Sisters

Xu Yitian didn't know why he felt a sense of guilt, and he never expected Chen Qin would actually transfer him away from headquarters over such a matter—what's more, even the old chairman agreed to it, leaving Xu Yitian no choice but to go.

Thinking of this, he began to feel a bit irritable.

"Daddy, the duck plushie." At that moment, the child beside him tugged on Xu Yitian's sleeve.

"We have plenty at home already, we're not buying it." Xu Yitian said moodily. Under Ye Shuang's gaze, he just wanted to leave this place immediately.

To be honest, Xu Yitian was ambitious; otherwise, he wouldn't have had designs on Chen Qin. But along with ambition, he also had his fair share of desires—the woman beside him was someone he had accidentally gotten pregnant back in university.

To prevent rumors from spreading at the company, he had no choice but to provide for this woman and their son.

"Daddy, I want it!" Seeing that Xu Yitian showed no sign of agreeing, the child immediately began throwing a tantrum. "I want it, I want it! Buy it for me now! Now!"

"Enough, shut up!" Xu Yitian said impatiently, roughly grabbing the child's wrist and shouting.

The child was stunned, as Xu Yitian had never yelled at him before. Seeing the expression on his father's face, he immediately burst into tears, letting out an ear-piercing scream.

The child's scream was incredibly shrill, enough to make one suspect it could shatter glass. Many people turned to look, seeming a bit puzzled, but upon seeing it was just a child, they didn't pay it much mind.

After all, a child crying and demanding a toy wasn't such a strange sight.

Seeing Xu Yitian frowning and remaining unmoved, the child even started throwing and smashing things in the store to vent his anger.

The shopkeeper nearby grew anxious. "Hey, hey, don't throw our store's merchandise!"

At that moment, Xu Yitian suddenly slapped the child across the face, his expression dark. "Keep making a scene and see what happens!"

"Waaaaah!!!"

"Yitian, why scare the child like that? It's just a toy, is it worth getting so angry at him?" The woman beside him, seeing Xu Yitian actually hit their son, immediately chided him.

Xu Yitian looked up at Ye Shuang, only to find him watching the scene calmly, as if enjoying a show. This made Xu Yitian even more frustrated. He dragged the child and turned to leave.

"Let's go!"

"They're gone." Bai Yuyou watched the figures gradually receding into the distance, and the surrounding noise seemed to quiet down.

"Yeah."

"Should we let the child have the plushie? He seemed to really like it," Bai Yuyou asked.

"Liking it is one thing, but they're gone now." Tang Keke didn't seem to care much. Instead, she pointed at the large duck plushie and started haggling with the shopkeeper.

"Boss, can this duck be any cheaper? Five thousand is so expensive."

"I can lower the price a bit." The shopkeeper, never expecting this duck plushie to cause so much trouble, readily agreed.

He was also a bit afraid that the child might come back and cause another scene.

"Name your price."

"How about two hundred?" Tang Keke asked with a grin.

The shopkeeper fell silent for a moment before retorting, "Do you think that's reasonable?"

"I think it is!"

"Goodbye, then."

"Just kidding."

"Four thousand, lowest."

After more bargaining, they settled on three thousand. Bai Yuyou walked out of the store holding the large duck.

"Do you like it?" Seeing Bai Yuyou's face completely hidden behind the duck, Ye Shuang couldn't help but smile.

"Mhm."

She really did seem to like it a lot.

The three of them wandered around a bit more, and soon it was time for lunch.

"What should we eat?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Anything is fine."

"It's cold out. How about hot pot?" Ye Shuang suggested. After all, hot pot was perfect for this weather—and you could find hot pot restaurants almost everywhere, especially in a commercial plaza like this.

"Okay!"

It was precisely the lunch rush, so many restaurants had queues. Ye Shuang and the others were no exception. However, while waiting in line outside the hot pot restaurant, they ran into a familiar-looking girl.

She was wearing a thick padded coat, had a petite figure, and long hair cascading down her back.

Beside her were three other girls, who looked like a set of signal bars, each one slightly taller than the last.

"Is that Taozi?" Bai Yuyou asked.

"I think so." Tang Keke, realizing it was indeed Tao Xiaotao, waved her hand. "Taozi!"

At that moment, Tao Xiaotao was leading her younger sisters. Hearing someone call her name, she turned around and spotted Ye Shuang and the others. Her eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise.

"Ah, Brother Ye, Yuyou, and Keke, what a coincidence! Are you guys here too?"

"We were just about to eat. Are these your sisters?" Ye Shuang's gaze fell on the girls. Like Taozi, they were all quite thin and small, looking a bit undernourished.

"Yes, they're all my younger sisters." Taozi said a bit shyly, then introduced the girls beside her. "Come on, say hello to big brother and big sisters. They're my good friends."

"Hello, I'm Chaochao."

"I'm Didi!"

"Panpan!"

The three girls called out in turn, seeming quite lively.

"They're all lovely kids. Are they all studying here with us now?"

"Yes, mother helped arrange it." Taozi said.

All of this would have been an unattainable dream for Taozi before, but from the moment she met her mother, the trajectory of her life completely changed. Taozi was endlessly grateful for her current life.

"Why don't we eat together? It's more lively with more people," Ye Shuang suggested.

"Ah? Is that really okay?" Taozi felt a bit embarrassed.

"It's a good chance to get to know your sisters better, isn't it?" Ye Shuang said with a smile.

"Okay then."

Ye Shuang got a new queue number for a large table. While the small tables had a wait of over ten parties, a large table was available immediately.

After they were seated, Bai Yuyou even arranged a separate seat for her big yellow duck.

"Brother Ye, hello." Suddenly, the girl sitting next to Ye Shuang, who looked like a little kid, spoke up.

"Hmm?" Ye Shuang smiled. "Hello, Panpan."

"Brother Ye, how old are you?"

"Panpan, that's rude." Taozi immediately tried to stop her sister from asking such questions randomly.

"Twenty-seven."

"Oh, my sister is eighteen. Do you want to marry her?" Panpan asked in a childish, milky voice.

Ye Shuang was stunned.

"Hey, Panpan!" Taozi was utterly dumbfounded.

"Because sister often says you're a very good person, Brother Ye." Panpan said, shaking her head. The next second, she was hauled away by her sister.

"She's just a kid talking nonsense." Taozi said apologetically.

Ye Shuang didn't take it to heart, just smiled and said, "Kids that age are like that."

Next came ordering. Since Ye Shuang didn't like spicy broth, they ordered a split pot so everyone could eat what they liked.

"Brother, if we order this hand-pulled noodles, we can also watch a performance." Tang Keke suddenly said, looking at the menu. "It's like dancing while stretching the noodles."

"Is that so? If you like it, then order it." Ye Shuang said casually.

"Alright!"

After a while, a short-haired girl wearing a white hat and a mask came out, holding thick dough in her hands.

Spotting Ye Shuang and the others, she tilted her head. "Huh?"