Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show 263

Chapter 263

Late at night, in the quiet corridor, Cheng Tingyan looked at the imposing password door and sighed.

Here we go again, the daily puzzle.

The password changed every day, and the door locked automatically at midnight, any attempts to block it resulted in a loud, continuous alarm.

Ten days back from the show, ten days of puzzles, it was exhausting.

[Lend and borrow, _________]

Cheng Tingyan, glancing at the message, typed on her phone: [Mine is “borrowing again is not difficult,” is Grandpa personally updating these every day? I didn’t even borrow anything, it was pure robbery! (Proud emoji)]

Wei Maomao’s reply arrived instantly.

[Not afraid of running out of firewood.]

Cheng Tingyan waited, no further explanation.

So concise…

They both entered the password, the door clicked open.

Before Wei Maomao could even speak, Cheng Tingyan grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.

“If I borrowed something and didn’t return it, would Grandpa hit me?” she asked, grinning.

“Keep your voice down, if Grandpa finds out I’m staying here, he’ll hit you now.” Wei Maomao said, trying to free her wrist, unable to escape Cheng Tingyan’s grip, she suppressed her blush and pulled her towards the secret door.

“Then you have to protect me, you’re the one who’s staying over.” Cheng Tingyan said, letting herself be pulled, a smile playing on her lips. “Although I think this is a bit… excessive, but I appreciate the special treatment, these special days… mmm…”

“Cheng Tingyan!” Wei Maomao said, turning around and covering Cheng Tingyan’s mouth. “Stop saying such things!”

Cheng Tingyan, seeing the anger in Wei Maomao’s eyes, her heart sinking, she shook her head obediently, promising to behave.

But Wei Maomao wasn’t appeased. “Don’t say anything inappropriate today!”

Cheng Tingyan, feeling the pressure on her mouth, her expression darkening, it seemed… this day, in her past life, it was truly important to Maomao.

After she nodded sincerely, Wei Maomao finally released her.

“Maomao, don’t worry so much, look, everyone is fine…” Cheng Tingyan said, pulling her closer, feeling a pang of regret and affection. “So much has changed, their lives are different now. I’ll be fine… didn’t you ask Grandpa about Bai Lei and He Lanxi? They can’t even take care of themselves, they can’t hurt me…”

“You will be fine! But don’t say anything inappropriate today!” Wei Maomao said, looking at Cheng Tingyan’s slightly reddened lips.

Cheng Tingyan didn’t doubt she would be silenced again if she dared to object.

“I won’t…” she said softly, pulling Wei Maomao into her room and closing the secret door. “Okay, we’re here, just like you said, we’re not leaving this room for the next twenty-four hours.”

Wei Maomao, checking her phone, corrected her, “Twenty-five hours and thirty-seven minutes.”

“Okay, okay, whenever you say.” Cheng Tingyan said, pouring her a glass of watermelon juice. “If you don’t agree, I won’t even step outside this room.”

“And even if you do, you can’t, there are eight bodyguards outside.” Wei Maomao said, taking the juice and sitting down.

Cheng Tingyan chuckled. “Grandpa, he’s so… particular about the password door, but so open-minded about everything else, he didn’t even question the bodyguards.”

“That door is troublesome, having to exchange passwords every time, I wonder when he’ll let us remove it.” Wei Maomao said, finishing the juice, she had been feeling inexplicably restless these past few days.

“When…?” Cheng Tingyan asked, raising an eyebrow. “He already told us, didn’t he?”

“Mmm?”

Cheng Tingyan smiled. “That first password, ‘A relationship without the goal of marriage is just fooling around,’ isn’t that telling us to get married?”

“You… I… you…” Wei Maomao stammered, flustered, her heart racing.

“Marriage?” Cheng Tingyan asked, leaning closer.

Wei Maomao, instinctively pushing her chair back, creating some distance, “Let’s talk about something… safe…” she said, looking away.

“Or you’ll have nowhere to run?” Cheng Tingyan teased. “Maybe this is my chance?”

“Cheng Tingyan!” Wei Maomao said.

“Okay, okay, I surrender.” Cheng Tingyan said.

Little Maomao these past few days, like a firecracker, easily triggered, sometimes even exploding on her own, Cheng Tingyan knew it was because of the approaching anniversary, but… that pouting, angry little firecracker, she couldn’t help but tease her.

Cheng Tingyan, calming herself down, the atmosphere in the room also cooled.

Wei Maomao, refilling her glass, felt slightly better, then…

“Where’s the sleeping mat I brought yesterday?” she asked, noticing the empty corner.

“Grandma said it smelled like grass, she took it out to air it.” Cheng Tingyan said calmly.

“The weather isn’t good, why would she…” Wei Maomao started to say, then, looking at Cheng Tingyan, who was fidgeting with the items on the table, she changed her mind. “Then I’ll go and get the one from my bed.”

