Chapter 17 (2nd Update + 3rd Update)

The afternoon rain arrived suddenly and fiercely, with a grand display.

Zhi Li rested her chin on her small hand, gazing through the large glass window of the tutoring room at the rippling pond in the garden. She watched the lavender petals scattered by the pond and the raindrops that clattered against the window like strings of pearls.

Her thoughts drifted further with the falling rain, unconsciously sketching the scenes she saw in her mind.

Jiang Yuexiao pushed open the door of the tutoring room, removing his sweatband as he walked in. “Old Jin, why did you reschedule the lesson to today—”

Hearing the voice, Zhi Li quickly turned her head, her eyes lighting up with a smile as she called out cheerfully, “Brother!”

When addressing Jiang Yuexiao, she sat up straight, her small hand that had been propping her chin now waving energetically.

“…” Jiang Yuexiao’s question abruptly halted.

He swiftly stuffed the sweatband into his pocket, straightened his clothes, and then walked stiffly to his seat, sitting down with a stern expression. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zhi Li sitting less than half an arm’s length away and asked coldly, “Are you here for Math Olympiad too?”

Zhi Li nodded. “Uncle Jin said we’d have the lesson together!”

The tutor responsible for both of them, Mr. Jin, adjusted his glasses with a gentle smile. “The old madam adjusted the schedule, probably to make it more convenient for me, so I wouldn’t have to make two trips.”

Jiang Yuexiao glanced at him sideways, raising his chin slightly. “Even if we’re combined into one session, you’re still getting paid for two, right?”

Mr. Jin paused briefly before answering honestly with a smile, “The old madam is very generous.”

Jiang Yuexiao scoffed.

While the two of them spoke plainly, Zhi Li looked confused. “So, is the teacher getting paid for one session or two?”

“Of course he’s getting paid for two—he’s shrewd like that,” Jiang Yuexiao replied coolly, shooting her a disdainful look. “You little dummy.”

Someone so straightforward and unable to read between the lines was practically a lamb waiting to be fleeced in their social circle.

Yet, to his surprise, instead of being upset by his dismissive attitude, Zhi Li looked at him with wide-eyed admiration. “Brother, you actually figured that out?!”

Even her uncle only realized she wasn’t the brightest after she couldn’t solve a problem. Compared to him, her brother was amazing!

With that thought, her gaze grew even more adoring, her big, grape-like eyes sparkling like stars.

Jiang Yuexiao: “…”

Jiang Yuexiao: “???”

He turned his head stiffly, flipping open his elementary Math Olympiad book with an air of composure, perfectly embodying maturity and unshakable calm.

Inside, however, he was nearly tearing his hair out in frustration.

Here we go again—this little dummy was at it again! First, she tried to melt his cold demeanor with affection, and now she was trying to disarm his indifference with cuteness! As someone older, he absolutely couldn’t let her exploit even the slightest weakness!

Mr. Jin stifled a laugh.

After two years of verbal sparring with Jiang Yuexiao, this was the first time he’d seen the boy at a loss against someone else. Ah, what sweet satisfaction—even the torrential rain outside sounded pleasant now.

After a brief introduction, Mr. Jin began the lesson properly, first having Jiang Yuexiao review previously covered material before starting with Zhi Li. He planned to switch back to Jiang Yuexiao halfway through.

Zhi Li had been nervous, worried that her slower learning might delay her brother’s lesson.

But Teacher Jin didn’t even open the textbook during class. The entire lesson felt like storytelling—tales of stars in the sky, rivers on the ground, and little rabbits and deer in the forest. Before she knew it, Zhi Li was completely engrossed.

Jiang Yuexiao, on the other hand, had been burying his head in his book, scribbling over every character with a “口” radical, effectively blocking out Teacher Jin’s ridiculously childish stories.  

“Zhi Li, this is the last story,” Teacher Jin said as he stuck a chibi sticker on the whiteboard behind him. “It’s New Year’s, and your mom gave you a red envelope with your lucky money inside.”  

As he spoke, he placed a red envelope sticker on the board and drew three arrows from it. Then, he handed Zhi Li a small box of stickers. “You can use this lucky money to buy three different gifts. What would you like to get for yourself?”  

Zhi Li didn’t hesitate when she saw the variety of stickers in the box. She quickly picked out three—a drawing pad, a pencil, and a backpack—and handed them to Teacher Jin. “I’ve chosen!”  

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuexiao finished blacking out the last remaining page and finally spared a sliver of attention for the lesson.  

