Chapter 136: Strict upbringing

Liao Xiaoying looked at her embarrassedly. "Sister Mianmian, I'm not picky. Just order whatever you want. Don't be so polite."

Su Mianmian nodded. She was a very obedient child. Even though she did not know what her father had done to offend Lu Xiangdong, she still felt bad for this child.

"You can watch TV to pass the time." She gave the remote control to Liao Xiaoying.

She shook her head at Su Mianmian. "I don't really watch TV. Do you have any books here? I want to read."

"Why don't you watch TV?" Su Mianmian began to wonder if this child lived in a strict household.

Liao Xiaoying touched her face in embarrassment. "My father said that watching TV affects my studies, so I formed the habit of not watching TV. I read whenever I have time."

She finally understood why this child seemed to be so uncomfortable. She has a strict family.

"There are books in the study upstairs. What books do you need? " She led Liao Xiaoying upstairs. "There are many types of books in there. Go in and pick a few."

She nodded happily and then carefully stepped into the room.

Su Mianmian stood outside the door waiting for her. She rarely came into the study, and so there were only a few of her novels inside.

"Sister Mianmian, whose novel is this?" She raised the book in her hand and turned her head.

...

"That's what I bought to pass the time. You can pick another book to read. The novel doesn't suit you."

She nodded and put the book back in its original place. She only read the novel that the girl sitting next to her desk read every day. When the teacher was busy, she would secretly hide the novel under her desk and read it. She was curious. Was the novel any good?

"What are you doing?" Lu Xiangdong stood at the door in his bathrobe and looked at the two of them.

Liao Xiaoying hurriedly raised the book in her hand and chuckled. "I'm bored. I want to come in and look for a few books to read."

Lu Xiangdong's eyes flickered mysteriously. He smiled and said, "We're going to eat soon. We'll read them after we eat."

Su Mianmian came up to him and asked, "Why are you ruining other people's fun?"

"Those books are not suitable for her to read." He was telling the truth; not even he could understand some of the books.

"You can't say that to her." She looked at him.

"That's why I've told her to read them after dinner. After dinner, bring her to her room to rest." He had already made all the arrangements.

Su Mianmian smiled. "Yingying, let's go downstairs and have a chat. The servants cook quite fast, and you won't be able to finish reading."

She put the books back and turned around to walk over. "Okay, I'm very tired now, and I don't want to read."

Su Mianmian held her arm and led her downstairs.

Lu Xiangdong went to blow dry his hair.

This was the first time Liao Xiaoying had eaten with so many people. Her father was usually very busy and rarely accompanied her to eat. Every time she went home, she would sit at the table and eat alone. Sometimes, at one or two in the morning, her father would come home drunk. It had been a long time since she had felt so happy.

Su Mianmian got food for her, and Lu Xiangdong asked if she wanted a coke. They treated her like their own family.

She would nod when she wanted something, and occasionally look up to smile at the two of them before lowering her head to eat. She ate very slowly and elegantly, on par with Lu Xiangdong. However, Su Mianmian ate very quickly.

"Do you usually eat so elegantly?" Su Mianmian asked. What kind of family did she grow up in? She acted so reserved.

"Yes. Father said that girls who eat rudely are ugly. He gets angry easily. I've been afraid of him since I was young. I take his words as an order. After so many years, I'm already used to it." Thinking of this made her feel unhappy. She gently put down her chopsticks and lowered her head.

Lu Xiangdong stopped chewing his food. He didn't expect Liao Xing to treat his only daughter so harshly.

"Yingying, don't think about those unhappy things. Eat more." Lu Xiangdong picked up a chicken leg for her and placed it in her bowl. She picked up her chopsticks again and ate.

Su Mianmian glanced at Lu Xiangdong, and Lu Xiangdong looked back at her at the same time.

After eating, Liao Xiaoying was arranged to stay in the room next to theirs. The servants carried in some water for her to clean her feet and face with. She sat on the bed and washed herself, before obediently laying down to rest.

She had always slept early and was not used to staying up so late, so she fell asleep as soon as she touched the blanket.

The light in the room next door was still on. Su Mianmian stood beside the bed and tidied up the blanket.

Lu Xiangdong hugged her from behind and kissed her neck. She pushed him away and asked with a troubled expression, "Whose daughter is she? I think she looks quite pitiful."

