I'll go for a trip.

"Oh, you're up?"

Shen Ye, who was peeling an orange with his legs crossed on the sofa, looked up at the sound and raised an eyebrow at the stairwell.

Mu Jingyan slipped on her slippers and slowly made her way down the stairs.

She had just taken a shower, her long hair still damp, loosely draped over her shoulders.

She glanced down at Shen Ye, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness that could freeze a person to death.

Then he remained silent.

"What's wrong?" Shen Ye broke the peeled orange into segments. "Who upset our young lady?"

Mu Jingyan remained silent.

My gaze shifted to the other end of the sofa—Mu Jinghuan was huddled in the corner, hugging a cushion and watching cartoons. When she saw her sister, she peeked half her face out from under the cushion.

Huanhuan.

Mu Jingyan spoke, her voice flat.

"Stay away from that bastard."

Mu Jinghuan blinked.

He looked at his older sister, then at his older brother.

"But," she said slowly, "my brother isn't a bad guy..."

Shen Ye chuckled and patted the cushion beside him: "Sit still and don't move."

"oh."

The little robot just sat there without moving, scooting half an inch closer to its brother, hugging a pillow, and a slight upturn to its lips, too lazy to even hide it.

Mu Jingyan's gaze swept back and forth between the two.

Row.

One or two people didn't take her words seriously.

She walked toward the restaurant with a cold expression.

On the table sat a steaming lunch: beef brisket with tomatoes, two refreshing stir-fries, and a soft-boiled egg on top of the rice.

Shen Ye left it for her at noon, and it's been kept warm in the pot ever since.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat in small bites, her tense brows and eyes relaxing slightly.

really......

This guy's cooking is still the best.

The sweet and sour flavors were perfectly balanced, and the braised beef brisket was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. It was far better than what she made herself, and many times better than what you could buy outside.

wrong.

She chewed for a while, then stopped eating.

Should we stop calling him "this guy" now?

Last night's events came flooding back: her own words, "I agree," and the blush-inducing moments that followed in the room.

From today onwards, this jerk is her official boyfriend.

Mu Jingyan's ear tips burned again.

But then, another embarrassing and infuriating scene emerged.

Last night, she gritted her teeth and tried until her legs cramped, but she still couldn't succeed. In the end, it was that man who held on to her...

"......"

The tip of the chopstick snapped open and broke a grain of rice.

She lowered her head and ate her rice, letting out a muffled groan through her teeth.

After finishing her meal, Mu Jingyan put down her chopsticks and slipped on her slippers as she walked towards the living room.

She stopped in front of the sofa, looking down at it.

"Get out of the way."

The moment those two words left my lips, they felt like ice crystals forming.

Shen Ye still had half a segment of orange in his mouth, and he smacked his lips.

Tsk, what's wrong with this guy?

Last night he was completely limp, responding to every call, but only a few hours later, he's repaid kindness with enmity.

He didn't make any jokes, and moved a space to the side.

Mu Jingyan sat down heavily beside him.

The cushion trembled from the impact. She straightened her back, crossed her arms, and her resentment was almost tangible; even the way she looked at the TV seemed like she was glaring at an enemy.

Shen Ye glanced at her twice, said nothing, and bent down.

A large hand reached out and gently held her small ankles resting on the edge of the sofa.

"What are you doing—"

Before Mu Jingyan could finish screaming, she realized something was wrong.

Those hands didn't do anything inappropriate; they simply encircled her instep and pulled her closer to Shen Ye's waist.

and many more.

To the waist?!

This direction, this location!

The scene from last night exploded before her eyes. Her blood rushed to her head, her legs kicked wildly, and she raised her other leg to kick his waist: "Shen Ye! No!"

"Huanhuan is still here!!"

This is terrible! My sister was sitting just three steps away, and this pervert actually did it!

The more she struggled, the more her heart sank.

She could never outmuscle this guy, and after being exhausted last night, she was completely limp.

It’s over.

If he really did what he did last night, she would have smashed her head against the coffee table right now.

However, the anticipated attack did not occur.

