The Alliance

The next day.

Though they had planned to go for morning tea, it was already past ten, and Chu Lintian still hadn’t gotten out of bed. After waking up, Lin Mo glanced over at Chu Miaomiao’s side—she was still asleep too. It seemed everyone’s sleep schedules had shifted a bit after the holiday.

So, Lin Mo decided to drag them out of bed one by one.

Last night, after knocking Chu Lintian out, Lin Mo had carried her back to her room and even sobered her up. After all, the liver metabolizes alcohol slower when a person is asleep, which was why many people woke up with hangovers and headaches after passing out drunk.

The proper way was to soak your feet and browse the internet after drinking, waiting until most of the alcohol had been metabolized before going to bed.

Of course, Lin Mo could simply extract the excess alcohol from Chu Lintian’s system.

So when Lin Mo patted her awake, Chu Lintian quickly regained consciousness.

Her eyes fluttered open, dazed for a moment, before she suddenly reached out from under the covers and wrapped her arms around Lin Mo.

In a soft, drowsy voice, she blurted out—

“Husband~”

Wait—

What the hell?!

They hadn’t played that wild last night, had they?

A second later, Chu Lintian fully snapped out of it. Realizing what she’d just said, she immediately let go and yanked the covers over her head.

“Get up. Weren’t we going for tea? I’ll go wake Miaomiao.”

With that, Lin Mo left the room and headed to the other side of the house.

Chu Miaomiao’s door wasn’t locked—or rather, the family had a habit of closing doors but not locking them. Many parents didn’t allow their kids to shut their doors, always suspecting they were hiding something.

In reality, there wasn’t much to hide—just the usual preparations for a solo flight.

But personal space was essential for a child’s growth.

Chu Lintian had once been a child too, so she understood the importance of respecting privacy.

Lin Mo, however, didn’t bother.

He pushed the door open and saw Chu Miaomiao curled up in her pajamas, hugging a bundle of blankets.

A small puddle of drool stained her pillow—clearly, her sleeping posture wasn’t great. Xie Yuling had complained about it more than once.

Lin Mo shook the girl gently, but she didn’t stir.

He shook her again, only to notice something else swaying along with the motion.

The visual impact was… overwhelming.

Especially since none of them wore bras at home.

The scale was bold, but Lin Mo, the ever-disciplined cultivator, remained unfazed.

He pinched Chu Miaomiao’s slightly chubby cheek.

“Hey, wake up. Did you stay up late last night?”

Finally roused, Chu Miaomiao blinked up at him without alarm, her lips curling into a sleepy smile.

“Oh, it’s you, Momo. Good morning.”

“Morning. Time to get up.”

Lin Mo tugged her upright with a firm hand.

The long-haired girl’s hair was a mess, but she was at least somewhat awake now. She stretched out her arms and pulled Lin Mo into a hug.

“Big brother, you won’t leave me, right?”

Oh, so now both aunt and niece were taking turns attacking him?

Too bad it wasn’t his turn yet!

He’d endure!

Lin Mo patted her head.

“Of course not. I’ll always be with you, Miaomiao.”

Chu Miaomiao understood everything—she knew Xie Yuling liked Lin Mo, knew Jiang Yunlu liked Lin Mo, and knew she liked him too.

But she didn’t think she could compete.

All she wanted was to stay by his side.

Her mind drifted back to that day at the hot springs.

The other girls had already left, leaving just the three of them soaking.

The boys had gone too.

Jiang Yunlu had turned to Xie Yuling first.

“You like Lin Mo.”

A statement, not a question.

Then she looked at Chu Miaomiao.

“You like Lin Mo too.”

Finally, she pointed at herself.

“And so do I.”

Young girls were shy, and this kind of confrontation was almost unbearable.

But Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao didn’t react—completely defying expectations.

Then, Xie Yuling asked calmly, “So?”

Jiang Yunlu smirked. “No ‘so.’ Lin Mo already said he won’t date or accept any confessions in high school. So, I want to invite you both to help me block any other girls from getting close to him.”

Xie Yuling remained expressionless but nodded. Then she glanced at Chu Miaomiao.

Chu Miaomiao shrank back, curious. “How?”

“Simple. Take up his time. Don’t let him be alone with other girls. Don’t let them cling to him.”

A united front.

If they were going to compete, it would only be among themselves.

Chu Miaomiao had somehow ended up joining.

The terms of their alliance were simple: don’t interfere with each other’s plans, don’t snipe at each other in front of Lin Mo, and don’t spill secrets.

In short—whoever cracked first lost.

If someone couldn’t take it, they’d forfeit.

And the most important rule: no cheating.

Cheating meant any behavior the divine Shenhe would forbid.

Right now, hugging Lin Mo like this—Chu Miaomiao didn’t think it counted as cheating.

She had her own competitive streak. At the very least, she wanted to stay with him until the day he left her.

The hug didn’t last long. Though occasionally bold, Chu Miaomiao mostly knew her limits.

Letting go, her face flushed, she whispered, “I need to change.”

“Got it. I won’t peek.”

Lin Mo chuckled and turned to leave—but the girl suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt.

When he looked back, she was biting her lip, her voice barely audible.

“You… can look if you want.”

Lin Mo immediately turned away, laughing. “Don’t mess around.”

With that, he shut the door behind him.

Trying to sneak ahead, huh?

No way.

As he closed one door, another opened—Chu Lintian stepped out, fully dressed.

Since they were heading out, her outfit was slightly bulky, but it did nothing to hide her figure.

When she saw Lin Mo, her cheeks tinted pink before she hurried to the kitchen.

Every morning, she made herself a latte.

Standing in front of the coffee machine, she froze, seemingly focused—but her gaze was distant.

Her mind was replaying last night’s events.

She’d downed a few glasses of wine in frustration, then grabbed the key to the study.

At the time, she’d been certain Lin Mo wouldn’t push her away.

What happened next felt like a dream—or maybe it had been real.

She’d kissed him.

And he’d kissed her back.

Only now did she remember—Lin Mo was just sixteen.

What she’d done was a betrayal—to Miaomiao, and to Lin Mo himself.

Her hands trembled at the thought.

“Sis Chu, you okay? Hungover? Last night, you got drunk in the living room. When I carried you back, you kept mumbling about some key.”

“Huh? Really?!”

Chu Lintian exhaled in relief.

So it had just been a drunken dream after all.

None of this counts as a sin.