When Qiu Zhan got home after hanging out with his classmates, the moment he stepped out of the car, he noticed that annoying brat Qiu Li’s room light was on. He let out a cold sneer.

After entering the house, he casually acknowledged a servant and headed straight upstairs—kicking the door open without hesitation.

Qiu Li was in the middle of doing his homework. Yan Xiao was coming over tomorrow, and since he planned to meet her during the day, he had to finish his assignments tonight. Luckily, it was just a craft project this week—he’d done plenty of these before, so he was used to it and didn’t find it troublesome.

Under the warm yellow glow of his desk lamp, Qiu Li sat quietly with a serious expression, cutting out small pieces of paper. Today’s theme was little black sheep… The soft light shimmered on his focused face, adding a gentle calm to the quiet night.

That calm, however, was shattered in an instant by a deafening bang at the door.

There was no mistaking it—that had to be Qiu Zhan.

Qiu Li frowned slightly. He glanced at the scissors in his hand, then set them down amidst the irritating pounding, walking over to open the door.

“Don’t act like you’re dead,” Qiu Zhan sneered from the doorway. “Took you long enough!”

Qiu Li didn’t understand—he was just quietly working in his room. Why did Qiu Zhan always have to come looking for a fight?

Qiu Zhan stared down at him with undisguised contempt written all over his face. “Tomorrow, stay in this room. Don’t come out and embarrass yourself.”

Qiu Li’s brows twitched. He bit his lip but said nothing.

Not getting a response, Qiu Zhan cursed. “What, cat got your tongue?”

Qiu Li still said nothing.

Just looking at him irritated Qiu Zhan. He had no patience to waste more words and simply threw out a warning: “Remember what I said—stay in your room tomorrow!”

With that, he turned and walked off.

If Qiu Li dared to show his face, he knew exactly what the consequences would be.

And Qiu Zhan didn’t think he had the guts to ignore his warning anyway.

After Qiu Zhan left, Qiu Li stood at the doorway for a long time.

The lights in the downstairs living room had already been turned off, making the entire villa feel even more empty and cold.

In the dark, his eyelashes quivered slightly, and a suppressed sharpness flickered in his eyes.

He hadn’t done anything wrong—so what gave Qiu Zhan the right to treat him like this?

He clenched his fists, repeating each word silently in his heart: This time, I won’t back down.

…..

Meanwhile, Yan Xiao—still adjusting to her new body’s stamina—had returned home, taken a bath, and chatted with her parents for a bit about her first day at school. Before long, she was yawning, and her mother carried her back to her room. Within minutes, she was softly snoring, and slept straight through the night.

When she woke up the next morning, she remembered she’d be visiting the Qiu family today to continue her grand “point-earning mission.” That alone was enough motivation to make her leap out of bed and dash to the bathroom.

Chen Ziyi, coming in to wake her daughter, was surprised to see her already standing at her little sink, brushing her teeth. Smiling, she gently ruffled her daughter’s messy bed hair. “Up so early today? Brushing your teeth and washing your face all by yourself—such a good girl…”

Yan Xiao spit out her mouthful of water, glanced at her mom in the mirror, and grinned while smoothing down a stubborn tuft of hair. “I’m going to the Qiu house soon! I want to see Brother Qiu Yan, so I’m getting ready early!”

Of course, she wasn’t about to tell her mom the real reason she was in such a hurry—to find an excuse to hang around Qiu Li and earn more points. Even though she’d explained things yesterday, her mom had still misunderstood. So today, she had to smooth it over a bit more.

Normally, she was never this eager to visit the Qiu family. But today, she’d gotten up early, brushed her teeth and washed her face all on her own, and even earnestly declared it was because she wanted to go play with “Brother Qiu Yan.” Chen Ziyi couldn’t help finding it funny. At her age, she already knew how to cover up her true intentions? It was obvious she was actually excited to see Qiu Li.

