Chapter 80: Small in Stature, Wicked in Spirit—The Little Rogue

"Xiao Yang, you two know each other?" Standing to the side, Tang Yixue watched the two speak familiarly with each other and asked in disbelief.

How could Lin Yang possibly know such a distant neighbor? No wonder Tang Yixue looked so surprised.

Yang nodded seriously, and if he hadn’t said what came next, it would have seemed quite convincing.

"Ah! What can I say—good character, friends all over the world. Even with empty pockets, wherever I go, I find food to eat. I’ll never starve."

He burst out laughing at his own words, which truly were nothing but nonsense.

"Mrs. Wang, oh, no, Mrs. Wang used to be my patient," Lin Yang hurriedly explained, wincing in pain.

Women—so quick to change their moods.

Tang Yixue turned to him with a questioning look. Women always have their own ways of punishing, and all of them are naturals at it. At some point, Tang Yixue’s small hand had found its way to Lin Yang’s waist. As he joked, she gave a fierce squeeze, twisting with force well over a hundred twenty degrees. In pain, Lin Yang quickly spilled the truth.

"Hello, Mrs. Wang." Worried that Tang Yixue wouldn’t believe him, Lin Yang waved with a smile to the beautiful woman leaning out her window.

There was a reason he greeted her and didn’t leave her waiting downstairs. After all, she was a well-known and influential lady in Jinhai, and she naturally had her own circle. If she would help promote his golden silkworm powder, it would be a huge boon. Besides, she was a direct beneficiary of the product—her testimony would be persuasive.

Not to use such a connection would be foolish, and Lin Yang didn’t consider himself a fool. So he signaled Tang Yixue, who was about to leave, to stay.

"Oh! It really is Dr. Lin, wonderful! I wanted to thank you last time, but everyone was busy. Now that there’s a chance, I mustn’t miss it. Dr. Lin, wait a moment, I’ll be right down," the elegant lady called out happily. Yet her right hand never loosened its grip on her son’s ear. With that, she pulled her head back in and hurried out the door.

"Ouch, ouch, Mom, let go! My ear’s going to fall off!" In her rush, she forgot she was still gripping her son’s big ear. As she ran, she dragged him along, making the little fellow wail in pain.

"Hmph, let’s see if you’ll behave from now on. Come, we’ll go downstairs and apologize to Uncle Lin, or else I won’t let this go," she said, finally releasing her grip on her son’s ear and dragging him downstairs in her slippers.

She’d expected her little one to sulk and rebel, perhaps grumble about disliking that uncle. But, surprisingly, he dashed downstairs on his own, keeping pace with his mother’s hurried steps.

"Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, slow down! Oh, slow down or you’ll get hurt," she called after him, worried.

But the boy only ran faster, calling back, "Mom, if I slow down, the pretty lady will leave, and I won’t get to see her!"

Hearing her son’s cheeky words, the lady nearly stumbled down the stairs, silently cursing her husband’s lecherous ways. How else could her son have picked up such phrases? Aside from her unruly husband, she couldn’t think of anyone else. Thank goodness she had a son—if she’d had a daughter, she’d have been driven to her grave.

After the woman withdrew her head, Tang Yixue seemed intrigued and turned to Lin Yang with endless questions. "Xiao Yang, just how many rich ladies like her do you know?"

Lin Yang felt awkward, giving her a look of disbelief as his sly eyes swept over Tang Yixue. When she asked what was wrong, he finally spoke like a teacher: "Are you jealous?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but as soon as he spoke, Tang Yixue became embarrassed and furious, pounding on his chest and protesting, "Who’s jealous? You’re jealous! Your whole family’s jealous!"

Lin Yang let her hit him, grinning playfully—well, it was more like a massage. He was speechless. What did his family have to do with this? Why would they be jealous?

Ah, women! Impossible to fathom.

As they flirted, the villa’s door opened. The bald little boy scampered over, his round head shining and full of cheer. Small and plump as a ball, he was adorable as he ran, followed by his slightly out-of-breath mother.

In her hurry, she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas, just fastened the buttons at her chest, looking quite modest.

"Mom, why are you always so slow? The pretty sister will be taken away and I won’t get to see her!" The boy’s words were as outrageous as ever. Seeing his mother lag behind, he pouted at her, looking even more lovable. Tang Yixue, unable to help herself, giggled at the sight.

