Reborn as an Alpha and Still Wanting to Engage in Lesbian Relationships - Chapter 28.4

Liu Ying and Jiang Feng, jolted awake by the noise, barely had time to gather their senses before instinctively throwing on clothes and rushing out.

Seeing the two little ones frozen stiff in front of the refrigerator, Liu Ying and Jiang Feng were instantly overcome with emotion.

Nearly all the food from the fridge had been taken out by the little ones and neatly piled on the floor, leaving the space in complete disarray.

Narrowing her eyes, Liu Ying stared at the two guilt-ridden children who dared not look up. In a cold voice, she called out the full name of the little one standing on the stool.

The named child shuddered abruptly, cautiously lifted her head, and offered her mother an adorable, pleading smile.

The usually gentle mother now resembled a moody tyrant, her icy gaze fixed on Jiang Man.

Jiang Man felt a chill run down her spine, as if being targeted by a natural predator, her small body trembling uncontrollably.

Despite her fear, Jiang Man was fiercely loyal. Summoning her courage like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might, she stepped forward to shield Wen Qing, firmly telling the furious Liu Ying that her younger sister had nothing to do with the incident.

But how could Wen Qing bear to watch Jiang Man take the punishment alone? Without hesitation, she met Liu Ying’s gaze and declared loudly that she was the one who had instructed Manman to do it, she was the instigator, the planner, the mastermind, and Manman was entirely innocent!

What a touching scene of sisterly solidarity. Liu Ying’s eyes shifted back and forth between the two little ones.

After a moment, the two grubby children were hauled out of the “garbage heap” and tossed into the bathroom.

Liu Ying and Jiang Feng each took one, scrubbing them clean until they were fragrant once more.

“Given your mischievous behavior, I must now administer your punishment.”

After dressing them in their cute pajamas, the supreme judge of the Manman household announced their final sentence: “From this moment on, the two of you are stripped of the privilege of sleeping together. You will sleep separately.”

As she spoke, Liu Ying pulled out a set of keys, letting them dangle from her palm, their clinking producing a pleasant sound.

The little culprits wanted to protest, but the evidence was still sprawled across the kitchen floor, leaving them with no defense.

After a long struggle, one of them finally whimpered, “Manman wasn’t causing trouble! Manman was just really hungry!”

As if on cue, her little stomach let out a soft gurgle.

Jiang Man gazed at Liu Ying with wide, teary eyes, looking utterly innocent and pitiful.

Her chubby little hands patted her belly, playing the pitiful child card for Liu Ying: “Mommy, listen! My tummy is still hungry!”

But upon closer inspection, she noticed that Liu Ying seemed even fiercer than Jiang Feng, who usually carried himself like an overbearing CEO.

Liu Ying crouched down to meet the child at eye level. “Manman, this habit of sneaking into the fridge has been going on for quite some time now.”

The little one’s hands, clasped in front of her, twisted nervously. She didn’t dare look up to see her mother’s expression.

Jiang Man had been an expert at sneaking food for a long time.

Often, she didn’t get enough to eat, especially during growth spurts. She would wake up either from the piercing pain of muscle cramps or from hunger.

The former was manageable, she could endure it, and Jiang Man was quite resilient.

But the latter was pure torment for a young child.

Humans cannot resist the craving for food and water they are fundamental needs for survival.

So, after starving to the point of retching acid in a corner, Jiang Man began sneaking food for the first time.

The little one hung her head, not daring to look up.

After a long silence, she heard her mother sigh helplessly.

The child, who had been acting like a thief, felt as if an invisible hand had clenched her heart tightly.

Jiang Man suddenly lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes looking pitifully at Liu Ying. “I… I did wrong, Mama…”

The little one wanted to rush forward and hug her mother to act spoiled, but upon seeing her mother’s stern expression, she hesitated, her small hands half-reaching before pulling back.

Meanwhile, the little one standing beside her stepped forward, shielding the tearful Jiang Man from view.

“Auntie, it’s not Manman’s fault.”

Wen Qing spread her arms wide, firmly protecting Jiang Man, and met Liu Ying’s gaze without flinching. “Manman was just growing and hungry, and she didn’t want to disturb anyone’s sleep, so she tried to sneak some food.”

Liu Ying stared at the little one before her for a long moment before speaking. “I’m not blaming Manman, but her behavior was very dangerous.”

“Not everything in the refrigerator is safe to eat. What if she grabbed something that could make her sick? Her stomach would hurt.”

“She could fall ill, she would cry, and then we’d have a pale, weak little one lying in a hospital bed, her tiny hands covered in needle marks.”

Hearing Liu Ying’s description, the little one who had been steadfastly shielding Jiang Man began to waver slightly, but her feet remained firmly planted, refusing to budge from her protective stance.

Jiang Man, being shielded by her younger companion, hung her head in genuine remorse, finally understanding the seriousness of her mistake.

