Ke Miao

The next day.

Morning light flowed like honey, bathing all of Caizhou in a warm amber glow. The clear sky held not a single cloud, and the sunlight carried just the right warmth, leaving everyone feeling comfortably cozy.

After breakfast, Gu Luo walked out of the apartment building with his younger sisters. Luo Shuning and Luo Shuhe strode ahead with light steps, deliberately putting some distance between themselves and the others.

"Stinky Gu Luo, did you screw up in the game last night and make Sister Ning mad?" Gu Ximan narrowed her lively eyes, propping her delicate chin with one hand as she scrutinized Gu Luo like a detective. "Ever since coming back last night, Sister Ning has been avoiding you—she didn’t even help you with midnight snacks."

Then, her eyes sparkled mischievously as she suddenly leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "You didn’t accidentally call her 'Mom' during the game, did you?"

"......"

Gu Luo’s lips twitched, and he flicked Gu Ximan’s forehead in exasperation.

What kind of nonsense was this?

They didn’t just randomly call people "Mom" while gaming...

Wait.

He suddenly thought of Yue’s Mom, who was on extended leave.

Uh...

That was purely an accident.

Gu Luo glanced at Luo Shuning’s slender figure in the distance, feeling a pang of awkwardness.

Gu Ximan’s observation was spot-on—Luo Shuning had indeed been avoiding him since last night. Even while making breakfast this morning, she had blushed and kept conversation to a minimum, leaving the air thick with unspoken tension.

The root of it all was the unavoidable incident during their shower at the hotel.

Because the back-scrubbing had felt so good, he shamelessly let the little angel massage him for nearly half an hour, leaving her arms sore and numb.

And that wasn’t all.

Later, during the game, Gu Luo had immediately grabbed a sniper rifle and camped mid-lane, aiming straight for headshots.

The little angel got one-tapped so hard she "overheated," completely losing her rhythm. She had to splash cold water on her face just to cool down.

In the end, she didn’t even get to enjoy the bath, and the one-tap trauma stuck with her.

Sigh...

After deep reflection, Gu Luo realized—one-tapping truly ruined lives.

This was the first time the little angel had been so thoroughly crushed in a game. She’d probably stay "overheated" all day. He’d have to coax her properly tonight.

"Stinky Gu Luo, hitting me so hard—I must’ve hit the nail on the head about you screwing up in the game!" Gu Ximan rubbed her forehead with one hand while using her "Manman Punch" to pummel his arm with the other.

"Yeah, yeah."

Gu Luo enjoyed the massage service from his beautiful younger sister, then shifted his gaze toward Luo Shuhe beside Luo Shuning.

But he only looked for a moment before turning away.

Right now, he just wanted to avoid the little demon. By Sunday, he’d officially cut off the ambiguity between them and devote himself solely to the little angel.

He wouldn’t even ask about the so-called "boyfriend" that driver Yang had mentioned.

Some things were better left unspoken.

Meanwhile, up ahead...

Luo Shuning and Luo Shuhe walked side by side, the atmosphere between them heavy.

Suddenly, Luo Shuning broke the silence, speaking softly but directly, "Shuhe, I checked the hotel surveillance from the other day. I know you took Xiao Bao there."

Luo Shuhe’s expression remained indifferent as she countered, "So? Are you here to interrogate me, Sister?"

"A man and a woman alone in a hotel—as your sister, of course I’d be concerned."

"Then wasn’t Sister also alone with Gege at a hotel last night?" Luo Shuhe raised an eyebrow before adding, "By the way, did you get the surveillance footage from the general manager?"

"What about it?"

"Nothing."

Luo Shuhe sighed inwardly. Her sister was so focused on her that she hadn’t noticed Luo Shuling’s role in all this.

That female general manager was clearly one of Shuling’s people—the footage she provided must have been carefully curated.

Luo Shuning continued, "It’s different for me. Xiao Bao and I went to the hotel willingly, out of mutual affection. But you took advantage of him while he was drunk."

Her tone carried clear displeasure.

"Mhm." Luo Shuhe shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, I don’t need his permission to sleep with this playboy."

"......"

Luo Shuning clenched her fists, irritation bubbling inside her. After being threatened and provoked by Luo Shuhe, she had taken Gu Luo to a hotel the very next day—only to find out this sister of hers had already made her move before the threat.

After a pause, she took a deep breath and asked, "So... what exactly did you do to Gu Luo while he was asleep?"

In response, Luo Shuhe merely chuckled, a hint of challenge in her eyes.

"Sister, guess."

"I’ve looked it up—men can’t do anything when they’re completely drunk." Luo Shuning’s face flushed slightly before she added, "But Xiao Bao and I did plenty."

"Is Sister bragging now?"

