Chapter 5

Chu Xiaoxiao felt that her bargain-bin older brother was truly a strange creature. Even though he didn’t like her, he kept trying every possible way to strike up conversations and ask all kinds of stupid questions. She only wanted to quietly watch Peppa Pig, but he seemed to have nothing better to do and insisted on wandering around in front of her.

Chu Xiaoyi had just discovered the joy of teasing children. On top of that, talking with Chu Xiaoxiao put the least pressure on him, so naturally he stuck by her side and refused to leave. Seeing that the little thing was silently watching cartoons and not even sparing him a glance, he deliberately said, “Are you angry? I came back and took away some of Mom and Dad’s attention, so you’re feeling a little upset?”

Thinking of how she hadn’t joined in at the dinner table, Chu Xiaoyi became concerned about the child’s mental state.

Chu Xiaoxiao shot him a surprised glance. She completely couldn’t understand this person’s train of thought and said flatly, “No.”

Chu Xiaoyi said, “If you’re unhappy, just say it. It’s not a big deal.”

Chu Xiaoxiao said seriously, “How am I that childish? I’m not a three-year-old child.”

Chu Xiaoxiao truly had never felt insecure because of her parents’ attitude, nor had she ever felt that someone was taking away their affection. Because she possessed a special superpower, she was very clear about how others felt toward her. The emotional colors of her family toward her hadn’t changed at all, so there was naturally nothing to fuss over. When Han Ya came over for dinner, everyone in the family also paid attention to Han Ya. Chu Xiaoxiao thought that was perfectly normal.

Most people had to rack their brains trying to guess other people’s emotions and true attitudes, but Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t have that problem. She could see other people’s moods at a glance. Mom and Dad still loved her just as they always had, so why would she be unhappy? Was she supposed to force them to love her a little more every day?

Thus, Chu Xiaoxiao found Chu Xiaoyi’s speculation baffling and never felt that she had been ignored at the dinner table.

Seeing the little thing acting far older than her age and even putting on an air of maturity, Chu Xiaoyi couldn’t help looking strange. “…Aren’t you a three-year-old child?”

Chu Xiaoxiao said righteously, “Please maintain a rigorous attitude. I am already three and a half years old now.”

Chu Xiaoyi: “…”

Watching her speak with her hands on her hips and full of spirit, Chu Xiaoyi finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Pfft.”

Seeing this, Chu Xiaoxiao frowned slightly and looked at him in puzzlement.

Chu Xiaoyi tried hard to manage his expression, but he was still amused by the child’s words. He admitted, “Sorry, but it really is a little funny…”

Chu Xiaoyi: She actually counts even the extra half year seriously. Is she going to calculate things to two decimal places next?

Chu Xiaoyi didn’t feel like he’d been retorted at all. He was genuinely amused by “a three-and-a-half-year-old child seriously declaring that she wasn’t a three-year-old child,” and laughed so hard he started hiccuping, completely abandoning any image. He hadn’t expected his sense of humor to be this low, but the little thing’s earnest manner was simply too funny.

As Xiao Bi passed through the living room, she noticed her eldest son laughing so hard he couldn’t straighten up and said gently, “Is Xiaoxiao having that much fun with her brother?”

Originally, Xiao Bi had worried that Chu Xiaoyi would still be as sharp-edged as he had been five years ago and would soon clash with the family again. But now it seemed she had worried for nothing. After coming home, her eldest son seemed much more flexible and no longer had the same stubbornness that refused to turn back until he hit a wall.

Chu Xiaoxiao said sincerely, “He’s gone crazy.” She had no idea what he was laughing about and seriously suspected that her bargain-bin older brother had low intelligence, suddenly breaking into wild laughter for no reason.

Xiao Bi smiled. “Then you two have fun.”

How could Chu Xiaoxiao still dare interact with Chu Xiaoyi? She was afraid she might catch his stupidity virus and start laughing foolishly too. She shrank farther into the sofa and widened the distance between them, unwilling to pay him any more attention.

After laughing, Chu Xiaoyi felt much less stressed and became increasingly interested in Chu Xiaoxiao. Children were like clean sheets of white paper. There was no need to be guarded when talking to them, and you could never guess how they would answer the next second. He continued trying to attract the little thing’s attention, but she went into full defensive mode, seemingly determined never to acknowledge him again.

Chu Xiaoyi found it rather regrettable, then decided the reason was the iPad in her hands. He immediately called out to his mother, “Mom, Xiaoxiao keeps staring at electronic screens. Isn’t it bad for her eyes if she does it for too long?”

