“Ah, why are you guys here again?” Yuanyuan quickly pulled the bowl of spicy beef to her chest and stretched out her little arms protectively in front of her brother. “N-no bullying my second brother!”

“We’re not!!!” Slit-Eyes hurriedly protested, raising his voice. “We… we’re here to… to play with your brother!”

Yu Yingze blinked, confused. Since when did I become the center of this?

“Oh, I see,” Yuanyuan nodded, easily convinced. Without hesitation, she offered them the bowl. “Want to try some ‘death beef’?”

If they came to play with her brother, that meant they were friends, right?

Yu Yingze watched in disbelief as the three boys, eager to impress Yuanyuan, each grabbed a piece of the spicy beef and popped it into their mouths. Instantly, their faces flushed red, sweat beading on their foreheads as they gasped for air, panting like puppies in distress.

Yu Yingze loved spicy food and found the heat from the beef just right. But judging by these boys’ reactions, it was clear they weren’t used to eating anything remotely spicy—probably had the same tolerance as Yuanyuan.

“Wow, you guys are amazing!” Yuanyuan exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration. “You can eat ‘death beef’!”

Yu Yingze couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Amazing? Did she not see the three of them practically dying?

Slit-Eyes forced a smile, his face beet-red like a boiled shrimp as he panted desperately, sticking his tongue out in an effort to cool down.

“Go grab some drinks, can’t you see they’re suffering?”Yu Yingze said calmly, shooing Yuanyuan off as he took back the bowl of beef and popped a couple of pieces into his mouth, completely unfazed.

At the words “they’re suffering,” Yuanyuan’s face immediately turned pale with worry. She rushed back in a panic, stumbling over herself, and returned with an entire carton of strawberry milk.

“Here! Drink quickly!” Yuanyuan tore open the cartons one by one, handing them out to each boy, even giving one to Yu Yingze.

The sweet taste of the milk soothed the burn in their mouths, and the three boys, now sitting on the ground, closed their eyes in relief. When they opened them again, they were greeted by the sight of a tiny angel—Yuanyuan, the adorable little savior who had rescued them.

Wow, Yuanyuan’s an angel! She saved our lives!

“By the way,” Yu Yingze said, sipping his strawberry milk nonchalantly, “didn’t Dad say this was your entire month’s supply of strawberry milk? If you finish it now, you’ll have to wait until next month.”

Yuanyuan’s face froze, her hand tightening around the last carton. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the gravity of the situation. She slowly drew the carton back to her chest, cradling it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

“I’m sorry!” Slit-Eyes immediately apologized, guilt flashing across his face.

Oh no! I made Yuanyuan sad! I’m a terrible person!

Seeing how genuinely upset he was, Yuanyuan quickly shook her head. “It’s okay! Yuanyuan used her strawberry milk to save people, so drinking a little less… it’s not a big deal.”

She glanced sadly at the now-empty cartons that had been crushed flat, silently mourning their loss.

The three boys clutched their chests as if their hearts were being squeezed. It feels like there’s a deer bouncing around in my heart! Yuan Yuan’s so kind!

It’s true—Yuanyuan only makes friends with good people. If we want to be her friends, we’ll have to be good people too!

“I don’t have time to babysit you guys. I’m going to play soccer,” Yu Yingze announced, heading back to the tent to grab his ball. He started juggling it effortlessly on the grass, showing off his skills.

“Wow, second brother! You’re amazing!” Yuanyuan cheered as she carefully stashed away the last carton of strawberry milk and then ran over to applaud him.

Slit-Eyes stared in awe, his voice shaky with admiration. “Do you like playing soccer? I do too!”

“Hmm?” Yu Yingze paused, surprised. “Really? Wanna play together?”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” The three boys eagerly rolled up their sleeves, ready to jump in.

Feeling left out, Yuanyuan raised her hand high. “I want to play too!”

Yu Yingze frowned, eyeing his sister skeptically. “Do you even know what soccer is? If you get hurt, I’m not responsible.”

Yuanyuan blinked her wide eyes and lied through her teeth, “Don’t worry! Yuanyuan’s really good at playing soccer.”

Yu Yingze, thrilled to finally have some competent soccer partners, wasn’t eager to be dragged down by his clueless sister. “Alright, we’ll vote. If—”

Before he could finish, Yuanyuan raised her hand to vote for herself. The three boys immediately followed suit, raising their hands in support.

And just like that, he lost 1-4.