Beautiful Barbie doll

In Li City of A City.

The early summer breeze carried a hint of coolness as it swept past, and the ground, still damp from the rain, glistened under the sunlight.

"Brother, I think my remote-controlled airplane flew over there. Can you help me get it back, please?" A young boy pleaded pitifully to the cool-looking boy in front of him.

"I told you not to play over there. It probably flew into someone else's yard, and I can't get it back." The cool boy spread his hands helplessly, as if saying, "You didn't listen to me, now look who's regretting it."

Jincheng Residential Area is the most luxurious and prestigious neighborhood in A City, a symbol of status. Only a handful of families live here, all of them powerful and influential. Each villa has security guards stationed at the entrance, making it impossible to enter.

Upon hearing this, the little boy's lips quivered, and his face looked heartbreakingly pitiful. "What should I do? My limited-edition remote-controlled airplane..."

He continued to beg, "Brother, please, I know you can figure something out. If you help me find it, I… I'll lend you my remote-controlled car to play with, okay?" He looked as though he was making a great sacrifice.

"You think I'd be interested in your remote-controlled car?" Li Yaochen scoffed, pursing his lips. "Why would I borrow it? I'd have to return it."

Li Yaonan, torn between choosing the limited-edition remote-controlled airplane or the car, struggled. Why did such a difficult choice fall on his shoulders?

"How about I just give you the car?" He made up his mind, deciding that the airplane was more valuable—it was limited edition and couldn't be bought again, unlike the car. He consoled himself with this reasoning.

"Since you look so pitiful, I'll reluctantly help you. But I can't promise I'll find it. Your remote-controlled car is still mine, though."

In fact, Li Yaochen had plenty of remote-controlled cars and planes, but he dismantled every one of them. 

Considering his destructive tendencies, his mother decided not to buy him any more. Otherwise, why would he be so interested in Li Yaonan's car?

"Even if you don't find it, you still want it?" Li Yaonan frowned, his brows furrowing like two little caterpillars.

Poor me, my heart aches, and my life is so miserable! Li Yaonan wailed internally.

Li Yaochen nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course! Otherwise, wouldn't I be looking for it in vain? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Alright then..." Li Yaonan reluctantly agreed. After all, he loved that airplane too much.

Li Yaonan led Li Yaochen to the spot where he had been playing with the plane. "It seems to have fallen into that garden."

"Let's go and check it out first." If it really landed in someone else's garden, it would be a hassle. According to his father, the people living there belonged to the Si family, who had just moved to A City a few months ago and had quickly secured several major projects, becoming the top competitors of the Li family.

The short walk took about ten minutes—no surprise when you're walking with a four-year-old with short legs. Li Yaochen was exasperated.

He had forgotten that he was also only four! He was just taller than Li Yaonan. That was precisely what frustrated Li Yaonan. Why was Yaochen, only a few months older, so much taller and always using his height to bully him?

Of course, he wouldn't say this out loud. Otherwise, he could kiss his plane goodbye. Even at his age, Li Yaonan knew when to keep quiet.

The two arrived at the gate of the Si family's villa. From the outside, it looked like a dream-like world, a garden filled with roses.

Not far from the gate was a fountain, where water cascaded from tiered basins, spraying rhythmically with the music, creating ripples that spread outward.

"Take a close look. Is your plane in there?" Without paying much attention to the beautiful scenery, Li Yaochen scanned the area, thinking about how to get inside.

"Wow! This place is so beautiful, even prettier than our home!" Li Yaonan exclaimed, walking slowly, fully engrossed in the view, suddenly forgetting the urgency.

"We're not here for sightseeing! Find your plane," Li Yaochen reminded him. As stunning as the place was, this was no time for distractions. Having such an inattentive younger brother was exasperating.

Li Yaonan snapped out of it, thanks to his brother's reminder. "Oh, right! I need to find my plane." He almost forgot about his mission.

Soon, Li Yaochen spotted something that looked like a remote-controlled airplane resting on a nearby flower bed. He asked, "Is that your plane over there in the flower bed?"

Since it was a bit far, he couldn't see it clearly. But you had to admire his sharp observation skills, especially for a four-year-old.