Chen Ziyi didn’t know when her daughter had gotten so close to Qiu Li, but she didn’t expose her. Instead, she just played along and nodded. “Then later, you have to finish your milk like a good girl.”

Yan Xiao: “……”

She had been resisting this all week—refusing to drink formula, and definitely not from a baby bottle.

But today…

She sighed at her reflection in the mirror. “Fine.”

Sometimes, Chen Ziyi couldn’t believe her daughter was only three years old. With a teasing smile, she added, “Isn’t your anticipation to see your friend enough motivation to drink your milk?”

Yan Xiao was stumped.

Oh… right.

Winning negative affection points was literally a matter of life and death. What could possibly be more important than that?

Her mom’s casual comment hit the mark. Yan Xiao immediately realized she hadn’t been taking things seriously enough. No wonder her negative affection level was still too low to even register in the system. It was so low, the system couldn’t show a number even if it wanted to.

She had to try harder. Be more proactive. No slacking!

After a deep moment of self-reflection, Yan Xiao made up her mind. She looked up at her mother with a deadly serious expression and declared, “From now on, I’ll drink all my milk!”

She looked so sincere—it was almost comical. Chen Ziyi held back a laugh and gave her a thumbs-up. “Amazing!”

…Though she had resolved to finish her milk, she still refused to drink it from the baby bottle. In the end, they poured it into a regular cup.

Once the formula was downed—like she was taking a shot of strong liquor—Yan Xiao dashed back to her room to get dressed.

She pulled out a pair of overalls, a brown little cardigan, and a white undershirt to match…

Watching her daughter chug the milk like a warrior and then sprint off to change clothes, Chen Ziyi couldn’t help but find it all too amusing. She didn’t interfere, just stood to the side, curious to see how far her daughter’s urgency would go. Sure enough, after a while, the little one reappeared, hair a mess, holding a comb, and looking utterly frustrated.

Chen Ziyi nearly burst out laughing at the sight—but knowing her daughter’s strange sense of pride, she only chuckled softly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Xiao was fuming.

All she wanted was a simple ponytail—it wasn’t some complicated hairstyle! But her clumsy little hands just couldn’t manage it. The more she failed, the more determined she became. It was like going into battle with her own hair. She refused to give up.

Unfortunately… her arms were just too short.

In the end, she had no choice but to come downstairs and ask her mom for help.

Once her ponytail was neatly done, her mood magically improved. She slung her little backpack over her shoulders and was ready to go.

Under her daughter’s impatient urging, Yan Hao had no choice but to rush through breakfast. With gifts in tow, the whole family got into the car and headed off to the Qiu residence.

Qiu Yan’s artwork had won the gold prize in a children’s competition. Although it was just a domestic contest, the Qiu family took it seriously. The celebration would be held at a luxury hotel owned by the family, starting at six in the evening. However, a few families with close ties to the Qius came to offer their congratulations that morning—and the Yan family was one of them.

Thanks to Yan Xiao’s constant urging, they were the first to arrive.

Xu Shuangrong personally came out to welcome them. She had just returned late last night from a birthday banquet for an elder in a neighboring city, arriving home past midnight. Yet today, with it being her youngest son’s first celebration, she was radiant—showing no signs of exhaustion.

“Xiaoxiao, you’re here so early?” Xu Shuangrong greeted the Yan couple warmly before turning her attention to the little girl.

She was genuinely fond of Yan Xiao—such a pretty, well-behaved, and clever child. Most importantly, she could actually get along with little Yan.

“Good morning, Auntie,” Yan Xiao said, fully committed to playing the role of a polite child. “You look especially beautiful today!”

Xu Shuangrong gave her cheek a light pinch and chuckled, “Still such a sweet talker…”

“She’s been pestering us since early morning, saying she wants to come play with her brother,” Chen Ziyi explained, smiling helplessly. “We had no choice.”

While the adults chatted, Yan Xiao couldn’t get a word in, so her eyes wandered around the courtyard.

Last time she’d visited, Qiu Li had been drinking milk out here. But today, he was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the whole area.

