Chapter 83: A Lecture — About Puppy Love
Qin Mochen had just finished beating someone up. There was only a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead—he still looked fresh and composed, forming a sharp contrast with the miserable “dead dog” Qin Junchi on the ground, hurting so badly he was almost crying.
With unhurried ease, the man lowered his rolled-up sleeves. Glancing at him, he said blandly, “You’re overthinking it. I’m just acting as your elder—testing your recent combat skills a little.”
Qin Junchi: …
You’re so handsome, but why are you so shameless?
“Fourth Uncle, I heard you pulled out of the Huang family’s project?” Qin Junchi threw him a flirtatious wink and smiled meaningfully. “Don’t tell me Fourth Uncle is getting revenge for little Keke?”
Qin Mochen’s hand paused slightly as he adjusted his cuff.
Qin Junchi caught it at once and clicked his tongue. “Fourth Uncle, I really got it right? Sure, I also think Huang Yueshan went too far, but you didn’t have to go that far, right? You straight-up withdrew your investment from the Huang family?”
Qin Mochen shot him a cool look. “What kind of parents, what kind of daughter. It was only a drink-splashing incident, but it’s enough to make me doubt whether Huang Yueshan’s father is capable of handling this cooperation project. After all, this partnership requires steadiness and patience.”
Qin Junchi really wanted to laugh.
As expected of his Fourth Uncle—using such a serious expression to say such a… well, refined-and-unique excuse.
“Fourth Uncle, I’m asking seriously,” Qin Junchi said. The last part came out very softly. “Do you have feelings for little Keke?”
Qin Mochen narrowed his eyes slightly. That look was dangerous as hell.
Qin Junchi immediately forced a dry laugh. “I was just asking! Hehe. Fourth Uncle, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“Put away your filthy guesses. You think I’m you?” Qin Mochen tossed out coldly: “She and I are elder and junior, nothing more. She calls me ‘Uncle,’ so I can’t let her be bullied.”
Staring at his Fourth Uncle’s departing back, Qin Junchi complained bitterly in his heart: I call you Fourth Uncle every day too—how come you never protect me? It’s already good enough if you don’t bully me yourself!
“And one more thing.” When Qin Mochen reached the door, he seemed to remember something. He stopped, turned, and glanced at him.
Qin Junchi quickly put away his indignation and made himself look weak and pitiful.
“Don’t call her ‘little Keke.’” Qin Mochen added slowly, “It’s frivolous.”
Qin Junchi rolled his eyes, powerless.
If I don’t call her “little sister,” should I call her “auntie” or what? How is that frivolous?
Tch—so painful. I’m done for. There’s probably not a single piece of good flesh left on my body.
And he’d even been hiding in the old residence these past two days, not daring to go out. Yet the moment his Fourth Uncle walked in, the old man gave in to everything—then even added, “Fine. Take this little brat away. Beat him however you like.”
Is that my real grandpa? Is it?!
Grandpa doesn’t act like a grandpa, and Mom and Dad don’t act like parents. Qin Junchi had every reason to suspect he was a free bonus his parents got when they topped up their phone bill!
When Qin Mochen returned to the villa, he had just gotten out of the car when he sensed something.
He abruptly lifted his head and looked toward the second-floor balcony.
Su Keke hurriedly waved at him, calling excitedly, “Uncle—Uncle—Uncle!”
The corner of Qin Mochen’s mouth tugged up slightly, then quickly flattened again.
The moment she finished waving, she disappeared. By the time Qin Mochen opened the door, the little girl was already standing right at the entrance.
She really was fast.
In the blink of an eye, she’d run from upstairs to the first-floor hall.
Su Keke grinned, showing a row of small white teeth. “I had a feeling Uncle was coming back soon, so I went to the balcony to take a look. I didn’t expect Uncle really came back!”
“Have you eaten?” Qin Mochen asked.
“Not yet.”
