Gu Zi cast a sidelong glance at Su Bing, who was not far away and had not moved. He seemed as if he hadn't heard her speak at all.
She didn't say anything either but couldn't help feeling disturbed by the intense look Su Bing had just given her.
No wonder the novel described Su Bing as eccentric and even somewhat eerie.
She recalled Su Bing's gaze from earlier, and it almost felt like he wanted to harm her.
Did he want to kill his stepmother?
The novel did mention that Su Bing had such thoughts.
A shiver ran down Gu Zi's spine as she raised her eyes to look at Su Bing, whose appearance was indeed handsome, but the coldness in his eyes was too apparent.
When Su Bing caught Gu Zi's gaze, he turned and headed towards the living room with his backpack.
Gu Zi, still holding the bowl of cut noodles, walked into the kitchen.
In the living room, Su Bing carefully checked Lele's condition. Seeing his little sister happily devouring the egg cake, his expression became complex.
Su Li sat on another sofa, holding an egg cake and enjoying it. When he saw his older brother looking at him, he quickly said, "Brother, have one too; these things are delicious!"
Su Bing took a deep breath, ignoring the tempting aroma of the egg cakes on the coffee table. He spoke in a cold tone, "Finish eating that and then come do your homework!"
Su Li and Su Bing sat at the study desk on the ground floor to do their homework. They carried Lele over to join them.
Just then, the aroma of sesame oil chicken and the savory smell of meat drifted in, wafting into the room.
Su Bing continued to work diligently on his homework, completely ignoring the enticing smell of food.
Su Li put down his pen, turned his head to look at the kitchen not far away, where he could see Gu Zi busy preparing food.
He casually patted his sister's hair beside him and stared at the kitchen, his mouth watering. "Brother, what should we do? The food smells so good, and I'm hungry again."
Su Bing finished writing the last word, closed his notebook, and calmly looked at Lele, who had cake crumbs all over his mouth. He took out a handkerchief and helped Lele wipe the crumbs away. Then he said, "Just be patient."
"Brother, I like her around at home. If only she didn't mistreat our little sister," Su Li said with a worried expression as he looked at Lele beside him.
Su Bing, watching Lele with a clean mouth and recalling what Chu Xi had said, had a complex expression. "What do you think of Aunt Chu?"
Su Li was momentarily stunned when he heard the question. Then, he thought about it seriously and said, "When Aunt Chu was here, we didn't have enough to eat every day. Besides, the food she cooked was terrible. She would always ask Dad for money, saying that we spent too much, even though we didn't. She kept coming up with excuses..."
He stopped there.
Although they didn't spend much money, Aunt Chu always found reasons to ask their dad for more money.
Su Li's brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Why did he suddenly feel like Aunt Chu wasn't a good person either?
Su Bing looked at Lele's rosy cheeks and held her in his arms, adding calmly, "Aunt Chu has always been a liar."
Su Li stared at Su Bing and said earnestly, "She always tries to get more money from Dad."
"That's right," Su Bing affirmed.
Just at that moment, they heard the sound of the kitchen door opening in the distance. Su Bing and Su Li fell silent at the same time.
"Su Bing, Su Li, it's time for dinner!"
The gentle voice of Gu Zi called out, and the two brothers exchanged a glance. They got up and headed outside. Su Bing still carried Lele responsibly.
Gu Zi looked at the two older boys in their patched and dirty clothes. It seemed that when Aunt Chu came here to work, she hadn't washed their clothes.
The older brother was slightly taller than the younger one. The older brother had a cold and expressionless demeanor, while the younger one kept his head down, looking cautious.
Gu Zi hadn't even reached Su Bing, the older brother, before she noticed Lele's bright and shining eyes fixed on her. Lele reached out her hands, seemingly wanting to be held.
"Mommy!" Lele's voice made Su Bing and Su Li freeze. Both of them turned their gaze to Lele.
Lele was completely unaware that she had become the center of attention for her two older brothers. She continued to reach out to Gu Zi, her voice filled with childish innocence. "Mommy!"
Gu Zi's eyes were filled with a gentle smile as she tenderly picked up Lele from Su Bing's stunned arms and carried her toward the kitchen.
Su Bing watched Gu Zi and Lele walking away, his gaze becoming increasingly complex.