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

Xu Zhiyu was lying on the living room table doing the homework her mother had assigned her.

But the cheerful laughter coming from next door kept her somewhat distracted.

Today is my younger brother's first birthday celebration.

She knew this; she had seen videos of her family's nanny's first birthday celebration for her daughter.

In the video, all the elders are surrounding the child in the middle, laughing and chatting, as if he were the baby of the whole world.

Xu Zhiyu has never had a baby's first birthday celebration.

When she was one year old, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Cheng Jinglan and Xu Hai were so busy with other things that they didn't have time to take care of her.

She spent that day alone.

Therefore, upon hearing the laughter from next door, Xu Zhiyu couldn't help but feel envious.

Unexpectedly, not long after, the door next door opened.

Then came the sound of Jiang Ye shouting "Sister!" from the doorway.

Xu Zhiyu panicked for a moment, then quickly got up, hitting her knee on the edge of the coffee table. She cried out softly, but didn't pay much attention and immediately ran to open the door.

At that moment, she completely forgot Cheng Jinglan's instructions.

She stood on tiptoe and opened the door.

The next instant, a little boy wearing a tiger-head hat jumped right into her arms.

Xu Zhiyu stumbled as she was being carried, holding the little boy in front of her, and staring blankly at Jiang Cheng and Hao Mei, completely at a loss.

"Aunt Hao..."

Hao Mei smiled.

"Today is Ono's first birthday celebration. He didn't choose anything; he came straight to you."

Xu Zhiyu blushed and looked down at Jiang Ye.

"I……"

This feeling of being cared for is hard to describe, but a kind of happiness just keeps bubbling up from the bottom of my heart.

Jiang Ye also stepped out of Xu Zhiyu's arms, took her hand, and took the opportunity to invite her, his sweet voice reaching Xu Zhiyu's ears.

"Sister, stay with me."

"what?"

Jiang Cheng's eyes darted around.

"What do you mean, Ono? Do you want to go out for dinner together? We have a lot of food at home today."

Hao Mei nudged him with her elbow.

Jiang Cheng immediately whispered to her, "Our son is smart. He found himself a beautiful wife since he was young. We have to help him hold on to her."

Hao Mei rolled her eyes at him.

I disagree.

She naturally liked Xu Zhiyu, but her parents were no pushovers; they probably looked down on her family from the bottom of their hearts.

If Xu Zhiyu is treated as a daughter-in-law, then there will be no shortage of troublesome and unpleasant things to come.

She would rather her son marry an ordinary wife.

But then Hao Mei realized she was overthinking it.

My son is only one year old, why are you thinking so far ahead?

Since my son likes it, it would be great if the two kids could become playmates.

So she half-squatted down and patted Xu Zhiyu's head.

"Little Fish, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Want to come with us?"

Xu Zhiyu had one hand held by Jiang Ye, while her other hand nervously clutched her clothes.

After more than half a year, her clothes were no longer princess dresses, but a simple cotton-padded jacket and trousers.

But clearly, the face is the best fashion accessory.

Wearing this ordinary outfit on Xu Zhiyu, it looked no different from a children's fashion show.

"Auntie, I...I'm not going. I have food at home."

"There's food? What is it?"

Dumplings.

Hao Mei frowned: "Is it frozen? How can a child eat something so devoid of nutrition?"

Xu Zhiyu pursed her lips and remained silent, lowering her head. It was clear that she was still struggling with her inner turmoil.

Jiang Ye squeezed Xu Zhiyu's hand.

"Sister, are you afraid of your mother?"

Xu Zhiyu opened her mouth slightly.

Jiang Ye looked into her eyes and said, "It's okay, we'll do it secretly, as long as she doesn't know."

Xu Zhiyu blinked, looking somewhat dazed.

"Sneaky?"

"Okay, come to my house for dinner, and go home right after you finish. Just don't let your mom know."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiyu suddenly realized something.

Yes, Mom doesn't allow her to have contact with Aunt Hao's family, so she has always been obedient.

Even though she really wanted to talk to Aunt Hao and her younger brother, she held back.

Now that I think about it, wouldn't it have been better to just do it secretly and not let her find out?

And so, by a twist of fate, a seed of rebellion took root and sprouted in Xu Zhiyu's heart.

