"I never—" Jiang Li was about to defend herself, but upon seeing someone's half-smiling, half-teasing expression, she intentionally changed her words to provoke him.
"That's right, are you happy to hear people talk bad about you?"
Xie Huaichu: "..."
This sharp-tongued little girl.
Sooner or later, he would have to shut that infuriating mouth of hers.
For some reason, as soon as the thought of shutting her mouth entered his mind, Xie Huaichu felt a strange sensation deep within.
His gaze unconsciously fell on Jiang Li's rosy lips.
The girl's lips looked so soft.
They were plump and glossy, like QQ candies.
Just looking at them was so tempting, so they must be very sweet to kiss...
"Doctor Xie, is there something on my face that's so worth staring at?"
Jiang Li tilted her head and glanced at Xie Huaichu, speaking casually.
"Beauty, pretty, good-looking."
Xie Huaichu mimicked the way she had once complimented him, a slight smirk on his lips as he spoke softly.
"My beauty is so obvious, and only now did Doctor Xie notice? How unfortunate."
She thought that with all his praise, the little girl would feel shy.
Unexpectedly, she seemed quite pleased with herself, not the least bit modest.
"Sister." Lu Ziyang entered from outside, heading straight for Jiang Li's side and sitting down.
"Is the data all entered?" Jiang Li turned to look at him.
As she spoke, she picked up the serving chopsticks to help him with some food. Lu Ziyang nodded. "The system is being upgraded."
"When the final product is ready, I'll give it to you, Sister."
"This is the Doudou 2.0 robot, which, apart from the features of the original Doudou, also has an added ability to communicate with people."
"When you get bored, you can chat with it to pass the time."
Hearing this, Jiang Li's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's amazing!"
"In that case, you really can't give it to me, it's too precious."
Lu Ziyang took a bite of his food. "It's okay, Sister."
"If you can spare time to tutor me, I'm already very happy."
"This robot is just a gift from me to you."
Jiang Li paused for a moment before speaking. "Since that's the case, I'll get you a gift in return."
"We won't owe each other anything, how about that?"
"Sure, I agree with what you said, Sister."
Lu Ziyang smiled brightly at Jiang Li, and Xie Huaichu's eyes instantly turned cold.
He picked up his chopsticks, putting the food in his mouth, but he found it tasteless.
After finishing, he cast a chilly glance at Lu Ziyang.
"Lu Ziyang, you should talk less while eating. You're starting to look like..."
Lu Ziyang: "..."
What's wrong with him?
He was just minding his own business, and now he was getting scolded for no reason. How frustrating.
Originally, he was tasked by his grandfather to help bring his brother and Jiang Li closer.
But his brother kept picking on him and was always dissatisfied with him.
Since that's the case, he was determined to retaliate.
He wasn't going to let his brother win Jiang Li's heart so easily.
With that in mind, Lu Ziyang leaned in closer to Jiang Li, lowering his voice.
"Sister, how about we go to the library to study this afternoon?"
"The atmosphere at home isn't suitable."
As he spoke, he shot a glance at the darkened face of Xie Huaichu, his expression full of smugness.
Jiang Li noticed his expression and instinctively glanced over at Xie Huaichu.
At once, she understood just how bold this little rascal was.
She gave a light laugh, raising her hand to rub Lu Ziyang's head gently, responding warmly.
"Alright, I was just planning to look up some information anyway."
"Then it's settled. Let's go," Lu Ziyang said happily, giving Jiang Li a high-five.
When his gaze landed on Xie Huaichu, the smugness in his eyes was nearly overflowing.
Xie Huaichu's grip on his chopsticks tightened.
His lips pressed together, his eyes cold, and his expression soured, clearly annoyed.
But, unfortunately, he couldn't argue. After all, they were going to do something productive.
On the side, Xie Zhinguo looked on in frustration, hurriedly signaling Lu Ziyang with his eyes.
