Ji Yue Xuan, fearing the oblivious otaku might not grasp her hint, leaned closer to Chu Xin and whispered, “You can stay at my place tonight. We can spend the whole evening together… and then go to school together tomorrow! It won’t affect our daily routine at all.”
After all, due to the distance, the two of them had never gone to school together before.
Moreover, Ji Yue Xuan was largely telling the truth; her parents were away on business.
Thus, she had no worries about her family suddenly returning home.
She could spend the entire night with Chu Xin, her darling, undisturbed by anyone.
Ji Yue Xuan felt absolutely certain she could capture Chu Xin’s heart, making such evenings a regular occurrence.
If she was lucky enough…
She could use the weapon of ‘responsibility’ to bind Chu Xin to her.
Once that situation materialized, she could more confidently employ ‘gentler’ methods to quietly drive away those conniving rivals.
Ji Yue Xuan’s plan was meticulously crafted, and a significant part of it stemmed from Su Jin’s recent phone call. In the information she had gathered, Su Jin was a highly dangerous individual.
Through her casual chats with Chu Xin, Ji Yue Xuan had uncovered a crucial piece of information.
She learned that for a considerable period, Chu Xin had been responsible for Su Jin’s daily life. This could only lead to one outcome: two individuals without true blood ties could easily develop unnecessary impulses.
Naturally, she ranked Su Jin as the highest threat. However, Chu Xin’s two neighbors also warranted caution.
After all, even with her exceptional efficiency, she hadn’t managed to fully gather their complete profiles.
Upon hearing Ji Yue Xuan’s words, Chu Xin’s seasoned face flushed crimson.
Ji Yue Xuan’s hint was quite explicit, almost as direct as Quan Zhu Meng whispering, “Yes, anything you want.”
Yet, the nature of the two situations was entirely different. Quan Zhu Meng’s remark felt more like a jest, utterly unlike Ji Yue Xuan’s serious implication.
Chu Xin understood that Ji Yue Xuan was not a ‘casual’ woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t be like him, with few friends.
In fact, quite the opposite: he believed Ji Yue Xuan would only send him an ‘OK’ signal after much careful deliberation.
So, what choice would an adolescent make when faced with an ‘OK’ signal from their partner?
Would he eagerly accept, or would he feign righteous refusal, fearing the ‘responsibility’ it entailed?
Clearly, Chu Xin, who had inexplicably grasped the essence of Ji Yue Xuan’s words, would choose neither. He was not one to agree without careful thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he spoke, “Yue… Yue Xuan, we’ve been out all day. Shouldn’t we head home and rest? Besides… I have a gift for you.”
Though unaccustomed to such a familiar address, Chu Xin uttered it nonetheless.
This was the optimal solution he had devised, avoiding a blunt declaration of his thoughts and steering the conversation elsewhere.
Ji Yue Xuan stared at Chu Xin for a moment, then realized she had been too eager, risking Chu Xin’s displeasure.
She then playfully chuckled and said, “Oh, really? You prepared a gift, you rascal? Tell me, did you actually have feelings for your ‘brother’ all along?”
Chu Xin, with a hint of helplessness, retrieved the gift. He had kept it in his usual bag, as there hadn’t been an opportune moment to present it amidst the recent events; he had almost forgotten about it entirely.
“I think *you* were the one who had feelings for your ‘brother’ before, actually. Here, take this.”
Chu Xin replied, simultaneously pulling a sapphire-blue box from his backpack.
She took it, opened it, and then exclaimed with delight, “Thank you, darling, I love it!”
While she had anticipated Chu Xin preparing a gift, she hadn’t expected it to be a sapphire pendant resembling the color of her eyes.
In her mind, Chu Xin might have gotten her something like a game console or a controller, given her love for gaming.
She promptly opened the box and put on the pendant. Then, she looked up at Chu Xin, asking with a cautious tone, “Ho-how does it look? Is it pretty?”
Chu Xin gazed at her. The sapphire pendant added a unique brilliance to her slender, fair neck, bestowing an elegant and mysterious aura upon her otherwise casual white dress.
Under the moonlight, the sapphire, much like her own blue eyes, shimmered resplendently. For some reason, Chu Xin found himself staring blankly again. He managed to utter, “Ve-very… very beautiful.”
Ji Yue Xuan smiled. ‘Chu Xin isn’t such an oblivious otaku after all,’ she thought. She nodded gently, expressing her gratitude once more. “Thank you, darling. I’ll prepare a gift for you too!”
Chu Xin waved his hand. “No need.”
But no sooner had the words left his lips than Ji Yue Xuan lightly tapped his mouth with her finger. “Don’t say that. This is a promise between us.”
‘A promise?’
Chu Xin mused.
Ji Yue Xuan felt it was time. Though reluctant, she finally said, “Then, see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, see you tomorrow,” Chu Xin replied.
