Little Yuanyuan put down the phone—then it rang again.
She picked it up, saw it was from "Sunshine Furniture Store," and pressed the answer button impatiently.
"My sister's really busy today. She can't come," she said, then tossed the phone aside.
Right after that came a call from "Feilong Electronics," then "Zixu Cement Factory No. 3," and later "Brilliant Brickworks"…
"My sister has something to do today—she can't come!"
"My sister has lots of homework today—she can't come!"
"My sister went to work somewhere else today—she can't come!"
Yuanyuan decisively handled all the calls on Siyu's behalf, even deleting the call records before casually returning to the computer.
She clicked on a video, stared at it for a long time, but didn't understand a thing. At her young age, she was already sliding into deep philosophical confusion…
"Any calls?"
Leng Siyu came out of the shower, wringing her dripping hair, wrapped in a white bath towel as she stepped into the bedroom.
"Nope," Yuanyuan chirped, giving Siyu a little nudge.
"Jiejie, Dad's skyward-hair design is almost impossible to find online."
Siyu kept twisting her hair dry, shooting her a sideways glance.
"Can't you just cut it short? Long hair is trouble—you have to tie it every day, and kids pull your pigtails. Don't tell me no one's ever pulled your hair!"
"Dad's hairstyle design is the best. I'm not changing it." Yuanyuan pouted.
"My hair is my signature! With this hairstyle, Chongchong can spot my beautiful, adorable figure out of a crowd instantly!"
Siyu didn't give up.
"Think about it: cut it short, and it saves trouble, shampoo, time. No one will pull your pigtails. It's safe, eco-friendly—what's not to love?"
"No! Even if someone pulls my braids, I'm not changing it! Choosing a hairstyle is my freedom—you can't interfere!"
Yuanyuan was unusually firm about her image.
"Okay, fine. Come here, I'll teach you how to tie your skyward ponytails… Strange, why hasn't the phone rung today?"
Just as she said it, the phone rang.
Siyu picked it up—an unfamiliar number.
"Hello? Are you selling insurance, selling apartments, selling cars, or announcing that I've won a prize—?"
Yuanyuan turned off the computer and looked up at her sister taking the call.
"Siyu, if Lady's Boutique calls you and asks you to come back, don't go!"
It was a man's voice, familiar somehow.
"And you are?"
"Your deskmate!"
"Shao Pengfei—how do you even know my number?"
"That's not important. Just remember: if Lady's Boutique asks you to come back, under no circumstances should you go. No matter how much they pay!"
"Didn't they fire me already? And how do you know the owner wants me back? Besides, where I work is none of your business. You're ridiculous." Siyu hung up.
Yuanyuan blinked.
"The way you spoke—I just knew it was Pengfei-gege calling!"
"He just loves meddling in other people's business."
Before Siyu could finish complaining, the phone rang again. One look at the screen and she froze.
"Well… he was right? Don't tell me Lady's Boutique belongs to his family?"
She put the phone to her ear and deliberately played dumb.
"Who's this?"
"This is He Guizhong from Lady's Boutique."
"Oh, Boss He! I should thank you for kicking me out last time. My current job? Easy work, flexible hours, and pays more!"
"Easy?"
Delivering drinks for a KTV, unloading goods at a supermarket, delivering furniture, delivering appliances, hauling cement, moving bricks…
Yuanyuan stared at her sister, big eyes blinking at the blatant lie.
"Siyu, can you come back to the shop? I'll give you a raise! I'll double your salary!"
"What kind of trouble happened?"
"A bunch of thugs smashed up my shop!"
"Boss He, shouldn't you call the police instead of calling me?"
"I… didn't dare. I'm afraid they'll come back for revenge!"
Siyu let out a cold laugh.
"No police report? Then you must have something on them. If you're tangled up with gangsters, I can't help you."
She hung up.
Siyu opened the "Zixu News" website and saw a headline: 'Lady's Boutique Just Attacked by Unemployed Drifters'.
Combined with what He Guizhong said, she finally understood Xia Pengfei's warning.
…
Xia Pengfei took a history textbook and went downstairs. He rang the doorbell of Room 0101.
Yuanyuan instantly lit up.
"It must be Chongchong!"
"Check first!" Siyu called from the bedroom as she changed clothes.
"Unless it's Mom, Duoduo, or Chongchong—don't open the door!"
Yuanyuan stepped onto a small stool and peeked through the peephole.
"It's Brother Pengfei!" she shouted inside.
After last time's terrifying incident, she no longer dared open the door without permission.
Still, she silently admired Pengfei's bravery.
Thrown out last time and still bold enough to come back? Truly fearless—petting a tiger's whiskers!
Leng Siyu changed into casual clothes and marched to the door, refreshed and spirited.
Yuanyuan clung to her sister's leg, pleading,
"Jiejie, speak nicely! Don't get violent! He's Chongchong's brother!"
Siyu bent down and pinched her round little cheeks.
"Relax. I promise I won't beat him to death."
"Not even cripple him!" Yuanyuan cried urgently.
"Fine, fine. For your sake, I'll spare him."
Outside the door, Xia Pengfei nearly passed out listening to the sisters' bizarre conversation.
He never imagined that a dignified young man like him would one day need protection from a five-year-old girl.
The door opened. A flash of cold light shot from Siyu's eyes.
"What are you doing with a history book? Didn't I tell you not to take up my after-school time?"
Xia Pengfei didn't answer—he was busy looking her up and down.
Siyu was wearing a fitted white cropped knit top and pale blue jeans, showing all the youthful curves of this little she-devil.
"I want to improve my history score fast—I can't waste even a day. Since you like working part-time so much, just treat this as working for me. I'll pay you. And tutoring you in politics, geography, and math—completely free."
Pengfei said calmly, meeting her icy gaze without flinching.
"That's a good deal, Jiejie!" Yuanyuan beamed, scratching Siyu's palm.
"Why should I take advantage of you? Do you know what the biggest debt in this world is? A favor."
"How about this—when you teach English, teach Chongchong too. Help him memorize poems. With two kids studying together, their motivation and efficiency will be much higher. Don't you think?"
Yuanyuan immediately chimed in,
"Jiejie, if you agree to let me and Chongchong study together, I can memorize one extra poem every day. But if the poem is longer than eight lines and shorter than sixteen lines, I'll only memorize half extra. If it's longer than sixteen lines but shorter than thirty-two, I'll memorize one-quarter more. If it's longer than thirty-two but shorter than sixty-four—"
"You little merchant, doing calculations already!"
Siyu tugged on Yuanyuan's skyward ponytail, then tossed Leng Xiang's slippers toward the door.
"Jiejie, I'll go upstairs to get Chongchong!"
Yuanyuan kicked off her slippers, slipped on her leather shoes, and vanished in a flash.