"It seems Mom made the right decision."
At night.
Su Ling curled up under the blanket, tossing and turning.
All the lights were off, and the rain outside seemed to have stopped.
Moonlight pierced through the clouds, casting its glow onto the floor tiles of the room.
Although it was already four in the morning, the young girl still couldn't fall asleep.
It wasn't due to insomnia troubling her, but rather because of what her brother had just said... somehow, it made her heart skip a beat.
How long had it been since she felt this way?
Or rather, had she ever felt this way before?
The young girl pulled the blanket tight, wrapping herself completely, leaving only her small face exposed.
Then she lowered her head slightly, pressing her delicate nose against the upper part of the blanket, and inhaled deeply.
"Hmm—"
This was the blanket filled with her brother's scent.
Her brother had been lying here, sleeping here just yesterday.
Su Ling turned to her side, curling up like a shrimp, gently closing her eyes.
Only when she was nearly breathless did she finally let out a satisfied long breath. In this long-lost feeling of security, she quietly raised her head, like a guilty cat checking its surroundings after mischief, and cast her gaze toward the door.
The bedroom door wasn't completely closed.
Her brother was sleeping on the sofa in the living room outside, and she could clearly hear the creaking sounds when he turned over.
The warmth from the blanket was very comfortable, and the room temperature was just right.
She had eaten a fulfilling meal, savored her brother's scent, and had exclusive possession of items he had used.
How wonderful.
If only the thing in her arms wasn't just an inanimate object.
If.
If she could use her real brother as a pillow, or nestle into his embrace to feel his warmth, wouldn't that be even more intoxicating than what she was feeling now?
In that case, even if her condition had progressed to this stage, it wouldn't matter anymore, would it?
For me, just being able to feel that solid sense of security... that would be enough.
"Brother..."
The young girl murmured, and unconsciously, the desire in her heart grew deeper.
...
The next morning.
Lu Qing sat up from the sofa with panda eyes.
Obviously, he hadn't slept well all night.
Mainly because his sister kept making strange noises from her room with the door open. He was curious but couldn't look directly, which left him in an awkward mental state that completely robbed him of sleep, keeping him up all night.
But during these hours, he hadn't been idle. He spent the whole night thinking, carefully considering his sister's situation.
He felt that besides earning money, he should first focus on "companionship," letting her experience being cared for and loved, which would be more ideal for her condition.
However, since he had classes Monday through Friday during the day and couldn't stay home with her, being with her 24/7 was probably impossible for now.
"Brother, good morning."
As he was pondering this, Su Ling emerged from the bedroom rubbing her sleepy eyes, greeting him.
"Morning. Su Ling, you could have slept longer. I'll prepare breakfast and leave it on the table before I go out."
He stood up to look at her, but his gaze was immediately drawn to the shoulder strap that had slipped down from her left shoulder to her arm...
Watching the nightgown strap slowly revealing more skin while his sister remained completely unaware, he quickly reacted, decisively stepping forward and raising his arm. Under her puzzled gaze, he lifted the thin strap with heated cheeks and pulled it back to its proper place.
First thing in the morning, he couldn't handle such blood-rushing scenes.
"Eh...?"
The young girl seemed startled by his action, opened her small mouth, and instinctively said thank you.
However, the disappointment in her eyes was perfectly concealed.
"Um... Su Ling, although we're close, you need to understand that you're living with a young college-aged man in his prime, so in daily life... you need to be a bit more careful."
Lu Qing awkwardly averted his gaze after the reminder and quickly turned toward the kitchen.
Su Ling watched his back as she followed him, asking: "But brother, doesn't everyone say it's fine for siblings to even bathe together?"
"Huh?"
Lu Qing heard this with exasperation and explained, "That's for blood siblings! And only during childhood! It's something you do when you're little! We're adults now, you're already eighteen, and I'm twenty! So this is not okay, absolutely not okay!"
"Strange."
The young girl tilted her head, leaning innocently against the kitchen doorframe, looking at him with confusion: "Isn't it better that we're not blood-related? Also, if we could do these things as children, shouldn't we be even more composed now that we're grown up and have better self-control?"
"What... what kind of twisted logic is that?"
Lu Qing stared with wide eyes, seemingly unable to comprehend his sister's logic.
Although she was affected by her condition, with slightly impaired cognitive function, these matters of principle couldn't be taken lightly. If she were to cause trouble because of this, it would be difficult to handle.
Just as he was about to educate her, he saw his sister press her advantage, continuing to ask with an innocent face: "Brother, could it be... that you can't control yourself when you see my body, so you choose to avoid it?"
"What??"
"Not even mentioning bathing together, you can't even look at me directly now."
"..."
In just a few words, he was caught off guard by her provocation.
Well, well, well. Just arrived and already trying to get the upper hand over her brother?
Fine, fine, fine.
In a moment of anger, Lu Qing gritted his teeth and decided to counter-attack.
He turned his head fiercely, put on a stern face, and threatened: "Su Ling, if you insist on this, then when I'm on break, we'll find time, I'll buy two hot spring tickets, and we'll book a mixed bath."
"!"
"Then we'll see who breaks first from embarrassment, you or me, a grown man.
Let me tell you, I have nothing to lose in this. If you think you can challenge big brother with just words, you're making a big mistake. I'll show you what real follow-through looks like."
Lu Qing lifted his chin, issuing his "challenge" with great momentum.
His sister seemed to have misunderstood the situation and was trying to cross the boundary between siblings.
Although his task was to take care of and heal her, he absolutely couldn't let her take advantage and manipulate him bit by bit.
He had to make her understand who was really in charge in this house.
Lu Qing felt proud inside.
He figured that after saying this, her false bravado would surely crumble. After all, he wasn't just talking - he meant business. How could she handle that?
"A hot spring trip?"
Just as he was confidently taking out sandwiches and preparing to slice cheese, Su Ling touched her lips with her index finger, appearing deep in thought, as if imagining certain scenes.
Then, her lips gradually curved upward, slowly revealing a delighted expression—
"Brother is so nice, actually agreeing to take me on a trip... I've never gone traveling with anyone since I was little, this will be my first time. And if it's a mixed bath hot spring, it'll be just the two of us, right? Hmm, does this mean I'll get to see brother's body? Well... speaking of which, should I prepare a swimsuit beforehand? Can brother spare some time to go shopping with me?"
"?"
...
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