Qin Mochen immediately frowned, looking at her with disapproval. “What did I tell you before—have you forgotten already?”
“I remember, Uncle. That’s why I told Auntie Lin—if after another ten minutes you still weren’t back, I’d eat first. Right, Auntie Lin?”
Auntie Lin laughed and said, “Isn’t that so? And in the end Keke really did wait for you. In this very last minute, Fourth Master, you came back.”
Su Keke saw her uncle take off his coat and, without thinking, reached out to take it and hang it on the rack. She also took his loosened tie and put it away properly.
To her, these were just small matters, a simple lift of the hand. But Qin Mochen’s brows furrowed ever so slightly—though in the end, he didn’t say anything.
“Auntie Lin, I’ll go with you to bring out the dishes. I want to eat right now—I’m starving.”
Qin Mochen watched the girl, slippers pattering as she dashed into the kitchen. The scolding that had reached his lips was silently swallowed back down.
Truly… disobedient.
“How was school today?” At the dinner table, Qin Mochen asked Su Keke.
Su Keke was a little surprised.
Her uncle usually spoke very little while eating. She also knew the saying, “No talking in bed, no talking at the table,” but since she’d been casual and free with Shifu for so long, she never really paid attention to those rules.
Su Keke recalled her day at school and answered, “Very fulfilling. In the morning I kept memorizing the key question types Manman organized for me, and I read a few English passages. In the afternoon I continued reading my textbooks. I’ve already reached the first-year middle school textbooks now!”
As she said this, Su Keke’s eyes gleamed, dark and bright.
Qin Mochen gave a low “Mm.” “Keep working hard.”
After thinking a bit, Su Keke also told him about a few small incidents at school, including the gossip about Jiang Fangfei and Xu Hao.
Qin Mochen listened with a deepening frown.
“I reminded Bao Chen, but he didn’t take it seriously—that’s on him. And that school belle, Jiang Fangfei, she’s pretty, but I think she’s not as pretty as Daxing. And—”
Su Keke hesitated for a moment, then asked her uncle, “Uncle, am I out of step with this world? Daxing and Manman both say I’m a little antique, that my thinking is too conservative. Is it normal to date at my age? My classmates say the school leaders are all from the older generation, their thinking is too rigid, but we’re people of the new era—we’re different.”
Even though Su Keke had grown up in Peach Blossom Village, the village was considered fairly well-off, and the younger generation were willing to go out and strive for themselves. She truly hadn’t seen many people who started dating at seventeen or eighteen and then got married.
That was why she was puzzled. Her classmates seemed to think dating at seventeen or eighteen was perfectly normal. Daxing even said this wasn’t anything—some people started “getting a boyfriend” at fourteen or fifteen. Of course, when Daxing said it, she didn’t approve.
“This is puppy love. Elders indeed don’t really encourage it,” Qin Mochen said with knitted brows. After a pause, he added, “I encourage it even less.”
The man didn’t directly say right or wrong—he only stated his attitude.
Su Keke looked at him with the posture of a good child listening earnestly to an elder’s teachings—so obedient, so well-behaved.
Facing that soft, obedient little face, the sharp, cold lines of Qin Mochen’s features—tense with displeasure—softened slightly. Then, patiently, he began to explain the pros and cons—
“At your age, kids are just beginning to feel romantic stirrings. You’re in your rebellious youth, impulsive in what you do. You can’t even manage your own emotions and daily life properly—what business do you have talking about dating?”
“If a boy dates at this time and does anything that crosses the line, then he’s an extremely irresponsible person. And as for a girl—she isn’t cherishing herself enough.”
“Mm, mm.”
Su Keke tilted her head up slightly to look at him. Her eyes were round and dark, so clear they could practically reflect the man’s face.
Qin Mochen pressed his thin lips together. His posture, already upright, unconsciously became even straighter.
This early-dating matter wouldn’t do. He had to properly talk sense into the little girl—so she wouldn’t, by accident, stray onto the wrong path.
