A Rift Grows

Si Moxuan had once been smug, but now he left Si Qian'ai's room in utter despair.

He gave up!

Si Qian'ai looked at Si Moxuan's sorrowful expression, feeling confused. Wasn't he the one who said he would be upset if she kept calling others "brother"? She had stopped calling Li Yaochen "brother," so why was he still unhappy?

Forget it, men's hearts are like needles at the bottom of the sea!

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed. During this time, they had become indispensable parts of each other's lives.

At the kindergarten gate, Li Yaonan was anxiously looking into the classroom.

Strange, how could the little princess disappear right after school? If he couldn't find her, his brother would surely kill him!

Li Yaonan went inside and headed to the third row by the wall, where Si Qian'ai's seat was. Sure enough, her backpack was still in the desk. If her bag was here, where had she gone?

He wanted to ask her classmates, but only a few kids were left, and by the time he came in, they had already grabbed their bags and left.

Did he come too late? No, it was only ten minutes past the usual time, and the little princess would always obediently wait in the classroom.

Just as he was about to leave and search elsewhere, he heard something drop to the ground.

Looking back, he saw that in his haste, he had knocked over the snack of the girl who sat next to Si Qian'ai.

In his mind, only two words flashed: "I'm done!"

Just then, a sharp scream pierced his ears.

"Ah—!"

Li Yaonan reflexively turned around and saw a cute little girl with twin pigtails standing by the door, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"What did you do to my mango sago pudding?" the little girl angrily approached him.

"I-I didn't mean to."

"Who told you to put it right on the edge of the desk?" Li Yaonan muttered softly.

Why do girls love mango so much? The little princess was obsessed with it too.

Though he whispered, in the quiet classroom, Lin Wei clearly heard him and was about to explode with anger.

Not only had he knocked over the mango pudding that Si Qian'ai had given her, but he also refused to apologize, and now he was blaming her for placing it wrong!

This grudge was not going to be settled easily!

She was having a bad day. All she did was go to the bathroom, and when she came back, her snack was ruined. She should've gone home first!

"You... you're so awful! I want you to apologize and replace my mango sago!"

Alright, even if it wasn't intentional, he did knock it over, so he accepted his fate.

"Sorry."

"If 'sorry' fixed everything, what would we need the police for?" Lin Wei wasn't convinced by his half-hearted apology.

"What do you want then?" This girl was unreasonable! She asked for an apology, then said it wasn't enough. Girls really were illogical creatures!

No wonder his uncle always said never to reason with women—because they didn't operate on reason! Now he understood.

"Pay up! You ruined my mango sago, so of course, you need to buy me a new one!"

Li Yaonan: I never said I wouldn't.

Seeing him remain silent, Lin Wei grew anxious. "You're not planning to pay, are you? How can you be like this? How can someone like you exist? You're awful..."

Li Yaonan couldn't take her endless ranting anymore. Raising his voice, he cut her off, "Fine, I'll pay! When did I say I wouldn't?"

"You didn't say you would either!" Lin Wei countered.

Li Yaonan: I really don't want to talk to her anymore, or I might just die from frustration.

"As long as you're willing to pay, let's go to the store and get a new one."

Just as they were leaving the classroom, Li Yaonan remembered his actual task—he had come to find the little princess.

Wait, wasn't this girl Si Qian'ai's desk mate? She must know where she went.

He decided to ask, "Do you know where Si Qian'ai went?"

Lin Wei was cautious. What if he was a bad person? She needed to be sure, "Who are you? Why are you looking for her?"

She had never seen him before. Usually, a different handsome boy came to pick up Si Qian'ai, someone named Li Yaochen, if she remembered correctly. She also knew her two brothers, but she had never seen this guy.

"I'm her good friend."

Lin Wei eyed him suspiciously. "Then how come I've never seen you?"

Li Yaonan was exasperated. It was just a spilled snack! He'd already promised to pay, and she was still being difficult.

"You know Li Yaochen, right? He's my brother. I'm Li Yaonan."

