Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 387 Grandson
"So you really stood me up?"

Upon arriving at Liu Junshu's house, Xue Yi immediately started causing trouble for Li Ping.

"It had nothing to do with me in the first place!"

Li Ping was happily munching on an apple, still wearing Liu Junshu's wool coat. She couldn't help but pay attention to Xue Yi's thoughts, not wanting him to think of her as a promiscuous girl.

Xue Yi stared at Li Ping for a couple more seconds before laughing, "What was originally just a small matter of a stolen takeout order has somehow been blown out of proportion by you guys into a huge international dispute. You wouldn't believe it, when Director Ye saw me bring two international students over, his face turned green with fright. Luckily, the person playing ball with him was Director Deng from the College of Science, so he didn't yell at him in person and just took over the matter. Hehe... This is going to be interesting. The people in the Logistics Department and the International Student Management Office are probably in big trouble this time."

"If those two black idiots really starve to death, they're the ones who'll be in big trouble."

Li Ping rolled her eyes, about to say something, when Xue Yi suddenly snatched the apple from her hand. Ignoring the fact that Li Ping had already taken two bites, he turned it around and started biting into the broken part, silencing Li Ping before she could finish her sentence.

"Consider this a thank you for making me work so hard all night. It's just an apple, you won't be stingy with that, will you?"

As Xue Yi ate, he looked at Li Ping with a mocking expression.

"I'll choke you to death!"

Li Ping responded fiercely.

The way the two were playfully bickering made Liu Junshu laugh. Just then, her phone, which was on her desk, rang, but she paused for a moment and pretended not to hear it, remaining motionless.

"teacher?"

Li Ping looked at Liu Junshu with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, just a spam text message."

Liu Junshu waved her hand.

"..."

Even though she knew perfectly well the sound was a WeChat message notification, since Liu Junshu had said so, Li Ping didn't press the matter further. The old woman seemed a bit off these past few days, which was why she had come all the way to deliver the apples.

The two students tried their best to make Liu Junshu happy, and soon the quiet room became lively.

Lin Ge still remembers the oppressive atmosphere when he first opened the door; the house was pitch black, the air conditioning wasn't even on, and a chill was seeping out. The only light on was in the study, where the old man had his phone placed under the lamp.

Her expression was slightly strange at the time, but when she saw Li Ping, she quickly put on an act as if nothing had happened and even gave the Dongshan woman who ran out without a bra late at night a severe scolding.

"So...did something happen?"

Seeing that the three people in the room were not paying attention to him, Lin Ge sneaked into the study and jumped onto the desk without making a sound.

The phone screen was black, and Lin Ge didn't move, just swishing his tail and quietly waiting for another message to come out.

But several more minutes passed, and there was still no news. It seemed that, just as Liu Junshu had said, the voice was merely an accidental advertisement message that was completely unrelated and didn't need to be paid any attention to.

"The old lady's mood is a bit off."

Lin Ge swished his tail, convinced that Liu Junshu's unusual behavior was definitely related to the phone and the messages inside.

"Hey!"

Seeing the cat crouching next to the phone, Liu Junshu sighed.

"What's wrong, Teacher Liu?"

At this point, both Xue Yi and Li Ping realized something was wrong. Or rather, they had actually sensed something was amiss long ago, but sure enough, only with this cat present would Teacher Liu reveal what had happened.

"Hey!"

Liu Junshu sighed again, turned and went into the study, took the phone in front of Lin Ge, and then returned to the living room.

Lin Ge jumped off the desk and followed closely behind.

"I didn't intend to hide it from you."

Liu Junshu sat down in the rocking chair and watched as Li Ping ran over to cover her with a light blanket. She then nodded and said, "Actually... it was a message from Xiaomi. A few days ago, Xiaomi added me on WeChat with a new number. At first, I didn't know who it was. I only realized it was her after we chatted for a couple of minutes."

"Ma Xiaomi?"

"Your daughter?"

Li Ping and Xue Yi spoke up at the same time, and this time even the usually calm Xue Yi couldn't control his emotions.

