Important

"Sister Lan… These meatballs truly are the best!" Li Yue beamed before she gave the empty bowl to Bai Lan. "This is really good! Your future husband would be so lucky to marry a beautiful woman who knows the way into their man's stomach."

When Bai Lan heard her words, she immediately lowered her head. She felt her neck starting to heat up as her ears were already scarlet red. She then eyed Mo Li and as she expected, he was silently eating his food, not even bothering to thank her for cooking him his favorite dish.

"Eh? What are you doing?" Bai Lan frowned when she saw Li Yue starting to eat the second bowl of braised meatballs.

"...Eating?"

"You— That's for elder brother."

"But he had already given it to me." Li Yue smiled. "Isn't that right, Li?"

Mo Li nodded silently. "I can only finish one."

"See?" Li Yue shifted her gaze back to Bai Lan. She sent Bai Lan a provoking smile. "This means… the other two bowls are mine."

"You— " Bai Lan swallowed the rage that had been bubbling inside her ever since she saw this Li Yue. "But… I made that for elder brother. If you— "

"What's the big deal, Bai Lan?" Mo Li asked. "I won't be able to finish that much anyways. Why would you want to throw it away instead of giving it to someone with a great appetite?"

Tears immediately pooled on Bai Lan's eyes. Her brother just… Mo Li just embarrassed her in front of a stranger! She quickly hid her sadness and looked at Li Yue. "Alright… feel free to eat that."

"As expected, Sister Lan is still the kindest." Li Yue said. "By the way, I don't actually remember Mo Li telling me that he actually had a pretty little sister." Mo Li clearly told him that he only wanted him to irritate his stepmother, halfbrother, and cousins. He never mentioned that he had a step-sister.

Bai Lan quickly lowered her head. She smiled inwardly. Mo Li didn't tell Li Yue about her being a part of his family. Does that mean… he actually sees her as a woman? And not a sister? Excitement laced her eyes.

"Or is it because… Mo Li had actually forgotten about you?" Li Yue's next words hammered inside Bai Lan's mind. She paled. Was it possible that Mo Li had forgotten her while she was studying abroad? Seeing Bai Lan contemplating in silence, Li Yue instantly decided to take advantage of the situation to anger Bai Lan. She beamed. "If that's the case… then that's truly pitiful. Li… how could you have forgotten that you actually have a pretty little sister who loves to feed you?"

"I was busy." Mo Li answered monotonously.

"Eh? That's not an acceptable reason!" Li Yue said. "How could you forget your own sister? Isn't she someone important to you? Li… that's…. That's plain mean." 

Bai Lan trembled when she heard Li Yue's words. While Li Yue may have looked like she was scolding Mo Li, the meaning behind her words was subtly different. She was trying to point out that Bai Lan is not actually an important person in Mo Li's life!

Li Yue continued, "What about me then? Once you get busy, will you forget about me too?"

Mo Li frowned. He scrutinized her, his eyes glinted with confusion. He could not help but wonder why Li Yue is deliberately provoking Bai Lan.

"Will you?" Li Yue pouted. Heh, it is always easy to act like a spoiled missy than a cold goddess in front of the villain.

"No." Mo Li said.

A satisfied smirk slithered onto Li Yue's face. "Does this mean… I am an important person to you?"

"Yes." Mo Li answered. A person who would do anything for money is always important in his book.

Hearing this, Bai Lan bit her lower lip. Anger was apparent in her beautiful brown eyes. However, since she still had her head lowered, both Mo Li and Li Yue were not aware of the hatred that had been swirling in her orbs. She held her breath as she tried to calm her racing heart.

Bai Lan was actually adopted by Mo Li's stepmother. She was not really a member of Mo Li's family, yet Mo Li's father had treated her as his own kin. The thing is… Bai Lan was not satisfied with all the expensive clothes, jewelry, and bags she received. She wanted something else… she wanted the one thing she knew she could never have. Mo Li.

Since they were children, Bai Lan had always had a crush on Mo Li. However, the latter was always indifferent towards her. At first, she thought that this was because he only saw her as his sister, so she concluded it was because they grew up together. Hence… she decided to study abroad. She wanted him to miss her. She wanted to surprise him with her changes the next time he sees her.

After four years of studying abroad, this was the first time that Bai Lan went to see Mo Li. She thought he would at least acknowledge that she had become more beautiful, with her body becoming voluptuous. Who would have thought that Mo Li would actually bring a woman with him when they first met? Who would have thought that Mo Li would share his food with some stranger instead of offering her a bowl of meatballs?

And now, he declared that Li Yue is an important person in his life. He even said he would never forget her! How could Mo Li be so cruel? She balled her hands into fists so tightly clenched, she immediately felt her nails grazing her palms. Would he really allow such a shameless woman like this Li Yue to continue acting as if Bai Lan was nothing?

"Hehe…" She heard Li Yue's fake laughter. "Sister Lan… what's wrong with you. Why are you being so silent? Are you perhaps hungry? Wait… why didn't you bring your own bowl? I thought it meant… you have already eaten your own fill earlier." Li Yue made a deliberate pause. "Wait…. Wait a second…. Are you trying to make Mo Li give you one of his bowls?"