Chapter 57 - A Reward for You

Tang Huaijin strolled along the neighborhood path, his mind already forming a plan. Xia Xinya probably wasn’t actually into girls; she just lacked friends and had a strained relationship with Mrs. Xia. This poor, misguided girl ended up hanging out with Bai Yuerou, and over time, she might have convinced herself she liked Bai Yuerou.

The system task titled “Make Xia Xinya realize she’s not into girls” further confirmed this.

Xia Xinya’s feelings for Bai Yuerou were more akin to an inseparable bond between best friends, almost a pathological dependence on a friend.

But over time, who knows if this reliance might change…

She needed to understand that her feelings for Bai Yuerou weren’t what she thought; it wasn’t affection but a possessive desire stemming from a lack of security.

Moreover, Xia Xinya should gradually shift her focus away from Bai Yuerou and make some new friends.

Why was this girl so withdrawn? It seemed like a psychological issue.

Why did he have so many peculiar people around him? Tang Huaijin sighed with a headache as he entered the elevator in the building.

No matter what, he had to set Xia Xinya straight. The thought of the expression on Xia Xinya’s face before she jumped in the image made Tang Huaijin’s heart race.

Although Xia Xinya often played pranks and teased him, Tang Huaijin still liked this girl. Since he decided to intervene, he wouldn’t let the tragedy shown by the system happen again.

And the picture of him and Bai Yuerou together was probably just a figment of Xia Xinya’s fearful imagination, not representative of anything else…

With these thoughts, Tang Huaijin returned home.

His sister, in loose pajamas, was sprawled on the sofa playing on her phone, her two little white feet playfully swinging back and forth.

Hearing Tang Huaijin enter, Tang Yaoyao pouted, pretending not to hear, and continued playing her game.

Tang Huaijin found it amusing, sat down, and grabbed the two constantly swinging feet, giving his sister’s little bottom a gentle pat.

With a soft smack, it was surprisingly bouncy, and his hand was instantly rebounded.

Her little bottom had been smacked by her brother, and Tang Yaoyao’s face turned red. She kicked her brother’s legs in dissatisfaction and pouted, “What are you doing? Acting like a hooligan?”

“What’s wrong? Pouting so high, you could hang an oil bottle. Who upset my little fairy?” Tang Huaijin chuckled, reaching out to pinch his sister’s cheek.

Tang Yaoyao glanced disdainfully at the hand that had just touched her feet, squirming to avoid it, but Tang Huaijin seized the opportunity to tickle her, making her giggle and complain playfully, “Annoying, it’s you bullying your sister, not even replying to messages.”

“Huh?” Tang Huaijin hadn’t noticed, quickly pulling out his phone. Sure enough, his sister’s pinned chat was brightly lit with several red dots.

He must have been too focused on thinking about Xia Xinya earlier.

Tang Yaoyao snuggled into his arms, grumbling, “Look, look, you didn’t reply to so many messages. I hate it; I’m not cooking today.”

“So that’s your plan, you’re so lazy.” Tang Huaijin chuckled, preparing to put his phone away.

Ding~

It was the notification sound from WeChat.

Yaoyao curiously glanced over.

Yunzhu: This is my private account. You can update me on the progress here.

Tang Huaijin awkwardly looked at his sister, and sure enough, Tang Yaoyao was squinting at him, asking softly, “Jin, who is this?”

“Uh… this is Xia Xinya’s mother,” Tang Huaijin was in the midst of a mental scramble.

“Oh? Why is Madam Yunzhu adding you?” Upon hearing Xia Xinya’s name, Tang Yaoyao’s tone turned less friendly as she asked, “And what progress? Jin, care to explain to your sister?”

The strong desire to survive prompted him to quickly come up with an explanation, smiling as he said, “Well, Mrs. Xia asked me to help Xinya with her studies at school. Her language arts grades aren’t very good.”

He added, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask my teacher. I’ve been tutoring her in language arts.”

Seeing his sister still somewhat skeptical, Tang Huaijin pulled out his phone and showed her the previous transaction details, saying, “This is actually the tutoring fee from Mrs. Xia. It was wrong of me to keep it from you.”

Looking at his sister’s face, Tang Huaijin teased, “I was mainly afraid you’d get jealous.”

