159 Extra Xu Luanle’s red string of fate (2) Part II
“Brother!”
“Aah!” Xu Luanle was so startled that his hand slipped. A line of ailaine that started from the rim of his eye was dragged out, creating a line up to his forehead. “You almost shocked me to death, Pei-er!”
Xu Peipei narrowed her eyes, uncertain if she had a brother or a sister. “What are you so surprised about?”
“Ailaine requires concentration. A woman without patience like you would not understand.” Xu Peipei had already given up on using ailaine after too many unsuccessful attempts after stealing her brother’s ailaine.
Ironically, Xu Luanle’s ailaine practice finally produced a satisfactory result after he was applying it while worrying about his sister.
“But I’m the miss of a major family. There’s no need for patience when I will be married to Qin Wang anyway,” Xu Peipei said with a smile. “Does this dress look good on me, brother? I have to take your ‘sis’ friend to the palace. If I meet Qin Wang there, will I look good to him?”
Her appealing curves were only glanced at by her older brother quickly before he shook his head. “The miss from the Bai family is still more beautiful than you.”
“Nonsense!” Xu Peipei stomped. “What is it with the Bai daughters? How many times are they going to be a thorn in my side?”
At first, it was Bai Yu, and now there was Bai Hua. Xu Peipei had to keep her eye not only on Bai Yu but also on Bai Hua.
.....
Seeing her temper, a new plan started to form in Xu Luanle’s mind.
“Don’t you know? Beauty alone is not enough to be a perfect Qin Wang Fei.”
Xu Peipei frowned. “I have magic. I’m capable of doing martial arts. How am I still not perfect for Wangye?”
“Patience.” Xu Luanle pointed out his sister’s flaw without missing a beat. “You don’t have enough patience. Even with ailaine, you can’t practice for more than a few days. If you can’t be patient, then how can you manage the consorts in Qin Wang’s palace?”
Xu Peipei was silent. Her lips were pressed together tightly. Xu Luanle continued, more confident. He had thought of a way to make Xu Peipei give up on Qin Wang without their parents noticing. This opportunity came at the right time, fitting nicely with the right event. “Patience when practicing martial arts is not the same patience that you lack. I think Qin Wang will like a woman who can rule his palace with...”
“I have to practice that patience!”
“Are you sure, little sis?” Xu Luanle suppressed a smile. He pretended to turn back to applying his ailaine and ignored her. “I think a young lady like you won’t like this kind of training very much.”
Xu Peipei snatched the ailaine from her sister, cough, brother. “I will do it!”
Xu Luanle raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” His sister nodded firmly. “What do I have to do to have that patience?”
Xu Luanle revealed a smile as sweet as honey. “Taking care of a sick person.”
——————
Being a dandy socialite did not mean that he would lack an edge or poison. The anonymous master’s shop had a secret that even Bai Yu or Xu Peipei did not know. Though Bai He’s condition was kept tightly under wraps by the Yue family, as long as the Bai master was a handsome nobleman from a major family, Xu Luanle would not miss any news about him.
He was only investigating these men for his sister. Ohohohoho.
To Xu Luanle, Xu Peipei was a stupid sister, cough, a cute and obedient sister. They might fight over their belongings sometimes, but overall they cared deeply about each other. Thus, it was not unnatural for Xu Peipei to believe Xu Luanle and follow him to be cooped up in Meihua Residence. This time, they did not come to play around or talk to its owner. He used an excuse that he had to come here to work on the project of the anonymous master’s shop that he had collaborated on with Bai Yu when in truth, he wanted to teach his sister a lesson in patience through taking care of the owner’s older brother. And he also had another hidden goal in mind.
Until his sister could openly come close to Bai He, he had to progress slowly so as not to raise Bai Yu’s suspicion. Pei-er followed his suggestions without questioning or protesting. After the Xu siblings had packed their sewing kits to come and work in Meihua Residence, Xu Luanle’s plan to tie his sister’s red string of fate advanced silently and inconspicuously.
