I Found My Future Wife Next Door - Chapter 3

Isn’t Money Just the Red Hundred-Yuan Bill…

For the first time, Yu Qianran felt curious about someone. He genuinely wanted to know why, but he wasn’t good at expressing it directly. His face was filled with intense curiosity, yet he didn’t ask for more.

He quietly watched Lu Zhishen successfully stop Ji Nuan, a flicker of disappointment passing through his heart.

Ji Nuan pushed the little troublemaker Lu Zhishen away in annoyance, straightened him up, and turned him to face Yu Qianran and Gu Kexin. “Alright, alright, that’s enough. Lu Zhishen, apologize to Aunt Gu and Ranran.”

“Sorry, Aunt Gu. Sorry, Ranran.” Lu Zhishen, subdued by Ji Nuan, reluctantly apologized.

“But Ranran, I really like you. Please agree to play with me, okay?” Lu Zhishen scurried over to Yu Qianran, holding his little hands and shaking them back and forth.

Yu Qianran’s fair face wore a helpless expression. It was the first time he had encountered someone who kept wanting to play with him despite being repeatedly rejected.

He was happy, but he couldn’t show it, Yu Qianran thought in his little head.

So, the little white dumpling, as if worn down by impatience, reluctantly agreed with an “Mm.”

Lu Zhishen jumped for joy, tightly gripping Yu Qianran’s hand and cheering, “That’s great! Mom, from now on, I’ll be Ranran’s older brother. You can go home by yourself.”

From now on, he would live with Ranran, forever and ever, just like the prince and princess in the stories.

Lu Zhishen took the initiative, pulling Yu Qianran over to the sofa, completely ignoring the two adults still present.

Ji Nuan was so angry she saw stars, ready to teach Lu Zhishen a lesson on the spot to show him who was really in charge.

“Ms. Ji, why not let Zhishen play at our house for now, and you can pick him up in the evening?” Gu Kexin suggested. “My Ranran really enjoys playing with your child too. Before this, he wouldn’t pay attention to anyone.”

Ji Nuan hesitated and explained the situation, “Well, I’d love that, but he’s still filming a show. It’s just this one day left, not finishing it would be irresponsible. We can’t spoil the child.”

Gu Kexin frowned. This was a bit tricky. She didn’t want her child exposed online.

She glanced down at the two children. Lu Zhishen was chattering away to Ranran, who only nodded occasionally. The scene was quite harmonious. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, as if she had figured something out.

Gu Kexin waved her hand. “Ranran, come here for a moment. Mom wants to ask you something.”

Yu Qianran immediately left Lu Zhishen and trotted over.

Gu Kexin crouched down, looking seriously into Yu Qianran’s eyes. “Mom knows Ranran wants to play with Zhishen, but Zhishen has a task to complete. Is Ranran willing to help him finish it?”

Yu Qianran turned his head and saw Lu Zhishen staring at him intently. He immediately turned back and retorted, “I don’t really want to play with him that much.”

Gu Kexin saw right through her child’s stubbornness but didn’t call him out on it. “Mm-hmm, so are you willing to help Zhishen with this?”

If it was Lu Zhishen asking for his help, he could still agree. Yu Qianran nodded. “Mm.”

Gu Kexin guided him further. “This task will be on TV. Are you scared, Ranran?”

Ranran bit his lip and asked after a moment, “Will lots of kids see it?”

Gu Kexin nodded. “Yes, and Grandpa, Grandma, and your other grandparents will be able to see Ranran on TV too.”

Thinking that his beloved family would also be able to see it, Ranran didn’t mind being watched by others. The little dough ball nodded, “Alright then.”

Gu Kexin affectionately patted Yu Qianran’s head and praised, “So wonderful. Mommy will be waiting for Ranran at home. Tonight, Ranran will be rewarded with sleeping with Mommy.”

Yu Qianran’s eyes lit up, it had been almost a week since he last slept with his mother.

Ji Nuan thanked Gu Kexin, then took Lu Zhishen’s hand in one hand and Yu Qianran’s in the other, hurrying back home.

Outside, the sun gradually warmed the air, and the breeze carried a gentle heat. Yet, the two children didn’t seem to feel the warmth, insisting on holding hands as they walked.

