"Brother, who were you talking to?"
Just as Lu Qing reached the apartment door and placed his hand on the doorknob—
With a click, the door opened from the inside.
The sudden change made him pause briefly, and to his right, Bai Xing, who had already opened her door, gave a mischievous smile and said, "You're welcome to come play at my place anytime~" before sticking out her tongue and slipping inside.
Lu Qing was left standing there awkwardly, caught in the uncomfortable situation of being stared at by his sister.
"It's nothing, just ran into a neighbor who was going upstairs at the same time... just had a brief chat."
Feeling Su Ling's suspicious gaze, he nervously gave an evasive answer, then shifted his gaze away from next door, walked inside, and closed the door.
To be honest, he still hadn't come to terms with this bizarre reality.
He had been renting this apartment for two whole years, and his class schedule matched perfectly with Bai Xing's, yet he had never discovered that living next door was such an incredibly talented voice acting junior.
Now, trying to shake her off seemed unrealistic.
If Bai Xing wanted to mess with him, she wouldn't need to do much—just follow the same pattern as before but take it further: knock on his door, then say strange things to his sister, and his image as a brother would completely crumble.
With her acting skills, accomplishing this would be child's play.
"What sin did I commit to end up with such a troublemaker... good grief."
Lu Qing grumbled as he took off his shoes and entered, letting out a sigh.
When he looked up again, he realized what his sister was wearing...
It seemed to be that high-end custom-made outfit from his closet!
"Su Ling, you...?"
Watching the maid outfit come "alive," he reflexively widened his eyes, carefully appreciating the scene before him—
The ivory-colored dress finally displayed its intended beauty at this moment, with the pure white apron complementing the mysterious black underlayer, perfectly showcasing the Western-style mystique;
Numerous ruffles and lace adorned the young girl's shoulders, while butterfly ribbons tightly wrapped around her slender waist;
The upper part of the dress featured naturally puffy bubble sleeves, and the beautiful, exquisite hair accessories were an essential element, with three types available to choose from;
Su Ling had chosen ribbons over the headband and hair clips, which gave a more girlish feel and emphasized innocence.
The expression had to be pure, movements graceful, gaze slightly yearning, head tilted slightly upward, presenting a submissive posture;
Su Ling knew that 'service' was the essence of maid culture.
Therefore, when wearing a maid outfit, one must perfect every detail to truly capture its original intent.
"Um, I didn't have any clothes to change into, so I found this dress in your closet and tried it on... do you like it?"
Indeed, she had succeeded.
Very successfully.
Everything went according to her wishes, and Lu Qing's gaze had already begun to fix straight ahead.
This wasn't ordinary appreciation or blank staring, but rather a natural reaction after having one's exact preferences precisely targeted.
She had him figured out.
Su Ling thought contentedly that at this rate, regardless of whoever that female voice outside belonged to, or whatever kind of women her brother might encounter outside, if any of them wanted to battle with her, they'd probably lose half their life first.
After a whole day of observation, research, attempts, and learning, the young girl had fully understood his preferences and was confident in her ability to wash away and erase all traces of other women from her brother's mind through her own methods.
Only then would her brother's affection be focused solely on her, preventing others from stealing any portion of it.
The young girl's emotions fluctuated, though her surface remained unchanged.
"...Whew."
At this moment, Lu Qing took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
He never expected that on his first day back home, his sister would greet him in his favorite appearance.
Although the maid outfit was a bit large for her frame, when worn on her body, it still possessed a beauty that was hard to look away from, and it was a comfortable sight that was flawless from every angle, completely outshining the girl who had been recruiting customers in front of the maid café earlier.
"It looks very nice. I really like it."
Lu Qing immediately gave his evaluation.
Compared to anything else, being with his sister truly helped him forget his troubles.
"Really? I was actually quite worried, afraid that wearing such an expensive dress might make you angry..."
"Don't be silly, I'm more than happy that you'd willingly wear it for me to see." Lu Qing affectionately reached out his hand and ruffled her hair.
Su Ling actively stood on her tiptoes, eyes narrowed, like a black cat being pampered by its owner, enjoying the sense of security brought by the caress.
Actually, she really wanted to test what kind of chemical reaction would occur if she changed her way of addressing him the moment he opened the door and innocently said "Welcome home."
However, the person next door had disrupted her plans, preventing her from completely winning over her brother.
She felt a slight disappointment in her heart, blaming that woman. Hmph.
But it didn't matter, there would be plenty more opportunities.
The more he became addicted to her, the more she could contentedly enjoy his doting, and this way... this way, the sweet dream of nestling in his embrace would become reality, within reach.
Lu Qing was unaware of his sister's such pathological thoughts, and just said: "By the way, Su Ling. This dress is yours now. I think no one suits a maid outfit better than you."
"Ah... is that okay?"
"Of course, it's decided then."
He remarked with feeling: "Good things should indeed be given to those who can bring out their true value, right?"
Hearing such explicit praise, the young girl's cheeks reddened, and she smiled sweetly.
"Brother is so kind... I'll treasure it well."
"Mm." Lu Qing nodded, fixing the messy strands of hair on her shoulder.
The young girl, knowing such chances were rare, directly moved forward and naturally held onto his arm, pressing her chest close.
"..."
This made him break into a cold sweat, his back stiff as iron.
His sister being intimate while wearing a maid outfit...
He took a deep breath, trying his best to maintain rationality, and changed the subject:
"Um... Su Ling, tomorrow is Saturday, and I happen to be off work. I'm planning to take you shopping, buy some clothes and daily necessities, and treat you to some good food. How about that?"
Since she had just mentioned not having clothes to wear, Lu Qing felt it necessary to take his sister shopping, otherwise, it would be even harder to find time once he got busy next week.
"Eh? Tomorrow... just the two of us?"
Su Ling's beautiful eyes focused, as if thinking of something, and asked with a hint of something unusual in her eyes.
"Of course, who else would there be when buying clothes for you?" Lu Qing asked, puzzled.
But his sister turned her head away, looking at the ground, "Then, brother... have you ever invited other girls like this before?"
"Huh? How could that be possible? I don't even have a girlfriend."
After saying these words and seeing the gradually appearing blush on his sister's cheeks, Lu Qing suddenly realized—
It seemed like...
He was about to give his life's first date to Su Ling.
...
...