Huaijin leaned forward, head slightly tilted.
"Hello~"
The boy’s face instantly went red.
"I... I’m... m-my na is... Su Mingtong," he stamred, bowing 90 degrees like a well-trained little gentleman who learned manners from doting grandparents. "I’m six years old this year. I like puzzles, cartoons, dinosaurs, and... and I thought you were really a cool sister!"
He blushed harder.
"...A-And you’re pretty."
There was a collective gasp from the girls’ side.
Yuanying almost choked on her own spit.
Liang Lingzhi smacked her own forehead inside her mind as she glanced between the guy and Huaijin.
Across the aisle, the older boys stiffened.
Especially the 10-year-old boy, whose eyebrow twitched.
A tiny fist clenched.
Oh boy.
This was going to beco a battlefield sooner or later.
But Huaijin simply grinned; it was warm and natural, leaning comfortably against Yuanying like a koala on her favorite tree.
"Nice to et you, Mingtong," she chirped. "I’m Chi Huaijin. I like mooncakes, silly gas, pushing my dad’s buttons, and teasing classmates like Yingying~"
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!!!" Yuanying screeched, face turning bright tomato red.
Mingtong giggled.
It was soft, shy, and adorable, like a chubby hamster trying to laugh quietly.
Seeing him relax, Huaijin gestured at the empty seat beside her aisle.
"You can sit here if you want. I don’t bite."
Mingtong’s eyes sparkled like soone had handed him a treasure chest.
He darted to the seat imdiately, carefully climbing up while hugging his cube.
Seeing the littlest mber break the ice, the other two boys felt pressured.
The glasses boy, who was eight years old, cleared his throat.
"Ahem."He pushed his glasses up with academic seriousness.
"I suppose we should introduce ourselves as well. I am Wen Ruisong. Eight years old. My hobbies include math, reading, and robotics."
Yuanying muttered under her breath, "He sounds like my brother."
Lingzhi snorted.
Huaijin smiled politely, showing all her perfect white row of teeth. "Nice to et you, Ruisong."
Wen Ruisong nodded with the satisfied gravity of an elder professor.
Then all eyes turned to the tallest one.
The ten-year-old boy slowly shut his notebook, lifted his gaze, and spoke in a level voice that was far too mature for his age.
"Mu Yansheng."
He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t give his age, nor did he ntion his hobbies.
Just those two words.
Even the caraman blinked from behind the lens. ’Kids these days... too cool for introductions?’
But Huaijin wasn’t bothered.
’Like... why do you co to a variety show if you don’t want to interact with your peers? What a snobby little brat!’
Instead, she tilted her head again, studying him openly.
He looked away imdiately.
Good. She had successfully annoyed him by rely existing.
This would be fun.
Lingzhi sighed from the window seat. "I’m Liang Lingzhi. I’m eight years old. I like dancing, painting, and trying to keep everyone alive."
Yuanying crossed her arms proudly.
"Humph! I’m Chi Yuanying! Eight years old. I do ballet, painting, and I’m the future heir of the Chi family!"
She lifted her chin confidently.
Then added sothing, a bit quieter:
"...And Huaijin is my little sister. So don’t bully her."
Huaijin paused.
Yuanying froze a second too late.
Lingzhi stared at her in disbelief.
While Ruisong blinked, not understanding what she ant.
Even the stoic Mu Yansheng’s eyes flickered, mild surprise, mild approval.
Huaijin’s lips curved.
She leaned her head on Yuanying’s shoulder again.
"Yingying, you’re so sweet today."
"I—I AM NOT!" Yuanying hissed in embarrassnt. "I’m just stating a fact! Don’t misunderstand!"
But her ears were bright red.
Su Mingtong giggled again, and Wen Ruisong coughed awkwardly from the side.
Lingzhi shook her head helplessly.
Mu Yansheng looked away, cheeks stretching as if he was trying not to smile.
With introductions done, Mingtong boldly tried again.
"Jiejie, do you like dinosaurs? I-I brought dinosaur stickers..."
"Hmm, I like cute ones," Huaijin replied.
"I have a cute Triceratops!" he said quickly. "And rainbow-colored ones! And a sparkly T. rex!"
Yuanying’s jaw dropped.
"...Where did you get sparkly dinosaurs?"
"My mom bought them online."
"Your mom is cool," Huaijin said.
The boy puffed his chest in pride.
"She’s the BEST!"
anwhile, Wen Ruisong started talking about a robot he built at ho. Lingzhi politely listened.
Yuanying bragged about her dance trophies. Huaijin teased her into puffing up like a furious kitten. Mingtong kept interrupting them with random dinosaur facts.
Through all of this—
Mu Yansheng sat silently.
Watching and taking everything in.
Whenever Huaijin leaned on Yuanying, his eyebrow twitched.
Whenever Mingtong giggled at her words, his fingers tapped impatiently on his notebook.
Whenever the cara focused on her, his gaze sharpened.
He thought he hid it well.
But Huaijin caught all of it.
And she smirked slightly.
Oh? Oh~~?
This guy seed to be observing her for quite so ti. What is he thinking?
The variety show was going to be entertaining indeed.
The bus vibrated faintly as the engine started, a low chanical rumble that made the group of seven- and eight-year-old children suddenly straighten like startled chicks.
The cara crew strapped in at the front, already adjusting angles to film casual pre-departure interactions, unaware that "casual" was the least possible word to describe the atmosphere on this vehicle.
Chi Huaijin, sitting with one elbow casually leaning on Yuanying’s shoulder, was at complete peace.
She chatted with little Su Mingtong, who was soft-faced, careful, and so nervous that his fingers kept twitching around the edges of his seatbelt.
He had introduced himself first earlier, stuttering out: "Um... I’m Su—Su Mingtong. I’m eight. I like drawing cat monsters."
Which imdiately made Huaijin’s eyes shine.
’Cat monsters? Wow! That’s so Cool!’
Since then, he stuck to Huaijin like an anxious duckling. The other boys, seeing the smallest one open up first, gathered courage to follow.
Even Liang Lingzhi was pointing at the three boys and quietly whispering to Yuanying like gossip aunties.
"See, they’re not bad at all. Except..." She paused.
Everyone glanced toward the corner seat by the window, the child emperor himself.
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