"That... stupid woman who abandoned the old lady and ran off to France to seek love? Oh! The wound on the original owner's forehead was also inflicted by this woman. Heh... she really went all out! Hitting the forehead, if you're not careful, the cat's life is over."

Lin Ge sneered, finally understanding why Liu Junshu's emotions were so strange.

In his eyes, and even in the eyes of Li Ping and Xue Yi, Ma Xiaomi was a good-for-nothing, foolish, and traitorous woman who had betrayed her parents and even the country. But in Liu Junshu's eyes, despite her lack of talent, she was still the old lady's biological daughter and her only relative.

"That woman, has she changed her mind?"

Li Ping looked at Liu Junshu with curiosity.

"Or is it that she hasn't given up on her original goal? Professor Liu, is she going to try to trick you into handing over your research materials to her again?"

Xue Yi imagined the situation to be even worse.

Liu Junshu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "Xiao Mi... she had a baby! It was born a few days ago, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. She called me specifically to tell me about this, without mentioning the research data."

"child?"

Li Ping was genuinely taken aback.

Ma Xiaomi's child, that is, Teacher Liu's grandson? No wonder Teacher Liu was conflicted, it turns out it was because of this! In other words, the lonely Teacher Liu has gained another relative in this world?
This is a good thing!

Regardless of the ingredients in the millet, Li Ping is now only happy for Liu Junshu.

"So, Ma Xiaomi is using your grandson to blackmail you? Teacher Liu, if it were just a grandson, it shouldn't have made you feel this way."

Xue Yi was indeed more composed and considered the situation more complexly. Mainly, he never felt Ma Xiaomi had any good intentions; after all, she was a woman who had betrayed her family and country for 'love'!

Moreover, when Xue Yi thought of Ma Xiaomi, he couldn't help but think of the two black classmates from the Democratic Republic of Congo he had just met.

Compared to them, Ma Xiaomi is simply a bastard.

Liu Junshu didn't answer, but slowly operated her phone, pulling up Ma Xiaomi's chat history. "She wants me to go to France to help her take care of her grandson, and also to take care of her. She said that postpartum confinement isn't customary in France, but she plans to rest for a month according to our customs. It's just that William's parents can't understand this. She really can't find anyone to help her and doesn't want to ruin her health from childbirth. Hehe... She even sent me a picture of the baby. Although he's mixed race, his features still resemble his father's, which is nice..."

"Oh! What an adorable little one! He even looks a bit like you, Teacher Liu! Especially his face shape, it's exactly the same as yours."

Xue Yi leaned over to look at the photos in the chat box and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"What did you say?"

Li Ping glared at Xue Yi, but couldn't help looking down at the baby in the photo. The little one was simply wrapped in a blanket, with his little head and hands peeking out, his eyes closed and his little mouth pouting—he was indeed adorable.

"Ah! So cute!"

Unable to resist a sigh of admiration, Li Ping's anger vanished instantly. The baby was indeed an incredibly cute creature; just seeing one photo made all the harsh words and words of advice she had been about to say disappear.

Just as Xue Yi said, he does look a bit like Teacher Liu! Apart from the bald patch of yellow hair on his head and his rather annoying flat nose and upturned nostrils, the little guy's entire facial contours are exactly the same as Teacher Liu's.

Yes! Cuteness is justice! Even if Ma Xiaomi is utterly detestable, the baby is innocent. Mmm, so cute!
Li Ping's eyes were practically sparkling.

Lin Ge jumped onto the recliner from the side, then used his tail to sweep away Li Ping's annoying face before slowly walking over to Liu Junshu's hands, squatting in the old lady's arms and quietly looking at the cute little baby on her phone screen.

When Lin Ge apologized, he also noticed that there was no concern or ambiguity in the chat box. After Ma Xiaomi revealed her identity, she directly said that she had given birth and needed to recuperate, and that the past ten days or so had been too tiring without anyone to take care of her, so she needed the old lady to go to France to help.

Lin Ge could clearly see the coldness in her words. But no matter what, this woman was the old lady's own daughter, and this baby was the old lady's only grandson.

