Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show 266

Chapter 266: Extra 2

Luhai City.

The sea breeze, carrying the bright spring sunshine, couldn’t dispel Zhao Can’s exhaustion from her red-eye flight.

She had planned her schedule carefully, leaving enough time for graduation rehearsals, but then, her latest drama, which wrapped up at the end of last year, one of the lead actors suddenly got into trouble, she had to go back for reshoots, working non-stop throughout the winter break.

Thankfully, she made it back in time for the start of the semester.

Well, almost…

The constant notifications on her phone were almost drowning out her music.

Zhao Can sighed, stopping her bike.

“I’m on my way, I’m biking, ten, fifteen minutes tops.” She sent a voice message to her class group chat, then added, “Sorry for the delay, lunch is on me.”

She put away her phone and started pedaling, she didn’t even check the replies.

It was just the beginning of the semester; they had plenty of time for rehearsals, she wasn’t that important, they probably hadn’t even started yet. But every class had its self-righteous busybodies, and Zhao Can, looking at the messages in the group chat, she just wanted to avoid any drama, especially since it was almost graduation.

And it was true that she was running late.

But she still pedaled faster, weaving through the streets and alleys, familiar territory after three years.

Taking a shortcut, seeing that she was only two minutes late, Zhao Can relaxed slightly.

Then…

A screeching sound, the shared bike skidding to a halt as she slammed on the brakes.

Zhao Can looked back at the alley she had just passed, the person she saw was gone, only a flash of blue fabric, confirming she hadn’t imagined it.

“Seriously, the more you rush, the more things go wrong.” She muttered, parking the bike and rushing towards the alley.

The morning sun, although not as bright in the alley, it was still light enough to see.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Zhao Can shouted, seeing a group of young people, their hair dyed in various shades of yellow, surrounding a girl in a blue and white school uniform. “Broad daylight, and you think you can get away with this?”

What did Little Yan Yan say? Better to see a judge than a coroner.

Zhao Can grabbed a broom from a nearby dustpan.

“Who are you, mind your own business!”

“We’re just hanging out with our friend, what’s your problem?”

“Yeah, we’re all friends, let’s go, ignore her.”

The young punks, although not as… aggressive as Zhao Can had expected, they didn’t attack her, they just… talked, and Zhao Can realized there were both boys and girls among them, and one of the girls was holding the school uniform girl’s hand tightly.

Zhao Can tried to signal the girl, to give her a chance to escape, but the girl, her head down, didn’t even look at her.

That anti-scam campaign Yan Yan and Maomao started on “Where’s Baby Going,” it had become quite successful, along with the village’s tourism industry. Zhao Can had even participated a few times, learning about the various scams, the depths of human depravity, it was truly shocking.

The “hostage” was still in their hands, it was best to avoid violence.

“Just let her go, it’s not even the weekend, let her go to school.” Zhao Can said, softening her tone.

Then the punks, triggered by something she said, started rolling up their sleeves.

Zhao Can: “…” This was… unexpected.

She should have taken martial arts classes with Little Yan Yan… mmm?

“I suggest you leave while I’m still being nice.” She said, taking out her phone, she opened her photo album and showed them a picture. “Or I won’t be responsible for the consequences, you know, martial arts champion and all.”

One of the punks, closest to her, leaned closer and took a look.

In the photo, the woman holding a trophy, it was her, he couldn’t read the small print, but he saw the words “Provincial,” “Martial Arts,” “Sanda,” and “Champion.”

The punks huddled together, whispering.

Thank you, Little Yan Yan, for that photo opportunity! Zhao Can gave them some time to think, just as she was putting away her phone, she saw the school uniform girl look up at her.

Mmm?

That look in her eyes… what was that?

Before Zhao Can could even signal her, the girl, her face smudged with dust, looked down again.

Wang Zhiqing listened to the punks discussing the authenticity of the photo, they were actually considering… fighting her?

Why were there so many idiots in this world…?

Oh, and she wasn’t exactly smart either, otherwise, she wouldn’t need to be rescued by an idiot.

Wang Zhiqing, looking down at the dark pavement, chuckled self-deprecatingly, then her arm, already held tightly, was squeezed painfully.

“What are you laughing at?” a girl asked, her voice annoyed.

Wang Zhiqing looked up at her “best friend” of the past few months and said, a hint of mockery in her voice, “Laughing at how slow you are. Is that woman an idiot? Coming in here alone, not grabbing the hostage, not attacking anyone, patiently listening to your nonsense, she’s obviously stalling for time. She must have called the police before coming in. Even if you managed to blind her with dust and beat her up, what then? The police are on their way, hahaha.”

The punks, their hands on the wall, ready to grab some dust: ???

Zhao Can, the idiot rescuer: ???

Zhao Can, looking at the girl’s expression, that same… indescribable look from earlier.

Okay, so she hadn’t imagined it.

“Why did you tell them?!” Zhao Can said, feigning anger. “The police will be here soon and arrest them all. Skipping school, preventing others from going to school, they need a good lesson.”

