Chapter 37: Yifei: I Am the One Who Is Superfluous

"A kiss?" Zhang Li confirmed, scanning his surroundings.

"Yes, a kiss. Hurry up." Liu Yifei tapped her cheek.

Zhang Li felt even more guarded, frowning as he asked, "Are you sure you haven't installed a hidden camera to record my embarrassing moments so you can get our mother to back you up later?"

The corner of Liu Yifei's eye twitched: "..."

She, Liu Yifei, was having such a hard time getting a kiss. Back when they were abroad and still young, they used to exchange cheek kisses all the time, and later, she would trick Zhang Li into kissing her. Once, when they were caught by Liu Xiaoli, she had felt so shy that she pushed the blame onto Zhang Li, claiming he was the one who wanted to kiss her. Liu Xiaoli had given them a strange look but said nothing, only telling them to mind their boundaries.

But the reason she wanted a kiss today was mainly to conduct an experiment. Over the past nine days, she had tried testing this with close friends, but it hadn't resulted in any improvement. If it weren't for the obvious improvement in her "gummy smile," she would have suspected that she had been suffering from auditory hallucinations that night. Now, she just wanted to know if Zhang Li was special.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" Liu Yifei shot a sharp glare at Zhang Li, channeling her "older sister" authority.

"Sister Yifei, we're not kids anymore," Zhang Li said earnestly. "We need to observe proper boundaries between men and women."

Liu Yifei’s grip on the steering wheel tightened: "You’re my brother. You're talking about boundaries with me?"

"We're not blood-related!" Zhang Li said with a straight face. "Some who *are* blood-related even go down the 'clinical' route..."

Liu Yifei raised her fist: "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

Zhang Li reached out, cupped her cheeks, and gave her forehead a firm kiss. "There, done!"

Liu Yifei: "..." Forget it, she couldn't be bothered with him.

"No sound." Liu Yifei frowned slightly and beckoned him with her finger: "Come here, I want to whisper something to you."

Zhang Li’s eyes flickered, and he leaned in.

*Smack.*

Liu Yifei kissed him on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark.

[You have been tricked into a kiss by Liu Yifei; Lip Shape +1 / Mature Sister Aura +1]

Zhang Li: ??

Me? A "Mature Sister" aura? Does this mean I have to start cross-dressing? Thinking of his own enviably fair skin, Zhang Li trembled slightly. He decided he would find a way to get a tan—he definitely didn't want to be a "pretty boy."

"However..." Zhang Li’s eyes shifted as he observed Liu Yifei’s expression. He saw a glimmer of pleasant surprise in her eyes.

[You have tricked... Mature Sister Aura +1]

Hearing that sound, Liu Yifei was so happy she almost cried out.

Sure enough, once you eliminate all other possibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. She needed to focus on Zhang Li to improve her own abilities and talents. She was the "Child of Luck" mentioned in novels, and Zhang Li was her cheat code. This future husband she had personally picked out at the age of thirteen was absolutely amazing!

"Hmm?" Liu Yifei felt something strange in her mind. She could communicate with a blank interface, and a line of text appeared:

[Mature Sister Aura (Buff Tier): Once your aura reaches a certain level, you can call upon it at will. When activated, it grants the user the aura of a mature woman.]

"Hiss!" Liu Yifei was startled. So, this... she really was using a cheat. Something as mystical as an "aura" could actually be toggled on and off.

"Environment shapes temperament, and status shapes the body." Things like aura and presence were real; killers had a murderous air, and nobles had an air of nobility. In their entertainment industry, only a very few top-tier actors could cultivate a specific presence—like Mr. Chen Daoming playing an emperor, or how she was often described as having an "ethereal, fairy-like" quality.

"Mature Sister" aura... This must have been something she cultivated through her experiments with Zhang Li.

"Heh." Liu Yifei silently activated the buff. She lifted her chin, looked at Zhang Li, and said with a domineering gaze: "Listen to your sister, you brat. Do you understand?"

