Chapter 77

Looking at the adorable dimples on Jiang Mingjing's face and her overly sweet smile, Li Huanle stiffly replied, "Get down quickly, this is my territory. You're already a lady now, how can it look proper for us to crowd together like this? Do you want me to give you a political education lesson again?"

Jiang Mingjing remained unperturbed, still smiling. She even placed her smooth little foot on Li Huanle's knee and happily replied, "How big can I be? Even the coming-of-age ceremony is still two months away. And right now, I only care about one thing—Oppa's return gift!"

This time, Li Huanle understood. Looking at Jiang Mingjing's happy appearance, he knew this was definitely not a genuine smile. To him, it was a devilish smile. It turned out this girl was just using this trick to get her gift.

"If I say I didn't prepare any return gift, do you really think Oppa can't handle you?" Li Huanle steadied his emotions, telling himself not to overthink it. He decided to treat this girl like the little follower who used to trail behind him every day. Thinking this way, Li Huanle felt much better.

Jiang Mingjing felt a bit disappointed when she heard this, but she still smiled and said, "Of course, Oppa is the best. But... from now on, Oppa will have to clean your own clothes. You can take them to the laundry shop outside, but I won't wash them for you anymore!"

"What? How can you say such disrespectful things!"

"Why can't I? I'm not your servant!"

"But I'm your brother, and it's only right for a sister to help with household chores!"

"Then it's also right for a brother to give a gift to his sister, especially a return gift!"

"o(︶︿︶)o Sigh, my sister is beyond saving!"

Jiang Mingjing couldn't pretend anymore. Feeling that Oppa really hadn't prepared a gift for her, her face darkened, and her little mouth pouted, looking very aggrieved.

"Um, are you going to cry?" Li Huanle asked softly, looking at Jiang Mingjing's appearance.

To his surprise, Jiang Mingjing's tears fell immediately. She then withdrew her right foot from Li Huanle's knee, didn't say a word, and tried to leave by pulling back the blanket.

Li Huanle was taken aback and quickly pulled her back, asking worriedly, "What's wrong? Are you angry?"

"Let me go! Oppa is so mean!" Jiang Mingjing sobbed, struggling.

Li Huanle was a bit scared by her intense reaction. He didn't think she would be so upset just because of the lack of a return gift.

He quickly hugged her and said, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. That... I was just joking. Of course, there is a gift!"

Before Li Huanle could finish speaking, Jiang Mingjing suddenly turned her head and cried, "How can I not be angry? How can I not be angry? Oppa, think about it, how many years, how many years? Since you stopped paying attention to me, not only have you never given me a gift, but you've only said 'Happy Birthday' twice, dryly. You always say 'brother, brother,' but can't a brother give a gift to his sister... sniff sniff!"

Li Huanle was stunned. Seeing his sister's tears falling continuously and her sobs getting louder, he suddenly felt a deep pain. At that moment, he clearly realized how much of a failure he was as a brother.

At this moment, Li Huanle no longer had those awkward and strange thoughts. He reached out and hugged Jiang Mingjing, gently stroking her head with his right hand and said apologetically, "Mingjing, be good. It's my fault. I was too bad before, but you have to believe me. I will definitely protect and love my Mingjing sister in the future. I was just joking earlier. Of course, there is a gift!"

Jiang Mingjing was really heartbroken just now. Over the past few years, due to Li Huanle's attitude towards her, she had become very sensitive and fragile when facing this step-brother. She really wanted a gift, even if she had to ask for it.

But when she realized that Oppa had forgotten or never thought about buying her a gift, her heartache burst out.

However, after being hugged by Li Huanle and hearing his apologies, Jiang Mingjing felt much better. Especially when she heard that there was a gift, she realized she had been tricked by Oppa.

"But... Oppa's embrace is still as warm as before!"

Jiang Mingjing's hands suddenly tightened, and then... she continued to cry, but her heart was beating faster and faster, a strange feeling.

