Her mom was on the phone, screaming at her dad.

"You think your daughter and I can’t survive without you?!"

The moment she finished, Cao Jiajia, who was standing at the door, flinched violently. Her schoolbag fell to the floor with a THUD.

She actually understood everything that had been happening at home these past few years.

She understood every word of her parents’ arguments.

She wanted to ask her mother if they were really getting a divorce.

She also wanted to tell her mother the truth.

But in the end, she said nothing and slipped silently into her room.

’Mom’s temper...’

’If she found out about this, she’d tear the whole family apart.’

She knew her mother all too well.

Once things turned ugly, there would be no going back.

And then, she might really lose her father.

Life in the Cao family grew more unbearable by the day.

But for the Yang Family, things were only looking brighter.

Sunlight streamed into the Yang Family’s small courtyard as Zhang Yunhua watched her son chase a ball around.

Sitting on the doorstep, she was suddenly struck by an idea.

’Could I enroll my son in elementary school early?’

The boy was only a little over five, but he could already recite ancient poems and recognize words.

’Didn’t Shanshan start school early, too?’

’My boy isn’t slow. He could start with the preschool class to build a good foundation. That makes perfect sense.’

Besides, the elementary school had better teachers and a better environment.

If they could pull some strings, her son’s future would be limitless.

After discussing it, the couple decided to pay a visit to the Ling family. If they could get a little help, it might make things much easier.

They could also check on Shanshan and see how she was doing.

Shanshan had long expected this.

"Uncle, Auntie, don’t you worry."

Shanshan smiled and nodded after hearing their request.

"I’ll definitely look after my little brother. If anyone at school bullies him, he should tell me first."

Zhang Yunhua and her husband looked at each other and smiled. A huge weight was finally lifted from their hearts.

"Thank you, sister!"

Yang Changle had just turned five.

He blinked his big, watery eyes, his affectionate calls of "sister" sounding especially sweet.

For some reason, Shanshan’s heart sank.

’This little guy is really counting on me to protect him.’

After school started, she made time to check on him every day.

It wasn’t out of a sense of duty, but because she knew this child was fated to be tied to her from the very beginning.

Every time Shanshan visited, her old classmates would crowd around, incredibly enthusiastic.

"Shanshan, what brings you to the preschool class today?"

"Are you here to see your little brother again?"

Once everyone heard that Yang Changle in the preschool class was her brother, they immediately puffed out their chests and promised:

"Don’t worry, we’ll help look out for him!"

Those kids were all two or three years older than Yang Changle, already in the first or second grade.

They already held Shanshan in high regard.

Now that they heard this little guy was her brother, they naturally thought more highly of him too.

Seeing he had such an amazing older sister, their eyes lit up with undisguised envy.

It didn’t take long for Yang Changle to fit right in with everyone, and he had a great time playing.

But once word of this got out, Cao Jiajia came looking for him.

She was already someone who didn’t like to interact with others, and she always felt inferior to Shanshan in every way.

This time, hearing that Yang Changle was being surrounded by admirers and called "Shanshan’s little brother" made her absolutely livid.

Why should some little brat who was just riding on Cao Xueshan’s coattails get to be treated like a treasure?

And what about her?

She didn’t even have anyone to talk to!

She was a neighbor of the Ling family too, so why did everyone revolve around Shanshan?

"Ms. Jiajia!"

Yang Changle recognized her and greeted her obediently with a grin.

He remembered that she lived nearby and that they had even played together when they were little.

"Who said you could call me that!"

Cao Jiajia violently shook off his hand.

"Hmph, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Your whole family revolves around the Ling family, acting like groveling servants. You’re already learning to suck up to people at your age. It’s disgusting!"

"You’re lying! Shanshan is my real sister! And I’m not a servant!"

Yang Changle’s little face flushed red as he hastily retorted.

"Your parents are just bootlickers, sucking up to the Ling family all day. Your family would have starved to death without them!"

Cao Jiajia said with a cold sneer.

"And you? You’re just a fool who can’t even speak properly! All you do is hide behind your sister and act pitiful!"

"Your family only survives because of the Ling family, eating their leftovers and wearing their old clothes. What’s there to be so proud of? Have you no shame?"

"You really think people see you as one of them? What a joke! Who would genuinely like a poor kid who lives off handouts?"

Yang Changle stood frozen, his eyes turning red.

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Cao Jiajia immediately turned and stormed off.

The children watching from the side felt a pang of sympathy as they looked at the teary-eyed Yang Changle.

"Don’t listen to her, she’s just got a nasty mouth! She’s always like that with everyone, so aggressive. Nobody pays her any mind!"

"Your sister Shanshan is so nice, smart, and kind, so you must be great too! Ignore that crazy girl!"

"We’ve all got your back. If anyone dares to bully you again, we’ll all cuss her out together!"

"I’ll play with you after school, don’t be scared!"

Within half a day, everyone knew what had happened to Yang Changle.

Many of the children surrounded Yang Changle, chattering all at once.

"Are you really connected to the Ling family? Do they really have your back?"

"Is your sister really that amazing? I heard she won first place in a city-wide competition, is that true?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Does your family live in the Ling family’s compound? They don’t just let anyone in there!"

Yang Changle just stood there, not saying a word.

But Yang Changle was just too young.

He couldn’t speak clearly, let alone explain the full story.

As a result, everyone ended up believing Cao Jiajia’s version of the story.

No one wanted to listen to a stuttering kid ramble on about the truth.

The kids who had been eagerly pulling him along to play just a moment ago suddenly started ignoring him.

During recess, they gathered to laugh and play, but he was the only one left out.

Yang Changle was completely bewildered, unable to understand how he had become invisible to everyone in the blink of an eye.

He could only squat sullenly off to the side, watching wistfully as the same group that had been laughing and playing with him just days before carried on without him.

When Shanshan came to see her little brother that afternoon, she noticed something was wrong at a glance.

Usually, the boy would call out "sister" from a distance, but today he was sitting in a corner with his head down.

"Chang Le? What’s wrong? Who made you upset? Tell your sister the truth."

She bent down, her voice softening as she reached out to touch his face.

But Yang Changle shrank back, refusing to look up.

She finally managed to corner the little guy who had been avoiding her.

Shanshan’s face hardened, her tone leaving no room for argument.

She stared into her brother’s eyes, trying to find a clue in them.

But the boy just bit his lip and remained silent.

Unable to get an answer from him, Shanshan turned and started asking his classmates.

What she found out was infuriating. Her little brother had been secretly targeted at school.

Anger shot through her. Shanshan spun around and marched straight to Cao Jiajia’s classroom.

"BANG!"

The moment the door was kicked open, the entire class looked up in shock.

Shanshan scanned the room, her gaze immediately locking onto Cao Jiajia.

"It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who ran your mouth in front of my little brother."

Before she had even finished speaking, she rushed forward, grabbed Cao Jiajia by the collar, and lifted her up as if she were a rag doll.

"Ah! Let go of me! What are you doing?!"

Cao Jiajia shrieked in terror, flailing her arms wildly.

"What am I doing? Do I need to repeat back to you the rotten thing you did to my brother?"