Huayu: Starting with binding the front desk

"I am Wang Zhe." Wang Zhe shrugged helplessly.

Tian Xiwei felt an itch to punch him when she saw his smug expression.

"I mean, you're Wang Zhe, the one who sang 'The Wind Rises'?"

Wang Zhe nodded: "You only recognize me now?"

"Hehe, I didn't expect that." Tian Xi smiled sweetly, but her hand gestures were anything but "sweet girl".

Without saying a word, she punched Wang Zhe in the shoulder, saying, "That little crybaby from back then can actually sing so well."

After she finished hitting the target, she turned around and started walking, her ponytail swinging behind her head: "Let's go, I'll take you for a walk on Jiefang Road."

……

When the two arrived at Jiefang Road, Tian Xiwei led Wang Zhe through the winding streets and alleys.

She held a box of freshly bought glutinous rice cakes in her hands, stuffing them into her mouth one by one, her cheeks bulging. She didn't forget to introduce Wang Zhe to her all the way—which snack stall was delicious, which was expensive and bad, and which owner was so stingy that he couldn't even spare an extra spoonful of chili.

"Wang Zhe, how many days will you stay at your grandmother's house this time?" Tian Xiwei suddenly asked.

Wang Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Three days, I'll go back the day after tomorrow afternoon."

"How about I take you to Anding Ancient Town tomorrow? There's an iron flower performance tonight," Tian Xi suggested, her eyes sparkling.

"That's possible..."

Wang Zhe looked at her suspiciously, "But why are you suddenly being so enthusiastic towards me?"

He glanced at the system panel—Tian Xiwei's favorability rating was only 10, which was just the level of a "familiar stranger".

For that amount, why would he actively ask me out?

Tian Xiwei's smile froze for a moment, then she said nonchalantly, "That's because I listened to Aunt Li, of course. Didn't she ask you to show me around... no, to show you around?"

"Really?" Wang Zhe stared intently into her eyes.

Although Xiaotian is not as refined and beautiful as she is in later generations, her big eyes are undeniably beautiful.

Tian Xiwei's eyes darted around nervously under his gaze, and she finally gave in.

"Um...actually, I wanted to go, but my mom disagreed."

"So, you're using me as an excuse?"

Tian Xiwei put her hands behind her back, tilted her head to look at him, and asked confidently, "So, are you going or not?"

  

"Of course I'll go," Wang Zhe said without hesitation.

Tian Xiwei got the answer she wanted and smiled from the bottom of her heart, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: "You're not that bad. I'll forgive you for what happened this morning."

Wang Zhe was taken aback: "So... what you said about forgiving me earlier was a lie?"

"Huh?" Tian Xi blinked, looking completely innocent. "I said 'I won't hold it against you anymore,' not 'I forgive you.'"

"OK……"

Wang Zhe was completely convinced.

"Alright, alright, don't worry about the details."

Tian Xi pointed ahead, her tone suddenly becoming excited, "Let's go, that fried food stall up ahead is especially delicious!"

After saying that, without giving Wang Zhe a chance to refute, he dashed to the fried food stall and joined the queue.

As the two men carrying fried skewers stepped out of the shop, they bumped into two girls.

"Hey, isn't this the campus belle of Tian University?" The girl at the front raised an eyebrow.

Her gaze first fell on Tian Xiwei, then on Wang Zhe's face beside her, and she thought to herself: This guy is quite handsome.

But when she saw that Wang Zhe was standing with Tian Xiwei, her tone immediately turned sour: "Did she change boyfriends again? How shameless."

"Does your boyfriend know you're flirting with other people's boyfriends at school?" another girl chimed in, and the two exchanged a glance and laughed smugly.

Tian Xi glared at them, bit her lip, and said in a low voice, suppressing her anger, "Wang Zhe, ignore them, let's go."

Today, it was only because Wang Zhe was around that she retorted; normally, she would have already yelled back.

Wang Zhe glanced at the two girls and immediately understood—this was probably the story of Tian Xiwei being bullied during high school.

These two people in front of me are clearly the main characters.

Tian Xi took a couple of steps and realized that Wang Zhe hadn't followed, so she turned back to pull him.

But Wang Zhe had no intention of leaving just like that.

Putting aside the fact that this is a good opportunity to improve Tian Xiwei's favorability, even if it were just an ordinary friend being slandered in the street, he couldn't possibly pretend not to hear it.

Before he could even speak, the two girls, seeing that he was standing still, preemptively struck.

"Hey buddy, are you staying because you want to stand up for your girlfriend?"

Wang Zhe smiled faintly: "She's not my girlfriend yet."

One of the girls' eyes lit up, and she took half a step forward: "So which school are you from? I've never seen you before. Also, you should stay away from her. Let me tell you, this Tian Xiwei is from our school..."

"Stop." Wang Zhe looked up, his expression a half-smile.

