Caroline invited Grace out, and the three of them had a very subtle feeling.
Especially subtle.
Even the usually oblivious Nini sensed it.
But no one pointed it out.
At the dinner table, everyone was polite, harmonious, friendly, courteous, and engaged in lively conversation, creating a festive scene of clinking glasses.
Dinner was a pure mushroom and yellow beef soup pot, with no trace of oily smoke.
Du Ruoxin couldn't stand the smell of oil, so high-protein fish and seafood like salmon, steamed fish, and blanched shrimp were served.
Cristiano personally picked out shells and peeled shrimp for Du Ruoxin and her daughter. His noble and serious demeanor, his carefulness, made everyone else feel superfluous.
They could just disappear!
Qin Yunxi thought that anyone who could snatch a woman from Old Yang must not be human.
Unless they were a celestial being!
But seeing Cristiano dote on Du Ruoxin so tenderly, Qin Yunxi believed it. Although she disliked him and hated this fellow, she had to admit that Cristiano treated Du Ruoxin a hundred or even a thousand times better than Rong Jingyang.
If she were a woman, she would have chosen Cristiano without hesitation.
Old Yang lost fairly.
Perhaps it was due to fatigue and not taking a nap, Rong Doudou was about to fall asleep while eating.
Du Ruoxin knew something was wrong. Her daughter's makeup hadn't been removed, and she had sweated and hadn't bathed.
Apologizing, she quickly took Doudou back to the room.
Remove makeup, take a bath.
Rong Doudou loved playing with bubbles, and playing with them made her more awake.
Du Ruoxin: "..."
Alright, since she wasn't sleepy anymore, the rules had to be followed.
Du Ruoxin dressed her daughter and stood her against the wall. "Stand up straight!"
Rong Doudou looked blankly, "Mommy, what's wrong?"
She reached out for a hug.
Du Ruoxin sternly lectured, "Were you right this afternoon? Did Mommy not teach you that you shouldn't speak rudely?"
Rong Doudou pouted, trying to soften her mother's heart. "I was very polite."
Du Ruoxin's eyes sharpened. "Hmm?"
Rong Doudou refused to admit it, clinging to her mother and acting spoiled. "Mommy, I was just telling the truth. How was that rude?"
Du Ruoxin hardened her heart. "If you don't realize your mistake, you'll stand here forever!"
Rong Doudou: "—"
Oh no, acting cute and begging for mercy didn't work.
After a moment, she lifted her little face and, being very sensible, said, "Mommy, I know I was wrong."
Du Ruoxin: "...Wrong about what?"
Rong Doudou: "I shouldn't have said the clothes were ugly."
Du Ruoxin was nodding in relief when Rong Doudou threw another soul-searching question, "But, Mommy, I really didn't like those clothes. Should I lie and say they were beautiful?"
"Mommy, didn't you tell me that children shouldn't lie?"
Du Ruoxin was stunned by her daughter's words. After a while, she sat on the floor, meeting her daughter's gaze. "I didn't tell you to lie."
"Yes, the clothes from the magazine aren't as good as the haute couture you usually wear."
"But, Doudou, you've seen the clothes beggars wear on the street, right?"
Rong Doudou nodded. "Mm."
Du Ruoxin: "And you've seen clothes from street stalls that cost a few yuan or tens of yuan, right?"
Rong Doudou nodded again. "Mm."
Du Ruoxin: "You've also seen clothes for a hundred yuan on the street, and you've worn them, right?"
Rong Doudou nodded yet again. "Mm."
Du Ruoxin: "Then tell me, are the clothes from the magazine prettier, or are the clothes of beggars, street stalls, and the street prettier?"
Rong Doudou answered without thinking, "The ones from the magazine."
Du Ruoxin: "Then that's right! The magazine gave you the prettiest clothes, so why are you being picky and looking disgusted?"
"Learn to respect others, and you will earn their respect, understand?"
More importantly, perhaps because of her daughter's disdain, Cristiano, that moody man who was prone to flying into a rage, might cause the other party to go bankrupt.
This was what Du Ruoxin feared most.
But her daughter couldn't understand these complex thoughts, and Du Ruoxin couldn't teach her yet.
She could only tell her the wisdom of "He who respects others will be respected by others."
Rong Doudou didn't understand the grand principles, but Mommy was always right, so she nodded heavily. "Got it."
Du Ruoxin stroked her daughter's head. "Good girl." She paused. "Then you'll stand for ten minutes and reflect."
Rong Doudou drooped her little face. "...Okay."
Du Ruoxin stood up, her expression returning to stern. "Straighten your back, put your legs together, and stand properly."
Rong Doudou didn't dare to slack off and obediently followed suit—*whimper, Mommy is a tigress, Mommy is so stern.*
"Ding-dong—"
Just then, the doorbell rang.