From the moment Little Tangyuan was born, she became the treasure of the entire family. Not only were the grandparents on both sides particularly fond of her, but even Pei Su and Pei Che transformed into little protectors, shielding their youngest sibling at all times.
When Little Tangyuan turned one, she reached the age of babbling and learning to walk. Pei Su and Pei Che often took on the roles of little parents, guiding her along the way.
One Saturday, after Ji Fei’er’s lunar birthday celebration, a few girlfriends went out and had a great time. Liang Zhiyi drank some alcohol, and when she got home, she was tipsy and clingy, like a little kitten, holding onto Pei Chen and refusing to let go.
No man could resist her in that state, so naturally, he threw her onto the bed and thoroughly “handled” her. The young woman enjoyed it as well, and the two of them shared their joy late into the night. Since they didn’t have to work that day, they indulged in sleeping in.
However, the three little ones in the house woke up early and were taken care of by the nanny, who helped them wash up and have breakfast.
Early in the morning, Little Tangyuan, dressed in a plush penguin outfit, was walking slowly, swaying side to side like a little penguin. Her two older brothers stood on either side of her, protecting her. They pointed to the animal posters on the wall, teaching her how to say the words:
“Little tiger—”
Little Tangyuan looked at the poster with her big, round eyes. After hearing her brothers repeat the word several times, she finally spoke in her soft, adorable voice, though a bit unclear:
“Little naofu…”
“Big camel.”
“Big nuotuo…”
“Little turtle.”
She said slowly, “Little wudui…”
After finishing all the words, Pei Su patted her little head and smiled, “Tangyuan is awesome! Here’s a candy for you.”
He placed a candy in Little Tangyuan’s mouth. As she ate, she looked at the other candies in his hand and reached out her little penguin paw, “Candy…”
Pei Che, acting like a grown-up, intercepted her and said sternly, “No, you can only have one. I’ll give you more later, okay?”
“Okay…”
The two boys continued to accompany their sister. At the door of the playroom, Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi had finally woken up, washed, and hurried out, expecting Little Tangyuan to be crying or fussing. Instead, they saw this scene.
“You know, these two boys are really doing a good job, and Little Tangyuan actually listens to them,” Liang Zhiyi whispered in amazement to Pei Chen as they walked towards the dining room, not wanting to disturb the kids.
Pei Chen smiled and put his arm around her. “Isn’t it great? Sometimes we can relax a bit too.”
With three children at home, it was lively but took a lot of energy to take care of them. Thankfully, they had two who were willing to help look after their younger sibling.
“Doubao and Tangyuan love sweets themselves, yet they know not to let their sister eat too much,” the young woman said proudly, giving Pei Chen a sidelong glance. “They’re stricter than some people.”
Pei Chen chuckled softly, “Am I?”
“Who doesn’t know you spoil your daughter the most?”
Ever since Pei Ruo was born, Pei Chen had fully earned the title of “daughter slave.” While he could be quite strict with his two sons, when it came to Little Tangyuan, he indulged her unconditionally. Sometimes, he would even bring her to the office, and everyone there knew that Pei Chen had a precious little princess.
When Pei Chen heard Liang Zhiyi’s remark, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He lightly tickled her palm with his fingertips and teased, “Say it again, who do I spoil the most?”
Liang Zhiyi caught the implication behind his words and smiled sweetly, “Hmph…”
—
Pei Ruo grew up under the careful protection and love of her family.
As her name suggested, the little girl was as soft and sweet as a tangyuan (glutinous rice dumpling). Her chubby little body was like a round dumpling, and just like how a tangyuan is filled with sweet peanut filling, she was a little sweetheart on the inside.
The amusing part was that when Little Tangyuan was a little over a year old, her hair was still quite short, leading many people to mistake her for a little boy.
Whenever Liang Zhiyi took her to visit family and friends, someone would often remark, “Oh, this little brother is so cute. What’s your name, little brother?”
Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but laugh and would ask Little Tangyuan, “Tangyuan, tell Auntie whether you’re a little brother or a little sister.”
Little Tangyuan would blink her eyes innocently and softly reply, “I’m a sister…”
“That’s right, our Tangyuan is a little girl.”
Although her short hair made her look like a boy, once she put on a dress and donned a little pink beret, she instantly became a delicate and adorable little princess.
As time passed and Little Tangyuan grew older, by the time she turned three, her hair had grown out, and she started wearing pigtails.
Her eyes were particularly large, clear, and dark like glass beads, with long eyelashes resembling fluffy little brushes. When she smiled, she had two small dimples, making her a spitting image of her mother, Liang Zhiyi, with the same high beauty and mischievous charm.
