Ai Xian wasn't lying to scare him.
She'd always had an extremely short fuse, and strived for efficiency in everything she did.
That's why she couldn't figure out why Ai Hong had even thought of asking her to take care of a kid.
He'd just dumped Su Tang here, clean and simple—like tossing away a doll.
Or could it be that even Ai Hong looked down on this brat?
At the thought, a hint of sympathy crept into Ai Xian's gaze when she looked at Su Tang.
The son of a home-wrecker—truly hated by everyone, even dogs.
"Listen up, brat."
Ai Xian sighed in resignation. "The only reason I agreed to take you in is because Ai Hong begged me to let you stay for a while. Got it?"
Ai Hong had secretly registered his marriage to Su Tang's mother behind everyone's back.
If her damn father hadn't begged her on the phone for ages, she wouldn't have bothered with this mess at all.
She had no time, nor the energy, to take care of a kid.
Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
"Do you still wet the bed?"
"Auntie…"
Su Tang looked dejected. "I'm already twelve…"
There were even kids dating in his class now—who on earth still wet the bed?
Ai Xian's gaze turned gradually dangerous.
Su Tang quickly changed his tune. "Sis."
Ai Xian clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I told you not to call me sis. Do you believe I'll hit you?"
"Then what should I call you?"
Su Tang had no idea how to deal with this short-tempered older sister.
Deep down, he didn't really want to call her sis either, but he dared not show it.
Even at twelve, he could keenly sense when someone disliked him.
"Call me… forget it, do whatever you want."
Ai Xian ruffled her hair irritably and stood up. "I'm going to take a nap. Stay here by yourself and don't bother me."
She had no intention of making dinner for Su Tang. Grabbing a bag of potato chips, she headed back to her room.
"Oh, right—I have two roommates. Don't disturb them either."
With that, she slammed her bedroom door shut without hesitation.
The living room fell silent at once, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall.
"Such a bad temper…"
Su Tang muttered softly, touching his growling stomach.
He sat down beside the coffee table, set his schoolbag aside, and started doing his homework.
Before he knew it, the sky grew darker.
There was still no movement from Ai Xian's room—she was probably really asleep.
Su Tang leaned over the coffee table, frowning as he struggled with a math problem.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he finally heard the sound of a door opening.
A woman hung her coat on the rack, then took the purple slippers from the shoe rack and put them on.
Only after doing that did she walk into the living room.
She immediately spotted Su Tang leaning over his homework.
He seemed to be completely absorbed in the difficult math problem, looking up in confusion.
His eyes met the woman's.
"Hey, where did this little guy come from?"
She raised an eyebrow, looking a little surprised. "How did you end up doing homework at my place?"
Su Tang froze, not knowing how to answer.
"Oh right—you're the kid Xiao Xian mentioned, aren't you?"
The woman suddenly realized something, her almond-shaped eyes curving slightly. "So you're this young. You're quite cute, aren't you?"
Like a porcelain doll—a total heartthrob in the making.
Her tone was casual, with a natural laziness.
Coupled with her almond eyes that always held a smile, looking somewhat charming, she exuded a seductive charm.
"My name's Lin Yi. I'm Xiao Xian's roommate."
She bent down and pinched Su Tang's cheek. "What's your name, little guy?"
Even though it was their first meeting, the gesture felt natural coming from her.
Her tone, which was always playful and nonchalant, wasn't annoying at all.
It was completely different from Ai Xian's tone, which made people feel uncomfortable just listening to it.
"Su Tang. Tang as in Tang poetry."
Su Tang looked flustered and at a loss.
"Alright, then keep doing your homework. I won't disturb you."
Lin Yi affectionately ruffled his hair. "Don't sit on the floor. Take your schoolbag to the dining table and write there."
"Thank you, sis."
Su Tang nodded, a little nervous.
Lin Yi smiled gently, then walked to the kitchen. She came out a while later wearing a black silk nightdress.
Her long black hair, which had been tied up earlier, fell loosely down her back, making her look even more lazy and casual.
Su Tang was still sitting on the floor, doing his homework at the coffee table.
Lin Yi glanced at him but didn't care. She went about her business in the kitchen.
After a while, she poked her head out. "Little guy, have you eaten yet?"
Reminded by her question, Su Tang's stomach growled again.
He was at an age where he was growing, so he got hungry quickly.
"Xiao Xian probably hasn't eaten either. I'm going to cook something. Do you want some?"
