"No, no, Lu Chuan, you come and play with him for a while. I'm so tired," Liu Ru Yan said, spreading her hands and lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. If she had a choice, she'd rather go to school for two days straight than spend a holiday with this little tyrant.
"Liu Ru Yan, let's have a wrestling match again."
Lu Yu Hang suddenly jumped onto the bed and knelt at Liu Ru Yan's head. He looked at her from above with his round, bright eyes.
With such an angelic face, and yet so tormenting, Liu Ru Yan felt utterly despairing.
"Wrestling, huh? Alright, I'll wrestle with you."
Just as Liu Ru Yan was preparing to close her eyes and play dead, Lu Chuan finally spoke up to rescue her.
Liu Ru Yan and Lu Yu Hang turned to look at Lu Chuan simultaneously.
"Okay! Compete with him. I'll be the referee!"
To prevent Lu Chuan from backing out, Liu Ru Yan immediately rolled off the bed, pulled Lu Chuan from the chair, and pushed him in front of the little tyrant. She stood between the two and made a ready gesture, announcing in one breath, "Three, two, one, start!"
The little guy sprang up from the bed in a flip, fists clenched, and assumed a ready stance.
Liu Ru Yan thought Lu Chuan would, like her, just make a few gestures and then act as a punching bag to be easily knocked down. To her surprise, he was serious.
Lu Chuan took a step forward, pressed down on Lu Yu Hang's shoulders with both hands, and then lifted his leg to gently hook at the little tyrant's calf. The little tyrant fell onto the bed, deeply sinking into the quilt.
Lu Yu Hang raised his small hands, flailing and trying to sit up, but Lu Chuan showed no mercy, sternly asking, "Are you convinced or not?"
"I'm not convinced!" came the stubborn little voice in response.
"Not convinced? Then we'll fight again."
Lu Chuan let go of the little tyrant, Liu Ru Yan gave him a drink of water and squeezed his small shoulders. The two sides adjusted their states and jumped back into the match.
The result of the second round was no different; however, this time Lu Chuan directly lifted the little tyrant and carried him to the bathroom, ordering him to brush his teeth, wash his face, and go to bed.
When did Lu Chuan suddenly become so assertive and manly?
Watching this scene, Liu Ru Yan fell into her own fantasies, envisioning years later, when an adult Lu Chuan, now a father, would be battling wits with a mischievous child.
"Liu Ru Yan, what are you thinking? Come over and help!"
When Liu Ru Yan pulled her thoughts back from outer space, she found the bathroom in chaos. The little tyrant was being held in the bathtub, water splashing everywhere as he resisted bathing.
"Wh-what, I don't know how to bathe a little boy. It's inconvenient," Liu Ru Yan said, waving her hands repeatedly.
With the situation being too chaotic for her to approach, Liu Ru Yan finally just handed over the prepared towel and hairdryer.
Indeed, dealing with a little tyrant requires some firm methods. Now that the little tyrant was finally lying down obediently, Liu Ru Yan's task was complete.
"Then I'll leave now."
As Liu Ru Yan tried to leave the room quietly, she heard the little voice call out, "Sister Ru Yan, I want to hear a story."
After all, he was still a child and needed a story before bed.
"Ask your brother to tell you a story. He's a top student and knows all kinds of stories," Liu Ru Yan said, pointing towards Lu Chuan.
"I don't want him to tell me a story. It's so boring and scary."
"Scary? Lu Chuan, what kind of stories have you been telling him?"
"I tell him the kinds I like, such as strange stories, horror collections, detective novels—anything I come across," Lu Chuan said boastfully, flipping through the book in his hand.
"Oh, Lu Chuan, you must be out of your mind. Telling ghost stories to a child? Aren't you just trying to scare him on purpose?"
Liu Ru Yan now felt that every mischievous child had a mischievous older brother behind them.
"How was I supposed to know he's so timid? I liked these stories when I was young," Lu Chuan shrugged innocently.
Not wanting to argue further, Liu Ru Yan puffed out her cheeks, let out a long sigh, and her bangs fluttered in the breeze.
She sat next to the little tyrant, flipping through a storybook. "Let me see what story to tell Hang Hang. How about a story about Thomas and his friends?"
"Okay."
"Then close your eyes."
Lu Yu Hang finally closed his eyes obediently, and Liu Ru Yan began to read in a rare gentle voice:
"Thomas is a little train engine. He lives in a big train station on Sodor Island. His face is small and round... He is a very careful little engine, responsible for…"
As Liu Ru Yan's voice grew softer, the little tyrant's breathing became more even.
Finally, he fell asleep. Liu Ru Yan looked at his soft, round face and the long eyelashes fluttering slightly, thinking that the little tyrant was quite adorable when asleep.
"Can I leave now?" Liu Ru Yan tried to communicate with Lu Chuan through telepathy.
Lu Chuan raised his eyelids, nodded, and mouthed, "See you tomorrow."
What? See you tomorrow? At this moment, Liu Ru Yan really wished she had the superpower of splitting herself in two.
When she got back home, it was almost eleven o'clock. After finishing her routine and lying down, she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, and had no interest in watching concert videos.
"Don't, don't come over... Lu Chuan, hurry, take your brother away…" Poor Liu Ru Yan spent the whole night even dreaming of taking care of kids.
The next day, Lu Chuan thoughtfully gave Liu Ru Yan some extra time to sleep in and do homework, only calling her over after lunch.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
The door was opened by Lu Chuan's mother, Mu Yun. Seeing Liu Ru Yan, Mu Yun immediately showed a kind smile. "Ru Yan, come in. Xiao Fang and Hang Hang are playing in the room."
Liu Ru Yan looked into the living room where a big head and a small head were playing Five in a Row.
"Ha, I won again. Young man, are you convinced this time?" Lu Chuan asked with his hands on his hips.
The little tyrant collected the chess pieces from the board and, with a defiant look, said, "I'm not convinced. Let's do it again!"
Wow, these two may differ greatly in size, but their mental ages are clearly the same.
Just a few minutes after Liu Ru Yan sat down, Mu Yun changed into a silk dress and came out of the room, looking very happy.
She picked up her bag hanging on the door and said to Liu Ru Yan, "Ru Yan, you and Xiao Fang take good care of Hang Hang. There's fruit on the table, already washed. If you're hungry, let Lu Chuan order takeout. I'm going shopping with your mom and will bring something delicious for you in the evening."
Although she was middle-aged, Mu Yun still had a great figure. She exercised regularly and took good care of herself, looking just over thirty.
With her exquisite makeup, it was clear she had planned this in advance.
"Okay, Aunt Mu. Have a good time shopping," Liu Ru Yan replied sweetly.