"Li Yaochen is your brother? You don't look anything alike!" Lin Wei exclaimed in surprise.

Li Yaonan: "He's my cousin!"

"That explains it. He's so tall and handsome, but you..." Lin Wei paused, glanced at him, sighed, and continued, "People really are different, aren't they?"

Sure, he wasn't as handsome as Li Yaochen, but he wasn't *that* bad. Did she have to exaggerate so much?

Li Yaonan: "I don't want to talk to you anymore. Just tell me where Si Qian'ai went."

"She said she went to your brother's classroom to find him."

Li Yaonan: Thank goodness! At least the little princess wasn't lost. Everyone adored her too much for anything to happen to her.

After buying Lin Wei a new mango sago, she finally let him go, and he headed to his classroom.

...

As soon as class ended, Si Qian'ai made her way to Grade 1, Class 1. She wanted Li Yaochen to buy her a mango-flavored ice cream.

Yi Mengyao was worried she'd catch a cold since it was still early summer, so she refused to let her have ice cream. But today, after seeing a classmate eating it, Si Qian'ai couldn't resist.

Li Yaochen was the only one left in the classroom, doing his homework, while the other students had already gone home.

Seeing that he was alone, Si Qian'ai confidently walked in.

She sat in the seat in front of Li Yaochen and rested her chin in her hands.

Li Yaochen was focused on his work when her shadow suddenly blocked his view. Looking up, he saw Si Qian'ai blinking at him, her chin resting on her hands.

"Qian'ai? Why are you here? Didn't Yaonan go to pick you up?"

"You're still doing homework? I heard from your classmates that you were, so I came to find you. I didn't see Yaonan." Si Qian'ai pouted. She had planned to wait for him, but he was still busy with his homework!

What was so great about homework? Why was he doing it after school?

Sichen'ai picked up the workbook that Liyaochen had just been working on, realizing she couldn't understand a single thing. Glancing at the cover, she noticed it was middle school content.

She took away the pen from his hand, preventing him from continuing, "Chen, can you take me to get mango ice cream?"

"Aunt Meng told you not to eat ice cream, didn't she?"

"But I really want some!" Sichen'ai whined.

"No, it's still not allowed," Liyaochen replied helplessly, but firmly, for the sake of her health.

Seeing that her usual charm wasn't working, Sichen'ai decided to switch tactics.

"I don't care, I—must—have—it!"

Liyaochen felt a headache coming on.

"If you don't buy it for me, I'm not leaving!" Sichen'ai was now fully resorting to childish stubbornness.

Having no way to deal with her, Liyaochen finally caved, "Alright, but just the smallest one, okay?"

Sichen'ai nodded vigorously. She knew he had her best interest at heart, and as long as she could have some, she didn't mind it being a little smaller.

Liyaochen, seeing her agreement, tidied up the desk and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Alright, let's go."

Sichen'ai quickly grabbed onto his arm as they headed to the school store.

Coincidentally, just as Liyaochen and Sichen'ai left after buying the ice cream, Liyaonan and Lingwei arrived, missing each other by moments.

When Liyaonan returned to class 1(1), the room was empty. He figured Liyaochen must've gone to help the little princess get her bag.

He had no choice but to wait for them in the car.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Liyaochen and Sichen'ai came out.

On the way home, Liyaonan suddenly recalled the pigtail-wearing girl from earlier and asked Sichen'ai, "Princess, what's the name of your desk mate?"

"Lingwei, Ling as in 'dawn,' and Wei as in 'rose.' Why are you asking?" Sichen'ai responded, puzzled.

"Lingwei, huh... A nice name, but so what? She's still unreasonable! A pretty face, wasted!" Liyaonan muttered.

"She gave you trouble?" Sichen'ai asked, curious.

Liyaonan recounted the incident in their classroom earlier.

Sichen'ai couldn't help but laugh. "You're lucky she didn't tear you apart!"

"Really? That bad?" Liyaonan asked, surprised.

"For a foodie, messing with her food is the worst crime!" Sichen'ai teased.