“It’s autumn, why would you need a sleeping mat? It’s cold, I can’t let you sleep on the floor, or do you want me to sleep on the floor?” Cheng Tingyan asked, grabbing her hand, her voice serious. “We’ve shared a bed before, it’s big enough… you’re not… leaving just because there’s no mat, are you? Today is…”

Wei Maomao, covering Cheng Tingyan’s mouth, exasperated, said, “First, stop saying such things. Second, it’s not past midnight yet, it’s still… tomorrow. And…”

“Let’s sleep together, it’s been a while.” Cheng Tingyan said, pulling her hand away, not bothering with excuses anymore, she just said what she wanted.

Wei Maomao: “…“

And so, after all these years, they finally… slept together.

Just slept, no cuddling, not even holding hands.

Well… after Cheng Tingyan’s two failed attempts to hold her hand, they just… slept.

Wei Maomao had thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but she slept soundly until morning.

She woke up to a message from her father.

“Dad’s asking if you want to have lunch at our place.” She said, turning to Cheng Tingyan, who had also woken up. “I’ll tell him we’re eating here.”

“Whatever you say…” Cheng Tingyan said, yawning, looking at the refreshed Wei Maomao.

So she was the only one who didn’t sleep well because of the failed hand-holding attempts.

As Wei Maomao typed her reply, Cheng Tingyan, yawning again, sat up curiously.

Wei Maomao, noticing her, moved her phone so she could see, then sighed. “Thankfully we’re not going, they’re having… beef tripe hot pot… it’s… terrifying. Can people’s tastes change this much with age? You started liking Grandpa’s favorite West Lake Vinegar Fish, then you also started liking fermented soy bean milk and Houttuynia cordata… now he’s trying beef tripe hot pot, if you start liking that…”

“What, if I like it, you won’t like me anymore?” Cheng Tingyan asked, her gaze intense.

Wei Maomao, shielding her eyes, said, “If you guys are going to try surströmming next time, please don’t do it indoors…”

“Silly.” Cheng Tingyan said, lying back down, smiling.

Wei Maomao: ???

“West Lake Vinegar Fish is Grandpa’s favorite, but he doesn’t like fermented soy bean milk, Houttuynia cordata, or even snail noodles and stinky tofu.” Cheng Tingyan said, playing with the corner of Wei Maomao’s pajamas. “And he definitely doesn’t like winter melon or hairy tofu.”

“But these past few days…” Wei Maomao was confused.

“He loves you, his precious little granddaughter.” Cheng Tingyan said, blinking.

“No… wait.” Wei Maomao’s mind caught up. But… could it be…?

“He doesn’t like those things? He ate them… because of you? Because…”

“Because I love you.” Cheng Tingyan said matter-of-factly. She couldn’t be subtle with this one, she had to be clear.

Wei Maomao: “…“ She didn’t know what to say about these two.

“No wonder Dad keeps praising you to Mom… even more than…” Wei Maomao said, rubbing her temples.

“Because your dad only dares to make West Lake Vinegar Fish, he doesn’t dare to eat it.” Cheng Tingyan tugged on her pajamas. “Grandpa has been nicer to me lately, don’t you think?”

“I think you guys still need a can of surströmming.” Wei Maomao said, pulling her pajamas away. “And I thought your tastes had actually changed…”

“It doesn’t matter, I love… mmm…” Cheng Tingyan began.

“No weird words today!” Wei Maomao said, her face red, covering Cheng Tingyan’s mouth, her voice firm.

Cheng Tingyan, silenced again, gave up and lay back down.

It was a rainy autumn day.

But with the person she cared about so deeply right beside her… the heartache, the darkness, even the lingering sadness, they all faded away, replaced by a quiet… joy, a shared secret, a stolen glance, a gentle touch.

This day, which she had dreaded, it passed peacefully…

Well, not quite.

Cheng Tingyan, scrolling through her social media feed, saw a big announcement.

A photo posted by Zhao Can, two figures on the beach, their shadows close together.

And then… Cheng Tingyan scrolled up slightly… Wang Zhiqing’s post, the same photo.

“Is this… an official announcement?” Cheng Tingyan asked, showing her phone to Wei Maomao, who was playing with a jigsaw puzzle.

Wei Maomao, about to complain about the phone being too close to her face, then, seeing the photo, she wished she could disappear.

“Wow, Wang Zhiqing, impressive.” Cheng Tingyan said, putting down Wei Maomao’s phone and picking up her own.

“Shen Zilin just asked in the group chat, they posted it yesterday? It wasn’t visible before, everyone just saw it now. What’s going on?” Wei Maomao, her mind buzzing with questions, then, seeing Cheng Tingyan transferring money on her phone, she asked, “You’re… sending them a gift already? Isn’t it a bit early?”

