Chapter 14: Learn Slowly, Don’t Force Yourself

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Learn Slowly, Don’t Force Yourself

From the extensive file Shu Yao had sent, Qin Shiwei distilled it all down to a single, short phrase:

The little guy: loves to play, loves to eat.

Combining this with a guide he found on the Star Network, he quickly formulated a targeted plan of attack. That very evening, he made a reservation at the hottest viral restaurant of the moment, a place called "The Universe Has No End."

The next day at noon, Shu Yao brought a reluctant Xiao Juzi to the restaurant.

Before the meal, she wiped her son’s hands with a wet wipe.

The little guy glared fiercely at the man across from him. But he realized the annoying man’s eyes were fixed on his mother!

He declared loudly, "Mom made me come! I didn’t want to!"

The man gave him a cool glance before quickly turning his attention back to Shu Yao.

It was as if to say, ’It doesn’t matter whether you’re here or not. I’m just glad your mother could make it.’

Xiao Juzi’s cheeks puffed out in anger.

A pair of hands reached over. They were truly beautiful hands—long, slender fingers with well-defined knuckles.

Shu Yao didn’t understand what Qin Shiwei meant at first, but Xiao Juzi did.

"Mom, don’t wipe them for him." He turned and snapped fiercely, "Do it yourself!"

Qin Shiwei asked, displeased, "Why can she do it for you, but not for me?"

"Because I’m Mom’s child!" Xiao Juzi said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You’re not!"

The man scoffed. "You can’t even do things for yourself. You’re not a very good boy."

Xiao Juzi was so mad he jumped to his feet and shot back, "I am the best boy! Mom, my grand-uncles, and Grandma all say so!"

Seeing that the father and son were having a relatively "friendly" chat, Shu Yao didn’t interrupt.

The man took the wet wipe she offered, and as he cleaned his hands, he tried to one-up the little guy opposite him. "When I was two, I could already eat all by myself."

Xiao Juzi’s competitive spirit was instantly ignited.

He sat back down and pushed his mother’s hand away. "Mom, I can do it myself!"

As it turned out, he couldn’t.

Fish was his favorite, but he was still so clumsy with chopsticks that he couldn’t pick out the bones.

Shu Yao placed a piece of fish, already deboned, onto the plate in front of him.

The little guy wagged his tail. "Thanks, Mom!"

Shu Yao gently admonished him, "Just learn slowly. There’s no need to show off."

Her words were directed at her son, but also at the man across from them.

After a bite of the fish, Xiao Juzi’s brow furrowed.

’The fish at this place isn’t as good as the fish from the banquet, but it’s way better than nutrient fluid.’

"What are the arrangements for school?" Qin Shiwei asked.

"Our son is still too young," Shu Yao said. "My eldest uncle has already contacted the best Beastman Nurture Center in the Imperial Empire. We can send Xiao Juzi there when the new semester begins in September."

It was only April.

Qin Shiwei looked at her. "I was talking about you."

’He wasn’t concerned about his son?’

Shu Yao felt a pang of disappointment.

Federation law required every citizen under the age of thirty to pursue higher education, barring special circumstances.

"Professor Shu has some connections at Imperial University. But knowing you, I doubt you’d want to rely on connections to get an acceptance letter."

Xiao Juzi’s ears perked up. "Mom has to go to school, too?"

Shu Yao gave a weary, wry smile. "It looks like it."

Qin Shiwei said, "You’ve fallen too far behind in your studies. I’ll make time to tutor you."

’So that’s what he was getting at!’

"Oh, I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that!" Shu Yao said with an obviously forced smile. "Wouldn’t it be too much trouble?"

Qin Shiwei was completely unruffled. "No."

Whether it was to dodge Shu Yao’s perceptive gaze, which seemed to see right through people, his line of sight drifted to the side, landing on the door.

Xiao Juzi’s ears twitched, and he also looked toward the door of their private room.

The door was closed.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.

"That’s right! The stench is coming from in here!"

The next second, the door to their private room was violently thrown open from the outside.