A Little Trick, the Scumbag Dad Can't Hold the Knife After Understanding Love-Chapter 261

Lu Jinghuai tilted his head in response to the pressure of her pinching, his silver-gray eyes filled with confusion yet obedience.

It was as if he was saying, "You can pinch me as long as you want."

Ji Nian looked at his innocent expression and let go, noticing the red marks left on his fair skin. She thought she might have overanalyzed things.

No matter how considerate he was, he was only fourteen—still a kid. Gu Xiuyuan and He Xiang were the same, always indulging her whims.

At this age, friendships meant everything to children.

When she was fourteen, her mind had been filled with edgy, nihilistic thoughts like, "Why hasn’t the school exploded yet?"

[Guess ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍my mind’s just filthy.]

The system chimed in: [Your mind has always been filthy. No need to apologize.]

Ji Nian grinned darkly.

Lu Jinghuai: "……"

"What’s wrong?"

Had he done something to upset her?

"Nothing. Go take a shower already. I’m dying of heat."

"Also, the flowers in your garden look like they’re about to faint from our stench. They’re all droopy."

Lu Jinghuai, whose nose had long gone numb and nearly forgotten he was thoroughly marinated in sweat, quickened his steps.

"Wait for me."

He went upstairs to fetch Ji Nian a change of clothes and a fresh towel.

Ji Nian stepped inside, glancing down at the pair of light-yellow chick-patterned slippers Lu Jinghuai had given her.

She took in the layout of the house.

Living alone, he didn’t need much space—a standard three-story garden villa. It seemed he had just moved in, as the interior was sparsely furnished, giving it an empty feel. The overall decor leaned toward a minimalist style with cool gray tones.

Ji Nian hesitated but decided not to sit, opting to stand and scroll through her phone while waiting for Lu Jinghuai.

He returned quickly, handing her the clothes and towel.

"Everything’s new," he added.

Ji Nian thought it didn’t matter—clean was enough. She wouldn’t have minded hand-me-downs either.

She showered in a room on the first floor while Lu Jinghuai went upstairs.

Ji Nian finished faster. When Lu Jinghuai came downstairs, he immediately spotted her sitting on the rug in front of his sofa, wearing his oversized white hoodie and leaning over to fiddle with the leaves of a potted plant on the table.

Lu Jinghuai was taller, so the clothes hung loosely on her, but they fit well enough—almost as if she’d intentionally bought them oversized. Her hair was fluffy from blow-drying, the damp ends clinging to her back.

Feeling his gaze, Ji Nian turned and waved him over, eyeing his outfit.

He was wearing the same hoodie, but in black. Being in his own home and freshly showered, his skin had a healthy flush, and his hair was tied up with a small elastic band. Even from a distance, he smelled faintly fragrant.

"Come here," she urged, pulling him closer before tilting her head toward him. "Quick, sniff me. Do I still smell like garbage?"

Lu Jinghuai: "……"

He chuckled silently and obliged, leaning in to lightly inhale near her hair.

They had used the same shampoo, and now their scents—white tea—blended seamlessly, indistinguishable from one another.

"None at all. You smell nice."

Ji Nian sighed in relief and politely sniffed him back. "Yeah, you’re clean too."

As she pulled away, Lu Jinghuai’s eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment he couldn’t suppress.

"That cut on your face is completely gone. Did you use some kind of ointment?"

Ji Nian feigned curiosity, tilting her head to examine the spot where he’d been grazed at the comic convention—now perfectly healed.

Lu Jinghuai touched his cheek and smiled faintly. "Not really. After you sprayed that stuff on it, it healed unusually fast. By the next day, it was almost gone, no scar left."

He had been surprised—despite being no stranger to injuries, this recovery speed was unprecedented.

Ji Nian widened her eyes in exaggerated amazement. "Really? Did you feel any side effects?"

Lu Jinghuai understood now.

Ji Nian was here to collect feedback.

Was this another creation from that mysterious Ji Family pharmacist—the one who’d practically saved his life?

If they could mass-produce something like this, the rumors damaging their reputation wouldn’t be a concern anymore.

And if it could be officially released… this was a game-changer. He’d need to call his mother tonight.

Realizing he’d been an unwitting test subject, Lu Jinghuai wasn’t the least bit annoyed. If anything, his smile deepened. Playing along, he recounted his experience in detail.

"Right after spraying it, the wound stung for a second, but only briefly."

"By evening, the scab started peeling, and the new skin underneath barely showed any marks."

"The next morning, only a faint line remained. After that, it vanished completely."

"I avoided water and stuck to a bland diet the whole time."

Ji Nian rested her elbow on the sofa, tilting her head attentively as she listened.

She knew Lu Jinghuai had explained in such detail because he probably figured out what she had used on him.

But so what?

She had done it on purpose.

She wondered if the Lu Family would be interested in this…

The border of Country O hasn’t been peaceful lately.

She’d had her eye on the Country O market for a long time.

Ji Nian and Lu Jinghuai accidentally locked eyes, and both flashed shy smiles at each other.

Having missed class again, Ji Nian contacted her private tutor and asked them to come to the Ji Family that evening to help her catch up.

After arranging her schedule—experiments, training, tutoring, and work—Ji Nian and Lu Jinghuai headed to the supermarket after school to wait for Shen Qingtang and He Xiang. freeweɓnøvel.com

Shen Qingtang and He Xiang stood at the intersection waiting for the traffic light when, from a distance, they spotted Ji Nian and Lu Jinghuai wearing matching short-sleeved hoodies in different colors, paired with shorts.

Lu Jinghuai was neatly dressed in sneakers and socks, while Ji Nian was carefree, barefoot in the flip-flops she’d just had delivered, idly playing with a little yellow duck-shaped sunglasses perched on the handlebars of someone’s parked electric scooter.

“You two are…”

As they got closer, Shen Qingtang blinked, eyeing their outfits.

He Xiang’s gaze lingered on the oversized hoodie Ji Nian was wearing before he slowly looked away, his dark eyes unreadable.

Ji Nian pulled two lollipops from her pocket (given to her earlier by Lu Jinghuai) and handed them over.

“There’s a fountain by the hospital entrance, and we got splashed walking past it, so we changed at Little Prince’s place,” Ji Nian said without batting an eye.

Shen Qingtang nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“Let’s go in.” She looped her arm through Ji Nian’s, leaving the two boys to walk behind.

“He Xiang said the bags at this supermarket cost 20 cents more than others, so we brought our own plastic bags. That way, the store can’t rip us off.”

Ji Nian’s eyes widened in realization, and she turned to He Xiang, giving him a thumbs-up. “20 cents saved, Haki Xiang! Good thinking.”

He Xiang, now unfazed by the bizarre nickname, nodded. “Mhm.”

This was Lu Jinghuai’s first time in such a large supermarket, and he couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Noticing the neatly stacked shopping carts nearby, he turned to He Xiang. “Haki Xiang, can we push those carts?”

He Xiang froze mid-step, goosebumps crawling up his arms.