This cousin of mine wasn’t just academically weak, he was also frivolous and superficial.
I couldn’t understand why Father had allowed him to move in with us.
“Rui, Ze, come over and greet your cousin,” Mother’s voice cut through the slightly stifling silence in the living room, carrying a tone of unquestionable authority.
She shifted her gaze from the TV screen to me and my younger brother.
Her tone was calm, yet it carried enough weight to force us to put down whatever we were doing and walk over to Kevin.
My younger brother, Ze, was only five years old lively, affectionate, and always obedient to Mother.
Upon hearing her instruction, he obediently set aside his toy, his eyes wide with innocent curiosity as he studied the unfamiliar figure standing before us.
Unlike me, he harbored no hostility toward this sudden guest.
He walked up to Kevin and shyly said, “Hello, Cousin,” his voice soft but clear.
I, however, deeply resented Mother’s demand.
I had already disliked Kevin’s presence from the start.
The lustful glint in his eyes made him seem like a predator lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.
Now, Mother expected me to greet him politely?
I stood my ground, refusing to move.
I stared at Kevin coldly, my eyes sharp with scrutiny and open hostility.
Mother must have sensed my resistance.
Her brows furrowed slightly, and her voice grew firmer.
“Rui!” She didn’t raise her voice, but the invisible pressure behind it was unmistakable.
I knew if I didn’t comply, she might truly lose her temper.
Reluctantly, I stepped forward.
But unlike my brother, I didn’t offer a polite greeting.
Instead, I sized Kevin up with a glare full of open disdain.
My eyes lingered for a second on his plump frame, then flicked over his greasy hair, finally settling on his face.
My expression radiated contempt, as if silently declaring, You don’t belong in this house.
“So you’re Kevin Huang?” My voice was icy and harsh, low but laced with provocation, as if I were deliberately looking for a fight.
I locked eyes with him, searching for a flicker of fear or discomfort.
Kevin flinched under my gaze.
The forced smile on his face stiffened.
He hadn’t expected such hostility from a younger cousin.
His eyes darted away, unable to meet mine.
He could feel the cold rejection radiating from me.
“Y-yes, Cousin,” he stammered, forcing another smile in a futile attempt to ease the tension.
He reached out to pat my shoulder a gesture meant to be friendly but I subtly leaned back, dodging his touch.
The rejection was obvious.
His hand hung awkwardly in midair.
His face darkened.
He must have felt humiliated.
Mother’s expression hardened.
She had already been uneasy about Kevin’s arrival, and now my rudeness only deepened her irritation.
She shot me a sharp look, her voice edged with reprimand.
“Rui!
How dare you speak to your cousin like that?
Show some manners!” My younger brother, Ze, looked at me with wide, confused eyes.
He tugged at my sleeve and whispered, “Brother, what’s wrong?” I ignored Mother’s scolding and didn’t answer my brother.
I just kept staring at Kevin, a mocking smirk curling at the corner of my lips.
The atmosphere in the living room turned instantly tense, thick with unease and hostility.
Mother’s face was dark.
Kevin’s expression was sour.
I stood there, indifferent.
Only Ze remained oblivious, standing in the middle, unaware of the storm brewing around him.
Father, poked his head out from the kitchen.
He must have sensed the tension.
Seeing us locked in a silent standoff, he forced a weary smile and stepped in to mediate.
“Alright, alright, children.
We’re family.
No need to argue.
Kevin, don’t take it to heart kids don’t know any better.” His words were meant to calm things down, but the bias in his tone was obvious.
He was clearly siding with Kevin.
That only fueled my anger.
I let out a cold snort but said nothing, intensifying my icy glare at Kevin to make my resentment unmistakable.
Mother had scolded me, but I could hear the helplessness in her voice.
I knew she didn’t like this cousin either.
The way her brows had twitched the moment she first saw him just for a split second told me everything.
She felt the same discomfort I did.
But unlike me, she understood social niceties.
She knew how to maintain a facade of harmony.
“Kevin, don’t mind him,” she said, turning to Kevin with a gentle smile.
Her tone softened, as if the stern mother who had just reprimanded me was a completely different person.
Her smile was perfectly calibrated warm enough to be polite, distant enough to keep him at arm’s length.
It was a masterclass in social diplomacy.
“Go ahead and sit down.
Standing must be tiring.
Here, have some fruit.” As she spoke, she gestured toward the fruit platter on the coffee table.
Her movements were smooth, as if nothing had happened.
She picked up an apple and handed it to Kevin, her expression warm and motherly, as if he were her own child.
Kevin, seemingly oblivious to the subtle coldness beneath her smile, quickly retracted his awkwardly suspended hand.
He accepted the apple with exaggerated gratitude.
“Thank you, Aunt!
Thank you, Aunt!” His smile returned, as if the earlier embarrassment had vanished into thin air.
Ze, too, seemed to have forgotten the tension.
He eagerly approached Kevin, tilting his head up.
“Cousin, what games do you like?
I have lots of toys.
Want to play with me?” His eyes sparkled with childish innocence, untouched by the earlier conflict.
Kevin’s smile turned genuinely warm as he ruffled Ze’s hair.
“Sure, little cousin.
Let’s play later.” His expression was more natural now, perhaps because with a child, there was no need for pretense.
Mother watched their interaction with a satisfied smile.
She turned to Father and said, “Michael, is dinner ready?
The kids are hungry.” Her tone was light, as if the earlier scene had been nothing more than a minor squabble.
Father quickly replied, “Almost!
Just one more soup, and we’re good.” He smiled, clearly pleased with the appearance of family harmony.