Tonight is the stage for my beloved Manman.

Gu Luo, thoroughly drunk after some tipsy antics, was eventually carried back to his bedroom by the joint efforts of several young women.

"Stupid Gu Luo, even drunk you can't behave." Though Gu Ximan complained verbally, her actions told a different story—she diligently poured water, helped him drink, and even gave him a gentle massage, all while wearing a faint, smug smile.

Among the five sisters present, Gu Luo, in his drunken state, had only asked Gu Ximan if she'd eaten.

This seemingly simple question carried genuine, bone-deep concern—a subconscious instinct ingrained in him over years.

Hmph.

It was obvious who the most favored sister was.

When Gu Ximan first met the Luo sisters, she had worried about her standing in the family hierarchy. But now, those concerns seemed completely unnecessary.

Gu Luo's bias toward her was built on over a decade of day-and-night companionship—how could a mere two months of interaction compare?

Tonight was undoubtedly her time to shine.

"Brother drank so much, he’ll definitely need to take tomorrow off," Luo Shuning remarked, her face etched with worry.

Though the joy of her uncle approving her relationship with Gu Luo still lingered, and though she felt a slight pang of jealousy over his drunken concern for Gu Ximan, these emotions were overshadowed by her anxiety for his well-being.

"Yeah, there’s no way he’ll be able to get up in the morning. Even if we drag him out of bed, he’ll feel awful all day," Luo Shuling added, her large, lively eyes blinking as she made a suggestion:

"Not only that, but someone should stay home to take care of him."

Her gaze shifted to Gu Ximan and Lu Xuexue standing beside her, and she smiled. "Ximan, why don’t you take the day off to look after him? I’m sure you’d love the chance to repay him, right?"

Hearing this, Gu Ximan’s eyes sparkled, her heart practically bursting with joy. She could’ve kissed Luo Shuling right then and there.

But she feigned restraint, clearing her throat and replying with a haughty tone:

"Stupid Gu Luo is just a soft-hearted siscon, but since Ling-jie makes a good point, I suppose this beauty will reluctantly take the day off to babysit him."

Thank you, Ling-jie, for the assist!

Watching the two settle the matter so effortlessly, Luo Shuning shot an exasperated glance at her carefree sister. She had been about to volunteer herself.

But the momentum was already lost.

Biting her lip lightly, she still spoke up: "Ximan can’t cook. I’d feel uneasy leaving her alone with him. Maybe I should—"

Before she could finish, Gu Ximan’s eyes lit up again, and she cut in:

"Don’t worry, Ning-jie! Xuexue is just as good at cooking as stupid Gu Luo, and she’s great at taking care of people. She’ll stay with me to look after him—nothing will go wrong."

She’d been trying to think of a way to keep Lu Xuexue, her ally in love, around legitimately.

Talk about perfect timing.

Thank you, Ning-jie, for the assist!

"..."

Luo Shuning’s lips parted slightly, feeling like she’d been outmaneuvered by sheer chaos.

How did these two—Luo Shuling and Gu Ximan—both so straightforward and simple-minded—keep countering her so effectively?

But she wasn’t ready to give up yet.

Taking a quiet breath, she smiled gently. "Xuexue is a guest. We can’t ask a guest to do this."

"I can do it!" Lu Xuexue, her cheeks flushed, raised her slender arm like an eager student. "I... I’ve been taken care of by Brother Gu so much. I should stay with Ximan to look after him."

Without waiting for further objections, she whipped out her phone and swiftly texted their homeroom teacher to request leave for both of them the next day.

Making it a done deal.

Nice one, Xuexue!

Not to be outdone, Gu Ximan immediately followed suit, sending her own message to the teacher.

After a brief explanation, the request was approved without hesitation.

Old Wang knew about Gu Luo’s connection to Principal Liu, and Gu Ximan’s homeroom teacher was aware as well.

As for Lu Xuexue’s prestigious background? No need to even think twice about it.

"..."

Luo Shuning was left speechless by this seamless coordination.

She had been looking forward to embracing Gu Luo the moment he woke up, celebrating their uncle’s approval together.

But now, she’d have to wait until after school tomorrow.

As the eldest sister, she couldn’t exactly fight Gu Ximan for the chance to stay.

Fine, I’ll just focus on taking care of him tonight—

But before the thought fully formed, Gu Ximan, now acting like the lady of the bedroom, put on an unusually serious expression and said, "Um... we should probably stop talking in here. We might disturb stupid Gu Luo. Xuexue and I will get him some water to wash up later—don’t worry."

"..."

Luo Shuning nearly lost her composure completely. Then Luo Shuling giggled and added, "Looks like Ximan’s all grown up now. As her sisters, we should give her this chance to shine."

"Don’t worry, Ling-jie. Xuexue and I will take good care of stupid Gu Luo," Gu Ximan said, keeping her face solemn while internally cheering.

