Pei Mu and Pei Ci’s expressions darkened as they propped themselves up, glaring at her with a hint of resentnt. “Are our fruits inferior to his?”
Qiao Chuchu glanced toward the bathroom and whispered, “Pei Buxian’s ntal state isn’t great. He’s moody and prone to anger. Just let him be.”
After all, ever since Pei’s mother passed away, they had all been bullied. Pei Buxian had been beaten daily since he was eleven, and because he looked sowhat feminine, he had endured countless verbal insults.
She didn’t want to provoke him, so she gestured for the two to co closer. “Just give him a break. In my eyes, your gifts are equally good. I can’t choose between them.”
Pei Mu and Pei Ci were taken aback but quickly leaned back down beside her, complying with her request. “Hmph, you’re such a master at playing it safe,” they teased.
Qiao Chuchu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? If I sent you both gifts with my friends, would you be able to tell which one’s better?”
“Of course,” Pei Ci said with a smile. “Your gift is always the best, no question.”
Qiao Chuchu pouted. “What if I sent you a giant cockroach?”
Without hesitation, Pei Ci and Pei Mu replied in unison, “That would still be great!”
She burst out laughing. “Hah, you’re just saying that. I know you two are terrified of bugs.”
Pei Mu and Pei Ci gazed at her triumphant smile and couldn’t help but laugh along. Their eyes softened with a tenderness like spring water, and they reached out to poke dimples into her cheeks, one on each side. “Even if you sent us bugs, no matter how scared we are, we’d still accept them with a smile.”
Qiao Chuchu was surprised.
Pei Mu and Pei Ci exchanged a glance, then leaned in closer to her ear. “But while we’re grateful, we’d also sneak more cockroaches into your closet.”
Qiao Chuchu blinked. “What?”
She kicked them. “Get out of here!”
The two burst into laughter, completely unfazed by her kicks, and settled down by her pillow.
Qiao Chuchu wrinkled her nose in disgust, while Pei Mu and Pei Ci wore content smiles.
Pei Buxian, who had been locked in the bathroom, was probably fuming by now, listening to their whispers.
The two exchanged another glance. “Let’s go to the bathroom!”
Qiao Chuchu frowned. “What? You two go to the bathroom together now?”
Pei Mu and Pei Ci replied in unison, “Yeah~ We’re just that inseparable~”
Qiao Chuchu grimaced. “Ew.”
Pei Ci grabbed the key, opened the door, and pushed his way in, only to co face-to-face with Pei Buxian.
He shoved him further into the bathroom, lowering his voice smugly. “Pei Buxian, didn’t expect us to know you were here, huh? I said all that on purpose. How’s it feel? Pretty mad, right?”
Pei Buxian remained expressionless, though a hint of amusent flickered in his eyes as he silently watched them.
Pei Mu and Pei Ci suddenly felt sothing was off and turned to look around.
Dozens of sharp eyes were glaring at them.
The spacious bathroom was packed with people!
The two froze.
Pei Che stood in the center and spoke softly, “Close the door. Let’s have a proper chat.”
Pei Mu: “…”
Pei Ci: “…”
Damn it!
---
Qiao Chuchu suddenly felt sothing was amiss.
Wait.
Hadn’t the people who entered her bathroom not co out yet? She hadn’t seen any of them leave.
It was as if they had been swallowed into so unknown dinsion, with no sign of movent since.
Or maybe she was just delirious from her fever and hadn’t noticed them leaving.
Qiao Chuchu wobbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Just as she was about to open the door, Pei Yuan walked in, carrying a tray.
“You’re awake?” he asked.
She looked surprised. “Big brother?”
Pei Yuan set the tray on the table and walked over to her. “Need to use the bathroom?”
Qiao Chuchu shook her head. “No.”
Pei Yuan helped her back to bed. “Then rest. I made you so sweet porridge with red beans, black glutinous rice, and red dates—all good for replenishing your energy.”
She didn’t have much of an appetite and felt guilty. “I might not be able to eat much.”
“I understand. Just eat what you can,” Pei Yuan said, picking up the bowl of porridge. “Here.”
She turned her head away. “I can feed myself.”