Teacher Jin stuck the three stickers at the ends of the arrows and asked Zhi Li with a smile, “You spent half of your lucky money on the backpack, half of the remaining amount on a few drawing pads, and half of what was left on some pencils. After all that, you still have 6 yuan left. So, how much lucky money did you have in total?”  

“Hmm.” Zhi Li picked up her pencil and began scribbling calculations on her open notebook.  

Jiang Yuexiao glanced sideways at her notebook, noticing the childish pencil marks covering the page. Just as he was about to look closer, he felt a gaze from the front. He expressionlessly averted his eyes and then just as expressionlessly met Teacher Jin’s stare.  

Teacher Jin simply smiled.  

From that smile, Jiang Yuexiao detected the mockery of a high-level player.  

“…” He turned his attention back to the problem on the whiteboard, vaguely recalling that he had done a similar one a long time ago. How had he answered it back then?  

Oh.  

He remembered saying there was no way he’d be left with a measly 6 yuan.  

Seeing Jiang Yuexiao’s dawning realization, Teacher Jin asked, “Yuexiao, would you like to give it a try?”  

Jiang Yuexiao replied coolly, “It’s too easy. Not worth my time.”  

Despite his words, his mind was already analyzing the problem. This was the first time since starting elementary Math Olympiad that he had ever put this much effort into solving a question.  

Hearing Jiang Yuexiao’s remark, Zhi Li’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. No wonder Big Brother could tell at a glance that I’m a little dummy—he doesn’t even need a pen or paper to solve it!  

Auntie Butler’s comment about “just playing around” must have been based on Big Brother’s level, right?  

Zhi Li lowered her head and focused even harder on her calculations.  

Even without turning his head, Jiang Yuexiao noticed Zhi Li’s brief glance. Mentally, he critiqued, *This problem is a bit tricky—definitely tough for a little kid. But I’m not about to give her the answer, because—*  

He didn’t remember the method either. Work backward from 6 yuan? Had Old Jin mentioned setting some variable back then?  

“I’ve got it!” Zhi Li raised her hand, her dark, bright eyes brimming with anticipation as she looked at Teacher Jin. “48 yuan! Mom gave me 48 yuan in lucky money!”

Teacher Jin wasn’t surprised that Zhi Li could calculate correctly since he had some understanding of her abilities, but he still acted astonished and clapped loudly.

Jiang Yuexiao was utterly bewildered.

The little dummy actually got it right? And faster than him? So why did his grandma switch their Math Olympiad class schedules?! If this kept up, his true score of around thirty points would be exposed soon!

Teacher Jin continued praising Zhi Li, “Little Zhi Li, you’re so smart!”

“Really?” Zhi Li held up her elementary Math Olympiad textbook and asked softly, “Teacher, if I keep working hard, can I learn everything in this book?” Uncle said that if she could solve all the problems inside, she could go to kindergarten.

Teacher Jin replied without hesitation, “Of course you can!”

Yay!

Zhi Li nearly jumped for joy. So the only thing standing between her and kindergarten was Teacher Jin!

For the second half of the class, Teacher Jin was supposed to teach Jiang Yuexiao. However, while Jiang Yuexiao sat stiffly with a tense face, secretly panicking, Teacher Jin placed a test paper on his desk and tapped it. “The Madam said to give you an assessment first.”

Jiang Yuexiao froze. “My grandma asked you to test me?” His grandma actually cared about his studies?

“Did she say whether she’d want to see the paper?”

Teacher Jin shrugged. “She told me to grade it myself.”

Getting the expected answer, Jiang Yuexiao wasn’t disappointed. He took the paper and began solving the problems with great seriousness. But halfway through, he suddenly glanced at Zhi Li. “No peeking.”

Zhi Li covered her eyes with both hands and obediently said, “I can’t see a thing.”

Her slender, fair wrists were adorned with an exquisite children’s watch, sparkling brightly under the light.

“…” Jiang Yuexiao turned his face away indignantly. This little dummy always did these unbearably cute things.

The next second, his gaze fell back on the test paper, and he fell silent again.

Perhaps he shouldn’t call Zhi Li a dummy anymore. As someone who couldn’t even calculate his New Year’s money, he was utterly unqualified to call anyone else a dummy.

The first problem on the test happened to be about Xiao Ming’s birthday.

As Jiang Yuexiao read it, his thoughts began to drift.

Now that he was back in the country, this year’s birthday party would definitely be held in the family’s small garden. He’d invite a few close friends—should he include Zhi Li?

