### Chapter 217: The Seven Wolves
When Xia Yu made such a bold declaration, Jiang Kekai was initially taken aback, but then couldn’t help but quickly stand up, hug the trembling Xia Yu, and affectionately tease her, “Little Yu, you’re too cute! But it’s not that I marry you, it’s that I want to be married by you.”
As she spoke, Jiang Kekai pinched Xia Yu’s tender little cheek, feeling it was unbearable not to tease her at this moment. However, Xia Yu’s tiny head remained in turmoil, her curiosity and shyness still showing as she asked Jiang Kekai, “Why?” “Because when I marry you, I’ll take care of you forever. Don’t you want me to take care of you or get married to me?”
In a playful tone, Jiang Kekai gently flicked Xia Yu’s bouncy little face. She seemed to have an endless repertoire of ways to toy with every part of Xia Yu’s body.
Hearing Jiang Kekai say that, Xia Yu, for a moment, was unsure of how to respond. After much thought, she mustered up the courage to express her small thoughts, “I don’t mind marrying Little Ning Sister, only… I just want you to marry me. I can also take care of you, Little Ning Sister.”
“Stop being silly. Who marries whom doesn’t matter, so don’t worry about these things. Just listen to Little Ning Sister, and you’ll be fine.”
Mmmph!
She managed to get away with some petty teasing again, and then Jiang Kekai settled down, letting Xia Yu wash her hair. Little did she know that Xia Yu’s thoughts were already soaring out of the room, far, far away.
Indeed, Xia Yu had an incredibly vivid imagination. She had already started picturing her future blissful life with Little Ning Sister—sweet and sugary.
“Xia Yu? Let’s hurry up with the bath, or you might catch a cold.”
Xia Yu’s consciousness was suddenly snapped back to reality by Jiang Kekai, leaving her feeling a bit embarrassed and awkward.
And thus, Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai spent over ninety minutes in the bath, which was long enough for Xia Hong sitting in the living room to imagine multiple scenarios. But Jiang Kekai didn’t care what Xia Hong thought; after the bath, she carried Xia Yu, who was now a bit soft from the warmth, back to their room as if carrying her wife.
Then came the turn of Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhan, the pair of silly young ladies, to bathe together. Jiang Kekai had no intention of interfering in her sister’s affairs. “Wife, do you think it’s not good that they’re taking so long to bathe?”
After Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu returned to their room, Xia Hong couldn’t help but ask his wife, even though Jiang Kekai had already admitted her interest in Xia Yu, he still couldn’t shake off his concern, and he didn’t quite understand why.
To this, Wang Wenjuan rolled her eyes at Xia Hong and refocused her attention on the TV. “Stop worrying unnecessarily.” “Are you sure? With kids so young, what would happen if something went wrong?”
Wang Wenjuan naturally understood Xia Hong’s implications, but wasn’t concerned at all. “Don’t worry; everyone at the Jiang family is okay with it. Only you aren’t. If we separate them, Xia Yu’s mental condition might worsen. Besides, someone watching over her at night, preventing her from doing anything reckless, is actually good.”
Looking at his wife, then at the closed door of Xia Yu’s room, Xia Hong felt that what his wife said made sense, maybe he was overthinking.
At this time, Xia Le who had been playing happily with Lin Jie finally opened the door and returned home… “Xia Le, why are you still outside? I thought you’d be in your room waiting.”
Xia Le seemed to be hiding something, so he smiled awkwardly on his way to his room, saying, “Nowhere, I was just walking around town with some friends.”
“You haven’t answered your mother yet, why are you in such a rush to go back to your room? Come and sit down.”
Xia Le’s behavior was clearly dodgy, and Xia Hong saw right through him. Of course, as a father, there was no way he would let his eldest son off easily.
Unexpectedly, after hearing his father’s words, Xia Le hesitated, finally seeming to prepare himself for whatever punishment awaited him. He slowly sat down beside his father.
