Two Masked Girls on the Train

In the speeding urban train.

"Stinky big bro, Dad is so unreliable, isn't he?"

"Announcing out of nowhere that he’s forming a new family."

"Without even discussing it with us."

Gu Ximan pouted slightly, her delicate pink fists landing on Gu Luo’s arm—one hit after another—as if venting all her dissatisfaction. Under her breath, in a voice only she could hear, she muttered: I was supposed to be his only little sister, damn Dad! Damn big bro!

Today, she wore a white blouse paired with an elegant little jacket, and a playful pleated mini-skirt on the bottom. A pair of pristine over-the-knee socks tightly hugged her slender calves, showcasing the youthful energy and sweet charm of a teenage girl.

Such a fresh and sweet outfit made her stand out even more in the relatively confined space of the train, drawing countless gazes and turning heads all the way.

Gu Luo ignored his sister’s "massage service," his mind a whirl of complicated thoughts.

It was too sudden.

But given their eccentric father’s usual antics, it also felt strangely fitting.

Most importantly, the special task that had been stalled for two weeks was finally about to be completed.

The stepmother’s family had three daughters.

According to their cheap dad’s message, they were an extremely rare set of triplets.

Even twins were hard to come by in daily life, let alone triplets.

And now, in one go, he’d have four little sisters.

Thinking this, Gu Luo instinctively glanced at Gu Ximan, who was still hammering his shoulder with her tiny fists, and said softly:

"Ximan, what’s done is done. There’s no way we can oppose it. Dad’s been raising us alone all these years... well... it hasn’t been easy for him."

Pausing, he stroked Gu Ximan’s silky hair and smiled. "But don’t worry, no matter what, you’ll always be my most cherished little sister. No one can ever replace you."

Putting himself in her shoes—if he had a doting older sister and suddenly three younger brothers appeared to share that love—he’d definitely feel upset too.

Hearing this, Gu Ximan froze for a moment before immediately turning her head away, pursing her lips and muttering under her breath: "I’m not a kid anymore, stop patting my head. It stunts my growth."

"And you’re totally a sis-con, you know that?"

"A disgustingly sweet sis-con."

But despite her grumbling, her body betrayed her—she didn’t pull away from his head pats.

Gu Luo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of his sister’s slightly reddened ears.

Getting shy now?

Well, as long as she felt a little better.

As the older brother of the family, he had to strike a balance.

First, he had to take care of Ximan’s feelings.

But at the same time, he couldn’t let the stepmother’s daughters feel too alienated.

......

The city train, like a nimble silver dragon, weaved effortlessly through the international metropolis of Caizhou.

Outside the windows, towering skyscrapers rose like giants from the earth, their glass facades refracting dazzling sunlight—a testament to the city’s modernity.

As the train moved forward, the carriage gradually filled with more passengers.

People of different skin tones and accents gathered here, some chatting quietly, others engrossed in their electronic devices, and some simply gazing at the urban scenery outside.

At this point, there were still four stops to their destination.

Gu Luo sat quietly in his seat, his eyes seemingly resting on some random corner of the carriage, though his mind was already immersed in thoughts of their future family life.

No helping it—I’m the only man in the family now.

As for their cheap dad? He barely counted as half.

Just as he was lost in thought, his arm was suddenly poked.

Gu Luo turned to Gu Ximan, who pointed subtly in a direction and whispered, "Big bro, look at that guy."

Not far away, a massive man—easily 190 cm tall and heavyset—was gripping a handrail, his gaze fixed intently on two masked girls across from him, as if confirming something.

Both girls wore sleek black dresses, their figures graceful. Though their faces were hidden behind masks, their lively eyes and the aura they exuded made it clear they were strikingly beautiful.

The girl at the front seemed uncomfortable under the man’s stare and turned her head slightly away. The other girl, however, remained icy.

She stared back coldly, her eyes devoid of fear—instead, they carried a sharp, unapproachable chill.

Anyone could tell the atmosphere was off.

Staring at young girls like that? Either this guy’s unhinged, or there’s bad blood between them.

Nearby passengers glanced back and forth between the man and the girls before quickly choosing self-preservation.

Some pretended to adjust their stance, others subtly shifted their seating direction—all slowly but surely distancing themselves from the potential trouble zone.

This was the norm in today’s society. After years of witnessing too many acts of public violence and heartless incidents, people had grown accustomed to the philosophy of "not my business, not my problem."

"Are... are you Ningning?!"

Suddenly, the man spoke up, his voice trembling with excitement—and something feverish.

The girl who had turned away visibly flinched, her slender legs instinctively drawing back under her skirt.

"I... I’m your fan... I’ve... always... really liked you..."

Seeing her reaction, the man grew even more agitated, his words stumbling to the point of incoherence.

He even took a couple of steps toward them.

At this, the cold-eyed girl’s gaze instantly sharpened. She grabbed the other girl’s hand, clearly intending to leave the scene immediately.

But before they could take two steps, the man lunged forward, blocking their path like an immovable wall.

"Bro, what do we do?" Gu Ximan asked worriedly, her heart sinking at the sight of the indifferent crowd. How can no one step up?

Just then, Gu Luo said quietly, "Stay here. I’ll go check it out."

But before he could even rise, his sleeve was yanked back by Gu Ximan.

"No!" she insisted, shaking her head firmly.

In that instant, she fully understood why no one intervened.

That man looked like he weighed at least 300 pounds. If things turned violent, the consequences would be unthinkable.

No way was she letting her brother take that risk.

Gu Luo knew exactly what she was worried about—but to him, it wasn’t an issue.

Just a small cost in points.

213 points. Not a lot, but enough to handle trouble.

"Ximan, I promise—I’ll just go talk some sense into him. If things go south, I’ll back off immediately. No heroics, okay?"

"No! We can call security. You’re not going." Gu Ximan refused to budge, her grip on his hand unrelenting.

Gu Luo glanced over and noticed the overweight man had taken another step forward, now harassing the two individuals with increasingly intrusive behavior, even making inappropriate physical contact.

The more critical the situation, the calmer one must remain.

He exhaled softly and said to Gu Ximan with a light chuckle, "If one day you ever find yourself in a situation like this, I hope someone would step in to help."

"Today, I lend a hand; tomorrow, perhaps more people will stand up too."

"Then, even if you’re ever in danger, the chances of someone coming to your aid would be higher."

Hearing this, Gu Ximan stared at Gu Luo in a daze before snapping back to reality, her face flushing slightly. She stammered, "Ugh... so corny. Disgusting, you’re just trying to sweet-talk me, you annoying big brother."

Then, in the next second, she abruptly stood up, clenching her small fist.

"I’ll go with you!"