Twisted Girl

"It's a misunderstanding!"

"Really, it's just a misunderstanding!"

"Oh, right, it's from readers, readers! They sent it to me!"

"You know I write books as a side job, right?! I have some great readers! They like to send me things! This is what they sent me! To help me develop the female lead's... I mean, her outfit details! So they, they just recommended some suitable clothes for research..."

Lu Qing immediately stood up to block the wardrobe, forcefully pulling the doors closed behind him, his forehead breaking out in sweat.

Indeed, letting a girl suddenly enter a guy's room without proper preparation was a huge mistake.

The problem was that the young lady's arrival came without warning. Even if he had thought to tidy up beforehand, there wouldn't have been time with such an unexpected visit.

"It's... it's okay, big brother. I understand a little..."

Su Ling kept her head lowered, a hint of blush on her small face, her gaze deliberately avoiding his direction.

"Mom said that all men have their own special... preferences. If this is what big brother likes... I, I can understand."

She seemed to be trying to give him a way out, unaware that this kind of understanding was making things worse for Lu Qing.

Well, at this point, further explanation would just seem like a cover-up. Better to focus on the immediate issue at hand.

Lu Qing sighed helplessly and returned to the table. "Don't worry about those details. They're just necessary props for work. Ahem, so... about your aunt's situation, I think I understand now. Can I assume she's entrusted you entirely to my care?"

"Mm..." Su Ling responded softly, her nervous demeanor unchanged.

"So before you came, did your aunt contact my old man... uh, my father?"

"I'm not sure."

"Are you currently in school or something? Tomorrow's Friday, do you have any plans?"

"...No." The young girl shook her head, burying it even lower as she answered.

Seeing this, Lu Qing sensed trouble, wondering if she might be on a break from school or something similar.

Thinking carefully, he realized this was highly likely.

After all, if her mother could abandon her like this, she was certainly capable of not paying for school fees and living expenses.

Good grief, it looks like he really would have to "raise" her, even managing school fees.

Realizing this, he changed the subject, speaking gently, "Alright, I understand. You don't need to go anywhere tomorrow, just stay here with me and relax. By the way, have you eaten dinner? Are you hungry?"

"I... I ate," her voice clearly hesitated.

As expected, she wasn't good at lying.

Lu Qing thought this to himself, but outwardly showed no change as he looked into her eyes. "Oh, well, let's have another meal anyway. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare some food, and you can take a shower in the meantime. You must be uncomfortable after getting wet in the rain."

As he spoke, he walked towards the refrigerator and pointed to the double bed in the corner. "This apartment isn't very big, there's only one bed. But don't worry, you can lie down on it after your shower. Don't think about anything else, I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

Facing the young girl, he wanted to give her an absolute sense of safety, hoping to gradually erase the scars she carried.

After all, her aunt had vanished without a trace, seemingly as irresponsible as his own father.

Now this little sister had ended up homeless, coming to ask for shelter with the resolve to repay with her body... Such a pitiful state, even his stone-cold heart couldn't ignore it.

The key was to ensure she could sleep peacefully tonight.

"...Thank you, big brother."

Seeming to sense his thoughtfulness, Su Ling slightly raised her head, stealing a glance at his back, her mind filled with unknown thoughts.

It wasn't until he had taken vegetables and eggs from the refrigerator and walked into the kitchen that she quietly took out a change of nightgown from her backpack and slipped into the bathroom.

"Oh, right, towels are hanging on the rail, there are new ones I haven't used. The body wash and shampoo are men's products, but they should be fine if you don't mind. As for unopened toothbrushes and facial cleanser, they're all in the cabinet under the sink. Have a look, they should be easy to find..."

Lu Qing called out reminders, worried she might feel awkward in the unfamiliar environment.

"Mm!" The girl's voice came through the door, accompanied by the rustle of her plaid skirt falling to the floor.

Hearing this, he quickly turned his head, trying hard to banish distracting thoughts, muttering to himself, "Oh no, I've never spent the night with a girl before, it's really stressful... Come to think of it, is this apartment too small?"

He was cutting cucumbers, his eyes surveying the surroundings.

Logically, a 40-square-meter one-bedroom apartment with a living room, bathroom, and kitchen in the center of Tianhai City couldn't be considered small. After all, the monthly rent was already as high as 6,000 yuan, which most young people who hadn't started working couldn't afford.

If it weren't for his considerable monthly income from writing and the damn school being located in the city center, he wouldn't want to spend such a huge amount to rent this apartment.

As for why he didn't live in the dorm, firstly, his roommates played games all day and night, always with voice chat on, making it too noisy to write.

Secondly, there were too many prying eyes in the four-person dorm, and it was easy for his book titles to be exposed.

If his roommates found out he was writing stories about sister complexes and otaku girls...

Lu Qing didn't dare to imagine that scene.

So his current situation was paying 1,500 yuan a year for a dorm bed as a temporary base, while renting a 6,000 yuan per month apartment as his writing headquarters. He only returned to the dorm when necessary, usually staying at home at night.

"Sigh." Thinking about how much his basic monthly expenses were, Lu Qing felt a bit overwhelmed.

Now that she had arrived, if she were to stay long-term, the apartment environment would need an upgrade. At least they'd need to rent a two-bedroom place, right? After all, it's inconvenient for a man and woman to share a room, and if they're not a couple, problems are bound to arise.

Minor issues could be loss of privacy and exposure of daily habits; major ones could lead to accidental intimacy and big trouble.

For long-term considerations, it seemed he needed to prioritize researching for his new book.

"I need to earn more money, then successfully keep my little sister here on my own, take care of her, protect her, until her aunt returns or my old man comes back to life. Otherwise, I'm not qualified to be her big brother."

For a college student, taking on this responsibility was incredibly difficult.

But Lu Qing wanted to try, and even wanted to do it well.

"This might be a test from the god of inspiration... If I can make my little sister feel at home here, from a karmic perspective, I'll surely have reached the threshold for creating a new book. Yes, it must be so."

He put the tonkotsu ramen into the pot, letting it boil in the water, muttering non-stop.

As the steam rose, on the other side, the young girl in the bathroom had finished washing her body.

At this moment, she was carefully and thoroughly applying silky body lotion to every inch of her hidden, impressive curves, nourishing her skin for the night.

For her, she could skip meals, she could go without sleep, but she had to put great effort into taking care of her body.

Because this was her weapon.

"Mom used to say that for women, looks and figure are the most powerful weapons we can possess."

While others were busy with studies, work, hobbies, and social relationships, her mother's advice was to first make herself into someone who could captivate any man's heart, and then use that as capital to consider shortcuts for the future. This might be the most suitable path for her.

Now, her mother had flown far away, and there was no one left to help her grow.

The last straw she could grasp, the only one she could hold onto, had become the brother she had only met once.

Her brother seemed like a very nice person, patient and considerate, able to empathize and care for others' feelings.

Although she didn't want to cause him trouble and pressure, if he was really willing to take her in...

"Even if it's as mom said, it's... it's not impossible, right?"

At this thought, the young girl suddenly lifted her head, fixing her gaze on the basket of her brother's old clothes waiting to be washed next to the washing machine.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the various male garments in the basket.

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

Three heartbeats.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Water droplets trickled down her long hair onto the tiled floor below.

In the bathroom, the silence of the air was almost eerie.

The girl remained silent, glancing back at the firmly closed bathroom door.

Then, as if possessed by some mysterious force, she raised her right arm, reaching toward the basket.

......

......