The system really knew what he was thinking.
After all, he wasn't some great villain. Since he took her things, he had to give her something in return.
His mother shouted from the kitchen, "Ranran, Qingqing, time to eat! The steamed prawns are ready!"
Lin Zhengran and Xiao Heqing responded and left the bedroom. The two little ones sat on one side of the dining table as Lin Xiaoli placed a plate of large prawns in front of them. "You two can peel them yourselves. Qingqing, make yourself at home here."
Xiao Heqing waited for Lin Zhengran to reach out first before she dared to take one. Her timid movements couldn't hide her inner foodie; she broke the prawn apart at the head and nibbled on it with her small mouth. The fresh, sweet taste brought a visible look of happiness to Xiao Heqing's face.
Then, she placed the meaty body of the prawn in front of Lin Zhengran.
Lin Zhengran, busy chewing on his own prawn, looked at her in surprise. "Why are you giving this to me? Are you a picky eater? Do you not like the body?"
Xiao Heqing immediately fell silent. "I'm not picky..."
Lin Zhengran knew she just wanted to give him the tastiest part. Xiao Heqing was good-natured to her core; returning a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude was simply in her blood. However, her way of repaying kindness was always silent. A normal child would never understand it. Only someone reincarnated like Lin Zhengran could guess her true thoughts.
"If you're not picky, take your prawn back."
Xiao Heqing had wanted to explain that she gave it to him because the body was the most delicious part. But a single glare from Lin Zhengran terrified her into taking it back. Shrinking her neck and keeping her head down, she quietly nibbled on the meat.
That evening, Mrs. He came back from working overtime to pick Xiao Heqing up. Mrs. He was a very strict person who kept a stern face all day, always giving off the impression of someone crushed by the immense pressure of life. A harsh mother coupled with an absent father—perhaps this was the root cause of He Qing being as timid as a mouse.
Tonight, as Mrs. He led her daughter home by the hand, she asked a question. "Qingqing, why do I feel like you're really scared of Ranran? Do you not like playing with him?"
Gripping her mother's hand, Xiao Heqing answered without hesitation, "I like it."
Mrs. He didn't understand. "Then why do you always call him Lin Zhengran? Why not call him Ranran?"
In truth, Xiao Heqing had called him Ranran at first, but Lin Zhengran refused to accept it. She had no choice but to continue using his full name.
Seeing her daughter fall silent again, Mrs. He didn't press the issue. "How about we go back to our hometown to visit Grandma this winter? We haven't been back in a long time."
"Mhm, okay."
That same night, Lin Zhengran sat in his bedroom and ate the box of candies He Qing had given him. With every piece he consumed, he felt an increase in either his strength, Energy, or Physical Strength. They truly were like immortal elixirs. As a result, he polished off the entire box in a single night. Little kids had great teeth; eating a whole box of candy wouldn't even give him a toothache!
For about a month after that, Lin Zhengran began asking Xiao Heqing for snacks every day. In his spare time, he read kindergarten books. In exchange, he would give Xiao Heqing the snacks his parents bought for him. After all, what he actually cared about weren't the snacks, but the system's rewards.
In addition to this, Lin Zhengran did one more thing: he taught He Qing how to make trouble.
For example, during class, if Lin Zhengran noticed someone gossiping about Xiao Heqing, he would tell her to throw paper wads at them. Xiao Heqing never wanted to do it. Lin Zhengran would put on a stern face. "Didn't you hear them blatantly talking bad about you? Hurry up and throw a paper wad at them."
If Xiao Heqing remained frozen in fear, he would pinch her cheek. "Hurry up! Didn't you say you'd listen to me?! Are you going back on your word?!"
Ruled by this tyrant, Xiao Heqing had no choice but to obey. However, when the targets saw it was He Qing throwing things, they just glanced at Lin Zhengran and didn't say a word.
