<div> Chapter 23: Chapter 21 [Bagua!]
 Chapter Twenty-One
 Teasing School belle Sun was one of Chen Nuo’s favorite things to do since his rebirth.
 He couldn’t help it; the girl was just too naive. It would have been a waste not to tease her.
 For example, right now, School belle Sun was sitting on the sofa, cuddling Xiao Yezi as affectionately as she could be, gently kneading and pinching the little girl’s cheeks. Xiao Yezi obviously didn’t dare to resist, occasionally glancing at Chen Nuo with eyes pleading for help.
 "Chen Nuo, your sister is so adorable! AAAAAH!" School belle Sun’s girly heart was once again captivated by the cute creature before her. "Where did this sister of yours come from?" she gushed. "Did she fall from the sky?"
 Chen Nuo started to unpack the things he bought and replied casually, "She’s from my mom’s remarriage; we have the same mother but different fathers."
 School belle Sun paused for a moment, quickly quieted down, and cautiously sized up Chen Nuo. Seeing that he seemed unconcerned, she breathed a sigh of relief.
 "So, you brought her back to stay for a few days?"
 "No, she’s going to live with me from now on." Chen Nuo took out a few apples from the plastic bag and called out, "Ye Zi, go wash your hands."
 The little girl seized the opportunity to escape from School belle Sun’s clutches and dashed into the restroom.
 "Live with you?" School belle Sun was taken aback, approached Chen Nuo, and started to say, "You..."
 "Don’t ask. It’s complicated and can’t be explained in just a few words." Chen Nuo handed an apple to School belle Sun. "Help me wash this."
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
 </div> School belle Sun helped make dinner.
 School belle Sun washed the rice and cooked it. She opened a vacuum-packed bag of cured meat and also smashed a couple of cucumbers.
 Chen Nuo was frying beltfish.
 The beltfish, four fingers wide, had been thawed, washed, and cut into segments. Once the oil in the pan was hot, he used chopsticks to slide each piece along the edge of the pan into the oil.
 Amidst the SIZZLING sounds, the fish gradually turned golden brown.
 Two minutes later, he removed the fish from the pan, drained the oil, returned the fish to the pan, sprayed some soy sauce, added a bit of water, tossed in two spoonfuls of sugar, and cooked it over medium heat for a while.
 Before taking it out of the pan, he added two spoonfuls of vinegar.
 And that was a dish of sweet and sour beltfish.
 But regrettably... Chen Nuo burned it.
 Well, it was easy for him to dismantle a landmine with a ballpoint pen, but cooking... still needed more practice!
 As expected, School belle Sun teased him a few times about it, but Chen Nuo didn’t mind. He simply threw away the dish and picked up his phone to dial 400-8823-823.
 Well, in this day and age, there was no Meituan, and the only ones who could do a decent job with delivery service were KFC and McDonald’s.
 During dinner, School belle Sun still tried to pry into Xiao Yezi’s origins, but Chen Nuo deflected the questions in just a few words.
 "You’re not going home for dinner tonight. Won’t Old Sun ask about you?" Chen Nuo said with a smile. "If he knew you came here, he might have me sweeping the playground again."
 School belle Sun’s cheeks flushed, but a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes. "My dad and mom, they had a fight today."
 Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo, who was about to pick up some food with his chopsticks, paused for a moment and said nonchalantly, "It’s normal for a couple to fight."
 School belle Sun sighed. "They never used to fight, but lately, I don’t know what’s going on; they’re always arguing. My mom is always busy with work, and every time she comes back, she... well, I feel like my mom is always picking on my dad, always finding fault with this and that."
 Chen Nuo chuckled and regarded School belle Sun calmly. "Kids shouldn’t meddle in adult affairs."
 School belle Sun glared at Chen Nuo. "You sound so old-fashioned! My dad said the same thing. He gave me fifty yuan today and told me to go out with friends instead of staying at home."
 Chen Nuo nodded, then stretched out his hand, palm up, in front of School belle Sun.
 "What’s that supposed to mean?"
 "Living expenses! Didn’t your dad give you fifty? If you’re eating at my place, you should give me half, right?"
 The girl laughed and brushed away Chen Nuo’s hand; the melancholy between her brows seemed to dissipate.
 After dinner, Chen Nuo walked School belle Sun home, only returning after dropping her off outside the school dormitory area.
 When he got home, he saw Xiao Yezi asleep on the sofa, but the bowls, dishes, and plates left on the dining table had been tidied up.
 The dining table was wiped clean, the leftovers were in the fridge, and the dishes were washed and neatly laid out to dry next to the stove.
 Chen Nuo looked at Xiao Yezi sleeping, her eyelashes occasionally fluttering slightly.
 He sighed inwardly. The Gu Family was really inhuman!
 He walked over, gently picked up the child, carried her into the small bedroom, placed her on the bed, pulled up the blanket, and then turned on the heater beside the bed.
 Chen Nuo closed the door behind him and returned to the living room, sitting on the sofa in a daze.
 From now on, it would just be the two of them living their lives together.
 The days following the Spring Festival passed in relative tranquility. Apart from School belle Sun, no one else disturbed Chen Nuo.
