Chapter 4

At that time, Pi Hui was just a little girl from a small county, how could she compare to Pi Tao, who had always lived in a big city? When Pi Tao started learning dance at the Youth Palace at the age of four, Pi Hui was still squatting in the empty lot behind her grandmother's house, playing "urine clay" with Yuan Xi and the others

Therefore, when dealing with enemies, military force is of utmost importance! We must use force to let them know who the true strong one is!" Pi Hui's complaints had reached the stage of a concluding statement, as he feigned a punch in front of Yuan Xi, saying with a hint of pride: "If I hadn't subdued Pi Tao as soon as I returned, who knows how much more humiliation he would have had to endure since childhood!"

When Pi Hui's mother gave birth to her and her sister, both parents were working hard, and suddenly they had two more mouths to feed. They were overwhelmed and had no choice but to make a difficult decision, sending the stronger Pi Hui back to her hometown to be raised by her grandparents. It was not until Pi Hui was seven or eight years old that she was brought back to attend elementary school.

Pi Hui returned home and immediately began to complain to Yuan Xi about her mother's favoritism, constantly comparing her with her sister Pi Tao. When they were younger, it was a comparison of academic performance, and after finally graduating, it turned into a comparison of jobs. Now, it has even escalated to comparing men.

Yuan Xi would be very envious of Pi Hui. At that time, the family was still very poor, and the father had to rely on selling his labor to support the family of four. It was already quite difficult for him to earn enough for their food and clothing. Snacks were truly a luxury for Yuan Xi, but she knew that her mother would secretly buy some treats and lock them in the cupboard, sneaking them out to give to her older brother. Her brother would then flaunt the delicious food in front of Yuan Xi, who would quietly stand by and watch him eat, neither fighting for nor snatching it away. Whenever Pi Hui encountered this situation, he would feel very indignant on Yuan Xi's behalf, usually rushing over to make her older brother cry and snatching the snacks to stuff them into Yuan Xi's hands. At that time, Pi Hui still had a lisp, unable to distinguish between "chi" and "ci," saying, "My mom shrank, so my brother has to give way to my sister!"

After talking on the phone for a long time, she finally hung up, and when she re-entered the kitchen, her face was already beaming with joy. Yuan Xi teased her, "Hey, hey, let's just enjoy ourselves and not hold back; otherwise, we might burst! But can we not write the word 'spring' on our faces?"

Yuan Xi looked at Pi Hui's triumphant expression, curled the corners of her mouth in a smile without acknowledging her, and entered the kitchen to begin preparing the meals for the evening. Ever since having that meal with Bu Huaiyu and the others, she had been thinking about returning the favor as soon as possible. However, as the end of the year approached, everyone was busy. Not only was it difficult to see Zhang Heng, but even when she occasionally ran into Bu Huaiyu at the entrance or in the elevator, they merely exchanged nods. It was either that both were too busy to stop and have a proper conversation, or the elevator was crowded with people, making her hesitant to speak for fear of disturbing others. Ever since having that meal with Bu Huaiyu and the others, she had been thinking about returning the favor as soon as possible. However, as the end of the year approached, everyone was busy. Not only was it difficult to see Zhang Heng, but even when she occasionally ran into Bu Huaiyu at the entrance or in the elevator, they merely exchanged nods. It was either that both were too busy to stop and have a proper conversation, or the elevator was crowded with people, making her hesitant to speak for fear of disturbing others.

Pi Hui finally reacted, rushing over to deal with Yuan Xi, "You little girl! Have I not disciplined you for too long, making you feel restless?"

One day, the young counselor suddenly asked her: "Yuan Xi, which junior sister of He Shi are you? He even mentioned you to me."

Pi Hui rolled his eyes helplessly and said, "Come on, you really think too highly of yourself. With your ability to remember names, I truly admire you. I still remember how He Shi came to settle accounts with you! His face was so angry—" As he spoke, Pi Hui fell silent, looking at Yuan Xi with a guilty conscience, regretting why he had brought up He Shi in the first place

Yuan Xi was suddenly startled by a stab of excitement and recalled something, saying: "There was a call for you this morning; I almost forgot to mention it to you."

Yuan Xi忍了笑, said, "He loves to take action against Iraq, and you always impose hegemony over Pitao, which is not much different in nature. I think it's quite good!"

Pi Hui was sulking and complaining to Yuan Xi about her parents' favoritism, while Yuan Xi happily munched on an apple, listening attentively. She understood Pi Hui well; the two had grown up together since childhood. Despite Pi Hui's grievances, she was not one to be easily bullied. When they were young, Pi Hui lived at her grandmother's house, right next to Yuan Xi's home. At that time, Pi Hui had a cousin who also lived with their grandmother, a couple of years older than her, and he was constantly bullied by Pi Hui, which was truly pitiful. Not to mention that all the delicious food and fun activities were Pi Hui's, even during mealtime at the small table, Pi Hui would use one hand to feed herself with a small spoon while using the other hand to compare her spoon with her cousin's, all the while fiercely declaring, "You are not allowed to eat!"

Pi Hui wanted to give Bai a glance, but feeling genuinely happy, even the roll of her eyes was transformed into a flirtatious look.

Pi Hui threatened her with a show of claws and fangs, then hurriedly ran out to answer the phone. It was indeed her boyfriend, Xiao Moting. Pi Hui's voice immediately softened, causing Yuan Xi, who was in the kitchen, to shiver with goosebumps while grinning. Pi Hui noticed and bared her teeth at her again.

