Chapter 16: There’s Also a Younger Brother

Su Baili walked to the door of the room that the Wang family had prepared for her. She reached out and pushed open the wooden door. The room was simply decorated, yet warm and cozy—there was a single bed covered in a small floral sheet, a light-colored wooden desk, and a wardrobe.

The room had excellent natural light, with sunlight streaming through the window and casting golden spots of light on the floor.

Su Baili walked over to the bed, which looked so comfortable, and gently sat down, feeling the softness of the mattress beneath her.

She looked around, and her gaze eventually landed on a photo frame on the desk.

Curiously, she got up and walked closer. The frame seemed to hold a family portrait. In the photo, Wang Father and Wang  Mother were smiling brightly, and standing between them was a boy who looked to be in high school.

Su Baili stared at the photo and pursed her lips. So, there was another child in the family. She wondered if they’d get along well.

At that moment, Wang  Mother entered with a cup of water. When she saw Su Baili staring at the photo in a daze, she quickly explained, “That’s your younger brother. He’s three years younger than you and is in his senior year of high school. He wanted to meet you today, but since it’s the monthly exam, we didn’t let him come.”

“Oh,” Su Baili didn’t know what to say and casually set the photo frame down.

Zhao Qing thought she might be upset and hurriedly explained, “That photo was actually brought by your brother. He wanted you to see what he looked like when you came back. There’s no other meaning behind it. When you have time, our whole family can go together and take a new family portrait.”

“I’m fine, you don’t need to explain,” Su Baili smiled and took a sip of the water, showing her goodwill.

Wang  Mother sighed with relief.

She quickly said, “I’ll go buy some groceries and make dinner. If you have any preferences, just let me know. I’ll cook for you and you can try my cooking.”

Su Baili tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “Sweet and sour spare ribs?”

When Wang  Mother heard this, she seemed to recall something amusing and smiled happily. “Alright, I’ll go buy the ribs. By the way, there’s a shop nearby that sells delicious little cakes. Do you want some?”

“Yes!” Su Baili nodded eagerly.

Wang  Mother smiled with squinted eyes. “Okay, you can rest in the room for a bit if you’re tired. No one will disturb you. When dinner is ready, I’ll come get you.”

“Thank you~”

Wang  Mother, looking at her obedient daughter, walked out contentedly.

Wang Father, seeing how happy she was, curiously asked, “What happened? Why are you so happy?”

“It’s nothing,” Wang  Mother shook her head. “I just asked Baili what she likes to eat, and she said she likes sweet and sour spare ribs.”

“Really? What a coincidence! Feng likes them too.”

“Yes, so I asked her if she wanted some of those little cakes downstairs, and her eyes lit up when she heard that.”

“Indeed…” Wang Father couldn’t help but sigh, “I didn’t expect their tastes to be so similar. As for Qiyan…”

Wang  Mother felt a pang of coldness in her heart. She waved her hands repeatedly, “Today is a joyous day, don’t bring her up. What if our daughter hears and overthinks it?”

Today, she had truly been heartbroken by Lin Qiyan. From now on, she would act as though she had no such daughter.

“Alright, I won’t mention her. You go buy more groceries. Let’s make a nice dinner tonight.”

“Got it. I’ll do as you say.” Zhao Qing smiled and reminded him, “I’ll let the child rest in the room. Don’t disturb her if you don’t have anything urgent.”

“I won’t disturb her. Let her have some time to settle in.”

In the room, Su Baili lay on the soft bed. The comforting smell of freshly sun-dried bedding still lingered. She happily rubbed her face against the sheets.

Then, she took out her phone…

She curiously pressed the phone to her ear and asked tentatively, “Brother?”

Immediately, a pleasant voice from a man responded, “I’m here.”

Su Baili smiled contentedly, knowing that Qi Shenzhi must be waiting on the other end of the line, and sure enough, he was.

Not knowing exactly what to say, Su Baili just giggled and hummed a little.

Qi Shenzhi chuckled softly, “Are you in a good mood, Li Li?”

Su Baili shyly admitted, “Mm…”

Qi Shenzhi gently asked, “Is it because you’re happy with your biological parents?”

Su Baili turned over and lay on her stomach on the bed, swinging her little feet, “Mm… I didn’t expect that they didn’t intentionally abandon me, and today, they weren’t clueless at all. They actually stood by me and spoke up for me.”

Seeing that she was in such a good mood, Qi Shenzhi was very pleased, “That’s good. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

A matter this big, he couldn’t just let Su Baili handle it alone. Naturally, he stayed on the phone the entire time.

Of course, he also listened to his little cat’s sharp, playful comments. He was quite pleased with how she didn’t hold back when dealing with people she didn’t like.

This was exactly what he wanted—his Li Li shouldn’t ever let anyone make her feel wronged. He even hoped she’d be tougher, to the point that no one would dare to bully her.

After all, the effort he had put in these years was all to make sure Li Li had the confidence and strength to live freely, right?

But of course, she was always obedient and never caused trouble for him…

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but feel a bit unaccomplished compared to others’ second-generation heirs, but when he looked at Li Li, he couldn’t help but think, she was just so well-behaved.

After feeling happy for a while, Su Baili hesitated before saying, “Shenzhi, I didn’t expect the Wang family to have another child. Do you think my little brother will like me?”

Though she still called them “uncle” and “aunt,” the way she said “little brother” clearly indicated that she was already considering the Wang family as her own. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel uneasy about such a small thing.

Qi Shenzhi comforted her, “He will, Li Li. You’re so cute, no one could not like you.”

“But… at his age, he’s in his senior year of high school, which is when kids are the most rebellious. He’s lived with Lin Qiyan all these years. Do you think suddenly having an older sister… might be too much for him?”

Su Baili’s lack of self-confidence was exactly what Qi Shenzhi didn’t want to see. He had spent so many years raising her to be bright and confident. How could he let her withdraw into her shell over something like this?

He quickly interrupted her, “That won’t happen, Li Li. Don’t you trust your brother?”

Su Baili pouted, “But I’m not a banknote. Everyone has people who dislike them…”