Seeing that Luo Xiangwen truly couldn’t take it anymore, Qu Tantan’s eyes flicked with mischief. She stepped boldly into the shop and softened her voice, feigning innocent curiosity: “What are you two doing?”
Lou Xiangwen straightened his posture, eyes lighting up. “N-no, it’s nothing!”
He quickly glanced at the woman and stammered awkwardly, “The kids are here. Y-you being like this isn’t very appropriate… Can you take a few steps back? I can’t get out like this.”
His words made the woman so angry she felt suffocated. When she saw the two children seemed to know Lou Xiangwen well and weren’t accompanied by any adults, she frowned and questioned, “Who are they? You know them? How come I’ve never seen them before when I came by?”
Just as Lou Xiangwen was about to respond, the little girl ran over, tilting her head up to look at them. Her smile was so sweet and soft that even Lou Xiangwen, who was well aware of her little devil nature, couldn’t help but soften his gaze. He forgot to answer for a moment.
And it was precisely in this pause that Qu Tantan suddenly called out in a milky voice, “Dad,” while stretching out her arms to him, seemingly wanting a hug.
Lou Xiangwen : “……”
That one word ‘Dad’ not only blanked Lou Xiangwen’s mind but also froze the woman beside him. She stood stunned, unable to react for a long while.
Even Lin Zhenmo looked at Qu Tantan in disbelief.
Seeing that Lou Xiangwen still wasn’t playing along, standing stiff and bewildered, Qu Tantan sighed helplessly and tugged at his clothes. Her soft little voice pleaded again, “Dad, hug.”
Lou Xiangwen was still stiff and hadn’t recovered. Although he wasn’t used to being called that… the little girl was just too cute!!
Her smile was so sweet, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Who could possibly resist a hug request from her?
At least, Lou Xiangwen couldn’t.
Completely at her mercy, Lou Xiangwen sighed and picked Qu Tantan up, only for her to lean close and whisper into his ear, “Dad, who’s that Sister?”
It looked like she was whispering a secret, but the volume was just right for the woman nearby to hear.
Wen Qingqing’s heart sank instantly, and her expression turned unpleasant.
Lou Xiangwen didn’t understand at first why the girl was calling him that. But then, catching a glimpse of Wen Qingqing’s shifting expression from the corner of his eye, it was like a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind—
Suddenly, it all made sense!
Like grabbing onto a lifeline, Lou Xiangwen hurriedly responded. He gave a little cough, his refined face flushing red, and stammered, “Th-that… actually I… uh… Dad… Dad’s not too sure either… Let’s just say she’s a customer. You should call her Sister Wen.”
Lou Xiangwen was really bad at lying, and Qu Tantan couldn’t help but shake her head inwardly. “I see. I was wondering. Just now the uncle from the bookstore suddenly told me to hurry and find Dad. I thought maybe Dad got into trouble or something. It scared me!”
Lou Xiangwen quickly shook his head, “No, no!”
“I know Dad’s a good boy.” Qu Tantan patted Lou Xiangwen’s head, then turned and gave Wen Qingqing an innocent squinty-eyed smile. “So is Sister Wen here to buy something? Tan Bao’er knows a lot about these things and can help introduce them to Sister!”
Wen Qingqing : “……”
She hadn’t believed Lou Xiangwen had a daughter, but seeing how close they were now, she began to waver. Though she hadn’t known Lou Xiangwen long, she was aware that he usually kept his distance from people. She had never seen him close to anyone.
Could he have somehow known she’d come today and arranged for this girl to act in front of her? But the child was so young, how could her acting be this good?
At the very least, she didn’t see any hint of forced effort when the child called him ‘Dad.’ And when Lou Xiangwen looked down at the girl, the tenderness in his gaze made her feel a pang of something.
Especially when he bent down to hug the girl. The movement was careful and practiced, like he’d done it countless times.
Wen Qingqing couldn’t help but believe it. Lou Xiangwen, who looked so young, was actually a father.
