"Why aren't you getting in?" the man asked, his thin lips parting.
"..." Yu He was silent for a moment. "Uncle, you're so free you're driving a ride-share?"
Or were you no longer able to stay at the Qin family's and had come out to make a living on your own?
"I'm not free, I'm waiting for you," Qin Beiting said, raising his phone. "You haven't answered calls or replied to messages since yesterday afternoon. Are you still angry?"
Yu He: "..."
Did she look that childish?!
"Hey, bumpkin, you dared to scare me with a snake, you dared to talk back to Dad, why don't you argue with Sister Su and those people who cursed you on the forum!"
At this moment, Ye Zi was running out.
He put his hands on his hips, his face fierce, and asked, "Was your entrance exam really a cheat?"
Yu He glanced at him indifferently. "What's it to you?"
Ye Zi was choked by her, then cursed even more fiercely, "Who wants to mind you! You, a bumpkin, are worthy of this young master's attention!"
Yu He turned and got into the car.
Seeing that she was ignoring him, Ye Zi felt like a busybody, meddling in other people's affairs!
But when he saw her bulging canvas bag, he suddenly blocked the car door she was about to close.
"Hey, are you really going to live in the dorms?" he asked awkwardly.
Yu He glanced at the hand blocking the car door, then looked at him.
Her clear, cold gaze seemed to ask, Who just said they wanted to mind you?
Ye Zi felt uneasy under her gaze.
"I'm not minding you. You chose to live in the dorms yourself, and I didn't drive you away... You, you remember to come back on the weekend and explain yourself to Mom."
After he finished awkwardly, he slammed the car door shut and ran home, his ears red.
He wasn't reluctant to part with Yu He!
He just thought she dared to catch snakes, was generous with her money, agile, and dared to talk back to her dad; she was a bit amazing!
---
Qin Beiting drove, glancing at the girl's exquisite face reflected in the rearview mirror.
Her expression was cold, her thick, long eyelashes cast shadows, and she was scrolling through her phone, her mood unreadable.
"Running away from home?" he asked.
"No, the Ye family is too noisy, it affects my studies," Yu He replied casually without looking up, finding a quick excuse.
Qin Beiting's lips curved. "Too busy to reply to my messages, also studying?"
Yu He: "..."
This was not over yet?!
She gave him a firm reply: "Yes!"
"How far have you gotten with the practice book?" Qin Beiting asked again.
Yu He's phone-scrolling action paused: "..."
One moment of carelessness, and she had fallen into a trap.
Don't ask, the answer is she hadn't done it!
Not only had she not done it, but she had also lost that practice book as soon as she turned around.
Qin Beiting, not hearing her response, had already guessed she hadn't done it.
The little girl's enthusiasm for studying was not high; he needed to find a way.
"The school dorms aren't much quieter either, so don't stay there," he said.
Only then did Yu He realize that the road outside the car window was not going to the school.
Half an hour later.
Qin Beiting parked the car in the parking lot of a complex called "Tianyu" in the city center.
"Tianyu" complex was in the heart of North City, a prime location, and was considered a wealthy area by ordinary people.
However, in the eyes of the affluent and noble circles, "Tianyu" was merely a foil to the adjacent "Tianque" villa district.
Yu He looked at the advertisement on the elevator's display panel, which was promoting the new phase of villas being hot-sold in "Tianque."
She thought: The Qin family was really harsh on Qin Beiting, not even giving him a villa, forcing him to live in a commercial apartment.
Beside her, Qin Beiting was looking at a message just sent by Qi Xifeng:
[Brother Ting, the land by the river has been secured. The project plan for the fourth phase of Tianque needs your confirmation.]
Qin Beiting: [Okay.]
The elevator reached the top floor.
The last floor had only one household.
Qin Beiting opened the door with his fingerprint, and a fluffy pink creature darted out, rubbing against his feet and grunting.
It was a pink, miniature pot-bellied pig!
Qin Beiting, such a distinguished man, was actually raising a pig!
How much did he like pigs?
Yu He would never forget that on her fifth birthday, she had received a small pot-bellied pig from him.
It looked very similar to this one, and she had named it Tiramisu, her favorite dessert.
"Pig, look who's here." Qin Beiting bent down and turned the little pig's head, which was rubbing against his trousers, towards Yu He.
Yu He: "..."
She suddenly had a premonition...
The little pot-bellied pig was displeased with the name the man called it, and it grunted, trying to bite Qin Beiting.
But its pink snout suddenly caught a familiar, yet somewhat unfamiliar scent.
The little pig's nose twitched again, and it cautiously approached Yu He step by step.
Finally, it stopped at Yu He's feet. As if remembering something, it grunted happily, circling Yu He, rubbing against her feet, and begging for a pet.
Yu He was charmed by its adorable appearance and squatted down, stroking its little pig head.
The little pot-bellied pig squinted its eyes contentedly.
"Tiramisu?" Yu He called out tentatively.
Hearing its name, the little pig's head nudged Yu He's hand with delight.
As if this was not enough to express its joy, the entire pig almost squeezed into Yu He's arms, its little head rubbing desperately.
Yu He was amused and picked it up. "It's really you, Tiramisu, I thought you had..."
Died...
"Grunting." The little pot-bellied pig responded twice and nestled in Yu He's arms, closing its eyes happily.
To be able to see its little owner again in this lifetime was the greatest happiness in a pig's life.
But this happiness lasted only three minutes before a large hand unceremoniously snatched it from Yu He's embrace and tossed it back into its pigsty.
"You've been neutered for so long, and you're still in heat?"
The man said coldly, his voice tinged with displeasure.
"Grunting!" The little pot-bellied pig grunted twice at Qin Beiting in dissatisfaction.
The next moment, it felt the man's fierce, pig-killing gaze and immediately cowered.
Then, like a bullied little wife, it grunted and retreated into its pigsty.
And then, with its pair of small, dark eyes looking at Yu He wetly, it appeared pitiful.
Yu He was melted by its cuteness and went to rub its little pig head.
"Tiramisu, be good~"
The girl's voice was soft, no longer carrying the coolness it had earlier, sounding sweet and gentle.
Qin Beiting looked at the girl, her hair cascading over her shoulders, her skin like congealed fat, her exquisite profile, and a faint smile on her lips. This was the little girl in his heart.
His gaze softened involuntarily. "I rarely come to this house, so you can stay here. It's also close to school."
Yu He looked around. It was a duplex apartment, with a total area estimated to be around four hundred square meters.
Such a large house, and he only kept one pig?
Suddenly, she felt that the Qin family wasn't treating him too badly after all...
"No..."
"No need to refuse in a hurry."
Qin Beiting interrupted her.
"I promised to protect you, so I must ensure your safety. At the same time, I need a place for you to treat my illness."
As he said this, he glanced at the little pot-bellied pig that was closing its eyes and enjoying being petted.
"And this pig, it also really wants you to stay."
The reasons were well-founded, and Yu He had no reason to insist on refusing.