Noticing her searching gaze, Xu Shuangrong smiled and asked, “Looking for someone, Xiaoxiao?”

Of course, Yan Xiao couldn’t say she was looking for Qiu Li—not in front of Xu Shuangrong. She was well aware that this auntie didn’t like him. Plus, she’d just told her mom earlier that she was coming to see Qiu Yan. No way she could admit the truth now.

With both adults watching her, Yan Xiao could only smile and say, “What’s Brother Qiu Yan up to?”

“He just finished breakfast,” Xu Shuangrong said, pointing toward the house. “He’s in the conservatory. Go ahead.”

Yan Xiao let go of her mother’s hand and took off running toward the house on her stubby little legs, her ponytail bouncing so high it looked like it might poke the sky.

She stepped inside. The living room was quiet, with only a few housekeepers bustling about. There was no sign of Qiu Li. She looked up toward the second floor.

His room was up there, but she couldn’t just barge in and knock, could she? That’d be way too rude.

She hesitated—maybe she should just go find Qiu Yan in the conservatory first and wait for a good chance to bother Qiu Li later. But just as she was thinking this, the door at the far east end of the second floor opened.

Out walked Qiu Li, dressed in a blue tracksuit, holding a tray and an empty milk carton.

Yan Xiao: “!!”

Qiu Li had actually gotten up extra early today—before the sun was even up. After washing up and getting dressed, he dragged a little stool to the window and stared out at the front gate, terrified he might miss Yan Xiao’s arrival.

He’d even brought his breakfast back to his room, sitting in the bay window to eat while keeping watch.

The housekeeper had come by twice to collect his dishes, but both times he wasn’t done eating. He told her he’d bring them down himself when he was finished and told her not to worry about it. She thought it was odd how slow he was eating today, but didn’t say anything.

—It was all intentional. He was stalling on purpose. That way, when Yan Xiao arrived, he could use the excuse of taking his tray downstairs to “accidentally” run into her.

Even when his food had gone cold, he hadn’t minded. He just kept nibbling away slowly.

He had waited so long that his eyes were starting to ache before he finally saw Yan Xiao being carried out of the car.

He hurriedly finished the now-cold fried egg in a few quick bites, wiped his mouth, and gathered his tray to head downstairs.

He was so excited his hands were actually trembling as he held the tray.

When he pushed the door open and saw the little girl standing in the living room looking toward him, Qiu Li couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She was looking in his direction—was she looking for him?

He quickly composed himself and walked downstairs with the tray.

Yan Xiao’s joy flared for only a split second before it was overtaken by determination.

The plot of this world was really playing in her favor. She’d just been hesitating about how to approach Qiu Li when he appeared all on his own. And 007 had the nerve to tell her she didn’t have a golden finger? She didn’t believe it for a second!

Fueled by resolve, she planned to throw out a round of “milk attack” while no adults were around. But then she saw the empty milk carton on the tray—and her little face fell.

“You already drank the milk?”

Qiu Li had just opened his mouth to say hello, but the words got stuck the second she hit him with that question.

He looked at her puffed-up, annoyed little face, then down at the empty milk carton on the tray. That was the one Qiu Zhan had tossed at him after barging into his room, demanding he drink it in front of him.

She looked genuinely upset. Wait—did she want the milk?

But that thought was quickly dismissed.

If she wanted milk, with how much her parents and aunt doted on her, she could have as much as she wanted—why would she need to come to their house for it?

Besides, just last week, when he was drinking milk, she had snatched it away and thrown it out. It wasn’t because she wanted to drink it.

He was still trying to figure out how to explain when she suddenly said, “Forget it.”

Qiu Li’s confusion only deepened. Forget it? What did she mean?

Yan Xiao felt a pang of regret over missing the chance to gain favor points, but seeing Qiu Li frowning at her, clearly not happy, made her feel a bit better.

So he wasn’t exactly thrilled to see her. That was good.

“This is for you!”

