Chapter Three Hundred Forty-One: The Most Beloved Little Sister

(Followers of Mixed might have noticed that after the end of last month, Old Lai has stopped soliciting for monthly passes. Now the monthly pass rank has dropped to 15 in the urban category and over 60 overall. This is because not many votes were being pulled in, causing a sense of disappointment and giving up. To many readers, Old Lai delivering only two chapters feels too slow, three chapters is normal, and four chapters merits encouragement through votes... But actually, July still saw an update of 200,000 words, and in three more days, it will reach approximately 220,000. This pace isn't really slow; like the 300,000-word update in May, it was an effort for a new book monthly pass list fight which, in the long run, needs steady pacing to have vitality. But even without asking for votes, some brothers are still giving their monthly passes to Mixed every day, making Old Lai extremely grateful. Being among the top six urban novels has always been my goal. I lost last month, accepted the loss this month, but with such passionate support from so many brothers, Old Lai is not willing to give up! In August, I will continue to make an impact! And there will definitely be more updates than this month. Here, I request in advance all the brothers for the guaranteed monthly passes for August, so Mixed can surge up once, many thanks!)

Yang Weinan was indeed put in his place by Nian Yufei's words. Even though this little girl seems too young, staying here would be awkward, so it's better to do a favor.

After Yang Weinan left, Nian Yufei stood in the aisle and gave a slight bow to Li Yan. Seeing he had friends with him, she didn't greet him, but sat down in the seat next to him.

Wen Qianyi also moved over, looking at Nian Yufei, she was slightly startled, feeling like she had seen this girl somewhere before.

Nian Yufei is just a piano player, though also packaged as a girl idol type performer, there's still a huge popularity gap compared to pop music idols. A pop singer or actress, due to the omnipresence of media, whether you like them or not, many people would know them, but outside the small circle of classical music and piano appreciation, Nian Yufei is practically unknown.

Therefore, she's now in economy class and no one recognizes her. Wen Qianyi didn't immediately recognize her either, because she didn't consider this aspect. But as a business elite, recognizing and remembering people is very important for salespeople. Coupled with the deep impression Nian Yufei's concert left on her last time—it wasn't about the concert itself, but the process of attending—it wasn't long before she recognized her.

After sitting down, Nian Yufei remained quiet. She just wanted to be near Li Yan, to feel the sense of reliance and security by being next to him.

Wen Qianyi nudged Li Yan with her arm, and when he turned his head, she leaned in a little, whispering, "Is the person next to you that Nian Yufei?"

Li Yan didn't originally want to get more involved with Nian Yufei, especially since Wen Qianyi was there, who brought three people with surveillance missions. He didn't want to become the guy who started flirting and making trouble before even leaving S City. Therefore, seeing that she didn't greet him, he also remained silent.

But now that Wen Qianyi asked, he had to answer, which was tricky.

"Want an autograph? You can ask her, or should I help you ask?"

Wen Qianyi rolled her eyes at him, "Why would I want an autograph? I'm just curious, she looks so much alike. If she is Nian Yufei, how come she's flying from S City to Beihai Country? Why isn't she in first class?"

Li Yan thought quietly, that's also my question, but I don't want to solve this mystery. "Who knows? I'm going to sleep."

Sleeping is the best way to avoid awkwardness and problems, and of course, he's pretending to sleep.

Pretending to sleep has its hassles too, like remaining quite aware, even with eyes closed, he could still sense that the two beside him occasionally glanced at him, as if sometimes their gaze would sweep past him and look at each other.

"Want to try some?" Wen Qianyi extended the snack she was holding to Li Yan.

Li Yan didn't move with his eyes closed, knowing that Wen Qianyi wasn't testing whether he was asleep, but was talking to Nian Yufei on his other side.

"Oh, no need, thank you." Nian Yufei quickly shook her head, thanking her.

"Hehe, try some. It's boring for me to eat alone. It's going to be three to four hours. Let's chat a bit."

Snack diplomacy among girls is relatively successful since girls generally like snacks, coupled with Wen Qianyi's irresistible charming smile. Nian Yufei smiled, extending her hand elegantly, took a little bit.

"We're going for a business trip, how about you? You look quite young, are you studying or traveling?" Wen Qianyi started chatting with her.

"Uh... I suppose I'm going for work too." Nian Yufei was a bit embarrassed, given she looked like she hadn't reached adulthood, heading to Beihai Country for work?

As expected, Wen Qianyi looked surprised, "I didn't expect you to be so amazing! When I was your age, I was just a nerd stuck in school. What do you do? I want to learn from you."

"I... guess it's a performance." Nian Yufei carefully glanced at Li Yan beside her. She knew that Li Yan wasn't asleep yet and wasn't sure if he wanted her to reveal her identity in front of his friends.

Upon hearing this, Wen Qianyi had pretty much figured out her identity and continued probing, "That's really impressive. By the way, you seem a lot like someone I know!"

"Hehe... I am just an individual," Nian Yufei tried to divert the topic.

