When these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.
Except for Cheng Lie, all eyes fell on Yun Shifei.
Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Yun Shifei felt deeply uneasy.
But the words that needed to be said still had to be spoken.
"Uncle, Aunt, I know you hope that I can be friends with Cheng Lie, but friendship isn’t one-sided. It requires both parties to agree. Cheng Lie... isn’t my friend right now."
This kind of explanation should make things clear to them, right?
Cheng Guomin hadn’t expected Yun Shifei to say such a thing; this young lady seemed so timid and shy, her eyes doe-like—innocent and anxious.
Yet she had a surprisingly clear perspective of her own.
Unable to hold back, he chuckled: "You know Xiao Lie’s situation. If you spend enough time with him, you’ll naturally become his friend."
Yun Shifei did not agree with Cheng Guomin’s words.
It seemed like adults assumed that kids could easily play together without much thought.
Their minds might be simple and crave more companions.
But that wasn’t the reality.
Many kids had their own criteria for choosing friends.
Take herself, for instance—she couldn’t just casually make friends.
Someone with his level of isolation, cut off from the world, surely had a sensitive inner world—not something an ordinary person could easily access.
Just like the time he told her not to meddle unnecessarily.
She and Cheng Lie weren’t close like that.
So, Yun Shifei once again refuted Cheng Guomin’s point: "Uncle, I believe Cheng Lie must have his own thoughts about this. Maybe we’ll become friends in the future, but not right now. Please don’t call us friends yet—if he doesn’t want to be friends with me, then it’ll just be awkward."
Zhao Haishuang and Cheng Huai couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable hearing Yun Shifei repeatedly go against Cheng Guomin.
This girl from the Yun Family—what was her brain made of? How could she be so stubborn?
No wonder the kids across the entire neighborhood mocked her and called her foolish.
Ha, don’t even try comparing her to that foster daughter, Yun Sisi.
On her own merits, Yun Shifei was utterly stupid.
Which child would speak to elders , especially someone like Cheng Guomin—a man of such standing?
Though the Yun Family was wealthy, they still lagged far behind the Cheng Family.
They showed her favor, and now she seemed to think of herself as some sparrow transformed into a phoenix?
Daring to criticize right in front of them.
Besides, who didn’t think Cheng Lie was just a fool? And here she was, insisting Cheng Lie had his own opinions?
Zhao Haishuang sneered inwardly.
If Cheng Lie truly had his own thoughts, he would’ve long since left their household.
After what happened back then and the damage it inflicted, how could he face them ? So calm and submissive?
Wasn’t it because he’d become foolish, diagnosed with autism?
Even Cheng Guomin felt a bit annoyed, but Yun Shifei’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable.
What he had done indeed disregarded Cheng Lie’s feelings.
But did Cheng Lie even have feelings?
He nodded toward Yun Shifei with a smile: "Shi Fei is right; I didn’t think things through. Xiao Lie hasn’t agreed to be friends with you, so for now you can only be considered his classmate."
That was just how it was.
"Indeed, I think Shi Fei’s words are quite sensible. For her to care this much about Xiao Lie shows we were right about her—Xiao Lie will surely want to become friends with her," Zhao Haishuang said, her tone full of praise despite the calculations in her heart.
"Shi Fei, let’s just chalk this up to my selfishness. Even if Xiao Lie doesn’t see you as a friend yet, I hope you can at least view him as one and look out for him more at school," Cheng Guomin added.
"I will. I’ve already started seeing Cheng Lie as a friend."
In this situation where retreat wasn’t an option, if she didn’t treat Cheng Lie as a friend, what else was she supposed to do—see him as an adversary?
The thought of Cheng Lie’s vicious demeanor in the future made Yun Shifei’s heart shrink a little.
She had lived through enough hardships in her last life; did she really have to offend a powerful figure in this one?
No matter how daring she might be, she wouldn’t have the courage to do that.
Hearing Yun Shifei’s reassurance, Cheng Guomin finally felt at ease.
He glanced at Cheng Lie.
As they spoke, Cheng Lie seemed like an outsider, quietly focusing on his meal.
Silent, as though he didn’t exist.
Cheng Lie, though outwardly aloof, felt an unfamiliar emotion stir within him as he listened to Yun Shifei’s words.
What was this feeling? He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
In all these years, no one had ever cared about his feelings.
Cheng Guomin had always treated him the way he thought was best for him.
But often, those things felt forcibly thrust upon him—things he didn’t truly need.
Just like Yun Shifei...
She had been placed by Cheng Guomin at his side simply because the man assumed he needed a friend.
And so, he had rejected her.
Although her occasional gestures made him somewhat tempted to accept her, the thought of her being forcefully pushed into his life made her seem more like a tool to him—a tool self-assuredly trying to help him.
But after hearing her words today, he couldn’t help but start reevaluating her.
Was life, perhaps, not as bleak as he had imagined?
In her words, he had heard the tone of respect.
For so many years, no one had ever shown him respect, apart from Cheng Guomin’s subordinates.
Of course, he didn’t care for those people’s respect either.
But when a person with no ties or vested interest offered him respect, Cheng Lie had to admit—he was moved.
Could it be that he could also have friends? It felt somewhat inconceivable.
Quietly, he lifted his gaze to steal a glance at Yun Shifei, seated across from him.
Her appearance was plain, even mediocre—far outshone by her sister Yun Sisi, who seemed leagues above her.
Yet he found her rather pleasant to look at.
Yun Shifei had no idea that her unintentional words had shifted the thoughts of the boy sitting opposite her.
On the way back home, she was deep in thought.
Even though she herself rarely experienced familial warmth, she couldn’t help but feel there was something strange about the Cheng Family.
Compared to her own home...
In her opinion, although Xu Ya clearly favored Yun Sisi, when she treated her kindly, she resembled what a mother should be.
At least she knew what Yun Shifei liked and respected her preferences when buying things.
But the Cheng Family?
Cheng Lie might have autism, but he wasn’t a puppet lacking a soul, unable to discern anything.
Why did they treat Cheng Lie as though he were just a fool?
This was something Yun Shifei couldn’t quite understand.
Back home, the place was lively.
Xu Ya, Yun Tiancheng, and Yun Sisi were seated on the sofa, watching TV.
It was one of those rare moments when Yun Sisi got to enjoy time as part of the family of three.
As long as the annoying Yun Shifei wasn’t around, she felt a lot more at ease.
But as soon as Yun Shifei walked through the door, the smile on Yun Sisi’s face immediately vanished.
Why had Yun Shifei come home so early? When she heard earlier that Yun Shifei wouldn’t be eating dinner at home, Yun Sisi couldn’t have been more delighted.
The family of three, happily united...