Mmm, sister is the best

With a fingerprint unlock, the door emitted a soft "beep" and slowly swung open.

Gu Luo stepped inside and immediately called out,

"I'm back."

This announcement was mainly for Gu Ximan's benefit.

He had brought her a surprise—a signed photo of the superstar diva Tang Qi.

Of course, the little angel and little devil (his other sisters) weren’t left out, though they probably wouldn’t care as much.

Even now, Gu Luo couldn’t suppress a flicker of excitement.

For the first time, he truly understood how his fans at Guangya High must feel when chasing after him.

Being close to an idol—this kind of joy was truly indescribable.

Meanwhile, Gu Ximan was sprawled lazily on the living room sofa, her cool tea-brown hair cascading like silk across the cushions.

She clutched a nearly empty bag of chips, the crinkling sound accompanying her every move.

Hearing Gu Luo’s voice, she didn’t even lift her eyelids, replying lazily,

"Stinky big bro, since you’re back, hurry up and pour me some water. This gorgeous girl is dying of thirst."

As she spoke, her fair, slender arm waved in the air, her dainty toes pointing precisely toward the water dispenser.

"If I hadn’t come back, would you have just withered away?"

Gu Luo was both exasperated and amused, shaking his head helplessly. Still, he walked to the dispenser, mixed half hot and half cold water to get the perfect temperature, and brought the cup to her.

"Drink up, lazy pig."

"Crunch, crunch." Gu Ximan remained engrossed in her chips, savoring each bite.

Finally, she glanced up at Gu Luo, then slowly sat up, parting her cherry lips to emit a soft, cooing sound:

"Ah~~~"

"Drink it yourself." Gu Luo set the cup on the table.

"Ah~~~"

Gu Ximan didn’t argue—just kept her mouth open, as if declaring she wouldn’t relent until he fed her.

"You’ll die of laziness one day." Gu Luo’s lips twitched, but he couldn’t resist his little sister’s antics.

He picked up the cup again, carefully tilting it to let the water trickle into her mouth.

After a sip, Gu Ximan nodded in satisfaction, then yawned and flopped back down like a caterpillar.

In her mind, she reveled—bossing her stinky big bro around was the best.

She’d make him wait on her forever.

"You…" Gu Luo feigned a sigh and sat beside her.

Though he kept muttering about her laziness, his heart swelled with affection.

Taking care of his silly little Ximan was pure joy.

He’d do it for a lifetime.

Instead of revealing the gift right away, Gu Luo casually asked,

"So? Did you have fun at Lu Xuexue’s place today?"

He’d noticed something off between the two girls lately—they hadn’t even been hanging out during breaks.

Probably a minor spat.

Best friends who never fought were the hardest to reconcile once they did, neither willing to apologize first.

As her brother, it was his job to mediate.

"Eh, it was okay…"

At the question, Gu Ximan’s chip-munching paused, her carefree mood turning complicated.

Both she and Xuexue knew the other was hiding something—and they could guess what.

But neither would address it, leaving the air between them thick with awkwardness.

Gu Luo’s heart sank.

"Okay"?

That word, to him, screamed not okay at all.

Before, Gu Ximan would’ve animatedly recounted every detail of her time at Lu Xuexue’s—the snacks, the anime, even the most trivial gossip.

What had happened?

"Bro, water."

Just then, Luo Shuling walked over and sat down, holding a cup of warm water to his lips.

"Ah, thanks."

Startled, Gu Luo reached for the cup, but Luo Shuling blinked and sweetly insisted,

"Let me feed you~"

She mimicked Gu Ximan’s earlier pose, parting her lips with a soft,

"Ah~~~"

Gu Luo was utterly charmed.

This was the difference between sisters.

Both were unbearably adorable.

Still, he couldn’t actually let his little sunshine feed him.

With a smile, he declined, "I’ll drink it myself."

"Bro, you wouldn’t let me feed you bananas at Grandma Li’s either." Luo Shuling puffed her cheeks like a hamster, doubling the cuteness.

Defeated, Gu Luo gave in, letting her "help" him drink.

Gu Ximan watched without a hint of jealousy.

If it was Shuling-jie, she didn’t mind her being affectionate with Gu Luo.

After yesterday, she genuinely admired and liked Luo Shuling.

But if it were Luo Shuning or Luo Shuhe? She’d throw a fit.

After swallowing the water, Gu Luo turned to Gu Ximan.

"Ximan, how about I take you and Xuexue out this weekend? Dinner, maybe some shopping?"

His plan was simple: use the outing to smooth things over.

His spoiled little sister might let the tension drag on otherwise.

"Uh… maybe not…"

Gu Ximan barely stopped herself from mimicking Gu Luo’s signature twitch.

