Forced Me to Regress, Huh?

Shen Qingning, sitting at the side, watched as Lin Lu raised her small hand and slightly slapped Cheng Zhu. She only thought, Are you two flirting?

But to be honest, she was genuinely curious about what Cheng Zhu had written on the paper.

Cheng Zhu turned to Lin Lu, who was standing behind him, and said, “How am I being shameless? Tell me, is this not a poem?

“Who said if it’s short, it can’t be a poem?” Cheng Zhu said self-righteously.

How could the matter of writing be called short?

It was concise!

Lin Lu was a college student after all. Although college students these days often represented ‘naive and foolish’, they still had the basic ability of artistic judgment.

Whether a poem was good or bad indeed depended on an individual’s perspective. Different people had different tastes.

But to say that it wasn’t a poem at all? That was definitely not the case.

The others, now curious, gathered around to see what Cheng Zhu had written.

When Shen Qingning read the first poem, Rain, she felt it exuded innocence and romance, with a sense of childlike wonder.

As for the second poem, Lamp, although it was only two short lines, it really impressed her!

This poem, written by a seven-year-old, had caused a sensation online.

She personally liked both poems, especially the second one.

Such simple yet whimsical poetry was easy for children to memorize. It could also help broaden their minds and expand their literary imagination.

“Who wrote these?” Shen Qingning asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

“I don’t know. Anyway, it wasn’t me,” Cheng Zhu replied casually while picking up some salted peanuts with his chopsticks.

It was indeed satisfying to be a plagiarist, but he wouldn’t go so far as to steal children’s works.

He looked up at Shen Qingning. She was actually searching for the two poems on her phone.

Looks like she’s really interested? Cheng Zhu was slightly stunned. Could she be one of those artsy girls?

In his past life, he had interacted with many artsy girls and had in-depth exchanges.

Based on his experience, he knew that some of these women had a stark contrast in their personalities!

On the surface, they were intellectual and artistic, but at times, the contrast was tsk tsk tsk.

He wasn’t sure why this was the case. Maybe it had something to do with how these women often constrained themselves in everyday life.

Shen Qingning searched online but couldn’t find anything about the two poems.

However, two poems weren’t enough to linger in her mind.

As for Cheng Zhu, he recalled other poems written by children that had left a lasting impression on him.

Some of them, while innocent, also carried a subtle sense of sadness.

For example, the poem Dad.

“In Dad’s notebook,

There are no poems or essays.

Only dates for when he’s,

Working for someone else. “

At this moment, Lin Lu asked Cheng Zhu, “You’re just going to let Little Youzi memorize them like this? Aren’t you going to explain them to her?”

“No need. She understands them. Children have their own way of interpreting things.” Cheng Zhu waved his hand.

Literary education did have a lag. People would understand when they were ready.

* * *

After a while, the dishes began to arrive one after another.

Jiang Wanzhou was the most enthusiastic. Almost like a waiter, he introduced every dish.

“Vinegar stir-fried chicken is Uncle Cheng’s signature dish, and it’s also my favorite!” He urged everyone to start eating quickly, or it would get cold and lose flavor.

After tasting a few bites, Shen Minglang said politely, “We should come here more often. The taste is definitely better than many restaurants.”

Lin Lu took a small bite and asked, “Cheng Zhu, can you cook?”

“Of course I can,” Cheng Zhu replied.

In his memory, there was a time when boys who could cook were very popular. It was considered a bonus in romance.

Of course, he didn’t learn to cook specially for this reason.

“Is your cooking good?” Lin Lu asked curiously.

Jiang Wanzhou interrupted, “Don’t bother. I’ve known Cheng Zhu since elementary school, and I’ve never had his cooking.”

“Huh? Really?” Lin Lu replied, a bit surprised.

“Hah, you want me to cook for you? Are you worthy?” Cheng Zhu sneered.

Jiang Wanzhou rolled his eyes at him. “Who wants to eat your cooking? I never said I did! What’s so impressive about being able to cook?!”

Everyone chatted while eating, and the atmosphere was as pleasant as ever.

During the meal, Little Youzi didn’t like eating vegetables as usual. But if Cheng Zhu fed her, she would eat obediently.

