Chapter Sixteen: "You Know, I've Never Had Bubble Tea Since I Was Little"

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Lu Jinqiao never imagined that An An would so quickly forget about the old master right after stepping outside.

The old master, whom Lu Jinqiao had wanted to see just moments ago, felt heartbroken.

With a sorrowful look, the old master gazed at An An and said, “True chill doesn’t come from loud quarrels, but from fleeting glances and shallow words. I still care about you, yet you have already cast me aside.”

Though An An didn’t understand the words, it didn’t stop her from feeling guilty toward the old master.

Getting down from Lu Jinqiao’s arms, An An ran over to hug the old master’s leg and looked up at him with a coaxing smile, “Great-grandpa~”

With An An’s sweet gesture, the old master instantly forgot his earlier sadness.

Lu Jinqiao stepped forward, picked An An up, and looked at the old master. “Grandpa, what brings you here?”

The old master put on a stern face and snorted heavily. “Why, can’t I come? Do you dare not welcome me? If I didn’t come, who knows how you’ve been hiding such a good child like An An from me.”

The old master spoke with a sarcastic tone, growing increasingly displeased with Lu Jinqiao. How could he have such an irresponsible grandson! Always guarding against him! So infuriating!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He took An An from Lu Jinqiao’s arms and sat down on the sofa, turning his back to Lu Jinqiao in a fit of anger that was palpable even from behind.

Lu Jinqiao helplessly rubbed his forehead.

The reason for hiding An An was exactly this.

Sure enough, once he found out, he started to get angry.

Having one child at home was already troublesome enough, and now there was an even more childish old child—harder to deal with, truly a headache.

“Grandpa, are you hungry? It’s time to eat. Even if you’re not hungry, An An must be.”

An An looked around and then hugged her little belly, saying, “Great-grandpa, An An is hungry~”

As soon as the old master heard An An was hungry, he immediately stopped arguing with Lu Jinqiao and hurried to prepare the meal. No way would he let his precious child go hungry.

During the meal, Lu Jinqiao experienced for the first time what it meant to be caught in a “battle of wits,” even while eating—his grandpa was guarding against him.

Whenever Lu Jinqiao tried to feed An An something, the old master would scrutinize it and find one or two faults before switching to feed her himself.

When Lu Jinqiao offered a bite of bok choy, the old master scoffed: “Hmph, this vegetable clearly isn’t good. Look at it—white, with no green at all. Obviously not nutritious.”

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“Come here, good An An. Eat what great-grandpa picked for you. Look at all this green, so fresh and vibrant—it’s uplifting just to look at it.”

An An ate obediently.

From then on, Lu Jinqiao didn’t get to feed her a single bite; the old master took over completely.

The old master said, “Tsk, you can’t even feed her properly. I don’t know how you’re doing as a father. Better let An An come live with me. If she’s with me, I’ll take good care of her. What do you think?”

Lu Jinqiao sneered. “Oh, no more pretending? Your true intentions are showing. Before, when I said I’d stay at the old house with you for a while, you guarded it so fiercely you nearly pointed a cannon at me. And now, huh.”

Mentioning the past made Lu Jinqiao angry.

Last year, around mid-year, Lu Jinqiao mentioned he’d go back to the old house to keep the old master company so he wouldn’t feel lonely.

But when the old master heard that, the estate’s security system was completely upgraded, patrols doubled, and as soon as Lu Jinqiao set foot on the grounds, the infrared alarm went off and he was sent straight to the police station.

Although it was later proven they were family and he was released, Lu Jinqiao would remember that forever! Who treats their own grandson like that? Who else has a grandpa that sends them to jail just for wanting to keep him company?

If he hadn’t worried about the old master feeling lonely or neglected, why would he have gone through all that trouble?

Hearing this, the old master felt a bit guilty.

“Well, could I let you come? If you come, you’d just nag me. Who else forbids their grandpa from eating, drinking, or playing on his phone? Tell me, tell me!”

Originally, Lu Jinqiao had planned to just go without saying a word, but the old master insisted on provoking him.

“Fine, if you want to argue, then let’s have it out.”

The two argued while still remembering to feed An An.

An An chewed diligently, her big eyes darting around as she listened to their “banter.”

“If I hadn’t once accidentally stayed at the old house and discovered this, how long were you planning to keep it from me, huh?”

“Drinking milk tea? Huh? Three cups a day, all large, all full sugar, with extra toppings. You think it’s porridge? Huh? And staying up late—have you ever seen someone your age who stays up until one or two in the morning, sometimes even all night? Huh? And playing on your phone.”

“Playing on the phone itself isn’t a big deal, right? But you? Twenty-four hours a day, you might as well have twenty-five hours glued to your screen.”

“When Grandpa Yin and the others asked you to come out and play, did you go? No, because you were on your phone. Then you turn around and say no one wants to hang out with you.”

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Lu Jinqiao listed each one of these points to the old master.

The old master began to doubt himself.

“Am I really that bad?”

Lu Jinqiao: “Yes!”

His tone was resolute.

The old master retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Then he realized that Lu Jinqiao’s long list was just to prevent him from taking An An away. He probably wasn’t as terrible as described.

Besides, if he wasn’t taking her, then he could stay. After all, no one said he couldn’t.

Seeing the old master’s expression, Lu Jinqiao knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Don’t even think about it. Unless you fix your bad habits, I won’t let you stay. If you don’t change, I’ll pack you up and send you back. You don’t need our company—you’re fine on your own.”

“You never take your health seriously, but I can’t let you spoil An An or let her pick up your bad habits.”

“When you stop drinking milk tea with full sugar and all the toppings, and quit staying up late, then I’ll agree to let you live here.”

The old master’s lips quivered. “Well, I’m not always that... you know?”

Lu Jinqiao: “Hmm?”

The old master bit his teeth and closed his eyes. “Fine! I’ll change, okay? It’s just staying up late—I'll stop.”

Lu Jinqiao: “What about the milk tea?”

The old master hesitated. “...Well, you know, I’ve never really had milk tea since I was a kid...”

Lu Jinqiao: “So?”