David Carter was just about to chime in in agreement when he saw the dish Ethan Carter had picked up and froze, showing a look of wanting to speak but holding back. Ethan Carter liked to eat stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, but Olivia Carter was extremely averse to celery. David Carter had deliberately placed this dish in front of his eldest son, positioning it as far from his youngest daughter as possible, but unexpectedly, it ended up being passed all the way to her.

Olivia Carter stared silently at the celery in her bowl, almost suspecting her cheap brother of deliberately setting her up by picking out the one thing she hated most.

Ethan Carter, with good intentions, ended up making things worse. He had no idea that with this move, he’d just lost more favor points with his sister, leaving an even worse impression in Olivia Carter’s mind.

David Carter noticed Olivia Carter sitting motionless. He didn’t want to embarrass his eldest son, but he also didn’t want his youngest daughter to suffer, leaving him caught in a dilemma. He whispered furtively, “How about Dad eats it for you?”

Olivia Carter ignored her father’s low murmur beside her. She ate the celery one bite at a time, with such force it seemed she might bite through the spoon, making David Carter quite uneasy.

After swallowing the hated vegetable in a few bites, Olivia Carter then slowly put down her spoon and said softly, “It seems like brother has a bit of a cough. Great-aunt, maybe you should make him some medicine.”

Great-aunt was suddenly called out and immediately asked with concern, “Really? Ethan Bennett, does your throat hurt?”

Ethan Carter was momentarily stunned. He was indeed still a bit under the weather, but it was nothing serious, and he had no idea how the little one noticed. He hurriedly tried to stop her: “It’s nothing, just a minor cold. I already took some medicine.”

Great-aunt said, “Let me make you some medicine anyway. You’ve been working so hard…”

Xiao Bi smiled and said, “Great-aunt’s medicine is really effective, and it’s also nourishing.”

Ethan Carter: “No, no, no, I don’t drink Chinese medicine…”

Great-aunt: “It’s not really Chinese medicine, just think of it as a tonic soup. I’ll make it for you in a bit!”

Seeing her plan succeed, Olivia Carter could hardly keep from wagging her little devil’s tail, a faint look of satisfaction appearing on her face.

David Carter didn’t notice his youngest daughter’s expression. Instead, he gently patted her head and praised, “Olivia Bennett really cares about her brother’s health.”

Ethan Carter: “……” Well, thanks a lot. I wish she’d care a little less.

After dinner, Ethan Carter looked at the dark, murky tonic soup great-aunt had made. Smelling the strong scent of medicinal herbs, he showed a complicated and resistant expression.

Great-aunt saw him holding the bowl stiffly and asked cautiously, “Ethan Bennett, do you not like it?”

“No, no, it’s just a bit hot…” Of course Ethan Carter didn’t like the tonic soup, but he couldn’t refuse the elder’s kindness. Great-aunt was already in her sixties, and she’d worked hard to make it, so he had to drink it no matter what.

Bracing himself, Ethan Carter drank the soup, not daring to let it linger in his mouth. He gulped it down in one go, breaking out in a sweat.

It was so, damn, bitter.

David Carter clapped and praised him from the side, even using it as a lesson for Olivia Carter: “Olivia Bennett, look how tough your brother is. Not like you, always whining and fussing every time you drink soup.”

Olivia Carter cooperatively clapped her little hands and echoed, “Yeah, brother is amazing. Drink a few more bowls and you’ll be even healthier.”

Great-aunt beamed, “Then I’ll make some more tomorrow?”

Ethan Carter was so bitter he couldn’t speak. Hearing this, he hurriedly waved his hands to stop the thoughtful elder.

After the torturous meal, the others started clearing the table, leaving just the siblings drifting around the living room.

Ethan Carter finally saw through the little one’s hostility toward him and said bluntly, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? What did I ever do to offend you?”

Ethan Carter touched his nose. After drinking the medicinal soup, it actually worked—his stuffy nose started to clear up. But thinking of the awful taste, he was sure he’d never try it again. Although Ethan Carter was full of complaints inside, he swore he still had some character—at least he didn’t take it out on the kid, especially since she was his own little sister.

Olivia Carter couldn’t be bothered to bring up how he’d made her eat celery. She had been looking down at her iPad, but now she looked up at him, giving him a careful once-over.

Ethan Carter didn’t know what she was looking at. He subconsciously touched his own face and asked, “What is it?”

“You’re so fake.” Olivia Carter looked at the gray-blue color of his heart, then slowly withdrew her gaze, saying with some annoyance, “You obviously hate me, but you still pretend.”

This was the thing Olivia Carter couldn’t stand the most. Because of her special ability, no one could easily deceive her, which made Ethan Carter’s act seem especially clumsy.

Ethan Carter was instantly speechless. He hadn’t expected the little one’s perception to be so sharp, able to see right through adult emotions and even use the word “fake.” He didn’t know about Olivia Carter’s ability and just chalked it up to a child’s intuition, leaving him at a loss for words. He couldn’t blame Olivia Carter, because she was right—her dislike was perfectly reasonable.

Since he didn’t like her, why would she like him?

Looking at the straightforward little girl, Ethan Carter felt his tightly wound nerves slowly relax. He no longer kept up the polite, sunny facade he wore in front of the elders. Coming home was stressful for him too; his family went out of their way to be warm and welcoming, always watching his reactions, which made him feel more like a visiting guest, never daring to let his guard down.

Ethan Carter: Going home for the New Year is basically just customer service mode.