Chapter 142: Who Protects Whom

Qin Jingchen still looked uneasy. He lowered his head to glance at Su Wanning's son, Suisui, who was standing beside her, and said to him in a solemn tone, "You must protect your mother, do you understand?"

[Suisui isn't even four years old yet, is he?]
[What is wrong with President Qin? Asking such a small child to protect an adult.]
[I find it so moving. I think a real man should protect girls, regardless of age.]
[Lol, what can a child that young even do if they encounter danger?]

Su Wanning’s mouth twitched. She looked down at her son, who was not even as tall as her legs, and spoke up for him considerately, "Don't worry, I will protect myself and the children."

Qin Jingchen remained worried. It was rare to see him talk so much; his fussiness made him look exactly like a nagging old mother.

"Keep a good hold on the flashlight. If the batteries run out, remember to replace them in advance. Don't go to places that are too remote. It doesn't matter if you don't find anything, you know?"

"I know. It's getting late, you should go. Remember to take good care of Niannian!"

The awkward feeling in Su Wanning's heart surfaced once again, prompting her to say goodbye to Qin Jingchen impatiently. She took her son’s hand and walked off in the opposite direction.

After walking a short distance, seeing that the others were far away, Su Wanning brought her son to a stone by the side of the path to rest for a moment.

"Why aren't we walking? Are you afraid?"

It was rare for Suisui to take the initiative to speak to her. As the mother and son sat huddled together, Su Wanning shook her head.

"No, why do you ask?"

Su Wanning turned to look at her reticent son. His eyes were shining like stars in the darkness as he stared at her earnestly.

"Dad told me to protect you. If you are afraid, tell me."

Su Wanning couldn't help it; she burst into a giggle and reached out to pull her son’s small body into her arms.

"Then tell me, what would you do if I were afraid?"

The little guy was stumped for a moment, but then, to Su Wanning’s surprise, he took the initiative to reach out and hug her back.

Su Wanning’s body stiffened. This was the first time she had felt an unsolicited hug from her son. Somehow, her eyes began to sting. She fought back the urge to cry, sniffled, and hugged her son even tighter.

"Thank you, I'm not afraid at all now."

"Shall we go now?"

Niannian pulled away from Su Wanning's embrace. As the warmth of his body faded, Su Wanning felt a momentary sense of loss.

"Let's wait for the cameraman to come over before we set off."

They didn't have to wait long. The cameraman arranged by the production team caught up with them. The live broadcast resumed, and Su Wanning set off into the depths of the woods with her son.

On the other side, Niannian, who had been taken away by Qin Jingchen, was not having as good a time.

They had only walked a few steps when Niannian started struggling, trying to jump out of Qin Jingchen's arms. Qin Jingchen refused to let go and held her even tighter, which annoyed Niannian. She pouted and complained, "Daddy, put me down! I can walk by myself!"

Qin Jingchen shook his head. His tone was flat but unquestionable: "No. It’s dangerous here. If there are venomous snakes on the ground, they might bite you."

An ordinary child would have been scared by such a threat, but Niannian’s personality was much like Su Wanning’s—the more she was suppressed, the more she wanted to resist. A stubborn streak emerged, causing her to struggle even more violently. Her legs kept kicking, making it hard for Qin Jingchen to walk, yet he still refused to put her down.

"It's okay, I'll be careful! Besides, Mom said we should do our own things ourselves. Why can't I walk? My brother was walking by himself earlier—Mom couldn't even carry him!"

[Niannian is really something; she doesn't even want to be carried when she's that young.]
[I wish I had a father like that; it would be pure bliss.]

Qin Jingchen explained succinctly, "Your brother is a boy; you are different."

"How are we different?"

Niannian was very serious. She turned off her flashlight, and though the surroundings grew dark, she wasn't afraid. The cameraman followed behind them, filming from the side, and everyone saw Niannian move her head from Qin Jingchen’s shoulder, her little face full of questions.

"Boys are braver and stronger; they are meant to protect girls."

Qin Jingchen thought for a long time before giving this answer, but Niannian was not satisfied.

"But I’m very brave too, and I’m very strong! Daddy, I can protect you too!"

[Actually, she has a point. They are both just kids—why make a distinction between genders?]
[Please, let's not bring gender politics into things with children.]

"But Daddy worries about you."

Qin Jingchen still wouldn't budge, ignoring the fact that Niannian was a child with an independent personality of her own.

"Daddy, I want to go down and walk. If you don't put me down, I’m going to go tell on you to Mom!"

[She’s hit President Qin’s weak spot precisely.]
[President Qin: I give up on you two little devils.]

After hearing this, Qin Jingchen finally stopped talking. He walked for a while longer before finally bending down to put his daughter on the ground. Niannian was satisfied; she turned her flashlight back on and walked beside Qin Jingchen. Suddenly, the beam of her light swept across a spot in the grass, and her sharp eyes caught a corner of a box.

"Daddy, there’s something there!"

Qin Jingchen took his daughter toward the spot and, sure enough, found an inconspicuous wooden box hidden behind a dense thicket of bushes, with the production team’s logo stuck to it.

"This must be the treasure the production team mentioned."

"Hurry up and open it to see what it is!"

Both were excited. The flashlight and the camera lens focused on the box. When they opened the lid, both father and daughter made sounds of confusion at the same time.

"What is this?"

Niannian took the item out of the box with her small hand. When she shone the flashlight on it, she realized it was a puzzle piece. It had green, yellow, and white marks on it, making it impossible to tell what it was.

"There must be many pieces scattered around. We can only get the treasure if we find the others and put together the complete image."

Qin Jingchen immediately deduced the clues left by the production team. Niannian’s face was full of excitement. Now that she was interested, she tucked the piece carefully into her pocket.

"Daddy, let’s hurry and find the other pieces! We have to find the treasure before my brother does!"

"Alright."

At the same time, Su Wanning and Suisui had already found a puzzle piece. Just as Qin Jingchen had guessed, they continued on their way, searching for more pieces.

Meanwhile, apart from these two groups, the other guests had yet to find anything.