Chapter 246
“Brother, I’m leaving now.”
Little Li Hua stood at the door, hugging her pillow. All her belongings had already been moved to Xue Wei’s room, and starting tonight, she would no longer sleep in the place she had called home since she was little.
Although she had agreed to the arrangement earlier, now that the moment had come, she felt reluctant.
Surprisingly, Rong Heng, who had been the most upset about this at first, took the initiative to hold his sister’s small hand. In a soft voice, he said, “Alright, I’ll walk you there.”
Noticing her lowered head and unhappy expression, he added, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll come pick you up for breakfast, okay?”
Little Li Hua’s face finally brightened. “Okay, I’ll wait for you to come get me.”
Rong Heng gently patted her head. Despite the sadness in his heart, he was determined to stick to the decision, knowing it was for his sister’s benefit.
The two of them arrived at Xue Wei’s door and knocked lightly.
When the door opened, Xue Wei stood there in a pink outfit. Unlike the typical nursery attire, her clothes were cute yet practical, with a sleek design that seemed perfect for combat.
“Sister Xue Wei, you’re wearing your new clothes!”
Little Li Hua’s eyes lit up as she excitedly circled Xue Wei, her earlier sadness forgotten. “Mine is light green! I haven’t tried it on yet.”
Xue Wei, shy as always, smiled and let Little Li Hua admire her. Her bright eyes sparkled with delight, showing how much she liked her new outfit as well.
Not just Xue Wei—after dinner, all the cubs who returned to their rooms found a new set of clothes on their beds. When they picked up the clothes, Brother A-Yan’s voice resonated in their ears.
He explained that the outfits were magical robes he had crafted himself. They were impervious to blades and fire, self-cleaning, and could transform into a different form when the cubs entered their beast state.
In other words, they would have clothes even when beastified!
Since Rong Heng and Little Li Hua had been busy moving belongings, they hadn’t tried on their new clothes yet. However, the other cubs had eagerly donned theirs, brimming with joy.
“Rong Heng, come in,” Xue Wei invited, noticing the increasingly cold weather and the chill in the corridor at night.
She welcomed the lion siblings into her room. As soon as they stepped inside, Rong Heng was greeted by a subtle, warm fragrance that filled the space, creating a cozy atmosphere.
Xue Wei’s room was entirely different from theirs. It was decorated in soft pink tones, delicate and warm, making Rong Heng feel slightly out of place.
“Come sit here. I’ll make some tea for you.”
Xue Wei guided the siblings to a corner of the room, where a small table was set up with an elegant tea set.
She went to a cabinet and took out two woven cushions. After consulting with Xiao Zhi, she had sourced bamboo from the nursery’s bamboo grove and crafted the cushions herself.
In fact, her room featured many bamboo decorations. The warm yellow tones of the bamboo added a comforting contrast to the cold, metallic design of the nursery rooms, making her space feel inviting and homely.
The previously bare walls of the room were now adorned with Little Li Hua’s paintings. Each piece reflected a childlike, idyllic countryside theme, full of bright sunshine and vibrant colors.
From the paintings, it was clear that the artist’s mood had grown increasingly cheerful over time, and her artistic skills had steadily improved as well.
Seeing her own artwork on display, Little Li Hua felt delighted.
She sat on the woven cushion and accepted the teacup Xue Wei handed her, sweetly saying, “Thank you.”
Xue Wei then poured tea for Rong Heng.
“I… I can do it myself,” Rong Heng stammered, feeling a bit flustered.
Next, Xue Wei brought out some dried fruit to share. She smiled and said, “These are sweet and tangy, perfect for after dinner.”
Rong Heng hesitantly picked up a piece and nibbled on it, still feeling slightly awkward.
In contrast, Little Li Hua was completely at ease. She had already scooted her cushion closer to Xue Wei and was sitting snugly beside her, chatting affectionately about the new clothes Brother A-Yan had given them.
Watching this scene, Rong Heng glanced around the room, which Xue Wei had decorated to be so warm and inviting. He suddenly felt that letting his sister live with Xue Wei was an excellent decision.
After all, he couldn’t create such a thoughtful and beautiful space like Xue Wei had.
Girls were better off living with other girls—they shared common interests and topics to talk about. This way, Little Li Hua wouldn’t have to accommodate her clumsy older brother.
As Rong Heng observed Xue Wei’s room, he noticed that while some items seemed to have been brought from her previous belongings, many were clearly handmade. He had seen her crafting these things with Sisi before, and though they had seemed novel at the time, he hadn’t expected them to look so lovely when arranged in her room.
Rong Heng’s gaze returned to the two girls, and he thought about how much Xue Wei seemed to care for Little Li Hua. She would likely help dress his sister beautifully, like a little princess from a fairytale.
He couldn’t help but nod in approval. His sister deserved the best life.
At that moment, both girls turned to look at him.
“Brother, where’s your new outfit? I want to see it!” Little Li Hua said eagerly.
“Alright.”
Rong Heng pulled his practice outfit out of his spirit pouch. It was a simple, elegant light blue, with delicate white flowers embroidered on the satin surface—white petals and yellow centers.
