Joy and Guilt

"Alright, I’ll take Monday off."

Gu Luo responded softly, tightening his embrace around Luo Shuning in his arms.

The delicate warmth of the girl’s body pressed close to him, her faint, elegant fragrance lingering in the air, reminding him of last night’s intimacy.

Back then, he had held Luo Shuhe the same way, savoring her tenderness, his fingertips still carrying the memory of her hair’s softness.

What a scoundrel I am.

Falling for both sisters at once—while indulging in this sweetness, he had deeply hurt one of them.

Gu Luo had long recognized the conflict in his heart: clinging to Luo Shuning’s gentleness while yearning for Luo Shuhe’s passion.

He wanted to hold them both, but reality stood like an insurmountable chasm before him.

Even putting aside the impossibility of convincing his stepfather and Aunt Luo, the mere thought of voicing such an absurd idea to Luo Shuning left him speechless, as if choking on his words.

At this point, there was no choice but to let Shuhe down.

But once he officially confirmed his relationship with Shuning, could he really resist seeking Shuhe out in secret?

Gu Luo had no answer.

Truly, no answer at all.

Maybe he would. Maybe he wouldn’t.

But one thing was certain—no matter what the future held, Luo Shuhe was no longer just a little sister in his heart.

Unbidden, he recalled Shuhe’s words from before: "A half-hearted rejection is no rejection at all."

The two remained locked in their embrace until a cool voice shattered the quiet.

"Brother, Sister, I’m really sorry to interrupt your lovey-dovey moment, but I’m starving."

Luo Shuhe leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching them for who knew how long.

A yogurt carton dangled in her hand, its straw mangled with messy bite marks.

Hearing this, Luo Shuning blinked at Shuhe in disbelief, wondering if she’d misheard.

"Really sorry"?

"Interrupt your lovey-dovey moment"?

Since when did Shuhe talk like this?

Was this another one of her mind games?

Not long ago, Shuhe had outright declared war, vowing to "devour Gu Luo whole."

That was why Shuning had rushed to solidify her relationship with him.

This sudden shift in attitude was too bizarre—what was going on?

"Shuhe, you… what did you say?" Shuning asked reflexively.

Shuhe chewed on the ruined straw, her expression unreadably calm as she repeated,

"I said, I’m really sorry to interrupt your lovey-dovey moment, but I’m hungry. Breakfast, please."

"Oh—right! Coming right up!"

Shuning snapped out of her daze, hastily pulling away from Gu Luo to scoop up servings of pork and preserved egg congee.

Her heart raced with excitement.

She even piled extra shredded pork into the bowl.

To her, this was Shuhe waving the white flag.

Who’d want to be rivals with their own sister if they could avoid it?

Yet guilt crept in alongside her relief.

The matter of those photos weighed on her like a boulder, gnawing at her conscience.

Gu Luo stood frozen, his gaze flickering between Shuhe’s impassive face and Shuning’s barely contained joy, emotions churning inside him.

A thousand words clogged his throat, but all he managed was a silent nod at Shuhe before turning to fetch sandwiches.

Together with Shuning, he brought Shuhe’s breakfast to the table.

"Thanks."

Shuhe sat down, offering only that quiet word of gratitude before focusing on her meal.

"I… Shuhe, you…"

Caught between happiness and guilt, Shuning’s words stumbled, her mind tangled with questions she couldn’t voice.

"Sister, you and Brother can go back to—"

Shuhe started to say, "You two can go back to hiding in the kitchen and being all lovey-dovey," when Gu Ximan’s cheerful shout cut her off from upstairs:

"Hey, Gu Luo! Turns out Sister Ling and the others visited that little park in our county a few times when we were kids!"

Her bright, girlish voice rang through the kitchen, brimming with excitement.

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