Back at his seat, Little Taotie pulled out a small card from under the desk and, while looking at it, asked, "Do you really think black coffee tastes the best?"
Do Hua Jinyan and his big brother have the same taste buds?
Hua Jinyan shook his head: "It’s not tasty."
"Then you..." Little Taotie widened her eyes and asked softly, "Did you purposely deceive Little Fatty?"
Little Taotie covered her mouth and chuckled secretly, "Hee hee hee..."
Seeing her eyes curving into crescents and her giggles muffled by her hand, Hua Jinyan couldn’t help but curve the corners of his mouth and asked, "Are you having fun?"
Little Taotie giggled, "Of course! He called me the heavyweight of the slightly plump realm; clearly, he was calling me fat! You really avenged me!"
"As long as you are happy."
"It’s really a pity."
"It’s a pity I didn’t get to see Little Fatty buying and drinking coffee. When he took the first sip, he must have cried from the bitterness!"
Hua Jinyan nodded: "Indeed, it is a pity."
"If he had agreed to your bet, would you really have drunk a cup of black coffee? Could you have kept a straight face and even acted like you enjoyed it?"
"You’re amazing!" Little Taotie’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
Hua Jinyan’s lips curved up: "You’ve taken acting classes, haven’t you? It’s not that hard, really. Just deceive yourself, pretend it’s something you like to drink, and naturally, you can act it out."
Little Taotie hung her head, looking miserable: "I never thought... my big brother could be so ruthless."
Last Monday, the teacher had them choose interest classes.
Little Taotie couldn’t think of anything, and ended up handing in a blank sheet.
The teacher called her to the office and told her gently, no need to worry anymore, her big brother had already chosen for her.
Calligraphy, painting, acting, knitting, track and field—he signed her up for five interest classes!
If there were classes to attend on Saturdays, and interest classes in the evening, she was sure her big brother would sign her up for another one.
Other children chose one or two classes based on their interests, just attending one or two days from Monday to Friday, after school for two sessions.
Her case was miserable; she had to attend classes from Monday to Friday. Her big brother emphasized calligraphy; he insisted she learn it diligently and even checked her homework!
Calligraphy was too difficult, and Little Taotie felt overwhelmed.
Painting... was also very challenging!
Acting was somewhat manageable; she actually liked it a little.
She loved the knitting class the most. The teacher was very kind, always praising her for being clever and skillful, making her almost too embarrassed to take the praise.
She didn’t hate track and field but didn’t love it much either; constantly running and jumping was a bit boring.
Seeing her frown and her little face wrinkled into a pout, Hua Jinyan chuckled softly and handed her a piece of Evil Spirit Chocolate. Instinctively, she opened her mouth and took a bite.
The deliciousness melted in her mouth, smooth and rich, instantly erasing all her troubles. Her little brows relaxed, Little Dimple appearing shallowly, her eyes filled with stars, sparkling as she looked at Hua Jinyan.
"It’s good that you accompany me to the interest classes; otherwise, I definitely would have..." she suddenly dropped her voice and moved close to his ear, whispering, "I would definitely have skipped classes, hee hee hee..."
Her soft voice entered his ears, her breath warm on his earlobe, and Hua Jinyan’s ears turned red.
"I will always stay with you," he said softly.
"Mhm!" Little Taotie’s eyes curved into smiles, biting the chocolate in her mouth, looking carefree.
After school, Little Taotie carried her backpack, her steps heavy. She looked up as the calligraphy class’s door drew nearer, her little face crumpled into a bundle, and she grumbled, "The teacher will say my writing is ugly again, oh, it’s too hard."