The Little Demon

The first light of dawn crept through the heavy curtains, casting a faint glow in the room.

Luo Shuhe slowly opened her eyes, the remnants of drowsiness still lingering in her gaze.

She had that dream again.

The one that had repeated countless times.

But unlike before, last night’s dream felt unusually real.

Staring quietly at the ceiling, her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to yesterday.

Real yet surreal.

From her first encounter with Gu Luo to every moment of their interactions afterward, each detail replayed in her mind like scenes from a movie.

Luo Shuhe reached for her phone on the pillow and turned on the screen.

6:47 AM.

The first class at Guangya Academy started at 8:20. They usually slept until 7:20.

Then, washing up and breakfast would take them until 8:00.

Leaving at 8:00 sharp, it was a ten-minute walk to school.

Her fingers slid across the screen, tapping on a profile picture.

[This is Gu Luo]

[The above is the greeting content]

Luo Shuhe sat up slowly, most of her sleepiness now gone.

Pushing aside the thin blanket, she swung her long legs off the bed, slipped into her slippers, and walked out of the room.

Arriving at the sink, she froze for a moment.

A toothbrush with toothpaste neatly squeezed onto it rested on a panda-patterned cup.

The toothbrush was pink, making it easy to guess it belonged to Gu Ximan.

The toothpaste hadn’t dried yet—clearly, it had just been prepared.

Puzzled, Luo Shuhe finished in the bathroom, washed up briefly, and headed downstairs.

At that moment.

Gu Luo was rummaging through the fridge, pondering what kind of breakfast to make.

Fried rice?

Sandwich?

Porridge?

Honestly, when it came to homemade breakfasts in China, the options weren’t exactly plentiful.

Traditional choices like steamed buns or fried dough sticks were too much hassle to make at home.

As Gu Luo stood lost in thought, the sound of light footsteps reached his ears.

He instinctively turned his head.

A breathtaking sight greeted him.

A flawless face, delicate collarbones, a graceful figure—especially those fair, shapely long legs, glowing enchantingly in the morning light.

"Good morning, Shuning."

Gu Luo greeted her awkwardly.

After all, she had just teased him last night.

For now, he had no dignity left as an older brother.

But the moment he spoke, he sensed something was off.

The "Luo Shuning" before him immediately furrowed her brows, her gaze turning icy, as if frosted over, staring straight at him.

Oh no.

Luo Shuning would never look at him like she wanted to murder him.

Gu Luo quickly corrected himself, coughing lightly. "Ahem... Good morning, Shuhe."

Luo Shuhe’s frosty glare didn’t waver as she slowly stepped closer to him.

"...What would Shuhe like to eat?" Gu Luo forced what he hoped was a 'sunny' smile, trying to break the tense silence.

"You."

"......" Gu Luo was at a loss for words.

How was he supposed to respond to that? Help needed, ASAP.

In a critical moment, Gu Luo activated his "exclusive skill"—the art of topic diversion.

Pretending he hadn’t heard the words "eat you," he plastered on a calm smile and asked, "Would Shuhe prefer a sandwich or fried rice?"

"Would you like your eggs fully cooked or runny?"

Yet, the only reply was silence.

Luo Shuhe simply stood there, unmoving, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.

The air grew thick with suffocating stillness.

Gu Luo felt his skin crawl under her stare. Just as he was about to change the subject again, Luo Shuhe’s cool voice cut through the silence:

"Elder Brother mistaking me for my sister has caused me immense psychological distress."

"Compensation is required."

"It’s not that big of a—" Gu Luo started to argue but immediately shut his mouth when he met her icy gaze.

"Compensation is required." Luo Shuhe repeated, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

This was just extortion... Gu Luo groaned inwardly.

After a moment’s thought, he decided it was better to avoid trouble and sighed in resignation.

"Fine... What does Shuhe want as compensation?"

Luo Shuhe slowly raised a single finger, her voice still frosty. "Promise me one thing."

"What thing?" Gu Luo eyed her suspiciously.

"Promise first."

"Tell me first."

"Promise first."

"Tell me first."

"Promise first."

"......"

The two were locked in a stalemate, neither backing down.

Gu Luo had no doubt that if this continued, Luo Shuhe would drag it out indefinitely.

"I refuse." He shook his head slightly.

Then he explained, "A promise must be kept. I won’t agree without knowing if it’s something I can actually do."

"Breaking promises is unacceptable."

Hearing this, Luo Shuhe’s lips curled into a cold smirk.

Then, she did something that left Gu Luo utterly stunned—she pulled down the left strap of her nightgown, exposing her fair shoulder to the air.

Just as the fabric was about to slip further, she caught it.

"If Elder Brother doesn’t agree, I’ll scream for help."

"......"

Gu Luo’s fists clenched.

Seriously?

He could explain later, but the fallout would still be messy.

What would his stepmother think of him?

"Fine, I promise." Gu Luo finally surrendered, sighing in defeat before adding, "But only if it doesn’t break any laws or morals, and only if it’s something I can actually do."

"Then make it two things." Luo Shuhe adjusted her strap back into place and held up two fingers, a faint glint of mischief flashing in her eyes.

"You—" Gu Luo was speechless. He shook his head firmly. "No. One thing."

"Two."

"One."

"Two."

"You’re pushing your luck."

"Two."

Luo Shuhe remained unmoved. As she spoke, her hand returned to her left shoulder strap.

Here we go again.

"Alright, alright! Two things. Just two."

Gu Luo was genuinely intimidated.

He couldn’t help but admonish her, "But Shuhe, this isn’t right. A girl should never joke about her own body like this."

"Is Elder Brother worried about me?" A hint of amusement colored Luo Shuhe’s tone.

"...You could say that."

Luo Shuhe crossed her arms, tilting her chin up slightly as she replied coolly, "No need for concern. Aside from Elder Brother, no other man will ever see my body."

?

Gu Luo was baffled.

What did she mean by "aside from him"?

"You..."

"Uh..."

Gu Luo was at a complete loss for words.

After another stretch of silence, he asked seriously, "Shuhe, why all of this?"

"Why what?" Luo Shuhe countered.

"You know what I mean. From our first meeting until now, none of this has felt normal."

"At the time, it was clearly our first meeting. Even if I helped you, you didn’t have to demand all my contact details in such a way, did you?"

"It felt like... you were afraid I’d run away."

"And the way you looked at me..."

Gu Luo paused before continuing, "So, can you tell me why?"

After hearing this, Luo Shuhe stayed silent for a long while, her expression remaining completely blank as she replied calmly, "Because you’re very handsome."

"That’s why I fell in love with you at first sight."

What a perfunctory answer... Gu Luo pressed his lips together.

He wasn’t vain enough to believe such an obvious lie.

Well... whatever.

Just then, Luo Shuhe took a step closer to him and slowly raised a finger. "Now, I’m going to make my first request."

Gu Luo immediately held his breath.

A request from this little demon... the thought alone was terrifying.

What could it be?

Surely she wouldn’t ask him to run around naked, right?

If it were something like that, he’d refuse outright—not to mention it’d be morally wrong.

"Brother..."

"I want you to..."

Huh?

Want him?

Gu Luo was just about to declare that he sold his skills, not his body, when Luo Shuhe finished her sentence.

What she said next left him utterly stunned.

............

............