Chapter 27: Big Brother Liu

    When the siblings returned home, Grandma Li didn’t pay much attention to them. The two siblings put the sausages they bought into the fridge and placed the bread on the shelf next to it.

    After that, they exchanged looks as the delicious aroma of Grandma Li’s cooking filled the air.

“Grandma, we’re home,” Li Yifei called out.

“Mhm.”

Grandma Li responded curtly.

Li Yifeng peeked over the stove.

“You’re making braised pork ribs!”

“I can see that. No need to shout,” Grandma Li replied.

    Memories of Li Yifei’s fondness for braised pork ribs came to mind. Judging by the smell, these ribs were no ordinary dish. The aroma alone was mouthwatering, and she could only imagine how delicious the taste would be.

    The siblings decided not to bother Grandma Li.

    They stored their school bags in their room and then sat at the dining table to wait. Li Yifeng turned on the computer, logged into his sister’s game account, and asked her to help with drawing the random prize items to sell later.

    Meanwhile, Li Yifei prepared a notebook to write down basic math lessons for her tutoring students.

    The process felt similar to her distant friends during university days. They took on tutoring jobs for middle school students. The parents likely chose tutoring because their children struggled with the basics, just like her students today.

    After finishing on the computer, Li Yifeng took out his own homework and began working alongside his sister.

    The two quietly focused on their tasks in silence.

    Until their parents arrived home, they quickly cleared the table to prepare for the family dinner.

“Mom, are you making braised pork ribs today? It smells amazing,” their father said.

    “Yes. I received money from the kids, so I figured it’s time to nourish everyone. It doesn’t affect the family’s savings anyway,” Grandma Li responded.

“We should really thank our children,” their mother said, smiling at the two siblings.

    With their mother’s praise, the siblings beamed at each other. They wouldn’t say that they still had savings of their own.

“Today, we bought sausages and bread too,” Li Yifeng boasted.

    “In that case, we’ll let your parents take the braised ribs to work. They need nourishment too,” Grandma Li suggested.

“How can we take that?” their mother protested.

    “The kids already have bread and sausages. They can eat that for breakfast tomorrow.”

    Grandma Li concluded.

The kids, being the owners of the bread and sausages, nodded in agreement.

    “We all need to stay healthy. Vegetables are good, but meat is important too,” Li Yifeng chimed in.

    “That settles it then. We’ve already passed dinnertime by several minutes, so let’s start eating.”

    Grandma Li said, bringing the conversation to a close.

    Li Yifei wanted to say that Grandma Li’s braised pork ribs were an absolute delight. She finished her first bowl of soup quickly, prompting her mother to serve her another without Grandma Li saying a word to stop them.

    Li Yifei naturally didn’t refuse,

    Her brother glanced her way, envious. This led their father to serve him another portion as well.

    Dinner that night left everyone feeling full and content.

    After the meal, their mother turned to Li Yifei.

    “I see you’re still working on homework. Don’t worry about helping with the dishes—just finish your work.”

    In the past, Li Yifei would have jumped up to help, but now she had to prioritize completing the basic math workbook for her students. If her students grasped the concepts easily, she would continue earning tutoring fees.

Her friends would improve, and she’d make more money.

    By the time the math workbook was finished, it was already 10 p.m. Grandma Li had peeked into the room several times but didn’t tell her to go to bed.

    She probably didn’t want to disturb her granddaughter’s newfound dedication.

    The next morning, her parents had already left for work, and Grandma Li, always an early riser, was up preparing breakfast as usual.

    When Li Yifei woke up, the smell of sausages filled the air, along with fried eggs and bread. Needless to say, the siblings were more than full from their breakfast.

    Afterward, they headed to school. If it weren’t for the fact that lunch at school was free, Li Yifei would have liked to pack some of the leftovers for lunch.

    The atmosphere in class was as usual, with some classmates bringing math problems to Li Yifei, hoping she would solve them. But she refused, saying it was a waste of time. These classmates weren’t asking to exchange knowledge but merely to test her.

    Thus, Li Yifei didn’t feel guilty at all.

    After school, her study group gathered in the same spot. This time, Li Yifeng sat nearby, working on his own homework.

    “This is Li Yifei’s basic math notebook,” Li Ying announced as she distributed photocopies to everyone.

    Lu Han took a copy with a look of disbelief and glanced at Xu Kai. Although Li Yifei had recently improved, he wasn’t entirely convinced that she would continue excelling. However, because of Xiu Min, he decided to attend the study session.

    At the very least, he wanted Xu Kai—ranked 20th in their grade—to verify her abilities.

    “I had no idea there was such an easy way to understand basic math. I also bought a copy of the notes,” Xu Kai said.

    “Exactly! So today, everyone owes me 5 yuan each for the photocopies.”

    Li Yifei smiled at Li Ying’s gesture to collect the money.

    “All right, let’s work on our homework first. Once that’s done, I’ll explain more about basic math,” Li Yifei instructed.

    Soon after, the guard glanced in their direction, drawn by the excited voices of the students exclaiming.

    “Oh, I get it now!”

“Me too!”

“Li Yifei, you’re amazing!”

    The guard smiled to himself, shaking his head. At least they were gathered here studying rather than loitering around outside. It was good that they were staying within sight of the adults.

