Unspoken Gratitude (Thanks to Brother Shitouzai for the Bonus Chapters and Support)

It was still Tuesday.

Early morning.

The sky was shrouded by a vast gray curtain, with no trace of the sun.

A faint, cool breeze slipped in through the half-open window.

In his sleep, Gu Luo instinctively curled up slightly, feeling a creeping chill.

In his muddled consciousness, he vaguely sensed that something crucial was missing—

It felt like the blanket covering him had disappeared.

The blanket...

How could it just vanish for no reason?

Having suffered from insomnia the night before, Gu Luo was utterly exhausted, his mind feeling like it was submerged in thick sludge.

Though he tried to think, his heavy eyelids seemed glued shut, refusing to budge.

He was caught in a groggy, half-asleep state, with only a sliver of awareness barely functioning.

Wait...

Something’s off...

Why was it even getting hard to breathe?

At this thought, Gu Luo felt as if an invisible force yanked him out of deep water. His eyes snapped open.

The first thing he saw was Gu Ximan’s face, puffed up with anger, glaring down at him from above.

"Get your foot off my face..."

After taking 2.5 seconds to process reality, Gu Luo grumbled irritably.

"No!"

Gu Ximan’s cheeks were puffed out like an adorable little hamster.

She pointed a slender finger at the dark circles under her eyes, her voice brimming with grievance and indignation:

"Stupid brother, do you have any idea how late I stayed up waiting for your 1,000-word reflection?!"

"I was so mad I barely slept all night!!!"

In her agitation, her pale little foot rubbed aggressively against Gu Luo’s face a few more times.

"Wait... stop... ugh, bleh..."

Gu Luo was completely done.

He hadn’t taken that so-called reflection seriously at all.

He’d thought it was just a joke.

Who knew this silly girl would be so stubborn?

He had no choice but to surrender:

"I’ll make it up to you... I’ll write 2,000 words, okay?"

"Just get your foot off me..."

Hearing this, Gu Ximan’s anger faded slightly, and the corners of her lips curled into a smug little smile.

But she seemed to have developed a taste for stepping on him. Instead of moving her foot, she stuck out her tongue playfully and teased, "Hmph, not gonna."

"Move it or not?"

"Nope!"

"Really?"

"Rea—" Before she could finish, a sharp shriek escaped her lips as she yanked her foot back like she’d been burned.

Her face flushed bright red as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Bro! You’re such a creep!"

"Who’s the creep here? You barged into my room first thing in the morning and stuck your stinky foot in my face," Gu Luo muttered, turning to spit into the trash can.

"Creep! Foot fetishist! Lolicon! Stupid brother! You’re just a stupid brother!" Gu Ximan exploded like a string of firecrackers, hurling insults left and right.

Then, her petite but fierce body lunged at Gu Luo, ready to fight him to the death.

But within seconds, she was effortlessly pinned down on the bed.

"Brother, I’m sorry..."

After struggling fruitlessly for a while, Gu Ximan quickly adopted the "wise adapt to circumstances" approach, her voice sweet and pleading.

"Brother, you’re the best, please let me go~"

"Good girl."

Just as Gu Luo loosened his grip, Gu Ximan—ever the opportunist—immediately launched a counterattack.

Only to be pinned down again.

"Brother, I really won’t do it again."

Gu Ximan had no choice but to beg pitifully once more, her big, watery eyes full of innocence.

A classic case of "all bark and no bite."

"Yeah, right." Gu Luo smacked her butt lightly before finally releasing her.

"You, you, you..."

Gu Ximan puffed up her cheeks and sat up abruptly.

Suddenly, she remembered how many girls at school had crushes on Gu Luo.

The thought made her expression shift—her bright eyes dimmed instantly.

Her cherry lips parted slightly as she slowly spread her arms:

"Hug."

Seeing this, Gu Luo froze for a moment.

When they were kids, Gu Ximan would always pout, open her arms, and demand a hug in a tiny voice whenever she was upset or wronged.

The last time she’d asked for one was back in elementary school.

Gu Luo’s heart clenched. He immediately pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back as he soothed her: "Poor thing, poor thing..."

"Tell me what’s wrong."

Gu Ximan nestled into his embrace like a little bird finding shelter, greedily soaking up her brother’s warmth.

After a long pause, she finally mumbled:

"Brother... what if your future wife won’t let me stay with you?"

At this, images of Luo Shuning and Luo Shuhe’s identical faces flashed through Gu Luo’s mind. He answered softly:

"That won’t happen..."

Whether it was the little angel or the little devil, they’d definitely accept his tsundere little sister.

"But if... just if..."

"Then I’d choose you," Gu Luo answered without hesitation.

"Really?" Gu Ximan lifted her head slightly, blinking.

"Really."

"Then you have to cook for me forever!"

"Okay."

"And hand-wash my underwear forever!"

"Okay."

"And take care of me forever!"

"Okay."

"And I’ll never work—you have to earn money for me!"

"Okay."

Hearing his unwavering string of agreements, Gu Ximan’s smile grew sweeter. She giggled and asked, "Brother, will you say yes to anything I ask?"

"Anything," Gu Luo replied with a nod.

It was the truth—Gu Ximan held a uniquely special place in his heart.

In terms of importance, she would always come first.

No exceptions.

"Anything anything?"

"Anything anything."

"Anything anything anything?" Gu Ximan’s playful side was clearly taking over.

"Anything anything anything."

Then, as if wound up like a toy, Gu Ximan rattled off nine "anythings" in one breath.

Gu Luo, counting on his fingers, patiently responded:

"Anything anything anything anything anything anything anything anything anything."

Watching her brother lower a finger with each earnest "anything," Gu Ximan suddenly felt like crying.

Since they were little, Gu Luo had always been endlessly patient with her.

Even the silliest games were met with his full attention, never half-hearted.

Brother... can you be my boyfriend? My future husband.

The words echoed silently in her heart, but what came out was entirely different:

"Hmph, stupid brother, you’re just humoring me."

She knew very well that if she just cried or made a scene, Gu Luo would eventually agree to be in a romantic relationship with her.

But that would be too selfish.

Just being able to stay by her brother’s side was enough.

This was fine.

Yes, this was fine.

She couldn’t ask for too much.

She couldn’t make things difficult for him.

"Feeling any better?" Gu Luo asked, reaching out to gently tousle her cold tea-brown hair draped over her shoulders.

"Hmph, maybe just a teeny-tiny bit," Gu Ximan replied, even mimicking the infamous fingertip-sized gesture that would send certain fandoms into a frenzy.

After a pause, she forced a casual tone and added, "You’re lucky you apologized so sincerely, you big dummy. I’ll sleep in your room tonight."

"Sure," Gu Luo agreed without hesitation, even reminiscing, "The last time we slept together was in elementary school—you kept kicking me all night."

Seeing how easily he agreed, Gu Ximan pressed her lips together, feeling both happy and a little sad.

In Gu Luo’s eyes, she was still just his little sister who hadn’t grown up.

But she had grown up—a lot.

Why couldn’t he see that?

Why couldn’t he look at her a little more?

"Hmph, I will kick you! I’ll kick you all night!" Gu Ximan declared before hopping off the bed and marching toward the door.

But halfway there, she suddenly stopped.

Turning back, she tilted her head playfully, flashed a peace sign, and grinned.

"Hey, bro? I like you."

"Bro, I super love you!"

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