The Cannon Fodder Dad of Three Villainous Cubs - Chapter 25

The existence of manga itself didn’t surprise him; Ji Zhixiu hadn’t been a stranger to them in his own childhood. What he couldn’t accept was that a little genius had the same childish hobbies as he did.

“Sichen’s parent, are you still there?”

“I’m still here. Please, go ahead,” Ji Zhixiu said, finally pulling himself together.

“The children will be dismissed soon. Could I trouble you to come to the school for a moment? I’d like to have a few words with you, and then you can take the child home.”

After hanging up the phone, Ji Zhixiu explained the situation to Ji Yanyan in detail. Although Ji Yanyan hadn’t started school yet, he vaguely sensed the nature of “being called in by the teacher.” He sighed with the gravity of an old man: “Why is Brother Sichen so thoughtless? But it can’t be helped, he’s just a little kid, after all.”

“…” That sentence coming from a bratty kid sounded exceptionally strange.

Ji Zhixiu went to find the neighbor woman, and the two divided the work: the neighbor would help look after Ji Yanyan, and Ji Zhixiu would help pick up her grandson.

He rode his e-bike to the school at top speed. The class teacher had already notified the guard, and after verifying his identity, he successfully found the first-grade office.

This was his first time meeting the teacher, so Ji Zhixiu took a moment to smooth out his wind-tousled hair before knocking politely on the door.

“Come in.”

Ji Zhixiu pushed the door open and smiled as he greeted her: “Teacher, hello. I’m Sichen’s father. We spoke on the phone earlier. I’m really sorry for the trouble my child has caused you.”

The teacher didn’t respond immediately. She looked him up and down for a few seconds before smiling as she walked over: “It’s no trouble at all. It’s just my job.”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment before getting down to business.

The teacher took out the confiscated manga book and placed it in front of Ji Zhixiu: “This is very popular among the students. The content is quite funny and relates to their daily lives, so it’s not strange for children to like it. They often gather in groups to discuss it after class, and I’ve never stopped them, but Sichen…”

The teacher sighed, her thin brows furrowing, unsure how to describe it accurately: “His expression was extremely serious and earnest. He wasn’t like the other children, chattering away or cheering from time to time. He just sat there reading the whole time… Oh, yes, Sichen’s sitting posture is exceptionally good. I must emphasize that.”

Ji Zhixiu gave a dry, awkward laugh: “Sichen does indeed have good habits when it comes to life and study.”

The teacher chuckled along and returned to the main point: “A good beginning leads to a smooth path ahead. It’s a bad habit for Sichen to read manga all day. I will certainly do my best to help him correct it at school, but I need the parents to cooperate.”

Ji Zhixiu felt like he had added to the teacher’s burden, nodding repeatedly to assure her that he would do his best. However, his confusion hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

Based on his understanding of the little villain, he couldn’t imagine what kind of manga could possibly hold his interest so intensely.

He couldn’t help but reach out and open the first page. He expected to see colorful illustrations and the funny plot the teacher had described, but instead, he saw a page densely packed with words, and at the bottom was a mathematical formula longer than his own lifespan.

???

The teacher hadn’t expected this turn of events either, and she was stunned: “How could this be? Isn’t this the manga book the children like the most?”

Ji Zhixiu recognized it: “This is a book I bought for Sichen. He likes these things, and I’m willing to foster the child’s hobbies, but I don’t know why it turned into a manga book.”

He opened the book to investigate and discovered that a manga cover had been pasted over the original one, which had caused the misunderstanding.

Some children would paste textbook covers over extracurricular books to sneak them in, but Ji Sichen’s genius brain worked differently; he had done the opposite, insisting on making the teacher believe he had been reading manga all day.

Ji Zhixiu couldn’t figure out the reason. Just as he was about to ask, he saw the teacher staring at him with a vacant gaze: “This… can Sichen understand this?”

“Yes, he really likes this stuff.”

The two adults looked at each other, speechless. Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a knock sounded at the office door, and Ji Sichen’s small figure appeared in their view.

Ji Sichen gave Ji Zhixiu face while outside, calling him obediently: “Daddy, are you here to take me home?”

Ji Zhixiu smiled and waved at him: “Did you read this book all day?”

Ji Sichen kept a straight face. With no surprise or fear in his eyes, he nodded his chin: “I hadn’t finished reading it when the teacher took it away. Teacher, can you give it back to me?”

The teacher gave an awkward laugh: “Teacher thought you were reading manga.”

At the mention of “manga,” a flicker of awkwardness crossed Ji Sichen’s face, and he fell silent.

Ji Zhixiu had wanted to talk to the teacher for a long time, but hadn’t found the right opportunity. Since today presented itself, he decided to take the chance to explain things clearly. He beckoned: “Sichen, can you tell us about the content inside?”

Ji Sichen looked up at him with unblinking eyes, his expression clearly saying, “If I tell you, would you even understand?”

Ji Zhixiu: “…” You brat.

The teacher watched their interaction, assuming Ji Sichen was terrified, and used the “coaxing a child” voice: “Sichen, come over to Teacher. Let Teacher ask you a question, okay?”

Ji Sichen nodded haughtily. No matter what the teacher asked, he answered concisely, without wasting a single word.

