"Brother is mine!" Lu Xiyue hugged Lu Ze'an, declaring possessively to the female classmate.
Lu Ze'an ruffled Lu Xiyue's hair.
"You're Lu Ze'an's sister, aren't you! You two have such a good relationship. But he's your brother, and one day he'll marry another girl~ He can't marry you." The female classmate smiled sweetly at Lu Xiyue.
However, her words were less comforting and more like rubbing salt into Lu Xiyue's wounds.
Lu Xiyue's face paled.
"Brother will always be your brother." Seeing Lu Xiyue's unhappy expression, Lu Ze'an immediately felt uncomfortable.
"Classmate, please don't say things like that to my sister. She's young and doesn't understand."
The female classmate's expression changed, but Lu Ze'an ignored her. He took Lu Xiyue's hand and walked towards Lu Cheng'sen's car.
"Let's go home."
On the way home, Lu Xiyue clutched Lu Ze'an and asked,
"Lu Ze'an, why can't I marry you?" Lu Xiyue's question made Lu Ze'an pause.
"Why would you want to marry me? Even if you don't, we'll always be together," Lu Ze'an replied.
"But I don't want you to marry another girl. Can you marry me? I want to be with you forever," Lu Xiyue asked, gripping Lu Ze'an's hand.
Lu Ze'an looked pleadingly at Lu Cheng'sen, who was driving.
Lu Cheng'sen couldn't help him either. How could he answer this question without hurting her feelings?
"Yueyue... you can't marry me."
Lu Ze'an anxiously glanced at Lu Xiyue, bracing himself for a tearful outburst. However, Lu Xiyue merely looked at him and then turned away, falling silent.
Upon arriving home, Lu Xiyue unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car by herself, leaving Lu Ze'an and Lu Cheng'sen behind as she ran to her room.
Fu Wenwen was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing her daughter storm into her room, she looked curiously at Lu Ze'an and Lu Cheng'sen.
Lu Cheng'sen pointed at Lu Ze'an. "He caused it."
"..." Lu Ze'an shot Lu Cheng'sen a glare.
He approached Lu Xiyue's room and gently knocked.
"Yueyue..."
Lu Xiyue, who would usually rush out happily, remained silent today.
Lu Ze'an couldn't even push the door open.
"Yueyue, don't be like this! Don't be angry, okay? Brother apologizes..."
No matter how many sweet words Lu Ze'an said outside Lu Xiyue's door, she wouldn't open it.
Fu Wenwen had finished cooking, and Lu Ze'an still hadn't managed to placate Lu Xiyue. Fu Wenwen looked at Lu Cheng'sen, who recounted the day's events to her.
Hearing Lu Cheng'sen's words, Fu Wenwen understood.
She sat on the sofa, and Xiao Xue immediately jumped onto her lap. Fu Wenwen petted Xiao Xue while waiting to see what would unfold.
Lu Cheng'sen sat beside Fu Wenwen and clapped his hands at Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei, lounging on the sofa's backrest, lazily licked its fur, glanced at Lu Cheng'sen, and then continued grooming.
"Two dried fish snacks." Lu Cheng'sen, helpless, resorted to bribery.
Before Xiao Hei could approach, a miniature version of Xiao Xue dashed over. It skidded in place during a sharp turn and then sprang, landing on Lu Cheng'sen's lap.
"Meow~"
Where were the dried fish snacks?
Seeing Lu Cheng'sen had no dried fish, Little Xue felt deceived. It gave Lu Cheng'sen a gentle nip and haughtily jumped off his lap.
"...Quickly give the little one her dried fish," Fu Wenwen said, amused.
She had seen bribery before, but never bribery that was rejected.
"Alright, they're all little emperors," Lu Cheng'sen said, looking at Little Xue with resignation.
With the dried fish snacks, Lu Cheng'sen finally had cats to pet.
Each holding a white cat, they watched Lu Ze'an standing outside Lu Xiyue's door, trying to coax her.
"Guess how long it'll take him to win her over?" Lu Cheng'sen asked Fu Wenwen, curious.
"Difficult," Fu Wenwen chuckled.
"They're not eating, let's eat! Let them have their tantrum." Fu Wenwen watched for a while and found it boring, as Lu Ze'an hadn't succeeded in coaxing her out.
The dishes she had cooked were getting cold.
Not wanting to wait any longer, Fu Wenwen pulled Lu Cheng'sen to the table to eat.
Lu Xiyue sat in her room, wiping away tears, deeply saddened by the thought of her brother marrying someone else in the future.
Lu Xiyue shut herself in her room, and Lu Ze'an could only turn to Fu Wenwen for help.
With a single action, Fu Wenwen opened the door from the inside.
She walked to Lu Xiyue and embraced her.
"What's wrong with my darling?" Fu Wenwen asked with a gentle smile.
"Mom, isn't An'an mine alone?" Lu Xiyue felt extremely wronged. Since childhood, she had always felt her brother belonged only to her.
Suddenly, someone told her that her brother would belong to someone else, which Lu Xiyue found unbearable.
"Strictly speaking, you are two individuals. He is your brother, and he is also my son, your father's son, and your grandfather's grandson..."
Fu Wenwen tried to help Lu Xiyue distinguish, but Lu Xiyue became even more upset.
"Mom, you know that's not what I mean. Why can't An'an be my husband? Just like Dad is to you..." Lu Xiyue protested.
She felt Fu Wenwen was placating her.
"I'm grown up now. I know what marriage is! The only person I want to marry is Lu Ze'an! Will you marry me to Lu Ze'an?"
Lu Xiyue said earnestly.
"Are you serious?" Fu Wenwen looked at Lu Xiyue in surprise. She was so young; how could she understand love?
"Of course, I am!" Lu Xiyue said seriously.
"Then, if you still say the same thing ten years from now, I'll consider it. Of course, you must also study diligently. Just because you're smart doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard. Your brother is so outstanding; he's already learning university-level knowledge with Grandpa Zheng. You don't want to be left behind by him, do you?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Fu Wenwen thought her daughter was so determined simply because she had only interacted with Lu Ze'an so far.
She made a ten-year pact with her. If she still felt the same way when she grew up, Fu Wenwen would no longer object.
"Pinky promise." Lu Xiyue extended her little finger.
Fu Wenwen was about to say that children are just children, to pinky promise with her.
Lu Xiyue's next words shocked Fu Wenwen.
"Mom, we need to write it down." Lu Xiyue also asked Fu Wenwen to write down this agreement and have them both press their fingerprints.
Holding the freshly made agreement, Lu Xiyue ran out like she was presenting a treasure to find Lu Ze'an.
"Lu Ze'an, look. You wait for me for ten years. In ten years, I can marry you."
"...What?" Lu Ze'an looked at Fu Wenwen, who had followed Lu Xiyue out, in astonishment.
"Mom?" Lu Ze'an couldn't believe it. He had asked Fu Wenwen to go in and explain the situation clearly, but she had come out with this?
Fu Wenwen guiltily touched her nose and patted Lu Ze'an's shoulder.
"My son, you've worked hard."