Yi Wanyue]: Are Lu Hong and the others really going?
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
[Jiang Shen]: Yes
[Yi Wanyue]: Will your wife and daughter be there too?
Jiang Shen looked at this question, and his reply speed slowed down.
Did she hope Qiu Baiyu would be there or not be there?
After some thought, he raised his hand and replied with one word: [There.]
He had heard that sometimes making a woman a bit jealous could accelerate the development of their relationship.
[Yi Wanyue]: When is the gathering?
[Jiang Shen]: Tomorrow night.
This time, the reply from the other side was much more straightforward:
[Then I will be disturbing you.]
Jiang Shen’s eyes immediately lit up with joy, and he couldn’t help but start looking forward to tomorrow’s arrival.
(LP: She’s going for your wife and child bozo)
Qiu Baiyu had just brought the child back to the Jiang household when the housekeeper auntie walked up to her with a gentle demeanor and said, “Master Jiang will have friends over for dinner tomorrow night, and both Madam and Miss are to attend.”
Qiu Baiyu: “?”
She raised her hand and pointed to herself: “Me?”
Why did she need to attend? She remembered that the original owner wasn’t very familiar with Jiang Shen’s circle of friends, and Jiang Shen didn’t need her to fill out the numbers…
The auntie smiled and nodded: “This is Master Jiang’s intention.”
After saying this, she turned around to busy herself with other tasks, leaving Qiu Baiyu and Jiang Zimin staring at each other, one big and one small.
Upon hearing that it was her dad’s intention, Jiang Zimin immediately beamed with joy: “Dad wants us to attend his gathering!”
Qiu Baiyu lightly furrowed her brows and said nothing.
The original owner didn’t have deep interactions with the male lead’s circle of friends, nowhere near the level of being considered friends. So why did she need to attend this friends’ gathering? And why did Jiang Zimin have to attend as well?
What exactly was Jiang Shen thinking?
If it was said that she had to attend as the hostess in name for the sake of etiquette… that wouldn’t be right either. Jiang Shen, with his arrogant and self-important demeanor, didn’t seem like someone who cared about such things.
Could he be trying to embarrass her?
Jiang Zimin noticed her confusion and gently shook her arm: “Auntie, why aren’t you saying anything? Is it that you don’t want to attend?”
Qiu Baiyu was very honest: “Yes, I don’t want to.”
Jiang Zimin: “Why?”
Qiu Baiyu looked serious and stern: “Because I think nothing good will come of it—I’ll go talk to your dad.”
Jiang Zimin: “…Huh?”
She immediately headed upstairs.
Jiang Zimin stayed in the living room, staring at her back in confusion.
The study door was knocked on again.
“Come in.”
Qiu Baiyu pushed the door open and entered.
Jiang Shen looked up and saw that same face again.
“What do you want this time?”
Qiu Baiyu looked at him calmly and got straight to the point: “Why do you want me to attend your friends’ gathering?”
Jiang Shen lowered his eyes: “There’s no need to ask so many questions, just do as you’re told.”
Too lazy to explain, too lazy to say another word to her.
This matter didn’t require his explanation to her.
Qiu Baiyu suddenly said: “I understand.”
Jiang Shen didn’t even lift his head: “It’s best if you understand. Don’t ask again and again.”
Qiu Baiyu: “You want to embarrass me in front of your friends.”
Jiang Shen: “?”
Qiu Baiyu: “You’re really vicious.”
Jiang Shen: “???”
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“Don’t make wild guesses.”
“Then why are you making me attend your friends’ gathering for no reason? I have no need to be involved in your friends’ gatherings. Wait, could it be—”
Jiang Shen looked up and saw Qiu Baiyu with a surprised expression: “You want me to perform for your friends?!”
From what she understood about the male lead tonight, this person wasn’t normal. It was entirely possible that he wanted her to attend just to perform in front of others—this was too terrifying!
Jiang Shen: “?”
Qiu Baiyu: “This won’t do, you’re really vicious.”
Jiang Shen: “???”
He was truly amazed.
How did this woman’s brain circuit jump to talent performances??
Before he could figure it out, the next second he heard Qiu Baiyu change her tone: “But if you pay enough… I can reluctantly do a poetry recitation.”
When it comes to exploiting the male lead, one must seize every opportunity and leave no stone unturned.
“Should the poem be more popular? 《Thoughts on a Quiet Night》 or 《Ode to the Goose》?
“And also, Xiaomin can’t do it, she can’t perform. Employing child labor is illegal.”
Qiu Baiyu’s face remained unchanged.
“…”
Jiang Shen: “Get out!”