After bidding each other goodnight, Chu Xin headed towards the subway station.
Ji Yue Xuan watched his retreating figure, letting out a soft ‘Tch.’ ‘He didn’t even look back,’ she thought.
However, she glanced at the box that had held the pendant, casually tossing it aside. With a swift stomp, she crushed the object inside that was blinking with a red light and transmitting signals to some unknown location.
‘Still as dishonest as ever, Little Jin,’ she mused.
****
Emerging from the subway station, Chu Xin gazed at the familiar surroundings, feeling as though everything that had just transpired was nothing but a dream.
He checked the time; only half an hour had passed, and it was precisely nine-thirty.
The subway ride had been smooth, and he hadn’t encountered a certain drunken nun.
He wasn’t in a rush to check his phone.
He simply considered that, given Su Jin’s personality, she likely hadn’t gone out to eat yet.
With only convenience stores still open, he headed straight to buy some items.
Chu Xin, who had initially intended to avoid contact with those around him, was now gradually integrating into his new life. He was immeasurably better than his more reclusive self in his previous life, and his relationship with the original protagonist, now his sister, had become more akin to true siblings.
‘Hopefully, things will continue this way,’ he thought.
He arrived home to find the house brightly lit.
‘Little Jin must have been scared and turned on all the lights,’ he surmised.
He switched off the lights on the first floor one by one. As he prepared to head upstairs, he turned around and found Su Jin standing right behind him.
He jumped in surprise. “Little Jin, stop being so stealthy! You’re really scary.”
Su Jin did not reply.
She merely stared at him with vacant eyes.
‘Brother really did go find that woman…’
‘My tracker was destroyed. I had planned to go check on the situation myself.’
‘But now, there’s probably no need anymore.’
‘Brother has already given her the gift.’
‘Do I even have a reason to exist in this world anymore?’
‘Haha…’
She pulled out a knife. It wasn’t very sharp, and in the dim room, it was practically invisible. She had intended to stab herself fiercely in front of Chu Xin.
But the next second, seeing Su Jin’s delayed reaction, Chu Xin spoke with concern, “Are you hungry? Only convenience stores are open around here, so I just bought a few things.”
‘Other than this, there might be some barbecue places, but they’re further away,’ he thought.
As the aroma of oden and bento wafted from the bag in Chu Xin’s hand, her dark thoughts were instantly dispelled.
‘I still have hope of winning Brother back…’
Her stomach let out an uncooperative rumble.
****
In the second-floor kitchen, Chu Xin smiled as he watched Su Jin ravenously devour her food at the dining table.
Fearing Su Jin wouldn’t be full, he started preparing more food.
Indeed, there was a sense of happiness in watching someone enjoy food he had prepared.
After washing his hands, Chu Xin took the opportunity to check his phone. Apart from a brief message from his teacher and Su Jin, he was more interested in the messages from a certain app.
After checking, it was clear that the unusual concentration of attention he felt was indeed due to this.
Furthermore, his authority had increased by one level, though he wasn’t sure what kind of ability this implied. Perhaps he could now view more details about tasks?
For instance, he could now see there were 99 tasks in total, but their contents remained hidden until they were officially released.
He sighed. ‘It seems there’s quite a lot to do.’ Just then, Ji Yue Xuan sent him a goodnight message, along with a photo of herself wearing the pendant.
Chu Xin couldn’t help but smile, then replied, “I’m home. Goodnight.”
The other party remained silent after that.
At that moment, Su Jin, having finished her meal, obediently brought over the dishes. “I’m done eating.”
Chu Xin instinctively locked his phone.
But Su Jin had seen it. ‘Even his wallpaper is that woman?’
‘But it doesn’t hurt as much now.’
Chu Xin looked at her and said, “Let me handle the cleanup. Little Jin, go to sleep.”
But Su Jin moved closer and embraced Chu Xin, her height only reaching his chest.
Seeing Su Jin’s cowlick sticking up, Chu Xin chuckled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Brother… will you leave me?”
Chu Xin paused, but he merely took it as his sister’s late-night melancholic words. He smiled and patted her head. “Of course not. I’ll always be your brother. Now, go to sleep.”
Su Jin released him, touched the spot where Chu Xin had patted her head, and after a flushed “Mm,” she returned to her room.
Chu Xin didn’t speak, merely sighing inwardly. ‘Sometimes, my sister’s actions are truly unfathomable.’
‘After all, she was trying to “hypnotize” me earlier.’
‘But perhaps it’s just a young girl’s prank at its core. She’s still that somewhat fragile Little Jin, isn’t she?’
After quickly washing the dishes, Chu Xin returned to his room. After locking the door and windows, he lay on his bed and drifted into a deep sleep.
He didn’t even notice the faint impressions on the bed, left by someone who had been lying there.