She pulled a piece of candy from her bag. Since both of Qiu Li’s hands were still holding the tray, she took the liberty of slipping it into his pocket.

Seeing her suddenly cheerful again—and even giving him candy—left Qiu Li even more puzzled. But it didn’t matter. He was in a good mood anyway.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice a little tight.

He clearly wasn’t happy to greet her, but Yan Xiao just smiled and called out cheerfully, “Good morning!”

Qiu Li: “……”

She smiled at him—and even said good morning.

Qiu Li’s eyes widened slightly, his lashes trembling.

Yan Xiao cheered silently in her heart. Just a piece of candy and a “good morning” could have such an effect? Very satisfying.

Qiu Li looked a little uneasy. He had never had friends, never had the kind of companions others took for granted. Now, he honestly didn’t know how to interact with Yan Xiao. In the end, he just stared at the tray in his hands and said, “I’ll go put my tray in the kitchen…”

With that, he carried his tray and hurried off.

Yan Xiao, still basking in her own happiness, didn’t pay much attention to his tone. She thought he meant he didn’t want to waste time talking to her. Watching his retreating figure as he practically rushed away, she frantically shouted for the system in her mind.

After what felt like ages, 007 finally showed up.

[What’s the dislike value now? Has it reached the display threshold yet?]

A moment later, 007 replied in its usual emotionless, robotic voice: [No.]

Yan Xiao’s joy was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water.

Still no progress?

007: [Correct.]

Yan Xiao frowned, lips pressed into a tight line.

If the data still wasn’t showing, that meant she wasn’t working hard enough. Today was a rare opportunity—she had to reach the threshold where her progress would finally show. That was her goal for the day!

007: [Good luck.]

Just as she was gearing up, full of determination, Qiu Zhan stepped out of his bedroom.

“Well, well,” he said with a grin, spotting Yan Xiao with her tiny fists clenched and a fierce look in her eyes. “What’s all this about?”

As he spoke, he gave the high ponytail on top of her head a playful tug.

Yan Xiao hated when people touched her hair. She quickly covered her head and pouted. “Don’t pull my hair!”

The little girl puffed up like an angry hamster, guarding her head with both hands, which only made Qiu Zhan laugh harder. “Alright, alright, I won’t.”

But just then, Qiu Li came out of the kitchen, and the warmth on Qiu Zhan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a biting chill.

His expression barely changed—only his eyes shifted, and yet his smile turned cold and menacing in an instant.

Qiu Li’s face darkened the moment he saw Qiu Zhan.

He still wasn’t strong enough to go up against him. Not wanting to risk Qiu Zhan taking his frustration out on Yan Xiao just because she was being friendly with him, Qiu Li pretended not to know her. He shot Qiu Zhan a glance and silently turned to head upstairs.

Qiu Zhan let out a quiet snort through his nose, clearly satisfied with Qiu Li’s self-awareness, and turned his attention back to teasing the little girl in front of him.

Qiu Zhan was twelve years old, and Yan Xiao only came up to his chest. She couldn’t see his expression, and since his snort had been quiet and low, she hadn’t caught it. So she completely missed the brief tension between the two boys and assumed Qiu Li had just walked away because he didn’t want to see her.

“Xiao Yan is in the greenhouse,” Qiu Zhan said with a smile as he returned to his usual friendly demeanor. “I’ll take you to him.”

Since Qiu Li had already gone back to his room, Yan Xiao had no reason to follow. She nodded. “Okay.”

Behind the closed door, Qiu Li listened to their conversation. He frowned, staring at the sunlight streaming across the carpet. It was a long while before he moved back to the window and sat down again.

Meanwhile, Qiu Yan wasn’t drawing in the greenhouse. He was simply sitting there quietly, gazing out at the sunlight.

The early morning sun cast a crimson glow over the glass greenhouse, bathing the space in warm light. The boy sitting inside looked like a figure from a painting—his delicate features lit with golden hues, every line of his face highlighted and defined, as if sculpted from the dawn itself.

