“What’s wrong?”
Su Yue had sharp eyes. Children were simple creatures—they didn’t know how to hide their emotions well. From the moment she looked at the little guy, she could clearly see the fear shimmering in his eyes.
“There was… a cockroach in the bathroom just now. The young master got scared.” He Xiaoqin smiled awkwardly as she gently nudged Jiang Haoyan back toward the table. “It’s okay now, little master. I already killed it for you. Come on, eat up.”
Jiang Haoyan lowered his head without a word and quietly climbed back into his chair.
“You’re a little man, don’t be afraid of things like cockroaches. Next time, just stomp on it.” Su Yue reached out, wanting to give his little head a comforting pat, but the boy suddenly swatted her hand away.
His small face was stiff, and though he was trying to be tough, his fear was obvious. Hatred and unease flickered in his big eyes, but he was still too young—for now, fear won. His eyes turned red in an instant.
Su Yue slowly pulled back her hand. She didn’t get upset. She knew the boy didn’t like her. Winning his trust wouldn’t happen in a day or two.
“I’ll ask someone to come clean the house this afternoon, okay? You don’t have to be scared.” She softened her tone and pushed a small bowl in front of him. “Here, I peeled some shrimp for you. Eat.”
Jiang Haoyan glanced at her with his misty eyes, then dropped his gaze again and silently resumed eating. He didn’t touch the bowl of shrimp.
“Get out .”
A low, cold voice cut through the room. Su Yue turned her head. It was Jiang Ci—he was speaking to Jiang Haoyan.
The little guy lifted his face immediately. His large eyes lit up as they looked toward Jiang Ci.
Su Yue assumed father and son wanted to talk privately. She motioned for He Xiaoqin to quickly clear the table and head out. She also had something to take care of.
Once the door closed, the room grew quiet. Sunlight filtered through the curtains Su Yue had opened earlier, casting a warm, mellow glow across the floor.
“Come here.” Jiang Ci sat on a chair. Even seated, his tall frame and strong aura made the space feel heavy with pressure.
The little guy hesitated on his chair for a moment before hopping down. He waddled over with his short legs and carefully tugged at the hem of Jiang Ci’s shirt.
“Daddy.” He raised his head, those sparkly eyes filled with dependence and trust.
Jiang Ci lowered his face slightly. His dark eyes, unfocused from blindness, remained still. “What happened just now?”
He found it odd. Jiang Haoyan wasn’t the kind of kid who’d be afraid of mice—how could he be so scared of a cockroach?
“Daddy…” Jiang Haoyan’s little brows furrowed as he hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should say it.
“Tell me,” Jiang Ci urged.
The little boy didn’t know how to lie. Now that his father had asked, he couldn’t keep it in.
“Haohao hurts,” he said in a milky, aggrieved voice.
He had tried to be brave, to not cry. But now that he was with his favorite person in the whole world, the grievance rushed back all at once. Even though he knew his father couldn’t see, he still lifted his shirt and pointed to his reddened belly.
“Daddy, Haohao hurts.”
Jiang Ci’s brows furrowed. “Where does it hurt?”
“My tummy. Sister pinched…” The boy’s voice grew even softer. Though he was only three years old, he was clever with a good memory. He began to repeat, word for word, what He Xiaoqin had said to him earlier.
—
Meanwhile, after Su Yue left the side villa, she headed straight for the main estate to speak with Mr. Jiang.
“You said… you want to rip out all the flowers in the back garden and plant bamboo instead?”
Behind his large desk, the old man raised his sharp gaze. Though his hair was fully white, his back was straight, and his eyes were still fierce with energy. His eyes bore into Su Yue.
He had never liked this granddaughter-in-law. If not for that scandal and the pressure the Jiang family had exerted to protect face, she never would have married Jiang Ci.
“Yes, Grandpa.” Su Yue nodded earnestly. “The flowers attract too many mosquitoes. I want to plant bamboo instead—to build a bamboo grove. It’ll be elegant.”
Jiang Ci was allergic to pollen. She didn’t believe Mr. Jiang didn’t know that. Yet he still had the garden blooming with flowers—Su Yue couldn’t help but overthink it.
