Wen Shaoyu couldn't help but snort at that. Indeed, it was hard to explain.
Money and resources easily breed greed. Insatiable greed leads to infinite desire and infinite malice. Happy families aren't for him. He only believed in being ruthless enough to avoid being bullied.
"Hey, what are you laughing at!" Ji Shulang didn't understand Wen Shaoyu's layers of thought. Being laughed at made him lose face, so he demanded an explanation.
Wen Shaoyu was in a good mood and said with feigned earnestness, "Laughing at your naivety. It's a good thing you don't have an inheritance to fight over. Even if you did... it'd end up someone else's eventually."
Ji Shulang: "..." He felt thoroughly insulted.
"Watch your mouth, Wen Shaoyu. You're so venomous, one day you'll choke on your own spit and poison yourself."
Wen Shaoyu smiled. "No need to worry about me."
Ji Shulang couldn't outtalk him, so he stood up in frustration. He vaguely felt he was forgetting something. With one hand on his hip and the other on his forehead, he was thinking when he saw Ji Shuhe coming back carrying a plastic bag of bottled water. Oh, right! He was supposed to find his sister!
Wen Shaoyu watched as Ji Shulang rushed over like the wind to take the plastic bag from Ji Shuhe's hands. On the short walk back, he was practically ready to take off his shirt to shield his precious sister from the sun. The siblings walked side by side, quite harmonious—mainly because Ji Shulang was hunched over talking to Ji Shuhe the whole way, looking utterly shameless.
"I was worried when I turned around and you were gone! ...It's fine, why buy them water? If they're thirsty, they can go home and drink before coming back. Keep your money for things you like. I'll pay you back for whatever you spent later."
"The shop wasn't far, so I didn't call you. It's okay. It's really hot, and this didn't cost much."
Wen Shaoyu watched and thought: Is family love really more reliable than friendship or romantic love? Definitely not. Ji Shulang's magnanimity was just the whim of an only child; Ji Shuhe's compromise was for a peaceful living environment. Essentially, they were each getting what they needed. It wasn't that feelings could truly bridge gaps. Wen Shaoyu gritted his teeth, feeling uncertain for once.
The siblings soon reached Wen Shaoyu. Ji Shulang didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled a bottle of water from the bag and handed it to Wen Shaoyu. "Here, from my kind and beautiful sister. You can't have it for free. You have to treat her to ice cream later, got it!"
Ji Shuhe silently closed her eyes. Her brother was a bit too thoughtful... She opened her mouth to refuse, but Wen Shaoyu had already taken the water and agreed. "Sure. But I said I'm treating your sister, not including you, Ji Shulang."
He was also being oddly agreeable.
Ji Shulang saw her about to decline and pressed her arm down, whispering in her ear. He told her to pick something expensive. This rich kid had money to burn, and it'd be a waste not to take advantage.
Ji Shuhe's gaze fell on Wen Shaoyu. He twisted off the cap neatly, tilted his head back to drink, his Adam's apple bobbing, his neck long and jawline smooth. He wasn't sweating much; occasionally, a bead of sweat slid from his temple down his jaw, rolled along his neck, and disappeared into his collar.
If he could hide his fierceness, Wen Shaoyu would be the perfect male lead in a shoujo manga...
Ji Shuhe pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to Ji Shulang.
Ji Shulang usually wiped his sweat with his clothes, not bothering with tissues. But since Ji Shuhe gave them to him, he took two and offered one to Wen Shaoyu.
Wen Shaoyu took it and stuffed it in his pocket. He turned to Ji Shulang. "Still playing?"
Ji Shulang nodded. "Let's play a bit more. My mom locked up the computer, so I can't log in even if I go home."
So Ji Shuhe was sent back to her spot, this time with two half-empty water bottles beside her.
Ji Shulang was bouncing the ball, hurrying them along, but Wen Shaoyu came back to tell Ji Shuhe, "Keep an eye on your brother's water. I'm afraid he'll drink the wrong one and get poisoned by me."
"Damn it! You're insane!" Ji Shulang, not far away, jumped up and grabbed Wen Shaoyu, dragging him onto the court—clearly escalating from a verbal dispute to a physical one.
Ji Shuhe watched with a smile, genuine joy in her eyes. As for the two bottles... Even though she didn't understand their cryptic exchange, Ji Shuhe moved Wen Shaoyu's bottle farther away from her. And when no one was looking, she shook her fist at it.