Little Li Hua’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw it.
“Brother, those are pear blossoms!” she exclaimed happily.
“Mm,” Rong Heng replied, gazing at the outfit with satisfaction. He liked it too. The pear blossoms embroidered on it were a detail he had mentioned when Brother A-Yan asked for his input.
He hadn’t expected the final result to turn out so beautiful.
“Brother, put it on so I can see!” Little Li Hua urged excitedly.
Rong Heng nodded and agreed. He stood up and began removing his jacket.
The smile on Xue Wei’s face froze, and her eyes widened in alarm. As Rong Heng unzipped his jacket, she quickly covered Little Li Hua’s eyes, her face turning bright red as she stammered, “Rong Heng, w-what are you doing?!”
Rong Heng stopped, looking at her in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
Usually calm and gentle, Xue Wei’s rabbit ears now bristled in flustered frustration. She blurted out, “How can you undress in front of girls? That’s very impolite!”
Though taking off just the jacket wasn’t a big deal, putting on the practice outfit would require removing his entire nursery uniform.
Rong Heng was utterly confused, but then he recalled what his mother had told him during dinner about the differences between boys and girls.
Seeing Xue Wei’s angry expression, he quickly zipped his jacket back up. After a moment’s thought, he said earnestly, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Even though he didn’t fully understand why it was wrong, he acknowledged his mistake. Perhaps this was why his sister couldn’t continue living with him.
Still, he hadn’t expected that even taking off his clothes in front of others wasn’t allowed.
Little Li Hua pulled Xue Wei’s hands away from her eyes. She glanced at her brother, who was apologizing with his head lowered, and then at the flustered and angry Xue Wei, scratching her head in confusion.
Just as she was about to say something to lighten the mood, Rong Heng quickly moved past the topic. “I’ll wait until tomorrow to change into my new clothes,” he said.
He then started telling Xue Wei about Little Li Hua’s habits and preferences. Gradually, Xue Wei’s frustration subsided.
She understood that Rong Heng and Little Li Hua had grown up in unusual circumstances and lacked awareness about certain things. Clearly, Rong Heng hadn’t meant to offend, and as long as he corrected his behavior moving forward, there was no need to dwell on it.
So, she listened attentively, taking mental notes about Little Li Hua’s habits.
In the end, Rong Heng said sincerely, “Thank you, Xue Wei. I’ll leave Little Li Hua in your care.”
Xue Wei quickly shook her head. “I’m her sister; it’s my responsibility.”
After that, Rong Heng took his leave.
Standing in the corridor, he glanced back at the slowly closing metal door, his ears twitching slightly.
From inside the room, he could faintly hear voices—Xue Wei was talking to Little Li Hua.
The girl’s tone was serious as she instructed her, “You’re growing up now, so you can’t undress in front of boys, and you mustn’t let them see your body. Especially not—”
“Even if it’s Dad or Brother, you still can’t show them casually, okay?”
Rong Heng scratched his head, finally realizing another reason why he and his sister had to live separately. After all, Little Li Hua still needed his help to bathe, and it was impossible to bathe without taking off clothes.
He sighed, feeling a pang of sadness at the growing distance that came with growing up.
However, recalling Xue Wei’s earlier angry reaction, Rong Heng also understood that these boundaries were important and necessary. Not respecting them could be harmful to his sister.
Rong Heng cast one last reluctant glance at Xue Wei’s room before leaving.
When he reached the poolside, Li Sinian was already there. Having heard the full story from Yan Ya, he wholeheartedly supported the decision.
At this age, it’s really time to sleep in separate rooms.
He reached out and patted Rong Heng on the shoulder, saying, “Don’t be so depressed. Your sister just slept in a different room. It’s not like I’ll never see her again.”
Rong Heng nodded and forced himself to cheer up.
That’s right, people are unaware of anything when they go to bed at night, and they have a lot of time to spend together during the day. Even after dinner, he can stay with his sister for a while before sending her to Xue Wei.
After figuring it out, Rong Heng looked at Ika.
Then, he noticed Ika’s smooth upper body. The boy, who was already thirteen years old, was slimmer than him, with well-proportioned muscles and beautiful lines, and his skin was very smooth and white, which was really pleasing to the eye.
But at this moment, Rong Heng, who had just been “educated”, immediately thought of the time when his sister faced Ika today, he was not wearing a shirt!
This won’t do!
Even he, as a brother, can’t take off his clothes in front of his sister, so how can Ika do that? I have to find him something to wear tomorrow, or he won’t be allowed to leave the room!
Ika felt Rong Heng staring at him, tilted his head in confusion, and then gave him a cute smile.
“Yang Yang!”
“…”
Rong Heng looked at his smile and thought that Ika was not clear-headed during the day and it was an unintentional mistake, just like he did just now.
So, just forgive him first.
Thinking of this, Rong Heng’s expression softened again. Then he realized something, turned his head and looked at Li Sinian, and asked, “Dad, boys and girls look different, so you can’t take off your clothes in front of girls. Then there should be no relationship between boys, right?”
Li Sinian didn’t expect him to ask this, and nodded naturally: “Of course it doesn’t matter.”