Yan Xiao couldn’t help admiring the scene in her heart: No wonder he’s the male lead.

Qiu Zhan, used to his brother’s quiet nature, walked over and snapped his fingers in front of him. “Xiaoxiao’s here to see you.”

Only then did the younger boy come back to himself. His eyelashes fluttered in the sunlight like a butterfly stretching its wings upon waking—so beautiful that it felt almost wrong to disturb the moment.

He turned his head, his exquisite face still cool and distant, and looked at Yan Xiao.

“Hello.”

Although his expression was calm and distant, sitting quietly so early in the morning gave off a surprisingly gentle and well-behaved impression. Yan Xiao already admired him a lot, and seeing him so obedient made her eyes light up with a smile. She waved her little hand at him warmly. “Good morning, Brother Xiao Yan.”

Qiu Yan nodded at her in return.

Watching this, Qiu Zhan sighed quietly to himself. Usually when other kids came around, his brother ignored them. To help maintain this one and only friend for his brother, Qiu Zhan spoke to Yan Xiao in a gentle, indulgent tone, “Xiaoxiao, if there’s anything you want to eat or play with, just tell me. I’ll go get it for you.”

Yan Xiao glanced behind her, didn’t see her mom, then whispered, “I want to eat cotton candy.”

“How about blueberries?” Qiu Zhan hesitated before suggesting, “There’s also cream squares — would that be okay?”

The Yan family was strict about not letting Yan Xiao eat sweets outside the house. Everyone knew this. While kids should be spoiled a little, it shouldn’t be too much. What if the uncles and aunts got mad and stopped inviting Yan Xiao over?

Her wish was dashed, and Yan Xiao felt quite disappointed. She hadn’t had cotton candy in almost a week, saving it all up to earn points, hoping to score some here with Qiu Zhan—but he was so principled.

Still, having cream squares wasn’t too bad.

After Qiu Zhan walked away, Qiu Yan suddenly remembered something. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, hesitated for a moment, then took something out and handed it to Yan Xiao.

It was a lollipop.

Yan Xiao blinked in surprise.

Qiu Yan’s face remained expressionless.

The lollipop had been given to him by a little boy during dinner yesterday. If Yan Xiao hadn’t just mentioned wanting some candy, he might have forgotten about it altogether.

She’d known Qiu Yan for quite a while now—just over a year since he learned to walk. Although everyone said they got along well, this was the first time Qiu Yan had ever given her something in initiative.

She raised her hand and pointed to herself. “Is this for me?”

Qiu Yan nodded. “Yeah.”

Yan Xiao took the lollipop, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth, mumbling, “Thank you.”

Qiu Yan said nothing and turned back to gaze out at the scenery.

Yan Xiao had no idea what he was looking at. The world of artists was beyond her, and the world of geniuses was even more so. She was just a small, ordinary kid trying to get by.

By ten o’clock, more families started arriving, each bringing their own children—or relatives’ kids if they didn’t have any—to spend time with Qiu Yan. With more children around, the Qiu household became lively.

Yan Xiao waited a while but still didn’t see Qiu Li come down. Knowing that Qiu Li was the type to avoid crowds and ignore people, she decided she couldn’t just wait passively—she had to take the initiative.

“Everyone’s playing soccer,” Yan Xiao said to Qiu Yan, who was still looking at his sketchbook. “Do you want to go?”

Qiu Yan glanced up briefly. “No.”

“Then I’ll go,” Yan Xiao replied. “It looks like fun.”

Qiu Yan didn’t say anything—his expression stayed completely neutral. Knowing she wasn’t going to get a response, Yan Xiao got up and ran outside.

After she left, Qiu Yan stared at her retreating back for a moment, furrowing his brow slightly.

He remembered she didn’t used to like such childish games…

Yan Xiao rarely played with kids her own age, but today she had a mission. Once she joined the soccer group, her mind was focused on one thing: finding the right moment to call Qiu Li over to join them.