Wang Zhiqing was stunned, it sounded so… convincing… did she actually call the police?

Her hesitation was brief; she was a natural actress.

She looked at the punks and said calmly, “Just leave, let’s pretend we never met.”

“Fine!” the leader said, gritting his teeth.

“No!” the girl holding her arm said anxiously. “She doesn’t have anything on us, what if she reports us? And we agreed…”

“Xiao Qing is being loyal, warning us, we were wrong today, we’ll apologize to you another day.” The leader said, then added, “But if you don’t want to see us again, we won’t bother you anymore.”

He pulled the girl away, and they quickly disappeared down the alley.

Wang Zhiqing, without hesitation, walked towards Zhao Can, she didn’t forget to thank her as she passed by.

Thank you, then… she was grabbed.

“Which school? Why aren’t you in class? What happened just now? Should I call the police?” Zhao Can asked, pulling her towards the alley entrance.

They walked quickly, but calmly, not running, they soon reached the street.

Zhao Can led her to a convenience store across the street, just as she was about to ask more questions, the dusty girl looked up at her and smiled. “You didn’t call the police.”

Hah, such a fool.

Zhao Can had met all kinds of children: prodigies, child chefs, CEOs, even those struggling to support their families…

She hadn’t met one this stubborn.

Reasoning, warnings, kind words… milk tea, chips, sausages…

But she couldn’t even get her school name, let alone what happened earlier. And she couldn’t just leave her at the convenience store…

Almost an hour, and this girl, she wouldn’t budge. Zhao Can was at her wit’s end.

The messages in her class group chat were piling up; she had sent a message earlier, asking for a leave of absence, then muted the chat.

But checking her phone, she had an idea, she secretly took a photo of the girl’s back and sent it to the group chat, asking if anyone recognized the uniform.

And since there was activity in the “babies” group chat, she also sent it there, tagging Wang Zhizhi.

The class group chat didn’t matter anymore.

Because Wang Zhizhi, seeing the photo, recognized his sister’s carefully braided hair.

The girl, initially defiant but also somewhat compliant, when Zhao Can gave her two addresses, her school and the Wang family’s, and asked her to choose one, she ran.

A hot potato…

In the end, Wang Zhizhi, being the good guy, took a leave of absence and picked her up.

Zhao Can, teary-eyed, watched them leave.

Zhizhi, he was the best!

Mmm? She had forgotten something… the shared bike!

She only learned about their conversation, their reconciliation, and what happened between Wang Zhiqing and those punks months later, when Wang Zhiqing became a regular visitor. And later, recalling that semester, preparing for their graduation play, it felt like that little girl was everywhere.

And Zhao Can hadn’t expected that this little girl, just starting middle school, would become such an important part of her future.

But Wang Zhiqing had known, for a long time.

When she realized her parents’ love was… mostly for show, just to provoke her indifferent brother, she was devastated.

Back then, her world was small, her parents were everything, if their love was fake, then what was real? Who would truly love her, care for her?

Wang Zhiqing, not even knowing where to go after skipping class, met a “good friend.” But those few months of “friendship,” that “loyalty,” she had clung to the wrong lifeline.

But… she needed a lifeline.

On that day, she recognized the person who rushed into the alley, one of Wang Zhizhi’s friends, that actress, Zhao Can.

She wanted to be saved, but her shame made her look down.

But that Zhao Can, she was so…

What kind of person, seeing such a scene, didn’t call the police, but rushed in alone? And a martial arts champion… did she think holding someone else’s trophy gave her their skills?

They were about to grab the dust…

And in the end, that idiot, who didn’t even follow the usual rescue protocol, saved her.

Saved her, comforted her, hugged her, although it did attract Wang Zhizhi, but… the milk tea was sweet, the snacks delicious, the exasperated nagging… comforting.

She thought she had found a new lifeline, and that lifeline seemed to have noticed it too, but… she didn’t push her away, she needed it then.

But she soon realized it was a mistake, and that idiot, she wouldn’t believe her.

That brief misunderstanding led to years of relentless pursuit.

And she finally caught up.

But… her proposal was rejected, the ring confiscated, she was angry!

Didn’t all good relationships aim for marriage?! Or was it just… playing around?! Oh, this one wasn’t playing around, even more infuriating!

Anger made her childish, she did things she knew the other person disliked.

But anger was pointless.

At the Baby’s Home Cooking celebration, Maomao was wearing the ring Yan Yan gave her, the one she found in the ice cream.

Wang Zhiqing, thinking about her twenty-ninth confiscated ring, the one hidden in the chicken wing, finally burst into tears.

And then…

Well, there was no “and then.”

Zhao Can…

Still the same idiot who rushed in with a broom.

And still the same person who, after hearing about her being left alone as a baby, couldn’t bring herself to reject her.

Just a few tears, and the chicken-wing-flavored ring… was on her finger.

She should have cried sooner!