Lin Ge turned around and looked up at Liu Junshu, who had a faint smile on her face. Liu Junshu also reached out and touched Lin Ge's body, gently combing his fur with her fingers.

"So, you definitely won't go, right? If you had agreed, you wouldn't have been agonizing over this for the past few days. And to be honest, everyone knows what Sima Zhao is up to! I think you, Teacher Liu, should know exactly what Ma Xiaomi is planning."

Xue Yi was the first to calm down. "But..."

Surprisingly, it was Li Ping who was the first to surrender; she even hesitated.

Just how much does this girl like kids? If she really likes kids that much, why doesn't she ask Xue Yi to help her have one herself? Then she can pamper and dote on them all the time, and eventually, when she gets tired of raising them, she'll want to kick them out the door.

Lin Ge glared fiercely at Li Ping.

Liu Junshu gently shook her head, not responding to Xue Yi's words.

Xue Yi had completely figured out the whole story and the key point. Regardless of Liu Junshu's feelings, he continued expressionlessly, "Besides, at this point, she probably wouldn't agree to fly back to China for her postpartum confinement. So let's just leave it at that! Teacher Liu, you're overjoyed to have a grandson. Li Ping, Xiao Guai, and I will celebrate with you and cook a dish to mark the occasion. That's enough! To put it bluntly, just treat a married daughter like water spilled from a cup; there's no need to do too much. Ma Xiaomi is really delusional. Going abroad isn't that easy. By the time the paperwork is done, her postpartum confinement will be over. What's the point of all that trouble?"

"But... we have to find a way to see them, right? After all, they're family!"

Li Ping still hesitated, mainly because she felt that Teacher Liu was too pitiful! And no matter how wicked Ma Xiaomi was, the child was innocent! What's wrong with an innocent child glancing at her grandmother?
"Then tell her to go back to her country!"

Lin Ge yelled at Li Ping in annoyance.

"Then let's have a video chat and see! As for Professor Liu going to France, that's absolutely impossible!"

Xue Yi shared the same attitude as Lin Ge, or perhaps he was more pragmatic than Lin Ge, knowing that the only way for Liu Junshu to alleviate her longing was through this.

"also?"

Li Ping thought about it and realized that this made sense, so she looked at Liu Junshu.

Liu Junshu remained silent, head bowed, staring quietly at the tiny baby on her phone screen. She probably already knew the outcome of Xue Yi and Li Ping's words, and thus made no move.

"This is so annoying! One video call will put my mind at ease. Better to end it quickly than suffer for a long time!"

Lin Ge was furious. Regardless of whether it revealed anything or not, he directly reached out and pressed his paw on the screen. Plus sign, video call, video call, all in one smooth motion.

"..."

The three ignorant humans stared blankly at this scene.

Soon the chat interface changed to show Liu Junshu's image, her sorrow and shock clearly captured in the video. The WeChat's characteristic waiting-to-connect ringtone sounded strangely jarring at this moment, and the red hang-up button stood out prominently on the screen.

'Ta-da!'

The phone kept ringing, but no one answered. Even though the other person had sent a message just minutes before, it seemed they weren't even near their phone now.

"Xue Yi, what time is it in France now?"

Li Ping asked, looking rather naive.

Around 11 a.m.?

Xue Yi did a simple conversion.

"So it's impossible for them to be sleeping, right? Even if they were taking a nap, it's a bit early. Hmm... is it on silent mode? To avoid disturbing the baby or something."

Li Ping tried hard to find reasons for Ma Xiaomi's situation, mainly because Teacher Liu's increasingly silent demeanor and her increasingly aged face on the screen pained her deeply. Damn woman, what's wrong with letting Teacher Liu see the child for a moment and feel satisfied?!

Finally... the video request was automatically disconnected.

The three people and the cat stared silently at the blacked-out phone screen, unsure of what to say.

She only sends messages and makes demands when she needs you; but she completely ignores any requests or hopes from us! If this woman still considers Liu Junshu as her mother, she couldn't possibly not feel any familial affection in our conversation.

"Hey! Teacher Liu, what did you have for dinner? If you still haven't listened to me and ate too little, let's go for a walk in the food street tonight! To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of dieting these past few days, and I really want to eat some meat right now!"

