The corners of Ji Suize’s mouth slowly curved upward as he gently patted the little one’s head: "Our Niannian has been a smart little baby since he was three."
It was the first time Ji Suize had said something so mushy. After speaking, the tips of his ears quietly flushed red. Seeing the little one’s happy smile, he felt it was the right thing to say. If the little one liked hearing it, he could try saying more like this in the future.
Niannian looked toward the cameraman at the door. Even from such a distance, the high-definition camera could clearly capture his lively expression. He was speaking to Ji Shiyu, but also to the audience watching the screen: "If Brother Xiao Yu doesn’t believe it, you can let everyone judge."
"..." Ji Shiyu once again fell into self-doubt, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
【Ahhh! The baby is looking at me! Wuwu, Auntie is so happy~】
【I can testify, Xiaoze recited every word perfectly!】
【I declare the winner of this match is Xiaoze.】
【The baby’s logical reasoning skills are top-notch!】
[Right now, I’m making this face: 👁️👄👁️!】
[My three-year-old self was still babbling incoherently, while other three-year-olds could already speak so clearly and logically, leaving no room for rebuttal!]
[Eh, this... eh, no... eh... (Already questioning life and at a loss for words)]
"Alright." Ji Shiyu's worldview was completely overturned that day. He gave up struggling, his brow furrowed into a deep crease, and said unwillingly, "I'll keep my promise. I lost. So, I won't disturb Ji Suize until school starts."
Tears welled up in his eyes, and before his words even finished, he let out a loud wail: "Waaah..."
Niannian: "...."
Ji Suize: "...."
Niannian couldn't bear to see Ji Shiyu crying so pitifully and wanted to comfort him, but Ji Suize pulled him into his arms. Leaning close to his ear, Ji Suize whispered, "Don't pay attention to him. He's faking it."
Niannian widened his eyes. Compared to Ji Shiyu, whom he had just met, he naturally trusted Ji Suize's words more.
Ji Suize was pleased with the little one's trust and couldn't help adding a few more words: "He does this every time he loses a game. As long as he cries, he can avoid punishment. I fell for it once, but I don't believe his tears anymore."
Niannian: "..."
Hearing Ji Suize say this and looking at Ji Shiyu again, Niannian suddenly felt no sympathy at all.
It was Ji Shiyu who proposed playing this game. If he lost, he should be prepared to accept the consequences. Since it concerned Ji Suize, Niannian couldn't possibly side with Ji Shiyu over his own brother.
But Ji Shiyu was crying so loudly that Niannian couldn't ignore the sound: "So we just let him keep crying?"
"Is it bothering you?" Ji Suize asked.
Niannian scratched his little cheek: "A little."
Ji Suize picked up Niannian and headed toward the door: "Let's go downstairs and leave him here to cry by himself."
Niannian felt a bit sorry for Ji Shiyu being left behind. For once, he forgot his fear while being held by Ji Suize. Resting his head on Ji Suize's shoulder, he watched Ji Shiyu, who couldn't stop crying. That glance happened to meet Ji Shiyu's, who was secretly watching them.
Seeing the two of them leave him behind, Ji Shiyu grew anxious. He knew Ji Suize was unmoved by both soft and hard tactics, but his little cousin was soft-hearted and easy to fool! He raised his volume, hoping to sway his little cousin. As long as his little cousin spoke up, Ji Suize would surely lift his punishment.
His plan was well thought out, but he failed at the most critical moment and was caught red-handed by his little cousin.
Niannian puffed out his cheeks: "He really is faking it!"
Niannian didn't control his volume when he got angry, and his words reached Ji Shiyu's ears, making him even more panicked: "No, I'm not faking it. I'm really sad..."
Watching Ji Suize and Niannian's backs disappear through the doorway, Ji Shiyu stopped crying and hurried after them, trying to salvage the situation: "I really wasn't faking it. Don't ignore me. Waa, it's fine if Ji Suize ignores me, but Niannian, you can't ignore me..."
Su Yanheng had already ended his call. Having heard about the competition between Ji Suize and Ji Shiyu, he didn't go upstairs to disturb them but watched their match through his phone. Now, hearing Ji Shiyu's crying, he put down his phone and stepped forward to take Niannian from Ji Suize.