Out of courtesy, he should.

But if he really invited Zhi Li, that woman Xu Qingying would think he’d accepted her.

Even though he hadn’t seen Xu Qingying cause any trouble during breakfast, his past experiences had left him with an extremely poor impression of her. He had no doubt she’d been acting all morning.

Jiang Yuexiao tapped the test paper with his pen.

Inviting Zhi Li to the birthday party would not only give Xu Qingying the wrong idea but also inflate this little brat’s ego, making her think those cheek kisses and cuteness had melted his cold demeanor. So he absolutely couldn’t invite Zhi Li—he had to make sure both Xu Qingying and Zhi Li understood he wasn’t welcoming them at all.

Fine.

The truth was, he mainly didn’t welcome Xu Qingying and was taking it out on Zhi Li.

Since his grandma wouldn’t check the test anyway, Jiang Yuexiao absentmindedly filled in random numbers while pondering the birthday party.

Sigh, if it weren’t for remembering how his father, uncles, aunts, and cousins had all studied Math Olympiad extensively as children, he wouldn’t have included it when deciding on his interests. This subject was pure torture—he’d rather play a few more rounds of tennis.

When Jiang Yuexiao handed in his test paper, he accidentally glanced at Zhi Li and saw the little kid still foolishly covering her eyes.

“…”

This brat would probably get scammed left and right in the future, wouldn’t she?

——

Time flew by, and Friday arrived.

“It’s blowing up!”

“Seriously! This is the first time I’ve seen viewership spike so fast!”

At noon on Friday, the 1-hour-30-minute edited version of the pilot episode of *Shining Children*, which had been livestreamed the previous weekend, finally premiered on Qingmang TV after four or five days of editing.

The moment it went live, netizens flooded in.

Some had watched the livestream and wanted to revisit it, some had missed parts due to work or other commitments, and others had never followed the livestream but were drawn in by viral GIFs online. As soon as the video dropped, they rushed to check it out.

The staff watched the soaring online engagement and viewership with smiles on their faces.

“Wait—” Staff Member A pointed at the backend data. “Why are so many people skipping the first ten-plus minutes?”

Staff Member B: “Xu Qingying’s family is the second group to appear. Probably a lot of viewers came specifically for Xu Qingying and Zhi Li.”

“Xu Qingying’s current popularity can’t compare to Yu Xinrou’s. My friend said Yu Xinrou just signed with a super aggressive marketing agency—her fanbase is growing crazy fast.”

“No matter how many fans she has, she’ll still get roasted by casual viewers.”

Soon, the staff noticed that among the four separate family CUT versions they later uploaded, Xu Qingying and Zhi Li’s CUT had the highest views by far, doubling the second-place Yu Xinrou family. Meanwhile, on the newly launched *Star Chart*:

Xu Qingying ranked No. 4 among parents, while Zhi Li ranked No. 3 among children.

In other words, one was dead last among parents, and the other was second-to-last among kids. The actual last place among children went to Xu Qingying’s stepson Jiang Yuexiao, who hadn’t even appeared yet—his name was on the *Star Chart*, but his avatar was still the default.

The *Star Chart* was Qingmang TV’s voting ranking for *Shining Children*. Platform users who watched 30 minutes of livestream would receive a *Starlight Card*, which they could use to vote for a parent or child, symbolizing popularity and favorability.

No one expected this family, which was at the bottom of the *Star Chart*, to have the most-watched video—almost doubling the views of Yu Xinrou’s family in second place.

Right now, the comments on Xu Qingying and Zhi Li’s CUT were filled with detective-like netizens dissecting every detail.

[Just gave my Starlight vote to Xinrou, but I’ve rewatched Zhi Li’s stepdad’s micro-movements eight times. I’m 100% sure he tried to avoid her when he saw her!!!]

[Saw some experts analyzing livestream screenshots online, but watching it live hits different.]

[The stepdad and Zhi Li really do have zero chemistry!]

[Uh, “zero chemistry” but he gave her a bank card and told her to call him Dad? That card had over a million in it.]

[Rewatched this part too. During those few seconds when the livestream cut out, Zhi Li *must* have done something!]

[What could she have done to get a near-stranger to hand over a million-yuan bank card? Teach me your ways.]

[“It must be those tricks Xu Qingying taught her. I actually liked Zhi Li when I first watched the mall livestream, but after seeing people analyze it, I realized she’s just a scheming little kid. I’d rather throw away the Starlight Card in my hand than vote for her!”]