Alright, fine, he was somewhat of a foodie too, though not as extreme as her.

...

It was another Friday afternoon.

After school.

In the dessert shop near the school.

"I'll have a chocolate mousse cake."

"I'd like a chocolate mousse cake, please."

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

The two people turned to face each other.

Lingwei exclaimed in surprise, "It's you!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Liyaonan's eyes. Of all people, he had to run into this unreasonable girl, and to top it off, they were ordering the same cake. Was this fate?

Lingwei, seeing his silence, spoke again, "Didn't expect a guy like you to enjoy sweet treats!"

Liyaonan hadn't intended to engage, but her odd tone got to him. "And who says guys can't like desserts?"

Lingwei shrugged. "I didn't say that, but you're definitely unusual for a guy."

Unusual? Just because he liked sweets? What kind of logic was that? Sure, most guys didn't have a sweet tooth, but some did. Did that make them all odd?

Talking to her was clearly a waste of time, just a drain on his IQ.

Deciding to ignore her, Liyaonan turned to the cashier and repeated, "I'd like a chocolate mousse cake, please."

"I want one too!" Lingwei quickly followed.

The cashier looked at them both, clearly amused by their squabble. Were they a pair of destined rivals?

But as they continued to bicker, the cashier looked at them apologetically. "I'm sorry, but since the chocolate mousse cake is a new item, we only make 100 a day, and we're down to the last one. Who would like it?"

"I do!" 

"I want it!"

They both exclaimed in unison again.

Lingwei glared at him, "A guy fighting with a girl over cake? Aren't you embarrassed?"

Liyaonan was unfazed, "Please, we live in an era of gender equality. Stop using that argument. What if I'm a guy? Are you discriminating against me?"

Now, if it had been any other girl, he might've let her have it. But it had to be this unreasonable one, so he wasn't about to give in. She wouldn't appreciate it anyway!

Lingwei's cheeks flushed with indignation. "So what if I am? Don't you have any sense of gentlemanly conduct?"

Remaining calm, Liyaonan retorted, "Sorry, I'm still a boy, not a man yet."

Lingwei was taken aback by his sharp tongue and, deciding she didn't want to waste any more words, turned to the cashier. "Pretty lady, please give it to me, I really want it!" she pleaded, putting on a pitiful expression.

Not to be outdone, Liyaonan tried the same trick. "Miss, I've been waiting for days and haven't had the chance to get one yet. Please, sell it to me!" he said, equally pitiful.

The cashier, who had been enjoying their banter, now found herself in the crossfire.

Both of them looked pitiful. What should she do? Who should she give it to?

Feeling stuck, the cashier once again looked between the two.

Seeing that this strategy wasn't working, Lingwei dropped the pitiful act and resumed her bold stance. "I don't care, I'm taking that cake!"

"I don't care either!"

Just when things were about to escalate, the cashier had a sudden idea. "There's no need to argue. I'll ask the pastry chef to make an exception and whip up another one for you both."

The two finally stopped bickering.

But then they started arguing again over who would get the one that was already made and who would wait for the fresh one.

"They're the same! Why don't you just let me have this one?" she fumed, irritated by his lack of chivalry.

Liyaonan replied calmly, "Since they're identical, why don't you wait? Freshly made tastes better. I'm just being kind."

Lingwei snapped, "I don't need your fake kindness!"

The argument continued until the pastry chef finally finished the second cake, and the cashier handed them each one, packing them up.

"Alright, no need to argue anymore, they're both ready. Here, one for each of you."

Hearing the cashier's soothing voice, the two finally ceased their bickering.

But Lingwei wasn't done yet. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she dashed forward and asked the cashier, "Which one is the freshly made one?"

The cashier raised her right hand, and Lingwei immediately snatched the cake, paid quickly, and dashed out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks, sis!"

The cashier: "…"

Liyaonan: Didn't she say she didn't care about my fake kindness?

Muttering "childish," he took the remaining cake, paid, and walked out of the dessert shop.

The cashier could only chuckle and shake her head at the two of them.