Li Huanle didn't have any special feelings, but he realized that he had really hurt Mingjing over the years. Thinking about it, being a trainee was just wasting youth. So what? With him as her brother, he could support her in the future. What was there to worry about? To be so picky about such a small matter, especially after the painful two years, Li Huanle wanted to slap himself.

So, the two of them sat on the bed, covered with a blanket, hugging each other. Although it was a bit awkward, Li Huanle had no choice but to gently stroke Jiang Mingjing's hair like he was comforting a child.

Gradually, Jiang Mingjing cried herself out. She noticed that Oppa hadn't let her go, which made her very happy. If it weren't for the excessive tears, she might have cried again.

But now, Jiang Mingjing didn't care about the gift anymore. Of course, knowing that there was a gift made her feel relieved, so she had a little idea...

"Mingjing? Mingjing?"

After a while, seeing that Jiang Mingjing wasn't crying anymore and had no reaction, Li Huanle called out to her a couple of times, feeling a bit strange.

No response.

Turning his head curiously, he saw his sister, with a flushed face and steady breathing, leaning against his shoulder, eyes closed. Li Huanle was taken aback and sighed helplessly, not expecting her to have cried herself to sleep.

"Maybe she's too tired!"

Thinking about her work as a celebrity, Li Huanle felt a bit heartache.

Gently prying open Jiang Mingjing's hands that were hugging him, Li Huanle carefully supported her arms and knelt by the bed, slowly laying her down. He thought for a moment, then left the blanket and sat by the bed, first covering Jiang Mingjing with the blanket. Then he took out the gift box from the drawer of the computer desk.

A beautifully wrapped purple gift box. He had originally planned to surprise her, but seeing that she was already asleep, Li Huanle decided to open the gift box. He then opened the box containing the pendant.

A pendant similar to a six-pointed star appeared in Li Huanle's hand, but he blushed slightly, wishing he had chosen a prettier one.

Holding the pendant, Li Huanle sat at the head of the bed, lifted Jiang Mingjing a bit, and carefully hung the pendant around her neck.

Looking at her steady breathing, Li Huanle let out a long breath and murmured, "I hope you can always cry and make a fuss like a child. Leave all the unhappy things to Oppa in the future!"

He reached out his right hand to smooth her bangs, pulled the blanket up to cover her chest, and then sat by the computer desk with his laptop, continuing his work.

However, sitting at the foot of the bed, Li Huanle kept wanting to reach out and touch the little feet behind him.

"Damn, how did that otaku influence me? Why do I care about this? Am I really becoming a pedophile?"

Li Huanle thought sadly, turning all his evil thoughts into motivation and furiously typing on the keyboard.

At that moment, Jiang Mingjing opened her eyes slightly, bit her upper lip, and looked at Oppa with a blurry gaze, her eyes moistening again.

This White Family Day, for Li Huanle and Jiang Mingjing, this step-sibling pair, had no family day atmosphere at all. There was no chocolate, no roses.

But for both of them, this day was very meaningful. However, what they felt inside was completely... out of sync.

...

The White Family Day passed. Perhaps because of his step-sister, Li Huanle didn't feel as lonely as he did on Family Day. However, the next morning, Jiang Mingjing rushed off to a job.

Li Huanle, on the other hand, had a long-awaited lazy morning, not getting up until nine. After washing up, he went downstairs and saw milk and bread on the table, which made him smile. He walked over to read the note on the table, and a black line appeared on his forehead.

"Love breakfast, don't be too moved!~>_<~+"

"Damn, bread and milk count as love? Well... it seems it really was prepared by my sister!"

Li Huanle thought speechlessly, then sat down to eat. He then took out his phone, turned off the silent mode, and checked the new messages.

The first few were from Baixiangyong and Old Niu. One said the news today was amazing, and the other said the matter had been taken care of.

Seeing Old Niu's reply, Li Huanle remembered something and exclaimed in his heart about the efficiency. He quickly carried his cup and plate to the computer room.

Putting the breakfast aside, he turned on the desktop computer and continued checking the messages while waiting for it to boot up.