According to the novel, the old man cared a lot about the male lead and even liked the female protagonist as a daughter-in-law. But Jiang Ci, who had been confined to the villa, was hardly mentioned. He was just cannon fodder.
“Don’t worry, Grandpa,” she added with a smile. “I’ll make sure the workers are quiet so it doesn’t disturb Jiang Ci’s rest. He never leaves his room anyway, so he probably won’t even notice when the bamboo’s planted.”
Mr. Jiang’s stern face relaxed slightly. “If that’s what you want, have the housekeeper arrange it.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.” Su Yue beamed. “Once the bamboo grove’s ready, I’ll invite you over for tea.”
Her cheeks were soft and round, and when she smiled, she looked simple and silly.
The old man chuckled. “Alright.”
After she left the study, Su Yue went to the housekeeper to arrange for the work to start that very day.
That lifted her mood a little. She figured, Jiang Ci must feel cooped up staying inside all day. He couldn’t see, and he was hard to get close to—if she couldn’t get him to like her, at least she could make him feel better. Maybe if he stayed in a good mood, he’d be less likely to get angry. That meant fewer headaches for her.
But before she could return to the villa, her head throbbed painfully again.
Ding!
【Anger Value: 40】
Su Yue hissed through her teeth. It hadn’t even been that long—who made Jiang Ci angry again?
—
Inside the villa, sunlight spilled gently onto the floor in soft patches.
He Xiaoqin stood in front of Jiang Ci, her entire body trembling. Even her fingers were shaking.
She hadn’t expected to get caught.
After working in the Jiang family for so long, she knew one thing—Jiang Ci didn’t care about that son. He basically left the child to fend for himself. As for Su Yue, she hated Jiang Haoyan. He’d heard her scold the little boy as a “wild brat” more than once.
She had assumed that even if Su Yue found out, she wouldn’t care. She’d probably pretend nothing happened.
That was why she’d acted so boldly.
Where had she gone wrong?
Why had Jiang Ci suddenly noticed?
He Xiaoqin’s gaze shifted to the boy clinging to Jiang Ci’s side, pulling lightly at the man’s shirt. When the boy saw her looking, he shrank even closer to his father.
“Master Jiang Ci, I… I was forced…”
She knew she couldn’t deny anything in front of Jiang Ci. Children didn’t lie. The only option she had left was to push the blame.
“It was Mrs. Su Yue who gave me the orders. She told me to discipline the boy. I had no choice. If I didn’t do it, she said she’d fire me.”
Just then, the door opened—and Su Yue walked in.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice tight. Her headache was still pounding.
He Xiaoqin’s face twisted in shock. Why was Su Yue here now of all times?
But thankfully, Jiang Ci was blind. He couldn’t see the expression on her face.
“Young Madam, I-I’m sorry… What you asked me to do was discovered by Young Master Jiang Ci. I… please, please don’t make me do it again. Even if you fire me, I’ll accept it.”
“What did I ask you to do?” Su Yue narrowed her eyes, her expression cold as she stared at the obviously guilty woman.
“You… you said the boy was unruly. You told me to punish him.”
“I told you to punish Xiao Haohao?” Su Yue’s voice dropped as she looked toward the little guy, who was peeking from behind Jiang Ci, his round face full of nervousness.
It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.
The little one had clearly been wronged. Jiang Ci had found out—and now he was furious.
“She hit you?” Su Yue asked the boy softly.
Jiang Haoyan stiffened. His pale little face turned serious as he clenched Jiang Ci’s shirt. Then, in a soft yet firm voice, he glared at Su Yue, “Bad woman!”
Now that his father was here, Haohao wasn’t afraid.
“How did she punish him?” Su Yue turned her icy gaze to He Xiaoqin.
This wasn’t right.
He Xiaoqin looked between the cold-faced Jiang Ci and the sharp Su Yue. Wasn’t Su Yue supposed to be defending herself?
“She pinched Haohao!” Jiang Haoyan added quickly. He puffed out his belly to show where.
“You pinched him?”
Su Yue had read about this kind of thing—nannies who abused children behind their employer’s back. She never thought something like that would happen under her nose.
