Chapter 181: My Childhood Sweetheart Cannot Be an Idiot! (17)

Because of Bai Yao's absurd and troublesome behavior, the restaurant instantly felt as though it were staging a farcical drama.

Is Qi Yuan the kind of man who only sires children without raising them, even worse than pigs and dogs?

One could say yes, and one could also say no.

After all, the fraternal twins he had with his pampered young wife were deeply cherished by him.

Could Qi Yuan sternly tell Bai Yao not to address him with the word "Daddy" because he found it disgusting?

Of course he could.

Yet he could not do so, because his twin children were accustomed to gazing at him, their towering father, with eyes full of adoration, and they were used to calling him by that sweet, affectionate moniker.

People are invariably hypocritical, but when hypocrisy is laid out bare for everyone to see in public, it becomes an entirely different matter.

To put it bluntly, Qi Yuan knew that some of his own stances were indefensible.

Qi Yiyi looked at her silent father, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. This was the first time since her birth that she had encountered a situation where her father did not yield to her wishes and fulfill her expectations.

Seeing that her little princess was on the verge of tears, Xiao Baobao felt an ache in her heart. She could endure being wronged herself, but she would never allow her children to suffer any grievance.

Xiao Baobao was also born to a wealthy family; she was hardly weak enough to be bullied at will. Initially, she had thought that the grudges of her past life would vanish with her rebirth—as long as this pair of scumbags did not provoke her, she could treat them as thin air.

Yet they insisted on provoking her.

Xiao Baobao stepped forward a couple of paces, her expression resolute. Her cute and soft face also revealed a trace of noble detachment as she looked at Qi Ye and Bai Yao, saying, "No matter what, since I have married your father, I am your elder. From our meeting until now, you two seem to have failed to greet me properly and with basic manners."

Qi Yuan’s gaze flickered slightly. He knew how gentle and yielding Xiao Baobao’s temperament was. Precisely because of this, he constantly feared she would be bullied, wishing he could lock her away in a room and protect her properly.

In the past, even when his demands in bed were too excessive and made her angry, she would only turn her eyes red and, like a little white rabbit, use a soft voice to utter the word "hurt."

Yet today, Xiao Baobao stood upright, her posture straight. Though petite and fragile, she possessed the proud, unyielding spirit of a winter plum blossom, carrying a mesmerizing and resolute backbone.

How could he not dote on such a woman?

Xiao Baobao suddenly discovered that facing the "ghosts of her past" required even more courage than she had imagined. Yes, she was no longer the foolish idiot who would blindly pour out her sincere heart for a scumbag.

Xiao Baobao lifted her chin and offered an elegant smile. The former little sheep had now transformed into a proud little princess. Without concealing her sarcasm, she said, "Perhaps neither of you knows what attitude should be used to respect your elders?"

That was right! She was the elder of this pair of scumbags, and since she was their elder, she naturally had every reason to strike back whenever they dared to provoke her!

The other members of the Qi family present were merely watching the show; they had no intention of helping Qi Ye and Bai Yao.

Qi Xingyun actually wanted to help Bai Yao out of her predicament, but considering whether to test if Bai Yao was worth acting as her ally, Qi Xingyun chose to wait and see how things developed.

If Bai Yao were crushed by Xiao Baobao, then Qi Xingyun would have no need to win Bai Yao over.

Acting like a triumphant general, Xiao Baobao pressed her advantage, "Respecting the old and cherishing the young—which of the two have you managed to achieve? The Qi family is a century-old clan with strict family rules. If there are family members who do not even understand the basic principles of human decency, it will only bring shame upon the family."

Xiao Baobao swept her gaze across the others present. "You are all elders of the Qi family; can you simply sit by and do nothing?"

Qi Yiyi cupped her cheeks with her hands. "Wow, Mommy is so cool!"

There was also a trace of a smile in Qi Yuan's eyes.

Qi Wei, whose condition seemed a bit off, was momentarily ignored.

Even a rabbit will bite when pushed into a corner.

Xiao Baobao, once a delicate dodder flower, had now bloomed into a stunning man-eating flower.

Her disdainful gaze swept back and forth between Bai Yao and Qi Ye. "Or is it that you refuse to acknowledge me as your elder? I am your father's legally wedded wife. If you refuse to acknowledge me, does that mean you do not recognize yourselves as members of the Qi family? If that is the case, on what grounds are you staying here?"

Even Qi Xingyun had to admit that Xiao Baobao had thrown out an exceptionally good question.

Everyone quietly waited to see how Bai Yao would respond, only to suddenly hear Bai Yao shout at the person beside her, "Qi Ye!"

Her voice sounded abrupt and harsh in the quiet room, instantly serving as a wake-up call.

Qi Ye looked bewildered.

Bai Yao said angrily, "Why don't you know how to respect the old and cherish the young? How much you are shaming the Qi family! Stepmom makes complete sense! No matter what, she is Daddy's junior wife, and you ought to show her proper respect and manners!"

The corner of Xiao Baobao's twitching brow twitched violently. It was one thing for the Qi family to call her a junior wife, but Bai Yao actually dared to call her "Stepmom"!

It made her sound entirely like a concubine from feudal society!

Qi Yuan wanted to speak up on Xiao Baobao's behalf, but hearing the word "Daddy" made that feeling of disgust resurface within him.

Suddenly scolded, Qi Ye seemed to shrink in stature. He stared at Bai Yao with a pair of pitch-black eyes filled entirely with pitifulness.

Bai Yao spoke with righteous indignation, "You don't even know how to call her Stepmom, nor do you know how to care for your half-siblings. You just stand here foolishly and do nothing!"

Bai Yao reached out and poked him on the forehead, saying aggressively, "My parents taught me to respect the old and cherish the young when I was three years old. Didn't your parents teach you? Tell me, do you have any upbringing at all?"

Qi Ye shook his head weakly and helplessly.

Bai Yao looked at Xiao Baobao. "Stepmom, I'm so sorry. Qi Ye says he has no upbringing."

The Qi family members tacitly focused their gazes on the exact same person.

Qi Yuan: "..."

Xiao Baobao's expression cycled through a brilliant array of colors. No matter how she racked her brain, she had never anticipated that Bai Yao would pull such a move.

Bai Yao sighed helplessly. "Stepmom, you saw it too. Qi Ye doesn't even know what upbringing is, let alone respecting the old and cherishing the young. You are an elder, so please don't bicker with a child."

Xiao Baobao found it utterly ridiculous and absurd. "He is already in his twenties, yet he's still a child!"

Bai Yao said with a straight face, "No matter how old a person is, they are always a child in front of their parents. Never mind being in their twenties; even if they are seventy or eighty years old, as long as you are still alive and well, both Qi Ye and I are just ignorant children in front of you!"

Xiao Baobao bit her lip tightly, looking at Bai Yao with fury blazing in her eyes. The woman was driving her crazy with anger!

Qi Xingyun suddenly chimed in, "What Yaoyao said actually makes sense."

Her words acted like a switch, prompting the rest of the Qi family to start chiming in and agreeing.