I Don't like tir-fried Eggs with Tomatoes

The Si family had always kept Si Qian'ai's existence a secret to protect her, so the outside world believed that Si Hao only had two sons.

Now, seeing Si Hao here, it was naturally assumed he was there to drop off his sons.

Yimeng Yao, noticing the commotion at the school gate, was displeased and called Si Hao back into the car.

"Why is the principal here too? How will our daughter attend school quietly with all this attention?" She couldn't fathom how many people would try to get close to Si Qian'ai.

She wasn't worried about her sons. Si Moxuan rarely made friends, and Si Mohan was even more aloof, his icy demeanor keeping others at a distance.

Si Hao's brows furrowed, a clear sign of his displeasure. These people had no sense of propriety. He had merely informed the school that his daughter would be attending, never asking for such a grand reception—what a nuisance!

Yimeng Yao pursed her lips. "Why don't you take the boys down first and tell them to disperse? Once the crowd clears, I'll take Xiao Ai to her classroom."

Si Hao had originally planned to accompany his daughter to her classroom, but now, being relegated to taking the boys made him even angrier.

After Si Hao got out with Si Mohan and Si Moxuan, the principal quickly came forward to greet them.

Hadn't they mentioned the little princess would be coming? But upon seeing the stormy look on Si Hao's face and the formidable aura of "keep away" surrounding him, the principal didn't dare ask—unless he no longer valued his job.

"You've certainly grown idle in your duties as principal if you have time to stand here so long!" Si Hao's deep, magnetic voice sounded like a death sentence to the man.

The principal, skilled in reading the room, immediately realized Si Hao's displeasure at the crowd. What a miscalculation!

"President Si, I apologize for the trouble caused. I will disperse them at once."

The principal hurriedly called for security to clear the crowd before personally escorting Si Hao inside.

Once most of the people had left, Yimeng Yao finally stepped out of the car, holding her daughter's hand.

Taking her to the kindergarten area, she handed her over to the teacher. "Mommy's leaving now. Be good and don't hurt yourself."

Si Qian'ai nodded in acknowledgment. "Mm-hmm. Goodbye, Mommy!"

Yimeng Yao watched as the kindergarten teacher led her daughter into the classroom. She only turned away, reluctant and hesitant, after the little girl disappeared from sight.

...

Meanwhile, after walking a short distance, Si Hao instructed Si Mohan and Si Moxuan to return to their classrooms on their own.

The principal, standing nearby, was trembling with fear, trying his best to blend into the background.

Finally, Si Hao uttered the words he had been hoping for: "You may go now." The principal nearly stumbled with relief.

Eager to escape this suffocating atmosphere, he respectfully replied, "Yes, President Si," and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned around, ready to celebrate his reprieve, Si Hao's voice called out again: "Wait."

His heart skipped a beat, and his legs nearly gave out. Was this the end for him?

As he braced for the worst, Si Hao finally spoke: "I do not want my daughter's identity to be exposed."

"Understood, understood. I will ensure absolute discretion." The principal let out a breath of relief. As long as he wasn't losing his job, it was fine.

Only after receiving the principal's assurance did Si Hao stride toward the school gate.

...

In the kindergarten classroom.

The kindergarten teacher, a young woman, introduced Si Qian'ai to the class. "Children, we have a new student today. Let's give her a warm welcome."

The moment the children saw the little girl, as delicate as a porcelain doll, their eyes lit up.

"Wow! She's so cute, so pretty!"

The teacher asked Si Qian'ai to introduce herself.

"Hello, my name is Si Qian'ai. I'm three years old, and I hope we can all be friends." Her clear, melodious voice immediately won the favor of many classmates.

The teacher then seated her next to a cute girl with pigtails, and the class began.

...

When the bell rang for recess, the teacher left the room, and several children quickly gathered around Si Qian'ai's desk.

Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, Si Qian'ai was saved by her seatmate, the adorable girl.

"Stop crowding around her! Go back to your seats, or I'll tell the teacher you're causing a disturbance!" Despite her small size, her words carried the authority of an adult.

The children, somewhat afraid, scurried back to their seats.

Si Qian'ai smiled at her. "Thank you!"

"No problem. My name is Ling Wei, but you can call me Weiwei."

"Weiwei, you can call me Xiao Ai. From now on, we'll be desk mates."

"Mm-hmm."

The two exchanged smiles.

...

