Chapter 17.1

When he just brushed the raincoat awhile ago, he went on to nag all afternoon. If he finds that an AI robot has awakened, wouldn’t he fuss about this for a lifetime?

The camera obediently accepted its new name and nodded honestly.

Chu Xiaoxiao added, “Surely, you also think that he’s childish, right?”

The background staff were going crazy with joy as they continued to control the camera and chat with Chu Xiaoxiao, acting as her caring tree hole*.

T/N: Reminiscent of the final shot for In the Mood for Love , where Tony Leung whispered his secret to a tree hole next to Angkor Wat.

When Chu Xiaoxiao saw Xiaohei nodding approvingly, she couldn’t help but show a satisfied look.

Meanwhile, Chu Xiaoyi learned from his previous failed lunch experience. He didn’t mess up again at dinner and won the unanimous praise of his parents.

When Chu Jiadong and Xiao Bi returned from work, they were shocked to discover the dinner on the table and couldn’t believe their eldest son had prepared it.

Chu Jiadong exclaimed, “Amazing! It’s better than my cooking!”

Xiao Bi took a bite of the dish, seriously tasted it, then smiled and said, “It’s really delicious.”

Faced with his parents’ generous praise, Chu Xiaoyi was quite embarrassed and whispered, “No… Not really; its taste is not as exaggerated as you say.”

Chu Xiaoyi believed that he was only an average cook and did not deserve such a high rating. He concluded that the reason his cooking delighted his parents so much was because he had never prepared food for them before.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, he thought…

Because they have such low expectations, even something as little as this would make them overjoyed.

The family of four was happily dining when Chu Xiaoyi suddenly remembered something and chirped, “Dad, why is Xiaoxiao still jumping into puddles?”

Chu Xiaoxiao stared at her cheap brother in shock, not expecting him to betray her on the spot. Unwilling to lose like that, she immediately launched a counterattack.

“Mom, my brother used the wrong cutting board to cut meat today!”

“……”

Is this my sister’s poisonous heart?

The siblings suddenly started a round of tit-for-tat, making the parents shed a few tears due to laughter.

Chu Jiadong said helplessly, “She’s uncontrollable, so we can only buy raincoats and let her brush them on her own.”

Chu Xiaoxiao and her parents had an agreement that if she wanted to continue playing in the puddles, then she would have to brush her clothes by herself in return.

Who else can stop her if she’s willing to keep going despite the exhaustion from brushing her clothes?

Chu Xiaoyi asked, “But the problem is that she can’t brush them clean? Don’t we just have to redo it again?”

He didn’t understand why his parents were asking for trouble. Chu Xiaoxiao couldn’t brush her raincoat well at all. In the end, his parents still had to clean up the mess.

Xiao Bi gave her eldest son a scornful look and said, “When you were a kid, when you swept the floor to earn pocket money, didn’t I have to sweep it again every time?”

Chu Xiaoyi used to earn pocket money at home by sweeping the floor, earning 50 cents. But he often could not sweep the floors clean as well.

He didn’t expect his mother to bring up the past. He was embarrassed and said, “Did I?”

“How could I remember wrong? I didn’t even let you sweep the floor then; it was your own volition.”

Chu Xiaoyi, who still dared to accuse his sister a while ago, immediately changed the topic.

“Eat. Quickly eat. The food’s getting cold.”

Pweh…

My idol baggage is about to be shaken off by mom… Nevermind, let’s not mention the raincoat again.

After the meal, the return of his parents completely liberated Chu Xiaoyi from his duties. He now only had to wash the dishes and did not have to be pulled forcibly by his sister to talk English again.

Chu Jiadong was in the living room, acting as Chu Xiaoxiao’s playmate for learning a foreign language, while Xiao Bi pulled Chu Xiaoyi in to instruct him about tomorrow’s matters.

Xiao Bi said, “I’ll send you the address of the kindergarten; you and Xiaoxiao have to go in separately when you arrive.”

“You don’t have to take special care of her; there will be a teacher to take her away, but remember to find a seat in the auditorium by yourself.”

“Don’t worry, the chairs will be labeled with names.”

“There may be enthusiastic parents who’ll talk to you, but don’t take it too personally. You’ll be able to leave on your own once the opening ceremony is over, while Xiaoxiao will go straight back to her class and won’t meet with you again.”

“I will send you the rest of the information as well; call me if you need something.”

Chu Xiaoyi flipped through the information on his phone. He felt it was the same as his previous parent-teacher conferences and responded, “Okay, I got it.”

Chu Xiaoxiao was currently attending a well-known international kindergarten. In addition to having a bilingual curriculum, it also welcomed students of different nationalities, making the tuition rates astronomical.

At first, Director Li and other people wanted to follow Chu Xiaoxiao’s life at school, but the kindergarten refused to allow the recording team to enter, thinking that the media would expose the privacy of other children.

When things came to a stalemate, Chu Jiadong stepped in and used his connections with the kindergarten. When they heard that it was Chu Xiaoxiao’s parents, the school finally relented.

Of course, the kindergarten footage broadcast by Director Li and others had to go through the school’s audit and inspection process; otherwise, they might be held legally responsible.

Director Li murmured, “It’s my first time encountering such a strict kindergarten.”

He shot variety shows for many years and had been to many places, but this school was considered quite difficult to deal with.

Chu Xiaoyi did not take this matter to heart at first. But when he drove his sister to the entrance of the school the next morning, he was deeply shocked by the scene in front of his eyes.

While turning the steering wheel, he muttered in amazement, “Chu Xiaoxiao, is there a luxury car show in front of your school?

Chu Xiaoxiao had already put on her school uniform, looking cute and well-behaved. Currently, she glanced at him blankly and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She only knew that the school entrance was always jammed to death, so she didn’t understand her brother’s surprise at the moment.

The entrance to the kindergarten was crowded with luxury cars of varying colors, forming a gorgeous stream of vehicles that moved slowly down the road.

Chu Xiaoyi hit the gas slowly, observing that there was not one car that was less than a million yuan*. Yet, regardless of whether the parents drove a flashy sports car or a low-key sedan, at this time all of them were slowly crawling on the road, only moving forward a little bit after quite a long time.

T/N: The Chinese Yuan is the official currency in China (1 million yuan = 138,700 USD).

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