"Sister, it's me... I let him in!" Little Yuan Yuan answered nervously, stammering.
She had just invited two good-looking neighborhood boys over, but she didn't expect her sister's reaction to be so extreme!
"Get out!" Cold Si Yu stormed toward Xia Pengfei, shoving him out of the room and then out of the door. The scene was so intense that even the adorable Xia Chong Chong, who had been watching TV, quickly dropped the remote and sprinted out the door.
Oh my, the beautiful lady wants to eat me alive, this scared the life out of me!
Cold Si Yu threw both Xia Pengfei and Xia Chong Chong's shoes outside and slammed the door with a sharp "bang." The movements were smooth as flowing water, as ruthless as a sharp knife.
Cold Si Yu stood at the door for a few seconds, then turned to warn the teary-eyed Yuan Yuan, who was standing not far behind, "If you let anyone from the Xia family in again, I'll tell Mom, and you'll be in big trouble!"
Yuan Yuan puffed out her cheeks, eyes wide and face flushed red, "You let him teach me how to play, and then you turn your back on me! You're so mean!"
Cold Si Yu was about to scold her more when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Cold Si Yu glanced at the door's mirror, then opened it with a stern expression.
Even though he was rudely thrown out, Xia Pengfei still maintained his straight posture and calm expression.
The handsome guy stepped forward, holding two pairs of slippers, and looked at the ice-cold beauty, Cold Si Yu, "Cold, you're being a bit unreasonable. Can't you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Cold Si Yu took the slippers, threw them back into the room, then raised her hand to push Xia Pengfei out of the way, closing the door once again.
Xia Pengfei stood silently for a moment, staring at the closed door, then softly said, "Go home."
Xia Chong Chong looked up at Xia Pengfei and said, "Sister Yu is beautiful, but her brain seems a little off. We're not bad people, why did she react like that when we just entered her house?"
Xia Pengfei turned and pulled Chong Chong up the stairs, "Don't say that, she's probably just a little strange, but she's not a bad person."
Xia Chong Chong was confused, "Brother, I don't get it. Why do Mom and Dad always remind us to be nice to the Cold family? We're not even relatives!"
Xia Pengfei asked in return, "Don't you want to be good to Yuan Yuan?"
"Of course I do! Yuan Yuan is my good friend, she's pretty, cute, and always helps me. I'd do anything for her!" Xia Chong Chong said.
Xia Pengfei nodded, "That's the right attitude."
"But Si Yu sister is so fierce and cold! Every time she glares at me, I get chills down my spine, my heart races, and my legs turn to jelly. I'm really scared of her!" Xia Chong Chong added.
Xia Pengfei smiled faintly, "Chong Chong, you need to look at people's true nature. She may seem fierce, but inside she's soft-hearted. She even saved our mom once."
Xia Chong Chong widened his eyes in surprise, "Really? When did that happen?"
Xia Pengfei opened the door and said, "It was two summers ago. Mom fainted on the street, and Si Yu happened to find her. She carried Mom all the way to the hospital, and then managed to contact me."
Xia Chong Chong sighed, "But I'm still scared of her..."
"You'll get used to it," Xia Pengfei said.
The two brothers entered their house, each going to take a shower and change into their pajamas. They then lay on the sofa, each playing with their phones.
Liu Xudong sent a WeChat message, inviting Xia Pengfei to go karaoke the next afternoon, and proudly mentioned that he had invited a few beautiful classmates to join.
Xia Pengfei replied with a non-committal message: "I'll see how I feel."
Meanwhile, Xia Chong Chong, who was playing a block puzzle game, casually commented, "Brother, Si Yu sister seems to have a lot of hostility toward you."
Xia Pengfei opened a chess website, "Zi Xu Happy Chess," logged in, chose an opponent of the same level, and clicked "Start." He casually said, "A handsome, heroic stranger barging into her house, her reaction is likely a self-defense instinct."
Xia Chong Chong retorted, "But I've barged in before, and she didn't seem to mind."
Xia Pengfei, while making a move, replied, "You're too small, you don't pose any threat."
Xia Chong Chong clapped his hands in realization, "I get it now! It must be because you look scary, and I look cute!"
"You're asking for a slap!" Xia Pengfei raised his right hand, but instead of slapping him, he lightly tapped the chessboard on his phone screen.
...
In the gym, Cold Si Yu was still sweating heavily, her expression cold, and her attacks were smooth and fluid... middle, upper, lower... repeating over and over.
As the punching bag swung wildly, Cold Si Yu's graceful figure moved nimbly with each strike.
"Sis, why do you like to beat up the punching bag? It's so painful, tiring, and boring!" Yuan Yuan, standing at the door, finally couldn't help but ask.
Yuan Yuan's question pulled Cold Si Yu's thoughts back to twelve years ago.
On her fifth birthday, her heroic father, Cold Xiang, picked up little Si Yu and carried her to the back room, "Si Yu, I bought you a special birthday gift today."
Little Si Yu's eyes sparkled like stars as she smiled and asked, "What is it?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
There was an overhead support stand in the back room, from which hung a half-meter-tall red cylindrical object.
Little Si Yu wriggled out of her father's arms and excitedly ran to the giant object, asking, "What is this? Does it have food inside?"
"This is a punching bag. It's a gift from your father. From now on, you'll punch it with your little fists every day, and kick it with your little feet."
"But it didn't do anything to me. Why should I hit it?"
"This world is dangerous. You need to make yourself strong."
And so, the punching bag became an essential part of Cold Si Yu's life, changing several times over the years from a child's model to an adult-sized one. The protective gear wore out countless times, but her "intimate contact" with the punching bag never ceased. Twelve years passed in the blink of an eye.
After her shower, Cold Si Yu changed into a cute sleep dress with a panda print, picked up a "Beginner English 1" textbook, and walked over to the sofa where Yuan Yuan was lying, "From today, you're going to start learning English."
Yuan Yuan, who was lying on the sofa, was kicking it with her little feet and groaning, "My life is so hard! At such a young age, I have to memorize Tang poetry, do housework, and now learn English! I'm so exhausted! Woe is me~~ I'm so pitiful!"
Cold Si Yu sat down next to her, pulled Yuan Yuan onto her lap, and before teaching her English, gave a lesson in political philosophy, "Are you complaining about being tired? Do you have no arms or legs? Are you starving or cold? Are you homeless or unloved? You're a thousand times luckier than many others, do you know that?"
Yuan Yuan, unconvinced, pouted and said, "This is just normal, okay?"
Cold Si Yu answered seriously, "How many people are born blind or deaf, and how many lose all their family members in a single night? Your body is strong, you have enough to eat and wear, and so many people love you, yet you complain about learning some culture?"
Yuan Yuan didn't argue this time but still pouted and grumbled, "Fine, I'll study. But what do I get as a reward for learning English?"
Cold Si Yu, with no expression, opened the book and firmly refused, "No reward. Learning should be an inner need, not driven by external forces."
Yuan Yuan wasn't ready to give up. She touched Si Yu's arm and asked, "How about you sleep with me tonight? I'm afraid of the dark."
Cold Si Yu remained indifferent, "Not a chance! I can keep you company for a while, but you'll eventually face the darkness alone."