The tall man stood quietly in front of her, his brows still exuding a gentle warmth, yet he could not hide the impatience in his dark eyes.
This older brother really doesn't like his younger sister!
After the initial moment of distraction and confusion, when she looked at Shao Qibin again, the sudden sense of familiarity vanished. In truth, this man was incomparable to Lin Xuanyu. Regardless of whether Li Qiang had designed this male lead based on Lin Xuanyu, Shao Qibin's undisguised dislike and anxiety were enough to make Shao Qile retract her earlier surprise.
It's just that they look similar but don't capture the essence of the spirit!
"Hmm, did Dad ask you to come pick me up? Dad must know I haven't seen you in so long, and he'll be so happy to see you, so he asked you to come pick me up." Amidst her racing thoughts, Shao Qile composed herself, remembering the task the system had just given her, and smiled sweetly, a smile even more radiant and charming than the forsythia in spring.
Someone once said that Shao Qile's smile was dazzling and radiant, and anyone who had seen it could hardly resist its captivating charm.
Author's Note: La la la, I've finally managed to get Shao Qibin to meet everyone! O(n_n)O Please add to your favorites and give me some flowers! Love you all!
6. Change and self-improvement
Chapter 5: Change and Self-Improvement
The young girl, in the prime of her youth, was already frail and delicate due to years of illness and the rapid growth spurt of puberty. Her delicate, almost fragile appearance, reminiscent of Lin Daiyu, would normally evoke pity and tenderness. However, Shao Qibin harbored a twisted and peculiar feeling towards this younger sister. From the moment she was conceived in Xia Meiyue's womb, he had deeply disliked her. His youthful stubbornness led him to see her as irrefutable proof of his father's betrayal of his mother.
When Xia Meiyue went into premature labor to save him, her younger sister, Pu, had to endure the agony of living in a cramped incubator from birth. However, her illness and congenital heart disease constantly reminded Shao Qibin of his mistakes. Every time he saw Shao Qile's pitiful, pale, and fragile appearance, a strange resentment burned within him. These complex emotions made it difficult for him to maintain composure when facing Shao Qile, always appearing cold and distant.
Even with this distance, his delicate younger sister, seemingly fragile enough to be blown away by a gust of wind, would always pitifully try to follow him step by step. Each time, Shao Qibin felt a twisted pleasure mixed with deep guilt. As he grew older, he knew that in such a family, after his mother's death, his father couldn't possibly be without a "wife." Shao Guanjie's ultimate choice of Xia Meiyue, a woman whose family background couldn't offer sufficient support, as his second wife, was, in a way, a special consideration for him, the son of a deceased wife. After all, if he had been from a family with a slightly stronger background, his current situation would be quite uncertain.
It was precisely because these rationalities and maturity grew with age that Shao Qibin seemed somewhat at a loss when faced with Xia Meiyue, the mistake he had made in his youth. He disguised this at a loss by being indifferent and aloof.
Because of her timid nature, Shao Qile, the eldest daughter of the Shao family, was bullied to the point of falling ill and being hospitalized. Even though he knew this, he did not visit her in the hospital. Instead, he gave those who dared to lay a hand on Shao Qile a severe lesson and instructed some people to take good care of her at school.
Knowing that Shao Qile was being discharged from the hospital today, and with his father Shao Guanjie unable to leave due to military matters, and his aunt Xia Meiyue encountering an unexpected situation, Shao Qibin was tasked with picking up Shao Qile from the hospital. Shao Qibin instinctively resisted going to the hospital, especially to see Shao Qile, who was recovering from a serious illness, and his mood became increasingly anxious. Each time Shao Qile left the hospital, he always appeared even weaker and paler.
Therefore, Shao Qibin simply handed over the task of picking up Shao Qile from home to the nanny and driver, while he waited at home. He waited and waited until Xia Meiyue and Shao Guanjie returned. Shao Qibin estimated the time and simply went out to greet the two of them.
Unexpectedly, after all this commotion, although Shao Qile seemed even thinner, her bright and dazzling smile, accompanied by the slight curve of her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes revealing a smile, was like a clear spring in this early summer when the heat was already beginning to set in. Accompanied by her clear and melodious laughter, it swept away some of the irritability in Shao Qibin's heart. His originally gloomy and irritable mood was also calmed down a lot because of this cheerful and bright smile.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the temporary task. You are rewarded with one attribute point."
When Shao Qile heard the system notification, her eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile. At the same time, she gained a better understanding of the male protagonist in front of her. It seemed that this older brother didn't dislike his younger sister as much as she had imagined. He just had a sweet smile, a clear voice, and a sweet tongue. He had resolved this random task with just a few words, and he seemed surprisingly easy to please.