The director, who had been waiting for a while, spotted Ji Nuan approaching with the two children from a distance and immediately went to greet her. “President Ji, I’m truly sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s this child who has caused you trouble. I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on him from now on,” Ji Nuan smiled, knowing full well how mischievous her child could be. She wasn’t foolish enough to drag innocent people into it. “This child will also be filming later. He’s not in the best health, so I’ll have to ask you to take extra care of him.”

“Ah? President Ji, this…” The director hesitated. The number of participants had been set in advance, and the budget wasn’t enough to hire another child.

Ji Nuan immediately sensed the director’s concern and said, “I’ll cover this child’s expenses.”

The director agreed, “Alright.”

After all, she was the client, the one paying the bills.

From the conversation, Yu Qianran could tell that this director uncle wasn’t particularly fond of him. He stepped forward politely and greeted, “Hello, Uncle. My name is Yu Qianran.”

The child’s soft voice, coupled with his fair and lovely appearance, made him instantly endearing. The director’s attitude softened immediately as he crouched down to greet Yu Qianran.

The director warmly said, “Come here, Ranran. There will be many other children later. If anything happens, you can always come to me for help. The uncles and aunties holding those big black cameras can help you too.”

Yu Qianran nodded in agreement.

He watched as the director uncle stood up again, directing people in matching uniforms, while unfamiliar children emerged from other rooms.

For a moment, he felt a bit timid, his eyes searching until they landed on Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen straightened up and asked nervously, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Qianran: “…”

He shook his head.

Soon, the director quietly instructed Lu Zhishen to take Yu Qianran’s hand and lead him inside. Lu Zhishen eagerly complied, as if proudly showing off his most precious toy.

Yu Qianran kept a serious expression, following step by step behind Lu Zhishen, completely unaware that he was walking with his arms and legs moving in sync.

The director took the opportunity to introduce, “Children, this is Ranran, a friend brought by Shenshen. Let’s give him a warm welcome.”

The three little beans didn’t quite understand why there was an extra person, but they all raised their hands and clapped enthusiastically.

Lu Zhishen clearly felt the others’ gazes fixed on Yu Qianran. Unhappy, he shielded Yu Qianran behind him, placed his hands on his hips, and warned, “None of you are allowed to bully him. He’s my little prince.”

A little boy wearing a yellow puppy outfit pouted, “Shenshen, you’re so stingy, you stingy pants.”

Another little boy tugged at Yuyu and whispered, “Yuyu, aren’t you afraid he’ll hit you?”

Before today, Shenshen had often “bullied” them, treating them like his little followers. Whenever they tried to resist, Shenshen would scare them, leaving them with no choice but to endure it.

Yuyu patted his chest confidently, “So what if he hits us? There are three of us against one, what’s there to fear?”

Shenshen was always scaring him, so how could he possibly say that they would bully Ranran? It was already good enough that he himself didn’t bully him.

“Ranran, don’t be afraid. If you don’t like Shenshen, you can play with me. My name is Yuyu.” Yuyu pointed at himself, then gestured toward the other two companions. “He’s Yangyang, and she’s Jiajia.”

Yu Qianran nodded. “Mm.”

Lu Zhishen had always disliked Yuyu, who constantly contradicted him, and now that Yuyu was trying to take Ranran away, he found him even more irritating.

He pulled Ranran away to another spot, not wanting Ranran to interact with them at all.

But Yuyu was stubborn, the more others tried to stop him, the more determined he became.

“Ranran, how did you meet Shenshen? Why don’t I have a friend as pretty as you? Do you want some candy? I have a lot here.” Yuyu blocked Lu Zhishen’s path, showering Yu Qianran with attention.

Yu Qianran simply explained that he had only met Lu Zhishen earlier that day, just an hour or two ago.

Yuyu kept pestering Yu Qianran to talk, while Lu Zhishen, waiting nearby, glared fiercely at him. Yuyu didn’t notice at all.

On the other side, the two other children huddled together. The younger boy whispered, “Jiajia, do you think he’ll hit Yuyu later? Should we go help?”

Jiajia glanced over and shook her head. “No.” She then invited Yangyang, “Do you want to read a book with me?”

Yangyang stayed silent.

He didn’t like studying, but Jiajia always enjoyed reading and said learning was fun.

At the kindergarten level, children didn’t know many words or numbers yet, so they mostly played and rarely studied.