 No student in his class was close to him. Whether it was the Chen Nuo before or after his rebirth, being a loner seemed to have become his trademark.
 The only difference was that he now had a little tag-along.
 There wasn’t much of a difference, really. The little girl was well-behaved, quiet, and never fussy. Wherever he went, she followed right behind Chen Nuo, never running off.
 The only regret was that he could no longer go to internet cafés or computer rooms to enjoy the only entertainment of that era.
 Those places were murky and smoggy, definitely not appropriate for bringing a five-year-old girl.
 Chen Nuo simply bought a computer and brought it home for his own enjoyment.
 Too lazy to fuss with configurations, he picked out a brand-name machine and brought home a Hasee.
 Yeah, he wasn’t buying Lenovo. Gross.
 There was no need to consider the cost-effectiveness of desktop computers, since it was all kindly sponsored by Mr. He Zhengzai, who sank to the bottom of the sea.
 In the last few days of the winter vacation, School belle Sun appeared less frequently, calling only a couple of times. Each conversation was brief, and she seemed to be in low spirits.
 In the end, she still made plans with Chen Nuo to go roller skating.
 There was a place in Jinling City called the Military Club. Inside it was the Great Wall Skating Rink, which was probably a distinctive and memorable landmark of that era.
 School belle Sun didn’t come alone; she brought along two of her female classmates. The three girls were immediately captivated by the adorable Xiao Yezi when they saw her accompanying Chen Nuo, chattering endlessly.
 Although Xiao Yezi was a bit shy, she had developed a fair amount of security by following Chen Nuo around in the past few days, so she wasn’t too scared. However, in crowded places, she habitually sought out Chen Nuo with her eyes.
 When buying tickets, School belle Sun pulled out discount coupons for the skating rink that she had cut out from the newspaper—another characteristic feature of that era.
 School belle Sun even paid for the tickets for Chen Nuo and his sister. In her mind, Chen Nuo was still the destitute child who relied on living expenses provided by the neighborhood committee.
 Chen Nuo had no intention of flaunting wealth in front of the girl, so he let her.
 Once she laced up her roller skates, School belle Sun took off like a wild dog off its leash. She clearly loved skating and was good at it too, zipping around the rink many times before returning. As she watched Chen Nuo slowly tie his shoelaces, she seemed to be looking forward to seeing him fall.
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 </div> However, she was destined to be disappointed.
 Chen Nuo stood up steadily and leisurely entered the skating rink, pulling Xiao Yezi along with him.
 He didn’t deliberately show off or anything. He just accompanied Xiao Yezi on the less crowded edges, helping the child slowly get accustomed. School belle Sun, after all, was more playful and ran off after a while.
 According to the usual plots in urban novels, this would be the moment when one or two oblivious thugs would appear, lusting after School belle Sun’s beauty and harassing her, only to be ruthlessly trampled and humiliated by the hidden Lord Yama.
 However, that didn’t happen.
 Where in the world would there be so many brain-dead thugs? If, in a public place, seeing a beautiful girl meant one could just harass her and recklessly provoke her male companion... what kind of chaos would society be in?
 Normal people aren’t that brainless, and it’s even rarer to see someone become so infatuated as to lose all restraint over a pretty girl, regardless of the time or place.
 School belle Sun’s two classmates were more curious about the relationship between Chen Nuo and School belle Sun.
 After all, the story of Chen Nuo clearing snow from the sports field had already spread throughout the school.
 A hero daring enough to pursue the dean’s daughter!
 And... looking at the situation, it seemed he had actually succeeded?
 After a fun afternoon of skating and casual chatting, Chen Nuo promised to treat the girls to McDonald’s.
 As the roller skating session ended, the group of young people laughed and joked as they changed out of their skates and left. Chen Nuo lagged behind, as he had to help Xiao Yezi untie her roller skate laces.
 When he came out, he saw the three girls standing by the roadside... and there was a man beside them.
 Chen Nuo’s expression shifted slightly.
 He saw that, a few steps away from the man, a small sedan was parked.
 A black Passat.
 Chen Nuo came out late; the conversation among them had already ended.
 The man was saying goodbye to School belle Sun.
 He was dressed in a black suit, no longer young—a rather handsome, older middle-aged man, with a certain air about his gestures.
 "Alright then, Miss Sun, I’ll take my leave. Hope to see you again sometime," the man said kindly to School belle Sun. Before leaving, he also praised, "You’ve grown up so much, and you’re getting more and more beautiful."
 As he turned to leave, his gaze met Chen Nuo’s as Chen Nuo walked over. He showed no particular reaction, directly got into the car, and drove away.
 School belle Sun stood there, looking somewhat lost, clutching a red envelope in her hand.
 It was thick.
 "You know him?" Chen Nuo asked nonchalantly.
 "Not really," School belle Sun shook her head. "He said he’s my mom’s colleague, happened to see me, and just greeted me. He even gave me a red envelope as lucky money for the New Year. I don’t even remember ever seeing him."