One time, Liang Zhiyi was invited by her brother-in-law to attend a film festival event within their circle.
That evening, she brought Little Tangyuan to a private dinner party with industry insiders. Liang Zhiyi wore a red velvet evening gown, looking tall and radiant, with skin as fair as jade. Her stunning bone structure and natural beauty drew the attention of many.
Her unaltered, natural face made many envious. If she were in the entertainment industry, she would undoubtedly be promoted as a top-tier star.
Many people initially intended to approach her for conversation, but when they saw she was accompanied by her daughter, they realized she was already married.
However, one man continued to approach her throughout the evening, trying to make advances with oily, flirtatious behavior.
After the dinner, while Liang Zhiyi was waiting outside the hotel with Little Tangyuan in her arms, the oily man approached them, insisting on offering them a ride. “It’s so late, and it’s not safe for you two. Miss Liang, let me give you a ride home.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” she replied.
The man, not giving up, smiled at Little Tangyuan and said, “Little one, how about Uncle takes you and your mommy home? Will you come with Uncle?”
Little Tangyuan shook her head. The man asked why, and she replied, “You’re not as handsome as my daddy. I only go with my daddy.”
The man was left speechless: “…”
Liang Zhiyi’s lips curled into a slight smile as she turned and noticed an Aston Martin pulling up at the entrance. From the back seat stepped Pei Chen, dressed in a meticulously tailored charcoal-gray suit, his jawline taut, exuding an aura of cold authority as he stood there.
Little Tangyuan’s eyes lit up. “Daddy!”
Pei Chen walked over to them and, with a smile, scooped up Little Tangyuan into his arms. Liang Zhiyi linked her arm through Pei Chen’s and politely turned down the oily man’s offer. “Sorry, my husband is here now, so we’ll be leaving.”
Facing Pei Chen’s intensely intimidating gaze, the man recognized him as the renowned CEO of Chengzhi Technology. Realizing his scheme had failed, he slunk away, embarrassed and dejected.
The three of them got into the car, and as they drove off, Liang Zhiyi recounted the incident to Pei Chen. After hearing it, he asked his daughter, “Tangyuan, if someone more handsome than Daddy came along, would you agree to go with him?”
Little Tangyuan shook her head and sweetly replied, “Daddy is the most handsome in the world.”
Pei Chen pulled Liang Zhiyi closer, his deep voice tinged with amusement. “Did you teach her to say that?”
The young woman leaned her head against his shoulder with a smile. “Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it?”
—
Although Little Tangyuan had a mischievous side, she also had moments of endearing innocence, which made her an easy target for teasing.
For example, one weekend, Little Tangyuan was sitting on the carpet in her room, building with blocks. Suddenly, someone covered her eyes from behind, and a playful, childish voice spoke:
“Guess who I am?”
Dimples appeared on Little Tangyuan’s porcelain-like face as she giggled and called out in her soft voice, “Brother…”
Pei Che let go of her eyes and sat down beside her, smiling as he asked, “Tangyuan, I bought you some candy. Do you want to eat it?”
Little Tangyuan asked curiously, “What kind of candy?”
“A really delicious milk candy. Want some?”
Excited, Little Tangyuan nodded eagerly, licking her lips in anticipation.
Pei Che, with a sly grin, unwrapped the candy in his hand. “Open wide.”
Little Tangyuan obediently opened her mouth, and Pei Che popped the candy in. The moment her tongue touched the candy, her eyes squeezed shut, and her little face scrunched up tightly.
Little Tangyuan despised sour things, and what Pei Che had given her wasn’t milk candy but lemon candy.
Seeing her reaction, her face scrunching up like a shrinking tangyuan, Pei Che burst into laughter. Little Tangyuan finally spat the candy into the trash and, with teary eyes, whimpered in her tiny voice:
“I’m going to tell Daddy that you bullied me…”
Pei Che kept laughing as Little Tangyuan scurried out of the room. She ran into the study next door, where Pei Chen was working, and he looked up to see his daughter rushing in.
“Daddy…”
The little one blinked her big almond-shaped eyes, which were reddened from the sourness of the candy, and whimpered, looking pitifully distressed. Pei Chen was taken aback for a moment, then told the person on the other end of the phone to hold on. He picked up his daughter and asked, “What happened? Why are you crying?”
Little Tangyuan clung to his neck, naturally skilled at being coquettish just like Liang Zhiyi. She whimpered, “Daddy, Brother gave me a lemon candy. He tricked me, saying it was milk candy. It was so, so sour…”
Pei Chen chuckled helplessly.
