Xiao Ziyue’s relationship with the twins was lukewarm at best. Although their parents got along well, the twins’ constant clinging to Xiao Cheng always made Xiao Ziyue feel like they were competing with her for his attention.
She didn’t even know where this strange feeling came from, but every time the twins visited, she found it impossible to get close to her brother.
Those two would firmly occupy every inch of space around Xiao Cheng.
Something had happened last year—Xiao Ziyue hadn’t heard the details, but she had noticed that Xiao Cheng’s expression wasn’t good at the time. He’d been even more tight-lipped about it afterward, clearly unwilling to talk.
“Brother, come down for dinner.” Xiao Ziyue leaned on the doorframe with one hand.
Xiao Cheng put on his jacket, and the air conditioning left a faint flush on his cheeks. As he reached the door, his sister hooked her arm around his.
“What’s gotten into you?”
She clung to him like a jealous little puppy.
Xiao Ziyue felt a bit embarrassed. She knew she wasn’t a kid anymore and that this behavior was childish. Still, she couldn’t stand the thought of the twins hogging all her brother’s attention.
“Brother, why are they so interested in your ex-boyfriend?”
Xiao Ziyue’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. “Seriously, who does that? Why would anyone care that much?”
She was only jealous over her brother, but the twins? They were jealous over Xiao Cheng’s boyfriend.
Her antics amused Xiao Cheng. “Who knows?”
At that moment, he genuinely entertained the thought of the twins and Luo Jingshu getting into a fight.
The twins were a bit off, and Luo Jingshu wasn’t exactly the picture of sanity either.
Earlier, Xiao Yixi and Xiao Yinan had pushed Xiao Cheng so hard that he ended up hiding in his room. Left with no other option, they had passed the task of fetching him off to Xiao Ziyue.
Lucky her.
Xiao Yixi let out a faint, disgruntled hum. The thought of only being able to see Xiao Cheng during the holidays while Xiao Ziyue, his biological sister, could see him anytime made him feel sour as if he’d swallowed a lemon.
As a “little sister-in-law,” he thought he should be more magnanimous. But as his brother, he deserved double the affection!
Even if Xiao Cheng didn’t acknowledge the “little sister-in-law” title.
Xiao Yixi stewed in his jealousy, while Xiao Yinan’s expression turned subtly complex, though he maintained a calmer demeanor than his younger twin.
“Brother Cheng, come sit here,” Xiao Yixi said, patting the seat next to him. Xiao Cheng hesitated, a bit wary of him. Before he could make a move, Xiao Ziyue suddenly plopped down on the spot.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen Brother Yixi. Let me sit with you,” Xiao Ziyue said sweetly, earning chuckles from the adults.
“Ziyue is growing more beautiful every year,” Feng Yi said with a smile.
She had a particular fondness for Xiao Cheng and Xiao Ziyue. Maybe it was a universal parental trait to see other people’s children as perfect while their own seemed full of flaws.
“Cheng Cheng, come sit next to Auntie,” Feng Yi offered the empty seat beside her.
Xiao Cheng eagerly accepted the opportunity to escape. Perfect!
He sat down next to Feng Yi, while the twins took seats directly across from him.
The seat between the twins, originally reserved for Xiao Cheng, had been taken by Xiao Ziyue.
The twins’ expressions turned slightly peculiar, though they kept their reactions in check during the meal.
The adults chatted lively over dinner, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
… Xiao Yixi glanced at Xiao Cheng across the table, only to find that Brother Cheng wasn’t sparing him a single glance. He was quietly focused on his food.
Leaning closer to Xiao Ziyue, Xiao Yixi whispered, “You must be the kind of sister who the sister-in-law does not like.”
Xiao Ziyue scoffed internally. Get real.
“That’s none of your concern,” she retorted.
“My brother said he’d choose a sister-in-law that I like.”
Xiao Yixi froze, his expression subtly tense. “He really said that?”
In truth, Xiao Ziyue had never discussed such topics with Xiao Cheng, but she was confident. Given how much her brother doted on her, if she truly disliked a future sister-in-law, he’d probably consider her feelings.
“Of course. Whoever wants to marry my brother has to pass through me first.”
Xiao Ziyue spoke with a hint of smugness, merely wanting to flaunt her brother’s affection. But her words caused Xiao Yixi to abruptly change his attitude.
“Oh, Ziyue, we’ve always been close, right? Here, have some meat.”