"Xiao Yu, come here, no more nonsense," the woman scolded, grabbing her mischievous son’s chubby hand and smiling as she approached Lin Yang and Tang Yixue.

"It’s been a while, Mrs. Wang. You look lovelier than ever," Lin Yang greeted her with gentlemanly grace.

Tang Yixue, not well acquainted, simply nodded with a polite smile.

Seeing the three adults chatting and ignoring him, the boy grew unhappy, stamping his foot and huffing. But the moment their eyes turned to him, he broke into a crafty grin, clapped his chubby hands, and, eyes gleaming with mischief, reached out to Tang Yixue, saying sweetly, "You’re so pretty, big sister! My name is Dong Xiaoyu, just call me Xiao Yu."

Lin Yang nearly popped his eyes out at the sight of the boy grabbing Tang Yixue’s delicate hand, drooling and kneading like a little rascal. If he’d been curious about the boy’s father before, now he had the urge to give that man a beating.

Poor upbringing! Who knows how many girls would fall victim to this kid one day.

"Sister, you’re so pretty. Can you give Xiao Yu a hug?" The little one spread his arms wide, pouting his plump lips, his words sweet with the scent of milk.

Lin Yang was puzzled. When the boy’s eyes were open, they were big as dragon fruit, but when he smiled, they squinted into slits.

As Lin Yang pondered, the boy was already happily burying his head in Tang Yixue’s embrace, thoroughly enjoying the softness of her chest.

The boy’s laughter was so wicked that it snapped Lin Yang out of his daze. Noticing the boy shooting him a provocative look, Lin Yang’s face hardened into a murderous glare, frightening the boy enough to scramble out of Tang Yixue’s arms and dash behind his mother, clinging to her leg and refusing to meet Lin Yang’s gaze.

"Big brother is so fierce. He’s a bad man," the boy complained to his mother, utterly unrestrained.

Lin Yang was speechless. Was this kid for real? The villain complains first! You cheeky brat, taking advantage of my woman—if you weren’t just a little kid, I’d have words with you. All I did was glare at you, and now you’re scared. That’s your problem! Such a little pervert, too flamboyant.

Of course, he couldn’t voice these thoughts in front of the ladies. After all, the boy was the hope of the nation’s future generations and needed proper guidance.

Smoothing out his clothes, rumpled by Tang Yixue’s playful hands, Lin Yang bent down and flashed a friendly smile at the boy, coaxing him, "Xiao Yu, right? You said your name’s Xiao Yu? Now, you should call me uncle. I do like being called brother, makes me feel young, but children should be polite, don’t you think? Your teachers say so, right? So call me Uncle Lin, and this beautiful lady here is Auntie Xue, okay? Here, since it’s our first meeting, Uncle has a little gift for you."

"A little gift?" The boy’s round eyes sparkled with curiosity as he eyed Lin Yang’s clenched hand, grunting, "I’m not falling for that. Your hand’s empty for sure."

Tang Yixue and Mrs. Wang giggled at the boy’s antics, especially since Tang Yixue’s laughter was so beautiful that the boy nearly drooled.

"Forget it, then," Lin Yang said, dropping the act. This only piqued the boy’s curiosity further.

Sure enough, he crept out from behind his mother and reached for the mysterious item in Lin Yang’s hand.

Mrs. Wang shook her head in helpless amusement at her extraordinary son, resolving to give him a proper education at home, lest he do something outrageous in the future.

With the boy around, the group’s atmosphere was lively, his antics drawing frequent laughter. The only ones out of step were the two men.

"Mrs. Wang, why not come in and sit for a while? You and Yixue are neighbors—you can get to know each other, and I might need your help with something." As the cold wind picked up and the boy huddled shivering in Mrs. Wang’s arms, Lin Yang made the suggestion, his words leaving her no polite way to refuse.

"Yay! I get to visit the pretty sister’s house! Xiao Yu is so happy." The boy cheered, waving his arms and legs in excitement, nearly making Mrs. Wang drop him.

Hearing his jubilant announcement, Lin Yang had second thoughts. Wasn’t this just inviting trouble into the house? And such a young troublemaker at that—what bad luck! Still, adults shouldn’t fuss with children, he told himself. Besides, he had his own reasons for inviting Mrs. Wang over—his campaign for the housewives’ endorsement.