Chapter 24: Protecting Shen Yixing

Chapter 24 Protecting Shen Yixing

Twenty minutes earlier, on the other side of the playground.

Shen Yixing toddled along on his stubby legs to catch up with Chu Baobei, deliberately stopping in front of her with his hands in his pockets, chin raised, hitting a super cool pose.

Chu Baobei, wearing a princess dress, her little face flushed from the sun, tilted her head, totally confused about what he was doing.

Shen Yixing held the pose for nearly a minute, his chin getting stiff from holding it, and quickly asked, "Aren't my clothes super cool today?"

Chu Baobei blinked her big dark eyes and said, "Oh."

Shen Yixing immediately brightened up. "I picked out these clothes myself! My dad and daddy are wearing matching ones today. Did you see 'em? They're so cool, so cool!"

"No," Chu Baobei said.

"Oh, okay." Shen Yixing was a little bummed, but he quickly cheered up and said, "Let's go play with blocks. Did your mommy come today?"

At the mention of "mommy," Chu Baobei hung her head, looking a little sad. "No."

"It's okay, I'll be here with you."

The two kids found a spot on the grass and started playing with blocks, heads together, stacking them high like castle walls.

Shen Yixing handed the last blue block to Chu Baobei, and when she placed it on top, he cheered right away:

"Baobei, you're so awesome!"

Chu Baobei didn't reply, but a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Just then, some little boy came over and kicked the block tower down, announcing with a smirk:

"You little bastard, who said you could play with blocks?"

He was big and chubby, like a kid from the older class.

But Shen Yixing stood in front of Chu Baobei without an ounce of fear.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Li Dafu shot him a glare. "I'm talking to the little slut, why are you butting in!" He shook his fat fist. "Scram, or I'll punch you!"

Chu Baobei tugged on Shen Yixing's sleeve and whispered, "Let's get out of here."

"No you don't!" Li Dafu heard her and ran over to snatch Chu Baobei. "Who said you could go!"

Startled, Shen Yixing shoved him hard.

Li Dafu stumbled and hit the ground with a thud. He was dazed for a second, then scrambled up crying and lunged at Shen Yixing.

He got in two punches on Shen Yixing, who blinked back tears and clawed at him.

Chu Baobei stood nearby, scared stiff, her eyes red as she sobbed, "Stop it! Please stop fighting!"

A woman nearby heard the ruckus and came running over, hugging Li Dafu and asking in a panic:

"Baobei, my baby, are you okay?"

Li Dafu pointed at Shen Yixing and bawled, "That little bastard hit me! Mommy, get him back for me!"

"Okay, okay, Mommy will get him back for you!"

The woman had flawless makeup, a red dress, and the latest LV bag.

One look at Shen Yixing's no-name, cheap clothes, and she instantly felt emboldened.

When Shen Lanxue and Lu Hechi rushed over through the crowd, that woman was pointing at Shen Yixing's nose and scolding him.

"You little bastard, you're so vicious! You scratched my son's face to pieces!"

"Do you know how precious our Dafu is? You couldn't pay for him if you sold your whole family!"

Shen Yixing stood there, not crying.

A red mark was on his face, tears welled in his eyes, but he bit his lip to hold them back.

Chu Baobei stood beside him, frantically tugging at Little Star's sleeve, her voice shaking: "Li Dafu started it... Little Star was protecting me..."

"Shut up!" The woman snapped at her. "Your dad never should've taken you back! If it weren't for you, my son wouldn't be going through this!"

Chu Baobei flinched at the yell, her eyes welling up, her lips pressed tight.

Then the crowd parted, and Shen Lanxue stepped in, bending down to scoop up Shen Yixing.

He moved gently, not saying a word.

Lu Hechi stood right beside him, his gaze sweeping over the woman's face, then dropping to the red mark on Shen Yixing's cheek.

Seeing his dad and daddy, Shen Yixing finally let the tears spill, but he didn't make a sound—he just buried his face in Shen Lanxue's shoulder, his little shoulders shaking.

Shen Lanxue patted his back twice, then lifted his gaze.

"Who are you calling a bastard?"

His voice wasn't loud, but the noise around them suddenly died down a notch.

The woman's face flickered, but she quickly recovered: "I'm talking about your son! Look what he did to my Dafu!"

She yanked Li Dafu forward, showing off the red scratches on his face.

Li Dafu, face covered in tears and snot, puffed out his belly and yelled, "He hit me! He hit me! I want him to get on his knees and apologize!"

Lu Hechi let out a cold laugh. "Kowtow? In your dreams."

He stepped forward, staring down at the chubby kid. "What did you just call Chu Baobei?"

Li Dafu flinched under his stare and shrank back behind his mom.

The woman shielded her son and started shouting, "What did my son say? That little girl was always—"

"Say that one more time." Lu Hechi's voice had gone even colder.

"Okay, okay!" The teacher finally squeezed through the crowd, drenched in sweat. "Parents, this is just a misunderstanding between the kids. Let's all stay calm..."

"Calm?" The woman's voice shot up. "My son's face is ruined! Is this how your kindergarten handles things? I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

Shen Lanxue ignored her, just turning his head to glance at Chu Baobei.

The little girl stood still, her eyes red-rimmed, fingers twisting her skirt hem, not saying a word.

Shen Lanxue bent down, his voice softening a bit: "Does he yell at you a lot?"

Chu Baobei looked up at him, then at Shen Yixing in his arms, and nodded.

Shen Lanxue straightened up, his gaze landing on the woman.

He said nothing, but the heavy tension radiating off him made the air feel like it had frozen solid.

Despite the blazing June sun, it was cold enough to make you shiver.

The woman, feeling a bit uneasy, forced herself to hold her ground: "My husband is Liu Dawei of Guangying Media! If you know what's good for you, you'll apologize right now, or I'll get my husband to—"

"Guangying Media?" Shen Lanxue cut her off, his tone calm. "Got it."

After those three words, he completely ignored her, carrying Shen Yixing and walking out of the crowd.

Lu Hechi paused for a moment, glanced at Chu Baobei, then crouched down and said softly, "Didn't your mom come today?"

Chu Baobei pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"Then you can come with us in a bit. I'll get someone to take you home."

Chu Baobei looked at him, then at the group getting yelled at in the distance, and whispered, "I'm not scared of her."

Lu Hechi looked at her and gave a small smile: "I know you're not, but come with us first."

Chu Baobei hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.

Lu Hechi stood up and, as he passed the woman, paused briefly: "Oh, by the way, you said you wanted my son to apologize?"

The woman, thinking he was backing down, stuck out her chest: "Yes! You'd better—!"

"Ma'am, it's the middle of the day—what kind of daydream are you having?"

Lu Hechi cut her off, his tone light and dismissive, then walked away without looking back.

The woman stood there, her face going pale, then red. Among the watching parents nearby, someone couldn't help but let out a "pfft."

The teacher stood to the side, wiping sweat, looking at the backs of Shen Lanxue and Lu Hechi, then at the woman still frozen in place.

In her mind, she thought: She probably has no idea who she just crossed.