The Main Characters Won't Stop Pampering Me!-Chapter 92: Affection Deficiency Syndrome!

She softened her tone, aiming for the emotional core. "Sister Ying Ying, don’t be too optimistic, it doesn’t suit you! I know Uncle loves you. He just has a very bad case of Verbal Affection Deficiency Syndrome (VADS), a condition common in high-pressure executives. This picnic is the antidote. It forces him into a three-legged race. He cannot delegate a three-legged race. He cannot be stern while covered in ants."

Chi Song actually cracked a smile, a rare event for the perpetually stressed eldest grandson. "Ants might actually improve Father’s mood. Maybe." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Exactly!" Huaijin exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I’m telling Daddy the news tonight, and I guarantee he will clear his schedule instantly. I want you to go home, look your father straight in his awkward, stern face, and tell him the truth: You need him there to show your teachers and friends how much he loves you. Do not ask him for permission; tell him it is a matter of Chi Family Reputation and Public Relations."

Huaijin leaned in one last time, her voice dropping to a loud, playful whisper. "And if he still says no, you tell him that my daddy said he has to come because my daddy needs a high-level partner for the father-child nature scavenger hunt."

The thought of Yuanfeng, the brilliant, poverty-pretending academic, teaming up with Chi Yuantian, the stiff, corporate heir, for a mandatory, silly parent-child activity was so ludicrously funny that Yuanying’s face, which had been so sad moments before, suddenly lit up with a mischievous, delighted grin.

"A scavenger hunt with Uncle Yuanfeng..." Yuanying giggled, covering her mouth. "Father would be absolutely helpless! He can’t tell a maple leaf from a palm tree!"

"Then he needs a guide!" Huaijin insisted. "And you and I will ensure he has the most embarrassing, bonding, and therapeutically awkward time of his life. We are going, all of us. No exceptions."

Huaijin’s determination was contagious. Yuanying’s sadness was swept away by a wave of cautious hope mixed with the thrill of strategic maneuvering.

She squared her shoulders, looking less like a disappointed child and more like a little girl who had just been handed a secret weapon.

"Okay, Huaijin," Yuanying said firmly. "I’ll tell him. For the sake of ’Chi Family Reputation.’ And for the possibility of him getting covered in ants."

Huaijin gave her a triumphant nod. The future might be a complicated tapestry of revenge and betrayal, but for now, the path to healing the Chi family began with a very silly, very mandatory, very important Parent-Child Picnic.

The strategic victory in the hallway, convincing Yuanying to weaponize "Chi Family Reputation" to secure her father’s attendance, left Huaijin feeling energized.

The hope in Yuanying’s eyes, quickly followed by a spark of competitive glee at the thought of her stiff father engaging in absurd picnic games, was a powerful motivator.

Chi Song, the eldest grandson, a boy of quiet observation and minimal expression, was an unexpected but welcome ally.

As Huaijin finished her decisive speech, she had noticed the minute, almost imperceptible shift in his demeanor.

He wasn’t smiling at the absurdity of the plan; he was smiling at his sister.

His quiet, almost detached gaze had softened, and a rare light had entered his eyes when he saw Yuanying’s face transform from disappointment to mischievous hope.

’Good,’ Huaijin thought. ’Stay that way, Brother Chi Song. Indifferent to the world, fiercely protective of your sister. That’s a role I can work with.’

In her past life, Song had been a mysterious, background character, rarely interacting with anyone outside his immediate filial duties.

His loyalty to Yuanying, however subtle, was a known variable, and one that Huaijin was happy to preserve.

However, just as Huaijin was congratulating herself on her masterful manipulation of the Chi family dynamics, the third major variable in the Parent-Child Picnic Equation strolled into the hallway, instantly causing Huaijin’s inner executive to develop a stress headache.

The sound of his voice, a bright, slightly too-loud chirp, made both Yuanying and Liang Lingzhi instantly tense.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Are the two little beauties planning a romantic picnic in the woods without me?"

Song Jue, the male protagonist of this world, sauntered over. He was the same age as Yuanying and Lingzhi and was currently a classmate of both.

Even at the age of eight, he possessed a disconcerting amount of charisma, a devil-may-care attitude, and a natural ability to manipulate social situations for his own benefit.

He had tousled dark hair, an easy, charming smile that looked utterly sincere, and eyes that managed to convey both genuine mischief and practiced concern simultaneously.

He was, in short, infuriatingly handsome and aggressively annoying.

Huaijin observed the subtle, instantaneous shift in the two older girls.

Yuanying’s shoulders stiffened. The playful grin directed at Huaijin vanished, replaced by a defensive posture.

Her expression was a complicated mix of irritation and an undeniable, reluctant flutter. "Don’t be ridiculous, Song Jue. We were discussing strategic familial engagement," she snapped, emphasizing the formal phrase to sound mature and distant.

Liang Lingzhi didn’t snap, but her cheeks took on a faint, rosy hue, and she immediately looked down at her shoes.

Her quiet demeanor became even quieter, a clear sign of confusion and heightened emotion. "We were just talking about the school trip," she murmured softly.

Huaijin mentally sighed. ’Is this what they call Sealed fate?’ she concluded.

Even in their childhood period, the two girls were already falling for this guy, a magnetic pull that Huaijin had seen destroy their relationship in her past life.

Song Jue, the typical protagonist, loved the attention. He used his "brash tricks", silly jokes, overly dramatic rescues from minor school bullies, and targeted compliments to keep both girls on tenterhooks, basking in the glow of their rivalry.

He ripped benefit from their bickering, playing the role of the desirable, slightly unattainable prize, ensuring they focused their competitive energy on each other, rather than on their studies or their own self-worth.