Considerate Big Sister Charlene's Scheme

[Ding! Detected that the host indulged in sleep. Reward: +1 lottery draw. Excess restored energy has been converted and stored as system power.]

"So even sleep can be OP..." Su Bai was amused. This system sure had its quirks—every time he indulged in refreshing his stamina or energy, it consumed power.

In reality, the effect was simple: after a stamina refresh, Su Bai would feel ravenous.

Basically, the energy stored in his body was rapidly consumed by the system.

Well, that meant black stockings and lap pillows were justified, and so were the dual services from Senior Sister and Sheng Sheng!

While brushing his teeth, Su Bai thought about Chu Mingzhe, who had supposedly gone to play Dance Evolution with the Tearful Girl last night.

He really wanted to ask how far things had progressed… but no, no—this early in the morning, there was no way Chu Mingzhe would be awake.

Su Bai idly checked Chu Mingzhe’s social media.

And what do you know?

He actually found something.

Chu Mingzhe had posted an update late at night.

The photo showed the back of a girl dressed in a very "classic" Tearful Girl outfit, playing a claw machine.

The caption was… what the hell was this?

Su Bai realized Chu Mingzhe had written something in a language he didn’t recognize.

After copying and pasting it into a search, he found out it was French.

Probably a quote from some movie…

Very much in line with Chu Mingzhe’s usual cryptic posting style.

Total riddle-speak.

But credit where it’s due—Chu Mingzhe had an eye for composition. From the back, the Tearful Girl’s figure was nothing special, and her outfit was borderline bizarre, yet under Chu Mingzhe’s lens, it had the vibe of a stylish Japanese street photo.

Su Bai couldn’t suppress his smirk.

Damn, posting this in the middle of the night…

Seems like things were moving along nicely.

Honestly, for a girl into the "landmine" aesthetic, as long as she wasn’t spiraling into worse trends… it wasn’t a big deal.

For Chu Mingzhe, this might even be a good thing.

At least it gave him an outlet for his overflowing artistic soul.

Better than reciting poetry in the dorm—that was downright terrifying.

Everyone goes through a cringe phase in their youth. Who’s to say the Tearful Girl couldn’t be Chu Mingzhe’s destined one?

Whether she could pass the Chu family’s scrutiny, though… that was another story.

But that was a worry for the distant future.

Su Bai quickly finished getting ready and set off in his Panamera.

The drive from Ancheng to Jiangcheng took about three hours, meaning Aunt Jiang wouldn’t arrive for a while.

The reason Su Bai left so early was that he had plans with Xia Lin—morning exercise.

Well, more accurately, Xia Lin had invited him for a jog, followed by breakfast, and then they’d meet up with Aunt Jiang together.

Sounds a little surreal, right?

Xia Lin, the teaching assistant, was part of the plan to show Aunt Jiang around Jiangcheng!

No idea how these two hit it off—maybe Xia Lin played the "I’m not a local, but I know Jiangcheng inside out" card, or maybe Aunt Jiang figured, "Since we’re here, might as well get on good terms with my nephew’s TA." Classic traditional thinking.

Either way, Su Bai started the car and headed to Jiangcheng University’s West Gate to pick up Xia Lin.

…Come to think of it, why was it always the West Gate?

Su Bai knew it was close to both undergrad and grad dorms, so most girls took rideshares from there.

But picking up different girls here so often gave Su Bai—a pure-hearted college guy—a tiny twinge of guilt.

"Little brother, why do you look so melancholic today?"

Xia Lin teased him the moment she got in the car.

Her micro-expression reading skills were on point—perfect for a TA, since TAs technically fall under the ideological and political work line, tasked with identifying people’s struggles.

"Not melancholic. Just thinking—if I keep picking people up at this spot, will I end up going viral if someone films me?"

"Probably. And then a bunch of pretty girls will start hitting you up for rides." Xia Lin’s eyes curved with amusement. "Getting tempted, little brother?"

"Nah. I’m picky, and I like to keep things clean."

"Good habits. You’re such a good boy~"

Xia Lin adopted a big-sister tone, patting Su Bai’s head. "So far, your taste in women gets my approval."

"…Lin Jie, you sound like you’re my elder or something."

"Well, don’t you want a big sister’s care? I’m happy to play the role. I’m an only child, and I’ve always wanted a little brother. Sadly, my mom’s health isn’t great, and she and my dad are basically roommates at this point. Odds of a sibling are slim."

"I see…"

"No need to make that 'should I look sympathetic when hearing about my big sister’s sad family history' face. My family’s actually pretty harmonious by upper-class standards. Let’s be real—married couples growing distant is the norm. 'Growing old together in harmony' is just kids’ fairy-tale stuff."

Damn, Xia Lin’s long-winded wisdom!

Truly a cultured rich girl—even her sarcasm was more refined than the average woman’s.

"Lin Jie."

"Hm?"

"You just now reminded me of those anime career-woman characters who live with the protagonist."

"Like it? Since we’re talking anime, I’ve watched those too. In those shows, the protagonist and the career-woman usually end up having… that kind of scene~"

Xia Lin suddenly leaned in, her warm breath brushing Su Bai’s ear before she pulled back with a playful laugh, just before he could combust.

"Kidding! Drive. Let’s go for a run in Tianrong District while the air’s fresh. After that, I’ll take you to a hidden gem—a beef noodle place by the highway. Super hard to find."

"Sounds perfect."

Su Bai was fully on board with Xia Lin’s plans.

Honestly, he hated planning outings—the logistics were a hassle. If someone else handled it, he was more than happy to go with the flow.

Someone like Xue Tao, who loved showing off, might treat planning as proof of his boyfriend skills.

But Su Bai refused to conform to societal expectations!

To him, it was just a personality thing. So going out with Xia Lin was great—she really did take care of everything like an attentive big sister.

And it wasn’t just her thoughtfulness. Her connections were unbeatable. Like that private restaurant she recommended last time—service and flavors were top-tier.

This beef noodle place was probably just as good.

Subconsciously, Su Bai was already fine with bringing Xia Lin to meet Aunt Jiang.

Which was exactly what Xia Lin wanted.