Saint Diana Academy has always been synonymous with peace and tranquility.
Well, ever since Yina Yin enrolled, that became history.
The entire kindergarten division has practically been turned into a disaster zone.
Luckily, Yina Yin doesn't dare to go to the elementary division.
Seeing Mao Shan crying nonstop, Cecilia Gu couldn't help but ask, "You just left your son here and didn't care? How could you be so irresponsible as a mother?"
"I really had no choice! My family wouldn't accept my child, and I had to cover all his expenses myself. If I brought him along, there was no way I could make a living." Mao Shan wiped her eyes and said, "Who would've thought Shang Ke would go behind my back and take him away!"
Wherever my brother is, before I can even cause trouble, I'll get dragged away!
Waaah, I guess I'll just stick to the kindergarten!
"Don't tell me you had no idea. You had his birth certificate." Cecilia Gu spoke gently, "Since you allowed the Shang family to take him, why are you here crying to me now?"
The kindergarten principal used to think Ethan Yin was already mischievous enough, but lately, they've really started missing him.
Oh my gosh! Can someone please take this little monster—uh, little witch—away?
I've still got years left to work at this kindergarten!
Ever since she enrolled, not even a week has gone by without her beating up every boy in the kindergarten!
Several boys who are two years older than her have been chased all over the courtyard!
And when all the kids complain together—man, it's really a sight to see!
Hmm? But the girls in kindergarten are all perfectly safe!
And lately, all the little girls seem to love hanging around Yina Yin.
And what's amazing is, Yina Yin is actually super gentle and patient with the girls.
Oh my gosh, is there no justice left in the world?
As a girl, is it really okay to be this good at flirting with other girls?
"Brother Nina, this is the lunchbox I brought today. Do you want to try a bite?" A little beauty in a pink princess dress stood blushing in front of Yina Yin, reenacting Ethan Yin's experience from back then.
Compared to Ethan Yin's cluelessness about romance, Yina Yin is just way too smooth.
Right in front of the little beauty, Yina Yin actually took a bite: "Wow, this is delicious! Xiaomei, you've grown up. Can you make this for me when you're older?"
"Ahhh... I'm so embarrassed..." Xiaomei ran off, covering her blushing face.
"Brother Nina, this is perfume my mom just brought back from France. Do you like the scent?" Xiaoli twirled around Yina Yin, blushing, and asked happily.
"It smells great. No, you smell even better." Yina Yin replied, mimicking an adult's emphasis.
"Ahhh, I'm so happy! Brother Nina praised me..." Xiaoli ran off, delighted.
All morning, Yina Yin flirted effortlessly with all the little girls in kindergarten—even the female teachers weren't spared.
"Ms. Sue, your hairstyle is really beautiful today. You look just like my big sister." Yina Yin said with a big smile to the teacher who'd just changed her hairstyle.
"Ahhh, really? That makes me so happy!" Ms. Sue hugged Yina Yin and gave her a big kiss.
Yina Yin smugly raised her eyebrows at her little squad of friends.
Mu Ziyue and the others all shook their heads speechlessly at the same time.
Jing Shaohuai said, "Sister Nuo is really going all out to beat Brother Ethan! Ms. Sue's hairstyle is so old-fashioned, and Sister Nuo can still compliment her!"
Mo Yumo nodded and said in unison, "Yeah, yeah! The real question is, why is Sister Nuo only nice to girls and always punches the boys?"
Mu Ziyue and Jing Shaohuai sighed together and explained, "Because Brother Ethan is always rude to girls but super nice to boys! So Sister Nuo does the opposite!"
All four of them sighed at the same time.
Then they all looked sadly at Yina Yin. Sister Nuo, are you really okay?
At that moment, Cecilia Gu also had a sad expression as she said to Charles Yin, "Charles, I really think our daughter's style has gotten a little weird lately!"
Charles Yin didn't care at all that their daughter's style had gotten so strange. He said, "Really? I don't think so. Our little Nuo is totally normal! So cool!"
That's really the heart of the issue, isn't it?
Who describes a three-year-old girl as 'cool'?
"Don't worry, Little Nuo is just mischievous. I was mischievous when I was little too." Charles Yin kept comforting his wife, not thinking it was a big deal at all.
Cecilia Gu could only half-believe him.
Because there were plenty of things to worry about with Ethan Yin too.
Ethan Yin's grades were so good that the school decided to let him skip a grade and move straight to fifth grade in the upper elementary division.
As both the chairwoman and his mom, Cecilia Gu naturally kept this matter in mind.
Because of this, she missed the best chance to fix Yina Yin's weird style.
Plus, as Ethan Yin got older, his features and figure developed more. Even though he was just over seven, he was already 1.4 meters tall.
The Saint Diana Academy uniform was a sharp, army-green, anime-style suit—he looked so cool in it that people practically got nosebleeds.
With striking features, a cool figure, noble temperament, and amazing talent, Ethan Yin was unquestionably the top heartthrob of the elementary division.
Countless girls in the elementary division secretly had a crush on him.
