"I should eat double," Four Eyes whispered mischievously into Ling Li’s ear.
Ling Li’s face turned a deep shade of crimson, fully understanding the substance behind his words.
"Mom, your face is all red. Are you having an allergic reaction? Did you eat sothing strange?" Ren asked, his voice filled with concern.
Ling Li’s embarrassnt only deepened under Ren’s worried gaze.
"Ren, give Mom a break. Paps is just teasing her," Shi Min interjected with a playful smirk.
Ling Li wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
"You! How could you bully your mother like that?" Ling Li retorted, trying to maintain her dignity.
"Mom, I’m just trying to help you," Shi Min replied with an innocent look that belied his mischievous intent.
Ren and Shun couldn’t help but giggle at the playful banter between their brother and mother.
"Is Lily alright, Mom?" Shi Min asked, his tone suddenly serious. Mushu had told him about the incident at the jewelry store.
"She’s fine, son," Ling Li reassured him.
"Why? What happened?" Four Eyes asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Um, nothing important," Ling Li tried to deflect.
"Tell ," Four Eyes insisted.
"I’ll tell you tonight," Ling Li promised, hoping to delay the conversation.
"Your sister played a trick on Lily," Chatty blurted out, unable to keep the secret any longer.
Four Eyes turned to Ling Li, his eyes wide with surprise. "Really? What kind of trick?"
Ling Li sighed, knowing there was no escaping the story now. "It was just a harmless prank, but it caused quite a stir at the jewelry store."
Ren and Shun leaned in, eager to hear more. "What did she do?" they asked in unison.
Ling Li smiled despite herself, the tension easing as she recounted the day’s events. "let’s discuss this when we get ho."
Why didn’t you tell ?" Four Eyes implored, his voice tinged with frustration.
"I was going to tell you when we got ho," Ling Li replied, trying to keep her tone calm.
"No, you wouldn’t have," Four Eyes shot back, shaking his head.
During dinner, Nina sat beside Lily, which made Mr. and Mrs. Xu visibly anxious. They had already lost face at the jewelry store and were on edge, fearing Nina might cause another scene.
"I’ll handle it," Mushu reassured the elderly couple, who seed unable to sit still as they watched their daughter.
Fatty, knowing Lily’s love for prawns, began peeling them and placing them on her plate with a gentle smile.
"Can I have so too?" Nina asked Fatty sweetly, her eyes wide and pleading like a puppy’s.
"Waiter, peel so prawns for this little girl," Mushu ordered, his voice carrying authority.
Everyone turned their attention to Mushu, and all eyes then shifted to Nina.
"What are you up to now?" Chu Yan asked Nina, suspicion lacing his words.
"I only want so prawns," Nina said innocently, her eyes wide with feigned innocence.
"She wants Fatty to peel them for her," Mushu added, his voice tinged with amusent.
"I just saw him peeling them for Lily," Nina retorted, her tone defiant.
"So, you think you’re Lily now?" Chatty couldn’t help but butt in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Just then, the servers arrived with a plate of freshly peeled prawns. "Here are your peeled prawns, miss," one of them said, placing the plate beside Nina.
What happened next took everyone by surprise. Nina, with a nonchalant expression, took so prawns from the plate the waiter had given her and placed them on Lily’s plate. Then, she took the prawns that Fatty had peeled for Lily and put them on her own plate.
"Let’s exchange," Nina said with a poker face as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"!!!!"
Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide with shock. But Fatty was quick to act. He imdiately took all the prawns from Lily’s plate and set them aside. Then, with a gentle smile, he picked up a prawn he had already peeled and brought it to Lily’s mouth.
"I’ll feed you," Fatty said softly, not wanting to put the prawn on Lily’s plate again, fearing Nina might steal it once more.
Lily’s cheeks flushed with embarrassnt, but she eventually opened her mouth to receive the food from Fatty.
The room fell silent for a mont, the tension palpable. Then, Ren and Shun burst into laughter, breaking the awkward silence. Their laughter was infectious, and soon, everyone at the table was chuckling, the earlier tension dissipating.
"Fatty! You are really my man!" Chatty applauded, his voice filled with admiration.
Nina’s face flushed with fury, but she could only endure the humiliation in silence.
Four Eyes was visibly enraged by his sister’s actions, his fists clenched tightly. Their parents were too embarrassed to lift their heads, and their sha was palpable.
"Relax," Ling Li whispered, placing a calming hand on Four Eyes’ arm.
"Um," Four Eyes grunted, trying to rein in his anger.
Later, after they arrived ho, Four Eyes turned to Ling Li. "You check on the twins. I’ll see my parents."
Ling Li nodded, understanding his unspoken intention. She knew he would definitely confront Nina.
Nina was already facing their parents’ wrath when Four Eyes stord into the room.
"Are you here to reprimand too?" Nina yelled, her voice defiant.
Without a word, Four Eyes slapped Nina so hard that she was knocked off her feet. They had been training hard and even learned martial arts; he knew exactly where to hit.
Nina’s face instantly swelled, her lips bled, and several of her teeth were loosened.
"Nina, this is my last warning," Four Eyes said, his voice cold and nacing. "Take my word, do anything foolish again, and I will never let you go. I have spared you, again and again, even my wife. But if you touch her daughter, you are digging your own grave! If you are not afraid of death, do it!"
With that, Four Eyes turned and left the house, his words hanging heavily in the air.
"Nina, you know your brother well. He doesn’t speak much. You better heed his words. For him to say so many words, you should listen," Mrs. Xu said, trying to reach her daughter’s sanity.
Nina sat on the floor, her face a mix of pain and shock. She had never seen her brother so furious, and his words echoed in her mind. She knew she had pushed too far this ti.
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