“Your brother was that mean to you? Don’t worry, Daddy will talk to him,” Pei Chen said as he gently patted her head. “He made our Little Tangyuan cry, didn’t he?”
She stuck out her tongue. “The moment I tasted that candy, I cried because it was so sour…”
“I see. Let’s go have a word with your brother.”
Pei Chen called for Pei Su and Pei Che to come over. When they stood before him, he asked his daughter, “Who gave you the lemon candy?”
“Brother Niangao…”
Pei Chen gave Pei Che a pointed look. Feeling guilty, Pei Che quickly admitted his mistake, “Daddy, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Don’t bully your sister anymore, understood?”
Pei Che nodded. “Okay.”
But in his mind, he thought, I’ll definitely try again next time.
Pei Chen patted his daughter’s head. “Alright, go on, continue playing.”
Pei Su stepped forward, took Little Tangyuan’s hand, and gently said, “Tangyuan, come with Brother.”
Little Tangyuan followed her eldest brother back to the room. Pei Su gave her some snacks, and she smiled so widely that her eyes turned into little crescent moons. “Thank you, Brother Doubao.”
At this point, Pei Che walked over to Little Tangyuan and said, “Tangyuan, don’t be mad at Brother. I was just teasing you.”
“Hmph…”
Little Tangyuan pointed at Pei Su. “Good brother.”
Then she pointed at Pei Che and, in her soft voice, scolded, “Bad brother.”
Pei Che laughed and handed her a candy. “How about a candy? This time it’s really milk candy.”
“I don’t want it. You’ll trick me again…”
Seeing his brother’s plea for help, Pei Su smiled. “Serves you right for tricking her.”
“But she’s so easy to fool…”
In the end, Pei Su couldn’t help but coax her with a smile. “Tangyuan, Brother Niangao isn’t lying this time. He really wants to give you a milk candy. Isn’t milk candy your favorite?”
Little Tangyuan hesitated for a moment before finally taking the candy that Pei Che offered. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth, and the rich milky flavor filled her entire mouth.
“How is it? Tasty?” Pei Che asked.
“Yeah,” Little Tangyuan nodded, chewing on the milk candy while playing with her doll. Her mood instantly brightened, easily lifted by just a single candy.
Pei Su and Pei Che sat nearby, watching her with smiles.
—
From the incident with the candy, it was clear that whenever the three siblings were together, there was bound to be some commotion.
Eldest brother Pei Su shared a similar personality with their father—reserved and gentle. Ever since Pei Ruo was born, he wanted to give her everything good in the world.
In contrast, younger brother Pei Che was lively and cheerful, always full of mischievous ideas to tease her.
Thus, in front of Pei Su, Pei Ruo was a well-behaved little sweetheart, always clinging to him. But when it came to Pei Che, she turned into a little hedgehog, all prickly and ready to quarrel. The two often didn’t get along.
Despite his playful nature, Pei Che loved his sister deeply. When she got hurt at school, Pei Che would be incredibly worried, his eyes turning red at the sight of her crying. Seeing his distress, Pei Ruo couldn’t help but feel moved.
However, as soon as she was fine again, Pei Che would resume teasing her.
So, Pei Ruo’s feelings toward him often swung between “I don’t need this brother” and “Well, at least he has a bit of a conscience.”
Of course, the former feeling was more frequent.
Time flew by, and the three siblings grew up.
This year, Pei Ruo was in eighth grade, while Pei Su and Pei Che were seniors in high school. All three attended the same school.
In early October, the osmanthus trees were in full bloom.
During the last class of the afternoon, a self-study period, Pei Ruo sat by the window, gazing outside at the osmanthus tree dotted with tiny orange blossoms. The scent of the flowers wafted in, and her almond-shaped eyes naturally curved into a smile.
Her deskmate turned her head and saw Pei Ruo daydreaming as she stared out the window, her chin resting in her hand. Two small braids hung over her shoulders, framing one side of her face, which was bathed in the sunlight. Her skin was smooth and creamy, with a petite, delicate nose.
Since meeting Pei Ruo, her deskmate had often marveled at how a girl could be so beautiful. It wasn’t until Pei Ruo once showed her a photo of Liang Zhiyi from high school that she understood the power of family genes.
It was no wonder so many boys liked Pei Ruo—such a lovely, radiant girl could easily win anyone over, even girls!
Snapping out of her thoughts, the deskmate called out to her:
“Ruo Ruo, what are you looking at?”
Pei Ruo heard her and turned around, her clear, glass-like eyes curving into a smile. “An An, let’s pick up some osmanthus petals after school, okay? I saw a lot of them on the ground.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework instead of thinking about that?”
