TFRLTOP Chapter 94 Part 2

The box was cleverly designed—there was a button on top. When she pressed it, the box automatically unfolded, the panels slowly opening outward.

As it opened, Ming Ming’s anticipation soared to its peak.

“Wow… huh?”

Her face froze when she saw what was inside.

“Like it?” Xiao Yunmu asked with a proud smile, clearly convinced she’d be thrilled.

Look at that—so amazed she’s speechless, he thought.

But Ming Ming’s bright expression instantly collapsed. She pointed at the thing inside and said flatly, “What is that ugly thing?”

“Huh?” Xiao Yunmu blinked.

“You… don’t you really like Pleasant Goat?” he asked.

I swear to— “Who told you—” Ming Ming stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that her current “persona” was supposed to love Pleasant Goat. She swallowed the rest of her protest and said stiffly, “Right. I like Pleasant Goat.”

“Then there you go,” he said, satisfied.

“I didn’t say I liked a gold-plated Pleasant Goat!” she snapped.

Inside the box sat a giant Pleasant Goat statue, its “wool” made of sparkling diamond-like crystals, wearing a garishly bright blue tuxedo, and its golden face gleaming under the light. Its huge shiny eyes looked—honestly—unnerving.

It was, in short, an outrageously expensive eyesore.

“Just look at it—does that look good to you?” Ming Ming demanded, shielding her eyes as if the sight was painful.

Xiao Yunmu fell silent.

He had thought it was ugly too when he first saw it. Sure, it was a limited edition and cost a fortune, but all the rich families were buying it for their kids, so he figured maybe children had different taste—maybe they actually liked this sort of thing.

Apparently not.

“You…” he said after a pause, trying to recover. “Didn’t expect your taste to be so refined. I’m proud of you.”

Ming Ming squinted at him. Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

“So this was supposed to be my birthday present?” she asked accusingly.

“No, of course not,” he said instantly, denying it like a pro. “This is, uh—your future dowry. Gold is valuable. It holds its worth. Very practical.”

“Ha.” Ming Ming gave him a look of pure disdain.

The hideous “gift” ruined her appetite—she barely ate half her dinner, and even her favorite mini cakes tasted like sawdust.

Xiao Yunmu, meanwhile, just felt like he’d spent a fortune and still somehow lost money on the emotional front.

Until he figured out what kind of gift wouldn’t backfire next time, he decided it was safer not to buy her anything. One more expensive disaster, and his little sister might actually go on a hunger strike.

Oh, and by the way—since her growth spurt, Ming Ming wasn’t exactly “chubby” anymore. Still, her round cheeks and soft little arms made Xiao Yunmu’s hands itch—he couldn’t resist wanting to pinch or hug her. Eventually, he even volunteered to do her hair.

To Ming Ming, that was torture.

She screamed for the housekeeper, begging for rescue from her brother’s “hands of doom.”

“It’s not even tight,” Xiao Yunmu said, genuinely puzzled. “Feels perfectly loose to me.”

“Lose my butt! My scalp’s about to separate from my skull—ahhh let me go!”

Xiao Yunmu finally gave up, though he had even learned a few braiding styles online that he’d been eager to try.

Ming Ming: “Thank you, but I’m Xiao Xinxi, not your lab rat!”

Xiao Yunmu: Tragic.

Still, to make up for traumatizing her with that overpriced monstrosity, he generously gave her a thick envelope of pocket money.

As he put it: “Be generous at school. You don’t have to suck up to people to make friends—just throw money at them. Someone’s bound to want to be your buddy.”

Ming Ming was stunned. Seriously? Is this how you teach kids?

But Xiao Yunmu didn’t care. His logic was simple: she was still young, too young for real friends anyway. If a bit of money bought her some playmates, so what? Better that than her tagging along behind that boy all day.

If she didn’t have friends, he’d just create some for her.

Ming Ming was so moved she accepted the money with both hands, vowing to “enlighten” her short-sighted classmates by showering them with her newfound wealth.

Then she carefully tucked the money away, already planning exactly how to spend it.

Because seriously—just imagine how many mini cakes she could buy with that!

—

For a while, the sibling relationship was unusually harmonious. Every afternoon during recess, Ming Ming would secretly call her brother:
“Are you coming home today?”
“Will you pick me up?”
“What time will you be back?”

She sounded so affectionate and thoughtful that Xiao Yunmu was touched. My little sister’s growing up, he thought.

One day, he told her over the phone that he’d be working late and the driver would pick her up instead. Hearing the disappointment in her voice made him feel a bit guilty. She was still a kid—she needed company.

Then, by chance, his client canceled that evening’s meeting. He suddenly had free time—and decided to go pick her up himself.

He’d surprise her.

He parked across from the school at a spot where she’d easily see him. Soon after the dismissal bell rang, Ming Ming came out with her backpack and headed straight… across the street—
to the cake shop.

She walked right past him, eyes laser-focused on dessert, not even a flicker of recognition.

Xiao Yunmu: “…”

He watched as she came out holding a snow mochi cake, one of those trendy “xue mei niang.”

He waited to see how long it would take her to notice him.

Ming Ming was all smiles, showing off her treat. A classmate waved and said, “Xiao Xinxi, you’re so lucky! You can buy sweets every day after school.”

“Pfft, only because my brother’s not here today,” she said. Then she took a gigantic bite—stuffing the whole mochi into her mouth, her cheeks puffing up like a chipmunk.

She looked up—and locked eyes with Xiao Yunmu.

Ming Ming: “…”

Then—
“Cough! Cough cough cough cough cough!”

She started choking, pounding her chest frantically.

With a sigh, Xiao Yunmu walked over and patted her back to help her breathe.

Honestly, what was he going to do with this kid?