Seeing Wanwan make her move from a short distance away, Lin Yang'er ran over excitedly, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "Sister Wanwan is so amazing! She defeated Brother Xie in one go!"

Xie Yongnian was very concerned about his reputation. When Lin Yang'er mocked him with such exaggerated gestures, his face flushed red and then turned pale. He lowered his head, feeling both ashamed and angry.

Lin Yang'er was too young to understand why Xie Yongnian was doing this. Seeing him lower his head, she shouted as if reporting military intelligence, "Sister Wanwan, look, Brother Xie's ears are all red!"

"Whose ears are red?" Xie Yongnian looked up abruptly upon hearing this, his eyes reddening as if he were deeply ashamed. "Don't talk nonsense!"

Although Lin Yang'er was unconvinced, she was frightened by Xie Yongnian's angry appearance. She took a step back, grabbed the hem of Wanwan's clothes, and pressed herself against her. "That's how it is..."

Xie Yongnian broke free from Wanwan's grasp, hurriedly regaining his balance. His face turned a deep purplish-red, his neck swelled, and his ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed. "Xiao Qi! Wanwan! You're not good friends!"

Being a child, Xie Yongnian became so agitated that his eyes welled up with tears and his body trembled.

Despite being dressed in a Wanwan uniform and being mocked by Lin Yang'er, he still brought Xiao Qi along.

Xiao Qi, standing to the side, lowered his brow and silently rubbed his forehead.

Xie Yongnian looked at Wanwan and pointed at her excitedly, "Friends should help and guide each other. Not only did you not help me, but you also brushed me off and laughed at me!"

As he spoke, Xie Yongnian became so moved that he burst into tears, and he quickly reached out and wiped his face haphazardly.

Lin Yang'er, still angry at his harsh words, retorted, "A real man uses words, not fists. Why are you crying like this? It's petty."

Xie Yongnian choked, his chest heaving with anger, his shame and rage intensified, his eyes reddened, and he looked at Wanwan with even greater fury, like a small bronze bull that had been set ablaze.

"Wanwan! It's all your fault! You made me get laughed at!"

Xie Yongnian's voice trembled slightly, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face, quickly staining his chest and sticking his eyelashes together.

"They go to other people's homes to fight, and when they can't win, they blame others."

Lin Yang'er didn't back down at all. Seeing Xie Yongnian shed tears, she became even more playful and spoke without any sense of propriety. She even acted like a little adult, tilting her head and chin up to criticize Xie Yongnian.

"Exactly!" Wanwan stood on the same side as Lin Yang'er. "Sore losers, yet they call themselves little men!"

"slightly!"

The two little girls stuck out their tongues and made a face at Xie Yongnian.

Xie Yongnian, whose sore spots had been repeatedly hit, was so angry that he almost fainted. Suddenly, he fell silent, trembling like a leaf. He glared at the three men, his eyes flashing with an unusual sharpness.

Even Xiao Qi, who hadn't interfered at all, couldn't escape his fierce glare.

Meeting his red eyes, Wanwan suddenly felt a pang in her heart, belatedly realizing that she might have gone a bit too far.

I hate you all!

However, it was too late. Xie Yongnian angrily threw down those words and turned to run away. Just by watching his departing figure, Wanwan could almost feel his visible anger and grievance.

Wanwan felt a pang of shame and suddenly felt flustered. She cautiously tugged at Xiao Qi's sleeve, leaned close to his ear, and tentatively asked, "Brother Xiao, haven't we gone a bit too far...?"

Her tone softened, and Wanwan truly regretted it.

When Xiao Qi looked down at her, their eyes met.

At this moment, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, like ripples on the surface of a lake stirred by a gentle breeze—tiny, yet impossible to smooth out.

Her eyes were as clear as lemons in a glass bottle on a summer day, so transparent that you could not only see the colors but also smell their fresh scent.

Those eyes looked at Xiao Qi with pleading and trust. The moment their gazes met, it was as if a small firework exploded before Xiao Qi's eyes, bursting out with dazzling brilliance.

A current seemed to run through Xiao Qi's heart, and a surge of heat flowed from the spot where Wanwan was gripping.

Therefore, even though he did nothing, Xiao Qi nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Wanwan immediately became anxious. "Brother Xiao, what should we do? Shall we go apologize to Brother Xie?"

Her moist eyes were half anxious and half pleading. Xiao Qi awkwardly turned his face away, avoiding her gaze, and replied in a deep voice, "Mm."

Upon receiving the reply, Wanwan felt as if she had received an invisible encouragement. She grabbed Xiao Qi's arm and pulled him toward the direction Xie Yongnian had left.

"Then let's hurry up and go, or Brother Xie will be far away!"

Xiao Qi's heart stirred, and he reached out and pulled her back, pinching her small shoulders as if he were disciplining a little sister.

The cold glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by tenderness. He patiently asked, "You just made him so angry, are you really going to apologize empty-handed?"

Wanwan immediately understood and perked up again, grabbing Xiao Qi's arm once more, "Then Brother Xiao, accompany Wanwan to make a gift! Let's go, let's go!"

Xiao Qi was so exasperated by this fussy little dumpling that he had no choice but to go along with her, letting her take his hand and follow her to the warehouse where the timber was stored.

Smelling the fresh, woody scent filling the room, Xiao Qi's eyes were clouded with doubt. "What's this?"

Wanwan, however, was already busy selecting wood from the pile of timber. "Wanwan has been learning wood carving from her uncle for a few days, and now she's going to make a wood carving for Brother Xie."

After saying that, she started searching carefully again.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi's face darkened further. The image of the extremely ugly wooden toy that Wanwan had made to coax him a few days ago flashed before his eyes—a small wooden block that resembled him in every way except for its name.

He still keeps it carefully in a hidden compartment in his desk.

He had thought it was for his own enjoyment, but seeing Wanwan so casually offering the same toy to someone else, he felt a pang of jealousy and firmly said, "No."

Why?

Wanwan turned around in confusion, "When I gave it to Brother Xiao last time, he clearly liked it very much."

That's different.

Xiao Qi held back the words that were about to escape his throat, cleared his throat, and put on a serious expression as he patiently explained, "The gifts are all unique. If you give a similar one, the sincerity of your apology will be halved."

"I see..." Wanwan was half-believing and half-doubting as she slowly slid down from the pile of wood, muttering to herself in distress, "Then I'll just have to look for something again."

"Then I'll give this to Brother Xie!"

The gloom on Wanwan's face vanished, replaced by a happy and relaxed smile. She carefully took a delicate little pouch from her pocket, and even more carefully poured out a tiny pearl.