Xu Xian: "Hello, Senior Huanle, I have some questions for you. Of course, this is just out of personal curiosity, and it's fine if you don't answer... Is Senior a non-feminine boy? Were you ever caught by the police in Jeonju? This is just out of personal curiosity, and it's fine if you don't answer..."

"Ha!"

Reading Xu Xian's message, Li Huanle burst out laughing. This was clearly a very curious tone. Non-feminine boy, Jeonju, combined, it must be something Kim Tae-yeon told her.

Li Huanle thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. After discussing with a few friends, they had 'coerced' many students to join them at a school near the mass gathering square. As the leader, Li Huanle didn't even personally participate.

And to be honest, it wasn't really coercion. Most people were politely invited. If the invitee politely refused, the inviter would call a couple of friends to re-invite them. If that didn't work, they would call five... Well, it was coercion.

Thinking about it, Li Huanle felt it was a bit crazy back then. No wonder there were such things as stalker fans and brain-dead fans. Thinking about it now, Li Huanle still understood.

He explained the situation without hiding anything, but he wasn't a non-feminine boy. To bring so many people to Jeonju, Li Huanle used all his savings, including the pocket money he had taken from Jiang Mingjing, to buy tickets.

At the time, so many people at the train station made many think it was a school field trip.

But they did coerce, and they were caught by the police. Li Huanle briefly explained and added, "Everyone is a bit brain-dead a few times when they're young. If it was your captain who told you, please tell her I'm sorry!"

After sending the message, Li Huanle put his phone on the table, ate breakfast, and opened the browser.

As Li Huanle expected, the search rankings were full of news related to the Choi family scandal.

Real-time search rankings:

1: Han Chae-young

2: Han Chae-young's husband**

3: Choi Dong-gun**

4: Choi Dong-gun's scandal

5: Han Chae-young's marriage in crisis

6: Choi Corporation's malicious scandal

...

Although the situation was as expected, the search terms surprised him. He didn't expect the first and second places to be Han Chae-young. But thinking about it, it made sense. Compared to Choi Dong-gun, although Han Chae-young had left the entertainment industry, her public recognition was much higher.

Today's morning news from major newspapers like the Chosun Ilbo and Asahi Shimbun, the entertainment sections were all about the marriage crisis and betrayal.

The news was then forwarded to the internet at 8 AM. It was only 9:30 AM, but the attention had already reached a terrifying level.

If Han Chae-young weren't an actress, this news might not even make the headlines, let alone the news. After all, the public doesn't care much about businessmen they can't name.

But with her actress identity, the news went viral. The clear photos in the newspapers and online made it impossible to deny.

Choi Dong-gun became the target of public condemnation, while Han Chae-young became a sympathetic figure.

Especially her fans, who were already forming groups, vowing to take down the evil world boss Choi Dong-gun.

At the same time, many reports stated that Han Chae-young had contacted journalists and would hold a press conference at the Lotte Hotel at 4 PM.

"Tsk tsk, angry women are truly terrifying!" Li Huanle said while browsing the news.

As the saying goes, it's better to destroy ten temples than to break up a marriage. Whether these sayings have any truth, Li Huanle believed in taking the good and discarding the bad.

If two people are completely incompatible, like a man who spends his days in debauchery and a woman who is a gentle and virtuous housewife, enduring the man's misdeeds and his abuse at home, is such a marriage necessary?

Of course, Han Chae-young's marriage wasn't that bad, but Li Huanle didn't feel any burden. Not only did Choi Dong-gun do it himself, but even if Li Huanle had orchestrated it, he wouldn't feel any regret or guilt, only towards Han Chae-young.

Li Huanle's principle was never to be soft on enemies. Now that he was older and more mature, he couldn't fight like he did when he was young. One serious fight could land him in jail.

"……&*……**（——）（*——）*……"

The phone rang suddenly, snapping Li Huanle out of his thoughts. Seeing 'Cao Cao's' number, he immediately answered.

"Miss Han, have you had breakfast? If you're on an empty stomach, it's best to eat something, or you might get a stomach problem later..."

...

PS: Thank you, Baixiangyong (Residual Fragrance), for the support. Here's a big chapter.

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