Before they knew it, the morning had passed. Lunchtime came, and all the children gathered in a large dining hall to eat together.

The teachers served food to the children, who fed themselves. For those who were too young to eat on their own, the teachers assisted them.

Li Yaonan glanced around, remembering how his aunt—no, Sweet Sister—had mentioned that the little princess would be attending today. Why hadn't he seen her yet?

Finally, he spotted her at a table in the corner. Excited, he tugged at Li Yaochen's sleeve. "Brother, look! The little princess is over there!"

Li Yaochen followed his gaze and saw Si Qian'ai sitting quietly, though she didn't seem to be eating much. Was it not to her taste?

After some thought, Li Yaochen asked, "Didn't you bring a mango-flavored cake today?"

"Yes, why?" He wasn't planning to eat it. Why was his brother asking?

"Give it to me later."

Li Yaonan immediately protested, refusing, "You want to take my cake! No way, I won't give it to you!"

Li Yaochen coaxed him, "How about I buy you vanilla ice cream tomorrow? Deal?"

"Deal! But no take-backs!" 

Li Yaochen sighed... Did he have to agree so quickly?

In truth, Li Yaochen didn't quite understand why he was so concerned about her. It must have been because Sweet Sister had asked him to look after Si Qian'ai.

...

After lunch, the children rested for a while before heading to the nap room.

Si Qian'ai wasn't used to napping at that time, so she sat alone at a small desk, lost in thought.

She had barely touched her lunch because it included her least favorite dish—stir-fried eggs with tomatoes.

Just then, a plump little girl from her class, noticing her lack of appetite, had kindly eaten the dish for her. As a result, the teacher hadn't realized that Si Qian'ai had barely eaten anything.

"Little Princess, Little Princess..." Suddenly, she heard someone softly calling her. Si Qian'ai looked out the window and saw Li Yaonan leaning against the low windowsill, his hands cupped around his mouth as he called out to her.

Overjoyed, Si Qian'ai ran outside, only to find no sign of Li Yaonan. Instead, she spotted Li Yaochen, standing coolly against the wall.

The afternoon sun bathed him in a warm, golden hue. His alabaster skin, coveted by many girls, was illuminated. His long, thick lashes curled delicately, casting shadows over his bright, dark eyes. His thin lips were pressed together in a soft line. 

As Si Qian'ai stepped out of the nap room, the scene before her felt almost unreal, as though the boy in front of her had stepped straight out of a painting.

She stood there in a daze until she snapped back to reality when she saw Li Yaocen walking toward her.

"Brother Chen, what are you doing here?" she asked, a bit confused, as the older class nap room wasn't supposed to be here.

Before he could respond, she added, "Oh, and I think I just saw Yao Nan. Why did he disappear the moment I came out?"

Li Yaocen, of course, wasn't going to tell her that he had deliberately sent Yao Nan away.

"He went to the bathroom," he replied calmly.

"Oh, I see." But she was still puzzled as to why he was here at this time.

Sensing her curiosity, Li Yaocen explained, "Sweet Sister gave me a cake today, but since I don't like sweets, I thought I'd give it to you instead."

How odd—if he didn't like it, couldn't he have given it to Yao Nan? Yao Nan adored sweets.

But as soon as she caught sight of the mango frosting on the little cake he held, all other thoughts flew out of her mind.

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" she beamed, her radiant smile casting a warm glow straight into Li Yaocen's heart.

Indeed, it wasn't just any cake she liked—it was mango-flavored cake!

As Li Yaocen watched her happily devour the treat, he casually asked, "Didn't you eat enough lunch?"

"There was a dish I don't like... I really can't stand tomato and scrambled eggs," she grumbled, pouting slightly.

Li Yaocen thought for a moment before saying, "Next time if lunch has tomato and eggs, I can help you pick them out."

"Brother Chen, you're the best!" she exclaimed, her words sweet as honey.

Her compliment warmed Li Yaocen's heart even more, and a faint smile graced his lips as he gently patted her head.

When she finished the cake, Li Yaocen wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

"Now that you're done, head back inside and take a rest before the afternoon."

"But I can't sleep…" she said, her lips forming a slight pout.

"If you don't rest now, you'll feel tired during class in the afternoon. Try to make it a habit."

Speaking of class, Si Qian'ai couldn't help but vent a little. "Class is so boring! The teacher keeps repeating such easy math problems over and over. It makes me want to fall asleep!"

