Three hours.
— Today's confrontation will likely leave the cheating cat crying in her bed for at least three hours.
Su Ling's heart was as clear as a mirror, accurately discerning the other person's mental state.
For her, this "welcome" was merely a small warning.
It was meant to remind her who was the only one by her brother's side and who was the true source of his emotional support.
If she still didn't know her place, then don't blame Su Ling for resorting to more violent and brutal methods.
Heh.
To defeat the cheating cat, one move would suffice.
Demonstrate to her through actions that "what doesn't belong to her will never belong to her."
Even the slightest thought of wanting to look would be crushed in an instant, turning into an unattainable desire, leaving her helpless and unable to hold on.
Had it been exposed just now?
That desperate gaze.
That almost crying expression.
Tsk.
How pitiful.
...
Su Ling was very pleased.
More pleased than usual.
Lu Qing didn't know what she was thinking at the moment, but as soon as he entered the house, he was drawn by the aroma that greeted him.
The scent came from inside the house.
It reminded him of the smell that wafted out of the window of that hidden gem panini shop in the alley when he and Bai Xing went to buy breakfast last time.
"Su Ling, what is this?"
He turned his head and asked.
"Hehe, Brother has always taken care of me. Even when he's busy, he still thinks about preparing breakfast for me or taking me out to eat delicious food... I feel a bit guilty about it. So today, I tried my hand at baking and made some small pastries for you,"
She twisted the hem of her skirt, lowering her head with a shy expression, "I was hoping... that you would like them."
"Ah..."
Such words were enough to melt one's heart.
He quickly walked to the door.
Glancing at the neatly arranged chocolate croissants, Portuguese egg tarts, open pineapple buns, and cat ear biscuits on the dining table... his tense nerves almost instantly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth began to uncontrollably rise.
Su Ling...
She knows how to repay me...
Truly.
It's truly heartwarming.
...No.
I absolutely cannot let her see that I'm over the moon.
Otherwise, the position of master of this household will be handed over.
Before the hot spring showdown, I cannot lose.
Absolutely not.
Mm.
Lu Qing thought this way.
"I didn't expect you to be able to do these things."
He turned around, doing his best to keep a straight face, and raised his hand to ruffle her hair.
But it seemed he had forgotten,
when had he ever actively rewarded his sister like this before?
"Well, I can't make the kind of delicious dishes Brother can, and I don't eat much on my own, so I've been studying pastry-making a bit..."
The girl now stood on her tiptoes, squinting her eyes, enjoying the warmth from his palm.
Not mentioning at all that someone's actions were overly doting.
She knew,
this was the spoils of victory, something only the victor was entitled to.
It was a delicacy far more delicious than any feast.
The cheating cat must still be trembling in fear, right?
"~"
Su Ling's heart was filled with joy.
On the surface, she remained calm and composed.
As Lu Qing approached the table, she followed him and sat across from him.
She elegantly raised her arm and, with the most standard maid posture, poured him a cup of brewed black tea.
"Brother, warm yourself up first?"
She gently pushed the teacup to his face, guiding him to feel her "care" with this seamless rhythm.
This was tonight's theme.
...
Lu Qing sat upright.
He carefully examined each item on the table.
Colorful fruit platter.
Chocolate snail croissants.
Thick-cut chilled butter slices paired with grilled pineapple buns.
Six perfectly baked Portuguese egg tarts.
And a set of handmade cat ear biscuits.
Taking the hot tea handed by his sister, he held it in his hands, feeling the warmth emanating from the cup. In that moment, he couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect.
"Not bad."
He gave a rather strict impression score.
To prevent her from getting too carried away.
In fact, just by looking at the appearance and smelling the sweet aroma of these items, one could already sense their superb craftsmanship.
Considering that his sister had been living alone and likely didn't have much money, she probably couldn't always order takeout, so she must have had to cook for herself.
And with her illness and the side effects of her medication, she probably had trouble eating regular meals.
Therefore, making bread or sweets would be her first choice.
They were convenient to store and could also be taken to school for lunch, preventing food waste.
"No wonder she was so interested in that Twilight Café last time. She must have been quite knowledgeable about these things..."
