Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 155: Chapter 144: Palace Drama at Home

He Wenyu and Luo Shufan arrived last, and after dinner were startled to hear that Xu Tianyi was leaving, ”Why?”

Xu Tianyi shook his head, ”Family issues,” and Luo Qianqian refrained from interjecting. She couldn’t reveal that someone at school was framing her and Xu Tianyi for having an early romance, could she?

”Hey, you’re leaving next week, so how about we have a good meal at home this weekend? Let’s have hotpot at home,” Luo Shufan decided after a bit of thought.

Luo Qianqian nodded, ”Brother, you need to behave when you sleep at night, don’t kick Xu Tianyi out of bed, he’s quite frail.” Thinking of the surgery Xu Tianyi had gone through, Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but reiterate her concerns.

Xu Tianyi internally objected to this, silently bumping up his workout routine on his to-do list—he couldn’t always have a young girl remind him to be careful because of his weak constitution, especially since she was the type of girl he admired.

”How about I sleep on the floor?” Luo Shufan grumbled as he glanced at his sister, as if his sleeping habits were always disorderly.

”No need, no need, I can sleep on the floor,” Xu Tianyi quickly responded.

Luo Qianqian blinked, ”You can sleep in my room, and I can sleep with mom. If there is really no other alternative, I can even go downstairs and sleep with Xiao Yu.” Initially, when buying furniture, at Luo Qianqian’s strong request, her room had been furnished with a double-sized bed—big enough for her to roll around in.

Luo Shufan nodded, considering that his own room had a single bed, and he didn’t want to sleep on the floor. It didn’t seem right to have the guest sleep on the floor either.

Xu Tianyi, with his head down and face red, stayed silent. That was a girl’s room, after all. In eleven years, he hadn’t been inside a girl’s, not even a friend’s house, except Luo Qianqian’s—he didn’t like those who fawned over him because of his status.

”Xiao Yu, go help Qianqian change the bed sheets and covers,” knowing his sister was a klutz with housework, Luo Shufan promptly turned to He Wenyu.

He Wenyu nodded and, pulling Luo Qianqian into the room, said, ”I actually planned to tell you something, but with Xu Tianyi’s situation being more urgent, let’s talk about it another time. First, strip off the bed sheets and pillowcases.” Looking at the floral three-piece set on Luo Qianqian’s bed, He Wenyu felt uneasy—could it be that Luo Qianqian was going to bring out...

”The only replacement I have is this Hello Kitty pattern, the summer ones have been put away by mom,” Luo Qianqian said, just as He Wenyu had anticipated, and she began stripping off the bed cover.

”Don’t you have any other designs?” He Wenyu asked with a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

”There’s another set in the washing machine...” Luo Qianqian looked away, she wouldn’t admit that she did it on purpose. The small floral pattern hidden under the wardrobe couldn’t pack the same punch as the pink Hello Kitty, could it? This was to leave a lasting impression on the Scholar God, so that he’d think of her whenever he saw Hello Kitty in the future.

He Wenyu silently watched Luo Qianqian leave the room with the small floral pattern, then resignedly began to put on the new covers.

Luo Qianqian hadn’t returned by the time she finished, so He Wenyu continued to resignedly tidy up Luo Qianqian’s personal items. Seeing the seashell bunny on the desk, she laughed softly—no matter what, she couldn’t resist liking it. Decorations on the desk were fine, as long as Luo Qianqian’s underwear didn’t appear on the surface. But thinking about Luo Qianqian’s collection of cartoon-patterned underpants and her undeveloped chest, He Wenyu felt she was overthinking it.

”Xiao Yu, let me tell you.” Luo Qianqian snuck into the bedroom and whispered to He Wenyu, ”I heard that a girl from our class transferred to your school. Be careful around her—she was driven away by me, and I’m afraid she might retaliate against you.”

”You’re not talking about Sun Xuan, are you...” He Wenyu was taken aback, her face twisted into a wry smile. No wonder the new transfer student seemed to target her after hearing about her close friendship with her; thankfully, they weren’t in the same class, but rumors had still reached her ears.

”You’ve met her, huh...” Luo Qianqian stuck out her tongue, just remembering this matter.

”She’s not in my class, but there are rumors that a girl from her previous class was in an early romance, stepping on several boats, and even slept with someone...” He Wenyu relayed what she had heard to Luo Qianqian, and seeing Luo Qianqian’s face turn bright red with anger, she couldn’t help but ask, ”Is she talking about you?”

”That’s slander,” Luo Qianqian turned away, ”Even Xu Tianyi is rumored to be involved with me. Do you think such a god would fancy someone like me?” Luo Qianqian pouted, her face full of discontent.

”Oh come on, how could he not like you? Our Qianqian is cute, smart, and very kind. Why wouldn’t he fancy you?” He Wenyu immediately showed her support for Luo Qianqian, feeling even more sympathetic toward her current predicament.

”Hmph, when I get the chance, I must visit your school. She didn’t mention names; otherwise, my brother would already be knocking on her door.” Thinking of the Experimental Middle School, not far from the Experimental High School, Luo Qianqian grimaced and chuckled.

”Speaking of which, are you sure about giving your room to Xu Tianyi?” He Wenyu glanced around the room filled with girlish decorations, her mouth twitching. Then, looking at the dolls Luo Qianqian had put back on the bed, she was speechless.

”Why wouldn’t I?” Luo Qianqian smiled slyly, the stronger the visual impact, the less likely he would forget in the future, ”Should I hide a bear under the covers?” she suggested, pointing to a bear in the corner that was taller than Luo Qianqian.

