Jiang Suizhi's traffic strategy proved highly effective. In just two days, combined with the achievement points the two little ones had previously accumulated, they had already surpassed the five million mark.
Of course, this also owed much to the efforts of the entire "team," including Grandpa and Great-Grandpa, who had even donned grass-covered costumes for the occasion.
That night, after returning to the Jiang residence, a video of the two kids leading the way to the garage in their tiny sports cars went mildly viral. The entire trending list, big and small, was flooded with people clamoring for cars—miniature garages included.
Honestly, even Le Qing couldn’t help but steal glances at those exquisitely crafted mini cars parked neatly in their tiny spots.
[Some people’s garages still have room for their kids’ toy cars, while others have to think twice before buying their own parking space.]
[Let’s be real, even though they’re just kids’ toy cars, I looked up the price—still way out of our league.]
[Laughing through the pain.]
Then came the "welcome ceremony," which skyrocketed straight to the top of the trending list, leaving the entire internet stunned.
The image of the two elders holding up light boards, perfectly complementing the flashing portrait of the deceased on the wall, was unforgettable.
[Well, now I know which door God closed for them.]
[But their entire estate is basically a window. If I had that kind of life, I’d take a million-dollar hit any day.]
[Sorry to meet you this way, CEO Jiang.]
[That step back you took was so deliberate. And pressing the elevator button? Equally intentional.]
Le Qing never expected the elders to allow the editors to include that clip. Perhaps this was the most attention they’d ever received in their lives.
As the likes continued to surge, even the appearance fees for her and the kids during contract negotiations saw a significant bump. The entire production team was all smiles, practically begging to start the live broadcast the very next day.
They even released a teaser announcing that Le Qing and Yu Shuqi would appear on the live stream with the twins, pushing the kids’ popularity to new heights. The number of reservations for the live stream soared, bringing renewed attention to the twins’ older videos.
The little ones watched the numbers climb at breakneck speed, frustrated by their limited counting skills.
Even if they borrowed fingers from Mom, Auntie, Uncle, and all their grandpas, they still couldn’t tally it all up.
The two of them sprawled on the floor, using counting sticks to painstakingly work through the numbers, but it was no use.
Jiang Yan couldn’t take it anymore and finally stepped in to summarize: "By the time you finish your live stream, Mom will probably be able to see you."
"We know!" Little Le Jia mumbled, still face-down on the floor. "I’m counting Uncles."
At the moment, "Uncle" only referred to Jiang Yan.
"Why count Uncles?"
"So Uncles can come out too." Little Le Jia still remembered what Uncle had said when Mom kissed him that day. "Uncle loves Mom too, so he should come out and give Mom kisses."
He didn’t fully understand emotions yet, but if someone said "love," it had to be important.
Because he loved his sister, Mom, and Auntie, and wanted to stay with the people he loved forever. Surely, Uncle felt the same.
Jiang Yan fell silent.
Ever since the system’s task had changed, this question had lingered in his heart.
Would he really get a second chance at life?
Like he’d once imagined—a harmonious family, together, not just a cold portrait on the wall, adorned with flashing lights.
"Don’t worry, Uncle! Sister and I will work super hard!"
Little Le Jia had already crammed his performance routine for TV. He was sure to win over even more fans!
Jiang Yan chuckled. "I’m not worried."
Then he asked, "Where’s Mom?"
"Mom’s watching videos." Little Le Jia scrambled up and climbed over to where Annie was listening to the videos he’d made ages ago under the guidance of "System Uncle." Beaming, he asked, "Mom, do you like it?"
Auntie and Uncle didn’t like them. Neither did anyone else.
But he was sure Mom would be on his side.
Unfortunately, Annie couldn’t see what the kid was doing in the video—only that the music sounded… off. "What were you doing in this?"
"Waving my hands!" Realizing Mom couldn’t see, Little Le Jia immediately stood up, grabbed her hands, and climbed onto the sofa to demonstrate his past hand-waving routine.
Now Annie fully grasped what kind of monstrosity this video was. The music, paired with the memory of his movements, made her temples throb.
"Get down," she said.
Little Le Jia, confused, obediently climbed down.
His sister glanced between Mom’s expression and her brother, then quietly scooted away. "An’an said being a ‘spirited little kid’ is not okay."
Not like her beloved Sparkle Princess.
Annie patted his head, then tapped his forehead. "System Uncle taught you this?"