In the bedroom, Xu Xia stared intently at the barrage of comments on the video. Seeing remarks about how Xu Qingying and Zhi Li were unwelcome in the wealthy family and how Zhi Li was manipulative, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“This is more like it. Those compliments about Zhi Li during the livestream must have been from Xu Qingying’s hired trolls,” Xu Xia muttered under her breath. She then scrolled through the video, joining the crowd dissecting every detail, hoping to find more evidence that the wealthy family truly didn’t care about Zhi Li.

Frame by frame, the video revealed many unnoticed details from the livestream.

For instance, during the scene where Zhi Li made a heart shape in the garden, viewers had been too focused on figuring out what she and her grandmother were saying. Only now did they notice the grandmother’s cold expression throughout the entire interaction!

Combined with the long list of lessons the grandmother had the Butler arrange for Zhi Li, it was hard not to suspect that the grandmother looked down on Zhi Li, finding her uncultured and unfit for high society after being brought into the household by Xu Qingying.

Of course, some people uncovered other details as well.

For example, the villa where the Jiang family lived. By comparing certain spots in the garden, netizens deduced that the Jiangs resided in the exclusive and prestigious Bauhinia Mansion, a haven of tranquility amidst the city’s bustle. The decorative paintings in the Jiang family’s hallway also resembled famous artworks auctioned for seven or eight figures.

[“Seems like Xu Qingying really married into a wealthy family.”]

[“If I could live in Bauhinia Mansion, I wouldn’t mind their coldness or disdain. After all, their ‘coldness’ would enroll me in multiple elite courses, and their ‘disdain’ would give me diamond bank cards to spend freely.”]

[“Please, who knows how long they’ll even stay there? Remember, the stepbrother who called Zhi Li a troublesome brat hasn’t shown up yet. Once that teenage boy returns, he might just sic the dogs on them!”]

Seeing this comment, Xu Xia suddenly recalled the variety show episode she had watched in her past life.

In the show, Jiang Yuexiao hadn’t done anything outright to Zhi Li, but he showed zero respect for Xu Qingying, mocking her relentlessly until she nearly lost her temper on camera.

By evening, many netizens were still rewatching the video for more details, and the comment section exploded again with a new piece of gossip.

Someone claimed their friend’s child was Jiang Yuexiao’s classmate. Today, Jiang Yuexiao was hosting a birthday party at home, inviting a few close friends. After watching the livestream, this person had asked their friend and learned that Jiang Yuexiao hadn’t even told Zhi Li about the party. Zhi Li was nowhere to be seen at the celebration—proof that Jiang Yuexiao was excluding her!

Xu Qingying’s rivals seized this narrative, quickly pushing the topic to the top of the trending list.

#Xu Qingying and Zhi Li Ostracized by Stepson#

——

A gentle evening breeze carried the aroma of food through the small garden, the ribbons strewn across the grass even absorbing the delicious scent, whetting everyone’s appetite.

A group of eight- and nine-year-olds crowded around the long table, some gnawing on lamb chops with their hands, others tearing into potato chips so forcefully that crumbs sprayed everywhere.

Jiang Yuexiao scowled as he swatted away a chip that nearly hit his face, his gaze repeatedly darting toward the garden entrance.

Although he was afraid of causing misunderstandings with Xu Qingying and Zhi Li, he had been dragging his feet for days without giving Zhi Li the slightest hint about the birthday party. However, he had set up the party in the small garden, and these noisy classmates were making quite a ruckus while eating—Zhi Li should be able to hear it, right?

What if Zhi Li followed the noise and came over later?

Jiang Yuexiao was tangled up in his thoughts, his brows furrowed tightly. He couldn’t just shoo Zhi Li away—that would be childish and ungentlemanly.

“If the little brat comes here on her own, what does it have to do with me? It’s not like I invited her,” Jiang Yuexiao muttered under his breath.

This way, even if he let Zhi Li stay and eat, Xu Qingying wouldn’t misunderstand it as him accepting her living in their home. It wouldn’t be too far from his original intention either.

Jiang Yuexiao relaxed his furrowed brows and picked up a glass of juice to drink. His gaze swept over the lavish spread of snacks and treats on the table, and he nodded inwardly—such an impressive setup would definitely not embarrass him in front of the little brat.

Out of the 300-plus days in a year, Jiang Yuexiao especially looked forward to his birthday.

This anticipation had nothing to do with the friends he’d invited. It was simply because, on this day, he could openly indulge in junk food without worrying about seeming childish or lacking self-control.