Even Xiao Yinan, quietly eavesdropping, joined in, adding ribs to her plate. “Have some ribs.”
Xiao Ziyue: …
No good deed goes unpunished.
She instinctively looked toward Xiao Cheng and found him meeting her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Xiao Ziyue quickly shook her head. “Nothing.”
The twins were acting weird.
Suddenly being so warm and attentive—it felt suspiciously like they were trying to win her over.
Considering their earlier conversation, if she didn’t know they were her cousins—biological cousins at that—she’d almost think they were trying to become her sister-in-law.
Unbeknownst to her, she had stumbled upon the truth. Still, she felt guilty for even entertaining such a wild thought.
After lunch, everyone moved to the living room to relax.
The rare sunny day, though not warm, brought a sense of cheer.
“Brother, let’s go shopping,” Xiao Ziyue said, clinging to Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng also didn’t want to stay home facing the twins, so he agreed, “Okay.”
The moment he nodded, Xiao Yixi immediately chimed in, “Brother Cheng, can we come too?”
Before Xiao Cheng could refuse, Xiao Yixi pitifully added, “I haven’t been back in a year, and I don’t even know how much this place has changed.”
“I just want to feel the festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year.”
He An chuckled, then looked at Xiao Cheng. “Why not take your siblings out to play? Staying at home is boring.”
Xiao Cheng couldn’t refuse, so he stiffly nodded.
Since the family driver was on vacation, they had to drive themselves.
Xiao Ziyue quickly claimed the front passenger seat, leaving Xiao Yixi grinding his teeth in frustration as he begrudgingly got in the back with Xiao Yinan.
However, he managed to grab the seat directly behind Xiao Cheng. Once inside, he leaned forward, both arms gripping the back of Xiao Cheng’s seat, his head close to Xiao Cheng’s ear. “Brother Cheng, where are we going to play?”
Xiao Cheng buckled his seatbelt, then turned back to meet Xiao Yixi’s eager gaze.
Frowning slightly, he said with a blank expression, “Sit properly.”
Xiao Yixi huffed in dissatisfaction. “That’s it? You don’t have anything else to say?”
He felt like all his enthusiasm had been poured into a block of stone. He had even intentionally used a cutesy tone and fluttered his lashes at Brother Cheng, only to receive no reaction.
Xiao Yixi started to doubt whether Xiao Cheng really had a boyfriend before. How could someone still act so straight?
He probably didn’t know that, even when Xiao Cheng was facing someone he liked, he could use straight-man behavior to force the other person to vomit blood.
“I don’t,” Xiao Cheng said firmly.
Xiao Yixi sulked, but Xiao Cheng started the car after ensuring everyone was seated.
As Xiao Ziyue planned what to buy, Xiao Cheng opened the navigation app and selected the nearest mall. Coincidentally, it was where he had dinner with Xie Zhao the night before.
Xiao Cheng hesitated briefly but figured it was unlikely to run into anyone he knew again today.
Through the rearview mirror, he inadvertently met the twins’ gazes.
“Brother Cheng, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Yixi, ever observant, immediately asked, “Is there something wrong with where we’re going?”
“No,” Xiao Cheng replied, though he noted inwardly how sharp Xiao Yixi could be—eerily reminiscent of Luo Jingshu.
Once at the mall, Xiao Ziyue couldn’t stop shopping, and Xiao Cheng began regretting his earlier offer to let her choose anything and put it on his tab.
“Brother, which hair clip is prettier, the red one or the blue one?” Xiao Ziyue asked, holding up two nearly identical clips.
“The red one,” Xiao Cheng replied after a moment. “It’s festive.”
Not to be left out, Xiao Yixi piped up, “Brother Cheng, isn’t this bunny-ear headband cute?”
He wiggled the bunny ears on his head, his eyes sparkling.
Xiao Yinan held a similar one in his hand. Though he didn’t put it on, his gaze carried a subtle expectation, as if Xiao Cheng’s approval might sway him to wear it.
Xiao Cheng sighed. “Girls wearing them look cute.”
“What’s with the sexism?” Xiao Yixi complained, sulking as he removed the headband. “Brother Cheng, what do you like then?”
Xiao Cheng casually pointed at an unassuming set of pajamas hanging on a rack—the kind favored by old men.
He meant to hint that his and Xiao Yixi’s tastes were so far apart that there was no point in trying.
But just as he pointed, a tall, broad man walked in front of the rack.
