From a very young age, Qiu Li had learned from the servants and Qiu Zhan that he was an illegitimate child, a disgrace to the Qiu family. Back then, he was too young to understand what it meant to be an illegitimate child. All he knew was that everyone seemed to dislike him, and no one wanted to play with him.

He had once naively thought it was because he wasn’t being proactive enough, that’s why no one would play with him. Determined to fit in, he secretly learned many games and made an effort to join the others.

He tried five times in total—three times he was scolded, twice he was met with punches.

From then on, no matter how much he wanted to, he never again made the first move.

As he grew older, he understood more. His last sliver of hope faded away.

At home, he spent most of his time alone in his room—playing by himself, doing his homework by himself. Unless absolutely necessary, he rarely left the room.

It was the weekend, and the Qiu family had a lot of visitors. He only glanced out the window, then quickly shut the curtains and went back to his craftwork—homework assigned by the kindergarten teacher that required parents to help. But since he barely saw his father and knew he wouldn’t help, let alone Aunt Xu, he had no choice but to do it alone. So, he had to start early, or else he’d never finish.

It was Qiu Zhan who had forced him out of his room, saying he had to join them for their game.

He knew better than anyone how much Qiu Zhan hated him. There was no way he’d invite him to play voluntarily. But Qiu Li couldn’t refuse, because they were older and outnumbered him. He couldn’t fight back.

The “game” was nothing more than tormenting him.

A group of them sat in the greenhouse, eating snacks and playing video games, while he stood outside, on the lawn, like a motionless statue.

This “game” would repeat every few days.

He didn’t know how long he had been standing there, only that his feet and legs hurt.

Maybe they had gotten bored of the game. One by one, they ran out and threw him a carton of milk, telling him to perform a one-minute milk-drinking show.

Qiu Zhan usually tossed him his milk—always the kind he didn’t want to drink—just so he wouldn’t get scolded. He hated drinking milk, especially the kind Qiu Zhan threw at him. It felt as if he were just a trash can to be filled. He also hated the look on Qiu Zhan’s face when he tossed him the milk. He couldn’t quite describe it, but he knew it wasn’t a nice look.

He didn’t want to perform the milk-drinking trick for them, but he was eager to get back to his room and finish his craftwork. If he didn’t drink it, they surely wouldn’t let him leave.

What he didn’t expect was that a little girl would suddenly rush over, snatch the milk from his hands, and throw it away.

He stared at the girl in front of him, whose face was flushed from running, and whose pigtails bobbed with every heavy breath she took. He was a bit confused.

What was she doing?

He glanced down at the milk spilled on the grass, then at the girl. She was looking up at him, silent, as if waiting for something.

He furrowed his brows, utterly puzzled.

When she saw Qiu Li’s brows furrow and his lips press into a tight line, Yan Xiao’s heart leapt with joy.

Was it working?

So great! Hurry up and start hating me!

Milk wasn’t exactly a rare luxury item, and in a family like the Qiu’s, they definitely wouldn’t be short on milk for the kids— even for the unwanted illegitimate son. She snatched his milk, but if he wants another carton later, he can just go grab one. Even if he doesn’t, missing out on one carton of milk wasn’t a big deal. The Qiu family’s meals will provide all the necessary nutrition.

He’s just missing one carton of milk, but that’s what could save her life!

Thinking this way, Yan Xiao felt even smarter about her actions. She couldn’t control her little face and ended up smiling.

-007?

She called out to the system in her mind.

[Yes.]

-Has the dislike value increased? How much?

The system was silent for a moment before coldly responding: [The change is too small to be detected. Only once the value reaches a certain threshold will the data show up.]

Yan Xiao immediately felt a little disappointed, but then she thought it through and understood.

After all, she had only thrown away a carton of the villain’s milk. Even if the villain wasn’t pleased for a moment, he wouldn’t suddenly hate her for such a small thing.

It’s like when someone bumps into her. Sure, she’ll be annoyed, but she won’t hold a grudge against that person. But if that person keeps bumping into her, then she’ll start really disliking them.

So…

She needed to build up the villain’s dislike for her.

One time could be chalked up to an accident, two times could still be a mistake… but a hundred times? That’s building up over time. As long as she kept looking for opportunities, she’d definitely be able to rack up enough dislike points!

The ever-present system responded to her with one word: [Yes.]

Just as she was filled with joy, planning her great scheme to accumulate dislike points, her aunt quickly ran over.