The spacious living room was anything but peaceful at the moment. Yuyu and Shenshen were arguing, while Ranran stood there helplessly, wanting to stop them but unsure how.

He had been sick for a long time and often missed school, so the other children at kindergarten didn’t play with him. He had never encountered a situation like this and didn’t know what to do.

He didn’t want Shenshen to argue because of him, nor did he want Shenshen to hurt Yuyu.

Yu Qianran paced anxiously in place, then remembered what Lu Zhishen had said earlier. He tugged at his clothes and spoke softly, “I want to see your toys.”

“Really?” Lu Zhishen turned around, his dark eyes lighting up like bulbs, his tone full of anticipation.

Yu Qianran nodded awkwardly. “Mm.”

Lu Zhishen immediately forgot about Yuyu and grabbed Yu Qianran’s small hand, pulling him upstairs. “Come on, my room is right up here. I have so many toys, and if you like them, I’ll give them all to you.”

The children’s temporary rooms were all arranged on the second floor. Lu Zhishen’s room faced the garden downstairs, and every morning when he opened his eyes, he could see beautiful roses outside the window.

This was Yu Qianran’s first time visiting someone else’s home, so he followed Lu Zhishen stiffly, not daring to move around freely. He watched quietly as Lu Zhishen brought over his most prized toy car and handed it to him.

Lu Zhishen took Yu Qianran’s hand and placed the toy car in it, grinning. “Ranran, don’t be afraid. What’s mine is yours. You can play with it however you want, and even if it breaks, it’s okay.”

Yu Qianran protested, “I’m not afraid.”

He lowered his gaze to the toy car in his palm, a sleek, red sports car, as bright as the sun and as vibrant as Lu Zhishen.

It was no surprise that Lu Zhishen treasured this car so much.

The two children sat close together, with Lu Zhishen chattering away. In no time, Yu Qianran trusted him completely.

A staff member knocked on the door, notifying them that the director had a task to assign.

Yu Qianran was reluctantly led downstairs by Lu Zhishen, who was holding his hand.

By the time they went down, the other children were already sitting obediently on the sofa, waiting. The director held the annoying cards in his hand.

Lu Zhishen pulled Yu Qianran to sit down properly and said like a little adult, “You can start now.”

“You little rascal, why don’t you just be the director instead,” the director teased, shaking his head.

Lu Zhishen eagerly nodded. “Okay.”

The director fell silent, then snorted lightly, deciding not to argue with a child. “Next, you’ll need to take your money and go to the supermarket to shop. What you eat for lunch will be entirely up to you. Good luck, kids, I believe in you!”

Ranran looked at the yellow twenty-yuan bill in his hand, pursing his lips with a hint of sadness.

He had seen money before, all red hundred-yuan bills. Was this yellow twenty-yuan bill also money?

He raised his hand and, with the director’s permission, asked, “Uncle, isn’t money only red hundred-yuan bills? Do you not know what money looks like? I can ask my mom to lend you one to see.”

Lu Zhishen immediately chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve only ever seen hundred-yuan bills.”

Yuyu cut in before the director could respond, looking disdainfully at Lu Zhishen. “So dumb. How can you be the leader if you don’t even know this? There are not only twenty-yuan bills but also one, five, ten, and fifty-yuan ones.”

Yu Qianran blinked, memorizing Yuyu’s words in his mind.

He had never seen them before. When he got home, he would ask his mom to show him, were there really so many different kinds?

Lu Zhishen retorted confidently, “They’re all less than a hundred, so why should I know about them?”

Seeing that the two children were about to start arguing again, the director quickly stepped in to mediate and told the children to take the bus to go grocery shopping.

Lu Zhishen deliberately chose the seat farthest from Yuyu, sitting next to Yu Qianran to prevent Yuyu from coming over.

Yu Qianran didn’t mind and quietly asked, “Can twenty yuan buy anything?”

Lu Zhishen pulled a twenty-yuan bill from his pocket and stuffed it into Yu Qianran’s hand, happily saying, “Take mine. Then you’ll have forty!”

“No,” Yu Qianran shook his head and refused.

Just as he was about to return the money, Lu Zhishen hugged him and whispered in his ear, “I have a lot of money in my smartwatch. We can use it secretly later.” Then he let go and blinked cleverly.