On the projector screen beside the table, an animated dinosaur fossil had just finished drinking water and was now chasing a security guard all over the museum, even making the guard throw bones.

As the guard tossed a bone, a little boy in a tiny suit and tie also threw a toy bone at Lightning, shouting cheerfully, “Lightning! Fetch!”

Lightning barked and dashed off like a bolt of lightning.

After throwing the bone, the boy crunched on potato chips and asked, “Jiang Yuexiao, isn’t your birthday cake ready yet?”

Another friend paused from the chase and chimed in, “Yeah! If the cake doesn’t come soon, I’ll be too full to eat it.”

“Yuexiao, can I stay over at your place tonight? I want to sleep in your Transformer Base Room!”

“Me too!” the boy in the suit tie yelled, then added, “But I also want cake.”

Jiang Yuexiao glanced at his stomach. “Eat, eat, eat. At this rate, you’ll turn into a pig.”

As he spoke, his critical gaze landed on Lightning, who was panting as he ran back. This dumb dog had no loyalty—even though the person who usually played fetch with him hadn’t been around for days, he didn’t seem to miss her at all.

If Zhi Li didn’t come soon, the birthday cake would be served!

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yuexiao scowled deeply.

What was he thinking? Whether Zhi Li came or not had nothing to do with him.

“Jiang Yuexiao,” a mixed-race friend sidled up to him and asked in a hushed tone, “Is your stepmom really awful? And is the baggage she brought along super annoying?”

Jiang Yuexiao’s frown deepened, but before he could respond, someone else cut in, “Of course they’re annoying. Jiang Yuexiao’s been leading us in ostracizing that stepsister of his.”

Jiang Yuexiao: ???

His expression turned wooden. “Who said I was leading you guys to ostracize her?”

Even if he *was* ostracizing Zhi Li, he’d do it alone. What did it have to do with these outsiders?

“It’s all over the internet,” the boy in the suit tie said, grabbing a tablet and tapping away furiously before lifting his chin proudly. “Look! You two are trending!”

As a young but avid internet surfer, the boy in the suit tie took great pride in his information-gathering skills.

Jiang Yuexiao snatched the tablet and quickly scanned the contents. When he saw that most of the comments were saying Zhi Li was annoying, his short hair practically stood on end in anger, and his expression turned icy cold.

“Utter nonsense!”

He threw down the tablet and stormed off in a huff. Before leaving completely, he turned back to his bowtie-wearing companion and commanded with an air of premature maturity, “You can stay in the base room, but you must get your sister to deal with this trending topic immediately—right now!”

The bowtie-wearing companion’s eyes instantly lit up. “I’ll make the call right away!”

Not long after Jiang Yuexiao left, the remaining kids exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, “So Jiang Yuexiao doesn’t hate the Tag-along? But my mom said these Tag-alongs brought into the family will compete with me for inheritance in the future.”

“Of course he hates her. Stepmothers are the worst.”

“Even if he hates her, it’s a family matter. Having it discussed online would make him seem petty. He must be unhappy about it.” The kid in the bow tie, having just ended a pleasant call with his sister, joined the conversation. “Confess, which one of your relatives leaked this to others?”

The kid in the blue shirt timidly raised his hand, swallowing nervously. “Probably me.”

Hearing this, the other kids looked at him sympathetically. “You’re done for.”

The blue-shirted kid shuddered at the memory of being disciplined by Jiang Yuexiao months ago, his mouthful of lamb chops suddenly losing its flavor. “Wahhh, I don’t want to wash your socks or get Karate lessons from him again!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuexiao quickened his pace as he walked back to the villa, his expression growing colder.

Could Zhi Li have seen the trending news online? He wondered if the little brat had cried over it. But it wasn’t like he actually wanted to exclude her—

His steps gradually slowed as he walked.

Did he really not want to exclude Zhi Li? Before returning to the country, he had been determined to drive Xu Qingying and the Tag-along she brought along out of the Jiang family by any means necessary.

Lost in self-reflection, Jiang Yuexiao passed by the screening room and suddenly heard noises inside.

He stopped and peeked through the slightly ajar door.

Zhi Li was curled up on the plush sofa, her little legs crossed, clutching a bucket of popcorn she barely touched, her eyes glued to the massive IMAX screen ahead.

The screening room’s setup—both the screen and the sound system—rivaled that of a theater, immersing viewers completely and shielding them from any outside disturbances.

On screen, Bear Two, despite being tied up, was desperately trying to reach the ice cream on the table.