Ling-jie, I love you!

"I’ll help Ximan take care of Brother Gu," Lu Xuexue chimed in, her face still pink with excitement.

She hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly—getting to be close to Gu Luo, especially while he was vulnerable from drinking.

Hard work matters, but choosing the right path is what really counts.

Stick with Ximan, and life’s a breeze!

And so, through the combined efforts of Gu Ximan, Luo Shuling, and Lu Xuexue, the arrangements for Gu Luo’s care were finalized.

Luo Shuning, fighting alone, stood no chance against the trio.

Meanwhile, Luo Shuhe had remained silent throughout, simply observing the scene.

Forget about Shuling—her sister still naively believed Gu Ximan’s affections were purely sisterly.

Not that it was entirely her fault. After all, they shared the same surname, making it easy to overlook any deeper implications.

And as the "proper lady" of the family, Luo Shuning would never openly compete with Gu Ximan for attention.

Meanwhile, under Luo Shuling’s subtle guidance, Gu Ximan effortlessly kept Luo Shuning in check.

And now, with the addition of Lu Xuexue—a petite, twin-tailed, white-stockinged lolita who naturally invoked protective instincts—things were even more challenging.

Gu Luo, like most guys these days, had a soft spot for that exact type—his phone was practically overflowing with white-stockinged videos.

The situation was growing increasingly unfavorable.

At this rate, Luo Shuling’s maneuvering would tear the family apart.

She was the only one bold enough to push for Gu Luo to have a harem—to keep them all.

We need to speed things up.

It’s time to apply some pressure on my sister.

Right now, whether Gu Luo ended up with her or Luo Shuning, as long as it disrupted Luo Shuling’s plans, it would be a step in the right direction.

"Binge-watching time, let's binge-watch!"

The three of them stepped out of the bedroom, with Luo Shuling bouncing cheerfully to the living room as if nothing had happened. Luo Shuning shook her head. Though she felt a little disappointed about not being able to stay and take care of her brother, the thought of their uncle approving their relationship soon lifted her spirits again.

Just as she was about to turn back to her room, Luo Shuhe spoke up, "Sister, come to my room. I have something to tell you."

Right—she hadn’t yet told Shuhe about their uncle’s approval.

Luo Shuning immediately perked up, nodded, and followed her into Luo Shuhe’s bedroom.

......

Meanwhile, in Gu Luo’s bedroom.

"Xuexue, how is he?"

Gu Ximan sat beside Gu Luo, gently stroking his face while smirking triumphantly. "Even though this dummy Gu Luo has a few more sisters now, I’ll always be his favorite."

With that, she planted a quick peck on his lips, then pretended to grimace. "Eww~ tastes like alcohol."

"Of course, Brother Gu dotes on Manman the most," Lu Xuexue chimed in eagerly, her eyes glued to him, practically itching to steal a kiss of her own.

But now wasn’t the time—she had to stay patient.

Take it slow, take it slow.

Even if Manman had accepted her, she couldn’t get too intimate with Brother Gu in front of her in the future.

She had to know her place.

"Xuexue, when dummy Gu Luo wakes up tomorrow and sees you took time off to stay and take care of him—plus cooked a whole feast—he’ll be so touched," Gu Ximan said, tucking a strand of her cool tea-brown hair behind her ear with an air of authority.

"That way, when I put in a good word for you later, he’ll be more likely to agree."

Since she and Xuexue had already formed a romantic alliance, she might as well "do good deeds to the end and see the Buddha to the West."

Hearing this, Lu Xuexue was genuinely moved and immediately clung to Gu Ximan’s arm. "Manman, you’re the best! I love you so much!"

"Alright, alright, we’re family now anyway."

Gu Ximan clearly enjoyed this reaction and grinned. "Xuexue, I can’t let you kiss dummy Gu Luo right now, but... simple touches and hugs are totally fine."

"Want to feel his chest and abs? They’re amazing to hug!"

Lu Xuexue’s heart raced at the suggestion, her gaze instinctively drifting toward Gu Luo’s handsome face—but she quickly snapped out of it and waved her hands shyly.

"No, no, Manman, I’m already happy just being able to stay and take care of Brother Gu."

"Come on, I promise I won’t get jealous. Who knows, we might even end up doing... that together someday... A little touching and hugging is nothing." By the end, Gu Ximan’s face flushed, her eyes darting away in embarrassment.

Doing that together...

Hearing such bold words, Lu Xuexue’s cheeks burned even redder, but she had to admit it made sense.

If they were really going to live together as three, they’d inevitably have to do... all kinds of things together.

It seemed Manman truly accepted her from the bottom of her heart.

After a brief internal struggle between longing and shyness, Lu Xuexue finally covered her burning face with one hand and whispered, barely audible:

"Then... then I’ll just touch his abs a little."

......

......