"Auntie, are you sure you're not mistaken? Is it possible—she's my sister?"

The two girls were taken aback by the word "auntie".

Wang Zhe didn't give them time to react, his mouth firing off like a machine: "And can you two watch your mouths? You just blurt things out like that? Just because a guy stands next to her doesn't mean they're dating?"

"If you go out with your dad, can I say you're dating a rich man?"

"And you..."

He turned to another girl and said, "What are you dreaming about? Auntie, look at the foundation on your face, it's almost as thick as pig skin, and you're still pointing fingers at others?"

The two girls were stunned by his retort.

As a reincarnated individual who has experienced the baptism of the internet, Wang Zhe's mouth has been honed by countless netizens; he can rattle off one clever phrase after another, giving his opponents no chance to interrupt.

The two girls initially tried to argue back, but later they were so embarrassed that they couldn't utter a single word.

Tian Xiwei watched from the side, her lips curving into a wide smile, her mood incredibly good.

However, seeing that Wang Zhe was still outputting, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm to pull him back.

"Sis, why are you pulling me? I haven't finished speaking yet..."

Wang Zhe was being dragged forward, but he didn't forget to turn back and yell at the two girls, "If I find out you're bullying my sister again, you two just wait! Do you know Zhang Qiang from No. 3 Middle School? You two better watch out..."

Tian Xi chuckled and pulled harder, dragging the loose-lipped "younger brother" away.

……

When the two returned to the neighborhood, it was already getting dark, and the streetlights cast their shadows long and short.

Wang Zhe walked ahead carrying fried skewers, eating as he went, the chicken skin crunching loudly as he bit into each skewer.

Tian Xiwei followed behind him, watching his back. After hesitating for a moment, she said softly, "Wang Zhe, thank you for today."

Wang Zhe swallowed the chicken skin in his mouth, turned around, and said with a surprised expression, "Oh, I didn't expect you to say thank you."

Tian Xiwei's touched expression vanished instantly, and she snatched the bag of fried skewers from his hand: "Then don't eat them, I paid for them."

Wang Zhe reached out to grab it, but missed. "Hey! I'm not full yet."

Tian Xiwei held the bag behind her back, tilted her head to look at him, and suddenly thought of something, her eyes narrowing: "Then call me 'sister' and let me hear it."

"Why shouldn't I call out?"

She took a step closer, a sly smile on her face: "You already called out in the alley, why shouldn't you call out now?"

"That was just now, and this is now." Wang Zhe turned his face away, refusing decisively.

"Then you shouldn't eat it." Tian Xiwei hid the bag behind her back even more.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't eat."

Wang Zhe put his hands in his pockets, quickened his pace, and walked forward with an air of great integrity.

Tian Xiwei stood there, watching his back, and suddenly felt a little panicked—was he really angry?

"Okay, okay, just kidding," she jogged after him, pulled a starch sausage from the bag, and offered it to him in a flattering manner, "Here, good little brother, have some."

Wang Zhe paused, glanced down at the starchy sausage, and then at her face, which was trying hard to suppress a laugh.

After a brief pause of about two seconds, he took the sausage with a blank expression and took a big bite.

Tian Xi breathed a slight sigh of relief and secretly smiled to herself.

She may be stubborn, but she's not hard to coax.

The two walked side by side, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Tian Xiwei, recalling what had just happened, asked again, "By the way, who exactly is this Zhang Qiang from No. 3 Middle School you mentioned?"

Wang Zhe chewed on a piece of starchy sausage and mumbled, "Nonsense, just something to scare those two punk girls."

"I knew it."

Tian Xi snorted, then realized something was off. "Besides, you called them delinquents, but you're clearly younger than them, aren't you?"

Wang Zhe looked at her and explained, "But what I did wasn't like a child's behavior, while what they did was. Just because their classmates are prettier or more outstanding, they block people? Isn't that just brainless?"

Tian Xi paused slightly, turned her head to look at him, and the light from the streetlamp fell on his profile.

She suddenly laughed, her voice very soft: "Are you complimenting me on my looks?"

Wang Zhe took a bite of sausage and replied in a nonchalant tone, "You can think that way."

Tian Xi was slightly taken aback, then a beautiful smile appeared on her lips.

She turned her head and looked at her younger brother, who was half a head taller than her and had a sharp tongue. As if possessed, she reached out and gently patted his head.

"Good brother."

Wang Zhe felt uncomfortable from her sudden touch and took a half step to the side, but ultimately couldn't avoid it.

Tian Xiwei withdrew her hand, stuffed the bag of fried skewers back into his hand, and quickly walked ahead.

As she walked ahead, a thought suddenly popped into her mind, light and fleeting, making her feel a little amused.

If Wang Zhe really is his own younger brother, that seems pretty good.

"Hurry up, Aunt Li will be calling you home for dinner soon."