I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"Your mention reminds me of something."

With a gentle smile on his face, he looked at his elder brother and began to expose his shortcomings.

“If someone hadn’t told him every day how interesting the outside world was and tempted him with all sorts of fabricated stories, Ah Xi wouldn’t have been able to resist the loneliness and climbed over the wall, and he wouldn’t have broken a corner.”

“Back then, Ah Xi was an emperor. What kind of emperor lives deep in the palace and doesn’t know how the people live? I was doing it for his own good.”

The elder brother showed no shame whatsoever; instead, he retorted with eloquent arguments.

“If I hadn’t sparked Ah Xi’s interest in life outside the capital, many things wouldn’t have happened. Right, Eleventh, Ninth?”

"……really."

Although she was dissatisfied with her brother's various reckless actions, Xi was quite satisfied with this matter.

If it weren't for her brother's guidance, she might never have met the little guy.

"Ah...it has nothing to do with me. When I met Ah Xi, he was already a mature adult."

Nian regretted sleeping so soundly. If she had woken up earlier, she could have played with her brothers and sisters and teased little Ah Xi.

"Um……"

The elder brother habitually wanted to drink tea, but after grabbing at the empty space, he realized that this was not the Shenjun Temple, and none of the girls made him tea.

"I'm so envious. Why was Xi able to find such a petite girl like A-Xi?"

Nian, who only realized it after the lemon-flavored watermelon had entered her mouth, leaned on her chin and complained softly.

"Yes, it's really enviable... Xiaoxi, what kind of magic did you use on Axi to make him unable to forget you?"

Ling, half-supported, gently shook the new wine gourd in his hand, his usually emotionless tone revealing a hint of bitterness.

"Who knows? Maybe that idiot is more susceptible to my tricks."

Xi closed her eyes, recalling the past, and smiled softly.

A stubborn brat that you can't get rid of no matter how hard you try.

"It really is magic."

The elder brother's casual remark instantly froze the expressions of the other three.

"What did you say?"

Xi's smile faded, and her iridescent eyes fixed intently on her brother opposite her.

"What makes you think... Ah Xi, who is still just a mortal, could be so devoted to someone for over a hundred years?"

"You... don't tell me..."

This prompted them to react immediately.

"Wait, wait! It can't be..."

Nian seemed to have realized what his brother had said.

"..."

Xi gritted her teeth, her body trembling slightly.

“He learned the magic of embedding gods from me.”

The older brother seemed oblivious to their expressions and continued talking to himself.

"When that child first came to me, he asked me if there was any magic that could extract memories and preserve them forever."

"You agreed!"

"Of course, what reason would I have to deceive him?"

When Xi questioned him, her brother acted as if she was making a fuss over nothing.

"What's wrong, Eleven?"

"Do you think that an emperor who can sacrifice his body to save his country is a coward who can't even endure the pain of having his memories stripped away?"

"Do you think it's foolish of Ah Xi to seek every possible method in order to remember the coward he likes?"

"Do you think... because his memories have been stripped away and his emotions are in turmoil, his deep involvement with other people is a betrayal of you?"

"Hey! Don't talk nonsense!"

Nian slammed his hand on the table, telling him to watch what he was saying.

What do you mean by betrayal? You're making it sound like she's the other woman.

"I wasn't referring to you. Would you be jealous of someone holding both of their hands at the same time?"

"...You're right."

"evening?"

Xi picked up a large piece of lemon melon and chewed it vigorously.

The sour juice soaked her tongue, but the sourness did nothing to change her mood.

"I am indeed jealous of her. But it has nothing to do with Ah Xi."

"No way, girl?"

I was really sad that year.

She had already divided her treasures with Xi Ping, but this girl still dared to say she was jealous of her.

"It's not you, don't interrupt."

Xi glared at her and told her to stay aside.

"What I'm jealous of is that film."

"Who? Oh...it's not me, that's good."

Knowing that Xi wasn't talking about herself, Nian's mood immediately improved.

"Why did she, with her self-righteousness, criticize Ah Xi for seeking revenge for the people back then, and now she has the audacity to come to Ah Xi for help?"

Xi knew about Kal'tsit a long time ago; he had never hidden anything from her... except for what the second brother just mentioned, that idiot!

"Just because she knows Ah Xi has always considered her a friend? Just because they're friends, does that mean she can unconditionally tolerate her?"

"Just because she's Ah Xi, does she dare to betray her promise time and time again?"

"..."

You're pretty much the same... The eldest doesn't talk about the second eldest...

The child sat quietly to the side, not daring to speak.

“If it weren’t for the fact that she plays a significant role in Ah Xi’s plans, I would definitely let her know… tsk.”

Xi snorted coldly and said no more.

"So she can only be a friend. Isn't that right?"

The older brother slowly took a toothpick, put a piece of tempting-looking melon pulp into his mouth, and chewed it a few times with satisfaction.

“！?? ?ω? |||?”

"No spitting! No waste!"

The year took the opportunity to steer the topic out of the water.

That wicked second son, full of evil intentions, only knows how to bully his sister; he deserves to be fooled.

"How did you guys even manage to make this... It's so sour."

The older brother regretted bringing up the topic. He hadn't gotten to enjoy his sister's melon, and the melon on the table was so sour that he was practically wilting.

"Ah Xi asked me to prepare this for him, saying it's for waking him up. We asked him to make a movie before, so this is his payment."

He chuckled and began steer the conversation in a direction that would make everyone happy.

"You old bastard, just because Ah Xi is protecting you, go ahead and ruin his reputation."

"I really don't know what he's thinking. If it were me, I would have blown your head off."

"Little New Year... let's make some movies that fit the current era."

When her movies were mentioned, the people in the room instantly formed an alliance and began to comment on her "Dragon Series".

"You have to believe me! This time, the movie I filmed, 'Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon,' is very realistic!"

Nian's words left the group completely bewildered.

"You're not that kind of mutant, are you?"

"Come on, you. You filmed something so dangerous. Aren't you afraid your brother will hang you up and beat you when he gets back from Changyuan?"

"I think Ah Xi will scold her first."

"...So it's not turned on yet."

Nian also knew that there was a limit to riding the wave of popularity, so he planned to work on the daytime aspect and shoot a decent film.

"Hmm? Ah Xi is back."

Ling turned his head to look at the doorway.

"Mother, I'm back!"

After the door opened, a cheerful young dragon darted in first.

"Slow down, Ayu."

The boy followed her into the house, still giving her instructions.

"Mother, Nianniang, your aunt... your second uncle!"

The little guy cheered and ran over to them.

"Hmm? The big boss is here."

Bai Zhou, who was following behind, carried a large bag of snacks into the house.

“Ah Xi.”

The older brother patted the little girl's head, handed her the candy he had brought, and then nodded slightly to Bai Zhou.