Baby, your scolding sounds like coquetry, what an unexpected encounter

In the presidential suite of a luxurious five-star hotel in Great Sea City.

Xia Tongxin, small and petite, lay sprawled across the massive hotel bed, swinging her bare feet idly. Beside her sat a small cake and a glass of strawberry-flavored milk, while she clutched a cow-patterned stuffed toy she had brought from home.

"Why won’t he accept it yet…?"

Xia Tongxin stared longingly at her phone. Since her main account had been blocked, she could only try adding Ye Cheng using her secondary account. To differentiate between the two, she had thoughtfully labeled this one as "No. 2"—just in case Ye Cheng didn’t recognize her and rejected the request.

But in reality, Xia Tongxin was overthinking it. What if the reason he wasn’t accepting was precisely because he did recognize her?

Truth be told, Xia Tongxin had far more powerful methods at her disposal. With her "abundant wealth and influence," she could forcibly "purchase" a friend slot in Ye Cheng’s contacts—one even he wouldn’t know existed.

Of course, such an operation wasn’t something just anyone could pull off. It required Xia Tongxin to personally unlock special permissions, sign a guarantee, and then work with the dedicated customer service team of the messaging app to "buy" that friend slot.

No approval needed—just direct backend access. That was the terrifying power of "money magic." But this approach had its downsides, too. It could damage the company’s reputation to some extent, since these operations were never meant to be public knowledge. Ordinary users would never even know such things were possible.

The world had never been truly fair. The fact that the messaging app would grant Xia Tongxin a backdoor privilege like this spoke volumes about the sheer scale of her influence.

And after all that effort, the reason was simply because Xia Tongxin wanted to chat with Ye Cheng. Ridiculous, right?

"Grandpa Cow, why won’t you accept me~~~?"

Completely out of ideas, Xia Tongxin rolled back and forth across the bed in frustration, flipping from one side to the other until she finally wore herself out. She sat up and took a big gulp of her strawberry milk.

"I’m hungry."

She patted her slightly pudgy belly and mumbled to herself before rolling to the edge of the bed and hopping down barefoot.

Tap tap tap—her little feet padded across the floor as she dashed to the door.

"I’m hungry. I want to go out to eat." Xia Tongxin blinked innocently, staring straight at the maids standing on either side of the doorway.

One of them, the head maid, stepped forward gracefully and bowed. "Understood, young miss. Please wait a few minutes, and your meal will be brought up immediately."

"No, I want to eat outside," Xia Tongxin flatly refused. She didn’t want to eat here—lobster, abalone, all that fancy stuff was boring and tasteless. She wanted skewers!!!

Specifically, the kind from a street-side food stall.

Of course, such street food was absolutely forbidden by Xia Tongxin’s professional nutritionist. Her diet was strictly regulated—specific types, specific quantities… Well, at least it used to be.

Back then, the little girl had been obedient. If she was told greasy food was bad for her health, she’d stop eating it immediately. But then… the sweet little angel turned into a "rebellious gremlin," and everything changed.

Smoking, drinking, perms, tattoos…

Though, to be fair—her "smoking" was a custom "kid-friendly" cigarette commissioned by her family from a tobacco factory, containing negligible amounts of harmful substances. Her "drinking" was just fruity, low-alcohol beer. The perm was real, though. As for the tattoo… well, ever heard of Pleasant Goat? That was the first "tattoo" she got—a sticker.

Her family had gone through hell dealing with her rebellious phase. Fortunately, the girl was inherently kind-hearted. Even when she acted out, the worst she did was send 60-second voice messages of "demonic whispers" to "attack" people in the middle of the night.

Except… sweetheart, your "cursing" sounds more like whining.

Every time, the noblewomen of the family would end up thoroughly amused by Xia Tongxin’s "scolding." Honestly, they wouldn’t mind if she kicked them a couple of times too—hehe…

The head maid’s expression turned troubled. "But… young miss, it’s already very late…"

"Oh, fine—wait, no! Do you have a problem with that?!" Xia Tongxin almost caved immediately—after all, going out to eat this late would be troublesome for the staff. But then she caught herself. She wasn’t the same pushover anymore! She was fierce now!!!

Everyone in the family had to listen to her. Whatever she decided was final—no discussions, no objections!

Xia Tongxin put on her most "intimidating" face, glaring at the head maid. The effect was… zero.

"My apologies, young miss. But if Madam finds out, she’ll blame us. You wouldn’t want that, would you…?" The head maid switched tactics, playing the sympathy card—though this wasn’t her own idea. It was the noblewoman’s.

"Tongtong is a good girl. If she acts up, just pretend to be pitiful. Say I’ll fire you or starve you, and she’ll soften right up. Trust me, it’ll work!" The noblewoman’s confident voice echoed in the head maid’s mind.

Truly, a mother knows her child best.

The moment the head maid put on a pitiful face, Xia Tongxin’s "steel-hard" resolve instantly melted into tofu.

"Fine, whatever. We’ll eat here…" Xia Tongxin pouted, fists clenched, looking like she was making a huge sacrifice. A classic case of a sharp tongue but a soft heart—except her "sharp tongue" was more like a "carrot knife."

"Understood, young miss. I’ll have the kitchen prepare your meal immediately." The head maid smiled and turned to leave—

"Wait!"

Xia Tongxin narrowed her eyes, a sudden spark of "wisdom" flashing in them. It was as if the child had just leveled up in intelligence.