"Where? Where?" Li Yaonan asked eagerly, following the direction of his brother's finger. "It seems like it! Hooray! I found it!"

"Don't celebrate just yet. We still have the problem of how to get it." Li Yaochen quickly deflated his excitement.

Li Yaonan's brief moment of joy vanished. "So what do we do?" It would've been fine if they hadn't found it, but now that they had, not being able to retrieve it was even more frustrating.

Li Yaochen lowered his head, deep in thought. His delicate, handsome face took on a surprisingly mature look for his age.

The sunlight illuminated half of his face, enhancing the sharpness of his features.

Li Yaonan was stunned. So young, yet so handsome. What would he be like when he grows up? Tall, rich, and good-looking—he was the embodiment of the legendary "tall, rich, and handsome" type.

Li Yaonan looked at himself. He wasn't as tall, not as rich, and definitely not as handsome. Life really was unfair! But at least he was cuter. That was some consolation.

"What are you thinking about? I've been calling you, and you didn't even hear me." Li Yaochen waved his hand in front of his brother's face, exasperated.

"Huh? What did you say?" Li Yaonan snapped back to reality.

"I said, go charm the security guard. Maybe he'll help you get your airplane back." This was the simplest solution, and for someone like Li Yaonan, pulling off some cute charm was a piece of cake.

Li Yaochen turned to look at him, realizing his brother was once again lost in the beauty of the garden. "Hey! Did you hear what I said?" It was as if he had lost the plane himself, with Li Yaonan not seeming to care at all.

"B-brother…" Li Yaonan called out, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

"What a beautiful Barbie doll!" he exclaimed, staring in awe at a girl not far from the gate.

She was dressed in a pristine white princess dress, her slightly curled hair cascading over her shoulders, large, shimmering eyes, a small, delicate nose, and an impossibly exquisite little mouth.

Wait a minute—how could a Barbie doll be this big? She was only slightly shorter than him. Could this be some new life-sized version of Barbie? 

Li Yaochen, noticing his brother's awestruck expression, followed his gaze curiously. 

At that moment, many things were already predestined.

Li Yaochen caught sight of a little girl in a princess dress, her crystal-like eyes gazing at him with a clarity that made resistance impossible.

"Brother, how is she able to move?" Li Yaonan was startled when he saw the beautiful 'Barbie doll' take a few steps toward the gate.

Could she be controlled like his remote-controlled airplane? Has technology advanced so far that imitation has reached this level of perfection?

Hearing his exclamation, Li Yaochen finally shifted his gaze away from the girl and glanced at Li Yaonan. "That's not a Barbie doll, that's a little girl."

The girl was so exquisitely beautiful, too unreal to be true, so it wasn't surprising that Li Yaonan mistook her for a Barbie doll.

"A person?" Li Yaonan's voice was filled with disbelief. "Such a beautiful little sister!"

"She's obviously younger than you, stop pretending to be innocent."

Li Yaonan ignored his comment and eagerly ran toward the gate, trying to get a closer look at the beautiful girl.

Li Yaochen had no choice but to follow him.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The girl's voice was sweet and clear, making people feel at ease. Even Li Yaochen, who usually avoided girls, found her pleasant and wanted to get closer.

As he approached the gate, he saw that his brother was already trying to charm her.

"Hello, pretty sister! My name is Li Yaonan." He gave her a sweet smile, dimples showing on his small face.

"And what are you doing here?" The girl, curious, had noticed them searching for something earlier.

Only then did Li Yaonan remember his limited-edition remote-controlled airplane. "Oh, we're looking for my airplane. It accidentally fell into your garden, right there. Could you help me get it back?"

From behind the gate, Li Yaonan pointed to the spot and gazed at her with a pleading look.

"If you play with me, I'll help you. How about that?" In this neighborhood, there were few children around, so it wasn't often that she met potential playmates.

"Sure, sure!" Li Yaonan was thrilled, jumping up and down at the prospect of playing with the pretty little girl.

"Brother, my name is Si Qian'ai. What's your name?" She turned her gaze to the taller, cool-looking boy, aware that he hadn't yet agreed.

The moment he heard her name, Li Yaochen guessed it. She was undoubtedly a cherished little princess, loved and adored by all.

