Chapter Twenty-Two: An Enticing Proposition

"I just don't like Uncle Li always treating me like a child. Whenever my classmates organize an outing, I've never once been allowed to go—he's always saying it's dangerous, dangerous. I really don't know where he thinks all this danger is coming from."

Xiaoyu grumbled as they walked far from home. She was a beautiful flower raised in a greenhouse, ignorant of the world's dangers. The worries of her family had quietly fermented into rebelliousness, becoming a seedbed for her contrary nature—much like the roots of rebelliousness found in many children today.

"There's nothing wrong with being careful. Your family does it for your own good. You should accept it happily, not resist it, do you understand?" Chu Dong gently stroked her flowing hair.

"I understand, but you're so annoying—you've messed up my hair," the little girl replied, nimbly dodging away. If it hadn't been for Chu Dong's impressive display last time, which won her over to accepting this "brother-in-law," she'd never have tolerated such intimacy.

They took a taxi to Victory Square and entered Tom Bear's Arcade. Chu Dong exchanged three large boxes of game tokens, tucked two into his pockets, and carried the third as he followed behind the little girl.

"Wow, it's really crowded! Hey, let's go shoot hoops!" The moment they entered, they spotted a crowd gathered around several cartoonish basketball hoops. An endless conveyor of small balls rolled out, and everyone grabbed them, shooting as quickly as they could—scoring points for each successful shot. Xiaoyu eagerly dragged Chu Dong over, squeezing through the crowd. They waited for quite a while before it was finally her turn to play.

Bouncing with excitement, Xiaoyu mimicked the others' motions, tossing the balls with practiced gestures. But her technique was abysmal; apart from one lucky shot after much flailing, none of the balls found their mark. Pouting, she clapped her hands and complained loudly at the hoop.

"Why is it so small? And uneven! It's not even round!"

"Exactly! Otherwise, how could our Xiaoyu perform like this? Just look at your form—clearly, it's been professionally trained." Chu Dong complimented her, giving a thumbs up.

"Of course! At school, even when our P.E. teacher begged me to join the team, I refused. Training every day, sweating and getting all dirty—no thanks." Chu Dong's flattery was spot on; Xiaoyu was most proud of her elegant posture. Hearing his praise, she climbed right up the ladder.

"Let's play Whac-A-Mole! Let's play Whac-A-Mole!" Xiaoyu was fascinated by everything. Spotting a couple leaving the game, she rushed over and snatched the mallets.

Whac-A-Mole was a two-player game, a test of reflexes. Chu Dong gripped a mallet, and after inserting coins, stood ready.

"There it is! Hit it!"

A mouse popped its head out from one of the eighteen holes. Xiaoyu shouted, swung her mallet, but missed as she put too much force into the swing and lost accuracy.

Just as she was about to pout, another popped up—no time to complain! She swung again, this time connecting, and in delight she jumped up and threw her arms around Chu Dong's neck. If it weren't for the constant stream of moles, she might have kissed him on the cheek.

Chu Dong regretted nothing; even without any questionable inclinations, who could refuse an enthusiastic embrace from such a little beauty? He rolled up his sleeves and joined the fray. Compared to Xiaoyu, he was lightning fast—his mallet seemed to have eyes, striking each emerging mole with perfect timing.

Xiaoyu watched, dazzled, and finally pouted and crossed her arms, choosing simply to watch Chu Dong put on a solo performance.

The weather was already hot, and even with the air conditioning in the underground plaza running full blast, it couldn't keep up with the crowd. After such vigorous activity, Chu Dong was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked and clinging to his body—fortunately, he was wearing a black T-shirt, or it would have been even more obvious.

He put down the mallet, wiped his brow, and flashed a bright smile at Xiaoyu, who was still sulking and waiting for him. "I didn't expect it to be this much fun."

Xiaoyu ignored him, cheeks puffed, and pointed at the motorcycle racing game, "I want to ride. You're not allowed to help."

Chu Dong chuckled sheepishly, a bit embarrassed. He'd called her childish on the way here, but hadn't expected that he would get so caught up in the games himself, forgetting all about her.

Xiaoyu ran happily towards the motorcycle game, but climbing on proved difficult. The bike was large—almost life-sized—and her princess dress was too short to get on without risk of exposing herself. Yet she wanted so badly to play. She turned to Chu Dong with a pitiful look.

He walked over, slid one arm gently under her armpits, the other behind her knees, feeling the smooth, delicate skin. The faint milky scent she carried brought him back twenty years, to the moment he first tricked Tan Xue into her first kiss.

Steadying himself, he gently set her on the seat, inserted two coins, and stood behind her, watching as she fiddled curiously with the controls.

Perhaps she was afraid he would notice she couldn't play, or perhaps she was really thirsty—Xiaoyu turned to Chu Dong and called out sweetly, "Brother-in-law, I want a bottle of Pulse."

"Alright, you play first. I'll be right back." Since he was here to accompany her, he ought to do a good job of it. Chu Dong was well aware—this little girl was often by her sister's side, and Tan Xue's influence was nothing to be taken lightly.