But Wen Qianyi persisted, "Haha, you're so humorous. I meant... you look a lot like the pianist Nian Yufei. Recently, she had two concerts in S City which I attended. You resemble her a lot, though I've never seen her up close..."

Nian Yufei, also quick to understand, realized from Wen Qianyi's expression that she had guessed her identity. She glanced at Li Yan again, then softly admitted, "Thanks for your support, sister. I... am Nian Yufei. This time, I'm heading to D City for a concert..."

Even though Nian Yufei was very young, she had experienced major changes since childhood and had encountered many crises over the years, which had trained her to be cautious and observant. However, there was an exception — in front of Li Yan, she would forget everything! For example, at the Cook Hall in the Oriental Mandarin Hotel, her attention was all on Li Yan, ignoring even any assassins. Now, it was the same because she had come over for Li Yan. As Li Yan was pretending to nap beside her, she had to be mindful of him while speaking. Since Wen Qianyi was a friend of Li Yan, she at least didn't consider her a threat.

How clever was Wen Qianyi? With a simple exchange and feeling that someone was occasionally glancing and scrutinizing her during her whispered conversation with Nian Yufei, she had already guessed Nian Yufei's identity. The small, subtle actions of Nian Yufei sneaking peeks at Li Yan twice didn't escape her notice either.

Why wasn't she in first class? Why did she switch to his seat in economy class? Why does she seem to care about Li Yan's reaction?

Although these questions were temporarily unsolved, Wen Qianyi was certain that there was something special between Nian Yufei and Li Yan!

With these observations and hints, and by making rich associations, one can infer many truths close to reality.

After Nian Yufei came over, Li Yan seemed to be avoiding her. The last concert's tickets were hard to get, VIP tickets even harder, and they were expensive. But Li Yan? Not only did he give her a ticket, but he also gave one to Yu Xiaodi, and he went back and forth, which means he got at least four VIP tickets. For him, that's too easy, right?

Thinking of this, Wen Qianyi's lips curved into a beautiful arc as she chuckled softly, "So it really is you! Li Yan mentions you quite often. Thanks for the concert tickets last time."

The pretending-to-be-asleep Li Yan groaned inwardly upon hearing this, realizing Wen the fox was too cunning! Nian Yufei wasn't her match at all, and he regretted pretending to sleep...

But if he suddenly "woke up" now to interrupt, wouldn't that be too obvious? He couldn't even discreetly signal to Nian Yufei, hoping she would be smart enough not to get tricked.

But how could Nian Yufei know this? Seeing Wen Qianyi and Li Yan appearing familiar and close, she already felt their relationship wasn't ordinary. Hearing "Thanks for the concert tickets last time" further confirmed her suspicion that Li Yan was the one who took her to the concert. The most critical line was "Li Yan mentions you quite often," which made her a bit excited. Was this true? Was he pretending not to care while remembering her in his heart?

With this mindset, Nian Yufei was immediately tricked by Wen Qianyi without realizing it. She shyly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you... knew me. I was afraid of being misunderstood, so I didn't greet you earlier..." She sneaked a look at Li Yan again, wanting to see if he was unhappy. Luckily, he seemed unfazed.

What could Li Yan do? With Huang Ying or Yu Xiaodi, he could still perhaps bluff a little. But in front of the formidable Wen Qianyi, any excuse would be futile and only expose him more. At this moment, he could only continue pretending to nap...

Seeing Nian Yufei's admission, while Li Yan remained silent, Wen Qianyi's eyes sparkled, and a plan formed in her mind. Her smile widened as she continued, "There won't be any misunderstandings. He often talks about you, saying you are his dearest little sister and that if anything happens to you, he would protect you with his life..."

"Really?" She had been a bit excited before, but these words made her truly ecstatic. It didn't sound like mere pleasantries. After all, he had once risked his life to protect her, and it was one of her most unforgettable memories. Being his dearest little sister was already immensely satisfying for her.

Li Yan couldn't help but wrinkle his brow slightly. This girl was more cunning than a fox. In just a few words, she won over Nian Yufei. But you can't fabricate my words! Since when did I say those things? My dearest little sister... that's too much to stomach.

Seeing Nian Yufei's excited expression, Wen Qianyi was convinced there was "something" between the two of them. She estimated that there was more to their story that she wouldn't uncover and decided not to fabricate further. She simply smiled, indicating with a look at Li Yan, "What do you think?"

Nian Yufei was still unable to contain her excitement. She now looked directly at Li Yan without sneaking peeks, softly murmuring, "I believe... I believe he will protect me. I also want to be his dearest little sister..."

Upon hearing her repeat that phrase, Wen Qianyi also thought her own words had been a bit too sappy.

(Thanks to the brothers who tipped yesterday: Sea of Falling Leaves, 888 Pepsi 888, Blood Jade Microxia, eeblm, ╃傷箺憊篍╃, dongmin8061, Roar Proud Paste 123, CP Pampas) (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com for more chapters. Support the author and support legitimate reading!)

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