“You’re disgusting. If you have a problem with me, that’s fine—but taking it out on a child?” Her gaze turned sharp and cold. “That’s not being ambitious—that’s being a beast.”
“I was just following your orders!” He Xiaoqin blurted, flustered.
But Su Yue wasn’t the same as before. She wasn’t the hotheaded, brainless girl who’d yell and scream. In the entertainment industry, she had seen all kinds of schemes—He Xiaoqin’s little tricks didn’t scare her.
“I admit I didn’t like Xiao Haohao before, but I’m not heartless. If I really wanted to do something, I wouldn’t have used someone who clearly hates me to do it.”
She didn’t know if Jiang Ci believed her, but she needed to make her position clear.
“I’ll handle it,” Jiang Ci said slowly.
Su Yue wasn’t sure if that meant he trusted her or not.
He Xiaoqin panicked. “No! It was the young lady, I swear—she told me to—!”
But Jiang Ci ignored her completely. He made a phone call.
Moments later, several men in black came in. Without a word, they covered He Xiaoqin’s mouth and took her away.
Su Yue stood frozen, a little stunned.
He believed her?
Her heart lightened. Jiang Ci… was unexpectedly dependable. At the very least, he didn’t judge her based on one person’s lies.
“Daddy…” Jiang Haoyan’s soft voice came again. He looked up with worried eyes. “She can’t go. Who will take care of Daddy?”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” Jiang Ci replied calmly.
But the little guy frowned. He knew his daddy couldn’t see. He needed someone to help him with water, the bath, tidying up…
Haohao wanted to help—but he was still so small.
Su Yue rubbed her temples. The bell still rang painfully in her ears. Jiang Ci was still angry.
She knelt in front of Jiang Haoyan, brushing a hand over his soft hair. “You said your belly hurts? Let me take a look.”
The little guy grabbed his shirt and shook his head. “Can’t. Boys can’t show their tummies.”
Su Yue laughed through her headache. “I just want to see if I should put medicine on it.”
She reached out again—
And Jiang Haoyan still ducked…..Su Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and coaxed softly, “I’ll see if I want to apply the medicine for you.” She reached out to pull the little guy’s clothes.
Jiang Haoyan covered his belly with both hands, hesitated for a moment, then slowly lifted his shirt, revealing a faint red mark on his fair and tender stomach. It was clearly left by someone pinching him.
Su Yue’s heart twisted. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm so she wouldn’t scare the child. “Haohao is so brave. This red mark will go away soon. Auntie will help you apply some ointment, and it won’t hurt anymore.”
“Really?” The little guy blinked his big eyes, voice full of cautious hope.
“Of course,” Su Yue smiled gently. “Auntie will be very careful, it won’t hurt at all.”
She got up and fetched the ointment from the drawer, warmed it slightly with her palm, then knelt down again to apply it gently on Jiang Haoyan’s belly. The child flinched at first, but soon relaxed under her soft touch.
On the side, Jiang Ci listened to their interaction quietly. He could hear the sincerity in Su Yue’s voice and the tenderness she tried to mask.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Jiang Haoyan whispered after the ointment was applied, his voice soft like a kitten’s.
Su Yue looked at him with warmth in her eyes, and reached out to smooth his hair. This time, the little guy didn’t slap her hand away. He just stared at her with those big eyes full of cautious curiosity, as if silently asking: Are you really not the bad woman I thought you were?
And Su Yue seemed to understand.
The bell ringing in her head finally stopped.
“Anger value: 0.”
She let out a breath of relief.
“Xiao Haohao, do you want to help take care of your dad?” she asked suddenly.
Jiang Haoyan nodded immediately, his face serious. “Yes! I want to help Dad pour water, and fold clothes, and…and feed him fruits!”
Su Yue chuckled. “Then Haohao has to grow up quickly, and learn how to do those things. Until then, how about we take care of your dad together?”
The little guy’s eyes lit up, and he nodded solemnly like he was taking an oath.
Jiang Ci, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, “You did well.”
Su Yue turned to him, slightly surprised.
He didn’t say more. But just those three words… in his cold voice, held a rare hint of approval.
Su Yue smiled.
It seemed, little by little, things were beginning to change.