Chapter Thirty: Younger Sister Does Not Like Ling Xi

A shout from me was enough to make them both stop immediately. They pulled back their hands, glaring at each other with fury.

I looked at them, feeling a headache coming on. After a moment of thought, I said, "Xixi, was your bike just deflated? Do you want to go pump it up and ride it back? Otherwise, how will you get to school tomorrow?"

Ling Xixi tossed her head and replied, "I'm not going! You're taking me back today, and I'll take a taxi over tomorrow to pump up the tires."

"Shameless!" Chu Mengchu suddenly spat out.

"Who's shameless!" Ling Xixi turned around, her face full of rage. "He's my family's driver; can't I ask him to take me home? You're the shameless one, clinging to my family's car and refusing to leave!"

Chu Mengchu arched her delicate brows, her face contorted with anger. I suspect that if I hadn't been there, she would have started a physical fight.

Damn! How did her temper become so volatile in the eight years since I last saw her?

I quickly placed a hand on each of them and said, "How about this: I'll drop Xixi off first, and then I'll take Mengmeng to get a new outfit."

Ling Xixi immediately pouted at me, saying, "I don't want her sitting in my family's car."

"Screw that! Who wants to sit in this piece-of-junk car anyway!" Chu Mengchu gave me a hard tug, saying indignantly, "Brother, let's get out. We don't need to be her family's driver anymore."

"Big brother," Ling Xixi quickly grabbed my hand, pouting as she looked at me, clearly having no intention of letting me go.

Sigh! Two little brats squabbling had me feeling both annoyed and amused. It was such a childish, trivial matter, yet they were arguing until their faces were flushed—was it really necessary?

Caught in the middle, I seemed to have become the objective and the prize of their argument, the gauge of who had won.

It was truly a headache!

Before I could figure out what to say, Chu Mengchu saw Ling Xixi grab me again and flew into a rage. She reached out to slap Ling Xixi’s hand away, cursing, "You bitch, let go! I already said we aren't being your family's driver anymore! Why are you still shamelessly holding onto my brother? Who do you think you are?"

I quickly grabbed Chu Mengchu’s hand and said sternly, "Mengmeng, don't talk like that!"

I had never heard her use a foul word before; now, she was spewing profanity.

To my surprise, Ling Xixi didn't let go; instead, she hugged my arm tighter, declaring, "Big brother is my boyfriend. What business is it of yours?"

I couldn't help but freeze for a second.

"You!" Chu Mengchu was both shocked and furious. Her face turned red, and she stamped her feet hard, shouting, "Shameless..."

"Enough!" I couldn't hold it back anymore and barked, "Whoever curses again, I'll spank them!"

The two of them fell silent instantly.

"I am taking Xixi home first. No one is allowed to object!" My tone left no room for argument.

"Hmph!" Ling Xixi pouted and turned her head away.

Chu Mengchu stared out the window, looking fuming.

I started the car and drove toward the Shangpin residential complex. The entire way, I didn't speak, and neither did they. I really wanted to ask Chu Mengchu about her life over the past few years, but with Ling Xixi there, it wasn't convenient. I would just have to drop her off first.

When we reached the villa, I pulled over. Ling Xixi immediately opened the door, but just as she was about to get out, she quickly turned back, leaned in, and kissed me on the cheek. She shot a glare at Chu Mengchu and hopped out.

I was stunned—this girl was really something!

Chu Mengchu cursed from the back, "Little bitch, so shameless!"

To prevent them from starting another war, I quickly drove away. Chu Mengchu, still fuming, said, "Brother, I want to sit in the front!"

I had no choice but to pull over so she could move to the passenger seat.

"Mengmeng, no more bad language! Not a single word, you hear me?" I glanced at her still-angry face and said in a low voice.

Chu Mengchu pouted slightly but didn't say anything.

"What happened after you left all those years ago?" I changed the subject.

Chu Mengchu began to recount her experiences over the years in a voice filled with grievance. After leaving Cangqing Village, she and her mother struggled to survive. My stepmother had remarried again, but she was older by then and the marriages weren't good; she ended up with a gambler.

Although the gambler was addicted to betting, for the first few years, he treated them reasonably well. Eventually, he grew bored, and whenever things didn't go his way, he turned to domestic violence.

My stepmother was eventually beaten until she was bedridden, and without money for medical treatment, she passed away shortly after.

Over the last few years, as my sister grew up and blossomed, the gambler started eyeing her. Once she realized this, to avoid being bullied, she began associating with student delinquents. Later, she even went back and gave the gambler a brutal beating, leaving him half-dead. After that, she barely returned home, living at classmates' houses year-round.

I was speechless for a long moment. I glanced at her, steering with one hand while gently stroking her frizzy, dyed hair with the other, and sighed, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Talking about this made Chu Mengchu feel a bit sorrowful, and she shed a few tears. However, she had grown shrewd and immediately understood the subtext. She looked up at me and explained, "Brother, don't worry. I haven't been messing around with them. I don't have a boyfriend yet! I only chose to bully others so I wouldn't be bullied myself, but I haven't done anything truly bad."

I felt relieved, though I couldn't help but find it funny. "What do you mean by 'truly bad'? Why did you scratch that person's car yesterday for no reason?"

"She was being arrogant yesterday too! Sitting in her car and yelling at us." Chu Mengchu looked unhappy, then added with a bit of embarrassment, "I'm always the one bullying others; how could I let someone else bully me? I couldn't take it, so I scratched it!"

I patted her head and laughed, "You used to be so timid. How are you so bold now? Aren't you afraid when you're bullying people?"

When she spoke of this, she seemed to perk up. She tilted her face, gave a playful giggle, and said with interest, "At first, I was terrified—I didn't dare hit anyone. But then I realized that as long as I wasn't afraid of them, they were afraid of me, and then I dared to do it..."

