Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

"We've arrived." The Panamera came to a smooth stop at the main entrance of the Triumph Hotel.

Bai Li unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't rush to get out of the car.

He turned to the side and looked at Zhang Qian in the passenger seat.

At this moment, Zhang Qian was gripping the expensive handbag tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Her breathing was slightly rapid, her chest heaving violently, and her eyes darting around.

She was about to face Zhang Yan, and the memories of being bullied flashed through her mind.

The malice of her adolescence was like thorns, stuck in her heart for so many years and still not completely removed.

"Are you scared?" Bai Li's voice was soft, yet it carried a comforting power.

"No...no," Zhang Qian denied instinctively, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed her. "It's just...I'm a little nervous. Big brother, is this outfit really suitable? Isn't it too flashy?"

She was still the ugly duckling who always hid in the corner. Suddenly, she was given swan feathers. Her first reaction was not to spread her wings and fly away, but to be afraid of being discovered that she was an imposter.

"Zhang Qian." Bai Li reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to turn her head to look at him.

"Look at yourself in this rearview mirror."

Zhang Qian followed his gaze.

A refined and aloof face was reflected in the rearview mirror.

The dark green velvet made her skin glow, and her blue hair was no longer a symbol of non-mainstream fashion, but rather a unique fashion icon.

"You are beautiful." Bai Li stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "Right now, you are more sophisticated than any other woman here."

"You are the lady of the car in the passenger seat of the Panamera, while they are just a group of passersby who can't even afford the wheels of this car."

"But remember, your confidence doesn't come from these clothes or this car."

Bai Li leaned in and gently pecked her lips. The kiss was light, but it felt like leaving a personal stamp.

"Your confidence comes from me."

"It is also how I see myself now, standing in different places with a clear view."

Zhang Qian felt a sudden boom in her mind.

In that instant, all the fear, inferiority, and anxiety vanished in that kiss and those words.

My brother is right.

I'm the eldest brother's man now, and I'm not the immature person I used to be...

Since my older brother thinks I'm good, what does it matter if the rest of the world thinks I'm bad?

"Yes!" Zhang Qian nodded heavily, the mist in her eyes dissipating, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

"Let's go, get off the bus."

The car door opened.

The two pairs of legs stepped out almost simultaneously.

Bai Li, dressed in a black overcoat, exuded an aura of power.

Zhang Qian took his arm, and their figures shone brightly in the winter sun.

Near the flower bed not far away.

Xia Qing had just returned from touching up her lipstick and was still showing off her husband-taming skills to Li Mengmeng.

"Let me tell you, Mengmeng, men are just like that. The more you ignore him, the more they get excited. I'll just give Bai Li a little smile later, and he'll definitely..."

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze was drawn to the Panamera that had just come to a stop.

Immediately afterwards, she saw Bai Li get out of the driver's seat.

At that moment, Xia Qing's heart skipped a beat.

So handsome.

Compared to the handsome young man he was in high school, Bai Li now possesses an unfathomable depth and nobility.

That confidence that emanates from his very bones is practically walking hormones.

And look at the woman next to him...

Xia Qing squinted and it took her a full three seconds to recognize who it was.

"Blue...blue hair?!" Xia Qing's voice changed.

That timid, spirited young woman who always keeps her head down, wears cheap clothes, and acts like a pushover?

How is that possible!

That dress...

Just by looking at the quality, you can tell it's worth a lot of money.

And those silver-white stilettos, are they a limited edition from Gucci this season?

A sense of crisis and jealousy clouded Xia Qing's judgment.

She even forgot the aloof persona she had just established with Li Mengmeng, and rushed over by lifting her skirt.

"Oh dear! Bai Li!"

Xia Qing wore what she thought was a charming smile, her voice sickeningly sweet, completely ignoring Zhang Qian standing next to Bai Li:

"Why are you so late? Mengmeng and I have been waiting for you for ages!"

She jogged up to Bai Li, pretending to naturally reach out to grab his other arm, while intentionally or unintentionally leaning against him, trying to rub her not-so-ample breasts against his arm.

However, Bai Li acted as if he hadn't heard or seen anything.

He didn't stop walking, and he didn't even glance at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air, and the smile on her face froze.

That was the most complete form of disregard.

It wasn't anger or disgust, but rather that I treated her like a roadside trash can, feeling that even glancing at her was a waste of time.

Li Mengmeng, who was following closely behind, almost burst out laughing.

Just then, Bai Li suddenly stopped.

Xia Qing's eyes lit up, thinking that Bai Li was playing hard to get, and she was about to go up and talk to him again.

But Bai Li turned his head, his gaze passing over her and landing directly on Li Mengmeng behind him.

Her face, which had been as cold as ice just moments before, instantly blossomed with warmth and joy.

"Those pigtails are powerful." Bai Li looked Li Mengmeng up and down, his gaze finally settling on the two fluffy pom-poms hanging down from her coat, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"And these two balls, they're quite white, quite round, quite cute."

This statement is a double entendre, carrying a mischievous edge that only men would understand.

Li Mengmeng, being quite the actress herself, immediately blushed and shook the fluffy ball in her hands, saying in her sweet, childlike voice:

"Really? I also think this outfit is perfect for meeting your brother!"

"Yes, indeed." Bai Li nodded, her eyes full of doting affection. "She's much more pleasing to the eye than some old aunties who try to look young."

After saying that, he turned around and led Zhang Qian and Li Mengmeng further inside.

Xia Qing was left standing alone, a few withered leaves swirling in the cold wind at her feet.

Her face turned pale and then flushed, and her nails dug deep into her flesh.

Ignoring me? And calling me an old auntie?

How dare he praise that cute Li Mengmeng right in front of me?

"Fine, fine... Bai Li, you're playing this game with me, aren't you?"

Xia Qing took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

She didn't feel humiliated; instead, she developed a more twisted idea.

He must have done it on purpose.

He just wanted to get my attention this way, to make me jealous!

He still cares about me, otherwise why would he deliberately praise Li Mengmeng to annoy me?

And... he even spent my money on clothes for that sassy young woman!

That's right. In Xia Qing's view, Bai Li would be hers sooner or later, so his money... would all be hers!

Xia Qing stared at Bai Li's retreating figure, a sickly smile appearing on her lips.

"Once you fall into my hands and marry me, I will definitely punish you properly."

"Then I'll make you lick my feet and serve me in bed day and night!"