So all the times he had avoided her, ignored her… it was because of this?
Because he already had a family?
Thinking back to what Qu Tantan said earlier, Wen Qingqing felt even more stifled. So everyone knew, and seeing her constantly visiting Lou Xiangwen, finally couldn’t bear it anymore and sent the little girl over to confront her?
Just imagining it made Wen Qingqing feel thoroughly humiliated, her face burning. Her gaze toward Lou Xiangwen sharpened, and she shouted angrily, “…I don’t believe it! Are you really father and daughter? I’ve never seen her before!”
Qu Tantan tilted her head, looking puzzled. “I’m Dad’s daughter. Why would Sister need to see me for that to be true? If Sister hasn’t seen me, does that mean Dad isn’t my Dad?
“That’s so strange.” Her eyes were clear and curious. “Sister Wen, what’s your relationship with Dad? Why don’t you believe Dad is my Dad?”
Lou Xiangwen had just opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately silenced by Qu Tantan’s words. After thinking about it, he realized what she said was way more effective than anything he could’ve come up with, so he obediently shut his mouth again.
He shouldn’t underestimate the little devil. She could be a handful sometimes, but in moments like this, she really gave him a strong sense of security!!
Wen Qingqing was thoroughly blocked by the child’s words. She wanted to lash out, but couldn’t bring herself to get angry at an innocent child. Her beautiful eyes glared fiercely at Lou Xiangwen, and she stomped her foot, shouting, “Lou Xiangwen, aren’t you going to say something?!”
Luo Xiangwen thought to himself that he absolutely couldn’t speak up. If he accidentally exposed Qu Tantan, then whether he had to keep getting entangled with this young lady or face the wrath of a disgruntled little devil, either outcome was beyond what he could handle.
So he very shamelessly shrank back, turned his head, and pretended he hadn’t heard anything at all.
“I was clearly asking Sister, so why is Sister Wen making Dad answer for her?” Qu Tantan said with an air of righteousness, shaking her head as she scolded, “That’s really impolite. The teacher said that responding when someone asks you something is basic manners. Sister Wen is being rude.”
As she said that, she turned to Lin Zhenmo to confirm, “Isn’t that right, Brother? Mom taught us that too.”
Lin Zhenmo, who had just watched her lie through her teeth with a dead-serious expression : “…”
Under the silent pressure of her expectant gaze, he reluctantly nodded and mumbled an “Mm,” with his eyes closed.
Unexpectedly, aside from the little girl, Luo Xiangwen apparently had an older son too? Just how young was he when he got married and had kids?!
Wen Qingqing trembled as she pointed at Luo Xiangwen, stunned to discover he was ‘that kind of person.’ Her face flushed red and pale like a flickering traffic light, and she was so humiliated and furious that tears nearly fell.
“Luo Xiangwen, you bastard! Just you wait—you, you all—ugh, I hate you so much!!”
After her outburst, she didn’t dare meet the eyes of the two children, afraid she’d see her own twisted expression reflected in their innocent gazes. Feeling like her earlier affections were utterly shameful, she stomped her foot, covered her face, and ran off sobbing.
The moment she remembered how the nearby store owners all knew Luo Xiangwen had kids, and how they had all seen her chasing after him, Wen Qingqing felt like dying on the spot.
She swore she’d never come to this mall again!
When she finally made it to the parking lot and got in her car, she rolled down the window. Only after sitting in the backseat with the cold wind blasting her face for a while did the burning heat fade.
At first, she was filled with murderous rage. But once she calmed down, Luo Xiangwen’s face began to circle in her mind again and again.
She was clearly pretty and came from a good family. Tons of people liked her. So why did Luo Xiangwen always treat her with such indifference—like he wanted nothing to do with her?
No matter what kind of hints or temptations she threw at him, he never budged. He stubbornly insisted on staying as just a little shop clerk. And yet, it was precisely this aloofness, his apparent disregard for her surface-level advantages, that made her unable to let go.