"Stop!" Seeing she was getting carried away, I quickly put on a stern face and cut her off. "No more hanging out with those delinquent students!"

"Oh!" Chu Mengchu pouted, looking a bit aggrieved. After a pause, she lowered her head and said, "I don't like that Ling Xixi."

Yeah, I could tell. No need to say more.

I didn't know how to address that, so I asked, "Where are you living now?"

"In the school dorm."

"Well, that's better. I'll go to your school another day. If those delinquents keep bothering you, I'll teach them all a lesson!"

Chu Mengchu turned her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Brother, was it you who beat up those three classmates of mine earlier?"

"Yes."

Chu Mengchu’s eyes lit up. She smiled and said, "How did you get so strong?"

I gave her a stern look and said, "Don't keep thinking about fighting. I said, no more associating with them. I'll go to your school and sort them out myself."

Chu Mengchu giggled, "How many can you handle?"

I gave her a helpless look and said coolly, "For people like that, a hundred is a starting point."

"Haha!" Chu Mengchu gave a laugh that sounded clearly feigned and looked at me playfully. "Brother, when did you learn to brag like that?"

I shook my head helplessly and didn't answer. She had truly become a different person—more lively and mischievous—but fortunately, our bond hadn't faded.

After a pause, she lowered her head and pouted again. "I still don't like Ling Xixi."

Bringing it up again, I remained silent.

Later, she asked about my life over the years. I told her I had been kidnapped by human traffickers and spent a few years doing business abroad. Though the story was full of holes, she didn't dwell on it; she just laughed for a long time at the fact that a grown man like me could still be kidnapped.

Soon, I saw a hair salon nearby and pulled over.

Chu Mengchu knew what I was thinking and asked, "Brother, what kind of hairstyle do you want me to get?"

"Dye it black, straighten it."

"No, I want the kind that's straight on top and curled at the ends."

"That works too. That's pretty stylish."

"But doing hair takes hours, and I haven't eaten yet!"

What, hours? It was my first time knowing it took that long. If that was the case, I really couldn't accompany her for that.

"Let's go, get out. We'll buy clothes first, eat, and deal with the hair later."

As soon as we stepped out, Chu Mengchu ran over and grabbed my arm, looking excited and occasionally leaning her head against my hand with a cheeky smile. At first, I felt a bit awkward, but then I relaxed; after all, she was my sister, and holding arms wasn't a big deal.

When I left home, I was a high school senior and she was in seventh grade, so my memories and emotions for her were still anchored to that little brat from eight years ago. Even though we weren't blood-related, I truly treated her like my own younger sister.

By the calendar, she should be a sophomore in college now. She had grown up, but I still saw her as my little sister.

We went to buy a few sets of clothes. For this, I didn't need to worry at all—her sense of style was much more fashionable than mine. I was only responsible for paying.

After buying the clothes, I had her change into them in the dressing room right there and throw away that bizarre hip-hop outfit.

Once she changed, she looked a bit more pleasing to the eye, though the "shamate" hairstyle on her head was so destructive that she still looked like a classic punk.

Yeah, it seemed the hair was the most critical part.

She handed me bag after bag of clothes and then, looking joyful, held my arm and dragged me to the roadside to eat skewers and snacks.

What comforted me was that she was still so affectionate toward me. When eating, she would occasionally hold a skewer to my mouth. I’d take a bite, she’d pull it away, ask if it was good, and then eat it herself without a hint of awkwardness.

Looking at her happy and excited expression, I felt good too. Having such a sweet, adorable little sister was a nice thing.

By the time we finished eating, it was nearly eight o'clock, and I needed to head back.

We got back in the car, and I set the navigation for Tianhe Technology Vocational School. Along the way, she excitedly showed off her new clothes, asking if they looked good—to which I said "yes" every time.

At the entrance of the school, she put all her clothes away and said, "Drive in, take me to my dorm building."

Following her directions, I drove into the campus. Everywhere I looked, there were couples holding hands or kissing; with the progressive mindset of college students, such public displays were not uncommon.

The car stopped under a dormitory building, drawing glances from many students.

"Brother, I'm going back. I had so much fun tonight." Chu Mengchu lifted her bags, a sweet smile on her face, her large, dark eyes sparkling.

"Yeah." I took out my phone and smiled. "Go get your hair done tomorrow. I'll transfer you some money."

"Okay, how much are you giving me?"

After hearing her story, I knew she probably didn't have much money, so I asked, "How much do you need?"

Chu Mengchu giggled, "I want to buy a new phone."

"Alright, no problem."

Seeing me so generous, she flashed a cheeky, pushing-her-luck smile. Her eyes darted, and she said, "If it's possible, I'd like to buy a computer too."

"Your brother is poor, don't waste money." I feared she might develop a sense of entitlement, so I lied, "I'll transfer you twenty thousand on WeChat in a bit."

"Twenty thousand?" Chu Mengchu was shocked.

"What, too much or too little?" I felt it wasn't too much or too little; at least a phone and computer would cost around ten thousand.

"That's great!" Chu Mengchu suddenly lunged at me, hugged me tight, and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, brother!"

I was caught off guard by the kiss. I patted her head and laughed, "Alright, go on back! That's money I've saved for years, don't spend it recklessly!"

"I won't, I promise." Chu Mengchu nodded hard, looked up at me, and suddenly changed the subject. "But I still don't like that Ling Xixi."

My smile stiffened. I said helplessly, "Fine, I get it. You've said that several times already. Go on, we'll talk later."

"Okay, I'm heading up now." Chu Mengchu gave a sweet smile and walked into the dormitory building with a light, brisk step.