"Ji Mochen, you've really made something of yourself," said the man in a suit and leather shoes as he walked towards the family of three, scoffing. "Back in school you used to be scolded by teachers, and now you're being scolded by your daughter."
Ji Ruochu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly a little unhappy.
"So what? I like it!" Ji Mochen was totally unbothered, even taking pride in it. "I just love my daughter scolding me, what's it to you?"
"Tsk... I think you're-"
"Dad," a tender yet dignified child's voice rang out.
The Ji family of three looked towards the voice to see a boy around Ji Ruochu's age standing next to the man.
At this moment, the little boy's eyebrows were also furrowed. "That was very rude of you."
Ji Ruochu nodded in agreement, a look of disapproval in her eyes. "Yes, very rude indeed."
The scolded man: ...
"Pfft-" Now it was Ji Mochen's turn to laugh. "Fang Yang, this is your son? He seems much more agreeable than you."
"You-"
"Yes uncle, I'm Fang Zhiyuan. Let me apologize on behalf of my dad," the boy interrupted his father very gentlemanly with a bow.
This left Ji Mochen a little embarrassed. He waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, your dad's always had a loose tongue. I'm used to it."
"Hey! Are you going to keep at it?" Fang Yang stepped towards Ji Mochen as if to put him in a chokehold, but was stopped by his son grabbing his sleeve.
"Dad!"
Ji Ruochu also stepped forward to stand in front of her old dad, puffing up her little face angrily, "Uncle, are you trying to hit my dad?"
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves to reveal a children's watch on her wrist, her face full of the threat "If so, then I'll have to tattle on you!"
Fang Yang froze instantly, looking at the half-pint carrot head in utter disbelief.
"I wasn't, I didn't mean to! Little girl, don't get the wrong idea. Your dad and I have been friends since we were young. We were just messing around!"
"Don't try to cozy up to me, I don't know you that well," Ji Mochen said, annoyance across his face.
"Hey! Are you-"
"But uncle, that didn't seem fun at all!" Ji Ruochu insisted. She looked around at the people who had started to slow down to watch the drama and knit her elegant little brows. "You were laughing so loudly at my dad. That was very rude to begin with, and the joke wasn't funny at all. Uncle, you should apologize to my dad."
She had noticed earlier that despite Ji Mochen's nonchalant verbal retaliation, there was a clear flash of unease in the couple's eyes.
That was when she finally understood why the couple had been so nervous these past few days, wishing they could split themselves in half to cram for lessons.
The developmental gap between her and children of the same age had apparently become a sore point for the couple long ago. And now, as she was about to enter this school, that sore point had been prodded again.
To be honest, Ji Ruochu felt a little angry. Just because she usually found the couple's childish behavior quite exasperating didn't mean she would let other people bully them.
In that moment, the onlooking crowd felt that the tiny child had an air of maturity well beyond her years.
Ji Mochen was already fighting back tears the moment his daughter stood up for him. Waaa... He knew his darling daughter still loved him so much...
"Why'd you stop?"
A clear female voice rang out as she approached the awkward father and son pair, "What's going on here?"
"Mom, Dad offended someone again," Fang Zhiyuan quietly reported his reckless old father's latest antics.
Wan Rouning was instantly speechless. She had just gone to park the car! And this troublemaker was kicking things off again!
"Fang Yang, seriously..." Her voice held a dangerous edge, yet she still lowered it to give her husband some face. "Settling accounts when we get home."
Then she immediately turned to the Ji family, "Sorry about that, I-"
"Uncle, is your throat uncomfortable?" Ji Ruochu interrupted in confusion, tilting her head. "Why are you having Auntie and Big Brother apologize for you?"
Fang Yang: ...
Damn, what's with this intense pressure? Why do I feel like I've been called to the principal's office?
Wan Rouning was also taken aback, instantly realizing that this child was likely the decision maker of the family. With no other choice, she pinched her husband signaling him to get it over with.
"Mochen, really sorry about that," Fang Yang finally conceded.
"As long as you know your mistake," Ji Mochen haughtily accepted his apology and provided him a way out.
After all, they ran in the same circles. And while he didn't care about things at home, he didn't want to make trouble for his younger brother by holding a grudge, so he added "it's fine this time" before leaving with his wife and daughter.
After the two families went their separate ways towards the school gate, the families who had watched the whole spectacle began whispering among themselves.
"Who was that? They actually dared to provoke both the Fang and Wan families."
"Who else could it be but the Ji family."
"The Ji family?" Someone asked in confusion, "Never seen them before. Could it be Young Master Ji, the second son of Old Master Ji from the entertainment industry?"
"That's right. I heard from my husband that when he was little, Second Young Master Ji was quite mediocre. The other children of the same age all liked to poke fun at him, but Second Young Master Ji never cared and would just let it go with a laugh."
"Then why make such a big deal of it today?"
"Back then was back then, now is now. If you ask me, that Fang Yang is as shortsighted as always. Husband and wife had even brought their child. How could he mock them like that in front of her?"
"Too right," the acquainted families commented to each other as they walked. "I heard that the girl is the only daughter of her generation from the Ji and Ling families. Both families dote on her immensely. When she turned one, Third Young Master Ji had given her the shares originally meant for his second brother."
"No wonder..."
The crowd nodded in understanding. No wonder she was so bold as to stand up to both the Fang and Wan families.
Of course, the Ji family was oblivious to the discussions. At the moment, they were signing in at the kindergarten entrance.
They had assumed just the parents signing would suffice, but when Ji Ruochu turned her head, she saw that the children next to them were all writing something in the books set before them. Left with no choice, she picked up the pen to write as well, deliberately scribbling her name in a sloppy and crooked manner.
At the same time, she complained inwardly about the ridiculousness of rich kids. Barely four years old and expected to be able to write their own names already?
Not just her, even the Ji couple mentally criticized that children these days were more competitive than when they themselves were young.
What the family of three didn't know was that those children were just following the instructions they had overlooked to leave their personalized icons in the visitors' books that belonged to the family of three.
Of course, some children had already started learning how to write. But whether in stroke order or shape, their writing couldn't compare to the deliberately sloppy yet still pleasing eccentric style of Ji Ruochu's scribbles.
As such, after reviewing the footage to confirm identities, the kindergarten staff in charge of verification were very satisfied to mark an "S" next to Ji Ruochu's name.
