Chapter 6: Brother-in-law, Be My Boyfriend
Lu Li held Long Jing upside down by one of her delicate ankles, swinging her back and forth like the claw of a crane machine. “Still being disrespectful? Can you just kick your elder’s chin whenever you feel like it? Uncle Long has really spoiled you…!”
Long Jing wailed, calling out Silly Goose’s name, hoping her sister would come to the rescue. But what was Silly Goose’s attitude towards Lu Li? Women in love were the most foolish. Lu Li said one thing, and she naturally wouldn’t think of anything else. Her big eyes were fixed on Lu Li’s wrist, only worried about whether his arm was sore. After all, Long Jing was quite heavy.
Lu Li placed Long Jing on his lap like a piece of fine pork belly. His right hand became the butcher’s cleaver, and without a word, smack, he gave the pork belly a slap. The pork belly let out a mournful cry. “You can’t touch a girl’s butt! If you hit me again, I won’t be able to get married…”
“Are you a girl? I think you’re a little demon!” It had been three days since he last disciplined her, and she was already causing trouble. Spanking her was a last resort. He couldn’t hit her face, could he? What if he ruined such a cute little girl’s looks? Hitting her palms would hurt too much, and Lu Li didn’t have the heart. After thinking it over, spanking her bottom seemed like the best option. It served as a punishment without causing any serious long-term effects.
Long Jing was truly crying. This girl was quite mature for her age. She genuinely valued a girl’s chastity. Lu Li’s spanks filled her mind with the despair of never getting married, having to go on blind dates, and settling for some average guy.
“Brother-in-law, you pervert! You hit me during the New Year, and you’re hitting me again after the New Year! Waaah… I don’t want to live anymore…” The little girl cried heartbrokenly. “People at school hate me, people at home hate me, you all hate me! I hate you all—”
A child’s crying wasn’t always genuine sadness, but often a way to gain sympathy, especially for a child like Long Jing who had been spoiled since birth. Lu Li stopped spanking her and asked softly, “Does your bottom hurt a lot?” “It hurts!” As if validated, the girl cried even louder, tears streaming down her jade-like face. It doesn’t hurt that much, Lu Li thought, he hadn’t even used much force. But he softened his voice even more. “Brother-in-law was impulsive. I shouldn’t have hit a girl’s bottom. But you shouldn’t attack your elders either, okay?”
Lu Li, with his two lifetimes of experience, might not fully grasp the complexities of a girl’s heart, but he knew how to handle children. With kids like this, retreating to advance was far more effective than corporal punishment.
As expected, Long Jing’s crying gradually subsided. She sobbed and said okay, then leaned softly against Lu Li’s chest, wiping her tears. Silly Goose watched from the side, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Lu Li really knew how to handle Long Jing, taming her in just a few moves.
What’s the most important thing when dealing with children? Trust. Only when they trust you will they listen to what you say. Lu Li, with Long Jing in his arms, took out his phone and transferred 5,000 yuan to her WeChat account in two installments. Hearing the transfer notification sound, Long Jing’s tears gradually stopped.
“This is the performance fee brother-in-law promised you. I’ll transfer this amount to you every month until next year. How about that?”
Little Long Jing sniffled, the resentment from being spanked instantly forgotten. She smacked a kiss on Lu Li’s cheek and cried, “Brother-in-law, you’re so nice… Waaah…” The girl’s saliva covered his cheek. Lu Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he couldn’t wipe his face in front of her. After Long Jing calmed down a bit, he asked, “Little Long Jing, can you tell brother-in-law what happened at school now?”
Long Jing snuggled in Lu Li’s arms, nodded slightly, and whispered, “I’ll only tell you, brother-in-law. Sister isn’t allowed to listen.”
Silly Goose frowned slightly. “Why can’t I listen?”
“I won’t say it if sister is here.”
Lu Li nudged Silly Goose with his chin, signaling her to give them some privacy. Silly Goose, always obedient to Lu Li, reluctantly left the room and went downstairs to chat with her mother and Chen Jianing. After Silly Goose’s footsteps faded away, Long Jing said pitifully, “My classmates and teachers all exclude me. I don’t want to go to school anymore.”
Exclusion… Lu Li had expected this. The only thing that could make a little girl refuse to go to school, even resorting to a hunger strike, was likely a problem with her social interactions.
“They never include me in anything they do. They always argue with me when I talk. I have to walk to and from school alone every day… And they talk about me behind my back…”
“What do they say about you?”
“They say no one will ever want me, that I’m annoying.” Long Jing’s voice choked up again. “I told the teacher, but the teacher told me to stop tattling and learn to communicate better with my classmates. They’re clearly excluding me!”
No… Your teacher probably wasn’t excluding you. They might have genuinely meant well. Lu Li listened silently. Perhaps moved by Lu Li’s attentive listening, Long Jing opened up like a floodgate, pouring out all her experiences at school.
After listening patiently to the little girl’s woes, Lu Li let out a long breath. So that’s what happened… It was a bit more serious than he thought.
Long Jing was experiencing social isolation, a form of bullying.
On the surface, the reason seemed to be her unlikeable personality, her disrespectfulness, and her lack of manners. But Lu Li knew the deeper reason: her family background. Long Jing didn’t attend an elite private school, but a top public elementary school in the area. Although the quality of education was excellent, a student needed more than just academics. Long Jing’s family background was far superior to that of ordinary people. Often, people who were isolated weren’t necessarily lacking in merit, but simply different from the mainstream.
After Long Jing finished her rambling story, tears welled up in her eyes again. “Are you going to tell me to get along with my classmates too?” Her voice was soft, no longer like the little demon she usually was.
Lu Li kissed Long Jing’s forehead. “No. If they don’t like you, then let them be. They’re not important people anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it. Besides these few years in school, you might never see them again for the rest of your life. Is it really worth going on a hunger strike or dropping out of school because of them? If you really do that, they’ll just use it as gossip fodder and make fun of you for years to come.” Lu Li’s words were persuasive, and Little Long Jing nodded blankly.
Long Jing had extraordinary singing talent; she was a unique genius. Lu Li didn’t want a true talent to dull her edges and blend into the crowd. He always believed that mutual understanding between people was impossible, that barriers were an eternal theme in human relationships. Being true to oneself was the most important thing in life.
Lu Li ruffled the little demon’s head, unsure if she truly understood. Vanity, pride, greed. Give up one of these, and you could live a carefree life. Give up two, and there would be no more sorrow in the world. But if you gave up all three… would you still be human?
Long Jing listened, seemingly understanding yet not fully grasping. When Lu Li finished, she said blankly, “Brother-in-law, be my boyfriend, then they won’t think no one will want me in the future.”
Lu Li almost choked. After all that talking, this brat hadn’t listened to a single word!
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