Lin Yi tied a white apron around her waist. "But all we have left at home is a bag of noodles. We'll have to make do with that."
Su Tang shook his head instinctively. "I'm not hungry…"
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
Looking at Su Tang's cautious and restrained appearance, she seemed to understand something.
Ai Xian had told her about the kid's situation.
With her bad temper… she must have bullied him, right?
Lin Yi didn't really care. What happened between the elders had nothing to do with the child.
Though Ai Hong's act of cheating and asking his daughter to take care of his mistress's son…
It really made him a terrible father.
Having a father like that must have been bad karma from a past life.
Of course, when it came to Ai Xian, Lin Yi loved watching her make a fool of herself.
Seeing that bad-tempered woman get annoyed or flustered was quite entertaining.
Lin Yi curved her red lips into a smile and said softly, "Then just eat a little with me, okay?"
Her voice was naturally intimate, making it impossible to refuse.
Su Tang involuntarily looked away, feeling a little uncomfortable with her warmth.
After a while, Lin Yi brought three bowls of noodles to the dining table.
She waved at him. "Little guy, come eat the noodles."
Su Tang hesitated for a moment, then obediently walked over.
The chair was a bit tall. When he sat on it, his legs barely touched the ground. "Thank you, sis."
"You're welcome. I'll go wake your Xian sis up."
Lin Yi reached out and pinched his cheek again.
She seemed to really like pinching Su Tang's soft cheeks.
Su Tang felt a little ticklish.
It was like a tickle straight to his heart.
A while later, Ai Xian, who had been woken up, walked out of her room.
She must have just gotten up—her wine-red hair was a little messy.
She glanced at Su Tang sitting at the dining table but said nothing.
It was as if he didn't exist at all.
"Where's Xiao Lu?"
Ai Xian sat down yawning. "I haven't seen her for days."
"She said she has stuff to do with her department and won't be coming back today."
Lin Yi just smiled. "She's a painting major, after all. Much more hardworking than us idle college students."
"Yeah, art students don't need to sleep. They survive on pure willpower."
Ai Xian brushed her hair back. "Hurry up and eat. After that, I'll send you to the orphanage."
Su Tang had just picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat. When he heard her words, his hand froze.
He lost his appetite instantly.
He retorted stubbornly. "I'm not an orphan…"
"Xiao Xian, stop bullying him!"
Lin Yi immediately scolded her. "Be nicer to the kid!"
"Aren't I being nice enough to him?"
Ai Xian almost laughed in anger. "Xiao Yi, have a heart. If I weren't a saint, would I have brought this brat back? Wouldn't it be easier to just leave him on the road?"
I've done more than enough good deeds—how dare you say I'm not being nice to him?
Does that mean I should thank him?
"I mean, don't say such harsh things in front of a kid."
Lin Yi wasn't angry. She propped her cheek with her hand and smiled playfully. "Besides, he's really cute. I've never seen such a pretty kid."
"If you love taking care of kids so much, take him yourself."
Ai Xian rolled her eyes. "I don't have the time."
"Xiao Xian…"
Lin Yi chuckled softly, her voice still soft and playful. "If you were half as cute and obedient as him, you wouldn't have to worry about finding a boyfriend."
Ai Xian scoffed. "Bullshit."
It's not that I can't find one—
I just don't want to.
"Little guy, ignore her."
Lin Yi couldn't help but reach out and pinch Su Tang's cheek again. "Hurry up and eat. I put two eggs at the bottom of your bowl."
The texture was so good—like pinching a smooth, beautiful doll.
She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and smiled. When her red lips curved upward, she really looked like a seductress.
Su Tang then obediently picked up his chopsticks. "Okay, thank you, sis."
"Tsk, so affectionate."
Ai Xian scoffed. "Why don't you ask your dad to marry her mom, so you can call her sis every day?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, both Su Tang and Lin Yi fell silent.
Lin Yi, as her roommate and best friend, was used to her meanness.
Ai Xian wasn't a bad person, but she was extremely straightforward—and she had a sharp tongue…
Even after being friends for almost ten years, there were times when Lin Yi couldn't help but want to sew her mouth shut with a needle and thread.
After all, a mouth was for speaking—not for…
Su Tang felt a little uncomfortable and stayed silent, his head down.
"Xiao Xian, you can be really annoying sometimes."
Lin Yi snorted.
"Little guy, when you grow up, get back at her good."