(Xiao Yang, can't you see how Grandpa's helping you out?)
(Didn't we agree that you should let your brother spend more time with Jiang Li?)
Lu Ziyang blinked. (Don't worry, Grandpa. I've got everything under control.)
(I'll make sure my brother and Sister Jiang will have two kids in three years.)
Xie Zhinguo couldn't help but grin, giving the boy a thumbs-up.
"Grandpa, Lu Ziyang," Xie Huaichu, watching their interaction, spoke with displeasure in his voice.
He lazily lifted his gaze to look at Xie Zhinguo, "Grandpa, don't encourage Lu Ziyang in the wrong way."
"I haven't encouraged Xiao Yang to do anything bad. You're the one who's just talking nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense. You know best," Xie Huaichu said coldly, with no trace of emotion in his words.
"I'm full. You all enjoy the rest."
After that, Xie Huaichu turned and went upstairs.
Xie Zhinguo and Lu Ziyang both looked up in surprise at the person stepping up the stairs, their faces showing a mix of shock.
"Grandpa, do you think my brother got so angry that he's lost his mind?"
Xie Zhinguo waved his hand dismissively. "Not likely. His mental endurance is strong."
Jiang Li finished her last bite of food, wiped her mouth elegantly with a tissue, and stood up.
"Yang Zai, I'll wait for you in the garden."
"Once you're done, we'll head to the library together."
"Okay, Sister." Lu Ziyang smiled brightly.
"Steward." Xie Zhinguo raised his hand, signaling Steward Chen.
Steward Chen walked over with a tray, holding a bowl of soup that looked quite delicious.
"Jiang Li, could you take this bowl of soup to that brat, Xie Huaichu?"
"This is his favorite soup. He always has a bowl with every meal."
"Today is strange, though—he didn't drink a single drop."
"Could it be that my brother has too much pressure, and that's why his memory is failing?"
Receiving Xie Zhinguo's subtle cue, Lu Ziyang smoothly played along.
"I heard from a classmate that when you're young, you tend to be forgetful and have poor memory."
"And when you get older, it could turn into dementia."
"Sister, you should hurry and take the soup to my brother, so he doesn't start getting dementia early."
Jiang Li: "..."
Xie Huaichu was right about one thing.
You shouldn't spoil mischievous kids.
If Xie Huaichu were here and heard his younger brother making fun of him like this, he would definitely give him a good scolding.
"Eat your food properly. I'll take the soup to your brother and come back down."
"Mm-hmm, go ahead, go ahead." Lu Ziyang nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Li carefully held the tray with both hands, taking one step at a time up the stairs.
She looked around, feeling a little awkward.
Because she didn't know which room Xie Huaichu was in.
She paused at the staircase and leaned forward slightly, trying to keep her voice at a moderate volume.
"Yang Zai, which room is Xie Huaichu in?"
"The one in the middle." Lu Ziyang raised his hand and pointed in the direction, but he didn't dare speak too loudly.
Jiang Li nodded in understanding and turned to walk in that direction.
With one hand holding the tray and the other reaching up, she gently knocked on the door. "Doctor Xie, can you open the door?"
There was no response, no other sound. Even the air seemed to feel much thinner.
Jiang Li felt a bit confused. Was he not hearing her, or was he deliberately ignoring her?
She took a deep breath and raised her hand again to knock.
Unexpectedly, the door opened from the inside, and Xie Huaichu's face—a face that was both aloof and undeniably captivating—appeared in her line of sight.
"Grandpa asked me to bring you some soup..." Seeing him, Jiang Li raised the tray in her hand and spoke.
"Come in," Xie Huaichu said, taking the tray from her hands and turning to walk into the room.
Jiang Li furrowed her brows slightly, hesitation evident on her face.
"Never mind, I'll just leave it here. I'm only here to bring the soup."
"Now that the soup is here, I'll just—ah!"
Before she could finish her sentence, a force suddenly pulled her forward.