Tenderness Is a Sin

"Is gentleness a sin? What does that mean?"

Gu Ximan pondered the phrase carefully, but her limited understanding made it hard for her to grasp its meaning right away.

Why would gentleness be a sin?

Gentle people are wonderful.

Her annoying older brother is very gentle too.

"Let’s eat first. Fill your stomach before we talk about anything else." Luo Shuling turned back, her smile returning.

"Mm... alright then."

Gu Ximan didn’t press further. With just those four words, she couldn’t make sense of it.

Better focus on eating for now.

So, she turned her attention to the steaming bowl of beef noodles in front of her.

Her eyes immediately landed on the thick, generous slices of beef floating in the broth.

The portion was huge—easily a year’s worth at some ramen chains.

The rich, deep-colored broth carried a faint hint of beefiness, clearly the result of long, careful simmering with beef bones.

The noodles were uniformly thick and looked delightfully chewy, accompanied by a colorful array of toppings.

This was undoubtedly an excellent bowl of noodles.

Gu Ximan didn’t rush to eat. Instead, she scooped up a spoonful of the rich broth, blew on it gently, and took a cautious sip, wary of burning herself.

The next second, her eyes lit up, and she turned to Luo Shuling with genuine admiration.

"Wow, this is so fragrant."

At the same time, she thought to herself—As expected of Shuling-jie, a fellow foodie. She always finds these hidden gem restaurants.

"Right? Now try the noodles." Luo Shuling rested her cheek on one hand, watching Gu Ximan with a warm smile.

Taking care of a little sister felt so nice.

How long had it been since she last experienced this feeling?

"Okay."

Gu Ximan picked up a bundle of noodles with her chopsticks, blew on them briefly, and then took a big bite.

Sure enough, the noodles were wonderfully springy and chewy.

Though she probably should’ve blown on them a bit more...

"Ah... huff... so good... so hot..."

She mumbled through a mouthful of noodles, frantically fanning her mouth with her free hand.

"Slow down, be careful."

Amused by her little sister’s adorable yet clumsy antics, Luo Shuling chuckled and poured her a small cup of cold water.

Gu Ximan took the cup and downed it in one go, finally managing to swallow the scalding bite.

"Thanks, Shuling-jie."

"Don’t mention it."

Luo Shuling then pulled out a tissue and gently wiped the corner of Gu Ximan’s mouth.

Gu Ximan blinked, sitting perfectly still.

Something felt off about Shuling-jie today.

Normally, Luo Shuling was loud, carefree, and endlessly energetic—like a little sun. But today, she was as gentle as a mother.

In her hazy memories, her mother had also wiped her mouth with the same tenderness.

"Shuling-jie... what’s up with you today?"

After some hesitation, Gu Ximan finally asked.

First, she’d dragged her out under the pretense of morning jogging just to eat noodles.

Then, she’d dropped that cryptic "gentleness is a sin" line.

And now, she was even wiping her mouth with such care.

"Ximan, am I gentle?"

Instead of answering directly, Luo Shuling turned the question around. "Do you think I’m being especially kind to you right now?"

"Mm... yeah..." Gu Ximan nodded.

"Then if I’m good to you, you’ll be good to me too, right?" Luo Shuling pressed further.

"Of course! Shuling-jie’s always been so good to me. On my first night at home, you ran out to buy me snacks. You always share your food with me, and whenever you find desserts outside, you bring some back for me—like those snowskin mooncakes last time. They were so sweet!" Gu Ximan paused, her expression turning serious as she added,

"I remember all of it. I’ll be really, really, really good to you too!"

Hearing this, Luo Shuling’s lips curled into a soft, contented smile.

"I know. Ximan’s a good kid. Even when you’re not feeling well or you’re exhausted, you still come down for morning jogs with me."

This was the first real heart-to-heart between the two sisters.

Usually, they were all about eating and goofing off—their favorite pastime involved curling up on the couch with a bag of chips each, laughing like idiots at whatever was on TV.

But Gu Ximan couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer.

"So... Shuling-jie, what did you mean by ‘gentleness is a sin’?"

"Eat first. We’ll talk after."

"Mm... fine."

And so, the two foodies resumed their noodle demolition.

Midway through, Gu Ximan suddenly looked up, as if struck by a realization, and turned to Luo Shuling, who was busy devouring her noodles.

"Wait—so you used the morning jog as an excuse because you didn’t want that annoying older brother to think you didn’t like his cooking anymore?"

"Mhm."

Luo Shuling didn’t answer immediately, only humming in response.

After swallowing her mouthful of noodles, she finally explained,

"Big brother works so hard every morning to make us delicious breakfasts. It’s only fair that we find our own way to show our appreciation."

"Even if I said it outright, Brother wouldn’t mind, but I don’t want him to feel even the slightest bit of negativity."

"Of course, I really can’t go without his cooking now either."

