Three Times Broken, Falling into a Crisis

Generally speaking, Su Ling wouldn’t make such a mistake.

But a few hours ago, at dawn—

Seeing her older brother asleep on the sofa bed,

Su Ling couldn’t hold back.

She reached out, after a long time,

and inspected her brother’s bag and phone.

The “box” in the bag was too conspicuous,

so obvious that even without actively searching, one couldn’t miss it.

This directly led her, driven by curiosity, to open it—

At 4:20 in the morning,

she saw the stack of cosplay photos that shocked her to her core.

「Underestimated.」

…

…

【She had underestimated the external pressure.】

【She had overlooked the possibility of the most flawless and low-probability combination of events from the outside world.】

—The stalker was an ultimate succubus, possessing a body of desire that even she couldn’t compare to.

Yes.

Otherwise, why would her brother still keep in touch with her after finding out he had been deceived?

Given her brother’s personality, what he hated most was 「deception」, wasn’t it?

He hated 「lies」.

He hated being kept in the dark.

That’s why she had always been cautious, treading carefully.

She had meticulously analyzed his thoughts and emotions.

It was clear that not long ago, he hadn’t known Lubia’s true gender.

But now, he had received her cosplay photos, presented in a silver box as a “gift,” tied with a delicate purple ribbon.

Without even looking, it was obvious that the other party had taken the initiative to send it.

“Now everything makes sense.”

Who would have thought that the first person to truly appreciate, observe, and meticulously study the body in the photos wasn’t Lu Qing—

but Su Ling herself.

…

…

If Bai Xing’s existence posed no threat in Su Ling’s eyes,

and the stalker’s previous actions had seemed clumsy to her—

so clumsy that even sending out a “stray cat” for defense could have thwarted her sloppy moves,

then now, after seeing this set of completely unedited cosplay photos, Su Ling fully understood and could confirm one thing:

Bai Xing was no match for her opponent.

To defend against such a temptress, she had indeed been somewhat careless.

“A lesson learned.”

“But fortunately, my brother hasn’t been completely consumed by her yet.”

It wasn’t too late to make amends; there was still hope.

Su Ling immediately sounded the alarm, deciding to personally put an end to the enemy’s momentum.

Using the precious remaining time, she fought off her drowsiness, splashed cold water on her face in the bathroom, and returned to the room. Silently, she took out Lu Qing’s phone, preparing to gather intelligence on the stalker.

In the messaging app, it was easy to find relevant information—

“Tang Hua.”

【Her name is Tang Hua.】

Wait.

The name she had used before was…

【Lubia.】

【So, the reference pictures she sent were of herself.】

【They were original designs she created by posing in front of a mirror, with her own body as the model.】

With a snap,

all the clues fell into place.

【—She was the “goddess” from Twitter.】

【She was a super temptress with millions of followers, a top-tier opponent who could crush any woman with her physique.】

【No man could resist such proportions, even if they pretended to disdain them on the surface.】

Su Ling knew this well.

Her brother’s preferences leaned toward maids, but even among those, there were no flat-chested or petite figures. Half of the reference materials had been provided by Lubia.

Fortunately, in this regard, Su Ling wasn’t lacking.

Her curves, the hidden arcs of her body, and her C+ cup size already surpassed that of the “stray cat,” enough to satisfy the average man.

Her brother should be no exception.

Su Ling was confident about this.

It had been a perfect start; everything had gone so smoothly.

But now, compared to Lubia, her advantages had completely vanished.

She could only rely on strategy; a direct physical confrontation would be a guaranteed loss.

In Su Ling’s eyes, Tang Hua was like a demon from hell, capable of crushing everything in her path.

Bai Xing had likely already tasted defeat, which was why her messages in the app were so pitiful, her tone and attitude so…

Wait,

this 【50,000 yuan】…

“……”

…

…

This was the second reason Su Ling’s composure was shaken.

Generally, she didn’t think the people around Lu Qing could cause much trouble.

But now, even Bai Xing had stepped forward and delivered a fatal blow.

The scenario she had planned, where she would use the “stray cat” to earn money and support herself, had now transformed into “the money her brother should have spent on her was instead handed over to Bai Xing.”

What was this?

A complete reversal?

Had Bai Xing figured out some of her brother’s weaknesses and used them to stage a comeback?

Had she unlocked her 「second phase」?