However, after checking Shao Qibin's character attribute affinity value according to the system prompt, Shao Qile's arched eyebrows furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Name: Shao Qibin
Identity: Male protagonist of the small world in the "Peach Blossoms in Full Bloom" instance
Gender: Male
Personality: Unfathomable
Age: 20
Appearance: (90/100)
Health Points: (100/100)
Attack value: (75/100)
Defense value: (75/100)
Luck rating: (85/100)
Intimacy level: (5/100)
Trust score: (5/100)
"Ding! The intimacy and trust levels between the host and the mission target are currently too low. Please keep trying!"
Shao Qibin didn't care what Shao Qile was thinking at the moment. He just felt that Shao Qile, with her eyebrows curved and her face so charming, looked much more comfortable than when she was always frowning and walking unsteadily. He turned around and walked back first, as if he was sure that Shao Qile would follow.
"Lele, you should rest well at home this time. Final exams are only a month away. We'll hire a tutor to help you with your studies, and you can just take the exams on time." Xia Meiyue was truly shaken. Even though she knew her husband and Shao Qibin had secretly pressured the school, and those who dared to bully Shao Qile had been dealt with, her daughter was still fragile and vulnerable. This time, she had been bullied so badly that she suffered a concussion, which triggered an old injury. Although it wasn't serious, it had truly frightened her.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm always staying at home or in the hospital, and I don't have any friends to talk to. No wonder I've become estranged from my classmates, which is why this happened. Dad is right. I'm the daughter of the Shao family. They say like father, like daughter. I can't keep hiding like a coward and disgrace the Shao family. Besides, I'm the victim in this incident. If I hide from school, won't my classmates and teachers look down on me even more? Mom, I want to go to school."
I practiced calling her "Mom" several times in the hospital, and it became easier and easier to say. Sometimes, once I overcame my psychological barrier, I didn't have to worry about anything.
From the smile she gave when she saw Shao Qibin at the door to her reasoned argument, Shao Qile, speaking these words, displayed the demeanor of a proud, stubborn, and obstinate young girl trying to stop her back from crouching. Occasionally, she would slightly bite her lower lip and furrow her brow, perfectly portraying the image of a young girl who hoped to change and gain recognition.
Some people have jokingly said that Shao Qile of the Shao family is a liar who can deceive people to death, and even joked that if Shao Qile went into the entertainment industry, he might be able to bring back an Oscar.
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, the head of the family, Shao Guanjie, who had been sitting upright in the main seat, had his eyes light up. He naturally doted on this youngest daughter, but sometimes he was worried about her timid nature. Now that he saw her change, he felt quite gratified.
Even Shao Qibin was quite surprised by Shao Qile's behavior. Recalling her smile before entering the door, he became somewhat interested, wondering how long this timid younger sister's "strength" could last.
Regardless of everyone's intentions, the matter of Shao Qile returning to school was finally settled.
It wasn't that Shao Qile, a college graduate, longed to return to the ivory tower of academia and relive her youthful days filled with the sound of reading. Rather, based on the system's previous hints and the outline she had reviewed, Shao Qile had thought of the first hurdle she needed to overcome—the local female protagonist, Zhang Mengxin!
Before the other female leads and supporting characters make their appearance, it would be a good strategy to meet this little girl who has the lowest status among all the women. She was originally an orphan in an orphanage and was eventually adopted by an ordinary working-class family.
Author's Note: Well, the female lead isn't exactly known for her patience. She's still in the learning phase, so she's being quite docile for now. Once the Shao family gets used to her change, cough cough…
7 First meeting with the local female lead
Local female lead: Zhang Mengxin, 16 years old, a girl from an ordinary family. Originally an orphan from an orphanage, she was later adopted by a working-class family. She is Shao Qibin's childhood sweetheart and the little sister who grew up following him around. Shao Qibin is indifferent to his half-sister Shao Qile, but he dotes on this cute and spoiled girl.
As Shao Qile pondered the character design outline for this girl and recalled the information he had collected over the past few days, he smiled wryly at Zhang Mengxin's decision to refuse Shao Qibin's offer to help her be adopted by a better family at such a young age, and instead choose to stay with her current adoptive parents.
Yes, she truly embodies the spirit of a local heroine—strong, independent, and self-reliant. Even adrift and adrift, she maintains such integrity. However, if she truly possesses integrity, how come Zhang Mengxin's adoptive parents, who were originally an ordinary working-class family, are now both state-owned enterprise employees with excellent benefits? It's said they now own two houses, have some savings, and are even able to attend the same government-run school for children of high-ranking officials?
Zhang Mengxin was only seven or eight years old when she made that decision. Kids these days aren't that shrewd. Perhaps Zhang Mengxin genuinely didn't want to trouble her older brother who was taking care of her, and was truly kind-hearted. But now, so many years later, whether that thought has been mixed with other intentions is unknown.