"How’s my favorite grandson and granddaughter? Grandma missed you both so much!"

  He Susu had squished the twins while hugging them. She was beaming looking at them.

  "Juan missed grandma Su as well," replied Juan gently and politely just like her etiquette teacher had been nagging her to do. Seeing how stiffly her brother was just standing there. She had to tug at his sleeve and gesture with her eyes to behave.

  "Me too," those two words barely came out of Bao’s mouth but they were enough to make He Susu feel like she was floating on cloud nine now.

  He had no problem with his grandmother, he loved the old woman very much and very dearly. It was just that he wasn’t fond of this over-enthusiastic greetings. He had been hugged and kissed and squished multiple times in the past hour. Everyone in this big family knew very well that he hated being touched but did anyone care?

  After greeting everyone, the Bao left Juan to play along with everyone with her perfect smile while he went to find his mother who was busy with the helpers. "Mom!" Bao tugged at her gown to get Mey’s attention. She didn’t listen as she kept giving instructions, "Take those drinks out. And when I say only then start serving the dinner for everyone."

  After that, she looked down at him and smiled, "Yes. What’s wrong? Is there anything you need, son?"

  He shook his heads. "Can I go back to the room now?"

  "Why?" Xu Mey frowned at this sudden question. "The party is just starting. All your friends are here. You should play with them."

  "Which friends?" Bao questioned that looking straight at his mother.

  "Oh, look there. All of them are here. Ah-Niu is here. Xiao Song is also here. Your cousin Mimi and Shaofeng are also here."

  The cousins she referred to were He Jian’s daughter, He Mimi who was only turning three this year and as for Li Shaofeng, he was Li Qian’s five-year-old son.

  "Again, which friends mom?" repeated Bao sharply this time around. "Those are definitely not my friends."

  Xu Mey scowled. "Bao, that’s not nice. How can you say that about your friends?" Just as Bao was about to say something, someone called for Xu Mey. She looked at her kids, "You stay with everyone. Play around with friends. Everyone in the family wants to see you. And remember, don’t be rude to anyone." She left after leaving her stern warning.

  For a kid his age, Zhu Bao was very mature, understanding, and patient but he was running out on his patience and understanding now. He really wished he wasn’t this mature so he could get away with throwing a tantrum as well as his sister did. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to act like her.

  While he chose a quiet corner to sulk alone, Juan soon joined him. He frowned at her, "Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be jumping around? Even your best buddy, Ah-Niu is here."

  "Ah-Niu is quite busy with cousin Shaofeng these days. But I can’t blame him, they are of the same age." Juan was talking like it didn’t matter but Bao knew she just didn’t like sharing her things or her people with others. And once you’ll stop paying attention to her, she’ll drift away faster than the wind. He really didn’t understand his sister in this matter. Why did she want this undivided attention from others?

  This nature of hers was the reason everyone called her attention-seeker. But she really didn’t care. She believed she was at the age where she needed that attention. And what was wrong asking for it?

  "Have you seen Dad?" asked Juan. Bao looked around at the garden filled with not just family members but also so many other people and shook his head indicating he didn’t know where their father was. "I wonder where he is," she wondered out loud before pulling Bao’s arm saying, "Let’s get those snacks."

  "If you want, go and take it. Why do I have to follow?"

  "Because you’re my brother!" she said as if that was enough to explain the rest.

  But as soon as she dragged him to the table filled with snacks, she had to face the one person she wanted to avoid tonight; Lin Song.

  "Oh, Bao!" Lin Song chirped like a bird as she ran towards Bao’s side but like a good girl kept her fair distance from him showing how gentle and behaved she was. "Where have you been? Song’s been looking for you everywhere."

  "And he’s been avoiding you everywhere," said Juan in place of her cold and silent brother who was now gonna pretend like a frozen statue or something.

  Lin Song glared at Juan before turning to smile beautifully at Bao, "Song has brought a gift for Bao."

  "He didn’t ask for it and he certainly doesn’t need it!" Juan was still the one intercepting there.

  Lin Song actively avoided having an argument with Juan again. Tonight, she was gonna show her best side to Bao. Although Juan was in her way, she would try her best to stay calm.

  "Bao, it’s the book you asked my dad about. Song found it in my Uncle’s personal collection of books. Song spent so many hours looking for it just for you."

  "Thanks, Xiao Song but it’s okay. You didn’t have to and besides, I already got the book." Bao finally broke his silence since he could see his sister was soon gonna grab the other girl’s hair or something. He really didn’t want that.

  "You…… you got it?" Lin Song sounded disappointed and sad to hear that. She made so much effort to please him, make him smile but it was all in vain.

  "Haha……" Juan laughed as she saw her brother walking away and said, "Guess what, Xiao Song. My brother just has to say a word and he can get the world at his feet. That’s a promise from our godmother. And do you really think our grandmother can’t even get him a single copy of a book? He even got the signed copy already. You should stop trying so hard."

  "Juan, I have done nothing wrong to you. Why do you always have to pick at me?" Lin Song’s eyes glimmered with tears as she looked at Juan accusingly.

  "You did nothing wrong? Then just think that Juan doesn’t like you at all. Your face is enough to make me unhappy."

  With that, she strode away forgetting that she had to eat something.

  "That wasn’t nice at all." Bao sounded like he was reprimanding her softly. "If you kept this up, you’ll make a lot of enemies for yourself. And that’s like inviting unnecessary trouble."

  Juan shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I can deal with the trouble but I can’t deal with pretentious people like her."

  "She’s too young to even know what that means," said Bao.

  "Bro, you’re a genius but you really don’t know how this world works. You keep reading books, your sister has learned to read people now. And let me tell you, this ’too young’ girl is definitely gonna bring you a lot of trouble in the future. Mark my words!"

  "Are you cursing your brother now?"

  "No, I’m stating the most obvious which I can see but you can’t."

  She was right. He really couldn’t see what she could. She was an expert in reading people after the number of parties she had to attend and pretend to smile at. But Bao never paid any attention outside his own little world. That’s the very reason he couldn’t see what his sister did. If only he knew, she wasn’t just bluffing.