Little Le Jia was about to nod when "System Uncle" blared a warning: "Choose your words carefully."
Jiang Yan didn’t hesitate to throw his kid under the bus. "Sorry, kiddo. Better one casualty than two."
Spirited speech?
What speech? What quake?
Little Le Jia racked his brain before finally realizing what "System Uncle" meant—he had to speak loudly, embodying the essence of a "spirited little kid."
So he raised a finger to the sky, toes tapping rhythmically against the floor, and bellowed with all his might: "That’s right! Spirited Uncle and spirited little kid! We’re the best, fam!"
Annie: "…"
Jiang Yan: "!!!"
Seeing Annie’s dangerously amused expression, he decided to make a tactical retreat. After all, it wasn’t him getting disciplined this time.
Boys could handle a little tough love.
In the kitchen, Le Qing—who was learning dessert-making tips from Sister Wang—heard the commotion and rushed out, only to collide with Little Sister Treasure barreling inside.
Le Qing caught her. "What’s wrong?"
"Brother turned into Big-Eared Tutu!" Little Sister Treasure clung to her aunt’s leg, peeking outside. "Brother said he’s a ‘spirited little kid,’ so Mom pulled his ears."
Hearing this, Le Qing abandoned any thought of intervention and just peeked out.
Her brother was pinned to the sofa, ears in Mom’s grip as Annie lectured—whether to him or Jiang Yan was unclear—with icy elegance: "If you keep teaching nonsense, and he keeps learning nonsense, I’ll turn this ‘spirited little kid’ into a ‘listless little kid.’"
Brother flailed. "Auntie, save me!"
Le Qing quietly shut the kitchen door and sat Little Sister Treasure on a stool. "It’s fine. We’ll go out after Mom finishes making his ears symmetrical."
Little Sister Treasure’s eyes widened.
For the first time, she realized how terrifying it was when Mom and Auntie were united.
Curious, she blinked. "What’s Auntie making?"
"Cookies." Le Qing’s tone brightened—under Sister Wang’s guidance, her skills had improved. "You get the first taste. Brother gets none!"
"Why!" An'an immediately stood up, blurting out anxiously, "It was brother who did wrong, An'an didn't do anything wrong!"
Why punish An'an!
Jiang Suizhi: "?"
Le Qing paused silently, then decisively turned around, opened the kitchen door, and unceremoniously tossed the little troublemaker out as well.
When Jiang Suizhi entered the house, he found the entire place in chaos—some were fighting in the living room, one was crouched by the kitchen door drawing circles, and the kitchen door was tightly shut, revealing only half of Le Qing's face.
Spotting her uncle, Little Le Jia thought she'd found her savior, waving her tiny hands frantically. "Uncle, save me!"
Jiang Suizhi ignored her and strode straight to the kitchen door. He tugged at the little one’s spiky ponytail before turning to Le Qing. "What happened?"
Le Qing pressed her lips together, refusing to answer.
Meanwhile, Little Sister Treasure tearfully tattled, "Auntie punished sister with cookies."
Jiang Suizhi: "..."
He could indeed smell the aroma of freshly baked cookies.
After all this time, were her infamous cookies making a comeback?
Le Qing defended herself from behind the door, "I followed Sister Wang's instructions."
There was a hint of grievance in her voice, and Jiang Suizhi’s sympathy for the little ones instantly wavered.
What was this? Le Qing rarely showed vulnerability—this was practically her version of acting cute!
If she was acting cute with him, that meant dependence. And if she depended on him, wouldn’t a blissful future be just around the corner?
The kids were being downright ungrateful.
He withdrew his hand. "That’s not punishment. It’s a reward."
An'an didn’t understand why her uncle would lie. Lying was wrong. She raised her head to meet his eyes, only to be overwhelmed by the jubilant noise of his thoughts.
"Uncle likes Auntie way too much," she muttered. "Then Auntie should reward Uncle instead."
Right then, Sister Wang’s voice called from inside, "Miss Le Qing, they’re done baking."
Le Qing glanced at Jiang Suizhi.
The man instantly understood—if he didn’t seize this chance to comfort her wounded pride now, when would he?
"Fine," he said, pulling the kitchen door open fully. "Let me try."
Sister Wang, ever perceptive, promptly exited the kitchen, scooping up An'an and retreating from the battlefield.