”Forget it,” He Wenyu quickly pulled Luo Qianqian out of the bedroom.

”Brother, I think I should get a puppy. It’s so boring at home without one to play with,” Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes as she sat on the sofa with a displeased expression on her face, ”Or maybe you can learn to bark like a dog?”

”Luo Qianqian, are you asking for a spanking?” Luo Shufan casually picked up a banana from nearby, pretending to threaten her with it.

Xu Tianyi instinctively stepped in front of Luo Qianqian, leaving all three of them stunned. Luo Qianqian knew her brother was just trying to scare her, Luo Shufan knew he was just scaring his little sister, and Xu Tianyi walked past Luo Qianqian with a flush crossing his face, awkwardly excusing himself to the bathroom. It was clear the siblings were just messing around, so why was he interfering?

”Luo Qianqian, come on, tell your brother what’s the deal with you and Tianyi?” As soon as Luo Shufan saw Xu Tianyi enter the bathroom, he grabbed Luo Qianqian, wrapped an arm around her neck, and looked at her with a face full of curiosity.

Luo Qianqian blinked innocently, pretending to be serious: ”Childhood sweethearts, innocent young love.”

”Cut the crap, your childhood sweetheart since you were nine?” Luo Shufan hooked a finger, warning Luo Qianqian that he would start his itching magic if she didn’t talk.

Luo Qianqian said solemnly, ”That’s my person. Stop eyeing him. I’m going to marry him someday. Xu Tianyi is my beloved consort, yes, that’s right.”

Just as Luo Shufan was about to say something, he saw Xu Tianyi with his mouth agape, standing at the bathroom door, staring in disbelief. Letting go with a mischievous smile, he said, ”Here comes your beloved consort.” But he didn’t take it seriously, since he was fourteen and had yet to awaken to the idea of love. He assumed his sister was much too young to understand, so he treated it like a joke.

Feeling embarrassed, Luo Qianqian instantly bounced over to Xu Tianyi, ”Wait for me to grow up, and I will marry you, you wait for me.” After all, the words of a child bear no harm; even if rejected, it could just be taken as a joke, Luo Qianqian reasoned.

”Okay.” Xu Tianyi was taken aback for a moment, but after hearing what Luo Qianqian said, he was stunned again. After a while, he nodded, answering very seriously.

”Qianqian, will you marry? Shouldn’t you be getting married?” He Wenyu pointed out belatedly.

Luo Qianqian was still in a daze, while Xu Tianyi reaffirmed his previous answer internally, pushing Luo Qianqian back to the sofa.

”Ah, no problem, he’s mine from now on, and you’re not allowed to lay a finger on him.” Luo Qianqian pointed at Xu Tianyi with a strange expression on her face, surprised enough that Xu Tianyi didn’t object, and now she didn’t know how to continue the conversation.

”Yeah, I belong to Qianqian now, so don’t set your sights on me,” Xu Tianyi repeated with a smile, relieving Luo Shufan, who finally took a deep breath. So it was all in jest! What a scare.

”Alright, I’ll bear witness, Xu Tianyi is now Luo Qianqian’s beloved consort, and the wedding date will be chosen.” Luo Shufan declared boastfully, then chuckled along with Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu, ”Xiao Yuzi, the eunuch, hurry and fetch my imperial decree. I must discuss with the Prince Consort about the dowry and the bridal gifts concerning physics... uh, marital affairs.” Luo Shufan had been watching quite a few imperial dramas lately and was quite adept at acting out these scenarios.

”Imperial Brother, hold on, your sister has a favor to ask,” Luo Qianqian played along, performing an awkward courtly bow, ”I hope the Imperial Brother can grant it.”

”But speak freely.” Luo Shufan, seeing everyone playing along, was lifted with mirth. Despite having a lot of high school homework still to do, he figured it wouldn’t be a problem with Xu Tianyi around.

”Imperial Brother has yet to finish reviewing today’s memorials. I ask that Imperial Brother prioritize the state’s affairs and not let minor issues lead to major consequences, or else it’ll be my fault,” Luo Qianqian said as she pulled out a workbook from Luo Shufan’s backpack, ”Imperial Brother, please move to the Imperial Study Room.”

Luo Shufan made a wry face, noting that she was the one who wanted to play and the one who reproached him for not doing his homework, ”What the Imperial Sister says is right. The Prince Consort should accompany me to the Imperial Study Room...”

”The imperial family should not interfere with state affairs; Imperial Brother, be mindful of your role,” Luo Qianqian raised an eyebrow at Luo Shufan’s look of grievance before he went into his room, finding it amusing.

”Should the Prince Consort wash up first, or what?” Luo Qianqian, feeling mischievous, teased, ”Do you require my assistance?”

”No need,” Xu Tianyi flushed and took his pajamas into the bathroom.

”There’s hot water in the water heater, and there are new towels and bath towels in the cabinet. There’s a new toothbrush in the box on top of the washing machine.” Luo Qianqian, looking at the firmly shut bathroom door, kindly turned on the light and called out loudly to remind him.

”Having a brother must be great.” He Wenyu looked at Luo Qianqian with envy.

”What’s mine is yours, go ahead and use it,” Luo Qianqian smiled, ”But my Prince Consort is not up for sharing.”

”You’re taking this seriously now, aren’t you?” He Wenyu slapped Luo Qianqian on the back and burst into laughter.

If he took it seriously, Luo Qianqian, how would you treat him? Xu Tianyi turned on the shower, letting the warm water cascade over his blushing cheeks, and felt as if he cared about the answer.