Ji Suize hesitated for a moment but reluctantly handed Niannian over to Su Yanheng.
"Xiao Yu, why are you crying?" Su Yanheng asked knowingly.
Ji Shiyu thought he had found a savior and hurriedly explained the competition situation. This time, he was honest, recounting everything exactly as it happened. As he spoke, he started crying again, this time, it was genuine tears.
"Wuwu, I don’t want to go home, and I definitely don’t want to go to Granduncle’s house. After I go back, no one will play with me anymore. I want to stay here; I want to be your brother."
The three Su brothers: "..."
[Please don’t! Your joining would break the Su family’s excellent genes! Let them remain perfect!]
[I actually understand Xiao Yu. Being an only child is really lonely. When I was little, I really wished I had siblings to play with.]
[It’s not wrong for him to be pitiful, but losing is losing. He still has to keep his promise. If he gets his way this time, he’ll use this method to avoid punishment again next time. That wouldn’t be good for him!]
While speaking, Ji Shiyu secretly observed the reactions of Ji Suize and Niannian. Ji Suize remained cold throughout, and Niannian, who was usually the easiest to fool, had also adopted an indifferent attitude toward him after Ji Suize’s warning.
Ji Shiyu knew his last hope lay in Su Yanheng’s hands. He pinned all his hopes on Su Yanheng: "I admit Ji Suize is better than me. Ji Suize won this game. It was wrong of me to lie. I just don’t want to leave. There’s still a month until school starts. Wuwu, I’ll cry myself to death if I can’t see Ji Suize. Big Cousin, can you put in a good word for me? I want to stay at your house."
Su Yanheng: "..." As if you’re so obsessed with Ji Suize that you’ve lost your mind.
Su Yanheng gave Ji Shiyu a gentle smile but crushed his hopes: "I can’t make this decision. Our family’s rule is never to interfere casually with others’ opinions. This is an agreement between you and Xiao Ze. If you want to stay at our house, you have to ask Xiao Ze, not me."
Ji Shiyu’s heart shattered.
Persuading Ji Suize would be even harder than persuading Granduncle!
At least Granduncle would give him tasks, he just had to complete them. But Ji Suize was completely unmovable.
In the end, Ji Shiyu made one last struggle. He looked at Su Yanheng, then at Niannian, and when his gaze fell on Ji Suize, the light in his eyes finally went out.
"Fine, I’ll leave!" Ji Shiyu stomped his foot in frustration and said angrily, "I’ll leave right now. If you come looking for me later, I won’t pay any attention to you!"
The three Su brothers: "..."
Su Yanheng patted the worried Niannian’s head and said with a smile, "Don’t mind him. He’s just saying that. Just wait, he’ll find an excuse to come back in a few days."
Niannian: "..."
He understood now, this little cousin was a piece of sticky candy even thicker-skinned than he was.
"Let’s do the puzzle." Su Yanheng sat on the sofa with Niannian in his arms, picking up puzzle pieces. Ji Suize immediately joined in, and the three of them completely forgot about Ji Shiyu.
The audience had initially felt a bit sorry for Ji Shiyu, thinking the three Su brothers’ disregard for him was too harsh. But when the camera shifted, Ji Shiyu wiped away his tears as soon as he went upstairs, showing no trace of grievance or sadness.
Ji Suize was right, this guy loved to pretend.
Ji Shiyu went to Ji Suize’s room to retrieve his small backpack and, on the way, took the Rubik’s Cube that hadn’t been solved yet. Since Ji Suize had been so heartless to him, he wanted to annoy Ji Suize in return, by taking his Rubik’s Cube and making him worry.
He was scheming in his heart, planning to tell Ji Suize about this matter once he returned. If Ji Suize wanted to retrieve the Rubik's Cube, he would have to invite him to the Su family home, giving him a reason to come back.
A calculating smile spread across Ji Shiyu's face, completely replacing his earlier sorrow. As his gaze swept past a book lying diagonally to the side, he couldn't help but freeze.
