Are You My Older Brother?!

"Dad!"

Little Qian Renxue's big, bright eyes shone with deep-blue irises, full of happiness.

She sprang up and threw herself into Qian Xunji's arms. He happily scooped her up.

"Xue'er, how has your cultivation been lately?"

Little Qian Renxue pouted, looking a little unhappy. "Dad doesn't like Xue'er at all. The first thing you do is ask how my cultivation is going."

"How could that be? Dad loves Xiao Xue most of all. And I'm only asking because I care about you. Dad can't protect you forever, so you need to become strong too, Xue'er." On the surface, Qian Xunji still maintained his tall, mighty image in Little Qian Renxue's eyes. He knew Bibi Dong was waiting for an opportunity.

"Hmph~"

Little Qian Renxue was still unhappy.

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it. Dad just doesn't like me anymore."

Qian Xunji could only coax his precious daughter. "All right, all right. Dad was wrong. I won't say it again."

Only then did Little Qian Renxue calm down.

Then she looked at Qian Xunji and asked, "Dad, is Mom back?"

"She's back. She's at Grandpa Chrysanthemum's Botanical Garden." Qian Xunji didn't hide it. Torn in two directions, he felt that perhaps it would be better for his precious daughter to go over there.

"Then can I go see her?" Qian Renxue's eyes brimmed with hope. She longed for a mother's love.

Though her mother treated her with a loathing entirely opposite to the tender affection other mothers showed their daughters, and it broke her heart, she still hoped that one day her mother would truly look at her.

"Of course. She's your mother."

Qian Xunji smiled. Otherwise, how could he make Bibi Dong see clearly who she was, and stop her from ruining a young boy's life?

As she spoke, Little Qian Renxue grew nervous again and lowered her head. "But I'm worried Mom will be unhappy when she sees me..."

"It'll be all right. Your mom actually cares about you. She just doesn't know how to show it." Qian Xunji smiled.

"Really? But why doesn't Mom like me?" Little Qian Renxue just couldn't understand.

"All right. You just need to know that, deep down, your mom does care about you. Let's go see her now."

Qian Xunji was eager to get Bibi Dong and that little brat separated.

"Okay."

Little Qian Renxue was eager to go, too.

Bibi Dong had no idea what Qian Xunji was planning. He had already brought his daughter over.

At that moment, she was carefully tending a pot of lily-of-the-valley. The flower symbolized a fresh start.

She also had forget-me-nots, which stood for forgetting the past and starting over, to live a pure and happy life.

In short, she liked any flower that represented a new beginning.

When Little Qian Renxue arrived at the Botanical Garden, she didn't rush over to find her mother. She watched from a distance instead.

She had never seen her mother look happy.

How happy she looked. How wonderful. Little Qian Renxue wished more than anything that she could stand beside her mom and grow flowers with her.

She wanted to go over, but she didn't dare.

After thinking it over, she said, "Dad, I'd better not bother Mom. I don't want to make her unhappy."

Qian Xunji grew anxious. He had brought his precious daughter here so Bibi Dong would see who she was: a mother with a daughter.

What good was a princess's love?

The reason she enjoyed a life of luxury was that when the family needed her to make sacrifices, she was expected to give everything. A princess had no say in her marriage. She couldn't marry someone she loved; she could only marry someone who could bring benefits to the family and kingdom!

The more you had that others dreamed of, the more you had to shoulder!

There was no choice!

Even though he knew he'd been wrong and wanted to start over, to choose someone truly suitable this time, he still wouldn't agree.

"It's fine. Don't you want to stop someone else from taking your mom away?"

Little Qian Renxue was even more confused. "Why? Is someone going to take Mom away?"

Qian Xunji nodded. "Of course. There's an older brother who wants to take your mom away."

Little Qian Renxue grew angry at once. "Who wants to take my mom away? Even if Mom doesn't like me, I'll never let anyone take her away! Who is it? Who wants to take my mom away?"

Seeing his daughter's resolve, Qian Xunji relaxed. Once his precious daughter showed up, everything would be settled.

Before long, Little Qian Renxue spotted Li Pu. The way he and Bibi Dong spoke from the heart made her terribly jealous. It was as if Li Pu were her mother's child.

"Could it be because I'm a girl that Mom doesn't want to love me?" Little Qian Renxue seemed to have figured something out. Plenty of parents favored sons over daughters; not everyone was as lucky as she was, with parents who adored her completely.

Qian Xunji neither agreed nor denied it. He replied ambiguously, "Maybe."

Little Qian Renxue flew into a rage. "I won't accept that! I'm going to ask Mom and get a clear answer!"

Little Qian Renxue broke away from Qian Xunji and ran toward the Botanical Garden where her mother, Bibi Dong, was. Bibi Dong had been happily planting flowers with Li Pu, and her daughter's sudden appearance shattered her mood.

"Mom, who is he?"

Her daughter's sudden appearance startled Bibi Dong. She wasn't ready for Li Pu to meet her daughter yet.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" Anger colored Bibi Dong's face, though she still forced herself to hold back the urge to strike.

Little Qian Renxue kept staring at her mother, her face full of hurt and disappointment. "Mom, is it because you like boys and not girls? Is that why you hate me so much?"

Bibi Dong hadn't expected Qian Renxue to think that. She hated her only because Qian Renxue's birth had been a mistake. She had been tainted, then forced to keep the child under threat. If she'd conceived a child with the man she loved, she wouldn't have cared whether it was a girl or a boy.

"That's not for you to think about. Get out!"

If Li Pu hadn't been there, she would have slapped her long ago.

Seeing the adorable little girl Qian Renxue was, Li Pu felt an urge to scoop her up and lift her high.

Qian Renxue had been far too cute as a child. Her soft, beautiful golden hair framed her fair skin; her deep-blue eyes glistened with a hint of moisture. That elegant princess dress, all gold and silver, suited her perfectly.

"So this is your daughter. She's pretty cute."

The more unconcerned Li Pu seemed, the more upset Bibi Dong felt. She really wasn't ready yet.

Little Qian Renxue greeted Li Pu without a trace of happiness. She hadn't heard what he'd said before. Her little face turned angry as she glared at him. "Are you my older brother? You stole Mom's love from me. I don't like you at all. I hate you!"

That left Li Pu deeply shocked, and the other two were shocked as well.

P.S. South China F3, pay your respects! Great-Grandpa, where are you?!

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma, please bless us! May our results soar! May all your great-grandpas and great-grandmas bless readers with great wealth, career and academic success, and handsome, beautiful, wealthy partners.