Li Yaocen raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, *Could she be a genius? With their family's genes, her IQ is likely above 200.*

"Well, I'll give you my books to read later. When you get bored, you can look through them," he offered. After all, he didn't need his current grade's books, as he was already studying sixth-grade material on his own.

"Okay, I'm going back in now. Bye-bye!" Si Qian'ai waved at him before turning to leave.

After walking a few steps, she spun back around and grabbed his hand, "Brother Chen, don't forget to come find me after school."

Li Yaocen nodded, "I won't."

Once Si Qian'ai had returned to the nap room, Li Yaocen headed to his own, which was only a few steps away.

As soon as he entered, he saw Li Yaonan rushing in, panting heavily. "Bro, didn't you say the teacher was looking for me? But the office was empty!"

Li Yaocen replied without batting an eye, "Maybe I heard wrong."

Li Yaonan scratched his head, feeling that his brother was acting a little strange today.

"Oh, by the way, where's my cake?"

"That cake belongs to me now. You gave it to me, remember? Don't try to take it back."

"But I only meant to share some of it," Li Yaonan protested.

"It's already been eaten," Li Yaocen said coolly.

Li Yaonan: *I thought you didn't like cake!* 

After school, Li Yaocen kept his promise and waited for Si Qian'ai outside the little class with Li Yaonan by his side.

When she emerged, she spotted them right away and flashed them a bright smile.

"Little Princess, are you coming home with us?" Li Yaonan asked. Their family's driver was waiting outside.

Si Qian'ai hesitated. "But my brothers aren't out yet."

The pre-school class let out ten minutes later than theirs.

Li Yaocen, seeing her conflicted expression, couldn't bear to leave her waiting alone. "We'll wait with you. It won't take long."

Si Qian'ai's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Brother Chen! Thank you, Yao Nan!"

A few minutes later, when pre-school finally let out, Si Moxuan and Si Mohan appeared, backpacks slung over their shoulders, walking toward the kindergarten.

Since the primary and kindergarten buildings were a bit far apart, it took them a few minutes to get there. By the time they arrived, Si Qian'ai had already been waiting for over ten minutes, though thankfully, Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan had kept her company, sparing her from boredom.

Seeing his little sister, Si Moxuan called out, "Xiao Ai!"

Si Qian'ai heard her second brother's voice and responded happily, "Big brother! Second brother! You're finally here!"

Si Mohan took her small hand, and Si Moxuan quickly grabbed her other one.

Si Mohan nodded in thanks to Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan for keeping their sister company, then turned to Si Qian'ai and said, "Let's go home."

"Mm-hmm."

Before they left, Si Qian'ai reminded Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan, "Brother Chen, Yao Nan, remember—you promised to come over and play tonight!"

Li Yaonan eagerly replied, "We'll definitely come!"

At the gate, the Si family and Li family drivers were both waiting. Before Si Qian'ai got into the car, she waved goodbye, "Bye-bye, Brother Chen! Bye-bye, Yao Nan!"

Li Yaonan waved back, "Bye-bye!"

Si Moxuan, however, felt a pang of discomfort seeing his little sister constantly calling others "Brother." 

When they got home, as soon as Si Qian'ai stepped out of the car, Yi Mengyao scooped her up in a warm hug and gently asked, "Xiao Ai, did you have fun at kindergarten today?"

Si Qian'ai nodded enthusiastically, "Mm-hmm! I made lots of new friends!"

Yi Mengyao listened to her excitedly recount her day as they walked into the house together.

...

After dinner, Yu Tiantian brought Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan over to the Si house. 

As usual, Yi Mengyao and Yu Tiantian went to another room to chat while the four children played together in the toy room on the second floor.

The boys shared many common interests, and over time, they grew closer. Even the usually aloof Si Mohan had become fast friends with Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan.

With all four of them playing together, Si Qian'ai was even happier. It was much more fun playing games with more people—especially when she had not just two brothers, but four companions now.

They played until nine o'clock, when Yu Tiantian finally took Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan home for bed.

... 

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Li Yaocen and Li Yaonan headed over to the Si house again. The night before, they had agreed to go to school together every day, making the trip more fun.

As soon as they arrived at the villa, they saw the Si siblings walking out.

Si Qian'ai hopped over to Li Yaocen's side, her hair tied up in playful little buns that bobbed as she bounced. Her entire demeanor was bright and mischievous.

"Good morning, Brother Chen," she greeted, her fair, rosy cheeks glowing with a sweet smile.