Lu Qing raised the teacup to his lips, blowing away the steam rising from the rim.
Observing and thinking.
Clearly, when it came to cooking, his sister and he followed completely different paths.
His own superb culinary skills came from the teaching videos of a master chef named "Chef Wang" on the B site.
He liked watching Chef Wang because the chef had a habit very similar to his own—
"Technical summary."
When he wrote books, he liked to make periodic summaries, and Chef Wang liked to summarize the processes after cooking, so the two clicked instantly across the void.
He had learned many hard dish-making methods from him, including but not limited to stir-frying, frying, steaming, poaching, stewing, braising, and more.
Even slightly more complex dishes like Spicy and Tingly Stir-Fried Chicken, Poached Sliced Pork, and Sichuan-style Spicy Yellow Beef were no problem.
Who would have thought that this talent tree...
would deviate from his sister's preferences?
Should I learn how to knead dough?
I need to make the things she likes...
He thought this way.
"Ahem, I know, Su Ling. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to study some baking techniques and try to make some paninis or something for you to eat." he said.
"?"
With a very subtle expression,
Su Ling frowned slightly.
"Paninis?"
The girl's first reaction was to the "breakfast" she had thrown into the trash last time.
The cold breakfast Brother had brought back after being invited out by the cheating cat for a date,
with Bai Xing.
How could she possibly eat something like that.
Even if it was specially made by Brother, it had already been tainted with memories of Bai Xing.
Such food should be erased from his memory.
She sighed in her heart.
Then she looked up and said responsibly:
"Brother, there's no need to go to such trouble. I like all the food you make for me."
"Really?"
"Mm."
Su Ling smiled gently, watching her brother take a small sip of tea.
Watching the dark tea liquid enter his throat.
As his Adam's apple rolled, he swallowed it down.
"Ah..."
A sense of relief mixed with the joy of a successful plot,
making her heart beat violently and secretly.
As much as possible, without showing any abnormality.
—Success.
"But, where did you buy these ingredients? Did you go downstairs? And, I remember we don't have an oven at home. Usually, I fry eggs for you in a pan. How did you...?"
Lu Qing still hadn't noticed the strange expression hidden under his sister's delicate bangs. He just took another sip of tea, then put down the cup, picked up a small biscuit, gently rubbed the cute black cat pattern on it, and asked puzzledly.
"I bought them online."
She watched his movements and the smile on her face deepened:
"The ingredients were delivered by the riders from Tuanzi Grocery, and the oven and baking tools were ordered from Taobao and Jingdong using the money Brother sent me."
She told the truth.
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Lu Qing was slightly stunned: "You only bought these things?"
He took a bite of the small biscuit, savoring the sweet, crispy, and soft texture, and asked in surprise.
"Mm-hmm,"
Su Ling nodded obediently, trying her best not to look at Brother while he ate.
She put on a thinking expression, "As for other things... I also bought Brother a thick blanket, a few sets of autumn DK uniforms that I think would suit Brother very well, and... um, the same bath towel that Brother forbade me from snatching last time."
"..."
Lu Qing was speechless.
"So you didn't buy anything for yourself at all, is that right?"
"Yes. The money Brother gave me should of course be spent on Brother. What's the problem?"
The girl innocently looked up at his eyes, asking back with a natural and confident expression.
As if everything should be this way.
"???"
This time, Lu Qing was a bit overwhelmed.
"Of course, I have to spend it on my brother."
"......"
He licked his lips, then chomped down on the remaining half of the cookie, swallowing it in one go. Then, in an uncharacteristically agitated manner, he gulped down the rest of his black tea.
He said:
"Su Ling."
"Hmm?"
The girl tilted her head.
"I give you an allowance so you can live more comfortably," he said.
"I already feel very comfortable," she replied, looking puzzled.
"No, no," Lu Qing denied, then began to present his facts and reasoning. "Look, you bought baking molds and an oven, which I can understand since they’re useful for the household. But buying clothes and blankets for me... that’s not necessary. I want you to spend the money on yourself—clothes, makeup, food, things you need. It’s your money to freely spend, and if you run out, I’ll give you more. Why... why are you giving it all back to me?"
Lu Qing tried to make his sister understand that he could still earn more money to support her, rather than having her spend everything on him.