Sure enough, Xia Hong smelled the alcohol on Xia Le’s breath, and his brow furrowed as he asked, “Where have you been tonight? Why do you smell like alcohol and smoke?”
As a father, Xia Hong naturally had authoritative pressure over his children. Xia Le was extremely nervous, but he was afraid to tell the truth, knowing that if Xia Hong found out he went to a bar, it would be bad for him. So, he hesitantly answered, “I went to a friend’s house. They had wine, so I drank some.”
Xia Le was lucky because he thought that since the bar belonged to the Lin family, saying he visited Lin Jie’s place wouldn’t be a lie.
Even though Xia Le said it, Xia Hong knew his son.
Whether Xia Le really went to a friend’s house or not, Xia Hong could tell he’d had quite a bit to drink, and the scent of cigarettes was evident too.
For a moment, Xia Hong sighed; his child really had grown, learning to sneak drinks and smoke. He wondered if Xia Yu would turn out similarly.
Right now, Xia Hong decided to tackle Xia Le’s issue first: “How do you explain the smell of smoke?” “Out of curiosity, I… tried one cigarette.”
Xia Hong…
His intuition told him Xia Le couldn’t be so innocent; after all, he’d caused trouble before. When did he become this well-behaved?
Looking at his teenage son, he was unsure whether to use the old methods to discipline him. What if Xia Le resisted?
After a few seconds, Xia Hong finally unfastened his belt…
Seeing this, Xia Le immediately realized what was coming next.
He sprinted back into his room; being beaten by his father at his age was too embarrassing. Furthermore, guests were still present at home.
“Why run, punk? You’ve got wings now, huh? You can smoke and drink, so today I won’t let you off unless I’m not your father.”
Xia Hong pursued him…
His voice was unmasked, leaving both Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai inside the room, their curiosity piqued.
So, Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai exchanged a mischievous glance, then tiptoed to the doorway, peeping through the crack.
“Move over, Sister Kekai. There’s no space here.” “It’s fine, this works, okay?”
“Okay.”
…
Since Xia Le’s room was right across the hall, Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai could see the commotion without going out.
Then the cliché moment where the seasoned veteran wins—despite Xia Le locking his door and running back to his room.
But Xia Hong had access to Xia Le’s room with a fingerprint scan—that simple.
As expected, before this, Jiang Kekai had replaced Xia Le’s damaged door with a fingerprint-activated lock.
Of course, the primary reason Jiang Kekai did this was to protect their privacy. Thus, only she and Xia Yu could enter their rooms.
Therefore, Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai watched as Xia Le was receiving a belting by Xia Hong, creating a slightly risqué excitement.
However, Xia Hong only administered three quick strikes, then stopped out of concern that Xia Le was now old enough to handle it. With an example like Xia Yu, caution was necessary.
Obviously, Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai were a bit disappointed, as their joy was built upon someone else’s discomfort. Suddenly, Xia Hong turned, spotting the two watching.
“Uh oh!”
Jiang Kekai reacted swiftly, pulling Xia Yu back and closing the door behind them.
By this time, Xia Yu, the clumsy one, realized what happened and laughed innocently at Jiang Kekai, “Sister Kekai, your reaction is so fast!”
Ah, Xia Yu actually complimented her! This made Jiang Kekai happier than making millions! She cherished Xia Yu’s praise.
Then, Jiang Kekai’s curiosity spiked again, and she turned to Xia Yu, asking, “Is your father always so strict?”
Xia Yu’s body stiffened, then remembered something unpleasant. “Yes…”
“Mm? Did you ever get hit like this?”
Even though she guessed, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes, my big brother and I used to have fun, but whenever we got into trouble, he’d make me take the blame, so I got hit a lot too.”
Watching Xia Yu’s sad face, Jiang Kekai pulled her close, stroking her head to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, I will protect you from now on, Xia Yu.”
