A Winner in Life since Kindergarten

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

In the eerily quiet bedroom, Liu Wenjie and Xu Feifei sat on the edge of the bed, four or five body-lengths apart.

The twin-tailed little girl rubbed the spot on her forehead where the pillow had struck, shooting Wenjie a wounded look as he tugged the quilt away, making sure nothing of his touched her.

Feifei huffed. "What are you doing? I already told you it's not what you think."

Wenjie had seen this brat's quirks before. "Not what I think? You haven't even told me why you were sniffing my blanket like some kind of pervert."

Feifei balled her tiny fists, cheeks scarlet. "That's nonsense! I'm not perverted—I know exactly what that word means!" She straightened, turned her head with a hmph, and muttered, "I just caught a weird smell in your room and wanted to find where it was coming from. That's all. Nothing weird."

"Oh? How refreshingly innocent." Wenjie raised an eyebrow. "My room has plenty of weird smells. Care to explain why you were lying on my bed?"

"I—" She scrambled for an excuse. "I tripped and fell onto it, that's all."

"Liars turn into puppies."

Feifei blinked. "Huh?"

Wenjie was surprised the line hadn't worked.

Feifei's face flamed even redder. Had she heard right? He actually said something that childish?

"What do you mean, puppy? I just sniffed your blanket, you stingy jerk! Next time you come to my house I'll let you sniff mine, okay? You can even lie on my bed!"

Wenjie kept his expression neutral. "Such twisted hobbies for a kid."

"Ah—who's twisted?!" The little girl shrieked, on the verge of exploding.

After a moment she calmed down.

Wenjie picked up the fruit platter beside him and held it out. "Want some?"

Feifei gave a disdainful sniff, then plucked a grape and popped it into her mouth, chewing furiously.

She exhaled, suddenly quiet. "What have you been doing this whole month? It's like you vanished off the face of the earth."

Wenjie slipped off his shoes and sat cross-legged against the headboard. "I don't follow. I've been home every day."

"You—sometimes I wonder if you're actually smart or just a fake genius." She stared straight ahead, voice shy. "I mean, you didn't come find me, didn't call, like once break started you cut all contact. Jerk."

Wenjie looked genuinely puzzled. "Why would I call you for no reason? And before break didn't I say, 'See you after the holiday'?"

Feifei wanted to throttle him.

She spun around. "You could've at least called! Or when I called you, why did you hang up? And then your line was always dead."

Wenjie munched on a slice of apple. "You called me? I hung up? I don't even own a phone."

"I know! So I called Aunt Lin's phone. You answered, and before I finished my first sentence you hung up!"

Wenjie frowned, then memory clicked—three days into the holiday. A strange number on Mom's phone. He'd picked up, heard silence, then a cautious, "You don't have a phone, right? Want to buy one? The one I'm using—"

He'd assumed it was a sales call and hung up, blacklisting the number.

Realization dawned. "That was you? I thought it was spam and blocked it."

"You blocked me?!" Feifei couldn't take it anymore. No wonder her twice-daily calls never connected. She sprang up, delivering a Pegasus Meteor Fist to his shoulder. "You're impossible! How can anyone be this dense?"

After the harmless pummeling, she puffed her cheeks. "You are not allowed to block me!"

She fished a phone from her pocket and thrust it at him. "Here. It's yours. My number's already saved. You call me with this. No one else. I'll check your call log sometimes."

Wenjie stared at the Lian-Xiao-Xiang handset—budget, removable battery. Definitely not expensive, but still... she was seven.

"Why a phone? How much was it?"

"Seven hundred. Saved my allowance for over a month. Take it!"

At that moment the doorbell rang. In the living room, Lin Xiaoli hurried to answer. It was little Xia Ying, medicine in hand. Spotting guests, she greeted them politely.

In the bedroom, Wenjie eyed Feifei's tsundere pout. "Feifei, I know you're loaded, but this is too pricey. And what's with 'checking my call log'?"

Feifei folded her arms. "You can't use my gift to chat with other people all day! Not that you have other friends... If you feel guilty, wipe out one favor you owe me."

Wenjie: "..."

A two-step trap—monitor his contacts and erase a debt. Crafty brat.

"Older Brother Wenjie! I'm back!" Xia Ying's voice came from the hall.

Feifei turned toward the sound. Wenjie called, "Door's open, come in."

Xia Ying pushed the door, startled to see Feifei. Then she remembered the visitors in the living room—Feifei's parents.

After a second she hurried to Wenjie and handed over the cold medicine. "Grandpa says take two after lunch. You'll be better soon."

Wenjie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I really am not sick."

"But you were coughing just now."

"That was because you annoyed me."

Feifei waved. "Hi, Xia Ying. Were you out? I felt something missing when I arrived—turns out it was you. Long time no see."

Xia Ying smiled shyly. "Hi, Feifei. You came to play with Older Brother Wenjie?"

Feifei nodded. "I wanted to come earlier, but Dad was busy. Now that I know where you live, I'll visit often."

Xia Ying's eyes flickered. Often? She hesitated, then blurted, "Why... why often?"