"My name is Li Yaochen."

"Can I call you Brother Chen?" Si Qian'ai flashed him a sweet smile, her eyes brimming with expectation.

Such a lovely and adorable little girl—who could refuse her? Li Yaochen certainly couldn't.

"Of course," he replied with a smile, softened by her infectious joy.

"Then, will you play with me?" Si Qian'ai batted her large, gleaming eyes at him.

Li Yaochen had never played with girls before. In his mind, girls were always troublesome, prone to crying and whining. He had turned down every girl who wanted to play with him in the past.

But this one... he felt as if he would be committing a great sin if he refused her.

"Okay," Li Yaochen nodded.

"Great! I'll go open the gate for you." Si Qian'ai, overjoyed, dashed toward the security office by the gate.

"Grandpa, please open the gate for me. They're my friends," she said in a clear, sweet voice to one of the security guards.

"Little princess, they're your friends? I'll open the gate right away." The elderly guard, addressed as Grandpa, glanced at the two boys standing just outside the gate before pressing a button to open it.

Having been inside the security office, he hadn't even noticed when the two boys had arrived.

As soon as the gate opened, Li Yaonan dashed toward the bushes to retrieve his airplane.

Sure enough, his remote-controlled airplane was caught among the flowers. "Thank goodness, I finally got it back." His sacrifice of his remote-controlled car wasn't in vain after all.

Suddenly, an anxious voice called out from a distance, growing closer, "Xiao Ai, Xiao Ai... Where are you?"

Si Qian'ai remembered that she hadn't told her brother she was coming here. "Second Brother, I'm over here!"

A boy, about five years old, hurried over, his forehead dotted with sweat. "Why are you here?" Though panting from exhaustion, there wasn't a hint of blame in his voice.

Si Qian'ai immediately felt guilty, realizing she'd forgotten to inform her brother. "Sorry, Second Brother, I forgot to tell you." Her pretty face was full of regret.

"It's okay, it's okay, as long as you're safe."

Once he confirmed that she was fine, he finally noticed the two boys standing nearby. One was handsome, and the other, adorable.

After a brief scrutiny, he asked, "Who are they?"

Si Qian'ai quickly introduced them. "Oh, I almost forgot! These are my new friends. His name is Li Yaochen, and this one is Li Yaonan."

She then introduced her brother to them, "This is my second brother, Si Moxuan. I also have an older brother, Si Mohan, but he's not home right now. They're fraternal twins!"

Li Yaonan didn't understand what she meant and whispered to Li Yaochen, "Brother, what does that twin thing mean?"

Li Yaochen simplified the explanation, knowing too much detail would confuse him. "It means they're twins who don't look alike. I told you to read more, but you never listen."

Oh, so that's what it meant.

Li Yaonan, seeing that Si Moxuan didn't seem cold or aloof, flashed him a smile, revealing his signature dimples. "Hello, Second Brother."

Li Yaochen, however, simply nodded. "Hello, I'm Li Yaochen."

Since they were friends of his sister's, Si Moxuan politely greeted them, "Nice to meet you both."

He then turned to Si Qian'ai. "The sun is getting hotter. Why don't you all go inside and play?"

Li Yaochen hesitated, unsure whether to enter, as this was the family of his father's biggest competitor.

He had initially agreed to play with Si Qian'ai, thinking they'd only stay in the garden. Obviously, her brother didn't yet know they were from the rival family.

Si Qian'ai noticed Li Yaochen deep in thought and tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Chen, come on, I'll take you to my house. We have lots of toys—remote-controlled airplanes, cars, trains..."

Li Yaochen felt as though he was being lured in.

Li Yaonan, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Wow, I want to go, I want to go!"

That's exactly what Li Yaochen feared—the temptation of so many toys would be too much for him. He couldn't resist the urge to take things apart when he saw planes and cars.

Si Qian'ai, seeing his hesitation, added, "My older brother also has realistic toy guns—pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns..."

Si Moxuan, who had remained silent: *Are you really trying to lure him in by selling out your older brother?*

He was particularly curious to see his elder brother's reaction when he found out his beloved sister had practically auctioned him off.