However, Su Ling innocently rebutted: "But, Brother, you’ve already bought me dresses and daily necessities. I don’t need to worry about the place we live in, and I don’t need to replenish my medication for now. I see you sleeping on that old, ragged sofa every day, and you gave me the only good blanket in the house... I... I just wanted to make you more comfortable, at least when it comes to sleep..."
She said this with a mix of grievance and sadness, "Brother... did I do something wrong?"
"......"
Truth be told, at that moment, Lu Qing’s heart almost melted.
The more Su Ling acted like this, the more he wanted to shower her with money.
He wanted to spoil her to death,
To be with her 24/7,
To give her his heart,
To even give her his life.
But...
This wasn’t right.
This really, really wasn’t right!!
What was going on with her!?
Why was she always thinking about him, this brother of hers!?
Today, she looked so beautiful, honestly, he didn’t even dare to look her in the eye...
Hmm... The little desserts she made were delicious,
The black tea she bought was of good quality,
Though it was a bit salty for some reason, the taste was still pure, with a unique flavor;
Most importantly, she knew how to show her gratitude, and her every move provided spiritual comfort to him.
Yet, he wouldn’t even let her use a towel freely...
What kind of situation was this?
Ah?
...
For a moment, Lu Qing was a bit confused.
He couldn’t help but feel that every time he was alone with his sister in the room, it was like he was sleepwalking.
His body was his own, but his thoughts always seemed to drift away, as if someone had picked them up and taken them elsewhere.
With her by his side, his world seemed to shrink to just her presence.
Only her.
Everything else,
Faded away like a decaying photograph,
Leaving no trace.
"Su Ling, listen to me."
He placed the teacup down.
"Huh?" She glanced at him.
"You’re always thinking about me, and I’m grateful for that," Lu Qing adjusted his expression to a more rational mode, speaking in a brotherly tone. "But we might need to set some ground rules."
"Brother, are you going to lecture me again?"
"......Not a lecture, it’s serious."
He picked up a pineapple bun, used a small pair of tweezers to extract a slice of butter, and squeezed it into the opening of the bun.
He took a slow bite, savoring the slightly richer taste of the butter, then continued:
"You live here, and I want you to feel comfortable and at ease. That’s why I’m planning to make more money as soon as possible and move to a bigger place, so you can live more comfortably.
Of course, I already have a detailed plan, and I’m quite confident that as long as I can keep up physically, I’ll be able to earn that money.
So you don’t have to worry about me not having enough money, or about the cost of your medication or check-ups. These issues aren’t a problem for me. All I want is for you to be happy, to feel at ease. That’s what matters most.
Based on this, I think you should focus more on yourself, rather than always worrying about me, your brother who can handle everything. Do you understand what I mean?" he said.
"Mm-hmm. I understand!"
Su Ling smiled sweetly, "Brother cares about me, so as long as I’m happy, even if I’m a bit spoiled, you won’t blame me, right?"
"......?"
There was an unsettling feeling.
Did she really understand?
They were only on the first ground rule, and it felt like the roles had already switched.
It was a bit strange.
He decided to observe further.
"The logic is that, but... I noticed you didn’t take your medication yesterday or today... Su Ling, are you really okay?"
Lu Qing had spotted the key issue.
Ever since he came home yesterday, Su Ling had been in a cheerful mood, with no signs of taking her medication.
He had left early today, so he wasn’t sure if she had taken it during the day.
But looking at the position of the medicine bottle...
"......"
Lu Qing pulled back his gaze and took a deep breath.
His heart tightened.
As expected.
Before he could even think, Su Ling stood up, extended her slender arm, and used her fingers to brush away the crumbs from the corner of his mouth—
She clenched the crumbs in her palm and hid them under the table.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she said: "Brother, I can control whether I need to take my medication or not, and whether to increase the dosage depends on my mood.
The doctor said that when I feel unwell, I can add half a pill.
But when I feel happy, I should remember what made me happy and do whatever it takes to maintain that happiness."
Su Ling smiled, watching as he finished the last few bites of the food she had specially prepared with her "loving ingredients"—
She softly said:
"Brother, I think I’ve found what truly makes me happy."
......
......