Having just gotten out of the car, she sprinted straight toward her. Chen Zilu was truly impressed with her little niece. Even at the Qiu house, she couldn’t feel at ease and had to rush over after saying a quick hello.

“Xiaoxiao, why are you running so fast? What if you fall? What if…”

When she saw the milk on the ground and the obvious tension between the two kids, her expression changed slightly. She squatted down next to Yan Xiao, her face stern. “Xiaoxiao, how could you throw away your brother’s milk? That’s really rude…”

Yan Xiao: I know! I’m so rude! Hurry up and hate me!

But she didn’t say anything, only watching Qiu Li with a smug look.

Qiu Li didn’t speak. His eyes lowered slightly, his long lashes casting a shadow over his face, his expression as cold as ever.

Was he angry?

Yan Xiao bit her lip, unsure, but she couldn’t directly ask. She started to feel a bit anxious.

Chen Zilu knew Qiu Li well and was fully aware of his situation in the Qiu family. However, since the child hadn’t done anything truly wrong, she didn’t judge with adult moral standards. On the other hand, her niece’s behavior today was a bit off—she usually wasn’t this rude. Who had she learned this from?

This couldn’t go on. Chen Zilu furrowed her brow, thinking to herself that she would need to teach her properly.

“Xiao Li,” she said, glancing at Qiu Li, who still hadn’t spoken. “Xiaoxiao didn’t mean to throw your milk. I’ll have her apologize to you…”

Qiu Li, who had been staring at his own shadow on the grass, lifted his eyes upon hearing this. A brief flash of surprise flickered in his gaze.

Apologize?

As far as he could remember, no one had ever apologized to him.

When Chen Zilu saw Qiu Li raise his head, not looking particularly angry, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried that the child might be too sensitive and that this could leave some lasting emotional impact. She shook her little niece’s body gently, “Xiaoxiao, apologize to your brother, say sorry.”

Yan Xiao gritted her teeth.

Apologizing was out of the question—if she apologized, would the milk be thrown away for nothing?

Seeing her niece’s strong resistance to saying sorry, Chen Zilu thought it was probably due to the child’s sense of pride. Pushing her head too much wouldn’t do either, as it could lead to rebellious behavior. So, she softened her tone, “Xiaoxiao, you threw your brother’s milk, and now he has no milk to drink. How about you give him a candy as compensation, okay?”

Candy?

Yan Xiao’s eyes lit up.

Right, aside from snatching things and throwing them, she could also give the villain something he didn’t like!

Back when 007 summarized the entire plot for her, she remembered there was a scene where Qiu Li didn’t like sweet food, which caused a conflict between him and the male lead…

She pursed her lips, revealing two sweet dimples, and happily said, “I brought a lot of candy!”

Saying that, she dug into her little bag, which was filled with her favorite candies. She picked out the largest strawberry-flavored cotton candy, lifted her chin, and, with a proud and coy look, handed it to Qiu Li. “Here, have it!”

Qiu Li looked at the pink, cloud-shaped cotton candy that was handed to him, then glanced at Yan Xiao and Chen Zilu, but he didn’t move.

Chen Zilu thought the child was just shy, so she smiled and said, “Come on, take it. Your little sister is apologizing to you.”

Qiu Li blinked, remained silent, and pressed his lips together even tighter.

So, this was what it was like to be apologized to.

He looked at the little girl. She had purposely run over to throw away his milk and then apologized. This didn’t quite match the logic that teachers talked about.

Yan Xiao didn’t want Qiu Li to think she was apologizing. Why did her aunt keep bringing this up?

Without thinking, she shoved the cotton candy into Qiu Li’s hand—this would surely make him dislike her.

After handing it over, Yan Xiao grabbed her aunt’s hand and turned to leave.

Her goal was to make him dislike her, not to make him hate her.

After all, he was the big villain—if she upset him too much, he could just take revenge, and that would be counterproductive.

Due to Yan Xiao and Chen Zilu’s arrival, Qiu Zhan and his group of friends in the glass conservatory had already dispersed, and no one was around to watch him perform the milk-drinking act anymore.

Qiu Li looked up at the little girl’s retreating figure, then glanced at the cotton candy in his hand. After a while, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.

He had never eaten cotton candy before.

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Xiao Li Li: Hmm, cotton candy! Happy (#^.^#)

*[Xiaoxiao’s reverse operation +2]