Chapter 5 Uncle

Lily wasn't sure how old Lucas was. But hearing him say that, and then thinking about Andy's age, she tightened her face and said, "You're pretty old."

"......"

"Pretty old."

"Old."

Although Lucas didn't care much about age, hearing this still felt like a knife had been thrust into his chest.

Being called "old" at just twenty, Lucas didn't know how to describe his current feelings. He slowly exhaled and asked, word by word, "I'm old?"

Lily nodded again. "You're old."

"......"

A few seconds of silence passed.

"Kid, you think I'm old," Lucas stared at her, perhaps because it seemed so absurd, he was speechless for a moment and then let out a laugh. "Then why don't you call me 'uncle'?"

"Oh." Lily thought for a moment, finding some logic in his words, and immediately changed her tone. "Uncle."

"......"

The girl's eyes were round and large, clear and pure, untainted by any impurity. When she spoke, she was so serious, as if every word she said came straight from her heart.

With the purest expression, she twisted the knife in a person's wound.

At this moment, Robin interrupted their conversation. He handed Lucas a cup of water, awkwardly saying, "Sorry, please sit for a while. I've drunk too much water, I need to go to the bathroom."

Lucas adjusted his mood and responded, "Okay."

Perhaps because they were bored, after Robin left, Lucas turned his head and began to fuss over the earlier matter again. "You know, if you call me that, your brother would have to call me the same way, right?"

Lily honestly answered, "I don't know."

Lucas said, "So, should it be 'brother' or 'uncle'?"

Lily thought for a moment and reluctantly said, "Then I'll just call you brother."

Lucas's brows relaxed, and he said lazily, "You're quite protective of your brother."

"Protective? What do you mean?" Lily didn't understand what he meant. "Why would I protect him? He always bullies me. I just don't want him calling you 'uncle'."

"Why?"

"Because he looks older than you."

"......"

Lucas was taken aback by the unexpected answer. He froze for a moment before suddenly laughing. Then he held back his laugh and repeated, "Andy looks older than me?"

Lily, "Yeah."

Although she had won the contest of "oldness," Lucas was still in a good mood. He cleared his throat and asked humbly, "Kid, how did you figure out he looks older than me?" Then he added, "I think we're about the same."

Lily scanned his face, then quickly looked down and replied in a soft voice, "Well, there's still a bit of a difference."

"......"

The next moment, a woman knocked on the open office door, looking over toward them with a shy expression. "Excuse me, is Alexander's homeroom teacher here?"

Teacher Turner quickly stood up. "Yes! You must be Alexander's sister, right?"

The woman smiled, pressing her lips together as she entered. "Yes, that's me."

Standing for a while, Alexander couldn't help but complain, "Sis, why did you take so long to get here?"

Lily looked over.

The woman's features were somewhat similar to Alexander's, dressed in a white dress with a youthful vibe. She wore light makeup, her lips a soft shade, and her face was graceful and striking. She quietly explained to Alexander, "I came as soon as I finished class, but it's a bit far."

Then, noticing Lucas sitting in the chair, the woman's gaze lingered for a moment before quickly shifting away. Her tone seemed a little more nervous as she spoke, "Sorry, Teacher Turner. I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long."

Teacher Turner waved his hand. "It's fine, and thank you for taking the time to come."

After Lily's earlier remark, Lucas had been laughing for a while. His mouth was still curled up as he didn't look away, his gaze fixed on Lily. "When will your teacher be back?"

Lily turned her gaze away. "Should be soon."

"Little Lily, I'm a bit bored," Lucas teased her lazily. "Come on, say something nice to cheer me up."

Lily eyed him suspiciously. "What should I say?"

"Just say," Lucas didn't think about it and immediately said, "Lucas brother is the most handsome in the world."

"I'm not a recorder," Lily said, unhappy.

"Just flatter me a bit," Lucas said. "I didn't mean to turn you into a recorder."

Lily refused. "I don't want to."

Lucas wasn't angry, instead dragging his voice in a teasing tone. "Little stingy."

At this moment, Robin, who had gone to the bathroom, finally returned. He sat back down with a smile. "Sorry, I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable."

Lucas, "It's fine, no rush."

Then, he pushed the cup of water that hadn't been touched in front of Lily and asked, "Are you thirsty?"

"Stingy," Lily didn't respond.

Lucas tapped the side of the cup with his fingers. "Drink some water."

Then he turned to look at Robin and began listening intently to what he had to say.

Lily finally picked up the cup and silently took a sip. Looking at the empty desk and remembering that he hadn't had any water since coming over, she stood there for a moment, struggling, but eventually walked to the water dispenser and filled a cup for him.

Lily's biggest annoyance with Robin was that every time he called the parents, the content was always exactly the same. She had heard it so many times that she felt like she could recite it by heart. Looking at it this way, Robin really did resemble the "recorder" they had just mentioned.

