Chen Linmei pulled Xie Tangning out of Lu Qiwu’s arms. After confirming that the girl hadn’t lost any weight, she pinched her little cheeks and began to complain.
“You little ingrate. You haven’t seen Grandma for more than half a month, and you didn’t even say you missed me!”
Xie Tangning immediately planted a kiss on the old lady’s cheek and began sweet-talking her in a sugary voice. “How could I not, Grandma~? I missed you so much~”
“If I weren’t worried about disturbing you while you were showing off the legendary business skills of your youth, I’d be video-calling you eight times a day!”
Chen Linmei burst out laughing. “You sure know how to butter people up. Come on, let’s go home first!”
After placating her grandmother, Xie Tangning ran over to Old Master Xie and began teasing the old man.
She coaxed him into beaming from ear to ear. He looked so happy that he seemed ten years younger.
The moment the girl finished charming Old Master Xie, Xie Heng’an and Lu Wenhua came over too, and a new round of coaxing began.
As for why Grandma Qi Rou hadn’t joined them…
That was because she was currently being clung to by Xie Changyu and couldn’t get away!
And so, for the next five minutes, Xie Tangning transformed into a walking sweet-talking missile.
She showered every elder in the family with her carefully prepared words of affection.
Xie Changyu was practically a master of keeping everyone happy. He went around hugging every single person, clinging to them as he said that he missed everyone at home!
The entire family was tormented so thoroughly by the two children that they had no choice but to let them carry on.
They’d only been apart for a few days, yet they were already this clingy. Honestly!
In the end, Chen Linmei glanced at her granddaughter, who was the perfect embodiment of “as lively as a hare.”
She reached out, pulled the girl over, and pushed her forward. “There are a lot of people at the airport, and you and Er Yu are both at the height of your popularity. Let’s go home before you two start causing more trouble~”
Xie Tangning let herself be pushed along, but halfway there, she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have forgotten someone.
She spun around, ran to Lu Huaiyu, and threw her arms around him in a bear hug.
“Big Brother, I missed you so much~ Did you miss me?”
She’d just been thoroughly distracted by her mother and grandmother and had nearly forgotten her own big brother!
Lu Huaiyu ruffled her hair and said with a smile, “Of course. I started missing our little princess on the very first day you left!”
“Whenever I had a spare moment, I’d stop and watch the livestream for a bit to ease the longing!”
Xie Tangning lifted her chin proudly, just about to bask in her victory, when she heard her big brother’s devilish voice the next second.
“Watching it wasn’t a problem. The problem was that I discovered two little brats not only dragging my reputation through the mud behind my back, but also spreading rumors and slandering me!”
Xie Tangning and Xie Changyu immediately went on high alert. Their little mouths began firing off explanations at once.
Xie Tangning backed away as she walked, raising four fingers with a look of absolute sincerity.
“Big Brother, you must have seen wrong. That never happened! You’re my number one favorite person in the whole world. How could I ever do something like that?”
Xie Changyu followed her example. To prove his sincerity, he added one more finger and held up his entire hand as he swore.
“I swear, I absolutely did not spread rumors or say anything bad about you!”
Because everything I said was true!
Of course, he didn’t dare say that last sentence aloud. Lu Huaiyu might very well exercise his rights as an older brother.
For example, by teaching his disobedient little brother how to behave!
Lu Huaiyu naturally didn’t believe a word of their nonsense. He let out a cold laugh. “I’m not the director of your show. Don’t try using the same tricks you use to fool idiots on me!”
Xie Tangning and Xie Changyu immediately felt guilty. They had gotten so used to coaxing Director Zhang that they’d forgotten their own big brother was on an entirely different level from him.
Their big brother was much harder to placate!
With their little scheme exposed, the siblings could only smile sheepishly. Then they each grabbed one of Lu Huaiyu’s arms and began clinging to him.
Sweet words poured out of them as if they were free. Even Xie Changyu, who usually seemed to have poison smeared around his mouth, transformed into a human sugar cube.
His emotional intelligence reached the peak of his entire life!
Lu Huaiyu still said nothing. He simply kept adding more and more pixels to the corners of his mouth.
In the end, perhaps worn down by the two of them, he pretended to be annoyed and pushed them forward.
Xie Tangning and Xie Changyu only laughed louder, growing bolder by the second.
“I told you Big Brother is all bark and no bite!”
“Big Brother, I saw the corners of your mouth going up. Why are you still pretending to be annoyed~?”
“Second Brother, what do you know? Big Brother has always been a closet softie. You know that!”
Listening to his dear little sister and brother tease him one after another, Lu Huaiyu was once again infuriated into laughter.
He could take it no longer. With no need for restraint, he flicked each of them on the forehead.
After being flicked, Xie Tangning covered her head and began to protest. “Big Brother, you hit me like this every time! What if I stop growing?”
“If I don’t grow to one hundred and seventy centimeters, it’ll all be your—”
Before she could finish, Lu Huaiyu deployed his ultimate weapon.
“I’ll increase your allowance!”
Her brain automatically latched onto the key words. Xie Tangning changed expressions in an instant, grinning as she leaned her head toward Lu Huaiyu.
“Sure thing~ Big Brother, want to do it again? My head is rock-solid—the finest head in the world!”
Lu Huaiyu: “…”
He hadn’t even lifted a finger, but Xie Changyu struck his little sister on the head with lightning speed.
“Big Brother, I tested it for you. No need to thank me~”
“Practice makes perfect. It really is a good head!”
Xie Tangning’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief. “Are you Big Brother or what? Who gave you permission to hit me?!”
“Did you increase my allowance? Then what right do you have to hit me?!”
Xie Changyu calmly glanced at her. “I may not have increased your allowance, but I will give you the remaining payment for the show!”
“Now tell me—am I allowed to hit your forehead?”
Xie Tangning once again showcased her remarkable ability to change expressions.
“Hehe~ You may not be Big Brother, but you’re my beloved Second Brother~”
“Of course you can hit me whenever you want~”
As he pushed the two of them along, Lu Huaiyu let out a soft sigh.
They really were like two cats and dogs fighting all the time!
But… kind of adorable.
“Xie Xiaoning, have you fallen into a money pit? Do you really think Er Yu can refuse to give you the rest of your payment?”
“Why would you let him threaten you? Is your head filled with paste or water?”
Xie Tangning answered without thinking. “Paste-water!”
Smart people never choose between two options. They take both!
“…”
The air fell silent for a moment before a burst of laughter erupted.
Xie Changyu laughed the loudest of all. “Big Brother, did you hear that? Xie Xiaoning is the most brainless person in our family!”
“Not me! So stop slandering me from now on!”
Lu Huaiyu: “…”
The two of you were equally brainless!
Realizing what she had just said, Xie Tangning’s expression instantly turned resentful.
“Lu Huaiyu! Xie Changyu! This is all your fault!”
“You two must have knocked my brains into paste just now, which is why I said something so stupid!”
“To compensate me, Big Brother, you have to increase my allowance again, and Second Brother, you have to give me another payment!”
The two brothers instantly wore complicated expressions, looking as though they had eaten a fly.
So that was why this little brat, Xie Tangning, had suddenly seemed unable to think straight.
She had been setting them up all along!
What an actress!
Just to make money, they’re even buying up schools and summer training camps—what shamelessness!