Sure enough, as soon as Tang Huaijin shifted the topic, his sister blushed and murmured, “No way, Jin, if you explain properly, I’ll support you. It’s just tutoring, I wouldn’t get jealous.”

Yeah, right…

Though Tang Huaijin was internally skeptical, he outwardly appeared to agree wholeheartedly, saying, “Exactly, exactly, it’s my fault. My sister is clearly generous and kind, how could she be jealous? Impossible.”

Tang Yaoyao noticed the amusement in his eyes, realizing that her mischievous brother was teasing her again, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she pouted and wriggled in Tang Huaijin’s arms, grumbling, “Fine, I’m jealous, so what?”

“Jealous is fine, but you can’t be jealous of anyone else, right?” Tang Huaijin chuckled, pinching his sister’s soft, smooth cheeks.

“Hmph.” Despite her apparent disdain for Tang Huaijin’s sweet talk, Tang Yaoyao’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, her tone softening as she asked, “Then tell me, why does Xia Xinya come to you for tutoring instead of someone else?”

“Well… I suppose it’s because I’m somewhat of a friend to her,” Tang Huaijin hesitated before saying, “Xinya has a quirky personality and doesn’t have many friends.”

“And how did you become friends with her?” Tang Yaoyao seemed to latch onto the key point, lifting her head from Tang Huaijin’s embrace to look at him, asking, “Why don’t you mind her personality?”

“Because she can’t get the better of me,” Tang Huaijin replied with a grin, “Besides, her personality is a bit mischievous, but still…”

Seeing his sister’s gaze turn dangerous again, Tang Huaijin wisely changed his tune, “Barely acceptable as a friend.”

Tang Yaoyao stared into his eyes, finding nothing amiss, she buried her head back in his arms, but still murmured, “Always Xia Xinya…”

Tang Yaoyao’s voice was so soft it was barely audible. Tang Huaijin didn’t catch it and asked, “What did you say, sis?”

“Nothing,” Yaoyao murmured, nuzzling against his chest, “I can’t really control who Jin befriends, can I? Are you sure it’s just friends?”

“Yes, really just friends,” Tang Huaijin replied with a sincerity that was both gentle and reassuring. “Don’t feel insecure, sis. I’m yours, and no one can take me away.”

With that, he adjusted his sister who was nestled against him, gently stroking her hair. “If it makes you upset, I won’t tutor her anymore, okay?”

Jin’s soothing, magnetic voice was like a thread, weaving its way sweetly into Tang Yaoyao’s heart, filling her with joy and bringing a soft smile to her face. “I trust Jin,” she said softly, “It’s okay, it’s just tutoring.”

Tang Huaijin planted a light kiss on his sister’s cheek, grinning. “Shall I go make dinner?”

“Yes, I want pan-fried green chili peppers.”

“Alright, you just relax, I’ll go cook.” Tang Huaijin tried to get up, but Yaoyao held him down, leaving him puzzled. “What’s up, sis?”

“Um… as a reward, you can kiss me, on the lips,” Yaoyao said, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. She buried her head in his chest, shy to meet Tang Huaijin’s delighted gaze.

The joy in Tang Huaijin’s heart was overflowing. He had noticed a pattern-every time his sister got jealous, she would give him a little treat, as if expressing her possessiveness.

He brushed aside the strands of hair on Tang Yaoyao’s forehead, revealing her eyes, which sparkled with a gentle warmth. He kissed her forehead, then her nose, and her philtrum, before finally pressing his lips to hers.

After a long moment, Tang Huaijin lifted his head, a glistening thread of transparency trailing from his lips.

Tang Yaoyao gazed at him with dreamy eyes, murmuring, “Jin, you’ll stay with me, right?”

“Yes,” Tang Huaijin replied, rubbing his nose tenderly against her cheek. “Our names have been on the same household register for a long time.”

“Unless I die, no one can make me leave you.”

“Don’t say such things,” Yaoyao pouted, pretending to swat at his mouth. Seeing he didn’t dodge, she couldn’t bring herself to actually hit him, so she nuzzled against his chest, whispering, “Even if you die, you can’t leave me.”

“We’ll always, always be together.”