Brother, I Understand

As pure as the moon hanging high in the night sky, once her gaze fell upon it, she couldn't bear to look away even for a moment.

Gu Luo only glanced at the photo before quickly closing it.

A single glance was pure appreciation.

But staring at it for too long would be...

Just continuous admiration.

Ahem...

So, how should he reply to such a photo?

Clearly, little angel Shu Ning had taken the picture right after changing clothes.

He needed to give her a fitting compliment before she stepped out of the dressing room.

Time waited for no one.

Simply replying with "pretty" was far from enough.

Besides, there was no one else around—this was a private little interaction meant just for the two of them.

But even so, faced with such a photo, what exactly should he say?

He really had no experience with this.

Gu Luo couldn’t come up with a perfect response right away, so he opened his browser.

In the search bar, he typed: How to compliment a girl’s outfit.

Soon, a flood of varied answers appeared.

1. Gentle and sincere style: Wow, this outfit makes your skin look even more...

2. Playful and lively style: Babe, you look absolutely stunning in this! The whole...

3. Detailed and professional style: The design of this outfit...

4. ...style...

Hiss...

Analysis paralysis struck.

Some of the answers seemed pretty good, but which one should he choose?

His fingers lightly scrolled through the options, comparing them repeatedly, trying to find the best one for his little angel.

"I think the playful and lively style is nice."

Just then, a faint, sweet fragrance drifted into Gu Luo’s senses.

Carrying a hint of sugary warmth.

"Yeah, I also think that..."

Gu Luo responded instinctively, but before he could finish, his voice abruptly cut off.

His expression froze in place.

Then, like a rusted robot, he stiffly turned his head bit by bit.

What greeted him was Shu Ning, bent slightly at the waist, looking at his phone screen with keen interest.

Her cheeks were still tinged with a soft blush, glowing adorably under the store’s lights.

"Shu... Shu Ning... Let me explain..."

Gu Luo was so embarrassed he could practically stir-fry a three-course meal with his toes.

Mortifying. Absolutely mortifying.

This was the epitome of social suicide.

"It’s okay, I understand." Shu Ning slowly straightened up, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she spoke softly, her face still flushed.

"So you really don’t need to feel awkward."

After a pause, she added, "Also, I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that. I was just debating whether to send the photo directly or show it to you in person... Before I knew it, I was already behind you..."

"......"

Gu Luo looked up at her at a 45-degree angle, feeling as though she was radiating a gentle, holy light.

Thank goodness—it was his little angel. He was saved.

This was too surreal.

He knew Shu Ning was kind and considerate, but he hadn’t expected her to be this understanding.

In this situation, she was even apologizing to him...

Shu Ning truly didn’t mind these things.

Or rather, she didn’t feel any aversion to Gu Luo’s behavior at all.

He was so gentle, so handsome, such a great cook, always selflessly giving—even going undercover for her school festival performance...

This side of him only made him feel more real, more like the essence of youth.

Plus, Gu Luo was the type to have bold thoughts but no courage to act on them—a shy, reserved guy. Even if he occasionally acted out of character, she just found it endearing.

Kinda cute, really.

Of course, this applied only to Gu Luo.

But then again, it only worked for someone like him—a top-tier, warm-hearted, brotherly type of guy.

If anyone else did the same thing, it’d just be straight-up harassment.

That’s how the world worked. The same action, when done by people with different levels of charm, could lead to completely different outcomes.

"Shu Ning..."

Gu Luo averted his gaze slightly, unsure what else to say.

"I’m here," Shu Ning replied with a soft laugh.

"Shu Ning, thank you... A lot of my behavior is pretty cringe... Thank you for putting up with me..." Gu Luo spoke earnestly, his voice filled with sincerity.

Whether it was that incident before or today’s mishap—even if they were self-sacrificing moves to avoid drama—they were still undeniably awkward, toe-curling moments.

"Brother, I should be the one thanking you."

A sweet fragrance drifted closer as Shu Ning sat down beside him.

"Because I’m also an older sister, and I’ve owed Shu He and Shuling too much in the past, so I can really empathize with you."

"As an older sister, I always try to shoulder everything alone. With Shu He and Shuling, I do my best to treat them equally... but it’s really hard."

"For example, if I go out to eat something delicious with Shu He today, I don’t dare mention it to Shuling when I get back—I just have to take her next time. It’s like that with everything."

"The closer you are to someone, the more you notice these little details. Everyone wants the same—or even more—love."

"And you, brother, are always caught between the four of us. It must be exhausting."

"There must be so many times when you’ve had to sacrifice your own feelings just to keep us happy, right?"

"Brother, I understand."

This was the third time today Shu Ning had said, Brother, I understand.

Listening to her words, Gu Luo felt his nose sting slightly.

If he didn’t genuinely care about his sisters’ feelings, if he wasn’t unwilling to see them sad, why would he ever sacrifice his own dignity like this?

It wasn’t like he had no shame.

He just believed that if the choice was between his sisters’ sadness and his own embarrassment, he’d rather be the one to suffer.

No matter how awkward or humiliating, a laugh would eventually make it fade...

And in this moment, Gu Luo finally understood why he adored his little angel so much.

It wasn’t just her extreme kindness.

It was because she truly, deeply understood him.

Even without knowing the full truth behind his actions, she still empathized.

With a sister like this, what more could a brother ask for?

To have her in his life—cherish her, love her, trust her.

After sharing these heartfelt words, the two sat quietly on the couch, simply basking in each other’s presence.

The air around them seemed to still, the world narrowing down to just their breathing and heartbeats.

Their emotions were heating up uncontrollably, like a blazing fire growing fiercer by the second.

Gu Luo had never felt so lighthearted and moved before.

Shu Ning, his little angel—she really got him.

After sitting together for a while longer, Gu Luo suddenly spoke up.

"Shu Ning, before we head home, come with me to buy something. You’d probably know more about it."

"Okay," she replied softly.

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

[The translated English version of the Chinese urban novel would appear here, adhering to the specified requirements: maintaining the original's meaning and style, using natural English expressions, ensuring fluency and grammatical accuracy, and omitting Markdown formatting. The full content would be preserved without cuts.]