She thought about the way she had sat in the store, smiling playfully while teasing Luo Xiangwen as he tried to avoid her, and about how every time he saw her, he seemed increasingly distressed. Wen Qingqing bit her lip, her heart in a mess. She wanted to just give up. But only moments later, she found herself picturing his cold, aloof face again, and couldn’t bear it.
Realizing this about herself made her feel both angry and ashamed. In the end, she clenched her jaw, punched the soft seat beneath her, and muttered furiously:
“No matter what, I don’t believe he’s really married with kids!”
—Luo Xiangwen must be lying to me!
Just wait. When she got back, she’d find someone to investigate and get to the bottom of whether he really was the father of those two kids!
Luo Xiangwen had no idea what was awaiting him. The moment he saw Wen Qingqing finally storm off in a rage, he let out a huge sigh of relief, not showing a shred of sympathy for her.
“Thank goodness you came in time, Tantan. You really saved me!” He hugged the little girl tightly, set her on a bench, and looked genuinely touched, nearly on the verge of tears. “I’ve told her so many times, but she just won’t listen. She keeps hanging around here like she owns the place. Lately, people have even started mistaking her for the store owner!”
Totally unaware of Qu Tantan’s strange expression, he kept complaining pitifully, “It’s fine if it’s just the customers, but even the locals are starting to believe it. I can’t just walk up and explain to everyone. I’m too embarrassed to talk to Uncle Qu about it either. It’s been eating me alive lately!”
Qu Tantan: “…” Yeah, her Mom was so misled she nearly got into a fight with her Dad over it.
She didn’t expect that neither of her parents had told Luo Xiangwen anything about that fight, and he still believed he’d done a good job covering it up.
Luo Xiangwen had no idea what she was thinking. He got so worked up he almost gestured wildly with his hands. “You have no idea, she comes here and sits all afternoon every day. No matter what I say, she won’t leave. I don’t even have time to study anymore.”
When the store was quiet, he used to spend time reading and writing, preparing for new scripts. But now, he hadn’t had the chance in ages. What’s worse, even after work in the evenings, he’d sometimes run into Wen Qingqing ‘by coincidence’ while she claimed to be shopping. She even naïvely said she wanted to visit his home.
Luo Xiangwen wasn’t blind to her intentions, but they just weren’t compatible. There was no possibility between them. Wen Qingqing was clearly a pampered rich girl who could have anything she wanted, including the stars in the sky, if she asked. There would always be someone willing to pluck them for her.
But Luo Xiangwen just wanted to focus on his dreams, to write a script he could be proud of, and maybe even take back his first project from Brother Xiang one day.
With all the time he needed for work and study, he had no space left to deal with a spoiled girl who expected the world to revolve around her. Especially since his previous relationship had already taught him a hard lesson, he wasn’t interested in dating anymore.
But for some reason, the more he avoided Wen Qingqing, the colder and more indifferent he acted, the more interested she became. She grew more clingy, her behavior more coquettish, even flirtatious at times.
Luo Xiangwen became thoroughly panicked and speechless.
He really didn’t get it. If he’d treated his ex-girlfriend like this, she’d probably have slapped him and kicked him out by now. But with Wen Qingqing, why did it seem to make her like him even more?
Was it that he didn’t understand women at all?
Hearing him complain with such pitiful earnestness, Qu Tantan paused and almost burst out laughing. Wen Qingqing had been so obvious, practically confessing her love, and all Luo Xiangwen could think was how she was getting in the way of his study time.
At that moment, even Qu Tantan couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the beautiful Young Lady. The Young Lady was spoiled, yes, but surprisingly not unlikeable.
Qu Tantan just hoped that girl would never find out what Luo Xiangwen was really thinking.
However, Qu Tantan didn’t point it out directly. Whether Lou Xiangwen knew about Wen Qingqing’s feelings or not, those were a girl’s sweet little thoughts. It wouldn’t be right to mock them.