Qiu Li hated noise, disliked playing with others, and even more so hated being around people who didn’t like him. With those three reasons alone, Yan Xiao was determined to pull him into the group.

Just as Yan Xiao was wondering how to start the conversation, she turned and saw Qiu Li sitting on the steps playing with a Transformers toy.

Her heart lifted with a smile. She didn’t chase after the soccer ball anymore but instead turned and ran over to Qiu Li.

Qiu Li had been inside, quietly watching the garden. When he finally saw Yan Xiao come outside, he noticed her happily playing soccer with a group of kids. Clutching the cotton candy in his hand, he felt a little disappointed.

She had so many friends.

But the feeling didn’t last long.

Friendship goes both ways.

She had made so many efforts to reach out — now, as a boy, it was his turn to take the initiative.

He rummaged through the drawer for a while until he found a broken Transformers toy — one arm was damaged. Qiu Zhan had broken it earlier and tossed it to him because he hated it, so Qiu Li had shoved it to the back of the drawer.

Now, he could use the excuse of asking if anyone knew how to fix the Transformers to get closer.

When Yan Xiao came down, she was happily playing and didn’t notice him at first. Her pigtails bounced as she ran, and just as he was hesitating whether to interrupt her, she spotted him and dropped the ball to run over.

Seeing the little girl with her pigtails bobbing and her eyes curved into joyful crescents as she ran up to him, Qiu Li suddenly thought the weather felt especially nice today.

Yan Xiao had planned to ask him to play soccer, but when she saw the Transformers toy in his hand, she changed her mind. She reached out, snatched the toy, and tossed it onto the ground.

One arm of the Transformer was already broken, and with the fall, it snapped completely off from the body.

Yan Xiao’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at the broken toy in two pieces.

Did she… break it?

She hadn’t thrown it that hard—how did it break so easily?

Feeling a bit guilty, she glanced at Qiu Li, who showed no expression. A thought rose in her mind, and quickly pushing down her guilt, she scolded, “What kind of Transformer is this? It’s so fragile—really lousy…”

Qiu Li hated it when others criticized him—whether it was about him as a person or his belongings. He especially loathed that kind of disdainful tone.

Yan Xiao quietly watched his expression, and when she saw his brow furrow, she smiled inwardly and went on, “Forget it, I’ll get you a better one…”

Qiu Li was seriously wondering if she just liked throwing things around, but when he heard that, he looked up in surprise.

Yan Xiao thought, “Yes! It worked!”

He hated being looked down on more than anything, especially with that sarcastic tone. Right now, he must really dislike himself.

She couldn’t help but ask the system in her mind—

[Has the value shown yet? Has it reached the required level?]

That flawless move she just pulled off had definitely earned her a good number of points!

After a moment, the system finally responded: [No value displayed yet, but a clear data spike detected. Almost there, keep it up!]

Yes!

Yan Xiao cheered silently to herself.

A clear data spike meant her move really had worked!

Though she still hadn’t reached the required value level, the obvious spike was enough to satisfy her. One step at a time—she just needed to keep pushing forward!

With that in mind, she added, “What I’m giving you is definitely a thousand times better than this!”

Qiu Li: “…” Hmm.

Caught off guard, Qiu Li didn’t quite know how to respond and just stared at her.

Yan Xiao thought he might be speechless with frustration, and told herself this was enough—not to push too hard. So she didn’t mention the Transformer again, instead lifting her chin and asking, “Come play soccer with us?”

Without waiting for Qiu Li’s protest, she seized his wrist and marched straight to the middle of the lawn.

Qiu Li hadn’t expected her sudden invitation to kick the ball together; on autopilot, he followed her, and by the time he realized it, they’d already gone quite a distance.

He glanced down at the tiny hand clutching his wrist, then at her pigtails bobbing with every step…

Mmm, adorable.

=^_^=

Author has something to say:

Xiao Lili: She’s giving me a Transformers toy—so excited! (#^.^#)
Xiaoxiao: This is way too easy to farm—I must have a cheat code!
System: Nope, no cheat codes here.