Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 29 My Dad Bullies Me Again

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 My Dad Bullies Me Again

Mom, Dad’s bullying me again!

After finishing her self-criticism, Xu Chuning checked her QQ messages before bed and choked upon seeing Shen Sinian’s message—it was frankly hard to get used to this, despite having acknowledged the two, even three of them, and their future relationship. Confronted with Sinian complaining and, in particular, complaining about his father, Xu Chuning felt a weird sense of disjunction.

It was a strange feeling.

After processing for a moment, Xu Chuning asked: [How did he bully you?]

Shen Sinian: [I want a computer, but he told me to keep dreaming.]

Xu Chuning: [...Shen Yubai is right.]

Xu Chuning doesn’t even have a phone, yet Shen Sinian is already thinking about computers. Isn’t this gap a bit too much?

Shen Sinian didn’t expect Xu Chuning to completely take his father’s side, and was speechless for a few seconds: [You and your husband indeed share a common enemy.]

They’re always like this.

Xu Chuning was taken aback: [...Don’t say things that might cause misunderstandings.]

Shen Sinian was clueless: [Did I?]

Wasn’t everything he said true?

Xu Chuning didn’t continue this topic, glancing at the time before asking: [It’s 11 o’clock, why aren’t you sleeping yet?]

Shen Sinian: [Isn’t it still early?]

He used to sleep at two or three in the morning.

Xu Chuning: [I’m going to sleep.]

Shen Sinian: [Goodnight, Ningning.]

Seeing this message, Xu Chuning couldn’t help but laugh: [Goodnight.]

After logging out of QQ, Xu Chuning put her phone to charge on the desk, tiptoed out of her room, washed up briefly, and went to bed.

You Shuzhen had gone to bed early; she wakes up early in the morning, often falling asleep before ten o’clock.

*

The next morning, Xu Chuning overslept by half an hour and went to help out in the shop.

After a busy morning, she grabbed a quick bite and then headed to school with Shen Sinian and Shen Yubai.

Shen Yubai, for reasons unknown, had been coming to eat breakfast at the small shop for two days in a row.

Xu Chuning found it surprising but didn’t ask further.

She guessed that he might be worried about Sinian?

"Ningning, what are you thinking?" Noticing her distracted look, Shen Sinian inquired.

Xu Chuning turned to look at him and paused before asking, "What time did you go to sleep last night?"

Shen Sinian: "..."

Meeting Xu Chuning’s gaze, he avoided her eyes, feeling somewhat guilty, "Ah... I forgot."

Xu Chuning smiled slightly.

Shen Sinian hesitantly replied, "Around one o’clock."

After saying this, he turned to ask Shen Yubai: "Right?"

Shen Yubai was absorbed in his phone and not participating in their conversation. Caught off-guard by the question, he blinked, "What?"

Xu Chuning: "...Shen Yubai."

Shen Yubai looked directly at her, his voice crisp and young, "What is it?"

"Can you watch over Shen Sinian for me?" Xu Chuning spoke frankly. "He’s still growing; are you going to let him stay up all night playing games?"

"..."

The two being called out exchanged a glance, Shen Sinian sulkily touched his nose, showing not a hint of resistance.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yubai put away his phone, saying, "I’ll be more careful next time."

Shen Sinian: "What?"

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Shen Yubai gave him a cool glance, "You’re indeed still growing."

"But you guys—" Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yubai unexpectedly asked, "Will the future me be taller than I am now?"

Shen Sinian: "...How tall are you now?"

Shen Yubai: "One meter eighty-five."

Shen Sinian choked up slightly, "You seem to be one meter eighty-eight."

"That’s it then," Shen Yubai said calmly, "Even if I play with my phone, I can still grow to one meter eighty-eight in the future. You are different."

Shen Sinian widened his eyes, "Why am I different?"

"Because we don’t know if you will stay this height in the future," Xu Chuning added quietly from the side.

Shen Sinian frowned, feeling like the two were fooling him, but upon closer thought... did what they say make some sense?

Entering the school with a belly full of questions, Shen Yubai suddenly spoke up, "You go ahead to the classroom."

Shen Sinian paused, then quickly reacted with an "Alright," adding, "Take your time talking."

Xu Chuning: "..."

She looked puzzled at Shen Yubai, "Do you have something to tell me?"

Shen Yubai glanced around, finding themselves at a rather conspicuous spot in the school, with numerous students coming and going. After a moment of thought, he nodded slightly, suggesting, "Let’s talk over there?"

Xu Chuning thought he wanted to discuss something about Shen Sinian with her and nodded without hesitation.

They walked into a secluded alley, where Xu Chuning stopped, "Do you want to talk to me about Shen Sinian, or about her?"

Shen Yubai: "Neither."

Xu Chuning: "Huh?"

Shen Yubai took off his backpack, slung over one shoulder, and handed a box to Xu Chuning.

Xu Chuning looked down, then froze, "What do you mean by this?"

Why is Shen Yubai giving her a phone?

Shen Yubai had already prepared a reason, and he said in a quiet tone, "It’s for easier contact."

"But you have my home phone number, don’t you?" said Xu Chuning.

Shen Yubai insisted, placing it in her hands with a cool tone, "That phone is mostly with Aunt You, right? You barely bring it to school."

Xu Chuning: "I don’t need it at school."

"What if you do?" Shen Yubai reminded her. "We often need to discuss matters about Shen Sinian and... Li Xiaonan."

He brought up the most convincing name, "In case of any emergencies, it’s easier for me to reach you if you have a phone."

"If you think it’s absolutely necessary for me to have a phone of my own, I’ll buy one myself," Xu Chuning told him.

Shen Yubai frowned in confusion, "Why?"

"Unearned wealth I do not take," said Xu Chuning.

Shen Yubai: "..."

He lowered his gaze to the small, delicate face before him and in her round apricot eyes, he saw stubbornness.

Shen Yubai knew Xu Chuning was stubborn, but she clearly needed this phone, and when she first saw it, he hadn’t missed the flash of joy in her eyes.

"Then consider it a loan from me," Shen Yubai said, "You can accept that, right?"

"Not even that," Xu Chuning replied.

Shen Yubai choked, "I have already bought it; are you saying you want me to return it?"

The two stood at an impasse; Xu Chuning looked up, silently considering Shen Yubai’s unhappy expression for a moment. "How much is the phone?"

Shen Yubai squinted his eyes slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I’ll give you the money for the phone, and I’ll take it," Xu Chuning proposed a solution.

Xu Chuning had saved quite a bit of money, just in case. It’s not that she couldn’t afford a phone; she simply hadn’t seen a particular need, so she never bought one.

Since Shen Yubai had it prepared, she wasn’t opposed to purchasing it.

What she hadn’t anticipated was Shen Yubai’s expression turning extremely ugly upon her offer to buy it. He then coldly placed the phone in her embrace and indifferently left her with a "Do what you want," before turning away.

Xu Chuning watched his retreating figure, looked down at the phone in her arms, and sighed softly.

Suddenly, a pleasant and hesitant female voice came from behind, "Xu Chuning?"

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