He actually had the same thoughts as her.

"She is Liao Xing's daughter. Liao Xing is about forty years old and has been divorced twice. This girl was born from his second wife." He lay on the bed with his hands behind his head.

"Oh? Single family? What happened between her father and you?"

He originally did not want her to know about this. After all, it was not a good thing to learn about, especially considering it regarded Qi Chuyan. He was afraid that she would think too much of it. He tried to speak casually. "Liao Xing pestered an employee of the NEPC International Airlines. As the president of the company, I can't just sit by and do nothing about this kind of thing that will damage the company's image."

Su Mianmian clicked her tongue and rubbed against his chest. She patted his face and said, "I didn't expect our CEO Lu to be so responsible. Who is this employee?"

...

Lu Xiangdong grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You know the employee."

"Oh? I know her? It can't be." She uneasily drew circles on his chest.

"It's Chuyan." He knew that Su Mianmian was very smart and the truth could not be hidden from her.

Su Mianmian immediately withdrew her hand and looked unhappy.

"Are you angry? Chuyan is my sister after all. She was bullied. As her older brother, I can't do things without caring. Don't you agree?" He turned her body to face him.

Su Mianmian sat on the bed and tidied up her pajamas. "What does this have to do with me? It's your business who you want to save. Don't ask me."

She said she wasn't angry, but this was clearly a lie.

"Liao Xing has taken a liking to Chuyan. He's already been divorced twice and has a child that's already getting older. Chuyan would be a flower stuck in cow dung if she followed him.'' He tried to explain to her, but the more he explained, the darker her expression turned. It sounded like he cared about Qi Chuyan.

Su Mianmian did not want to hear about Qi Chuyan's matter. She yawned in front of him. "I'm sleepy. Me and the child in my belly should rest. Go to sleep."

"Su Mianmian." He had not even finished speaking. How could she ignore him like that?

"You want your son to be born prematurely? Are you going to let me sleep?"

He quickly surrendered. "Okay, I won't disturb your rest. Go to sleep. Don't meddle in this matter. Rest assured and take care of your baby."

Su Mianmian lay down. She was in a very bad mood. What did she mean by not meddling in this matter? If she was not allowed to meddle, why would he bring Liao Xing's daughter home? Since he had already brought her home, how could she just sit by and do nothing?

He hugged her from behind and sighed softly. "Sleep. Don't think about all this nonsense. I won't do anything that will let you down."

She nestled in his arms and silently closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.

Early in the morning, Su Mianmian saw Liao Xiaoying by the swimming pool feeding the dog. She was not afraid of the mastiff. It had to be said that Liao Xing's daughter was a little unusual.

"Morning, Yingying." She stood in front of Liao Xiaoying and waved at the mastiff. The mastiff wagged its tail and walked towards Su Mianmian with an adoring expression.

Su Mianmian stroked the mastiff's head. "You like dogs too?"

"Yes, yes. I have one at home too. It's even bigger than it." Liao Xiaoying smiled and gestured.

Su Mianmian retracted her gaze and curled the corners of her lips.

"Your father doesn't care about you?"

She nodded. "Now that I've grown up, he trusts me more, so he doesn't discipline me as much. He's allergic to dogs and doesn't like to have dogs at home, so I asked my servants to send the dogs away to be kept."

Su Mianmian stood up and handed her the dog leash. "Go play. It's a rare day off, so I can bring the mastiff around. If you're not familiar with the surrounding roads, I can ask the servants to follow."

She excitedly took the dog leash. "Sister Mianmian, can you accompany me out to play? I don't really like strangers."

By asking her to play, Su Mianmian had been established as no longer a stranger to Liao Xiaoying. Su Mianmian walked over, patted her shoulder, and asked with a smile, "Where do you want to go? Maybe I can drive you there."

"Really? Sister Mianmian, you're too kind. You're even better to me than my father. I really want to stay here forever." Su Mianmian dismissed this. Children are naive, they say whatever comes to their minds.

"I didn't expect you to be so sweet. But you have to understand that no matter how bad your father is to you, he's still your father. You can tell me this. Don't say such things in front of your father. If he hears it, he'll definitely be angry again." She patted her head and told her to wait outside with the mastiff. She went to the garage to drive.

"Okay, I will wait for you outside." She held the mastiff and waved at Su Mianmian.