The Billionaire's Mischievous Sweetheart-Chapter 436 - 433: Turning Mom into Stone

"Mom still provides for your education, your learning, your food, your clothes, and your shelter, and now you want to turn your mother into stone? You really are just too heartless!" Hua Xiaomo exclaimed, her voice laced with anger. "Mom is really angry, really heartbroken, do you understand? Don’t you ever talk like that again! It really hurts Mom a lot." She hadn’t expected her daughter to say such a thing; it truly infuriated her.

Qi Longbing chuckled and tried to smooth things over. "Hey, hey, no more of this, alright? Can we all just say a little less? Candy, you say a bit less, and Xiao Mo, you too. No matter what, you two are mother and daughter, right? Any issues between mothers and daughters should be resolved quickly; it’s not like you have any real grievances with each other, do you?"

"Hmm?" Qi Longbing mused with a smile. "Let me think... should we go back for dinner now? Or should we eat out? How about today we let our Little Candy choose a place, and Uncle will take you for a big meal, okay?" At that moment, he felt as though he were the man of the house, responsible for taking good care of the two ladies beside him.

"Yes, yes, Uncle! Can I go for barbecue? I want to go eat now!" Candy’s eyes lit up as she looked at Qi Longbing.

This uncle is just too great; he agrees to everything! Candy thought, her heart soaring. He always feels just like my dad. Wow, this intuition is really strong! I wonder if I can call this uncle ’Dad’? But then, Brother Zi Yunsui is also really nice. It’s just too bad Mom won’t let me have two dads. What should I do? I need to think carefully about whom to choose as my dad.

"Oh, sure, let’s go for barbecue now," Qi Longbing said, then looked at Hua Xiaomo. "Xiao Mo, just drive to a nearby barbecue place. We’ll take Little Candy to have some barbecue."

Hua Xiaomo frowned. She hadn’t expected him to actually agree to barbecue. How can we eat such casual junk food when it’s time for a proper meal? she thought.

"Um, Qi Longbing, shouldn’t we go for a proper meal instead?" Hua Xiaomo objected. "She’s so thin right now; she should be getting more nutrition. Let’s wait a while before having barbecue."

Her brow furrowed slightly. Candy should eat proper food, not all this barbecue and snacks, she mused. These aren’t good for children. Eating them will only make her pickier and pickier. What will I do if she refuses to eat proper meals later on?

"No, no, Mom, Mom, I just want to go for barbecue!" Candy pleaded. "All my classmates have had it, but I haven’t! I want to go! I want to eat it! I also want to eat that Korean barbecue! Yes, that’s it, Korean barbecue! It’s delicious! If you try it, Mom, you’ll find it delicious too. Maybe next time you’ll even want to take Little Candy to eat it again, okay?"

Then she turned to Qi Longbing, her dark eyes shining brightly. "Handsome Uncle, isn’t that right, huh? Uncle, please take me! Uncle, please persuade Mom, can you? Let Mom drive us both to eat. Wouldn’t that be great?"

Qi Longbing said, his stunningly handsome face wreathed in smiles, "Alright, Xiao Mo, let’s go have that Korean BBQ. I’ve been wanting to try it too. I didn’t eat much earlier, so it’s the perfect time for a bit more."

Hua Xiaomo’s amber eyes glinted with an unreadable light. Without saying a word, she watched Qi Longbing doting on Little Candy. He’s spoiling her rotten, practically treating her like royalty. This child is really going to become a little princess.

Especially within the Qi Imperial Court Clan, she’d truly become ungovernable. But the more that’s the case, the less she should be indulged. A child should act like a child, not be spoiled like a little princess. Otherwise, it’ll be a disaster when she grows up.

"Alright, fine," Hua Xiaomo relented, looking at Little Candy. "This time, Mom agrees to let you eat it, just this once. But don’t expect it to happen again, okay? Next time, you have to listen to Mom about what to eat, because Mom is the one who gives Little Candy the most nutritious food. Do you understand, Candy? In the future, Little Candy needs to be good, obedient, and listen to what Mom and Dad say. And you also have to study hard, alright?" For the moment, her little daughter was quiet and compliant.

"Okay, okay, Mom, I know! Hurry up and take me to the BBQ!" Candy chirped. "I really want to have BBQ! The thought of it makes my mouth water. Oh, and I even dreamed I was eating BBQ last night!"

Then she turned to Qi Longbing, her expression even more earnest. "Uncle, Uncle, let me tell you, that Korean BBQ is *really* delicious! All my classmates say it’s good. This time, let Mom take both of us. Next time, if Mom is busy, can you take just me?"

A smile spread across Qi Longbing’s strikingly handsome face, and he laughed, his eyes crinkling. This little one really knows how to build connections at the right moment, he thought. She’s definitely got a knack for business.

Qi Longbing chuckled, his deep, fathomless eyes twinkling with amusement. "Alright, if your mom is busy next time, my Little Candy can just hang out with Uncle. Remember Uncle’s phone number, okay? I’ll tell you in a bit. In the future, wherever you want to go to eat or play, or whatever toy you want to buy, just tell Uncle, and I’ll have it couriered over to you right away."

"Ah, a courier? Why send a courier?" Candy tilted her head. "Toys can be couriered, I guess, but how can you courier food? And fun experiences can’t be couriered either, can they? Uncle, you have to keep me company! I don’t want a ’couriered Uncle’ to keep me company; I like the Handsome Uncle! Uncle, Uncle, I like *you*! You have to accompany me tomorrow. When Mom and I go to the zoo, you have to come too. And when Mom and I go to the movies, you have to come! You have to promise! You can’t go back on your word."

"Adults don’t go back on their word," Little Candy continued, looking at Qi Longbing with a mischievous smile. "Once an adult breaks a promise, they lose their popularity, you know? If you lose your popularity, kids won’t like you anymore. If that happens, it’s no fun, is it, Uncle?"

Qi Longbing and Hua Xiaomo exchanged smiles upon hearing this. It seemed there was no choice; today’s children were indeed like little adults, speaking with such articulate reasoning. Now Candy was even talking about popularity and how well-liked one was by kids. Well, I, as an adult, would never break a promise to a child, Hua Xiaomo thought. It appeared that simple tricks would no longer suffice to coax or deceive the children of today.