When Ji Shiyu went downstairs, he deliberately made a lot of noise, but his footsteps only attracted Niannian's attention.
Niannian had just lifted his little head when Ji Suize pressed it back down, pointing to a spot: "Here."
Niannian let out an "oh" and placed the puzzle piece in his hand where Ji Suize had indicated.
Noticing the interaction between the two, Ji Shiyu's little face puffed up with anger. He had originally planned to use this to threaten Ji Suize after returning, but Ji Suize was forcing his hand!
Ji Shiyu walked over to Ji Suize and poked his shoulder.
Ji Suize turned to look at him, and with just one glance, Ji Shiyu felt a bit of his courage falter.
"I..." Thinking of Ji Suize's cold indifference, Ji Shiyu steeled himself. "I have something to say to you."
Ji Shiyu expected Ji Suize to ignore him again, but to his surprise, Ji Suize lifted his chin slightly, signaling him to speak directly.
Ji Suize's unexpected cooperation made him feel somewhat uneasy. Hesitating, his momentum weakened: "It's not convenient to talk here. Come with me."
Ji Suize's brow furrowed slightly, seemingly displeased at the idea of leaving. He turned his head back, giving Ji Shiyu a cold view of the back of his head. The conversation ended before it even began.
Ji Shiyu: "..."
Just when Ji Shiyu thought Ji Suize had improved a little, he immediately reverted to his old self. Fuming, Ji Shiyu leaned close to Ji Suize's ear and whispered, "I know your secret."
Ji Suize looked at Ji Shiyu again. With not much confidence, Ji Shiyu said, "If you don't want me to reveal your secret, come talk to me over there."
This wasn't the first time Ji Shiyu had threatened him like this. Ji Suize didn't think the so-called secret was anything important. If Ji Shiyu wanted to talk, let him. He didn't care.
The back of Ji Suize's head made his attitude clear. Ji Shiyu said angrily, "Don't you really want to know?"
His voice piqued Niannian's curiosity: "Know what?"
Ji Suize calmly replied, "He says he knows a secret of mine and wants to use it to bargain for staying here."
Ji Shiyu: "..."
You already guessed it? Then what about my dignity?!
"Oh, what secret of Xiaoze do you know?" Su Yanheng also grew curious.
Ji Shiyu looked at Ji Suize and said earnestly, "Are you really unwilling to talk to me privately?"
Ji Suize: "Go back."
Ji Shiyu said furiously, "I saw a book on your desk, Ji Suize. You actually read this kind of book? You have a cr..."
Before Ji Shiyu could finish his sentence, Ji Suize covered his mouth.
Everyone's eyes turned to Ji Suize, who had suddenly taken action, and they all realized that this secret truly affected him.
Su Yanheng grew even more curious: "What secret? Xiaoyu, tell us."
Ji Shiyu made muffled sounds and, under everyone's watchful eyes, was forcibly dragged into the garden by Ji Suize.
Su Yanheng was just joking and didn't actually intend to pry into his little brother's secrets. He turned Niannian's little head back, smiling as he said, "Let them talk privately. We'll continue with the puzzle."
"Okay," Niannian nodded obediently, also setting aside his curiosity.
Having avoided the cameras in the living room and with the follow-up cameraman not catching up, Ji Suize still wasn't at ease. He scanned the surroundings, making sure their conversation wouldn't be overheard, before tilting his chin toward Ji Shiyu.
With leverage in hand, Ji Shiyu grew smug: "Is this your attitude for wanting to have a proper chat with me?"
Ji Suize's light-colored eyes held a trace of chill under the sunlight. Ji Shiyu couldn't help but swallow, his bravado instantly deflating. "I just wanted you to talk to me! You keep staring without saying a word, how am I supposed to know what you mean?"
Ji Suize: "What do you want to say?"
Ji Shiyu: "Cancel my punishment, and you have to help me convince Mom to let me stay here until school starts."
With just the eldest brother already capturing the little one's full attention, adding Ji Shiyu into the mix would cut his alone time with the little one by more than half.
"Don't even think about it."
Ji Suize turned and walked away, only to hear an urgent voice call out from behind: "How to win someone's heart!"
Ji Suize: "..."
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