As she said this, Luo Shuling glanced toward the kitchen and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I used to be able to eat three bowls of this noodle, but now I can barely finish one."

"There’s a clear gap compared to Brother’s cooking."

However, Gu Ximan didn’t register a single word of what came after. Her mind was completely stuck on—"I don’t want him to feel even the slightest bit of negativity."

Her heart suddenly ached.

It felt heavy.

Yet, seeing Gu Ximan’s dazed expression, Luo Shuling’s eyes remained eerily calm.

She didn’t say anything more, just silently lowered her head and continued eating her noodles.

Just then, the door of the noodle shop swung open.

"Grandpa Boss, two beef—"

Before the two schoolgirls in uniforms could finish, Luo Shuling smiled at them. "These two bowls are on me. No charge."

"Ah! It’s Sister Shuling!"

One of the girls, her hair tied in a high ponytail, brightened immediately and hurried over. "Sister Shuling, you haven’t come to eat noodles in so long! I thought something happened to you."

"Don’t worry," Luo Shuling patted her head and explained with a smile. "Sister Shuling has a master chef at home now, so I’ve been eating there."

"Even better than Grandpa Boss’s noodles?" The little girl blinked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"Shh—" Luo Shuling quickly pressed a finger to her lips, then leaned in and whispered with certainty, "Yes. The best in the world."

"Wow… then it must be really delicious."

"So, these two bowls are my treat." Luo Shuling stood up and carried the bowls to an empty table nearby.

"Thank you, Sister Shuling!"

"Thanks, sis!"

The two girls chirped sweetly.

Luo Shuling simply ruffled their hair, thinking to herself—It’s me who should thank you.

Otherwise, the food would’ve gone to waste.

Taking it home would’ve just made the noodles soggy.

Once she returned to her seat, Gu Ximan looked at her and sighed.

"Ling-jie, you’re so popular no matter where you go."

"No wonder you’re the most well-liked girl at Guangya."

"Ximan is plenty popular too," Luo Shuling picked up her chopsticks and smiled. "Now, let’s eat."

Five minutes later.

The two sisters, having polished off their beef noodles, walked side by side out of the shop.

"Bye, Sister Shuling!"

"Goodbye, sis!"

"See you!" Luo Shuling waved cheerfully.

Once outside, she immediately took Gu Ximan’s hand and led her to a nearby bench.

"Let’s rest and digest a bit."

"Okay."

Gu Ximan responded softly, but the moment she sat down, her ear was pinched.

"Ow ow ow… Ling-jie, be gentle…"

Luo Shuling held onto her earlobe, her expression suddenly serious. "Ximan, do you know what you did wrong?"

"What wrong…? Ow ow… Yes, yes, I know…"

Though utterly confused, Gu Ximan surrendered immediately to protect her ear.

Only then did Luo Shuling let go, rubbing the spot gently before pressing further.

"Then tell me, what was it?"

"I… I don’t know…" Gu Ximan looked lost.

"You don’t? Fine, I’ll tell you." Luo Shuling pulled out her phone and opened a photo.

In it, Gu Ximan was perched playfully on someone’s back.

"How could you post something like this in the group?" Luo Shuling’s voice rose slightly, laced with reproach.

"I… I…"

Gu Ximan’s face flushed instantly. "I didn’t show his face… and the group only has like twenty people, including you…"

"So that makes it okay?" Luo Shuling countered, then cut straight to the point.

"I know you’re insecure, Ximan. You’re afraid someone might take Brother away, and you wanted to test the waters."

"But the result just made you feel worse, didn’t it?"

Gu Ximan opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Everything Luo Shuling said was true.

Posting that photo was partly to stake her claim, to declare that Brother was hers.

But it was also a test—to see how Gu Luo would react to such an unreasonable demand.

A rehearsal for the future.

The result? Gu Luo showered her with unconditional indulgence.

While it made her happy, it also left her tangled in guilt and pain.

The more he spoiled her, the harder it became to voice her true feelings.

And the more she loved him for it.

A vicious cycle.

At that moment, Luo Shuling spoke up again, "Ximan, you must know there are quite a few people at school who envy your brother—like your class monitor, for example. Have you considered the consequences of what you're doing?"

"Have you thought about the rumors people might spread behind his back?"

"It's true that Brother doesn’t care about these things. His kindness runs deep—he’d rather get hurt himself than see any of us upset, even a little."

Here, she paused, her expression turning solemn as she added,

"So... don’t betray or take advantage of that kindness..."

And in her heart, she silently added—'Otherwise, big sister will have to punish you.'

Hearing this, Gu Ximan froze for a moment, her eyes gradually reddening as the gravity of the situation sank in.

The thought of people at school possibly using those photos to spread lies and attack Gu Luo made her heart clench painfully.

This was all her fault.

"Shuling... I was wrong..."

"I really know I messed up... What should I do now...?"

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