This made Lin Xiaolu beside him feel a strong surge of jealousy, so much so that his eyes nearly turned red.
And after that, he had experienced a competition with Bai An City, the battle of New Year's Eve, and a series of changes that had finally given Lin Xiaolu the courage to take a crucial step and ultimately "reclaim the affection that belonged to him."
Now, looking back, Lin Xiaolu felt that Bai Jingxuan had monopolized Emerald Sparrow's attention for so long over the past few months. Now that it was finally his turn, he felt he should fully enjoy this moment. Thus, he displayed a kind of retaliatory showing off in the face of Bai Jingxuan.
To Bai Jingxuan, however, this had come across as a blatant provocation.
Bai Jingxuan could have ignored this provocation since she felt that Lin Xiaolu didn't mean much harm by it, but she couldn't ignore it because Lin Xiaolu had taken over the spot by Emerald Sparrow's side, preventing her from having any intimacy with Emerald Sparrow for many days.
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In front of others, Emerald Sparrow wouldn't let her call her "Mom," only allowing it when they were alone. Thus, previously, Bai Jingxuan had always called her "Mom" privately to act coquettishly, which she kept doing. But now, due to Lin Xiaolu's interference, she couldn't do this anymore.
In Bai Jingxuan's eyes, there weren't too many important people in the world. Counting on her fingers, there were only her biological parents, Magic Girl Ying who had once saved her, Uncle Tian who now worked at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, Emerald Sparrow, Uncle Lin, and her current teammates.
And if she had to choose the most important among them, it would only be Emerald Sparrow and Lin Yun.
However, Uncle Lin from the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, although willing to act as her "dad," also knew that Lin Xiaolu was Lin Yun's real daughter; no matter what, she couldn't be more important to Lin Yun than Lin Xiaolu.
Bai Jingxuan didn't want to compete with her "Sister Xiaolu" for "Dad" as she knew it would make Lin Xiaolu and "Dad" upset; therefore, she chose to get closer to Emerald Sparrow.
To her, Emerald Sparrow was a senior member of the Fangting City team and a teacher to everyone, where everyone's status was the same in front of her. Thus, if she tried a bit harder and acted more considerate, even if she had a bit more affection, it shouldn't be a problem.
But, unexpectedly, Lin Xiaolu was not only competing but also brazenly monopolizing, leaving no room for her at all.
Bai Jingxuan was a very sensible child, and precisely because of her sensibility, she was particularly clear about what she wanted.
The spot by Emerald Sparrow's side was something she couldn't let go of.
Thus, a silent war began.
Emerald Sparrow's initial reaction was only confusion, but when she realized the odd competition between Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, she tried to mediate, hoping to prevent more conflicts between the two.
But she soon found that this matter was beyond her capability to manage.
This was simply because she herself was a party involved and essentially the "referee" in this actual competition.
Stopping it was pointless; forcing the two to abandon their competition would only push their actions from overt to covert.
And if she chose not to intervene and just tried to make one of them give up, then regardless of which side she decided to support in finding a resolution, it would inevitably lead to perceived favoritism, which would ultimately hurt the children the most.
With this headache, all Emerald Sparrow could do was seek outside help. She consulted Hong Siyu, receiving a strange reply of "I also want the senior's affection"; she consulted Asou Haruka, who, although kind, offered several suggestions, but unfortunately, on educational matters, Asou was even more inexperienced than Emerald Sparrow.
Thus, Emerald Sparrow could only pretend to be unaware and try to balance the situation as much as possible, making both Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan feel that they were "favored."
That's why the strange spectacle of the three of them squeezing side by side on the staircase occurred.