"You can take it that way." Luo Shuning gently linked arms with her. "After Sunday, I won’t allow you to entertain even a single improper thought about your future brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law, huh... Doesn’t Sister know that brothers-in-law naturally adore their sisters-in-law?"

Though Luo Shuhe’s words were defiant, she felt a quiet relief.

Her foolish sister was finally catching on.

Once their relationship was official, it would shatter Shuling’s unrealistic fantasies.

As for herself—she could either become a secret lover or stay by Gu Luo’s side as a sister-in-law.

No matter what, she couldn’t let Gu Luo follow Shuling’s lead.

Because if that happened, it would only end in ruin.

This family would fall apart.

"What are you two whispering about?" Suddenly, Luo Shuling bounded over and wrapped her arms around their slender waists from behind.

"Just discussing some club matters," Luo Shuning replied with a smile, brushing it off.

She didn’t want the innocent Shuling tangled in these complicated affairs. She wanted her younger sister to keep that rare purity.

"Oh... By the way, I just remembered—last night, I dreamed about when we were little."

At that, Luo Shuning’s expression flickered briefly before she laughed naturally. "What did you dream about?"

Luo Shuling hugged them tighter, giggling.

"I dreamed about our childhood promise—that the three of us sisters would always stay together."

"Right, Shuning?"

"Right, Shuhe?"

......

"Morning, Gu Luo!"

"Good morning, God Luo—looking even handsomer today!"

"Had breakfast yet? I’ve got some bread here."

"......"

As soon as Gu Luo entered the classroom through the back door, his classmates greeted him enthusiastically, just like always.

"Morning."

"Hey."

"Yeah, already ate."

He responded with smiles as he made his way to his seat.

Warm sunlight streamed through the windows, spilling across the desks and breathing life into the classroom.

"Oh look, the second-ranked exam taker is back from leave."

Feng Youqing, sitting at the desk in front, turned around and placed several strawberry cupcakes on his desk with a gentle smile, saying,

"Since Shen Yue isn’t here, I’m your biggest snack supplier now."

"Who said that? Clearly, it’s me," Situ Wenyao, sitting beside her, immediately jumped in to compete for favor, hurriedly pulling out a handful of snacks from his drawer and piling them onto Gu Luo’s desk.

"Situ—Wenyao."

Seeing this, Feng Youqing’s pretty face darkened as she instantly switched expressions, forcing a smile and asking, "Do you know what they call the power of knowledge?"

"......"

Situ Wenyao broke into a cold sweat.

Just as Gu Luo was about to speak up to defend his dear friend, a dull thud echoed through the room.

Situ Wenyao, deceased.

Feng Youqing set down the hefty English dictionary in her hand and immediately flashed a sweet smile at Gu Luo, asking, "Luoluo, why were you absent yesterday?"

"Had some family matters, but they’re all settled now." Gu Luo silently mourned his poor friend for three seconds in his heart before casually explaining and stuffing all the snacks on his desk into Shen Yue’s drawer.

After the monthly exam reshuffled their seating, thanks to the class monitor’s maneuvering and Feng Youqing’s intimidating authority as the English class representative, he, Feng Youqing, Situ Wenyao, the class monitor, the P.E. rep, and Shen Yue were grouped together.

Gu Luo had narrowly lost to Luo Shuning by 0.5 points in the monthly exam, landing him in second place in the grade.

He had to admit, that little angel’s talent was truly astonishing—her flawless performance across every subject was nearly perfect.

Next time, he had to surpass her.

"Haji Yao, I watched a 30-second ad. You’re revived now," the P.E. rep said, turning around to address Situ Wenyao, who was slumped over his desk.

Situ Wenyao immediately sat up, clutching his head with a pained grimace.

The P.E. rep twisted his whole body around and sighed. "Man, Haji Yao, you’re not even that handsome. How’d you manage to get a girlfriend?"

"Someone like me, with these looks and muscles, would at least be the protagonist in a novel. So why can’t I find anyone?"

As he spoke, he flexed his biceps deliberately, wearing a look of frustration and indignation.

Hearing this, Feng Youqing shot him an exasperated glance. "Please. Someone like you wouldn’t even get a name in a novel."

The P.E. rep opened his mouth to argue, but after spotting the hefty English dictionary by her hand, he swallowed his words.

"Hear that?"

Situ Wenyao, seeing his girlfriend backing him up, immediately straightened his posture with a smug grin.

But the next second, Feng Youqing added, "Not that you’re much better. You, the P.E. rep, and the class monitor combined aren’t even one-tenth as good-looking as Luoluo."

The class monitor, who had been quietly working on problems, suddenly found himself caught in the crossfire. He turned around and grumbled, "That’s going too far. I’d say I’m at least an eight."

"Pfft."

Feng Youqing rolled her eyes.

With that, all three of them couldn’t stay seated any longer. They immediately stood up, striking what they believed to be their most dashing poses, determined to salvage some dignity.

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

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