However, Pei Cheng was planning to be unreasonable in this case. His expression didn't ease. "I'll ask again—who are you to chase away my brother? Do you think this is your family's property? So young, yet so arrogant. What a shame and bully you are."
Jian Yue's expression didn't look too good, and her mother's words echoed in her ears:
[To be a leader, you have to be composed. To be respected, you have to be calm like water—such that nothing can stir your heart.]
So, the little girl spoke up directly. "What do you want?"
Seeing her so straightforward, Pei Cheng was silent for a second. In the end, he had no choice but to say what he wanted. "Let my brother back into the group. Don't you dare ignore him or chase him away again."
Nevertheless, he was stunned again—because, indeed, this little girl proved tough to deal with.
"No." One word. No reason stated.
"What?"
"I said no."
For a moment, Jian Yue had an epiphany, finally realizing why the young boy earlier didn't respond after the "no."
It was because NO is a complete sentence. And you don't actually need to have a reason.
"You're quite a proud one, aren't you? So young, yet so arrogant and unrelenting. Is that a good trait or a bad one?" Pei Cheng scoffed. The ridicule in his thick eyebrows was as clear as day.
He glanced at Jian Yinchen. "Your family's little girl is going to be a tough one. She's a weed."
Jian Yinchen resembled his father—or rather, the Jian family. They were all a bunch of green snakes under the green grass. One adjective qualified them:
Gentle.
But whether the gentleness they displayed was genuine or fake, only those close to them would have an idea.
Jian Yinchen's expression was amiable, and he didn't say a word. He was like a bystander to the whole event, neither contributing nor speaking in support.
Pei Cheng tsked. "Little girl, you're too young to be saying no to me, do you know that? I don't care whether you want to or not, but accept my little brother back into your group or I'll smack your little face."
Just as the two were locked into silence, neither planning to back away, Jian Yinchen spoke up. "I have a suggestion, if you don't mind." His words made all eyes turn to him.
"What do you have in mind?" his friends asked with interest.
"Yue'er," his voice was as gentle as water, and he crouched before Jian Yue.
Jian Yue hadn't been introduced to her 'real' cousins yet.
Naturally, both Su Yan and Jian Mingzhen had prevented Jian Yue from meeting her cousins unless it was at a family dinner.
She was one of the youngest among them, and compared to her older cousins, who were already in middle school, she was like a newborn calf beside a mother cow. She needed to grow up safely enough—then they would show her everyone's real face. At that time, she'd be able to deflect any scheme with ease.
Unfortunately, they never predicted this moment—that what they had tried so hard to prevent would actually happen in a place like this.
They had been so confident. After all, Jian Yue had attended many banquets, gone to kids' playgrounds to play, and her cousins had also attended. Never once had something like what was about to happen ever occurred before.
At this time, Jian Yue remembered her parents' clear warning:
[Don't get close or comfortable with your cousins. They're not as kind and gentle as they seem. Like their father, they're venomous snakes—waiting to bite anytime they can.]
But Jian Yinchen isn't doing anything... Is he?
He's trying to help settle this... right?
Jian Yue pondered in her mind.
It's not bad to listen to him, is it?
He also wouldn't bite her in such a public place... definitely?
A few seconds later, she finally nodded.
"Go ahead."
Jian Yinchen smile deepened. "Why don't you solve some math questions? It was a homework our teacher gave us, and it's really hard to solve. But for you, it's definitely a walkover. So why don't you do it for us? If you can solve it, you don't have to accept Pei Lu back into your group, and you can continue playing with your friend. Pei Cheng will also stop disturbing you. It's a win for you, isn't it?"
"What are—"
Pei Cheng's expression darkened and he tried to tell Jian Yinchen to take his words back, but he was quickly held back by Su Yan, who signaled with eyes full of unspoken words:
Let's wait and see.
Pei Cheng relaxed a little, but his expression remained hard.
Is this Jian Yinchen trying to protect his little cousin?
Because what he was doing definitely seemed like it.
Jian Yue's reputation was widely recognized, with the nickname Little Einstein. She had even gone viral once, with headlines praising her extremely high IQ. She had solved several difficult questions that even 12th graders struggled with, earning the praise of renowned teachers who had the chance to watch her work.
No doubt, she was a terrifying genius.
Jian Yue thought the same. Her teachers always praised her for every question she solved. Just five days ago, she had gotten a perfect score on the previous year's college entrance examination. In fact, she could've taken the college entrance exam this year, but her parents didn't want to deny her the childhood she deserved with her peers—so she remained in kindergarten.
Her expression was confident, and she nodded.
"Bring the questions. If I can solve them, Pei Lu can't come back to our group. But if I can't..."
"If you can't, then apologize and stop attending banquets." Jian Yinchen interrupted before she could finish.