Su Yi was confused.

He couldn’t figure out what the large, round, ball-shaped mascot was doing.

He thought it might be some kind of scam, but the mascot hadn’t said anything. It had just collapsed in front of his car.

If he gave it a microphone, the mascot could probably tell you about the fleeting nature of love and hate.

But soon, Su Yi realized what was happening.

“The car’s been parked for over 10 minutes. This is a no-parking area, you know that, right? You’re going to get fined—oh, you’re blocked by something, huh.”

An incredibly familiar traffic cop, riding a police motorcycle, arrived next to them, ready to fine Su Yi. However, as he turned his head, he saw the round ball-shaped mascot lying across the front of the car. It seemed like the cop understood what was going on and smiled at Su Yi, waving his hand. The mascot lingered on the ground for a while before finally getting up.

It was then that Su Yi understood: the mascot had helped him block the fine, and his expression lightened considerably.

He thanked the mascot, who, after seeing the cop leave, climbed up from the ground, pointed to Su Qing in the back seat, and made a “don’t argue, just go home” gesture.

Su Yi thanked the mascot again, hurried to get in the car, and prepared to take Su Qing home.

… But Su Qing still wore that stubborn expression.

In fact, when she saw Su Yi get into the car, she even deliberately hummed.

“Did you get a fine? Sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier.”

Her tone was unusually dismissive, and resentment seemed to seep from her words.

Su Qing was really angry about what Su Yi had said to her. She wasn’t a little kid anymore, she knew what was good for her.

Su Qing thought this, her face still looking quite stubborn.

This made Su Yi’s heart burn with a nameless anger.

“Sorry to disappoint you. Just now, a kind person helped your brother avoid the fine. We’re fine, but now we need to leave immediately.”

Su Yi spoke through gritted teeth.

Su Qing didn’t know whether to be relieved or even angrier upon hearing this. She snorted again, turning her head away without speaking.

Su Yi knew that the situation wasn’t right for him to drive. If he started another argument with Su Qing in the car, it would endanger both their lives, as well as others. So, he decided to park the car in a nearby parking lot, step outside, and calm down a bit.

Su Qing was still sulking and refused to talk. She hugged her backpack in the back seat and, in a fit of frustration, pulled down the small table in the car, starting to do her homework under the dim light inside the vehicle.

In the past, Su Yi would have told her that the lighting was too dim, and it could hurt her eyes. But now, Su Yi didn’t want to say anything, fearing that any word from him would come across as a reprimand.

“Be patient. She’s your sister, and she’s still young. You have to educate her properly and with the right methods. She’s probably in the rebellious phase now.”

Su Yi took a deep breath outside the car to calm his emotions. He felt the anger gradually subsiding and, when he turned his head, saw Su Qing glancing at him.

—The short-haired girl quickly turned her head away again, deliberately taking out her phone and starting to type.

Su Yi: “…” His hand itched.

But there was no way he was going to hit her. The Su family didn’t believe in corporal punishment.

If hitting could turn someone into a genius, the smartest creature in the world would probably be a donkey.

—However, she still needed some education, at least to adjust Su Qing’s sense of aesthetics.

Su Yi thought this as he tried to divert his attention by observing the surroundings.

As he looked up, he happened to spot the mascot that had been lying on the ground earlier. It was now energetically making funny gestures to attract customers. It wasn’t bothering anyone, but its antics, along with the quirky music playing in the background, slowly pulled a few passersby to the store.

Soon, the customers were drawn in by the cheap menu, with some surprised but unable to resist buying something.

How did Su Yi know?

Because, among the people drawn to the store, Su Yi was one of them.

Looking at the prices, Su Yi was quite amazed. He had never seen such cheap milk tea and ice cream.

‘Might as well try it, but I wonder if the ingredients are okay.’

Su Yi thought to himself, hesitating over the menu.

While he was still deciding, a catchy and almost hypnotic voice grew louder.

Turning his head, Su Yi realized it was the mascot returning.

Its round, chubby body squeezed into the store, looking somewhat awkward. The Bluetooth speaker in its hand nearly slipped, and Su Yi, quick on his feet, helped steady it. The mascot muttered a muffled “thank you.”

Su Yi felt that the voice sounded familiar.

The young man who had been waiting for him to choose his milk tea earlier was now concerned. He stepped forward and helped the mascot remove its costume.

To Su Yi’s surprise, inside the mascot suit was a young boy.

The boy’s fluffy hair was now plastered to his forehead from sweat. His face was covered in sweat, and he looked a bit disheveled, but his smile still remained, exuding vitality.

Youthful energy.

The four words flashed in Su Yi’s mind. He thought back to how he looked right after getting off work, his eyes dull and his clothes drained of energy by the office. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy as he looked into the boy’s eyes.

But then Su Yi realized the young man looked somewhat familiar.

Wasn’t this the child he had seen with his father in the principal’s office earlier?