Suddenly, Bai Yu spoke up on the day nearing the Meihua Lady competition, in which Xu Peipei had declined to participate.
“You’re underestimating me too much.” His sister shrugged.
“I just don’t want your Meihua Lady title.”
“What about ‘my’ Qin Wang? Do you still want him?” Xu Luanle was amused by his friend’s lie.
“Wangye is not yours!” Obviously, his sister would take the bait, being careless and being played by the provocation. Xu Peipei glared at Bai Yu without realizing that her words and actions did not line up at all. And Xu Luanle was greatly pleased.
Bai Yu shrugged. “Even if he’s not mine, do you still want him?”
“That’s none of your business!” His little sister huffed and took a piece of cloth from Bai Yu’s hand before leaving the room with the water basin. The impatient young lady of a major family was now doing everything nimbly out of habit.
“She has always wanted to be Meihua Lady. How come she declined the invitation this year?” Bai Yu appeared to be skeptical of Xu Peipei’s change in mindset. Xu Luanle knew the reason but could not tell his friend. He tried to change the subject for fear that the overprotective sister would obstruct his covert plan.
“You’ve changed, so how could Pei-er not change?”
“That’s not the same thing.” Ah… Why was this miss so hard to distract, unlike his Pei-er?
“Don’t think you can slack off just because I’m not competing this year, Miss Bai.” Her voice came, along with her figure that had an overly prominent part. “Come here. Let’s talk outside.”
Bai Yu’s and Xu Luanle’s eyes met. Xu Peipei glared at her again. “Hurry up! Don’t disturb the sleeping person.”
This was the obvious change in Xu Peipei that he, as her brother, could not conceal.
“Are you going to stare at me all day?” Xu Peipei angrily asked.
“Why don’t you ask your chest?”
“You!”
“Ohohoho. Go, you two. Don’t make a ruckus here, sisters.”
The relationship between Xu Peipei and Bai Yu started to get better in a strange way. Nonetheless, it was no stranger than the feeling Xu Peipei was starting to harbor for Bai He, who was still asleep.
Xu Luanle had never expected his outrageous plan to work, resulting in his sister forming a bond and having feelings for an unconscious person. At least it was better than failing and being unable to pull Xu Peipei away from Ouyang Mingxian.
Having a red string of fate was a good thing. Xu Luanle’s love life with his ailaine was smooth sailing. He felt happy every time he had it applied to his eyelids. He wanted his sister to experience this same happiness, but it seemed that somebody had already noticed his objective.
“How long is she going to stay here?!” His dear sister was angry again when the Bai family’s third miss was closely taking care of Bai He. Those two were siblings, yet his sister was jealous. How foolish—cough, innocent!
“What about you? How long are you going to stay here?” The one who asked was another Bai miss, the owner of this residence.
“Can you not start an argument for a day, Miss Bai?!”
“And can you not come here for a day, Miss Xu?”
“Can you stop fighting for a day, sis?!”
““Tch.” Xu Peipei turned the other way.
“Don’t think that I don’t know.” Bai Yu narrowed her eyes at Xu Luanle, who was still acting oblivious.
Bai Yu was not a stupid woman like Xu Peipei. After all this time, it was impossible for her to not realize that he had planned to put Xu Peipei on a plate and present it to her brother. Even though Bai He was still asleep, Bai Hua had told her that he could sense everything happening around him. Xu Peipei being so close and taking care of him every day like this would surely be an opportunity!
“So what? What are you going to do, sis? Refuse to accept reality?” Xu Luanle shrugged.
“Do not think that we, the Bai family, are easily swayed.”
“But we, the Xu family, are pretty...huge...and charming.”
“You sly fox.”
“Overprotective sister.”
“Tch.”
It was already too late to interfere, Bai Yu. Under the guidance of this beautiful and intelligent Xu Luanle, Miss Xu would become your sister-in-law!
My dear sister, be a good girl and let big brother help you tie your red string!