007, keep your distance from him! _1

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The man was nearly one meter ninety tall, with an oppressive presence that forced Jiang Xi to look up at him.

The slanted rays of sunlight fell upon the man's handsome and resolute face, his features as defined as if etched into a painting, exuding an otherworldly coldness that seemed detached from the mundane world. Around his wrist was a string of sandalwood Buddha beads, sacred and pure.

Jiang Xi furrowed her brows slightly, feeling as if she had seen him somewhere before.

By her ear, Teacher Tiantian tried to suppress her excitement as she exclaimed, "Wow, Father Jiabao is so handsome!"

Jiang Xi came to her senses and, seeing the man's face which resembled the beautiful and noble-looking child standing by the wall, she guessed the man's identity.

With such a good-looking dad, it's no wonder he had such a good-looking kid.

Then looking at her own Jiang Doudou, who neither stood nor sat with any grace, she wished she could shove him back into his mother's belly for a do-over.

This just goes to show that comparisons are odious!

Jiang Xi put away her disdain for Jiang Doudou and, with the same enthusiasm and attentiveness she reserved for clients, she said to Rong Nian, "Father Jiabao, I'm sorry, my Doudou is ignorant. Look at how he scratched Jiabao's face. With a face as handsome as his, what to do now that it's been marred? Should we take him to the hospital to have a look?"

"Flattery," Jiang Doudou mumbled, turning his chubby little round face to one side, unable to bear witness to Jiang Xi's foolish attempts at ingratiating herself.

Jiang Xi barely suppressed the urge to twist his ear as a reprimand. The little brat was itching for a spanking; she would deal with him when they got home!

Rong Nian's gaze swept over the wine-stain on Jiang Xi's trouser leg and landed on his nephew Rong Jiabao's little face, thinking to himself that the bruise would disappear before it caught another glance.

"It's just a small bruise, no worries."

Rong Jiabao: "..."

You really are quite the uncle to me!

Jiang Xi had braced herself for potential difficulties from the child's parent but was pleasantly surprised by his easygoing demeanor. People who are good-looking seem to have good temperaments too.

Her smile became even more sincere, "I think it looks quite serious. Are you sure you don't want to take him to the hospital for an x-ray or something?"

"…There's no need to go through all that trouble," Rong Nian said, looking over at Jiang Doudou indifferently.

The little tyke, not as tall as his thigh, had a loose-fitting T-shirt hanging on his frame, paired with stylish cargo pants, and high-top sneakers on his feet. His mushroom-like hair was slightly curly, and the tuft sticking up was just as unruly as he was.

Feature-wise, he did bear some resemblance to Jiang Xi.

Is this Jiang Xi and that Gu what's-his-name's son?

Rong Nian's eyes narrowed slightly as if considering something.

Jiang Doudou had grown up without a father, spoiled by his mother until the age of four. He appeared unruly, yet he was extremely sensitive. He could feel Rong Nian sizing him up.

This good-looking uncle with a cold and indifferent demeanor didn't seem to like him very much.

"Mom, I'm hungry, let's hurry home," Jiang Doudou took the initiative to pull Jiang Xi's hand, trying to drag her out of the office.

Jiang Xi was so frustrated she nearly fell backward. Being pulled along by him, she scolded, "Mom what? Jiang Doudou, are you asking for a smack? If you dare to call me that again, do you believe I'll knock your block off?"

"I know, I know, I can't call you Mom in public; I have to call you Sister," Jiang Doudou said in a tone that suggested he was humorously resigned to the situation, tugging Jiang Xi along.

Worried about stepping on him, Jiang Xi walked alongside him while turning back to shout at Rong Nian, "Father Jiabao, if Jiabao has any issues, remember to contact me. I'll definitely take responsibility."

Jiang Doudou pulled Jiang Xi along very quickly, as if they were being chased by a ghost.

Rong Nian watched as the two of them vanished through the doorway and then withdrew his gaze to see the female teacher before him looking at him with a nervous expression.

"Father Jiabao, since Jiabao was injured, our kindergarten also has a responsibility. How about we exchange WeChat contacts so you can reach me if there's any issue later on?"

Rong Nian glanced at his nephew and said indifferently, "I'm not his dad, I'm his uncle."

Rong Nian had just taken office today and already caused quite a stir when a call from his second brother dragged him into this emergency situation.

