A Challenge

The speaker was Si Jingyu, and as always, her lackey Si Shuiyun stood beside her.

"Little brother, I underestimated you. I thought you were the type who wasn't very interested in girls. I didn't expect you to be such a master at picking flowers. It's only been a few days, and you've already plucked that unattainable beauty from the sky."

"What do you mean 'not very interested in girls'? My sexual orientation is perfectly normal, okay?" Whether it was his imagination or not, Si Ming sensed a hint of dissatisfaction in the other person's tone, and quickly explained, "Besides, as a bodyguard, isn't it natural to build a good relationship with the person you're protecting? With trust as a foundation, we won't hold each other back in emergencies."

Si Huaruo didn't even look at the other person, and said, "I wondered who it was. It turns out to be the future clan leader. At such a turbulent time, why aren't you at home? What are you doing at the school?"

"Of course I'm here to visit my dear brother, and also to check on his work situation and see if he's being harassed by anyone. Otherwise, as his older sister, it's my responsibility to stand up for him."

"You're overthinking it. Sikong Ming is Sikong Ming; he's from outside the village. The feud between our two families has nothing to do with him. I wouldn't resort to such tactics."

"Indeed, I underestimated you. I apologize to you here."

Si Jingyu said something insincerely, then turned to Si Ming and said, "It seems you're fine with work. As your older sister, I'll just remind you to be careful of those vixens. They're masters at pretending to be innocent and deceiving naive young boys, especially the students at this school. They're all shrewd and not easy to deal with. You absolutely mustn't fall into their pink trap."

Si Huaruo immediately retorted, "Young Clan Leader, please rest assured, I will protect Sikong Ming and will never let those vixens succeed. Speaking of blood relations, I am his cousin."

She turned to look at Si Ming and said in a gentle, soothing tone, "Right, brother?"

Si Ming felt Si Jingyu's gaze, which was almost like a sharp weapon, and immediately felt extremely uneasy. These two were usually quite calm in private, so how come they turned into fighting cocks the moment they met? Their hostility towards each other was almost tangible, and they engaged in a war of words, sarcasm, and sarcasm without holding back. Could they have been enemies in a past life?

Although their mothers had a falling out, both of them clearly knew how to consider the bigger picture. For example, Si Jingyu specially arranged for Si Ming to protect Si Huaruo, treating her the same as everyone else simply because Si Huaruo was a member of the Water Mirror Manor clan. Si Huaruo, in turn, did not deliberately make things difficult for or exclude Si Ming just because he was Si Jingyu's younger brother.

"Well, I think..." Si Ming tried to interject, but no one paid him any attention.

Si Jingyu sneered, "Younger sisters are always just a burden, always trying to get their way by being coquettish and demanding their older brothers' care. They're nothing but a nuisance. Older sisters are the most reliable. It's only natural for an older sister to take care of her younger brother."

Si Huaruo made a gesture often used by villainous noblewomen in plays, and said with a forced smile, "Heh, young clan leader, you should really study some history. Fuxi Nüwa, the ancestors of humankind, were brother and sister. If you look through the myths and legends of various clans, you'll find that they are always brothers and sisters together; there's never been a precedent of siblings being together."

"By citing the examples of Fuxi and Nüwa, you clearly harbor treacherous intentions. No, it seems I must arrange for someone else to serve as your bodyguard."

"It is my prerogative to choose who serves as my guard; even the young clan leader has no right to interfere in this matter."

"This is between my brother and me; outsiders have no right to interfere!"

"I'm the younger sister, of course I have the right to speak!"

"She's just a cousin; compared to my own siblings, she's worlds apart!"

Si Jingyu spread her arms wide, making a gesture that indicated great activity.

"It's not that far. Even if there's a difference, it's only a tiny bit, and after rounding, it's practically nonexistent!"

Si Huaruo pressed her thumb against her index fingernail, making a trivial gesture.

The two glared at each other and exchanged words, but their behavior became increasingly childish.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain, especially two tigresses, who should never be put together.

Si Ming secretly asked Si Shuiyun, "Aren't you going to stop it?"

"There's no need. This is already the 1,325th time," Si Shuiyun said calmly, with a hint of despair in her voice.

"Speaking of which, one of the lead actors in your drama club encountered Anomalies and was seriously injured at home. It seems you won't have a chance to win the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling this year."

Si Jingyu changed tactics, no longer talking about emotional things, but mentioning concrete things to show her own advantages.

Si Huaruo's eyes were firm, and she said without flinching, "I will definitely win the title of Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling this year. You won't be smug for long."

After saying that, he put down his chopsticks, left his seat, and as he reached the restaurant entrance, he turned to Si Ming, "You're my personal bodyguard, how can I not follow you closely?"

"Uh..." Si Ming turned to look at Si Jingyu, and seeing that she didn't object, he replied, "Okay, I'm coming right now."

Si Jingyu watched the two figures disappear into the distance, and snorted twice, "Looks like we've been beaten to it... Oh well, letting the opponent win is the strong showing mercy to the weak."

Chapter 290 Challenge

"What are we going to do now? There are only three days left until the official performance, and we can't find an actor to replace Zhu Xuanhuai at all... Sigh, even if we find a suitable replacement, coordination between them will be a problem."

After leaving the restaurant, Si Huaruo immediately sighed, showing none of the confident demeanor she had displayed in front of Si Jingyu.

Si Ming laughed and said, "Seeing how confidently you spoke in front of the young clan leader, I thought you had come up with a solution."

Si Huaruo asked, puzzled, "Young Clan Leader? Why are you being so formal? Don't you call her 'Sister'?"

Si Ming thought to himself, "I'm in trouble. I've slipped up without realizing it." Just as he was about to make up an excuse, he heard Si Huaruo say thoughtfully, "That's right. After all, you've lived outside for so many years. The people in your Lineage are probably all strangers to you... Hey, even though you're not exactly close, she's really putting on airs like a big sister. In the end, we all started from the same point."

She came up with a plausible answer herself, saving Si Ming the trouble of fabricating it. He was worried that the other party would find suspicious points after careful examination, so he quickly changed the subject to divert attention.

"Speaking of which, why is your relationship so bad? Is it because of a feud between your elders?"

"To say that I wasn't affected at all would be a lie, but that's not the main reason. The real reason is... what was it again?" Si Huaruo scratched her head.

"Don't ask me! You can't even remember the reason, yet you've argued with her over a thousand times."

Si Ming increasingly felt that this seemingly mature and composed young lady was actually quite eccentric and not very good at handling unexpected events.

"Sigh, after so many battles, the reasons are no longer important; what matters is the result! In short, I can lose to anyone else, but I'm determined not to lose to her!" Si Huaruo clenched her small fist and said firmly.

Upon hearing this, Si Ming couldn't help but mutter to himself that for these two, the result was probably not important; what mattered was the process of the fight. Wasn't this a common occurrence, like Vegeta and Sun Wukong?

"Let's not talk about that. I was disturbed earlier and came out before I finished eating. I'm still not full. How about we go have a cup of tea and some snacks and dried fruit?"

She muttered to herself, "What a waste of food, I really feel bad for the chef, but this is all Si Jingyu's fault, I'm a victim too."

In fact, Si Ming was about 70% full and felt that was enough, but since the other party had already said so, he naturally couldn't refuse again, otherwise it would be suspected of being sarcastic.

"The teahouse is right next door, let's go in."