The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Qin Lili gently pressed down on the little hand that had committed the crime. She could feel the little girl's hand tremble slightly before she started to pull it back.

But Qin Lili didn't let go. She nudged her younger sister and looked at the slightly flustered little girl in front of her.

After hearing Qin Lili ask her if she wanted to try it, the little girl stopped struggling.

Curiosity and a sweet tooth ultimately triumphed over the panic of being caught.

She glanced around to make sure no one else had noticed the transaction in this corner, then nodded.

Qin Lili found the child interesting. She let go of his hand, picked up a glass of a pretty-colored drink from the table, which contained only a little alcohol, and shook it in her hand.

But instead of giving it to her, he bent down slightly, looked into the little girl's eyes, and asked:

"Then tell me your name. If you tell me, I'll let you have a taste."

The little girl was clearly wary of her unfamiliar older sister. Her lips were tightly pursed, and she looked at Qin Lili, then at the drink in her hand, her mind in turmoil.

Ultimately, her desire for the adult drink overcame her wariness, and she whispered two words:

Xia Qing.

"Xia Qing..."

Qin Lili read the name aloud, looked at the child in front of her, and knew that the child had been lured away by the drink in her hand:

"Then why were you so cold to me just now? You didn't say a word and just turned and left."

She deliberately used the word "cold" to see the child's reaction.

Xia Qing looked blankly at his words, blinked twice, and clearly did not understand what he said.

Seeing that his expression seemed genuinely unaware, Qin Lili began to suspect again that it might be related to triplets, so she changed her question:

"Who did you come with?"

"With Dad."

This time the answer was quick.

"Anything else? Mom, or sisters?"

Xia Qing shook her head:

"That's all."

Her attention was completely drawn to the cup in Qin Lili's hand, and she felt that answering so many questions was enough to earn her the reward.

She stretched out her little hand, pointed to the cup, and said confidently:

"You should give it to me now."

Qin Lili thought that this child was really interesting; his wariness came and went quickly, and he could even bargain.

She didn't press the matter further, afraid that if she asked too many questions, the little one would get impatient and angry, which wouldn't be fun. So, with a "you win" look on her face, she handed him the drink.

Xia Qing's eyes lit up immediately. She held the cup in both hands, but didn't rush to drink. First, she smelled the aroma, and then slowly took a small sip.

As soon as she took a sip, her little face scrunched up, and her features all scrunched up together.

But then slowly, little by little, it relaxed, its eyes slightly narrowed, as if savoring the somewhat stimulating taste.

Finally, like a little adult, he let out a satisfied "ha" softly.

Qin Lili watched her adorable expression and found it quite endearing. She also picked up a drink, leaned against the table, and slowly took a sip.

In fact, Qin Lili was not very old at that time, but her special family environment had made her used to drinking. Her family even intentionally cultivated her ability to appreciate alcohol beyond that of her peers.

Just then, a man's voice came from the side:

"Xiao Qing, this is not a drink you should be drinking."

Xia Qing shuddered and instinctively tried to hide the cup in her hand, but she stopped after only moving it slightly.

Because when she looked up and saw her father already standing in front of her, she knew that denying it was useless.

An Jianxing reached out and took the cup, without blaming him or anything, and just took it away.

Xia Qing watched longingly as the drink she had only taken a small sip of was gone, and her little mouth pouted again.

She only tried a tiny bit, just enough to get a whiff of the stimulation, and wasn't quite done yet.

But she just blinked and didn't say anything, letting An Jianxing take her little hand.

An Jianxing nodded to Qin Lili:

"The child is just being silly, please excuse him."

Qin Lili quickly smiled and said it was okay, but in her heart she thought, "Of course it's okay, I'm the one who gave your daughter that glass of wine."

Xia Qing was pulled away by her father, but after taking a few steps, she turned back and waved to Qin Lili.

Qin Lili smiled and waved to her. Looking at this little girl named Xia Qing, who was wearing a little skirt and secretly drinking alcohol, and had three faces, she was even more impressed.

Later, Qin Lili somehow found out Xia Qing's address.

She herself found it a little strange that she cared so much about a little girl she had only met once.

Perhaps it was Xia Qing's pure feeling that attracted her, someone who had been specially raised to find her peers boring and adults hypocritical.

She actually made a special trip to visit, ostensibly as a "passing by and paying a visit," but in reality, she wanted to see this interesting little sister again.

Later, Qin Lili's outgoing personality actually made her friends with Xia Qing, but as time went on, she gradually learned about Xia Qing's secret.

At first, she was shocked, but later, because of the innate chivalry in her bones, she felt a protective instinct.

This made her care for this special little sister even more.

However, due to family reasons, Qin Lili was arranged to work in her family's company at a young age and began to deal with the business she used to find tedious and boring, which reduced the time the two spent together.

But Qin Lili would still occasionally take time to visit her little sister, to play, to drink, and to complain.

However, a few years ago, Qin Lili resigned from the company suddenly due to some issues, despite her family's objections.

Ye Shu didn't want to know the specifics.

Qin Lili shouldered her backpack, determined to take advantage of her youth and see the beautiful landscapes of her motherland.

As Qin Lili was speaking, Ye Shu was sitting opposite her, sucking on a chicken foot. He noticed that Qin Lili didn't react much, but Xia Qing, who was drinking with her head down next to her, glanced at Qin Lili. Was that look... of heartache?

Since then, Qin Lili has been like a drop of water falling into the ocean, drifting aimlessly for a long time.

They would occasionally send a few stunning photos of scenery from somewhere, or a random comment, and then disappear without a trace.

Xia Qing knew she was safe, but she didn't know where she was or when she would return.

Not long ago, Qin Lili returned like a gust of wind.

Her once fair and delicate skin had turned wheat-colored, and her eyes were more carefree and deeper than when she left.

She didn't elaborate on her specific experiences over the past few years, simply glossing over it with the phrase "Sister is back."

As Qin Lili finished speaking, she picked up a beer can and took a sip. She looked at Ye Shu, then at Xia Qing, who had remained silent beside her.

"so."

She put down the beer can, looked at Xia Qing beside her, and said:

"You see, when I met this little girl, she was just a tiny kid sneaking drinks. I've practically watched her grow up. So, to me, she's not just a friend, she's more like my little sister."

She turned to stare at Ye Shu, the smile vanishing from her face, replaced by a very serious scrutiny:

"Now, I'm back from my trip. And I've discovered that my silly little sister has you by her side now."