I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

"cough."

Song Zixuan's eyes darted around the living room, his gaze finally settling on the Sony PS3 console connected to a 50-inch LCD TV in the corner.

His eyes lit up, and an idea immediately came to him.

"Then let's compete in games!"

Song Zixuan sneered inwardly.

He plays this game console every day, and I've completed all the games on it. Beating up a country bumpkin like Jiang Ye, who's never even touched a controller, would be as easy as crushing an ant.

If Jiang Ye backs down, then he can mock this guy to his heart's content, making him unable to lift his head, and making Xu Zhiyu unable to lift his head either!

It's ridiculous that she has to act aloof at home all day. It was clearly her mother who helped her get into the Song family, so Xu Zhiyu should be like her mother and try to please him every day!

But she always had a stern face on her face for him!

Who does she think she is?! If it weren't for her good looks...

Song Zixuan seemed to have found the perfect way to get revenge, and immediately ran to the TV cabinet to turn it on.

Turning to Jiang Ye, she said, "You're not chickening out, are you? Someone like you expects me to call you 'brother'?"

Jiang Ye ignored his provocation, walked over slowly, plopped down on the leather sofa, picked up a wireless controller and twirled it in his hand, the familiar feel bringing back fond memories.

In his past life, he was an average student, but gaming was definitely his forte. No matter what game it was, he could pick it up immediately after playing a few rounds.

Kid, you've really messed up.

Song Zixuan confidently opened "The King of Fighters".

This was his best game; he beat all the boys in his grade.

Jiang Ye leaned back on the sofa, relaxed.

"The King of Fighters, right? Okay."

"Then let's add another bet."

"You win. I'll get out of your house right now. I win. From now on, whenever you see me or your sister, stand at attention and call us 'brother' and 'sister'."

Song Zixuan scoffed dismissively.

"Bring it on! Don't cry if you lose! Best of five!"

Xu Zhiyu stood beside the sofa, quietly watching Jiang Ye, but did not stop him.

She trusted Jiang Ye from the bottom of her heart, and even though he lost later, she would not be dissatisfied with him in the slightest.

From the moment Jiang Ye insisted on coming to her house, she knew it must be for her sake.

The screen lights up, and you enter the character selection screen.

Song Zixuan skillfully selected Iori Yagami, Mai Shiranui, and Orochi—all powerful characters—and his grin stretched almost to his ears.

Jiang Ye casually pushed the joystick and selected three different characters.

Looking at the role he chose, Song Zixuan was immediately filled with confidence.

This guy clearly hasn't played this game before; he only plays weak characters.

He's going to win!

"Let's begin."

"Round 1! Ready—Go!"

As soon as the system notification sounded, Song Zixuan's Iori Yagami launched a fierce attack, attempting to strike first.

Jiang Ye's fingers moved.

There was no clattering of random keystrokes, only the extremely precise micro-operations of the thumb on the D-pad and keypads.

Parry, crouch, light punch to break the guard, followed by a smooth and fluid combo that launches the opponent into the air.

"Bang bang bang bang—KO!"

ten seconds.

Song Zixuan's Yagami Iori didn't even touch Jiang Ye's clothes before his health bar was instantly reduced to zero.

The living room was deathly silent.

Xu Zhiyu smiled slightly, picked up a piece of watermelon with a toothpick, and put it into Jiang Ye's mouth.

Jiang Ye stared at the screen and ate without thinking.

Song Zixuan's eyes widened as he stared intently at the defeat notification on the screen, his face alternating between pale and flushed: "You...you were just taking a chance! Let's try again!"

"The second game."

Jiang Ye remained expressionless.

The next fifteen minutes became the darkest moment of Song Zixuan's gaming career.

No matter what character he uses, no matter how he tries to create distance or attack at close range, Jiang Ye's characters seem to have mind-reading abilities, always able to predict his actions half a second in advance.

There are no fancy special effects clashes, only the most brutal basic combos, which keep Song Zixuan's character pinned in a corner and rubbed against him.

In the third round, a perfect kill.

In the fourth game, he made a comeback with a sliver of health remaining.

......

"KO!"

The notification sound of the fifth round ending echoed in the living room, and Song Zixuan's three characters lay neatly on the screen floor.

They lost all five games and didn't win a single match.

"Snapped!"

Song Zixuan slammed the handle on the sofa, his eyes instantly reddening.

The twelve-year-old boy's pride in his worldview was shattered in the way someone was most skilled at; the sense of defeat was more painful than being beaten up.

"You cheated! You definitely used cheat codes!"

He gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

Jiang Ye grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands, looking down at him condescendingly: "Can't handle losing?"

Song Zixuan bit his lip tightly and remained silent.

Jiang Ye didn't continue his mockery; instead, he changed the subject: "Want to learn that infinite aerial combo from earlier?"

Song Zixuan was stunned, looked up, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

"Your technique is too rough. When you were doing a combo, you were 0.2 seconds too slow in pressing the heavy punch button with your thumb, which caused too much aftercast delay and gave me an opening."

Jiang Ye casually pointed out his fatal weakness.

Actually, he made it up.

A difference of 0.2 seconds? He's not some gaming pro; how could he possibly detect such a tiny split second?

But Song Zixuan's expression changed.

He believed it.

Seeing this, Jiang Ye tossed the controller back into his arms, his tone softening slightly: "Call someone, call someone, and I'll teach you step by step, guaranteeing you'll be able to walk with impunity among the boys in your school from now on."

Slap me, then give me a treat.

This trick always works when dealing with these rebellious and ambitious kids.

Song Zixuan gripped the handle, his mind in turmoil.

The desire for dignity and the yearning to become stronger were locked in a fierce battle in my mind.

After a long pause, he lowered his proud head and whispered in a barely audible voice, "Brother..."

"Didn't you eat?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow.

"elder brother--!!"

Song Zixuan shouted with his eyes closed.

Jiang Ye pointed his chin at Xu Zhiyu beside him: "And her too."

Song Zixuan took a deep breath, turned to look at Xu Zhiyu, and called out with apparent reluctance, "Sister."

Xu Zhiyu didn't really want to respond.

But this was something Jiang Ye had fought for for her, and she didn't want to let him down.

So he nodded and hummed in agreement.

After hesitating for a moment, she looked at Song Zixuan and said, "There's some mung bean smoothie I made in the kitchen. Would you like some?"

Song Zixuan raised his face, his eyes still a little red, but he nodded very honestly.

"eat."