Slacker Second Gen C20

Chapter 20: School Tyrant 20

In the shallow water area, about half a person’s height, Yu Qian was sitting in a bright yellow duck-shaped children’s swimming ring. Her feet were swinging in the water like the webbed feet of a little duck. But her random movements did nothing; she and the swimming ring floated on the gentle sea surface, swaying with the breeze.

Zai Ye held onto her swimming ring to prevent her from being swept away by the current and carried far off.

He was skilled at sports, and swimming was no exception. With one hand gripping the child’s swimming ring, he paddled with the other, pulling her toward deeper water. Sometimes, he didn’t even need to use his hands—his legs alone could keep him balanced while his hands held onto the swimming ring.

Yu Qian felt like she was riding a sightseeing boat in the ocean, being dragged around in circles. She soon expressed her dislike for the troublesome swimming ring and wanted to get closer to the seawater.

Zai Ye returned her to the shallow water area and then lifted her out of the water.

Yu Qian sat on her father’s back, treating him like a new little boat.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!” Zai Ye was worried that the child would be swept off his back, but soon realized she was particularly excited, clapping her hands on his back.

Her claps must have reddened his back.

The child couldn’t maintain a sitting posture while he was swimming, and soon she lay down. Zai Ye tried his best to stay steady, paddling with his hands. During this, the curious two-year-old saw his armpit hair.

What adult male doesn’t have armpit hair? But for the child, it was the first time seeing it, since normally her father kept his clothes on when in front of her. But when swimming, he couldn’t keep himself fully covered, and this was the chance the child took. Having grabbed his hair many times, the little bundle of joy, in a moment of mischief, tugged at a few strands of his hair and yanked hard—

Caught off guard by the sharp pain from his daughter’s attack, Zai Ye stumbled, falling into the sea. With a muffled grunt, he floundered in the water, trying to retrieve the child, who had no idea what had happened and looked bewildered.

Zai Ye’s expression was somewhat twisted, like he had a toothache: “You…”

He looked at the child’s hand, still holding the evidence—his hair.

With a dark face, Zai Ye took the strands from her hand and lightly slapped her small fist: “Will you do it again next time?”

Yu Qian froze, opening her mouth to cry. Zai Ye quickly shook his head, splashing a faceful of water at her to interrupt her crying. He then slapped her hand again: “No grabbing, understand?”

Yu Qian opened her mouth again, about to cry. Zai Ye suddenly used his wrist to block her open mouth, stopping her from crying out with her string of whiny sobs.

After being interrupted twice, Yu Qian eyed him for a while and then gave up on using that method to express her dissatisfaction. She quickly changed her attitude, enthusiastically patting her father’s back and making a request: “Sit on the boat, Daddy swim with the boat.”

So, she got back on Zai Ye’s back for the second time. This time, Zai Ye occasionally turned back to check on her. Yu Qian didn’t try to play with his armpit or head hair anymore; she just bounced around on his back, her strong legs often unintentionally kicking him in the ribs.

After playing in the water and getting ashore, Zai Ye silently gritted his teeth: “Incredible, truly my good daughter, no next time.”

Yu Qian laughed happily: “Hahaha!”

From then on, Zai Ye left the child with her mother more often, heading to the sea to relax, while also “playing” with his ill-behaved half-brother.

Poor Lu Lang often encountered unexpected attacks in the sea. Sometimes, when swimming, he would suddenly feel something grab his foot under the water. Other times, while floundering in the water, he would be splashed by Zai Ye, who was swimming nearby, or be thrown off balance by a wave Zai Ye created, and would end up scared, either shouting for his dad or crying for his mom.

After seeing Zai Ye in the water, Lu Lang wouldn’t even go near it anymore. He ran to the house to seek comfort from his mom.

However, there was often an even more annoying person near his mom. She appeared harmless, but Lu Lang found her even scarier than Zai Ye.

Because in front of Yu Qian, he no longer had the privilege of being the youngest child in the family, and it seemed like she was naturally his nemesis. No matter what mischief he tried to cause, it was always him who ended up crying, receiving scolding and education from his mom.

Through repeated failed crying fits, Lu Lang came to one conclusion: his older brother and niece were both demons, and being near them would bring misfortune.

Because Lu Lang had quieted down, Zai Ye felt the rest of the holiday went pretty well.

Before the trip ended and they returned home, Wen Ling and Zai Ye had a conversation about the child’s schooling.

“I heard you often leave the child at Li Xiu’s Skyhigh Game Lounge when you go to school. You can’t keep doing that.”

“I had the nanny take care of her.”

Wen Ling was more concerned about the potential negative influence of the second-generation kids on her child without realizing it, but she couldn’t say that directly to Zai Ye, so she circled around: “Actually, Xiao Qian is old enough to go to kindergarten. Why not let her go early? It would be more convenient for you.”