Pei Yuan paused, his expression calm but his tone gentle. “Let feed you.”
Qiao Chuchu reached out. “I can do it.”
He dodged her hand, placing the bowl on the nightstand, and asked softly, “Don’t you like your big brother anymore, Xiao Ba?”
Qiao Chuchu: “…”
Seeing him like this reminded her of when she had just entered adolescence. Back then, the system had forced her to complete tasks, and she had struggled to accept it, often hiding away.
At that ti, Pei Yuan had taken on the role of the family patriarch, bringing her into his study and asking gently, “Why do you always avoid , Xiao Ba? Don’t you like your big brother anymore?”
She snapped out of her mories and explained slowly, “My hands aren’t broken. I can feed myself. This has nothing to do with whether I like you or not.”
“But I want to feed you,” he said, holding her hand. His dark eyes seed to pull her into his world. “If you don’t like anymore, that’s fine. Just tell . I won’t force you. You can eat by yourself.”
Qiao Chuchu frowned. “Isn’t this emotional blackmail?”
“I’m not blackmailing you,” Pei Yuan said, gripping her wrist and locking eyes with her.
He was gentle, yet stubborn.
“I’m asking you now. I want to feed you. I want to take care of you. Are you willing or not? If you’re not, just say so. I won’t be angry. Really, I won’t.”
She struggled for a mont, then glanced at his fingertips, which were red from holding the hot bowl.
She sighed silently.
Big brother was always like this.
He was strict with the other brothers, but with her, he used nothing but soft tactics.
He would ask her seemingly harmless questions, but in reality, he was using his gentleness to corner her, to make her comply.
She could refuse.
But she knew that if she did, he would simply leave, just as he said, without showing any anger.
He would just sit alone, quietly, leaving her with a desolate image of his back.
It was like a dull knife—not sharp enough to hurt, but enough to make her uncomfortable.
Pei Yuan seed easygoing, but deep down, he was a relentless “mother figure.”
Qiao Chuchu sighed.
People always said the Wei family had their share of oddballs.
But didn’t her own family have seven of them?
She finally nodded. “Thank you, big brother.”
The gloom in Pei Yuan’s eyes instantly lifted, like the moon breaking through dark clouds. “Don’t thank . I should be thanking you. I thought we’d grown distant.”
He picked up the porridge and brought it to her lips. “I made this in a pressure cooker. How is it? Have I lost my touch?”
The sweet, sticky flavor of the porridge spread in her mouth.
She nodded. “Big brother’s cooking is the best.”
Pei Yuan chuckled. “It’s been a while since I made porridge for you. I still rember the first bowl you taught to make. After I learned, I never let you cook again.”
Qiao Chuchu shrugged. “True. You never liked doing housework.”
Pei Yuan scooped another spoonful and brought it to her mouth. “Because I felt that, as your big brother, I failed to protect you and let you suffer. I couldn’t let you bear any more burdens.”
She disagreed. “I didn’t suffer.”
Pei Yuan wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue, his gaze profound. “No, you did.”
Qiao Chuchu was puzzled.
Pei Yuan continued feeding her. “Chuchu.”
“Hmm?”
He held the spoon to her lips and said calmly, “No matter what happens, your big brother will always care about you the most. As long as you don’t leave, I’ll be fine with anything.”
Qiao Chuchu was taken aback, unsure what he ant.
Pei Yuan smiled at her. “Let’s just keep living like this, the eight of us together. Don’t get married. Don’t fall for anyone else. Okay?”
That’s it?
Qiao Chuchu answered without hesitation. “Sure. I wasn’t planning to get married anyway.”
Pei Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Promise?”
She patted her chest confidently. “Promise!”
Pei Yuan’s smile widened, genuine and bright, like the first thaw of spring. “From now on, I’ll only spend money on you. My inheritance will all be yours too. Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose out.”
Qiao Chuchu: “…No need for the inheritance. If you have kids in the future, it should go to them.”
“I won’t have kids,” Pei Yuan said with a smile.
His affection was almost overflowing, a mix of brotherly tenderness and a man’s possessiveness. He pinched her cheek lovingly. “Because my Chuchu is just too good.”
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