When Zhuang Xiaoting had run over and called him "Second Brother" just now, the name had immediately fallen into place.
"Mm," Zhou Cheng answered.
"Zhuang Jingcheng, thank you. This is my first time..."
Before the girl could finish, Zhou Cheng interrupted her. "No need to thank me. I ate your family's food too. This is called returning courtesy with courtesy. Also, about the chocolate-now that you've eaten it, leave it at that. Don't tell anyone. I hate trouble."
Shanshan opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something else, but in the end, she only gave a quiet "Oh."
After a moment passed without Zhou Cheng saying anything,
she took the initiative to ask again. "At home... have you heard the adults mention what sort of person Aunt Zhang is? I wonder if her daughter is easy to get along with."
The "Aunt Zhang" she referred to was Zhang Amei.
By rights, she should have started calling her "Mom" by now, but she could not make the change so quickly.
Zhou Cheng did not answer immediately. Instead, he fell silent for a moment, as though weighing his words.
Finally, he sighed. "I don't usually lie. I'll spare you the hollow comfort. All I can say is, try to find ways to treat yourself better from now on."
Although Wu Shanshan was still young, she was extremely perceptive.
Zhou Cheng had not spelled it out, but his meaning could not have been clearer.
Her expression, which had just brightened a little, suddenly dimmed. Her apprehension and worry about the future surged back up.
Watching the change in the girl's expression, Zhou Cheng did not feel he had gone too far.
Sometimes, only by puncturing those self-deceiving illusions could people learn early how to protect themselves.
In the original drama, the