Xiao Yixi scrutinized the man with a complicated expression before looking at Xiao Cheng. “Don’t tell me… you like that type?!”
“But you said you liked pretty, delicate types!”
All his efforts at acting cutesy and fragile—speaking softly and batting his lashes—had been for nothing?!
Xiao Cheng’s preferences were the complete opposite of what he’d been pretending to be.
Xiao Cheng: …
“I never said that,” Xiao Cheng replied.
Xiao Yixi was too exasperated to speak, while Xiao Yinan softly added, “You did… once. You said you liked someone pretty, delicate, and good at acting coy.”
Xiao Cheng froze. Has he ever said something like that?
He was about to deny it when he paused. Wait, it wasn’t impossible.
Just look at Luo Jingshu—before revealing his true colors, the guy perfectly embodied those traits.
Xiao Cheng’s expression turned a delicate mix of green and pale.
“You have nothing to say for yourself?” Xiao Yixi snapped, clearly frustrated.
“All this time… you tricked me!”
If he’d known, he would’ve started lifting weights ages ago.
Caught in an awkward position, Xiao Cheng decided he might as well lean into the misunderstanding and let them give up.
“Yeah,” he said, pretending to deliberate. “I actually prefer someone taller, more masculine, and handsome. I don’t like people who are too pretty or shorter than me.”
Xiao Cheng glanced at the twins’ heads meaningfully.
“I’ll grow taller!” Xiao Yixi declared, stomping his foot.
“We’ll grow taller,” Xiao Yinan echoed, nodding firmly.
Xiao Cheng casually pushed Xiao Yixi back into his seat. “We’ll see in the future.”
After this unexpected episode, Xiao Ziyue noticed the twins’ spirits were noticeably dampened. Whatever her brother had said to them, it must have hit hard.
They had been competing with her for Xiao Cheng’s attention earlier, but now they seemed deflated and even a little teary-eyed, as though they’d been scolded.
By the time they finished wandering the mall, Xiao Cheng suddenly heard someone call his name.
He turned to see Bai Yiheng approaching with a young girl in tow.
What kind of coincidence was this? Running into him at the same place two days in a row.
“Mr. Bai.”
Xiao Ziyue chimed in, “Mr. Bai.”
She was about to call him “Uncle Bai,” but she automatically followed suit after hearing Xiao Cheng’s greeting.
“This is quite a coincidence,” Bai Yiheng said faintly. Last night’s meeting had been intentional, but today’s encounter was entirely unexpected.
It must be fate.
“Is this your niece?” Xiao Cheng asked, recalling his regret at not meeting the girl the previous evening.
“Yes.” Bai Yiheng gently shook the girl’s hand. “Say hello to the brother and sister.”
The little girl obediently greeted them, her sweet voice melting Xiao Cheng’s heart. He crouched down to her level, smiling warmly as they began chatting.
The child wasn’t shy at all and seemed especially fond of this handsome brother, even reaching out to hold Xiao Cheng’s finger. Xiao Cheng was caught off guard but utterly delighted, his eyes curving into crescent moons.
Bai Yiheng silently observed the scene, a smile tugging at his lips, his gaze fixed on Xiao Cheng.
Meanwhile, the twins watched from the sidelines, finding the sight unbearably glaring.
Why did this feel like a family of three?
Xiao Yixi sized Bai Yiheng up and whispered to his brother, “Tall, handsome… Could he be Brother Cheng’s type?”
Xiao Cheng had smiled the moment he saw this man, unlike the frosty demeanor he showed them.
Xiao Yinan frowned slightly. “He’s not Brother Cheng’s ex-boyfriend.”
Brother Cheng’s ex was named Luo Jingshu.
“Of course not,” Xiao Yixi scoffed. “How could an ex be this warm?”
He asked Xiao Yinan, “Did you find out what Luo Jingshu looks like?”
“Almost,” Xiao Yinan muttered, adjusting his glasses before suddenly looking up.
Across from them, a young man stood on the opposite floor, his face stunningly beautiful, features delicate and exquisite. His skin was pale, his lips a vibrant red, and his tall, slim figure carried an air of elegance.
The moment Xiao Yinan noticed him, the man’s gaze met theirs.
Xiao Yinan studied him for a moment, then averted his gaze. To him, people fell into two categories: irrelevant strangers and rivals.
This boy, while breathtaking, clearly didn’t match Brother Cheng’s preferences.
Not worth his attention.