    A duty teacher also stopped by, curious about the noise, and peeked into the group.

    “Teacher, did I solve this correctly?”

“Sorry, I’m the PE teacher,” the duty teacher joked.

    The students groaned in disappointment, while the teacher checked his watch and said,

    “Well, if you’ve all got it, it’s time to head home. Don’t get home too late.”

“Yes, sir!” they replied in unison.

    After walking Li Ying to her father’s car, the group made their way to the bus stop. Suddenly, a large, expensive-looking motorcycle pulled up next to them.

    “Yifei.”

    A deep voice called out. Everyone stopped and turned to see a man in black leather motorcycle gear. He removed his helmet, revealing his face. He was strikingly handsome, though he wasn’t a teenager like the rest of the group.

    Images flashed in Li Yifei’s mind, identifying the man as Big Brother Liu—the very person whose so-called girlfriend had caused trouble for the original Li Yifei, leading to the accident that had changed her life.

Why was he here?

    “I was passing by, and here’s a get-well gift for you. I had to travel out of town for work, so I couldn’t visit you.”

    Big Brother Liu said, handing over a bag with the logo of a well-known, expensive foreign smartphone brand. Despite the country’s patriotic sentiment, this brand had managed to dominate the market.

If it were the old Li Yifei, she would have accepted it without hesitation.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid I can’t accept it,” she replied politely.

    Li Yifei knew this man was the root of all the problems. He claimed he couldn’t visit her because of work, yet he could have others come on his behalf instead. Also, an apology and taking responsibility should have happened earlier, not just now. It didn’t make any sense to her.

    She thought about how her parents and younger brother had to work to save up for medical expenses, and how Grandma Li had to sleep on the floor in the hospital.

    Big Brother Liu gazed at the beautiful girl in front of him, someone he had hoped to flaunt among his friends. He had always been blessed with good looks and wealth, and showering young girls with gifts usually made them view him as a prince.

    When he first heard about A’Yi attacking Li Yifei—a girl he admitted was stunning—and causing the accident, he hadn’t cared. After all, there were plenty of pretty girls in the city.

    But two days ago, he passed by a game cafe and saw an ad of a game featuring Li Yifei as the model. The same girl who used to love the gifts he bought her.

    It seemed the accident wasn’t as severe as A'Yi had claimed.

    After all, how could she be a model if she were seriously injured? So, he decided to rekindle their connection, but since he had deleted her number, the only option was to show up at her school.

    After waiting for a while, he finally saw Li Yifei leaving the school surrounded by boys.

    It seemed she must have quite the personality to have so many boys around her like this.

    Confidently, he greeted her, took off his helmet in a cool manner, and handed her an expensive phone, expecting her to accept it. To his surprise, Li Yifei refused.

“Why?” he asked, confused.

    “It’s an expensive gift, and I don’t want to trouble you. Besides, the whole situation was caused by you, Big Brother Liu. It’s best if we pretend we don’t know each other.”

Her words left him momentarily stunned.

    “It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave.”

    She then started walking away with her friends.

    Frustrated, he parked his motorcycle, got off, and started heading toward the group. But four boys quickly stepped in front of Li Yifei, blocking his way.

“This has nothing to do with you guys. Move,” he threatened.

“What’s going on here?” a male voice interrupted.

    Big Brother Liu turned to see a middle-aged security guard holding a baton, with the duty teacher also approaching.

    Sensing that things could get messy, he retreated to his motorcycle, glancing back as the group watched him.

    The teacher and security guard observed the man with the expensive motorcycle—a luxury well beyond a teacher’s salary—and felt relieved when he left. No one wanted any trouble.

“What happened here?” the teacher asked.

    “Nothing much. That man seemed to have misunderstood something. He tried giving Li Yifei a gift, and when she refused, he got aggressive,” one of the boys explained.

    The teacher nodded, understanding. With a student as beautiful as Li Yifei, all he could offer was some advice.

    “Make sure you escort Li Yifei home safely. Here’s my number. If anything happens on the way, call me or the police immediately,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

    The security guard and teacher then stood watching as the students boarded the bus together. It seemed the other three boys had agreed to escort Li Yifei and her younger brother home. Seeing this gave the adults peace of mind.

On the bus.

Li Yifei turned to her friends and said,

“I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all. You did the right thing by refusing him,” Xu Kai reassured her.

The other three chimed in agreement.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I kind of liked playing bodyguard for the beautiful lady,” Lu Han joked.

“Don’t worry, sis. I’m here for you,” Li Yifeng added.

    “That’s right. Li Yifei has a dependable brother and all of us,” Xiu Min said, his face showing determination.

    “But promise me, if you ever run into Big Brother Liu again, stay away from him. Don’t get into any trouble because of me.”

    Li Yifei insisted, as teenagers could easily get aggressive.

“Of course, I’ll run away as fast as I can,” Xu Kai said.

    “Same here. Knowing when to flee is an important skill. I’m definitely running,” Lu Han added with a laugh.

    Li Yifei turned to Xiu Min and Li Yifeng, who both nodded in agreement that they would avoid any confrontation.

    Li Yifei hoped Big Brother Liu wouldn’t show up again, especially after she had made her stance clear.

    And hopefully, there wouldn’t be any other admirers from her past popping up—one was scary enough.