It was hard for him to connect the obedient child he had seen in the office with the flamboyant, dramatic mascot that had just been prancing around.

He had heard that this student had been deceived by that “yellow-haired” boy, which led him to climb over the wall, resulting in the principal not punishing him too harshly. He had even been sent home to rest earlier. But how was he now wearing a mascot costume?

While Su Yi was still surprised, the young man spoke first, looking at Su Yi with a surprised expression.

“Ah, you’re Su Qing’s brother, right? The traffic cop didn’t fine you, did he? Sorry about earlier, I was rushing and didn’t mean to scare you.”

The young man flashed a wide smile and spoke with an open demeanor.

Su Yi looked at the young man, who seemed so poised and confident, and then thought about his own stubborn sister.

—His hand itched again.

Su Yi didn’t expect his sister to behave like this young man—responsible and lively. All he wanted was for Su Qing not to fall for a “yellow-haired” boy who even got his height-increasing insoles beaten out of him.

But Su Yi didn’t show it on his face, his tone softened a bit as he spoke.

“Actually, I should be thanking you, young man. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been fined just now. Su Qing is doing her homework in the car, and I stepped out to get some air. By the way, are you working at your family’s shop in that costume?”

It seemed to be in the national nature to ask students, especially obedient-looking ones, if they were working part-time because of financial difficulties, fearing that they had to sacrifice study time for work.

Su Yi wasn’t an exception.

The young man, however, smiled and said: “You can call me Ye Wangxing. This is my family’s shop. After a nap this afternoon, I was so lazy that I came out to help with the shop.”

Ye Wangxing spoke with no shyness or embarrassment, even enthusiastically introducing the products in his shop, mentioning which ones were popular, which new flavors were sour, and which were sweet.

Su Yi’s impression of Ye Wangxing immediately improved. This age group of students is very concerned about their image, and although his family’s shop was near the school, some students would feel embarrassed about it. But Ye Wangxing not only mentioned it casually but also did it with grace, even in the hot weather, sweating and helping bring customers to the shop.

What a good kid. An absolutely good kid.

Su Yi almost impulsively bought every type of drink from the shop to take to the office, but Ye Wangxing stopped him, advising him to consume reasonably.

This further improved Su Yi’s impression of the boy, especially since this young man was articulate and clearly had his goals set, explaining his future plans, including the college he wanted to attend.

Su Yi quietly began to calculate that his afternoon tea supplier could add a new option. With just one-third of the original budget, he could let the employees try all the drinks from this tea shop.

Moreover, since the ingredients were chosen by a high school student, they should pass the quality control check.

With these thoughts, Su Yi happily bought a few fruit teas for himself and his parents and left the shop.

As Su Yi walked away, Ye Wangxing turned to serve an ice cream to a customer, and a soft “ding” sounded in his mind.

[ Ding — The host has successfully gained Su Yi’s attention, attention value +1. ]

A separate voice, belonging to 19, also rang out.

[ Host, are you planning something? ]

19, who had been silent until now, spoke with a hint of certainty.

He had seen this type of thing many times before. In the War Zone, the hosts always moved cautiously, thinking one step ahead of the others, always preempting each other’s predictions and counter-predictions, creating a chain of layered strategy.

The longest instance he had seen lasted over ten years, with hosts countering each other in a “matryoshka” of strategies, layering their moves over a hundred times before finally finishing.

After all, energy was precious, especially in the War Zone, so 19 had become very proficient at these types of things.

Unfortunately, the current environment was not a War Zone.

[ — Oh, never mind. It wasn’t that big a deal. I just noticed they were about to be fined. ]

Ye Wangxing smiled as he handed the ice cream to a customer, his mind still on 19.

[ But later, when Su Yi came to the store, I realized Su Qing was just arguing with her brother. I seized the opportunity to play the role of another “good” student, trying to see if I could get some Attention Value from her brother. Anyway, since he was already here, even if I couldn’t get Attention Value, it’d still be nice to increase the shop’s business. ]

Ye Wangxing’s words carried an amused tone, as if surprised by the outcome.

19, who rarely found his experience useless, responded with silence, adding the situation to his experience database.

[ Didn’t expect it to actually work. By the way, 19, how serious is the conflict between them? ]

Hearing Ye Wangxing’s question, 19 immediately started gathering information on the current situation of the female protagonist.

After looking at her status, 19’s tone became somewhat odd.

[ The conflict was pretty serious before, but now it shouldn’t be that big of a problem. ]

Ye Wangxing, who was opening the task panel and preparing to collect his rewards after resting at the back of the store: [ ? ]

[ Su Yi is currently researching whether traditional medicine can help regulate the emotions of a teenager, while Su Qing… ]

19’s tone grew complex as he spoke.

[ It seems Su Qing thinks you’re trying to steal her brother from her. She’s now preparing to go home, study late into the night, and then pretend like she’s not studying at school, in an attempt to outdo you. ]

Ye Wangxing: [……]

【Ah?】

 

 

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