Feeling a slight pressure, Su Ling checked the time of the transfer and cross-referenced it with the time her brother had come home. She then opened the 【Home Security Camera App】.

And then…

“……”

“Great.”

The blank, snowy screen once again made her feel that her position was being challenged like never before.

The last scene in the recording showed a girl bringing a chair from the neighbor’s house, standing on it, and tiptoeing.

She shook a spray can, making a clicking sound,

then aimed it at the camera and pressed the nozzle—pshhh.

“Very good.”

“You’ve all found ways to infiltrate my brother’s life.”

“It seems you’re all clear-headed and have your own tricks.”

Su Ling wasn’t angry or upset.

After all, she still had the upper hand.

Even if part of her intelligence network had been limited by the “stray cat,” even if some information had been missing, preventing her from anticipating Lubia’s true, overwhelming nature—

it didn’t matter.

Because, through this night’s 「reconnaissance」, she had already grasped the new developments, everyone’s progress, and all the emerging threats.

“Next…”

“It’s time to achieve that goal.”

Su Ling was confident of victory.

She had confirmed that her brother had an intense emotional connection to the song 「Only for You, Sunny Day」.

In his heart, it was likely a 「forbidden song」.

Today, she had tested him and found that the song triggered a strong rejection reaction, undoubtedly bringing back some dark memories.

Having recently learned a bit about the principles of the universe, Su Ling understood—

【Everything in the world is interconnected; what repels also attracts.】

This principle, when applied to her brother, was like a 「key」.

If she could master the latter part of the forbidden song, unleash her hidden potential, and break through her brother’s 「defenses」,

wouldn’t that force him to stop running away and face his true self?

“At this critical juncture, I can’t hesitate, nor can I let you hungry stray cats hold me back.”

“I must stay firm on my path, moving forward without stopping. Otherwise, all my previous plans will come to nothing.”

Su Ling believed that nothing was more intoxicating than tasting the fruits of victory after hard work.

The last time she defeated Bai Xing, her brother’s touch had sent shivers down her spine.

That electric sensation traveled through her hair, straight to her heart.

It was indescribable.

So, Su Ling craved that feeling,

longing to experience that 「pleasure」 once more.

“If only I could keep reaping such rewards forever.”

“I want to collect my brother’s praise and remember the expressions of their defeat.”

For this, she was willing to give everything.

……

Until 5:15 in the morning, Su Ling had been calm.

She had been composed.

Although Tang Hua’s true nature had made her feel somewhat uneasy,

and although Bai Xing’s clever counterattack had made things slightly tricky;

she still believed that by the end of the month, her decisive move would completely change her brother’s lifestyle, freeing him to return to the world of 「music」 and achieve her second-phase milestone—

【A duet with her brother】.

…

…

Playing in front of him—making him unable to suppress his inner desires—guiding him to pick up his instrument again—finding a way to perform with him.

A duet with her brother, in a way, meant integrating into his life, stepping into his world,

the innermost world he had always kept tightly shut, inaccessible to anyone.

This is the first step in building a "bridge" between them.

Only by doing so can they move to the next stage: understanding the brother's soul through "music."

After—

[Stepping into the brother's heart],

[Reading the brother's past],

[Controlling the brother's thoughts],

[Deconstructing the brother's actions]—

the next step is:

[Understanding the brother's soul].

By mastering music to its depths, by continuously interacting with him and listening to his voice, understanding his innermost thoughts.

Then, the future self

will be invincible.

No one, through any means, will be able to defeat a self that has achieved such progress.

...

Until—

When checking the last item,

seeing the newly added friend,

"Lin Mu,"

a slight frown appeared.

Su Ling followed the traces,

bit by bit,

opened the "Cloud Music" app.

Searching left and right, looking again and again,

finally, in the extremely obscure and never-before-opened "Message Center,"

witnessed the dense, hidden, and emotional "longing,"

amounting to thousands upon thousands of messages.

"..."

Videos, audio, diaries, confessions...

Meeting, knowing, understanding, recognizing.

Testing, learning, sharing, encouraging.

God-like musical prowess, a fully formed all-in-one machine, unparalleled natural talent, and relentless effort no less than her own.

At this point,

Su Ling's resolve shattered once more.

For the first time, after dawn broke,

she forgot to erase the traces of her investigation.

...

...