But Jiaojiao didn’t catch the change in his eyes, thinking he was looking at Wa Yiting with shining eyes, her heart filled with agitation.
Believing she had guarded against it with all her might, he still got involved with Wa Yiting. Seeing his hand reaching out, she slapped it away without wanting to be pulled along by him.
Xiu Xi touched the back of his hand, now reddened from the slap, his expression changing, his eyes sadly lowered.
"Xiaoting, how come you’re here?" The Ruanlin Family matriarch approached, seeing Wa Yiting and asking with some surprise, "Did you come to play with Jiaojiao?"
Wa Yiting’s face blushed as she looked at the kindly smiling matriarch and shook her head. She took a porcelain bowl from beside her and handed it to the matriarch, "Granny Ruan, I’ve brought you a bowl."
"Oh, it’s just a bowl, you didn’t need to make a trip especially for that," the matriarch said with a chuckle, taking the bowl. As Wa Yiting continued to gaze at her with shining eyes, the matriarch thought she might have something more to say and waited for her to continue.
But Wa Yiting just looked at her without speaking.
The matriarch shifted her gaze away, ready to enter the courtyard, but Wa Yiting stopped her again, "Granny Ruan."
"Thank you," Wa Yiting said, her eyes filled with adoring affection.
"You child," the matriarch waved her hand nonchalantly, "Simply take good care of yourself, and don’t fall ill again."
Wa Yiting felt that this was her way of showing care. With tears in her eyes, she nodded vigorously. She then saw the matriarch holding the bowl and, as if afraid she hadn’t noticed, said, "Granny Ruan, I cleaned the bowl very thoroughly!"
"I know," the matriarch didn’t understand the significance of her sudden comment but replied anyway, "Is there nothing else? Then I’ll be heading inside." With that, she walked into the courtyard.
Once in the courtyard, it was as if the matriarch remembered something and abruptly turned around. Wa Yiting, seeing this, hurriedly stepped forward.
But she saw the matriarch look towards Jiaojiao, saying affectionately, "Jiaojiao, Granny has boiled an egg for you to eat. Play outside for a bit and then come back home, alright?"
Listening to her words, the light in Wa Yiting’s eyes gradually faded until nothing was left.
"..." Jiaojiao, who had witnessed everything.
A peculiar feeling arose in her heart. What was Wa Yiting up to? Was she enamored with her grandmother? Planning to compete with her for Grandma’s affection?
In the entire Ruan Family, the Ruanlin Family matriarch was the one Jiaojiao cared about most; nobody could compare. If anyone dared to compete with her for her grandmother, she would... she would scratch them to death!
To declare her sovereignty, Jiaojiao quickly scurried into the courtyard on her little legs, threw herself onto the matriarch’s thighs and, looking up, cooed, "Granny, hug!"
The matriarch’s heart melted with her sudden embrace, and she promptly picked her up. Jiaojiao immediately planted a kiss on her face and sweetly said, "Jiaojiao loves Granny the most!"
"Oh my, my little treasure, how sweet your mouth is. Granny loves her well-behaved treasure too. Be good now, go play with Xiaoxi; Granny will make you something delicious!" The matriarch felt as if she would gladly give her heart to Jiaojiao, so endearing was her little treasure.
Having declared her claim in front of the heroine, Jiaojiao felt completely satisfied and slid down from the matriarch’s embrace.
After the matriarch went inside, only the three of them remained in the courtyard, staring at each other.
Jiaojiao looked at the heroine, then at the little antagonist, biting her lip as she wondered if there truly was a connection between the two. If there was, what should she do? Should she try to separate them, or should she simply help the little antagonist win over the heroine?