Hearing him, Xiao Bi immediately reacted and frowned. “Xiaoxiao, how long have you been watching today? How many hours did we agree you’d watch each day?”

Chu Xiaoxiao’s little face scrunched into a ball, revealing a thoroughly unwilling expression as she reluctantly put down the iPad. She had specifically taken advantage of everyone helping Chu Xiaoyi clean up his room to squeeze in some cartoon time, only to get caught red-handed. Chu Xiaoxiao glared at the culprit who had tattled on her, then picked up a paper children’s book, still refusing to acknowledge Chu Xiaoyi.

Seeing that her little head was practically buried in the book, Chu Xiaoyi reached out to correct her bad reading posture. Patting her back, he said, “Don’t read like that. Lift it up a bit.”

Chu Xiaoxiao disgustedly scooted farther away. She showed no intention whatsoever of raising her head. Her entire body radiated an unhappy aura of “Ugh, don’t touch me. You’re making me so annoyed.”

Chu Xiaoyi noticed that the little thing was completely ignoring his words, so he used the same trick again. “Mom—”

This time Chu Xiaoxiao jumped up in anger. Standing on the living room sofa, she tossed the book aside and reached out to cover Chu Xiaoyi’s mouth, shouting, “You’re not allowed to call her!”

Seeing her furious and exasperated appearance, Chu Xiaoyi found it amusing. With one hand, he blocked both of her little hands and became even more gleeful. “Mom—”

Chu Xiaoxiao was practically annoyed to death by him. She simply brought her little feet into play, stepping on Chu Xiaoyi’s thigh as she tried to stop him. She was small and light, completely incapable of hurting an adult. Yet Chu Xiaoyi suddenly cried out in pain, clutching his abdomen as he abruptly collapsed. He seemed to suck in a sharp breath and fell onto the sofa in discomfort, not getting up for a long while.

Chu Xiaoxiao looked at the scene in surprise, completely unable to figure out what was going on. She was certain she hadn’t hurt him. Back when she played around with Dad, Dad would never be knocked down so easily.

Chu Xiaoxiao observed him seriously for a long while, then said unhappily, “You’re not allowed to fake it.”

Chu Xiaoxiao: How can this person openly scam for compensation?

Chu Xiaoyi said in a low voice, “No, you stepped on my waist. I have an old injury there…”

Chu Xiaoyi lay stiff and motionless on the sofa. He suddenly wasn’t quite sure where his hand was touching, so he quietly shifted his palm toward his waist, striving to make his acting more convincing.

Half believing and half doubting, Chu Xiaoxiao retorted, “You’re lying. You were fine just now. And if you’re injured, why don’t you get it treated?”

Chu Xiaoyi made things up on the spot. “I don’t have money for treatment. Old injuries are hard to cure…”

Chu Xiaoxiao said, “Aren’t you a big star? How could you not have money?”

Chu Xiaoyi immediately threw He Xin under the bus and declared with complete confidence, “I only look rich. Actually, all my money gets taken by my manager and the company. I don’t have much in my own hands…”

Chu Xiaoxiao fell silent. Hearing that, she gradually became convinced. After all, Chu Xiaoyi looked rather stupid. He really could only do simple physical labor. It was perfectly normal for a company to take a cut from someone like that. Sister Yang Yin had said that it wasn’t easy to get by in society with only a high school education, so she absolutely had to work hard to get into university. Chu Xiaoyi wasn’t even as smart as Sister Yang Yin, so he probably really couldn’t earn much money.

Chu Xiaoyi groaned in pain on the sofa, displaying astonishing professional dedication as an actor. He even worked up some emotions and said pitifully, “When I first went out on my own, I could only live in a basement. I even had to pay my own transportation costs for work. Every day I could only afford two yuan worth of boiled vegetables…”

“Not long ago, I came down with a high fever. It burned my throat hoarse, and I still had to work sick in the middle of the night…”

Practicing the Stanislavski system of acting, Chu Xiaoyi spoke half-truths and half-lies, almost merging actor and character into one. At first he had only wanted to tease the little thing, but as he spoke, he grew sad himself. After all, his waist pain was fake, but his words were true.

For five years, Chu Xiaoyi had avoided news from home and was even less willing to mention any hardships to his parents. He always felt that the moment he opened his mouth, he would have lost completely and been utterly defeated, so he kept all his bitterness to himself. He would rather his family only ever see the glamorous side of him than embarrass himself in front of them.