“Not at all, congratulations, locking it down.” Cheng Tingyan said, after sending 6666 yuan to Wang Zhiqing, she opened Zhao Can’s chat window. “Finally together!”

Wei Maomao, thinking about the diaries, swallowed her words. It seemed the fake diaries had… quite an impact. But today wasn’t the right time to confess.

The news of Zhao Can and Wang Zhiqing kept them busy in the group chat all afternoon.

As the sun set and the moon rose, the world outside their window plunged into darkness, finally, midnight, then 00:01, Wei Maomao finally felt a sense of… relief.

“See? Nothing happened.” Cheng Tingyan said, looking at the finally relaxed Wei Maomao, she couldn’t help but pat her head.

She had tried everything today, teasing, even using Zhao Can and Wang Zhiqing’s announcement as a distraction, but nothing could ease Maomao’s anxiety.

Only time could heal that wound.

“Mmm?” Cheng Tingyan frowned, she sensed Maomao’s sudden tension.

“I have something to tell you.” Wei Maomao said, looking up, her expression serious.

Cheng Tingyan: “…“

The diary, that day years ago, the real diary, the fake diaries…

Whether Cheng Tingyan wanted to hear it or not, Wei Maomao told her everything. She should have told her sooner, but that day was too important, she didn’t dare to risk it. Even if this was just a “trial,” she couldn’t keep this secret any longer.

Cheng Tingyan hadn’t expected this, right after that day, such a big revelation.

So Maomao was awake that day…

All these years…

Cheng Tingyan felt her heart clench.

“Are you… angry?” Wei Maomao asked, seeing her pained expression, her silence. “I just… wrote them for myself, I didn’t show them to anyone else, I didn’t expect you to… say that… about being together, I forgot to put it away, I didn’t mean to…”

That secret about the Weibo account had been forgiven so easily, was this one… unforgivable? Had she been too complacent…?

“I’m not angry, I’m just… surprised you were awake.” Cheng Tingyan said, her voice strained.

Wei Maomao, looking at her, said firmly, “You’re angry.”

Cheng Tingyan: “…“

“I told you because… I don’t want to keep secrets from you anymore… How can I… make you not angry?” Wei Maomao asked, her concern overriding her usual caution.

“I’m not angry…” Cheng Tingyan said, but her heart still ached.

“Should I… still sleep here tonight?” Wei Maomao asked, trying to appease her.

“I’m not…” Cheng Tingyan began.

“Still sleep on the bed?”

“Holding hands?”

Cheng Tingyan: ??? Was this… allowed?

“Or we could…”

“Kiss me?” Cheng Tingyan asked, her conscience temporarily forgotten. Opportunities like this…

Wei Maomao: “…“

Cheng Tingyan: “…“ So there were limits… mmm?

A soft, fleeting touch, less than a second, but…

Cheng Tingyan, her eyes wide, touched her lips, she had just wanted a kiss on the cheek!

“Better now? Still angry?” Wei Maomao asked, ignoring her burning face, she had to resolve this.

“Any more secrets?” Cheng Tingyan asked sincerely.

“No!” Wei Maomao said loudly.

“Too bad, more secrets, more kisses.” Cheng Tingyan said, her voice filled with mock regret.

Wei Maomao: “…“

Like Cinderella after midnight, she rolled her eyes and disappeared through the secret door, her haste making her forget… her brain.

“Maomao, there’s no one there, you can’t…” Cheng Tingyan said, leaning against the door, amused.

The bunny, rushing back, then running away again, without even looking at her.

And even her messages were brief and infrequent now.

Cheng Tingyan, waiting for a reply, scrolled through her social media feed, hoping to find some gossip to share with the seemingly angry bunny.

She saw a promotional offer and shared the link with Zhao Can.

[Zhao Can: ???]

[Cheng Tingyan: You were angry that I didn’t invite you to the group buy for the mung bean cakes last time, I promised to invite you next time, what’s with the question marks?]

[Zhao Can: ???????]

[Cheng Tingyan: You don’t want it? It’s a new product, if you don’t want it, I’ll share it with Maomao.]

[Zhao Can: ???????????]

[Cheng Tingyan: Okay… I know you have someone to share it with now… I forgot about your announcement yesterday!]

Someone even more lovestruck than her, Cheng Tingyan, seeing Zhao Can’s incoming voice message, she didn’t really want to answer, but she did.

Two minutes later, she silently hung up and called Wei Maomao.

Wei Maomao, who had just returned to her room, had to go back through the password door again.

“What’s so urgent?” she asked, opening the door.

Cheng Tingyan, her heart aching, but her tone teasing, said, “For another kiss.”

Her heart had been hurt too many times today, she needed a kiss to heal!