Chapter 46: A Sensible Child Is Their Own Sacrifice
"I just learned it from TV. You get the hang of it with a little practice. It’s super effective for dealing with little troublemakers like you," Chen Mo said, smiling at Zhao Yuanyuan.
"You can learn to that level just by watching TV?" Recalling Chen Mo’s swift moves and sharp gaze, Huang Mao was skeptical.
He turned to Zhao Yuanyuan and said, "I’ve already learned it just by watching. Let me try and see if I can be as cool as Old Mo."
"Ptooey! You damned Yellow Hair! You never think of me for anything good, only for bad things. Go try it on Brother Mo." Annoyed, Zhao Yuanyuan suddenly reached out and shoved a piece of candy into Huang Mao’s mouth.
"Ah!"
A powerful minty flavor instantly rushed from his mouth, shot up his nose, and burned down his throat.
It choked Huang Mao so badly he was practically crying.
Seeing his miserable state, Zhao Yuanyuan doubled over with laughter. Only then did she pull out her half-empty water bottle and hand it to him. "Hmph, now you know not to mess with me, huh? Let’s see if you dare to provoke me again."
At this point, Huang Mao didn’t care whether Zhao Yuanyuan had drunk from the bottle; he just grabbed it and started chugging. GULP. GULP. GULP.
He drained the rest of the bottle in one go.
"Hey, are you a water buffalo? Why’d you drink it all?" Zhao Yuanyuan immediately protested.
"Alright, alright. I’ll buy you two a new bottle later," Chen Mo said with a smile, glancing at Zhao Yuanyuan and Su Yuqing.
Huang Mao finally caught his breath. Wiping away the tears from choking, he said, "What the hell was that? Is it supposed to be that intense? Little Yueyue, are you nuts? Got so much money you don’t know what to do with it, buying crap like this?"
"It was Brother Mo’s treat. You think I would’ve bought it otherwise?" Zhao Yuanyuan said with a mischievous grin.
Huang Mao was speechless. But as he recovered, he suddenly realized the bottle in his hand was the one Zhao Yuanyuan had been drinking from. His gaze instantly locked onto the rim.
For some reason, his heart suddenly started beating faster.
"What’s wrong? Just realize you two had an indirect kiss?" Chen Mo said, smiling at the stunned Huang Mao.
The moment he said it, both Huang Mao’s and Zhao Yuanyuan’s faces flushed bright red.
"Wh-wh-who... Who had an indirect kiss with him? Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Zhao Yuanyuan hurriedly wiped at her mouth.
Huang Mao was even more dramatic, scrubbing his mouth furiously with his sleeve. "I wouldn’t have even noticed if you hadn’t said anything! I can’t let my genius brain get infected with her idiocy virus. Heaven help me, heaven help me!"
"Pfft, you’re the idiot! I’m the genius! Hmph, I’m ignoring you now!"
Though they were viciously trashing each other, a blush crept back onto Zhao Yuanyuan’s cheeks the moment she turned away.
Huang Mao immediately fell silent, staring blankly at her back.
"A couple of hopeless tsunderes," Chen Mo rolled his eyes at them but said no more.
He, however, failed to notice that Su Yuqing’s face had also turned bright red as she pretended not to have heard anything and turned her head away.
’She had given Chen Mo the water she’d been drinking from, too. When Chen Mo mentioned the "indirect kiss," he was talking about Zhao Yuanyuan and Huang Mao, subconsciously leaving himself out of the equation.’
’But though the speaker is careless, the listener takes it to heart. When Su Yuqing heard his words, it was as if Chen Mo had just announced in public that she’d indirectly kissed him.’
’Something like that shouldn’t have been a big deal, but high school is a time when teenagers are most sensitive about feelings, and they take such things very seriously.’
’The mere thought of their indirect kiss made Su Yuqing’s face burn. Her mind felt so hot she couldn’t even focus on the notes in her hand anymore.’