Watching from the side, Lin Lu said with a relatable tone, “It’s strange, isn’t it? I didn’t like to eat vegetables when I was younger, but now I actually enjoy them more and more.”

Shen Minglang chimed in, “It’s because you girls want to maintain your figures, right?”

“It’s not that. I just really feel like I’m enjoying vegetables more,” Lin Lu replied.

While putting vegetables in Little Youzi’s bowl, Cheng Zhu said, “It’s normal. In fact, children’s taste buds are more sensitive than adults’, which is why they find vegetables bitter. After growing up, some of those taste nerves start to fade.

“That’s why bitter melon is also called the half-life vegetable. It means that once you’re used to the taste of bitter melon, half of your life is already behind you.

“Of course, some people might never get used to it. It varies from person to person.”

It was the first time Lin Lu had heard such an explanation, but she immediately turned to Shen Minglang and said, “Yeah, that’s right. I mean exactly what Cheng Zhu said!”

Shen Minglang: “…”

Damn it, how does Cheng Zhu always manage to show off no matter what we talk about?!

We all read books and surf the internet, but what kind of knowledge is he absorbing all day?!

At this moment, Cheng Zhu received a message from Fox Talk, with an image attached. She had made changes to the details according to her patron’s instructions.

How should it be put? The changes just made the image more suggestive.

Cheng Zhu was still helping Little Youzi with her food and didn’t dare to let his sister see the image he had just received.

So when he looked at his WeChat, he subtly tilted the screen in the opposite direction.

And with that, the WeChat content was fully visible to Shen Minglang.

Damn, does he spend all day looking at this stuff on his phone? And he even has someone collecting them and sending them to him? Shen Minglang was shocked.

Isn’t the adult stuff I see every day enough? He was puzzled.

The meal was almost over.

Shen Minglang suggested they all go out and have some fun. With his playful personality, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

From start to finish, Little Youzi had been listening quietly to their conversation.

Many children were like this. You thought they weren’t paying attention because they didn’t say anything, but they had actually been listening carefully to everything you said.

As soon as she heard they were going out to play, her eyes lit up, and her two pigtails almost seemed to lift up in excitement.

But Cheng You knew that when older kids went out to play, it might not be convenient to take her along since she was just a little kid who needed looking after.

Lin Lu immediately noticed the little expressions on her face.

So the voice actress suggested, “Sure, how about we go to the arcade? That way, we can bring Little Youzi.”

“Arcade! Is an arcade where you can grab plushies?” Little Youzi, no matter how well-behaved she was, couldn’t contain her excitement, and her big black eyes were sparkling.

She felt that this big sister, who could make goose sounds and even talk like Crayon Shen-chan, was so nice!

Everyone burst out laughing.

Shen Minglang said, “Okay, let’s go then?”

Jiang Wanzhou nudged Cheng Zhu and said, “Go ask Uncle and Auntie. It’s been ages since I’ve gone out with Little Youzi.”

He turned to Little Youzi and added, “Watch Big Brother Little Jiang display my might later and grab ten plushies for you!”

Cheng Zhu smiled and nodded, then went to find his mother.

The kindergarten summer break was almost over, so taking her out for some fun wasn’t a bad idea.

Cheng You immediately jumped up. “Big Brother, I’ll go with you!”

“Ah? You want to go with him? Can’t you leave brother for a second?” Lin Lu teased.

Cheng Zhu waved his hand. “No, she has her own little tricks. First, she’ll kiss my mom, and then she’ll say, ‘Please, please, Mom, can I go out to play with Big Brother?'”

Everyone laughed again, amused at how clever children could be these days.

In the end, Xu Yun didn’t spoil her children’s fun. She just reminded them not to stay out too late and to be careful.

Cheng Zhu smiled and promised. Then he took Little Youzi’s hand and headed back to the private room to tell everyone they could go.

Unexpectedly, Little Youzi gave him a gentle tug.

“What’s wrong?” He looked down at her.

Cheng You waved her hand, signaling for him to lean in closer.

Cheng Zhu obediently squatted down.

Little Youzi leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, “Big Brother, let me tell you a secret. I kind of like Big Sister Little Lu.”

===

I like her too!