Chapter 713

Mina noticed the way Jane's tiny nose scrunched up, though she couldn't quite figure out what had suddenly gotten into the little one. Still, guided by her principle of spoiling her younger sister, she reached out and playfully pinched Jane's nose with a resigned sigh. "Alright then, if you say we should go somewhere else, we'll go somewhere else. But..." She shot a glance at Harold. "The pets at other flower-and-bird markets are way more expensive than here. You're covering the extra cost, Harold!" Harold had also spotted Huan and that girl earlier. Though he didn't know who Maia Philip was, Jane's reaction had given him a rough idea. So when Mina made her demand, his expression remained impassive, but he agreed without hesitation. "Fine. Whatever you buy today, I'll reimburse you." "Really?" Mina's eyes lit up instantly. "Then I'm gonna pick something expensive later!" She nudged Jane. "Hey, what's the priciest thing at the flower-and-bird market?" Jane thought for a moment. Purebred pets could fetch astronomical prices, but no matter how expensive an animal was, her sister only ever saw it as a collection of organs and bones. Better steer her toward flowers at least she could help take care of those. "Sis, if you really wanna drain Harold's wallet, go for orchids. Some of them are crazy expensive hundreds of thousands, even millions." Mina's eyes widened at the numbers. "A pot of flowers costs that much? Nah, forget it. I'll just stick to my little darlings. Harold's still young, earning money can't be easy for him..." Harold couldn't help the faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, so you do realize I work hard for my money? Glad to see you've got some conscience." Nearby, Bryan listened to his younger siblings' banter, his lips twitching several times as if he wanted to speak but held back. He, too, had seen Huan earlier. He'd been about to greet him, but Jane had quickly pulled Mina away and urgently asked Aunt Mariah to drive off. What puzzled him was that both Jane and Harold had clearly noticed Huan too, yet neither mentioned it almost as if they were deliberately keeping it from Mina. He wasn't sure whether he should bring it up either. As much as it pained him to keep quiet, after a moment of deliberation, he decided to hold his tongue for now. He'd ask Jane and Harold later to see if it was something he could mention. After switching to a different pet market, Mina quickly found a place selling white mice and rabbits. She bought ten of each, then spotted some frogs and snakes and purchased those as well. Satisfied, she directed Harold and Bryan to load all her little treasures into the car. Once home, Mina excitedly disappeared into her personal lab. Only after the lab door clicked shut did Bryan sidle up to Jane and Harold. "Jane, Harold, be honest with me back at the first market, did you two want to leave because you saw Huan?" Jane and Harold exchanged glances, surprised. Their usually oblivious brother had actually noticed they were hiding something from Mina about Huan’s return. And he’d kept quiet about it the whole time. Jane cutely raised a thumb in approval. "Wow, brother Bryan, you noticed and still didn’t spill! That’s amazing!" Bryan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you and Harold were acting way too obvious about not wanting Mina to see him." "But why keep Huan’s return a secret from Mina?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. Jane hesitated. This wasn’t easy to explain, especially since Bryan wasn’t exactly the most emotionally perceptive. Harold, however, answered straightforwardly, "Mina might have… a tiny crush on Huan. They even made some ‘eighteen-year-old promise’ before. If she finds out he’s back but has a girlfriend now, she’d probably be heartbroken. So Jane and I decided to keep it from her for now." Bryan nodded vigorously. "Got it, got it. Don’t worry, Jane, Harold, I’ll help you keep Huan’s return a secret from Mina!" With that settled, Harold added, "I’ve got an experiment to finish at school. I’ll head out now." After he left, Jane, with nothing else to do, hopped into her flashy red Ferrari-style electric toy car and zipped over to the Fuller residence across the street. The moment she stepped inside, she spotted Riley now noticeably rounder standing dutifully by the hall entrance. Jane pushed open the door of her Ferrari and stepped out with effortless cool, sliding her toy sunglasses down her nose as she lazily eyed Riley. She circled around him on tiny tiptoes, her voice dripping with playful mischief. "Uncle Riley, Brother Frederick says you're basically a penguin in disguise—and that you keep sneaking off to Antarctica just to feed them. But tell me the truth... is it really all about feeding the penguins, or are you just in it for the chance to swipe their snacks?" Riley's eye twitched. He sighed inwardly. His physique used to be flawless! But Antarctica was freezing, and the cold made him crave extra food for warmth. And then... well, those extra calories somehow turned into stubborn fat before he knew it. Just as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Jane gasped dramatically, as if struck by sudden enlightenment. "Ohhh, I get it! It's because Antarctica's so cold that you need extra fat to stay warm, just like a bear, right? But you gotta be careful, Uncle! Getting chubby makes you less agile, and you could end up with high blood pressure or—" "Riley," Frederick's icy voice cut through from inside the house. "You need to lose weight." Riley shivered instinctively and immediately bowed his head. "Yes, Frederick! I'll start right away!" Working out at home was nothing compared to being banished to feed penguins in Antarctica. At least here, he could lift weights in peace. Jane nodded vigorously in agreement, her tiny face serious. "Brother Frederick's right, Uncle! You really should slim down for your own health!" Riley wanted to cry. Gaining weight was easy; losing it was torture. But even torture was better than penguin duty. Jane skipped over to Frederick, taking his hand as they walked into the living room. Once seated, she shyly revealed what she'd been hiding behind her back a flawless piece of imperial green jade, exquisitely carved into a pendant. The elegant character "Frederick" glowed softly on its surface. "Brother Frederick," she chirped in her sweet, childlike voice, "this is for you! I picked out the raw jade with Big Brother at an auction, and I carved it myself. Do you like it?" Frederick's usually cold eyes softened as he took the pendant, a rare warmth curling at the edges of his lips. "Anything from you, Jane, is precious to me."