Jiang Suizhi stepped inside, finding Little Le Jia’s noisy protests outside disruptive to his culinary appreciation. So he "casually" shut the kitchen door behind him.
Le Qing had just taken the cookies out of the oven.
Hoping to make them at least somewhat edible this time, she’d stuck strictly to the recipe, avoiding her usual experimental additions.
But given how many people disliked her baking, she decided to test one herself first.
If it was terrible, she’d just pivot to another hobby.
Just as she reached out, her wrist was caught.
Jiang Suizhi frowned. "Not hot?"
"Oh." Le Qing had taken off her oven mitts earlier to check on An'an and forgotten to put them back on. She turned to grab them, but Jiang Suizhi had already picked up a mitt.
Lowering his gaze, he gently slid it onto her hand.
His fingers felt even hotter than the cookies.
Le Qing’s fingertips curled involuntarily.
Jiang Suizhi noticed and chuckled. "Who’s desensitized here—me or you?"
"What?"
How could she be so oblivious? She didn’t react as strongly to his touch as before, but he kept that observation to himself.
If he pointed it out, she’d never let him near her again.
Once the mitt was on, he didn’t let go. Instead, he eyed the cookies on the tray. "Can I try?"
"Let me test them first," Le Qing insisted. "This is the first batch. I haven’t tasted them yet."
"Hmm, but wasn’t this supposed to be my reward?" Jiang Suizhi leaned against the counter. "How can it be a reward if I don’t get the first bite?"
Le Qing rolled her eyes. "It’s not like they’re some gourmet delicacy."
Since when did cookies require first-bite ceremonies?
Jiang Suizhi simply smiled, guiding her hand toward a cookie while dodging the question. "I don’t have a mitt. Hand me one."
Le Qing had already pinched a cookie between her fingers, but before she could bring it to her own lips, her hand was tugged forward. Jiang Suizhi, leaning against the cabinets, bent slightly and blew softly on her fingertips. The warm air seemed to seep through the mitt, tingling her skin.
She watched, wide-eyed, as this usually aloof and arrogant man obediently lowered his lashes, parted his lips, and took a delicate bite from the cookie in her hand.
The freshly baked cookie wasn’t crisp yet, so there was no satisfying crunch. Yet Le Qing’s nerves tensed the moment his teeth sank into it.
She opened her mouth, scrambling for an excuse. "They’re not good yet."
The man paused mid-bite, then turned his head and laughed quietly for a long moment.
Le Qing’s expression frosted over. "Are my cookies that ridiculous?"
"No."
Truthfully, they weren’t nearly as inedible as before. They tasted almost normal now—far from the "punishment" the kids claimed. The texture was just off because they hadn’t cooled yet.
Jiang Suizhi lifted her hand slightly, his thumb brushing the exposed skin on her inner wrist. His voice dropped, laced with implication. "Did you really think I came here for the cookies?"
That touch sent Le Qing into full defensive mode. She yanked her hand back, voice icy. "No, you came to be a pervert."
"Guilty." He admitted shamelessly. "But you seemed pretty cooperative."
Le Qing slammed the baking tray down and spun to glare at him.
For three seconds, they locked eyes. The weather had warmed lately, and with the AC on indoors, Le Qing wore only a thin, light-blue sweater that made her skin glow even paler.
Now, flushed pink from both the heat and his words, Jiang Suizhi’s gaze clung to her neck like it was magnetized.
Feeling his body’s instinctive reaction, he forced himself to look away. If he actually acted on his impulses now, he’d be banned from this house for at least a week.
He surrendered first, turning his head with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "Enough teasing."
Then the same hand extended toward him again, still holding the half-eaten cookie. Le Qing said stiffly, "Finish it. Don’t waste food."
Jiang Suizhi played along obediently. "Yes, ma’am."
But then he met Le Qing’s unmistakable "Why are you still here?" stare.
He crunched the cookie and switched topics. "About the orphanage—we’ve found some leads."
Le Qing immediately sobered. "What?"
"My people tracked down the headmistress. According to her, the child died from an accidental fall that caused brain death. By the time she reached the hospital, it was too late." Jiang Suizhi pulled out his phone, displaying a photo of an organ donation consent form. The handwriting was shaky, bearing both the child’s and the headmistress’s signatures.
"So after her death, her heart was donated to someone else."
Le Qing took the phone, her gaze freezing abruptly. She looked up, voice barely audible.
"So the recipient... was my sister?"
