That was when he came to understand his sisterâs situation.
It was only then that he realized he had no luxury to waste time messing around. He had to work hard, grow up, become someone usefulâonly then could he protect his sister.
So, back then, the beating Ruan Jianguo gave him didnât mean much; it was Shu Jiaoâs words that made him mature.
"Alright." Jiaojiao nodded, but then immediately added, "Canât Jiaojiao come along to play too?"
Afraid that Ruan Jie might refuse, Jiaojiao blinked her big eyes desperately, looking at him with a face full of pleading. Ruan Jie couldnât resist at all and surrendered almost instantly. "Fine, Iâll take you, but you have to be on your best behavior, okay?"
"Iâm always very well-behaved." Jiaojiao turned her head as she spoke and stuffed the last piece of peach into her mouth. Ruan Jie leaned over, grabbed the towel draped on the sofa, and wiped her hands. Watching her fair little hands turning around inside the towel, he couldnât help but laugh.
Yes, his sister had always been well-behaved.
But it was precisely because she was so well-behaved that he couldnât help worrying.
Thinking of this, Ruan Jieâs heart softened into a puddle. He wished he could gather all the best things in the world and present them to her.
"By the way, bro, who was that big sister we saw at Auntieâs house earlier? Is she Lu Xianâs girlfriend?" Jiaojiao asked, her face beaming with curiosity.
"How do you, at such a young age, have so much interest in this stuff?" Ruan Jie saw her wearing that mischievous grin again and pinched her little cheek in mock frustration.
Only then did he realizeâhis sisterâs cheeks were truly soft and smooth. Pinching them was addictive. No wonder that Lu Xian guy found excuses to mess with her all the time; heâd thought it was just him being cheeky.
"Bro, stop pinching my face! If you pinch it anymore, itâs going to burst. You still havenât told me, thoughâis it true or not?" Jiaojiao clung to Ruan Jieâs arm and started whining, shaking it back and forth.
Left with no choice, Ruan Jie said, "Your brother Lu Xian does have someone he likes, but itâs not her."
"Oh? Who is it?" Jiaojiao grew even more curious, her eyes lighting up like stars.
"Alright, alright, keep asking, and youâre going to turn into a nosy gossip reporter."
"..." Jiaojiao.
Jiaojiao was about to press further when Lu Xianâs laughter echoed from the doorway. "Hey, whoâs the little gossip in our house? Is it Jiaojiao?"
Fuming, Jiaojiao grabbed the cushion behind her and hurled it toward himâbut Lu Xian caught it effortlessly.
Lu Xian flashed a wicked grin and stretched out his hand, pretending he was about to pinch Jiaojiaoâs cheeks again. "If you want to ask something, just ask your brother Lu Xian directly!"
Recalling the painful cheeks-pinching before, Jiaojiao shook her head frantically. Forget it, she wasnât interested anymore.
But Lu Xian still reached out to grab her, scaring Jiaojiao so much that she darted around the room without even putting her shoes on. Eventually, Ruan Jie had to swoop in and scoop her up before it ended with everyone panting and out of breath.
Ruan Jie chuckled and brushed the sweat off her forehead. "Alright, hurry up and wipe your sweat. Letâs get ready to head out."
"Will we be back tonight? I still want to wait for Xiu Xi for dinner." Jiaojiao wanted to go out with Ruan Jie but also wanted to wait for Xiu Xi. If she couldnât do both, then... she wasnât going to let her brother leave!
"Yes, yes, yes, weâll be back. Now hurry!" Ruan Jie said.
Only then did Jiaojiao happily bounce upstairs to change her sweat-dampened clothes.
Watching Jiaojiaoâs cheerful, bouncing figure, Lu Xian elbowed Ruan Jie in the stomach. "Taking Jiaojiao with you?"
Ruan Jie nodded.
"Because of Chen Tingting?" Lu Xian rubbed his chin. "Wouldnât she be a bit young? Doesnât seem quite right."