Zhang Li keenly noticed the change in her and thought to himself, "As I expected." For days, he had been thinking about how the beautiful women around him were being excessively proactive. When filming *Chinese Paladin 3*, Yang Mi, Liu Shishi, and Tang Yan were all incredibly good to him, almost clinging to him. Liu Shishi, in particular, had abandoned the reserved nature she showed during *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* and was actively chasing him. She would give him massages every single day without fail, and even steal kisses, as if completing a mission. Once he got back to school, Jing Tian was also very attentive to him, doing all sorts of favors. It made him feel like a male Daji.

And now, Liu Yifei was becoming even more intimate... If everything could be boiled down to "benefit," it made perfect sense.

"So, if I do something to them, they get benefits? Or is it that when I let them do things to me, they get benefits? Surely it’s not that they get benefits for doing things to me, and I’m just passively getting the rewards?"

Zhang Li felt the first two possibilities were more likely. He suspected he was the one who was truly "cheating." But regardless of which one it was, he had to experiment, observe, and summarize; perhaps he would gain something.

With that thought, a smile appeared on his face: "I know. From the time I was small until now, haven't I always listened to you, Sister Xixi?"

"That's right." Liu Yifei nodded with satisfaction and released the handbrake: "Let's go home."

Dozens of minutes later, the car drove into an affluent area in Yishun District, pulled up to a manor, passed through a tall iron gate, and drove along a long path for a minute before stopping in the garage of a three-story villa. Zhang Li and Liu Yifei got out one after another, walked through the back passage, and arrived at the first-floor dining room.

As soon as he entered, Zhang Li saw Liu Xiaoli sitting at the dining table, directing the servants. She looked calm on the surface, but Zhang Li, who knew her well, knew it was a facade. Liu Xiaoli usually didn't talk much; if she was being chatty, it meant she was very nervous.

"Mom, we're back." Liu Yifei called out to her.

Liu Xiaoli stood up abruptly. She looked at Zhang Li, appearing a bit hurried, not knowing where to put her hands.

"Mom, I'm back." Zhang Li strode forward and gave her a hug.

Liu Xiaoli’s eyes turned red in an instant, and she tapped him on the back: "You’ve really grown up. You run off for over half a year without coming home. Don't you know your mother would worry?"

Zhang Li let her go, smiling brightly: "It’s just that Sister Xixi said if I dared to film a Tangren production, I shouldn't come back, so I didn't dare!"

"You listen to her?" Liu Xiaoli couldn't resist his slightly spoiled tone and a faint smile appeared on her face: "This house isn't run by her. Whether you can come back is up to me."

"I’ve figured that out now, haven't I?" Zhang Li wrapped his arm around Liu Xiaoli’s shoulder: "From now on, I’ll come back whenever I have free time. Every time I’m back, I’ll just stick to Mom. Who cares about Liu Xixi?"

"Right, just keep in touch with Mom," Liu Xiaoli agreed, nodding.

Liu Yifei’s smile vanished: "..." You two are so affectionate, so I’m the outsider?

Liu Yifei felt a bit indignant, walked over, and pulled Zhang Li and Liu Xiaoli apart. "Mom, wake up, I’m your daughter."

It was hard to tell who she was jealous of.

"You're Mom's daughter, but I'm her son too, aren't I?" Zhang Li, perhaps feeling he had a backer, spoke quite arrogantly: "When you get married, you'll be part of someone else's family, but I'm the one who will bring a wife home to honor Mom. How can you compare to me?"

Liu Yifei: !

"That makes sense," Liu Xiaoli said with a smile, nodding.

Liu Yifei: ?

"I’m not talking to you guys anymore!" Liu Yifei left in a huff.

"This child, I don't know who spoiled her like that," Liu Xiaoli said with a look of feigned annoyance, pulling Zhang Li to sit down: "A-Li, sit down quickly. Try the cooking from Mom and Auntie Xu."

Zhang Li had specifically saved room in his stomach and devoured the food. "Mom, your cooking is still the best. Everything I eat outside is just not good enough." Zhang Li showered her with compliments.

Liu Xiaoli laughed happily, her mood lifting considerably. Her laughter made Liu Yifei, who had just come down after a shower, very unhappy. She kept feeling like there was no place for her in this house.

"A-Li!" Liu Yifei walked up to him: "Come on, give me a massage."