In the orphanage, they lacked everything except children. No teacher would pay special attention to any one child.

As long as the children had enough to eat and wear and didn’t fall ill, that was considered the best life possible. No one would stop Jiang Man when she sneaked into the vegetable garden to pick vegetables to eat, or when she ate the nearly spoiled leftovers from the kitchen. No one would tell her that these actions were harmful to her health, that eating such things would make her feel unwell or sick.

If these little ones had ears, or if they had already differentiated and awakened their spiritual forms, Liu Ying imagined their ears would be drooping right now.

One look at them, and all her anger melted away. Liu Ying hadn’t intended to scold them harshly anyway she just felt heartbroken that the little one had become so independent at such a young age.

Jiang Feng, standing nearby ready to mediate at any moment, could tell from the softening of his wife’s expression that her heart had softened once again.

But at the same time, Jiang Feng also breathed a sigh of relief.

In his view, accidentally spilling food wasn’t a big deal.

What was truly frightening was that the little one, who wasn’t even as tall as the stool, had managed to climb onto it without adult supervision! That deserved a lesson!

But then again…

Besides their own little one, was there any other child in the world who could figure out how to climb onto a stool, one even taller than themselves completely on their own?

Not that Chairman Jiang was proud or anything, but if you searched the entire world, you wouldn’t find another baby as clever and brave as their Manman!

Praise where it’s due, discipline where it’s needed.

Regarding the incident of “Manman not sleeping properly and dragging Qingqing into mischief, resulting in food spilled all over the floor,” the Jiang family held an emergency family meeting in their living room late at night. With the temporary participation of Wen Qing, the first Ying-Feng-Man-Qing (the last member being non-permanent) family conference was convened.

During this meeting, the mastermind behind the incident, Manman, delivered a profound self-criticism and openly expressed her request to the two presiding adults.

After discussion between the two presiding adults, it was decided that the primary instigator Manman’s request for a midnight snack would be approved. However, both the mastermind Manman and her accomplice Qingqing would be punished by having to clean the kitchen together with the two adults.

Watching Jiang Man sitting on her little stool, contentedly gulping down her bottle of milk, Wen Qing couldn’t help but smile, just like the other mothers of Jiang Man.

Many hands make light work, especially since Jiang Man was no troublemaker. With the efforts of the family of four, the kitchen, which had been turned upside down by the little ones, was restored to its pristine state in exactly one hour and twenty-three minutes.

“Whew!” The little one, wearing a tiny apron, wiped away the last speck of dirt, stood up, and nodded with satisfaction.

Although the punishment of cleaning had been completed, the penalty of the two children sleeping separately for the night remained in effect.

Jiang Man watched as Wen Qing was carried away by her mother, leaving her own mother to stay with her in the children’s room.

Seeing the child’s crumpled face and teary eyes, Jiang Feng felt a surge of irritation. She reached out and “fiercely” ruffled the little one’s hair. “You should be grateful your mother is here with you! If it weren’t for you, this silly child, being so careless, I’d still be sleeping with my wife right now!”

But how could a child possibly control such accidents?

Tension began to simmer, and a mother-daughter battle was about to erupt…

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Liu Ying looked at the bickering pair, suppressing a laugh as she sternly issued her command: “What’s all this fuss? Go to sleep now.”

At her words, the big and little ones obediently nodded, crawled under the covers under Liu Ying’s watchful gaze, and sweetly wished her goodnight.

Liu Ying was utterly charmed!

But to maintain her authority, she drew on her acting skills, coolly wished them goodnight in return, and then returned to the bedroom to silently scream with delight.

After venting her excitement, she looked up and locked eyes with the adorable little one sitting on the bed. Clearing her throat lightly, Liu Ying calmly turned off the light and settled in with the precious child for a dream-filled sleep.

Uncertain how long this visit would last and knowing how quickly children grow, Wen Qing’s old clothes left at the Jiang family no longer fit her. To be safe, Liu Ying and Jiang Feng decided that after the day’s kindergarten interviews, they would take the two little ones straight to the mall for a complete head-to-toe shopping spree.

The plan was perfect, but the two children hit a snag during the interviews.

As guest stars of a hit variety show, both Jiang Man and Wen Qing were beloved by many. During the interviews, they often encountered examiners who, under the guise of testing them, were actually just looking for an excuse to cuddle the little ones.

Once or twice was fine, but at every kindergarten, without fail, the examiners would take turns giving them affectionate squeezes.

Even the usually patient Man was starting to feel a bit troubled by it.

To make matters worse, some examiners completely ignored the children’s protests. Even after the little ones clearly expressed their refusal, these adults wouldn’t stop, coaxing them with promises of special admission if they could just “make them happy.”

If this had been the old Jiang Man, she might have obediently let them have their way.

But not anymore.

Now, standing before the examiners, was the Niohulu-Man, armed with the boundless confidence bestowed by her mothers!

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