The teacher was clearly more capable than Ji Zhixiu, but she still gave up after only three questions. She looked at the child who wasn’t even as tall as her leg with a mixture of fear and bewilderment.

Ji Zhixiu couldn’t bear to watch any longer and pulled Ji Sichen away.

How can you torture a primary school language teacher with advanced calculus? That’s too cruel.

The teacher finally regained her composure and laughed dryly: “The other students haven’t left yet. Sichen, go find them and play.”

Ji Sichen didn’t seem happy at all. He looked at the two adults and let out a sigh, as if he couldn’t do anything about them, and walked out cooperatively.

Only the two adults who couldn’t understand the “manga” were left in the room, and the atmosphere became awkward once more.

“It was my mistake for not checking thoroughly, causing a misunderstanding that made the student suffer suspicion and blame, and making you take an extra trip.” The teacher admitted truthfully, “Sichen has such high talent, he should receive specialized education. I truly don’t have the capacity; the only lines in this book I can understand are a few words, and I can’t answer Sichen’s questions.”

Ji Zhixiu had considered this issue before, struggling and hesitating for a long time, but ultimately decided to send him to this ordinary primary school.

“To be honest, my family situation is quite special. The education Sichen received before was quite extreme. Of course, I want to respect his intelligence, but I believe that for a child, healthy education in his early years plays a decisive role in his life. Compared to his brain, I care more about his soul.”

Ji Sichen was a little genius, but also a little madman prone to veering off the path. Ji Zhixiu wanted him to spend his early years interacting with peers, knowing what true childhood innocence and fun were. He hoped everything experienced in childhood would become the “anchor” of his personality to prevent him from going astray later.

Moreover, at this stage, he could only keep Ji Sichen under his own nose and look after him daily.

Being in the education industry herself, the teacher understood Ji Zhixiu’s painstaking efforts: “Sichen is indeed very smart, but one should not pull up seedlings to help them grow. Please rest assured, I will do my best to help him at school. When his temperament stabilizes a bit more, you can send him to a specialized school.”

Ji Zhixiu had expected he would have to waste a lot of words or be directly turned away. He didn’t expect the teacher to be so understanding and truly concerned for the child, so he thanked her repeatedly.

The teacher waved her hand with a smile, walked out with him, and couldn’t help but look at Ji Zhixiu a few more times.

“I felt you looked familiar before, but since we hadn’t finished the business, I didn’t want to ask… are you a celebrity? Did you debut before?”

“Yes, I debuted for half a lifetime, only to return as an ordinary person,” Ji Zhixiu joked. “But only in my dreams.”

The teacher laughed as well.

“Although Sichen keeps a straight face, his fair skin and red lips make him very cute. He looks likable turns out he inherited it from his father.”

He couldn’t reveal the little villain’s origins to outsiders, so he accepted the compliment against his conscience.

“Actually…” Ji Zhixiu paused, looking at the teacher with a smile.

Teacher: “?”

Ji Zhixiu continued to smile.

The teacher finally understood: “Sichen’s intelligence must have been inherited from you, too—how amazing.”

Ji Zhixiu finally felt comfortable, the corners of his mouth almost reaching the sky.

Ji Sichen glared at him speechlessly.

How high and mighty of you, using me to build your own persona!

Ji Zhixiu pretended not to notice Ji Sichen’s small look of disdain. After bidding the teacher goodbye, he reached out to hold his small hand.

He went to find the neighbor woman’s grandson and intercepted Ji Zishen at the gate as he was trying to head home alone.

Ji Zishen was surprised to see Ji Zhixiu appear so suddenly, then looked at Ji Sichen, who was being dragged along unwillingly, and remained silent for a few seconds with a look of “I get it.”

Ji Sichen hadn’t been bothered before, but being “laughed at” by Ji Zishen made him feel unnatural, and he lowered his head to look at the ground.

The father and his three sons walked back. Ji Zishen, having the self-awareness of an adult, took the initiative to look after the neighbor’s grandson and moved ahead. Ji Zhixiu looked down at the little villain’s furry head and said: “Sichen, can I ask you a question?”

Ji Sichen looked up at him, eyes drooping: “No.”

Ji Zhixiu: “…” Refusal ineffective.

He softened his tone: “Why did you paste a manga cover on your book, making the teacher misunderstand?”

Ji Sichen’s expression suddenly turned awkward; he lowered his head in a fit of pique and shook off Ji Zhixiu’s hand.

Ji Zhixiu originally felt it was trivial, but Ji Sichen’s attitude made him ponder deeply. Unable to find a reason for the moment, he could only say: “Fine, we won’t talk about this. Your teacher told me just now that there’s a sports meet next week. How about I bring Yanyan to be your cheerleading squad then?”

Ji Sichen glanced at him. Ji Zhixiu had a bad premonition and wanted to cover Ji Sichen’s mouth, but it was too late.

“So, is your way of ‘cheering’ sitting on the ground, wailing, and flailing about?”

Ji Zhixiu looked at the little villain’s provocative expression. Instead of getting angry, he squinted slightly, smiling gently: “Of course. Do you want me to find a crowded place and rehearse it for you?”

The little villain froze. The little villain cracked.

“I…” He choked on a hiccup.

When I get home, I’m going to research which disease causes a person to lose their sense of shame!