Lin Zhengran did much more than that. For instance, whenever Xiao Heqing didn't get enough to eat at lunch, she used to just stay hungry until she got home for dinner. But recently, Lin Zhengran would force her to raise her hand and shout, "Teacher, I'm not full!" to ask for another portion. If Xiao Heqing's voice was too low, he would poke her thigh with his finger. "Keep shouting. Who can hear you when you're buzzing like a mosquito?"
The same applied to when she didn't have a partner for activities, or when she was too scared to ask the teacher to go to the restroom, and so on.
For the past month, Xiao Heqing didn't know what had gotten into Lin Zhengran. He was obviously bullying her much more often. However, she went from being entirely too terrified to act at the very beginning, to realizing that resistance was futile and simply doing whatever Lin Zhengran told her to do. Gradually, she actually stopped feeling so embarrassed about shouting out loud—mostly because she had been forced to do it so many times.
One day, a month later.
Lin Xiaoli took Lin Zhengran out to the mall. His mom absolutely loved new clothes and shoes, and she could always browse in a single store for ages. Lin Zhengran really couldn't stand it. However, as he stood by the door looking out, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure with a ponytail standing in front of a children's taekwondo studio, staring at their looping promotional video for a long time.
[Today, while you were out, you unexpectedly discovered He Fairy researching a certain sect's Cultivation Technique. You are very curious and hesitate over whether to approach her.]
Lin Zhengran walked over and patted her shoulder. "He Qing?"
She jumped in fright, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was Lin Zhengran. She wrung her small hands in front of her as if she had done something wrong.
Lin Zhengran asked speechlessly, "Why is your head down every time I see you? Can't you keep your head up when you talk next time?"
Hearing this, Xiao Heqing lifted her head, but her gaze remained timid.
Lin Zhengran sighed helplessly. "Why are you here? Did your mom bring you?"
Xiao Heqing turned and pointed at a distant cafe. Lin Zhengran looked over and saw Mrs. He drinking coffee and chatting with a man. However, she looked deeply displeased, appearing as though she might explode and start cursing at him at any moment.
Lin Zhengran realized who it was. "Is that your dad?"
Xiao Heqing nodded. "Mhm. Mom is fighting with Dad again. I didn't want to hear them fight, so I came out." Her voice grew very quiet. "Mom and Dad only see each other once in a blue moon, but I don't know why they fight every single time. I hate it."
Despite the oppressive atmosphere, Lin Zhengran stared blankly for a second before suddenly bursting into laughter. "You actually know how to speak your mind now? You know how to hate things? It seems I haven't bullied you for nothing this past month."
Xiao Heqing's face flushed red. She hurriedly covered her mouth and shook her head, trying to signal that she hadn't meant to let that slip.
Lin Zhengran pulled her hands away and put on a stern face. "What are you shaking your head for? Speaking your mind is a good thing, not a bad thing. Do you think keeping your head down and staying silent all day is good? Do you think people like you being like that?!"
Xiao Heqing pursed her lips and clasped her small hands together. She struggled with herself for a moment. "But if I talk too much, I'm afraid I'll annoy people..."
Lin Zhengran sighed. In truth, he could imagine someone like Mrs. He coming home from work with a long face. Xiao Heqing was definitely too scared to disturb her mother.
"That's still better than you not making a peep all day. From now on, when you're with me, just say whatever is on your mind. Understood?!"
Xiao Heqing nodded repeatedly.
Lin Zhengran turned his head to look at the taekwondo promotional video playing nearby. "Youth Taekwondo... You're actually interested in this stuff? That's really unexpected. Are you planning to learn it?"
Blushing, Xiao Heqing shook her head. "I don't want to learn it. I just think it's pretty cool. I want to..." She trailed off and remained silent for a long time.
Frustrated, Lin Zhengran gave her a rap on the head. The pain caused He Qing to grab her head with her small arms, tears welling up in her eyes.
Lin Zhengran asked with a cold expression, "Tell me what you want to do! Didn't I just say you should speak your mind?!"
Xiao Heqing mustered her courage, her voice trembling. "I just want to protect you. That way, if someone bullies you in the future, I can protect you."