"Can I participate? I would like to read stories to children too."
Mrs. Quan Su was surprised. "Oh my. Of course. Anybody from the library is free to participate too."
Ai bowed. "Thank you so much."
Jun's expression didn't look so friendly. "Wait a second here. Children?"
"Yes. Is there any problem?"
His mouth twitched. "Of course there is. Children are the problem here."
Mrs. Quan Su gasped. "How can the sweet little kids be the problem?"
"They talk a lot, play a lot, laugh a lot, cry a lot. They only cause ruckus."
"They are children! Of course, they would be playful at that age."
"I was quiet when I was a kid."
"I can imagine that. But not all kids are the same."
"I hate children. For the sake of my mental peace, it's better if I stay away from them."
Ai asked, "Why don't you like children?"
The temperature plummeted rapidly. Jun's heart was scarred forever because of his twin elder brothers. During childhood, Jian and Nian were just two big balls of endless energy and excitement. It wasn't a problem for him if they kept that endless energy to themselves.
But they used to drag Jun into their enjoyment activities, tease him and play pranks on him when he just wanted to live quietly in peace. Living with them was exhausting.
He had a younger sister, Nuo and brother, Jin, who were just as playful. Only Jun was calmer amongst his four siblings.
Then there was his grandfather, Liu Hai and his uncle, Liu Jing, who were nothing but kids in an adult's body. They were so childish that they could rival his siblings in who could be the most annoying of all.
It wasn't just his family. He had many cousins too, who were just like his brothers and sisters. All in all, there was just too much movement and too much energy wherever he turned his head.
Jun icily said, "Blame my family. I find kids repulsive. There are too many at my house already."
Mrs. Quan Su laughed, and Ai's lips uncontrollably twitched into a smile too.
"Jun, give it a chance. I am sure you will like it. I will be helpless without an assistant."
He felt a headache coming.
Ai stepped in. "It's okay. If he doesn't want to, I will help you with whatever you need."
Jun narrowed his eyes on her. "Which includes fetching a book from the shelf beyond your height if anyone asks for it?"
"..."
Ai pursed her lips. "I will do my best."
Jun glared at Mrs. Quan Su. "Fine. I will be there. But you have to warn the kids not to come anywhere near me."
Mrs. Quan Su beamed and clapped her hands once. "I will!"
—
"Big brother, you are so handsome! I want to be your bride!" A five year old girl chirped as she blushed at Jun.
"No! I will be his bride!" Another five year old girl complained. "I saw him first."
A six year old boy exclaimed. "You are idiots! He is a bad man! As the hero, I will defeat him!"
Another seven year old boy chimed in. "This big brother looks like a villain! He wants to destroy the world! Let's defeat him!" He poked his fake sword on Jun's feet.
"No. He is my Prince Charming. You cannot kill him!" A little girl cried. "You are meanies!"
An eight year old boy poke him. "He is a bad boy who eats beautiful girls! I saw it in a movie. Good looking big brothers are all bad boys!"
"No, no! He is an alien! He has come to steal our planet!"
The day of the storytelling event was already here, and Jun was completely surrounded by the children.
Mrs. Quan Su strongly felt the frosty winds and Jun's accusing gaze at her.
You promised the kids won't come anywhere near me.
I-I did tell them not to disturb the big brother. But they didn't listen to me, Mrs. Quan Su's nervous gaze seemed to justify herself.
And now you know why I hate kids.
Mrs. Quan Su clearly felt his anger and disdain and betrayal of her failing to fulfill her promise.
"O-Oh what?" She loudly spoke, "Do you need me there? Wait, I am coming right up!" Mrs. Quan Su looked away and hastily left.
Jun sneered at her bad attempt of faking her escape.
"Big brother looks so evil!"
"He smiles like a villain!"
"We should protect this place!"
Jun cast one cold glare at them, and the kids immediately shut their mouths.
One of the boys, who was eating gum, giggled, and wanted to stick the gum on his jeans.
But he shivered and gulped as he felt a sharp glare. Jun didn't look any less than a monster to him. It looked all black around his face.
"Do that, and I will throw you out of the window."
Tears filled the little boy's eyes, and he was about to wail.
"Cry, and I will throw you out of the window."
Eek!
The boy ran away.
Ai just entered and saw the boy pass by her. "Big brother is evil. Big brother is evil," he was mumbling to himself.
She saw the little crowd around Jun and could see that his lid was about to burst. She bent on her knees. "Hello."
The kids turned their heads and immediately surrounded her. "Pretty sister!"
Jun finally breathed.
The children curiously observed her.
"Pretty sister is so pretty!"
"Pretty sister is so fair!"
The boys grabbed her arms. "Do you want to defeat monsters with us?"
"That big brother is a monster! Let's team up, pretty sister!"
One of the tsundere boys looked uninterested. "Hah. She is so delicate. Can she really beat him up? She will only get hurt," then he whispered, "Guess I have no choice but to protect her…"
One of the girls who declared she would be Jun's bride, was bashful. "Pretty sister, marry me?"
Jun scoffed. "You are quick to change your mind, aren't you?"
Her little cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "I…I…"
Ai softly smiled and patted everybody's heads. She took out some candies from her bag. "Here. I have brought one for everyone."
Their happiness knew no bounds. "Candies!!!"
One boy looked back towards Jun and bravely said, "Y-You should learn from pretty sister. She is so nice."
Jun sneered. "I am not interested in playing nice."
Then he ordered. "Now line up over there. The event is starting."