Unfortunately, Ethan Yin was completely indifferent to girls—just like his dad, Charles Yin.
That kind of aloof, forbidden-type male god is exactly what attracts girls the most.
So, wherever Ethan Yin showed up in the elementary division, crowds of girls would follow.
The more popular Ethan Yin got at school, the more determined Yina Yin was to surpass him.
So, the eldest miss of the Yin family basically transformed herself into the kindergarten's number one heartthrob.
While Yina Yin was sweeping through the kindergarten division, Shang Ke returned to the Shang family with Mao Xiaojin.
Although the Shang family couldn't reach Mao Shan, they did contact the Mao family and suggested bringing Mao Xiaojin back to her roots.
The Mao family quickly agreed.
Back when the Shang family broke off the engagement with the Mao family, the Maos felt like the sky was falling.
If the Shang family didn't acknowledge this child, she'd be considered illegitimate!
That's why the Mao family blamed Mao Shan for it.
They forced Mao Shan to leave home and have Mao Xiaojin on her own.
Now that the Shang family has accepted Xiaojin, does that mean they're willing to reconnect with the Mao family?
So the Mao family happily hid everything from Mao Shan and sent over all of Mao Xiaojin's documents, finishing the transfer process right away.
This line is not part of the novel's story and can be skipped.
Mao Xiaojin was officially renamed Shang Xiaojin, becoming the new heir of the Shang family.
This time, Shang Ke also officially took over the whole Shang family and became the new head.
Mr. and Mrs. Shang officially stepped down, retiring to enjoy their golden years and no longer interfering in family affairs.
Finishing all these things took about a month.
By the time Mao Shan found out, her son's surname had already changed.
Mao Shan, panicked, rushed to the academy to find Cecilia Gu.
Cecilia Gu finally made time to meet Mao Shan.
Seeing Mao Shan crying nonstop, Cecilia Gu couldn't help but ask, "You just left your son here and didn't care? How can you be so irresponsible as a mother?"
"I didn't have a choice! My family didn't accept the child, and I had to pay for everything myself. If I took him with me, I couldn't earn money." Mao Shan wiped her tears and said, "Who knew Shang Ke would be so shameless and take the child away behind my back!"
Cecilia Gu felt a bit awkward, realizing she was kind of involved too.
"When the Shang family contacted the Mao family, why didn't you step in?" Cecilia Gu asked again. "The Shang family did ask for the Mao family's opinion, didn't they?"
Mao Shan was suddenly at a loss for words.
"Don't tell me you knew nothing. The birth certificate was in your hands." Cecilia Gu said slowly, "Since you allowed the Shang family to take the child, why are you here crying now?"
Mao Shan paused, wiped her tears, and looked directly at Cecilia Gu. "Mrs. Yin, since you've figured it out, I won't hide it anymore. Yes, I did it on purpose. I gave birth to this child—how could I let him grow up carrying the stigma of being illegitimate? He had to go back to the Shang family!"
"And then?" Cecilia Gu asked.
"I want to go back to the Shang family too," Mao Shan said through gritted teeth. "I want to ask for your help."
"I understand," Cecilia Gu sighed. "Whether you can go back to the Shang family depends on your own efforts and Shang Ke's wishes. I heard that, to avoid angering Shang Ke, the family didn't dare acknowledge the child even though they knew. The Shang family is now completely in Shang Ke's hands, so he's the only one who can decide. You should understand that no one else will help you. Of course, I hope you three can be together as a family. I can provide you with a chance, but whether you succeed is up to you."
Mao Shan immediately straightened and bowed to Cecilia Gu. "Thank you, Mrs. Yin, for your support."
Cecilia Gu waved her hand. "Alright, go see your child. He hasn't seen his mother in so long—it's really sad."
"Alright." Mao Shan gave Cecilia Gu a meaningful look and left.
While catching up on lessons, Yina Yin asked her tutor, Li Yuling, "Teacher, does learning more mean girls will like me more?"
Li Yuling answered very seriously, "That's right! Girls like smart and responsible people! Even though we're all women, we should be independent and strong! Women who rely on men are useless!"
Yina Yin nodded vigorously. "Right, I want to become an invincible, unstoppable tomboy!"
"That's right! We need to be strong women who can overcome anything!" Li Yuling continued her motivational speech.
And so, the poor eldest Miss of the Yin family, for various reasons, really did charge headlong toward becoming a tomboy—and it looked like there was no turning back.
Later, Cecilia Gu actually helped Mao Shan by setting up a meeting between her and Shang Ke.
Cecilia Gu only set up the opportunity; what happened afterward was up to them.
Much later, Cecilia Gu heard that Shang Ke and Mao Shan seemed to be getting along well.
Mao Shan could often visit the Shang family to see the child.
The three of them would go shopping and eat together, but they never got married.
Cecilia Gu once subtly asked Shang Ke about it, and he replied, "We're just friends. Marriage will never happen."
Cecilia Gu secretly felt sorry for them.
But maybe he was right.
In the end, love cannot be forced.