After Chu Xiaoyi performed with genuine feeling on the sofa for quite some time, the young Chu Xiaoxiao gradually became convinced. She had observed the fluctuations in his emotions and felt that he really did seem sad and aggrieved.

Chu Xiaoyi resisted the urge to lift his head, but he was curious about Chu Xiaoxiao’s reaction. He secretly opened his eyes a crack and peeked around, only to discover that the little thing had long since disappeared. There was no sign of Chu Xiaoxiao in the living room at all. Nobody knew where she had run off to. She hadn’t paid him any attention whatsoever.

Chu Xiaoyi immediately couldn’t keep acting anymore. Sitting upright, he said, “This little brat…”

Just as Chu Xiaoyi was about to go look for the vanished little thing, he saw Chu Xiaoxiao poke her head out from her room. She cautiously looked around, making sure the adults hadn’t noticed anything unusual, before hurriedly sneaking back into the living room.

Both of Chu Xiaoxiao’s hands were behind her back. After hesitating for a few seconds, she handed Chu Xiaoyi a red envelope and said calmly, “Take it and get your illness treated.”

Chu Xiaoyi accepted the red envelope in confusion. He pinched open the packet and looked inside. It seemed to contain one thousand yuan. He knew his mother Xiao Bi’s management methods well. Back then, all of his New Year’s money had to be handed over, and he was only allowed to keep one thousand yuan each year. Xiao Bi had never pocketed the children’s New Year’s money herself; instead, she had carefully saved it for them.

The year Chu Xiaoyi left home at eighteen, he received all of his accumulated New Year’s money from his mother. It seemed the family still followed the same tradition, leaving the child only one thousand yuan each year.

No matter how thick-skinned Chu Xiaoyi was, when he looked at the little girl’s clear and bright eyes, he couldn’t help feeling ashamed. He declined politely, saying, “No need. Treating an illness doesn’t cost that much money…”

He had only wanted to mess with and tease the little girl for a bit. After all, she was always cold and sharp-tongued, with quite a temper. Yet now he felt utterly embarrassed.

Chu Xiaoyi tried to stuff the red envelope back into the little thing’s hands, but she nimbly dodged away. Chu Xiaoxiao said calmly, “Just take it. You’re so dumb. It’s normal that you’re not successful. If Dad and Mom knew you weren’t doing well, they’d be sad too.”

A stunned expression appeared on Chu Xiaoyi’s face, and for a moment he was speechless.

Chu Xiaoxiao really didn’t like Chu Xiaoyi, but she also didn’t want him to live miserably outside. Chu Xiaoyi was already twenty-three years old. If their parents learned that he didn’t even have money to see a doctor, they would definitely be heartbroken. Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t want Dad and Mom to be sad, so naturally she had to help solve their worries.

After giving him the money, Chu Xiaoxiao stopped paying attention to Chu Xiaoyi. She simply hid out in the small courtyard to get some air, as though afraid he might chase after her again.

Chu Xiaoxiao: The adults in this generation are really hard to manage. Hurry up and let the Spring Festival holiday end.

Looking at the scalding-hot red envelope in his hands, Chu Xiaoyi felt rather complicated and conflicted. He couldn’t help collapsing onto the sofa with a sigh, wearing a wistful expression. His little sister was a kind and sensible little glutinous rice dumpling. Even though she disliked and despised him in every possible way, she still treated others with a crystal-pure heart.

After thinking for a bit, Chu Xiaoyi simply sent his manager He Xin a message.

YI: Actually, having a younger sister isn’t so bad.

He Xin: Fell for it that fast, huh?

YI: [Image]

YI: I just acted poor and miserable in front of her, and she gave me a one-thousand-yuan red envelope.

Chu Xiaoyi took a photo of the red envelope and specifically sent it to He Xin to show off.

He Xin: ?

He Xin: Your sister is only two or three years old, right? How can you have the nerve to take her money?

YI: Please maintain a rigorous attitude. She is already three and a half years old now.

He Xin was rather speechless at his artist’s shameless attitude. He suddenly felt that Chu Xiaoxiao, who was spending her holiday looking after her older brother, had it really hard. He should probably arrange some work for Chu Xiaoyi instead. He shouldn’t have let him come home for the Spring Festival. He only wanted to beg Chu Xiaoyi to behave like a decent human being. It was one thing for the guy to constantly find new ways to torment him, but now he had come home and started tormenting his three-and-a-half-year-old sister too?