Chapter 234
Normal Yet Abnormal
Once the entryway door was closed, the house immediately became quiet.
Shen Ye left.
The huge villa was now empty except for the two sisters.
Mu Jingyan nestled back into her original spot on the sofa. The cartoon on TV was still playing, and Huanhuan's pillow was still piled up in the corner. It seemed like nothing had changed.
It seems like everything has changed.
"elder sister."
The hem of her clothes was gently tugged twice.
Mu Jingyan lowered her head.
Mu Jinghuan moved to her side at some point, knelt on the sofa, and looked up with her small face, her dark eyes unblinking.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Huanhuan?"
"elder sister."
"Did something happen between you and your brother...?"
Mu Jingyan was stunned.
This time I was truly surprised.
Could it be that Huanhuan didn't actually sleep last night?
What did you overhear in the middle of the night?
That's impossible. She watched that girl go to sleep last night, and even closed the door for her. There wasn't a sound from her the whole time.
How did you know that?
Why do you say that?
She suppressed the pounding in her heart and asked as naturally as possible.
"because......."
Mu Jinghuan raised her hand, tapped her chin with her index finger, and tilted her head to think for a moment.
"It feels like when my sister and brother are together, there's no barrier between them anymore."
"membrane?"
"Um."
The little robot carefully considered its choice of words.
"In the past, my older sister and brother would stop after reaching a certain point."
"But it didn't stop today."
Mu Jingyan: "..."
What are you saying, Huanhuan!
Mu Jingyan roared inwardly.
What do you mean by "stopping at a certain point"? Is this how you see your sister? So every time your brother and I got close, you saw it all and even gave a concluding speech?
And that word choice.
"membrane"
Where did she learn this kind of description?
He may seem dull on the surface, but when it comes to emotions, he's frighteningly perceptive.
".......Um."
Now that things have come to this, Mu Jingyan no longer wants to hide it.
I had been planning to tell her for a while anyway.
She cleared her throat, reached out and pulled her younger sister close, letting her little head rest on her shoulder.
"Huanhuan, listen carefully."
"My older sister and brother are together now."
"He confessed his feelings to me last night, and I said yes."
"So, from now on, your brother will be your brother-in-law."
The living room was silent for two seconds.
Mu Jinghuan remained leaning on her sister's shoulder, her eyes fixed in mid-air.
I was stunned.
After standing still for two or three seconds, the little robot slowly blinked.
Then, the corners of her mouth gradually curved upwards.
"oh."
"That's great."
............
Shen Ye arrived home more than an hour later.
The evening breeze swirled the fallen leaves along the tree-lined avenue, and a black sedan turned into the familiar neighborhood and parked downstairs.
He went upstairs, stood at the door for a few seconds, and took a deep breath.
It would be a lie to say I don't feel guilty.
Only one day after his confession and rejection, he's already having to eat, watch TV, and sleep under the same roof with people face-to-face.
The fingerprint lock beeped, and the door opened.
The house was quiet. The main lights in the living room were off, and only a motion-sensor light was quietly lit in the entryway.
There's nobody here?
The door had barely opened when a series of hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs.
"Ta-da!"
A small figure darted out from around the corner, spotted its target, and leaped into the air.
"Brother! You're back!"
Lin Chunu threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his chest, and nuzzling him like a little animal that had finally caught its prey.
"Ugh—"
Shen Ye was knocked back two steps before his back hit the door panel and he regained his balance.
Good guy.
This pounce was more than twice as powerful as usual.
He steadied himself, tucked the person in his arms into place, and gently ruffled her hair.
"Nuan Nuan, where are your uncle and aunt?"
"Mom and Dad have gone on a business trip and won't be back for the next two weeks."
Lin Chunuan lifted her face from his arms, her eyes crinkling with laughter, revealing a hint of her white teeth.
"When did this happen? Wasn't it just yesterday?"
"This morning."
"Okay, fine."
Shen Ye nodded, lowered his eyes, and looked the little girl in his arms up and down.
Her hair was neatly combed.
His eyes were bright and clear, without any redness or swelling.
Her smile was as sweet as ever, so sweet that there wasn't a single flaw.
There's nothing wrong with it.
But that's the strangest part.
What happened last night was that a girl mustered up the courage to confess her feelings, only to be rejected outright.
If it were someone else, they would have been depressed for a few days and their eyes would have welled up with tears a few times, right?
Nuannuan is fine.
He acted as if nothing had happened.
However, this is for the best.
Shen Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be a bad thing if the relationship between siblings became strained.
"Are you hungry? I'll cook for you."
"Hungry!"
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, Lin Chunuan's performance was impeccable.
At the dinner table, she held up a plate of braised pork ribs and praised, "Brother, you cook the best food."
After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa and played games. When she won, she would laugh out loud, and when she lost, she would hit her brother's arm with a pillow, making a ruckus in the living room all night.
Before going to bed, she still came over without fail to ask for a goodnight hug, patted Shen Ye on the back twice, and skipped back to her room.
Business as usual.
Shen Ye stood in the corridor, listening to the door click shut. His shoulders, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed.
It seems she's really come to terms with it.
It's 11 p.m. in the master bedroom.
Shen Ye threw himself onto the bed.
He didn't sleep a wink last night, and now he's so sleepy he can barely keep his eyelids open.
The moment I touched the bed, my consciousness was cut off.
Late at night.
Outside the window, clouds obscuring the moon drifted slowly by, and moonlight shone down again, seeping through the gap in the curtains and flowing into the room, sweeping across the floor and the edge of the bed.
Where the faint light passed, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
Lin Chunuan stood barefoot on the carpet, wearing a black, sheer, lace-trimmed nightgown, her long hair loose, staring motionlessly at the figure on the bed.
The man on the bed was fast asleep, one arm draped over the edge of the bed, his fingers hanging loosely, the fingertips only inches from the carpet.
She remembered every single word of the rejection she received last night.
very good......
Very good...
Lin Chunuan knelt down beside the bed.
She stared at the hand hanging in mid-air for a very long time.
Then, the little girl bent down, took his hand in her arms, pried open his fingertips, and slowly put her brother's fingers into her mouth...