Lu Ye’s expression cracked.
I knew I didn’t like Jiaojiao’s sister.
She was useless, spoiled, willful, and unreasonable.
But ever since yesterday afternoon, Jiaojiao had kept saying that Tang Youyou had changed.
She smiled at her.
She put food in her bowl.
She even touched her hair.
Basically, in Jiaojiao’s eyes, even if Tang Youyou were a pile of mud, she’d still be the best person in the world.
Lu Ye felt sour inside, but he didn’t dare say anything.
That evening, he’d invited Jiaojiao out for dinner, only to be rejected.
She’d said she wanted to go home and keep her sister company.
His Jiaojiao…
When would she finally be hurt enough by Tang Youyou to see her true colors?
No!
Actually, maybe it was better if his precious Jiaojiao never had her heart broken.
He couldn’t bear to see her hurt.
At noon, Jiaojiao was on duty, so he personally brought her lunch.
And while they ate, she kept talking about how wonderful Tang Youyou was.
Every time Lu Ye showed even the slightest hint of disdain, Tang Jiaojiao would glare at him angrily, clearly telling him that if he had an opinion, he could keep it to himself.
That was when he’d decided he absolutely had to come see Tang Youyou and find out what she was really up to.
Sure enough, the moment he arrived, she was already hostile toward him.
He’d gone through all that trouble to buy the freshest fruit, and she actually had the nerve to complain about it.
“I think it’s pretty good!”
Tang Hao had been so busy chatting with Lu Ye that he hadn’t actually tasted the fruit.
After hearing Tang Youyou’s complaint, he picked up a few pieces and ate them.
“Not bad. Very fresh. Little Lu, you put some thought into this.”
Lu Ye’s lips curved upward.
In Tang Youyou’s eyes, that smile looked distinctly provocative.
Who the hell do you think you are?
How dare you act so smug in my house?
Tang Youyou crossed her arms and leaned elegantly against the sofa, letting out a cold snort.
“Is that so? Jiaojiao, what do you think?”
Lu Ye’s eyes immediately shot toward Tang Jiaojiao.
Tang Jiaojiao hugged her peaches without the slightest hesitation.
“Whatever Sis says is right.”
Lu Ye looked utterly wounded.
Tang Youyou chuckled.
She reached over and pinched her sister’s adorable cheek, then took a large peach from the plate.
With her slender fingers, she gently peeled away the thin skin, revealing the white-and-pink flesh underneath.
The sweet fragrance of the peach immediately grew stronger.
Lu Ye instinctively looked at the large, plump peach dripping with juice.
His pupils were filled with shock.
Tang Youyou glanced at him and raised the corners of her lips.
Her smile was just as provocative.
Right in front of Lu Ye, she placed the peeled peach into Tang Jiaojiao’s hands, her eyes full of affection.
“Good girl, hurry and eat. I know you like peaches, so I specially bought this for you.”
“Really?”
Tang Jiaojiao already felt like she was dreaming.
Her sister had given her peaches.
Her sister had given her a necklace.
And now her sister had personally peeled a peach for her and even said she’d specifically bought it for her.
Hehehe…
Specifically for me.
Something even Mom and Dad don’t get to enjoy.
Tang Jiaojiao’s face blossomed into a radiant smile.
Her entire being seemed to float on clouds, so light and happy that she might drift away at any moment.
“Thank you, Sis. I love you the most!”
“Mm!”
Tang Youyou cast a sidelong glance at Lu Ye.
And, conveniently, she caught the jealousy in his eyes.
She wiped the peach juice from her fingers with a handkerchief and delivered another devastating blow.
“Jiaojiao is such a good girl. Keep it up.”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm!”
Tang Jiaojiao practically nodded her head off.
Even someone as slow as Tang Hao could tell that his precious daughter had taken a serious dislike to Lu Ye.
He was more than happy about it.
In fact, he was secretly laughing inside.
Ever since he found out that Lu Ye was pursuing his younger daughter, he’d never liked the boy very much.
If this brat hadn’t gone through one test after another, he and Zhou Ping would never have agreed to let the two of them be together.
In the past, the eldest daughter hadn’t liked the family, so naturally she hadn’t treated Lu Ye warmly either.