She was bored and wanted to yawn, her thoughts gradually wandering.

Suddenly, she noticed that the atmosphere next door seemed quite harmonious, unlike her side, where she could only hear Robin continuously complaining.

Lily listened carefully.

Teacher Turner suddenly laughed. "Alexander is a bit weak in academics, but he's good in other areas. He's not being called here because he did something wrong. It's because yesterday he suddenly rushed into the office, shouting that he wanted to call his parents, which even surprised me."

"......"

As soon as these words were said, Alexander immediately looked at Lily.

Their gazes met.

-Silence.

Lily didn't expect to hear this. Alexander's expression changed, and he looked extremely embarrassed, as though he was about to find a hole to bury himself in.

Lily, clearly baffled, silently tapped her temples twice.

She was silently asking, Do you have a problem here?

Who voluntarily asks to call their parents?

Alexander forced himself to stay calm and mouthed, "I'll explain later," then turned his gaze away.

As he turned his head, Lily happened to notice that Alexander's sister glanced over in her direction, but she wasn't looking at her.

Lily followed her gaze.

Sure enough, she was looking at Lucas.

At first, Lily thought it was just an accident. But later, she noticed that the woman glanced over several times.

It was unclear whether it was inadvertent or for some other reason.

Lily lowered her eyes, her fists slowly tightening, and then subtly shifted her position to block the woman's gaze.

--

The conversation lasted about forty minutes.

After Robin finished complaining, he took a sip of water. "That's about it. Honestly, I don't want to trouble you guys so often, but Lily really gives me a headache. When I ask her to answer a question, she asks me if I don't know how to do it, saying I asked her to teach me, even saying I'm trying to take her meal ticket. This makes the other kids lose focus in class."

Lucas paused and glanced at Lily. "This happened too?"

Lily immediately lowered her head, pretending to reflect.

Robin nodded. "I've talked to your mother about this several times. I know it's been a hassle, but it's for her own good. Lily is very smart, and if she studies well, she will definitely get into the top school. You should supervise her more at home."

"Okay," Lucas said. "I'll make sure to discipline her when we get home."

The two of them left the office.

Things went smoother than expected. Robin had no suspicions, and the big weight that had been on Lily's chest finally lifted. She looked at Lucas, her expression showing more warmth. "Thanks, brother."

Lucas hummed. "Heading home?"

"Yeah," Lily blinked. Because he had helped solve her problem, her tone carried a hint of flattery. "What else would I do?"

"Well," Lucas's voice stopped for a moment as he leisurely reminded her, "I haven't started disciplining you yet."

"......"

His words were like a cold bucket of water poured over Lily. Her joy immediately vanished, and with reluctance, she squeezed out, "You're going to nag me too?"

"Let's go." Lucas didn't comment further. "I'll take you home."

He didn't answer, so Lily thought it was just a joke. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Lucas continued, "I'll nag you slowly on the way."

Lily, "......"

They walked side by side toward the school gate.

Lucas gave her time to adjust, not continuing the conversation about discipline within the school. Lily nervously clutched the strap of her schoolbag, unable to resist saying, "My brother helped me meet the teacher, and he won't scold me anymore."

Lucas, "Really?"

Lily, "Of course, really!"

Lucas stared at her, as if trying to discern whether she was telling the truth. Then he pulled out his phone from his pocket. "I'll ask."

"......"

"Wait!" Lily was startled and jumped to grab his phone. "If you ask, my brother will know! If he knows, the whole world will know! Then your trip here was pointless!"

"Brother just needs to ask." Lucas teased, holding the phone up, not letting her grab it. "I came all the way here, if you're lying to me, how pitiful would I be?"

At that moment, a woman's voice interrupted their interaction. The voice was soft, almost inaudible, with clear tension, "Y-you, hello!"

Both of them instinctively turned around.

It was Alexander's sister. She was the only one standing there, with Alexander nowhere in sight.

The woman wasn't very tall, and her frame was slender. Her features were small and delicate, and her face was flushed. She looked at Lucas, then hurriedly took her phone out of her pocket. "Could I have your contact information?"

The atmosphere immediately became awkward.

Lucas looked at her but didn't say anything.

This seemed like a silent refusal.

The woman's expression grew increasingly awkward and uncomfortable.

Lily's eyes darted between the two of them, unable to understand Lucas's intentions. Before he could respond, she suddenly tilted her head and said something shocking, "Sister, my brother has twenty-nine girlfriends."

Lucas's brow twitched as he looked down at her.

"You don't need to worry, he'll probably give it to you," Lily said, not daring to look at Lucas. Her expression was sincere and bright. "He switches girlfriends every day, and this month he's still missing one, so you're probably the one."

"......"