Li Ping quickly changed the subject, not even caring about revealing that she had gained weight.

"Yeah! I've gained weight too! But I'm not going to lose weight, I want to eat meat!"

Lin Ge playfully nudged the old lady's hand, hoping she would quickly shift her focus to the people around her who cared about her.

"You guys go ahead, I've already eaten."

Liu Junshu smiled faintly, waved her hand, and then bent down to help Lin Ge to the ground. Seeing that the old lady was having some difficulty, Lin Ge quickly jumped down on his own.

"Teacher, let's go together."

Xue Yi continued his efforts, not daring to leave the old man alone in such a quiet place to continue overthinking.

Unfortunately, Liu Junshu still waved her hand.

"Hey!"

Seeing this, Li Ping became a little anxious.

Thinking it over, she hardened her heart, suddenly stood up straight and said loudly, "Teacher Liu, why don't I just be your daughter! Anyway, my family doesn't need me. They're always pressuring me to get married, thinking that continuing my studies is useless, and they even threatened to beat me up! Since that's the case, I might as well adopt another mother! Teacher Liu, Mom! You see, you still have a daughter by your side. You're not alone, right? You still have me. I'll take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The two people and the cat stared at Li Ping in disbelief.

No one could believe what they were hearing.

What the hell? Li Ping's family is forcing her to get married? Xue Yi narrowed his eyes, and his fists clenched quietly.

What? You want to recognize this old lady as your mother? Lin Ge blinked, and suddenly felt that it didn't seem so bad.

This kid! Did he drink last night? Or has Xue Yi fooled him into thinking he's stupid? Why is he spouting such mindless nonsense? What child doesn't want their mother? And what's with this talk of recognizing another one? It's ridiculous and deserves a beating!

Liu Junshu glared at Li Ping with displeasure.

"Um...actually, I was just making it up."

Li Ping realized it was foolish of her to expose her shortcomings, mainly because Xue Yi's gaze beside her made her a little scared. So she gave a dry laugh and changed the subject, saying, "What I mean is, I want to recognize you as my godmother! Godmother is fine, right? If you think one isn't enough, or you think I'm stupid or something! Look! There's another smart one over here! This guy should satisfy you, right? Hey! Hurry up and kneel down, I'll go pour you both tea!"

As Li Ping was about to rush off to pour tea for the family recognition ceremony, Xue Yi grabbed her wrist helplessly and glared at her fiercely.

"Stop messing around."

Xue Yi sighed. He had no intention of becoming siblings with this foolish woman. Besides, Teacher Liu had been raising you like a daughter for a long time. Wasn't it a bit late for you to be belatedly come to ask to be her godfather?
And another thing! Tell me honestly, what's this about the forced marriage?

Xue Yi no longer intended to get involved in Ma Xiaomi's mess. Compared to that, Li Ping's matter was definitely more important. In any case, as long as the old lady didn't go abroad or leave the university, she wouldn't escape Li Ping's unreasonable and meddling ways.

"Forced marriage... well... it's just that I'm getting old! In my hometown, people can usually start planning to get married once they reach the legal age. It doesn't seem wrong to settle down and start a family before focusing on your career while you're young, right? But I finished university, then got a master's, and I'm planning to pursue a doctorate after that. Before I know it, I'm an old maid. My family is quite worried. We had a little argument before the New Year, and they even sent me apples and commented on me in the messages!"

Li Ping explained awkwardly and embarrassedly, while stealing glances at Xue Yi. Seeing the boy's expressionless face, she couldn't figure out what this bastard really meant.

My roommate said the day before yesterday that this bastard is going around saying that I'm his girlfriend. Is it true or false?

"Your mom sent you the best apples, and you're here yelling that you want to cut ties with her?"

Xue Yi stared at Li Ping in astonishment, not understanding what kind of thought process this woman had.

"Hurry up and marry her, don't let this idiot ruin other unlucky guys."

Lin Ge glared at Xue Yi.

"Pfft!"

Liu Junshu finally couldn't help but laugh.

(End of this chapter)