Zai Ye frowned: “She’s only two. I’ve seen other kids, and they don’t go to kindergarten until they’re at least three.”

Wen Ling: “It’s not exactly that. I’ve seen Xiao Qian, and she has basic self-care abilities. Plus, she’s pretty smart and can express herself clearly. Some kindergartens do accept kids like her earlier. I’ve also looked into one near Lu Lang’s school. The teachers are very responsible. Xiao Qian would have teachers taking care of her and lots of other kids to play with, so you could rest easy while going to school.”

Zai Ye: “…I’ll think about it.”

He had thought many times about leaving the child with someone else to take care of, but when it came to not caring for her at all, something just felt wrong.

Wen Ling didn’t try to persuade him in a few words. She gave him the school information and told him to check it out when he had time.

“If you don’t like that kindergarten, you can check out others, but the child will need to go to school sooner or later.”

Zai Ye took it in. By the second half of the summer vacation, he had been looking at kindergartens everywhere.

He asked Li Xiu and others about it.

“What? Do any of our acquaintances run a kindergarten?”

“Who would open a kindergarten for fun? I do have a sister who teaches at university, would you like an introduction?”

“You’re looking for a kindergarten for Xiao Qian? I heard Lao Jing wasn’t happy with the current one and was thinking about opening a private kindergarten for his son, so he could keep it in the family. It sounds safer.” Li Xiu remembered his friend’s rambling and chuckled.

Zai Ye seriously asked, “Has he opened one yet? Where is it? I want to see it.”

Li Xiu was stunned: “His son isn’t even one yet. He was just talking; you took it seriously?”

The more Zai Ye thought about it, the better this idea seemed. He asked again, “He really hasn’t opened it?”

Li Xiu rolled his eyes and hung up.

In the end, Zai Ye had to admit that the kindergarten chosen by Wen Ling was the best.

Zai Ye, blending in with a group of parents all over thirty, toured the kindergarten. He didn’t speak much, just listened to the experienced parents asking questions to the teachers about things like the children’s daily education, their meals, the facilities in the park, and so on. He never imagined there would be so many things to consider.

He felt like a young penguin who had unknowingly gotten a chick but had no experience, clumsily following around the more mature parents, often falling behind.

After the other parents were satisfied, he decided to try sending Xiao Qian there.

Before he went to class, he first took Yu Qian to her new school to enroll her.

The cute little backpack and water bottle he bought were put to good use. Zai Ye held her hand and walked her to the school, where the enrollment went smoothly. The teacher took her from his hands.

Zai Ye worried she might be uncomfortable or cry, but in fact, the child didn’t react much. She only looked at him a couple of times, seeming used to being handed over to different people for care. When the teacher took her inside, she even waved back at him, as if to say goodbye. She was surprisingly well-behaved.

Zai Ye stood at the door with his hands in his pockets, watching for a while. Gradually, more parents dropped off their kids, and most of them were older than Yu Qian. Many were crying from the moment they realized they had to leave their parents, still sobbing even after the teacher comforted them. Only a few children didn’t cry—those were the ones whose parents were crying.

When Zai Ye heard sniffles nearby and saw a round-bellied, glasses-wearing father wiping his tears, he quickly sped up and left.

Really? The child was going to school, why was he crying?

Zai Ye then went to his own school to enroll himself.

The first day of the senior year had begun, but the classroom was still a mess. The teachers hadn’t arrived yet, and the students, knowing the coming year would be even worse, were making noise as if it were their last hurrah. When the subject teachers, the class teacher, and the head of the teaching department came and went, scolding, lecturing, and having heart-to-heart talks, the students finally quieted down.

Zai Ye was absent-minded the whole time, and the classmates beside him tried to talk to him, but he didn’t engage much.

His odd behavior hadn’t gone unnoticed. His group of younger brothers, who had been hanging out with him for two years, tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Some suggested it was because his parents had given him a sister, and he wasn’t happy. The fact that Zai Ye had a sister who looked a lot like him was already known by quite a few people, especially after the incident with the Taobao(chinese Amazon) dress. But even the classmates who knew about his family changes didn’t dare to ask much.

Most people thought that having more sisters couldn’t change Zai Ye so much. Their brother was definitely troubled by love.

What else, besides love, could make a cold and unruly school tyrant lose his mind?

The bell rang for the end of class, and Zai Ye suddenly stood up, ready to leave.

“Ye Bro, it’s only the second class. Are you leaving already? Skipping class on the first day of school? The class teacher will definitely come looking for you!”

Zai Ye casually said, “Help me ask for leave.”

His younger brother moaned, “Ye Bro, I can’t ask for leave!”

Zai Ye: “Then forget it.”

He left the school, heading straight to the kindergarten.

By this time, the parents had mostly left, and Zai Ye climbed a tree by the roadside to peer in. From that vantage point, he could see a large classroom through the window, where children were moving around inside.