"If dumb Mom doesn’t know, she can’t blame you guys, right?" Xia Tongxin had cracked the code. The maids around her paled—Oh no, the young miss is getting smarter!

The head maid stiffened, scrambling to patch the logic. The other maids quickly moved to help, ready to smooth things over—

But Xia Tongxin "waved her hand imperiously," her voice soft and sweet… er, no—commanding!

"If anyone breathes a word about today, don’t blame me for what happens next!" She clenched her tiny fists, putting on her most "ruthless" expression.

Her ultra-cute loli voice echoed through the hallway, leaving the maids stunned. After her "warning," Xia Tongxin even pulled out her phone and summoned the rest of her entourage—bodyguards included.

Dozens of people stood in orderly rows before her, a sea of black suits, listening intently as the pink-haired little loli issued her decree.

"What happens today stays between the… one, two, three… fifty-four of us. If word gets out, there will be consequences. Understood?!"

Xia Tongxin paused mid-sentence to count heads. Being too short, she had her maid lift her up to finish counting before resuming her "cold and commanding" orders.

As for the "face the consequences" part... Xia Tongxin herself had no idea what those consequences might be. She’d just heard it in TV dramas and copied it from how her older siblings acted when asserting authority.

Hehe, she felt "cool as hell" right now!!!

And so, a large group of bodyguards and maids emerged from a five-star hotel late at night, accompanying their young mistress to a street food stall.

The impressive convoy set off in an orderly procession, cruising through Great Sea City in search of a suitable spot for late-night snacks.

After about ten minutes, they finally found the perfect place. The luxurious fleet of cars came to a stop, and amidst the crowd, the central car’s rear door opened.

Click!

Out stepped a pink-haired, legally-a-loli girl with a small backpack and a cow-patterned plushie in her arms!

Bystanders gathered, some even pulling out their phones to snap pictures, only to be stopped by the surrounding bodyguards. Among the crowd was a familiar figure.

"What the hell are you staring at? Get over here and grill these skewers for me, you brat!"

Tang Yuyao wore silver high-heeled sandals and black hot pants that showcased her long legs to perfection. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and gold-rimmed glasses framed her face—a flawless urban beauty.

Except... right now, she was scowling impatiently at a certain someone playing the role of a nosy onlooker.

Ye Cheng stood there holding a large tray of meat skewers, chicken legs, and kidney, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

"Damn, who’s this? Arriving with such a grand entrance. Good thing we came early, Dr. Tang, or we wouldn’t have gotten a seat," Ye Cheng remarked, shaking his head in exaggerated awe.

Tang Yuyao rolled her eyes. "How should I know? Great Sea City’s full of big shots. You expect me to investigate every single one? Besides, what’s it got to do with us?"

Tap tap! She stomped her high heels twice, emphasizing her irritation.

She was starving—so hungry she could practically eat a person!

Tang Yuyao regretted not biting Ye Cheng a couple of times on the way here. At least that would’ve taken the edge off.

The consequences of skipping meals all day were hitting hard: an egg and cucumber for breakfast, and now she felt like she could devour a giraffe-stuffed mammoth...

Normally, Tang Yuyao didn’t eat much—two apples a day would suffice. But today, Ye Cheng had pissed her off, and she’d burned through her energy reserves after two rounds of "underground octagon fights" back at the apartment.

Too famished to endure, she dragged Ye Cheng out for food. His initial response? "Why go out so late? Just have some instant noodles." But when Tang Yuyao offered to pay, his tune changed instantly.

"Late nights are when young folks need proper nutrition! Let’s go, Mom—I know a great street food spot. My treat, your wallet!"

Tang Yuyao: "..."

One of Ye Cheng’s talents was making shamelessness sound perfectly reasonable. His tone had almost convinced her he was footing the bill—until the punchline landed.

This little jerk... Hmph!

"Nah, you’re missing the point. Novels always say this is when CEOs go slumming for fun. We’re in luck!"

Ye Cheng waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially.

Tang Yuyao frowned. "What’s that got to do with us?"

"Dr. Tang, think about it. What do CEOs want when they eat out? Prestige, emotional validation, envious stares from the peasants..."

"If you don’t get to the point in three seconds, I’m beating you to death," Tang Yuyao deadpanned. She’d noticed Ye Cheng loved rambling before getting to the crux—like those half-teasing short video clips where the allure lay in what wasn’t shown.

The charm of language, indeed.

And right now, after all his vague hints, Tang Yuyao just wanted to strangle him—or maybe sink her teeth into his scalp. Oddly, the urge was weirdly addictive...

Ahem. "What I mean is, if we eat enough, we’ll probably get a free meal!" Ye Cheng grinned like a scheming raccoon.

Tang Yuyao: "..."

"Idiot." She felt like Ye Cheng had binge-watched too many brain-rotting shorts. Lifting her sandal, she stomped hard on his foot.

"Done talking? Then start grilling, or I’ll grill you next!" She glared fiercely, grinding her heel for emphasis.

Thanks, that felt good.

For some reason, Ye Cheng noticed everyone loved stepping on him—young mistresses, guild leaders, now this salty, rage-prone doctor. Maybe he’d been a doormat in a past life?

Sizzle crackle pop! The symphony of charcoal and skewers filled the air. As Tang Yuyao stared at the half-cooked feast in Ye Cheng’s hands, her vision blurred, dragging her back to about half an hour earlier...

Back in the apartment, right after Ye Cheng stepped out of the shower.

She’d been angry then. But... why? What had set her off? Why...

...