“I’ve already finished,” Pei Ruo replied with a bright, clear voice. “The osmanthus smells so nice. If we pick some petals and put them in our pencil cases, the whole case will smell good.”
At her age, these were exactly the kinds of things she loved.
“Sure, let’s go pick them together,” her deskmate agreed.
The two had planned to gather the osmanthus petals after school, but just before dismissal, Pei Ruo received a message from her mother, Liang Zhiyi. Her parents were attending a friend’s dinner party that evening, so she and her two brothers were to eat out together.
Shortly after, Pei Su sent a message in their sibling group chat, telling her to come to Class 6 of the senior year building after school so they could go home together. She obediently agreed.
After school, Pei Ruo said goodbye to her deskmate and headed to the high school building alone.
On her way, a few high school boys eyed her with interest, their gazes lingering. Pretending not to notice, she walked straight to Class 6 of the senior year.
At the classroom door, she peeked inside and noticed that all the other students had left, except for a young man sitting at the last desk of the third row.
Pei Su was sitting at his desk, reading a book. Half of his body was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. His white short-sleeved school uniform glimmered in the light, his jawline sharp and defined. His dark eyes, deep and calm like a phosphorescent lake, radiated a quiet brilliance. His demeanor was like jade—refined and pure.
Pei Su and Pei Che looked almost identical to their father, Pei Chen, especially Pei Su. With his gentle and elegant temperament, he was a spitting image of a young Pei Chen.
The girl stepped into the classroom, her bright eyes curving into a smile as she called out:
“Big Brother—”
Hearing her voice, Pei Su looked up and smiled gently, his voice soft and warm, “Why are you so slow?”
“I stayed a bit after school to finish an extra problem,” Pei Ruo said as she sat down next to him, leaning in with a grin. “Big Brother, have you been waiting long?”
Pei Su raised a hand and ruffled her hair. “Not too long.”
She noticed that he was sweating. “Were you playing basketball?”
Both Pei Su and Pei Che had inherited their father’s love for basketball.
“Yeah, just came back from a game,” he said, stretching his arm slightly. “It’s a bit sore.”
Pei Ruo chuckled, “Brother, let me give you a massage.”
As she massaged his arm, Pei Su leaned back in his seat, his brows relaxing. “Thanks, Ruo Ruo.”
“By the way,” she muttered with a hint of annoyance, “Where’s Second Brother? Isn’t he coming home with us?” Pei Che was in Class 5, next door, and she had noticed that the class was already empty.
“He had something to do and said he’d head out first. Why, did you want to see him?”
She huffed, denying it with mock indifference, “Of course not. I can’t stand seeing him.”
“What happened?”
“This morning during the break when we were running laps, our classes passed by each other, and he kept tapping my head. It made me so mad.”
Pei Su smiled, “Are you still mad at him?”
She pouted, “A little. He’s so annoying.”
“Of course! It’s mainly because he’s always bullying me.”
“He’s just teasing you,” Pei Su explained gently. “But when you didn’t come to lunch today, he thought you were mad and didn’t want to see him, so he left early tonight.”
Pei Ruo paused, her voice softening, “I stayed behind to do my homework. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to see him…”
“I heard he bought you your favorite chocolate.”
“Really?!” Her eyes lit up.
“Yeah.” Pei Su smiled. “So why don’t you send him a message, be a little sweet, and ask him for the chocolate?”
“Okay.”
For chocolate, she was willing to give in!
She pulled out her phone, opened the chat, and sent Pei Che a playful voice message: “Second Brother, where are you right now? I really, really want to see you! You’re the best, Second Brother!”
Feeling satisfied after sending the message, she suddenly heard a “ding” from the phone on the desk next to her. The screen lit up, showing that a new message had come in.
Pei Ruo: ???
The next moment, a boy walked in through the classroom door.
The boy looked identical to the one sitting beside her, wearing the same school uniform, with long, straight legs and eyes as clear as a mountain stream. The warmth in his expression was even more pronounced.
The boy, who had just returned from the office, glanced at Pei Ruo, seemingly having figured out what had happened. His eyebrows softened into a helpless smile as he spoke gently:
“Ruo Ruo, you’ve been tricked by him again.”
Pei Ruo turned her head in shock, only to see the boy beside her—who had been pretending to be Pei Su—lean back lazily in his chair. His thin eyelids lifted slightly, revealing a playful, relaxed expression. He looked at her, a clear smile playing on his lips:
“Your Second Brother is right here.”
Pei Ruo: ??????!