 Chen Nuo nodded and didn’t say anything.
 School belle Sun opened the red envelope and exclaimed, "Wow, so much!"
 In the envelope was a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills.
 At least a thousand.
 Chen Nuo smiled, glanced in the direction the Passat had disappeared, then looked away, feigning nonchalance. "Looks like you’ve struck it rich. You’re treating tonight."
 Three days before the end of winter break, Old Sun called Chen Nuo over to his house.
 Chen Nuo didn’t refuse and went over with Xiao Yezi, also stopping by the supermarket to buy two boxes of tea as a gift.
 Surprisingly, Old Sun was the only one home. Upon asking, Chen Nuo learned that School belle Sun had gone to her maternal grandmother’s house with her mother.
 Old Sun had Chen Nuo and his sister sit down, poured them water, peeled an orange for Xiao Yezi, turned on the TV to a cartoon channel, and then said to Chen Nuo, "Come with me for a moment."
 Xiao Yezi seemed uneasy, but Chen Nuo flashed her a smile, and the girl obediently sat still and watched TV.
 Out on the balcony with Old Sun, the older man lit a cigarette and frowned at Chen Nuo. "So, this is your little sister?"
 "Yeah," Chen Nuo nodded. He wasn’t surprised; after so many days, School belle Sun must have told Old Sun everything.
 "I called and asked Director Zhang. Wasn’t the child being raised by the Gu Family?" Old Sun frowned. "I heard from Keke that you told her the child is now living with you?"
 Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "The child wasn’t having a good life with the Gu Family."
 His tone was very serious, and Old Sun clearly caught the implication. "Not good?"
 "No."
 "Still... this matter can’t be handled so rashly. Raising a child is no small thing, and you’re not even fully grown yourself."
 "I can handle it," Chen Nuo said with a smile.
 What a joke. It was just a five-year-old girl.
 In his past life, hadn’t he personally rescued all those demons and monsters from around the world?
 He was experienced in this.
 "But it still can’t be done like this, can it? And the Gu Family, too—how could they just let you take the child back so casually? That’s not how things should be done!" Old Sun complained.
 If they hadn’t let him take her... well, if they hadn’t, there might really have been bloodshed that day.
 "Raising a child is a major responsibility, and... there are legal procedures to follow! At the very least... if you truly believe the Gu Family isn’t treating the child well, and you want to take her... you still need her parents’ permission." Old Sun pondered as he smoked. "I’ll call Director Zhang tomorrow, try to get in touch with your mother, and arrange a visit. We need her authorization... Hmm, I’m not familiar with this. I have an old classmate who’s a lawyer; I’ll consult him later."
 Chen Nuo understood Old Sun’s good intentions and said sincerely, "I really appreciate that, Old Sun. Thank you."
 <div style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;text-align:center">
 <div></div>
 </div> Old Sun waved his hand. "Those are minor things. But the problem is, how are you going to take care of this child?"
 "I’ll raise her. She won’t eat me out of house and home."
 "Nonsense!" Old Sun said sternly. "A five-year-old child needs constant supervision! You still have school; where will you find the time to look after a child?"
 "I can skip classes."
 "...Is that an appropriate thing to say in front of your homeroom teacher?"
 Chen Nuo chuckled.
 "I’ll ask around. The child must have a kindergarten she attends... Didn’t the Gu Family tell you? After the winter break ends, won’t the child need to go back to kindergarten?" Old Sun looked at Chen Nuo with some dissatisfaction. "You’re being too impulsive. Even if you want to raise her, you need to sort out many things first!"
 Kindergarten... Chen Nuo truly had no experience with such things.
 In his past life, when he was raising Firefly, there was no such thing as kindergarten. He would just provide a gun, a knife, a pack of military rations, and send Firefly into the mountains for wilderness survival training.
 "SIGH! Forget it, I’ll help you ask about these things," Old Sun glanced at Xiao Yezi sitting in the living room and sighed again. "The child really is pitiful. Alas, what a tragedy."
 Chen Nuo looked at Old Sun and couldn’t help asking, "Old Sun, have you and Aunt Yang been arguing lately?"
 "Did Keke complain to you?" Old Sun was a bit surprised, then waved his hand. "SIGH, it’s just some trifling household squabbles. What married couple doesn’t argue? It passes after the argument. Aunt Yang has been under a lot of work pressure recently, so I just yield to her a bit. You’re just a kid; why are you asking about this? Such Bagua!"</div>
 

<div style="margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0px;text-align:center">
 <div>
 
 </div>
</div>

Chapter 23 - 21 [Bagua!]

Chapter 23: Chapter 21 [Bagua!] Chapter Twenty-One Teasing School belle Sun was one of Chen Nuo’s favorite things to do since his rebirth. He couldn’t help it; the girl was just too naive. It would have been a waste not to tease her. For example, right now, School belle Sun was sitting on the sofa, cuddling Xiao Yezi as affectionately as she could be, gently kneading and pinching the little girl’s cheeks. Xiao Yezi obviously didn’t dare to resist, occasionally glancing at Chen Nuo with eyes...

Yama Reborn

Chapter 23 - 21 [Bagua!]

Yama Reborn - Chapter 23 - 21 [Bagua!]