To some extent, Tang Hao and Zhou Ping had always felt a little guilty toward him.
But things were different now.
The way his eldest daughter looked at Lu Ye was exactly the same way he used to look at him.
It was a genuine sign that she cared deeply about her younger sister.
Mm.
Although…
Seeing all that attention still made him a little jealous.
Thinking about it, Tang Hao felt sour inside, like he’d just bitten into a lemon.
He leaned closer to Zhou Ping and said in a deliberately cool tone,
“Aiya, Jiaojiao is so lucky. She gets to eat such delicious peaches.”
Tang Youyou looked over.
She knew perfectly well that he was putting on an act.
But she was in a good mood today, so she didn’t mind.
“I’ll do it!”
Tang Jiaojiao jumped in first.
She slurped up the juice dripping from her peach and placed it on the empty plate beside her.
She lowered her eyes and stared at it, clearly reluctant to part with it.
But she wasn’t stingy.
Since Mom and Dad had seen it, there was no way she could keep all the peaches to herself.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally picked up a peach and stuffed it into Lu Ye’s hands.
Lu Ye was deeply moved.
Sob, sob…
Jiaojiao really does think about me.
“Why are you still standing there?”
Tang Hao urged him.
“Didn’t you say you were going to marry my daughter? Future son-in-law, come on, show us what you’ve got.”
Lu Ye: “…”
His ears twitched slightly, as though he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.
Tang Jiaojiao picked up another peach.
After peeling it in just a few quick motions, she hesitated and glanced at Zhou Ping.
Then she turned around and stuffed the peach straight into Tang Youyou’s hands.
“Mom, wait a second. Let Sis eat first.”
Lu Ye: “…”
Even his future mother-in-law had to take a back seat.
There was absolutely no chance of him getting a peach peeled by Jiaojiao herself.
Just as Tang Youyou had expected, the peaches were huge.
There were only five on the plate.
Each of the four members of the family ate one.
When there was only one left, Tang Jiaojiao hesitated.
She wavered.
She couldn’t bear to part with it.
She looked at Lu Ye several times without saying a word.
But her intentions were so obvious that they might as well have been written across her forehead.
Lu Ye’s heart shattered.
Yet he still had to pretend to be magnanimous as he waved his hand.
“Jiaojiao, just eat it. I don’t like peaches.”
Tang Jiaojiao’s face instantly broke into a huge smile.
But she still pretended to be reserved.
“Since you put it that way, I’ll reluctantly eat it. But don’t do this next time, okay? Being picky is bad.”
What else could Lu Ye do?
Of course he agreed enthusiastically.
What other choice did he have?
That’s what he got for falling for her.
Once the peaches were gone, it was time for dinner.
This time, Lu Ye was the first to stand up.
He dawdled his way over to Tang Jiaojiao.
He wanted to sit beside her.
Who would have thought Tang Jiaojiao would find him an eyesore?
She pushed him aside and linked arms with Tang Youyou instead.
Seeing that her entire heart and soul were focused on that hateful woman Tang Youyou, Lu Ye nearly pounded his chest in despair.
And during dinner, Tang Youyou was practically treated like a queen.
She didn’t have to lift a finger.
His little girlfriend personally and attentively picked out all her favorite dishes and placed them on her plate.
“Sis, this is delicious.”
“Sis, have some fish. I already picked out all the bones.”
“I remember you like this.”
And so on.
By the end of the entire dinner, Tang Jiaojiao had barely eaten anything herself.
Instead, she had fed Tang Youyou until she was about eighty percent full.
As for Lu Ye…
He was so jealous that his face had practically twisted out of shape.
He couldn’t eat a single bite.
The entire Tang family revolved around Tang Youyou.
Even his usually most level-headed future mother-in-law completely ignored him.
Lu Ye, who was accustomed to being warmly welcomed by Tang Hao and Zhou Ping every time he visited, suddenly experienced the cruelty of a changing world and the coldness of human relationships.
As he watched them, he suddenly developed a strange sense of guilt.
The three of them were all surrounding Tang Youyou.
And somehow, by doing nothing, he felt as though he was the one doing something wrong.
What the heck?
Had he really become a masochist?