Shen Ye simply put her feet together and tucked them under the hem of his clothes, so that the soles of her feet could touch his waist, which felt warm and cozy.

"What are you thinking about?"

Shen Ye turned his head away, looking at her with an expression as if she were an idiot, his voice low so that only the two of them could hear him.

"I just thought your feet were a little cold and wanted to warm them up for you."

Mu Jingyan: "..."

"Or perhaps, you want to—"

"No! I don't want to!"

She got angry and her voice suddenly rose.

"That's fine!"

If it's just for warming your feet.

If it's just for warming her feet, she can barely accept it.

Three steps away, Mu Jinghuan slowly turned her head.

She glanced at her sister's flushed face, then at her brother's nonchalant profile, her dark eyes darting around and around.

strangeness.

She couldn't explain it.

It seems that something has quietly changed between my brother and sister since this morning.

The older brother is still the same older brother, and the older sister is still the same older sister.

But the way the two of them stood together was different from before.

She couldn't figure out exactly what was different.

"..."

The little robot tilted its head and stared at it for a long time before finally coming to a conclusion.

The adult world is so difficult.

If she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it and buried her face in the cushion to continue watching cartoons.

The living room fell silent again, with only the creaking of the television remaining.

Mu Jingyan stopped struggling.

After all that commotion, she was exhausted, so she decided to just lie there half-reclined, with her feet tucked under Shen Ye's clothes, pressing against his warm waist.

It's quite comfortable...

The warm scene in the living room lasted for a long time until a phone call brought it to an end.

"Hello, who is it?"

Shen Ye answered the phone, holding it between his ear and shoulder, speaking casually.

"......"

There was silence on the other end of the receiver.

There was no reply; even the sound of breathing was barely audible.

"Who is it?" Shen Ye took his phone down and glanced at it. "If you don't want to say, I'm hanging up."

"Brother..." came the response.

Lin Chunuan's voice came through the receiver.

Shen Ye's hand, which was holding the phone, froze in mid-air.

warm.

He then remembered that this girl had also confessed her feelings to him last night...

It's just that I had too much fun with Mu Jingyan in the early morning and completely forgot about this matter until the very last second before the phone rang.

"Brother?" Lin Chunuan called softly when he didn't speak.

"...Warm and cozy."

Shen Ye cleared his throat; he suddenly didn't know how to respond.

"Brother, where did you go last night? Did you encounter any danger?"

Lin Chunuan asked, her tone still calm and steady.

"Oh, I did it last night..."

Shen Ye's gaze drifted towards the ceiling.

"I'm home...don't worry."

"...Going home."

Lin Chunuan repeated it to herself.

There are only two places that my brother calls home.

One is the Lin family, where she is currently located.

The other one needs no further explanation.

She knew perfectly well who else lived in that house besides her brother.

"elder brother."

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Chunuan spoke again.

"Could you come back for a visit? I miss you..."

It's still as sweet and soft as ever, just like when I was a child and would whine for a hug.

Shen Ye gripped his phone, his throat bobbing.

After being rejected, this girl feels empty inside. Being alone at a time like this might lead her to overthink things.

No, I have to go back and check.

"it is good."

He agreed.

I'll be back in a bit.

"Um!"

On the other end of the phone, Lin Chunu responded lightly and quickly, as cheerful as a bird returning to its nest, as if the calm girl from before was just an illusion.

"I'm waiting for my brother."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Shen Ye hung up the phone and tossed it back onto the coffee table.

The weight beside me suddenly felt lighter.

Mu Jingyan had already sat up straight, pulled her feet back from under his clothes, turned around, and looked at him expectantly.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to go back."

Shen Ye spoke carefully.

"Something's come up with regarding Nuannuan."

As soon as the words left my mouth, an indescribable sense of guilt welled up inside me.

He'd just won Mu Jingyan's heart, and they'd been officially together for less than a day, and he'd already dumped her to go see another girl...

Tai was born...

Mu Jingyan stared at him for a long time.

Then, her eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Then let's go."

His tone was gentle and mild, without any probing, any hint of unease, or even a trace of reluctance.

"Drive carefully."