Hao Mei was shocked that her son had said such a long thing.

After all, this kid has always been quiet since he was little, doesn't talk much, and isn't as active and noisy as other children his age; he's like a little adult.

It looks even more like it now.

They've even learned to lie and deceive!

Hao Mei immediately shot Jiang Cheng a glare.

She must have learned it from her dad!

Jiang Cheng felt a chill.

He shuddered, his face full of bewilderment.

But at this moment, Hao Mei couldn't very well scold her son and husband. She smiled and said to Xu Zhiyu, "Little Yu, no matter what, eating and growing up is the most important thing."

"Auntie made braised pork ribs today."

Xu Zhiyu immediately swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Neither Cheng Jinglan nor Xu Hai can cook.

She ate either fast food or vegetables that Cheng Jinglan brought back from the dance class cafeteria every day.

It's been a long time since I've had anything fresh.

Appetite triumphed over reason.

So, she found herself walking into Jiang Ye's house without even realizing it.

As she stepped onto the solid wood floor, the warm midday sun shone on her face from the living room. For some reason, Xu Zhiyu felt inexplicably at ease, and a long-lost smile appeared on her lips.

[Task complete.]

The 1000 yuan in cash has been placed under the sofa.

An hour later, Xu Zhiyu walked out of Jiang Ye's house, clutching her stomach, and secretly looked around the stairwell again and again.

Then he turned around and bowed to Hao Mei and Jiang Cheng.

"Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, the food is delicious!"

After saying that, she turned around and went home, her ears bright red.

Hao Mei couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"This child."

But then Jiang Ye called out to her.

Xu Zhiyu turned around, looking puzzled, only to see her younger brother running back to the living room. A short while later, he took out something and squatted down in front of her.

To Xu Zhiyu's astonishment, he yanked open her trouser leg, revealing her scraped and swollen knee, which stood out starkly against the girl's fair skin.

As the cold air rushed in, Xu Zhiyu's legs shivered.

"Ah...Ano..."

Jiang Ye took out a band-aid, put it on the wound, and then quickly pulled down his trouser leg.

She looked up and smiled at Xu Zhiyu: "Be careful next time, sister."

A warm feeling washed over Xu Zhiyu.

"Um."

……

In the middle of the night, Jiang Ye carefully got up, crawled under the living room sofa, and successfully pulled out a thick stack of 1000 yuan in cash.

Then he hid it in a more secluded corner, unable to resist letting out a snickering laugh.

From now on, this will be the starting capital for me to become rich after my rebirth!

……

After the baby's first birthday celebration, Jiang Ye would occasionally bring Xu Zhiyu to his house to play when Cheng Jinglan and Xu Hai were not around.

Jiang Ye went to great lengths to ensure her healthy growth, both physically and mentally.

This includes, but is not limited to, calling Xu Zhiyu "sister" and pretending to be cute to make Xu Zhiyu laugh.

Even my past self wasn't this enthusiastic.

At that time, he didn't know anything; he just thought the older sister was pretty and wanted to play with her.

But by then, Xu Zhiyu had already closed herself off, and it was impossible for a child who knew nothing to open her heart.

Children are always impatient, and seeing that Xu Zhiyu did not give him the response he expected, Jiang Ye gradually gave up.

Now that he knows the reason for Xu Zhiyu's cold personality, Jiang Ye is finally able to find the right solution and successfully cultivate two faces in Xu Zhiyu.

To outsiders, Xu Zhiyu is polite but distant.

She smiled gently at him.

Perhaps it was because she always remembered that she was the older sister, or perhaps it was to repay the kindness of Hao Mei and Jiang Cheng.

Therefore, at a young age, she took on the responsibility of being an older sister and took great care of Jiang Ye.

Although the truth is that Jiang Ye, who has the soul of someone in their twenties, takes better care of her.

Cheng Jinglan and Xu Hai seem to be getting busier and busier, and Xu Zhiyu is spending more and more time at home by herself.

But whenever the two of them are home, the atmosphere is either oppressive or they have a big fight.

After an argument, Cheng Jinglan would be even stricter with Xu Zhiyu, while Xu Hai would slam the door and leave, disappearing for several days.

At this time, the Jiang family became Xu Zhiyu's safe haven, allowing her to relax a little.