The Main Characters Won't Stop Pampering Me!-Chapter 99: Little Hamster

Shortly after the children were left in the library, Grandpa Chi had summoned Yuanfeng to his study, not for a "strategy debriefing," but for a pre-arranged, three-hour analysis of a complex, obscure economic theory that only the two of them could discuss.

It was a thinly veiled ruse designed to give the Chairman unsupervised access to Huaijin.

Grandpa Chi had been watching her for several minutes, utterly charmed despite himself.

The intimidating Chairman, a man whose nod could launch a hostile takeover, found himself unable to interrupt the tiny girl who was tackling his butler’s exquisite confectionery with such intense focus.

He watched her look up at him with big, round eyes, her mouth full, looking exactly like a contented little hamster that had discovered the world’s finest nut stash.

The Chairman finally set his delicate porcelain teacup, which contained camomile tea, also perfectly prepared by Luo Ming, down with a small clink.

"Ahem. Well, child. You certainly enjoy Butler Luo’s artistry," Grandpa Chi observed, a rare, small smile softening the usual severe lines around his mouth.

Huaijin immediately placed her fork down. She quickly swallowed the large mouthful of almond tuile, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and adopted a demeanor of polite, well-mannered respect.

"Grandpa, the execution of the dessert array is flawless," Huaijin declared, her voice still slightly muffled from the cream. "Luo Ming is an asset to this household. His understanding of flavor profiles is exemplary."

Grandpa Chi let out a genuine, hearty laugh. "Exemplary! Indeed. You sound just like your father, always analyzing everything down to the molecule."

The small talk, a discussion about the complexity of her schoolwork and the inherent deficiency of her cousins’ textbooks, lasted only a few minutes.

Grandpa Chi, a man of ruthless efficiency, quickly set the air and atmosphere. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp and serious.

"Huaijin," he began, his tone shifting to one of serious, patriarchal concern. "I wanted to speak to you about your father. I know you two are very close, and he is... stubborn. Intensely so."

Huaijin felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. She knew what was coming. The marriage push.

"Your father, for all his genius, is a poor scholar, child. He needs stability. He needs someone to manage his affairs, to look after him, and to give you a proper family structure," Grandpa Chi continued, adopting the smooth, reasonable voice of a man about to deliver an ultimatum.

"I have known Xu Meilin for many years. She is a fine woman, sweet, pretty, and capable. She has made it very clear that she cares deeply for your father and would be willing to dedicate her life to managing his professional and domestic needs. I intend to finalize the arrangements for your father’s marriage to her this time."

He paused, letting the weight of the statement settle. He looked straight into Huaijin’s eyes, using his most persuasive, paternal gaze.

"Your father listens only to you, Huaijin. He fears anything that might upset your routine. If you like your Aunt, Xu Meilin, if you tell him that you think she is a good choice for the family, he will agree. He will finally settle down. Tell me, child. What do you think of Xu Meilin?"

Grandpa Chi watched her, certain of the outcome. Xu Meilin was beautiful, charming, and always lavish with her attention to the children of the Chi family.

Huaijin was an intelligent girl, but she was still a child who would naturally gravitate towards a kind, pretty woman offering affection.

He expected a thoughtful, perhaps hesitant, but ultimately positive response.

What he received was the precise, cold, and utterly unambiguous rejection of a seasoned opponent.

Huaijin’s small, round eyes, which moments before had been shining with the joy of cream puffs, instantly hardened.

The sweetness evaporated. Her mouth, which had been full of dessert, was now drawn into a severe, thin line.

All traces of the cute, hamster-like child vanished, replaced by the steely focus of the executive who had survived a lifetime of betrayal.

She didn’t stammer. She didn’t look down. She looked Grandpa Chi directly in the eye, her voice dropping slightly, imbued with a quiet, icy clarity.

"Grandpa," Huaijin stated flatly, dismissing the woman with the finality of a judge striking down a baseless claim. "I think Aunt Xu Meilin is unsuitable for Daddy."

Grandpa Chi blinked, utterly shocked. "Unsuitable? Why, child? She is kind, attentive..."

Huaijin interrupted him, her tone escalating from professional dismissal to protective, childish fury, a perfect blend of truth and plausible six-year-old paranoia.

"She is a pretender," Huaijin declared, her voice rising slightly. She leaned across the table, her small hands gripping the edge of the porcelain plate.

"She doesn’t care about Daddy’s research! And she only follows Daddy like the way I like Mr. Spy! That day, Aunty Meilin came into my house, and she broke my toys. She didn’t compensate me or even apologize; instead, she kicked the toy behind the rack to hide it. If I didn’t see her do that, I would’ve thought Aunty Meilin was a good person, and she doesn’t want to help Daddy, she wants to steal his notes and then try to make me eat burnt toast!"

The sudden, vicious intensity of the pronouncement, the raw, naked dislike coupled with the seemingly random fear of ’burnt toast’ (a memory of a past, failed poisoning attempt disguised as a poorly cooked meal)—was jarring.

"And, Grandpa," Huaijin finished, her small face set in a look of profound, chilling loathing, "she doesn’t like my hot chocolate. She makes Daddy drink bitter, dark sludge that smells like old mush."

The shock on Grandpa Chi’s face was absolute.

He couldn’t process the level of instant dislike and vehement dismissal coming from his usually well-mannered granddaughter. He had expected coyness, not cold, precise hints masked by childish fears.

He sputtered, genuinely thrown. "Burnt toast? Huaijin, dear, that’s nonsense. Xu Meilin is an excellent cook, and she has nothing but the highest regard for your father’s... theories."