Zhi Li gripped the popcorn bucket tightly.

*Thud.*

Bear Two was dragged to the ground, and the long-awaited ice cream toppled over, clearly out of reach.

“The ice cream fell!” Zhi Li’s heart ached as if she were the one who missed out on the treat.

Wei Liang, who had just arrived: “…”

“You—” Wei Liang felt like he was back to that afternoon when Jiang Yuexiao had first returned. “Aren’t you upset at all?”

Only then did Zhi Li notice Wei Liang still hadn’t sat down to watch the movie with her. *How could anyone not love “Boonie Bears”?* As soon as her riding lesson ended, she had rushed back to catch as much of the movie as possible, afraid she’d run late and miss watching the edited preview with her mom that evening.

“Why should I be upset?”

“Jiang—your brother didn’t invite you to his birthday party.”

The first time Wei Liang mentioned Jiang Yuexiao leaving without saying goodbye to Zhi Li, there had been a hint of provocation in his words. He resented his parents constantly prioritizing the Jiang family and wasn’t fond of Zhi Li, who reminded him of his own past when he first arrived at the Jiang residence.

But this time, Wei Liang wasn’t sure if he was trying to stir trouble between Jiang Yuexiao and Zhi Li or if he was genuinely worried she might be hurt by the exclusion.

Now, Zhi Li wasn’t just ignoring her popcorn—she even forgot about *Boonie Bears* entirely. She pressed urgently, “What birthday party? Is it my brother’s birthday?”

Wei Liang was somewhat stunned, as if he hadn’t expected Zhi Li to be unaware. Now that he’d brought it up, wouldn’t Zhi Li realize she was being excluded?

“You—”

“Ahhhh!” Zhi Li scrambled up from the sofa. She wanted to head toward the screening room door but found her little feet rooted to the spot by the sight of Bear Two on the big screen. Left with no choice, she plopped back onto the sofa, scratching her head in frustration. “I didn’t prepare a birthday gift for brother at all.”

There was no time to buy one now. What if she asked Ning Yi to teach her how to make cupcakes? The strawberry cupcakes Ning Yi made yesterday were super delicious, with that sweet-and-sour strawberry chocolate coating.

Wei Liang gaped. “How is your focus still on the gift?” Why aren’t you angry or upset???

Outside the door, Jiang Yuexiao briefly glanced at Wei Liang before shifting his displeased gaze back to Zhi Li. Though he was unhappy hearing Wei Liang’s words, he had to admit they were true.

Besides, having Wei Liang stir up trouble in front of Zhi Li wasn’t entirely bad. At least it would prevent Zhi Li from misunderstanding that he actually welcomed her and Xu Qingying living in the Jiang household.

The silly little kid couldn’t even grasp the main point right away. Once she finally understood the real issue, there wouldn’t be any more misunderstandings—she probably wouldn’t even call him “brother” anymore.

Jiang Yuexiao’s face remained cold.

Wasn’t this exactly what he’d hoped for before coming home?

Hearing Wei Liang’s words, Zhi Li looked up, her dark almond eyes reflecting both the light and confusion. “Isn’t the gift important enough?”

The most important thing about a birthday was definitely the gift! In the past, Zhi Li always looked forward to the presents her grandmother gave her on birthdays. The little piggy bank she used to save money was her third birthday gift from grandma.

Wei Liang said mercilessly, “He invited a bunch of friends to his birthday party but didn’t invite you. Don’t you think that’s unfair?” He’s clearly excluding you, isolating you—the whole internet knows Jiang Yuexiao is excluding you. Wei Liang ultimately held back this last part.

Zhi Li’s eyes widened in surprise. “How could brother be unfair? I’m watching *Boonie Bears* right now! If I went to the party, I wouldn’t get to see the bears! Brother is actually super considerate!”

Her reply was crisp and decisive, brimming with confidence.

Wei Liang: “…”

Jiang Yuexiao: “…”

Zhi Li even jumped down from the sofa and ran over to Wei Liang, covering her mouth with her tiny hand as she whispered very quietly, “Brother Wei Liang, after I finish this episode of *Boonie Bears*, I’ll go prepare brother’s gift. Please, please don’t tell him I forgot to get him a birthday present, okay?”

Wei Liang: “…”

Outside the door, Jiang Yuexiao listened, his cold little face filled with complexity.

If this silly little kid left the Jiang family someday, could someone like Xu Qingying—a two-faced, money-grubbing woman—really protect her properly?