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Rong Nian's second brother, Rong Hechuan, worked at a government agency and was often featured on the evening news. Upon hearing that his son had gotten into a fight at school, and due to his special status, he couldn't conveniently show his face at the kindergarten. Thus, he had no choice but to ask Rong Nian to make the trip.

Rong Hechuan also took the opportunity to have Rong Nian give Rong Jiabao a stern talking-to, telling him if he lost another fight, he wouldn't be allowed through the Rong Family's gates again. He found the whole thing embarrassingly disgraceful!

Rong Nian apologized to the female teacher and, taking along Rong Jiabao, left the kindergarten and headed for the parking lot to retrieve his car.

In the parking lot.

Jiang Xi lifted Jiang Doudou onto the back seat, buckling him into the child safety seat while talking to someone on the phone, sandwiched between her face and shoulder.

"What's up, Jiabao?"

Qin Jiu noticed her voice was still quite cheerful. Thinking of the "declaration of a break-up" that had gone viral in the Moments, she cautiously ventured, "Xi Xi, how come I heard you are looking for a '82 Lafite?"

"It's a long story, Jiujiu. Do you have a '82 Lafite at home? I need to borrow a bottle for an emergency." Jiang Xi didn't want to bad-mouth Gu Bichen in front of Jiang Doudou, fearing he would go back and tell his grandmother.

And despite Jiang Doudou's young age, he was incredibly cunning, with probably eight hundred tricks up his sleeve.

Qin Jiu: "… My family has '82 Moutai, do you want that?"

"The '82 Moutai is even more precious than the '82 Lafite. It's all right, I'll think of something else." Jiang Xi closed the car door and turned around to find Rong Nian and Rong Jiabao standing not far behind her.

Rong Nian stood beside a black SUV, his gaze settling on her.

His eyes were profound, serene, yet provoked deep thought.

In the moment their eyes met, Jiang Xi's heartbeat skipped a beat, as if she were about to be drawn into those reserved yet sharp black eyes. Even from a distance, she could barely withstand the intense emotion hidden within them.

Jiang Xi ended the call, got into her car, and drove away.

As she passed Rong Nian, she tapped on the brake, stuck her head out the window, and her gaze swept over Rong Jiabao's face before scanning Rong Nian.

"Father Jiabao, why don't we add each other on WeChat so you can contact me in time if there's anything regarding Jiabao?" Jiang Xi showed her WeChat QR code.

Rong Nian looked down. His vision was excellent, and he spotted the tiny avatar above the QR code—a boy and a girl with their heads close together.

The girl must be Jiang Xi, youthful and unripe, with a touch of innocence and confusion.

He pursed his thin lips, "I don't have WeChat."

Jiang Xi was extremely awkward, about to retract her phone, when she saw the man take out his phone and snap a photo of the QR code, saying indifferently, "I'll save it. I'll contact you if needed."

Jiang Xi looked at him in surprise.

The man had a lonely and frosty demeanor, his wrist adorned with sandalwood Buddha Beads, resembling a celibate monk detached from worldly desires—he indeed didn't seem like someone who would use social apps such as WeChat.

"Alright, then we're off. See you, Jiabao." Jiang Xi waved to the father and son, stepped on the gas, and left the parking lot.

In the car, Jiang Doudou crossed his arms, sat cross-legged with puffed cheeks showing displeasure, "Jiang Xi, I don't like Rong Jiabao's father. Keep away from him."

Jiang Xi glanced at Jiang Doudou through the rearview mirror and retorted nonchalantly, "I don't like you either. Why don't you keep away from me?"

Jiang Doudou rolled his eyes, annoyed, "I say it because you're naive. I'm afraid you'll be deceived by those sweet-talking, good-looking men."

Jiang Xi knew that Jiang Doudou was always cheeky in front of her, showing not the slightest respect despite being 19 years her junior.

But his words still infuriated her.

"Jiang Doudou, how old are you? I've eaten more salt than the rice you've eaten. Are you in any position to teach me how to live?"

"Yeah," Jiang Doudou said lazily, kicking the back of the front seat, "You've eaten so much salt, it must have pickled your brain."

Jiang Xi was livid; the little brat kept kicking her seat back. She shouted angrily, "Jiang Doudou, take your feet off, and if you kick the seat back again, I'll kill you!"

Jiang Doudou kicked a few more times in defiance, and Jiang Xi was boiling with rage, "You're done for, Jiang Doudou!"