I didn't expect that my brother failed to escape again...

Su Qi slowly pushed his suitcase through the doorway.

Then, with a backward flick of his hand—

A soft "click" sounded…

The door shut behind him.

The entire motion was seamless.

Liu Yuan, sensing the draft from behind, instinctively turned her head.

Her pupils reflected the blur of the doorframe rapidly closing, separating the two of them.

At that moment, one of her feet was still on the doormat, while the other shoe dangled mid-air, half-removed.

As if frozen in time.

Liu Yuan: ???

[Delight +666]

This was exactly the effect Su Qi wanted.

Ah, his foolish little sister…

She was practically like a power bank that could be plugged in anytime, anywhere, to recharge.

If this were a game, Su Qi would definitely be accused of "maliciously exploiting bugs to farm points."

Fortunately, reality had no such rules—he could freely indulge in this "gift" from his sister.

After pulling this off, Su Qi didn’t rush to leave.

He stood still and began counting silently in his head.

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One."

With a "click," Liu Yuan pushed the door back open before even finishing putting on her shoe.

Su Qi feigned confusion. "What’s wrong?"

Without waiting for her reply, he pretended to suddenly understand. "Oh, right—I won’t be back for dinner. Figure something out for yourself."

Of course, he meant both lunch and dinner.

If Liu Yuan had merely blushed in embarrassment before, this time she was genuinely about to explode with anger!

But…

She couldn’t find a single legitimate reason to criticize Su Qi.

She had said those things before.

The problem was, back then, who could’ve guessed that Su Qi was the brother she’d been longing for?

In the end, she could only sulk, her cheeks puffing up like a pufferfish. "I’m coming too!"

Su Qi waved dismissively. "What’re you gonna do? Adults have business to handle. Kids shouldn’t meddle."

Half-truth, half-lie.

This trip was mainly to help Yun Huang overcome her… cravings.

Literally.

Hadn’t she left a message?

She wanted it again.

What else could she want?

Freedom, obviously—it couldn’t possibly be him, right?

Su Qi could only say that ever since Yun Huang had tasted that feeling, she’d been unable to resist.

Uh… the taste of freedom.

One could endure darkness if they’d never known light.

But if Yun Huang remained suppressed for too long, she might develop psychological issues.

So, helping her overcome her cravings was completely justified.

Plus, he could earn some [Radiance] on the side—rewards were always welcome.

A secondary goal was to ask Yun Huang if she could leak some intel.

He wanted to know the current situation on the frontlines.

That way, he could prepare in advance.

Of course, given that woman’s control over Yun Huang’s schedule, she might not even be aware of such "trivial details."

Liu Yuan stomped forward angrily. "Su Qi, I’m not a kid! I’m an adult."

Su Qi gave her a once-over.

Honestly, aside from the ID number proving her legal age,

nothing else about her was particularly convincing…

Though late bloomers were a possibility.

"Fine, then I’ll rephrase: 'Brother and sister-in-law have business to handle. Little sister shouldn’t interfere.'"

Liu Yuan: ???

[Delight +666]

Why did that sound so irritating?

Liu Yuan voiced her confusion. "Su Qi, didn’t you say you had a girlfriend?"

Instead of answering directly, Su Qi pinched his throat, mimicking Liu Yuan’s voice:

"Su Qi, I heard online relationships are unreliable… and that’s Yun Huang we’re talking about… Maybe you should reconsider…"

Liu Yuan hurriedly defended herself. "But I only said that impulsively! I apologized afterward!"

Ignoring her, Su Qi continued the impression:

"Yun Huang’s so pitiful… She can’t choose her own path, just gets manipulated by others, with no chance to resist…"

Liu Yuan clenched her fists, feeling her barely subsided anger return twofold.

Rage +1

Su Qi, oblivious, kept going with exaggerated enthusiasm:

"Su Qi, go for it! Status gaps don’t mean anything!"

Liu Yuan bared her little fangs, lowering her head to hide her murderous expression.

Rage +1

Still unaware of the danger, Su Qi walked up to Liu Yuan and patted her shoulder like a superior encouraging a subordinate:

"So, Su Qi, you should spend more time with Sister Yun Huang, okay?"

Rage +∞.

Human limits vary.

In her extreme fury, Liu Yuan spontaneously unlocked [Rage Burst].

"YOU JERK!!!"

Unbearable!

How could Su Qi be so infuriatingly smug?!

Liu Yuan struck!

Well, not technically a strike.

Su Qi’s vision whited out before he found himself on the floor again.

[Delight +666]

…

Let’s fast-forward ten minutes.

"Sorry, sorry…"

Su Qi lay sprawled on the couch with a deadpan expression, two wads of tissue stuffed up his nose—a ridiculous sight.

Liu Yuan sat on the floor beside the sofa in a "loli squat," her head level with his.

Her voice was soft, tinged with guilt. "I didn’t think… Brother would fail to dodge again…"

"Don’t be mad, okay~?"

Though Liu Yuan was puzzled.

If last time was because Su Qi’s soul power was depleted, lowering his stats…

Then what about now?

After a night’s rest, he should’ve recovered at least 40-50% of his strength.

So, could a sixth-rank Cardholder at half-strength really lose to a fourth-rank?

If they actually fought seriously, Liu Yuan knew she’d be the one getting pummeled into the ground, losing all composure.

So why didn’t Su Qi dodge?

So confusing…

Su Qi clutched his chest dramatically. "I just never expected my own sister to suddenly kick me…"

Hearing this, Liu Yuan’s guilt only deepened…

So Brother hadn’t been on guard against her at all…

No wonder he didn’t evade…

Still, one question lingered unspoken:

Given Su Qi’s physique, her "soft" attack shouldn’t have made his nose bleed, right?

Anger aside, she did hold back.

It was just playful roughhousing—

Definitely not that forceful…

Yet reality defied logic.

The undeniable fact was: Su Qi had gotten a nosebleed from her attack.

Her face crumpled into a pitiful pout, on the verge of tears. "A-Yuan won’t be so reckless next time…"

Su Qi instantly replied, "No, you should."

Liu Yuan: ???

"I mean, playful roughhousing is fine—just mind the intensity."

Liu Yuan nodded with a somewhat hesitant understanding.