Do not neglect her when things are fine, only to interfere and dictate her decisions during critical moments as if she had risen from the dead.
Any relationship, be it familial, friendly, or romantic, that lacks participation is as fragile as dried potato chips, shattering at the slightest touch.
She wished for Rong Jingyang’s involvement in her daughter’s upbringing.
She wished—
He would care for her simply because she was Du Ruoxin, not just the Rong family's daughter-in-law.
She wished Rong Jingyang would care for Doudou solely because she was his daughter, not merely a miss of the Rong family.
Du Ruoxin clutched her phone tightly, her eyes fixed on the screen.
But for a long, long time, she received no reply.
Just as Du Ruoxin’s hope began to fade, a screech of brakes tore through the air, sounding like a car crash, eerily unsettling.
She turned her head to look.
Kristino stepped out of his sports car, his tall, sturdy frame and domineering aura already captivating the surrounding women, their eyes sparkling with admiration.
“So handsome!”
“So cool!”
“Wow~~~”
“If I had a boyfriend this devastatingly handsome, it would be worth dying for!”
Du Ruoxin saw the man pause; her elder brother… why was he here?
Ignoring the screams of the women around her, she quickly put away her phone and donned a standard social smile.
“Brother,” she called out softly.
Kristino glanced at her, his tone cold, “If you don’t want to smile, don’t. I’m not holding a knife to your throat.”
Du Ruoxin’s smile froze: “——”
It must have been Trevor! He must have told her brother about her argument with Rong Jingyang!
Even though she knew her brother was aware she was unhappy, Du Ruoxin maintained a smiling facade, “What are you saying, Brother? How could I not be happy to see you?”
Seeing her like this, Kristino felt a sharp pang in his heart.
He walked up to her and crouched down.
Du Ruoxin instinctively flinched back, a flicker of alarm in her eyes—what was Brother going to do!
Kristino: “——”
Her involuntary movement stung him. He had intended to stroke her head, but he dared not move.
“Xin’er, I told you, I’ll give you one year.”
“The time is not yet up, and I will not force you.”
Kristino’s words instantly broke through Du Ruoxin’s composure; she could no longer pretend.
No one knew how agonizing it was to maintain a smile during one’s most sorrowful moments.
Kristino opened his arms, his eyes filled with indulgence and reluctance, “For this year, I am only your elder brother.”
After this year, he would become her husband.
Du Ruoxin suddenly felt a surge of sadness, and tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.
But she quickly wiped them away.
She gave Kristino a hug, “I’m fine, really.”
She quickly released him and asked, “By the way, how is Sister-in-law? Where do you plan for her to give birth?”
Kristino: “Her affairs are your responsibility.”
Knowing that Xin’er was no longer guarded around him, he stood up and sat beside her.
Du Ruoxin: “-.-||”
Brother, you’re more of a scumbag than Rong Jingyang, truly!
If he weren’t her actual brother, she would have kicked him into the sea.
Alas, dislike and like were truly worlds apart, causing such despair.
Pah, pah, pah!
She had to try to change her brother; how could she be disheartened or infected by negative energy?
Du Ruoxin, like an air pump, mustered all her strength to encourage herself, “Alright, alright, I’ll take responsibility.”
From a state of sorrowful despair one moment, she transformed into a warrior the next.
Honestly!
Life was full of melodrama!
Du Ruoxin suggested, “I’ll ask Sister-in-law if she’d be willing to give birth in E City.”
As if struck by an idea, she looked at Kristino, smiling radiantly, “Brother, I’ve signed you and Sister-in-law up for a training class.”