Gotta break that habit.

Gu Luo’s heart skipped.

Maybe not?

She was refusing a trip with him?

This fight was worse than he’d thought.

"It’s settled. We’ve known each other so long, and I’ve never taken you two out." He made the executive decision.

Gu Ximan opened her mouth, then clamped it shut.

Her emotions were a tangled mess.

But with no good excuse, protesting would seem suspicious.

This is so hard…

She didn’t know whether to stop Lu Xuexue from getting closer to Gu Luo.

She’d promised to support her best friend’s crush, but now…

Love is complicated.

Noticing her unease, Gu Luo pulled out Tang Qi’s signed photo from his pocket.

"Ta-da!"

"Your gift—Tang Qi’s autographed photo."

Hearing this, Gu Ximan's previously dim eyes instantly lit up. She immediately jumped up, snatched the photo from his hand, examined it repeatedly, and asked excitedly:

"Tang... Tang Qi's autographed photo?"

"Stupid brother, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"Where did you get this? Weren’t you just going out to eat? Did you run into Tang Qi by chance?"

Like Gu Luo, Gu Ximan also had many of Tang Qi’s songs saved on her phone, and her social media was filled with them too.

Though she wasn’t a hardcore fan, her admiration for Tang Qi was genuine.

"It wasn’t by chance. Tang Qi was also..."

Gu Luo then briefly explained how they ended up having dinner together at Grandma Li’s place.

"Ahhhhhh!"

After hearing this, Gu Ximan was instantly consumed by regret. She grabbed Gu Luo’s hand and bit down hard, venting her frustration.

It was all his fault! Why couldn’t he have dragged her along?

This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to dine with a superstar.

"Ouch... that hurts! Why are you biting me? You’re the one who didn’t want to go..." Gu Luo tried to pull his hand back but held back, not wanting to hurt her teeth.

"I’ll bite you if I want to."

Gu Ximan let go just long enough to say this before biting down again.

"Fine, bite all you want. I was just about to share Tang Qi’s WeChat with someone..." Gu Luo sighed dramatically.

After dinner, Tang Qi had proactively added him, saying she wanted to discuss "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" in detail sometime.

From this, Gu Luo concluded that she truly loved the piece.

So he took the opportunity to ask if his little sister could also add her, promising she wouldn’t message often—just wanted the connection.

Though the request was a bit forward, he always thought of Gu Ximan first when something good happened.

Hearing this, Gu Ximan immediately released his hand, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Stupid brother, are you serious?"

"Mhm."

Gu Luo shrugged, then pretended to wince in pain.

"Ah, my hand hurts so much..."

"Brother, wait a sec!" Gu Ximan hopped off the sofa, grabbed some tissues, gently wiped the saliva off his hand, and softly blew on the red teeth marks.

"Phew~~~"

"Phew~~~"

"Alright, alright, I’ll send it to you now. But remember—after greeting her, don’t bother her with messages." Gu Luo had no way to resist his sister’s lightning-fast mood swings.

"Mm-hmm! Don’t worry, brother."

"Tch. It’s ‘stupid brother’ when things are fine, but ‘brother’ when you need something."

Teasing her, Gu Luo forwarded Tang Qi’s private WeChat contact.

He reminded her again, "Remember, don’t disturb her."

"Don’t worry, brother~"

Gu Ximan eagerly clicked the profile, typed out—"Hello, I’m Gu Luo’s younger sister, Gu Ximan. I’m your biggest fan!"—and nervously sent the friend request.

Within seconds, the request was accepted.

"Stupid brother! She really accepted!"

Gu Ximan bounced excitedly on the sofa, threw her arms around Gu Luo’s neck, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Muah!"

"Okay, okay, I get it—you’re thrilled." Gu Luo wiped the saliva off his face, smiling. "Just be polite when you greet her."

Deep down, he was just as delighted.

Gu Ximan’s happiness was his happiness.

The joy of making his sister happy was what he cherished most.

Well, what could he say? That’s just how doting older brothers are.

"Ugh, don’t worry, stupid brother."

Gu Ximan sat back down and began enthusiastically messaging Tang Qi, muttering to herself in excitement:

"Ahhh, Tang Qi is so nice!"

"She’s like a big sister."

"Good, but rein it in a little." Gu Luo also had a favorable impression of Tang Qi but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he asked:

"By the way, are Luo Shuning and Luo Shuhe back yet? Or are they upstairs?"

Gu Ximan didn’t even look up, her eyes glued to the screen as she replied absentmindedly:

"Nope, they went out to eat."

Gu Luo gulped involuntarily.

The little angel and the little devil dining out alone?

They wouldn’t end up fighting, would they...?

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