Who, who wants praise from a stinky brother like you...

Half an hour later.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Su Qi's knuckles lightly rapped on Liu Yuan's door.

"We should probably head out soon."

They had returned from Yuanjing around seven in the morning.

The journey took roughly two and a half hours.

Add in the scattered time spent afterward, and it was almost lunchtime.

But Liu Yuan's room was eerily quiet.

Su Qi waited patiently for a moment, but there was still no response.

He knocked again, this time with more force.

"If you're not coming, I'll go out alone."

Normally, he’d expect to hear frantic footsteps from inside, followed by Liu Yuan flusteredly opening the door.

But again, no response.

"If you don’t answer, I’m coming in?"

Su Qi furrowed his brows and gripped the cold doorknob.

A soft click sounded as he turned it.

The door wasn’t locked.

Pushing it open gently, a faint citrus scent greeted him—the familiar fragrance of Liu Yuan’s shampoo.

Sunlight was blocked by thick curtains, with only a few slivers squeezing through, casting slender beams on the floor.

Su Qi squinted, adjusting to the dim light.

This was the first time he’d actively entered his little sister’s… room.

Surprisingly, the room was neat.

A lone pillow rested against the headboard, snuggled next to a chubby, adorable white bear plushie.

Su Qi scanned the room. Empty.

No sign of Liu Yuan.

Wait… where was she?

His tiny little sister—where’d she go?

Hold on…?

After another glance, he finally noticed a small lump under the blanket.

Liu Yuan had half her body buried under the covers, wrapped up tightly like a startled little animal.

A slender leg peeked out from the edge of the bed, but due to her petite height, only her toes barely touched the floor.

Her posture was awkward—her upper and lower body almost bent at a ninety-degree angle.

Most people would strain themselves trying to contort like that.

But Liu Yuan seemed unbothered.

Her flushed face was buried deep in the blanket, legs kicking restlessly.

"Ugh… so embarrassing…"

"Mortifying…"

As if she could erase the awkward scene from her memory by doing this.

Then, she felt like she’d kicked something.

From the familiar feedback, it was probably the third time she’d hit it.

But she didn’t understand.

Why was it still at this height…?

The blanket rose and fell with her breathing, muffled, flustered words escaping: "B-Brother… why’d you come in…?"

"I knocked. You didn’t answer." Su Qi cleared his throat, forcing his voice to sound calm.

He’d just been about to duck under the covers to startle her when—bam—direct hit.

Of all the timing.

"Thought something might’ve happened to you."

"Had to check."

The lump under the blanket shifted, Liu Yuan’s voice even more muffled: "I-I’m fine… just…"

Then it hit her—her current pose…

And how Su Qi must be seeing it.

Her foot arched awkwardly, toes unconsciously scraping the floor as if searching for a hole to hide in: "Brother, go out first…"

"Ugh…"

A tiny whimper escaped the blanket.

Su Qi glanced over—Liu Yuan’s clothes were still neatly on.

Without hesitation, he yanked the blanket off her head, subjecting her to full exposure.

Feeling the weight lift, Liu Yuan instinctively turned to look at Su Qi.

Her flushed face, messy hair.

Eyelashes fluttering nervously, lips pressed together, voice barely audible: "Stupid brother… don’t look!"

Su Qi immediately turned away, closing the door behind him.

They say even rabbits bite when cornered.

Push Liu Yuan too far, and those little fangs might sink into something.

"Fine, I won’t look—but hurry up. If we don’t leave soon, we won’t get a table for lunch."

The moment the door shut, rustling sounds came from inside.

Someone was finally freeing herself from that contorted position.

A few minutes later, the embarrassment had mostly faded.

Liu Yuan stood in front of her vanity.

The girl in the mirror still had a faint blush on her cheeks.

Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up a comb, struggling several times to untangle a knot.

"…Dummy brother!"

She muttered under her breath, fingertips touching her burning cheeks.

Her reflection stared back—eyes glistening, lips red from how tightly she’d been biting them.

Originally, she’d planned to just quickly brush her hair and tie it into a cute ponytail.

But then it hit her…

Today… was kind of a date, right?

Not official, but it was their first time going out to eat together.

That realization made her heart race again.

Normally, she’d just toss her hair up and go.

Now, she agonized over the perfect hairstyle.

"Would it be weird if it’s too deliberate…?"

Biting her lower lip, she picked up a butterfly clip, then set it down.

Finally settling on a simple star-shaped hairpin, she immediately regretted it the second she clipped it in.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Got it!"

She remembered a cat-ear hairstyle tutorial she’d saved online, buried in her bookmarks.

No hesitation—she grabbed her phone and got to work!

Following the video, her fingers nimbly gathered her hair, securing it into small buns with black hair ties, then threading strands through the middle…

Finally, attaching fluffy white pom-pom accessories.

Perfect!

The girl in the mirror tilted her head slightly, the white pom-poms swaying with the movement.

She curled her hands in front of her, mimicking a cat’s paws: "Meow~"

Then immediately covered her face in embarrassment: "Ugh… so cringe…"

But…

But she remembered Su Qi once saying he’d do anything for a cat-eared maid loli.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Yuan quietly pushed the door open.

Now, the shame of public exposure felt real…

In the living room, Su Qi was lounging on the sofa, glued to his phone.

Who knew what was so fascinating on that tiny screen?

Hearing movement, Su Qi turned his head.

His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

Thud.

The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

Suddenly, the phone didn’t seem so interesting anymore.

Foul play!

Ref! Someone’s breaking the rules!

How is this not a foul when she didn’t even bump into me?!

"D-Dummy brother, what’re you staring at…?" Liu Yuan instinctively covered her face, the tips of her ears turning red again.

Su Qi straightened up, casually adjusting his posture: "…Cute."

"Who... who asked for your stupid praise, you smelly brother..." Liu Yuan puffed up her cheeks in mock anger, though the corners of her mouth had already begun to curl upward uncontrollably, nearly betraying her delight.