However, Yuan Xi still dared not eat, for her elder brother would cry and bring their mother over. Their mother would never scold her, but she could certainly deal with Yuan Xi, even though none of this was Yuan Xi's doing

Upon hearing this, Pi Hui became even more spirited, casually tossing a freshly peeled green onion into the trash can, and excitedly asked, "What is the name? What is the name?"

Pi Hui's obsession has not yet faded; she followed Yuan Xi into the kitchen, picked up a green onion, and pretended to peel it while boasting about her heroic deeds of subduing Pi Tao with force during their childhood. Yuan Xi found her chatter unbearable and couldn't help but turn around to look at her, saying: "Pi Hui, didn't you want to change your name? I suddenly thought of one that I believe suits you quite well."

At that time, she had just entered university, and a senior from the same alma mater came to recognize a junior sister from the same school, bringing along her dormitory mate, He Shi.

At that time, a Japanese television drama was being broadcast, which seemed to revolve around the theme of a daughter not being biological. Yuan Xi became convinced that she was also an adopted child; otherwise, why would her mother be so biased towards her elder brother? As she grew older, she gradually came to understand that her mother had reasons for her favoritism, yet she could never feel as close to her mother as she did to her father.

Oh, how can you say that my mother's heart is so biased? It has been over twenty years, hasn't she had enough of deceiving?

Why would I use his name when I am doing just fine?

Amidst the commotion, the phone in the living room rang

Yuan Xi, this is my roommate He Shi. He is quite a prominent figure in the student council and is well acquainted with the school teachers. In the future, if you have any matters, just mention his name, and it will suffice. You can simply call him "Shixiong"!

Yuan Xi thought carefully and shook his head, "I don't know him."

The counselor was taken aback for a moment, then a thoughtful smile appeared on his face, "Well, if you don't know, then that's that"

Yuan Xi cast a glance at her with a smile, "Alright, but that is your own mother. I think your aunt has treated you quite well. What request has she ever denied you in the end? She has been quite indulgent towards you, so don't be too greedy!"

The boy smiled, looking very cheerful and sunny

"Is it a man or a woman?" asked Pi Hui in a casual and carefree manner.

At that time, Yuan Xi was still immersed in the excitement and joy of just entering the university. The senior brother she had met was soon forgotten as she busied herself with discovering new things. She had always been rather slow in remembering names; despite having repeated her classmates' names countless times, she still had not memorized them. Not to mention, she had no recollection of a "fake senior brother" brought by a senior who was two grades above her!

Yuan Xi laughed and dodged, "Don't make a fuss, don't make a fuss, I have a knife in my hand! Don't make a fuss!"

"Indulge me?" Pi Hui let out a "hum" from his nose, pouting as he said, "That is definitely her guilt. She gave birth to me and then sent me back to my hometown. Why didn't she throw Pi Tao back instead? It's really something."

Fortunately, Father is not biased; he would secretly bring back a piece of candy or a small snack for Yuan Xi, although such occasions were rare. This is because Father always feared Mother, perhaps due to the fact that he was more than ten years older than her. He always yielded to her, and in Yuan Xi's memory, Father seemed to always keep his head down in front of Mother

"What was the name of that man again? Let me think... It seems he told me his name, was it Zhang or Wang? Oh, I can't seem to remember at all." Yuan Xi felt somewhat troubled; she always had difficulty remembering people's names, and this was a source of frustration for her.

Yuan Xi looked at the tall and slender boy with beautiful features in front of him, and hurriedly bowed like an elementary school student, saying: "Hello, Senior Brother!"

The counselor, seeing Yuan Xi's dazed expression, was also somewhat taken aback and asked, "Do you not know He Shi?"

Yuan Xi noticed Pi Hui's caution and smiled faintly, "It's nothing; the more you try to avoid certain things, the harder they are to forget." But as she turned back, a sudden bitterness welled up inside her. He Shi, He Shi, is she really afraid of hearing that name now?

At that time, He Shi was in the student council office holding a meeting, with more than ten student leaders gathered together. Upon hearing the young counselor say this, they all burst into laughter. One male student deliberately elongated his tone and shouted, "Teacher, do you really take this seriously? Nowadays, everyone is pursuing girls like this. Your methods from back then are already outdated. You need to pick up the pace, or you will be left behind by the train of the times!"

Yuan Xi deliberately paused for a moment and said with a serious expression: "Pibusha, how is it? You have the same name as the President of the United States!"

In fact, the elderly often harbor some degree of preference for sons over daughters. However, when it comes to Pi Hui, the old couple finds themselves utterly helpless, unable to do anything but watch their grandson pitifully sitting on a small stool, waiting for Pi Hui to finish eating before he can pick up his spoon.

At that time, Yuan Xi was sitting in the neighboring courtyard, listening to the pleading voice of Grandma Pi from next door: "Good girl, give the spoon to your brother, okay? Be good, dear, Grandma will buy you delicious food! We won't give it to your brother! Good girl, give the spoon to your brother."

Yuan Xizheng was tormented by Pi Hui to the point of wishing for death. Upon hearing the phone ring, he quickly shouted: "Xiao Moting! Hurry up, Pi Hui, it must be your Xiao Moting!"

Turning back, he went to find He Shi, "Good lad, are you still trying to fool me? You want me to take care of that Yuan Xi, but she doesn't even know you. You still claim she is your junior sister. Honestly confess, do you have a crush on that girl and are deliberately using this excuse?"

Yuan Xi was momentarily stunned, "He Shi? Who is He Shi?" He quickly flipped through his notebook dedicated to recording names, but he could not find any senior brother by that name.