Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 42 Why Should I Coax Her

Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Why Should I Coax Her

After a moment of silence, Xu Chuning spoke up, "I’m full."

Shen Sinian met his dad’s sweeping glance and felt a bit weak, "I eat, I eat."

...

Finishing the eggs, the three set off for school together.

It was only a ten-minute walk, the spring sunshine was warm, lush branches and leaves on both sides of the road spread out, and the fragmented sunlight fell in pieces, enveloping the three of them.

Their shadows would occasionally overlap as they moved.

On the way, Shen Sinian and Xu Chuning lagged a step behind Shen Yubai, muttering to each other behind him.

With exams finishing on Friday, it was soon the weekend again, and Shen Sinian asked Xu Chuning what she planned to do over the weekend.

Xu Chuning said she would read, do homework, and help out at the shop.

Listening to her, Shen Sinian let out a soft sigh, feeling very sorry for Xu Chuning’s situation. If... if she hadn’t had her identity switched by that person, how much easier her life would be.

Thinking this, Shen Sinian glanced at Xu Chuning’s calm demeanor and asked quietly, "Ningning, did you see that someone after you left school yesterday?"

Xu Chuning asked, "Who?"

She seemed very ordinary, no different from usual.

Shen Sinian’s lips moved slightly, just about to say Xu Zhiyan’s name when a black sedan cut through in front of them, parking steadily at the school entrance under their gaze.

The driver hurried to open the rear car door, and the passenger got out; she was wearing a white shirt paired with a pleated skirt as her school uniform, expensive white sneakers on her feet, and carried a limited-edition branded backpack in pink and white tones, quite pretty.

The moment they saw her straight-on, Shen Sinian subconsciously looked to Xu Chuning, who showed no emotion and continued walking forward.

But Xu Zhiyan, who had just stepped out of the car, looked their way. A flicker of surprise crossed her face, her lips curved upwards, "Shen Yubai."

Xu Zhiyan had spotted Shen Yubai while still inside the car.

Hearing the girl’s voice, Shen Yubai responded indifferently.

Xu Zhiyan, not too pleased with his cold attitude, pursed her lips, but she didn’t head into the school right away—she was waiting for Shen Yubai. "How come you walked to school today?"

She remembered that Shen Yubai liked to ride his motorcycle to school.

Shen Yubai just grunted.

He offered no explanation.

Xu Zhiyan: "..."

She paused, troubled by his aloof and handsomely indifferent demeanor. As she was considering a topic to engage in a deeper conversation with Shen Yubai, she suddenly noticed the two behind him, "Who are they?"

Xu Zhiyan asked Shen Yubai, "Are they our schoolmates?"

Before Shen Yubai could speak up, Shen Sinian was already annoyed, "Auntie, can’t you tell? We’re wearing the same uniform."

"Au... Auntie?" Xu Zhiyan was shocked, unbelievingly staring at Shen Sinian, "What did you call me?"

Shen Sinian: "Auntie, yeah."

He raised his brows, with a teasing expression, "Any problem?"

Xu Zhiyan, stumped by his retort, suddenly felt her eyes well up, "I... I’m only seventeen!"

"I take—"

"Shen Sinian." Just as Shen Sinian was about to say his age, Xu Chuning cut him off.

Shen Sinian looked up, meeting his mom’s displeased demeanor, and with a slight feeling of injustice, muttered, "What’s wrong?"

Xu Chuning glanced at him, still silent. She turned her head to Xu Zhiyan, "Sorry, he likes to joke around."

Hearing this, Xu Zhiyan glared at her, "Crazy."

"Who did you say is crazy?" The one who said this was Shen Yubai.

He wasn’t fond of talking to girls, and he’d never shown Xu Zhiyan any kindness. But Sang Menglan quite liked Xu Zhiyan; she’s always wanted a daughter. Furthermore, with the Shen and Xu Families being close and Sang Menglan having a good relationship with Xu Zhiyan’s mother, she ordered Shen Yubai to treat Xu Zhiyan more kindly.

He might not like her, but he couldn’t lack the most basic manners.

Because of this, Shen Yubai wasn’t one to speak harshly to Xu Zhiyan.

Of course, this restraint only held under the condition that Xu Zhiyan didn’t cross his bottom line. That’s why he never took her words to heart.

But now, hearing her call Shen Sinian sick, Shen Yubai felt he couldn’t tolerate it. His son was just telling the truth, and for her to say he was sick was too much.

No one had ever been so harsh to Xu Zhiyan in all her life; this was the first time, and it was Shen Yubai who did it. She took a sharp breath, her expression slightly stunned, and then she started to cry, "Shen... are you scolding me?"

Shen Yubai frowned slightly, not quite understanding why she was crying over his rhetorical question.

"You... I won’t bother with you anymore!" Feeling hurt by Shen Yubai’s silent demeanor, Xu Zhiyan wiped her tears and spat out those words before running away angrily.

Watching her retreating figure, Shen Sinian scratched his head in confusion, "Ningning... did we just bully someone?"

Xu Chuning: "Why did you call her auntie?"

Shen Sinian sounded an "ah," confidently saying, "According to our age, it’s appropriate for me to call her auntie..."

His voice trailed off as he accidentally met Xu Chuning’s gaze.

After a moment of silence, Xu Chuning sighed softly, "You’re now considered a peer to us."

Shen Sinian felt frustrated, "I know."

He had only intended to annoy her because she was Xu Zhiyan.

Their conversation was cryptic, and Shen Yubai didn’t catch any hints. Hearing Xu Chuning’s reproof to Shen Sinian, he couldn’t help but interject, "Sinian didn’t do it on purpose."

Xu Chuning looked up at Shen Yubai and said nothing.

She had never realized before how indulgent Shen Yubai was with children.

Shen Yubai lowered his eyes, locking gaze with her, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You..." Xu Chuning paused, quieting herself, "Aren’t you going to go and appease that miss?"

"?"

Shen Yubai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered and asked her, "Why should I comfort her?"

Xu Chuning vaguely felt the oppressive force in Shen Yubai’s look, her breathing tightening as she casually shifted her gaze, "You made her so upset that she ran off."

"When did I make her upset?" Shen Yubai asked again.

Xu Chuning: "..."

Didn’t he know when he had upset someone?

For some reason, Xu Chuning felt that they were having a hard time being clear about this issue.

After a moment of thought, Xu Chuning said, "Forget it, it’s none of my business."

If Shen Yubai didn’t want to go after her, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

Shen Yubai: "..."

He frowned lightly, not quite understanding Xu Chuning’s words.

As Shen Yubai stared intently at her, about to say something more, Shen Sinian timely interjected, "Let’s go into the classroom; we have a test soon."

Xu Chuning: "Let’s go."

The three of them walked into the school boldly, and when they reached the fork in the road between the international class and the regular class, Xu Chuning thought Shen Yubai would part ways with them. Unexpectedly, he continued along with them.

"Aren’t you going to your classroom?"

Xu Chuning couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Yubai: "I can go there this way too."

It just meant a longer walk and passing by their classroom.

Xu Chuning: "Oh."

Shen Sinian, the naïve sweet boy who often spoke more, was puzzled, "Doesn’t that mean you have to walk a longer distance?"

Before Shen Yubai could respond, Shen Sinian stretched out his words, "I get it."

He candidly asked Shen Yubai, chuckling, "Do you just not want to part ways with us?"

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