...
On his very first morning back in high school, Chen Mo had successfully reintegrated himself.
Everything felt like it was only yesterday. No one else had changed, but he had.
He was acting even more like a high schooler than his past self from the original timeline.
His decade as an officer hadn’t made him seem overly mature, nor did it create a sense of disconnect from his current life.
This was the life he had most dreamed of starting over. He blended in perfectly.
It was just that, subconsciously, he couldn’t help but retain some habits and instincts from his years as a criminal police officer.
When the morning classes ended, it was time for the lunch break.
Everyone was discussing where to eat. Su Yuqing’s home was a bit far from school, so she usually went to the cafeteria with Zhao Yuanyuan.
But now that she was living at Chen Mo’s, she could just go home with him for lunch.
Before they’d left that morning, Chen Mo had already set the rice cooker to make a pot of taro and pork rib rice.
It would be ready to eat as soon as they got back.
Unexpectedly, however, Zhao Yuanyuan grabbed her arm out of habit, ready to head to the cafeteria together.
How was she supposed to explain this to Zhao Yuanyuan? Su Yuqing was suddenly at a loss for words.
"Don’t go to the cafeteria for lunch. Come eat at my place," Chen Mo said to Zhao Yuanyuan with a smile.
"Will it cost me?" Zhao Yuanyuan looked at Chen Mo warily.
Chen Mo immediately gave her a flick on the forehead. "It’s free for Yuqing. But for you, of course there’s a charge. Ten yuan."
"Hey! Weren’t you the one who said I was your daughter? Who charges their own precious daughter money?" Zhao Yuanyuan immediately pouted and retorted.
"Since you’re willing to admit it, it’s free. Let’s go home, our little family of three," Chen Mo said, smiling as he patted Zhao Yuanyuan’s head.
But Zhao Yuanyuan just smiled and shook her head. "I was kidding. I’m not gonna be your third wheel. You two go ahead. I still have some money on my meal card. I’ll use that up first, and I’ll freeload off you guys next time I get the chance."
Watching Zhao Yuanyuan run off after she finished speaking, Chen Mo smiled and said, "That kid is as considerate as ever. We’re having lunch together, but it leaves her all alone."
It was a little heartbreaking to see her run off, smiling on the outside but her figure looking so forlorn.
"Yuanyuan is just too considerate of others sometimes..." Su Yuqing said, unable to shake her concern for her.
"Aren’t you the same? Sometimes, people really need to learn to think a little more about themselves," Chen Mo said, smiling at Su Yuqing.
Zhao Yuanyuan had been raised by her grandparents, as her parents were migrant workers. Her situation was somewhat similar to Chen Mo’s.
However, Chen Mo’s family was clearly much better off, and his parents were still home quite often. Zhao Yuanyuan’s family, on the other hand, was of more modest means, and she rarely saw her parents.
She also had a sister who was a year younger, so she had been independent from a young age and matured quickly. She was very good at being considerate and looking after others’ feelings, but it often came at the cost of her own emotions and desires as she compromised for them.
She would deliberately ignore her own negative feelings and sacrifice her own comfort to ensure others were comfortable, just so they could have a better experience.
For this very reason, she secretly longed for an older brother or sister figure to appear in her life—someone who would care about her feelings for a change.
After all, she was still just a kid who also hoped to be the one taken care of and looked after.
To her, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing’s appearance in her life filled that very role.
They were keenly aware of when Zhao Yuanyuan’s spirits were low and would show her care and concern.
This gave Zhao Yuanyuan a rare taste of what it felt like to be so thoughtfully cared for.
As a result, she didn’t see Chen Mo and Su Yuqing as her peers at all. Instead, she grew more and more dependent on them.
This was also why, after Su Yuqing was murdered, she had cried her heart out and only managed to begin recovering from the grief after a very long time.
To her, it was no different from having her own beloved older sister murdered.
How could she possibly not be heartbroken?