Fang Ruo had been thinking about the two children recently and would visit the hotel whenever she had time.
It wasn't until the afternoon, when she was preparing to leave, that she saw Shen Qingqing taking several children out. Not only her two grandsons, but also a little girl she didn't recognize.
She watched for a while and realized the child was blind, immediately feeling disgusted and stopping her gaze.
Shen Qingqing was worried the children would be bored, so she decided to take them out for a stroll and clear her own head. Once on the street, she led them to a children's clothing store.
The store had two floors, filled with children's clothing of various styles.
Seeing the cameras in the store, Shen Qingqing let the children choose for themselves. They were to bring their selections to her for fitting. She sat on a sofa, watching the children run around.
Watching their joyful demeanor, she felt happy too.
Before long, Shen Jinxi came pattering back, "Mommy, I want to go upstairs and look."
Shen Qingqing took the children upstairs. The clothes there were even more plentiful, and naturally, more expensive. However, except for Xingyao, the other two children had never worried about money and didn't care if things were a bit pricey.
As for Xingyao...
She couldn't see and didn't care at all.
Shen Qingqing's phone rang. She glanced at it; it was Lin Mo calling. The store was crowded and noisy, making it difficult to hear. She excused herself to Shen Jinxi and went to the restroom to take the call.
"Chenchen!"
As the children were browsing, they suddenly heard a woman's voice. Shen Jinxi looked up alertly and saw that disliked old woman approaching.
His eyes rolled, "Grandma, why are you here?"
Fang Ruo's heart melted at the address, "You must be Xixi, right? Jing Shu mentioned your name. Your personality is so different from your brother's, so likable."
She felt something was off and glanced at Chenchen, quickly backtracking.
"I didn't mean your brother isn't likable, just that you two have your own merits and are both adorable."
Her flattery and praise did not earn a glance from Chenchen. He remained immersed in his own world, as he always was when facing anyone other than his Mommy, Daddy, or siblings.
Fang Ruo glanced at the restroom; Shen Qingqing hadn't come out yet. She said softly, "Chenchen, Xixi, how about I treat you to some cola? We can have ice cream."
Shen Jinxi found the old woman a bit strange. Was she really that kind?
"But Mommy told us to stay here and not wander off."
"Mommy is right, she's worried about you." Fang Ruo cursed Shen Qingqing inwardly, but her voice became even gentler. "But I'm not an outsider. I'm your grandmother, your Daddy's mother, meaning we're family."
Shen Jinxi glanced at Chenchen, who remained silent, indicating he would follow Shen Jinxi's lead.
He had to think carefully. This Fang Ruo must have ulterior motives, but he wanted to see what the old lady was up to. So, with a seemingly innocent expression, he agreed.
"Okay."
Fang Ruo reached out to take his hand, but Shen Jinxi dodged. He took Chenchen's hand, "I need to hold onto brother, otherwise Mommy will be angry if brother gets lost."
This child was quite obedient to Shen Qingqing.
Fang Ruo's heart felt a pang of sourness. "Alright, then you two must stick close to me, don't get lost."
"We won't!"
Shen Jinxi's adorable expression made Fang Ruo dote on him, but she knew the child didn't like her closeness. She suppressed the urge to hold his hand and her gaze flickered to Xingyao.
"Who is this child?"
"She's my sister." Shen Jinxi pulled Xingyao to his side, acting like a little gentleman as he cared for her. "Sister, this is Grandma, the grandmother of me and Brother Chenchen. You can call her Grandma too."
Xingyao's little lips moved. Fang Ruo immediately said, "No need, if the child doesn't want to, then so be it."
Shen Jinxi gave her a strange look. Who didn't want to? Sister was just about to speak. Clearly, this bad old woman didn't want her to!
He snorted and stopped at the top of the stairs.
"You don't like Sister, so I don't want to go with you."
Fang Ruo became anxious. "I don't dislike her, I'm just afraid of scaring her."
Xingyao said weakly, "You don't like me. I can feel it. Mommy says children shouldn't lie, and adults shouldn't lie either. Liars aren't good people."
"What do you know?!"
Fang Ruo's patience and gentleness towards Xingyao were nonexistent compared to how she treated Shen Jinxi and Chenchen. She was very stern.
Xingyao immediately fell silent, but became even more convinced that she wasn't a good person. She whispered to Shen Jinxi, "Brother, remember Mommy's words. Liars aren't good people, they'll deceive us."
"Child, why are you talking like this?"
Fang Ruo was flustered. After all, these children had been together for a while. She was truly worried that Shen Jinxi would listen to Xingyao, but her worries were soon realized.
Shen Jinxi indeed listened. He even pushed her slightly. "We're not going with you. We're going to find Mommy!"
Fang Ruo stumbled, nearly falling down the stairs. Still shaken, she saw Shen Jinxi pulling Chenchen and Xingyao and turning to leave without any hesitation.
She glared fiercely at Xingyao and hurried forward to stop them. "Don't go! Didn't you promise to have ice cream with me? If you leave now, you're breaking your promise! Is this how your Mommy taught you?"
She had no choice but to invoke Shen Qingqing's name.
Unfortunately, it was useless. Shen Jinxi said logically, "I suddenly remembered, I haven't said hello to Mommy yet. I need to let Mommy know where I'm going, otherwise, she'll worry."
The more he spoke, the more sense it made to him, and he refused to go with Fang Ruo.
Or perhaps, he had never intended to go in the first place, and was merely testing her. Seeing her attitude towards Xingyao, he didn't even want to give her that chance to test.
Fang Ruo gritted her teeth and directly scooped up Shen Jinxi and Chenchen, turning to walk downstairs.
Chenchen struggled expressionlessly, while Shen Jinxi loudly questioned, "What are you doing? Are you kidnapping us?"
This shout drew the attention of many onlookers. Fang Ruo's face, however, was stern. "Can we stop this? Just because Grandma didn't buy you the remote-controlled airplane you wanted, you're throwing a tantrum? Is this how a good child behaves?"
Hearing this, the crowd didn't find it unusual. There were many spoiled children these days.
"This is a parent scolding a child. I saw it just now; these children were about to go with her, but suddenly they refused. It's probably because of the toys."
The crowd shook their heads, losing interest.
Xingyao was frantic. Unable to see, she relied on sound to chase. Fortunately, she managed to catch up, grabbing Fang Ruo's hem before she went down the stairs.
"You can't go, Mommy hasn't come out yet!"
Fang Ruo lowered her voice and warned, "Let go, you'd better behave, otherwise..."
Xingyao refused to let go. "Let go of my brothers."
The restroom door seemed to be moving. Fang Ruo worried that Shen Qingqing would come out, making it impossible to take the children. So, with a cruel resolve, she slapped Xingyao.
The small child couldn't withstand the blow. She stumbled, her back of the head hitting the wall, causing her to feel dizzy and disoriented.