The Unexpected Sister

“Why can you always go to his house? Why can you play and talk with him without any hesitation? Why can you be so close? Why am I the only one left out?”

When Huang Jiajun ran back to the classroom, it was already empty. The room was a mess, desks and chairs knocked over. After she left, those troublemakers must have gone wild.

She walked straight to the seat she wanted most, a seat that didn’t belong to her. She lay down on the desk. It was ice cold, freezing her heart.

“Wuwuwu… Why isn’t it me sitting next to you? Why don’t I have a deskmate? Why isn’t my deskmate you? Wuwuwu…”

Her tears fell uncontrollably onto the desk, making it even colder.

If… if I were your deskmate, would things be different?

Huang Jiajun wiped her tears and headed straight for the teachers’ office. Maybe it was time to do something.

“Teacher, Qin An and An Qi have an impure opposite-s*x relationship.”

She might forget how she felt when she said those words later, but she would remember the words themselves for the rest of her life. Definitely.

“Qin An and An Qi? They’re both good kids. Good kids don’t date. And I’ve seen how they help each other.”

“But they really, really are too close. I think we should separate them, or it’ll cause a bad influence!”

“I see. But who should I separate from who? We’re about to graduate. Changing seats is a big hassle.”

“Um, let Qin An sit with me! That way I can supervise him to keep studying hard and also make sure he doesn’t get too close to An Qi. Plus, my math is terrible. Qin An can help me with it.” Huang Jiajun stumbled through the words. The girl who usually wasn’t afraid of anything was blushing furiously.

“Alright, then I’ll move Qin An’s seat next to you. That seems beneficial for everyone.”

“Thank you, teacher.” Huang Jiajun suppressed the excitement in her heart. As long as she became his deskmate, everything he had, she could have too.

She turned and left, not seeing the teacher’s meaningful smile.

At the school gate—

“Brother, you’re so slow, so slow.”

“Brother, you’re so dirty!”

Qin Yage called him brother left and right, happily chattering.

Qin An saw through her scheme. “Come on, what do you want?”

“Brother, isn’t Children’s Day coming up? I want a present.”

“A present? The school will give out candy the day after tomorrow.”

“I don’t want candy. I want a present. A present.”

She emphasized the last two words.

“As for presents, the school will give those out too.”

Before he could finish, his body suddenly felt heavier. A little raccoon had latched onto his back.

Qin Yage wrapped her arms around his neck. “I mean your present.”

“Didn’t I just buy you a bike a few days ago?”

“No, that was something I told you to buy, a gift from me to you. Not a gift from you to me.”

“Fine. What does little Qin Yage want for Children’s Day?”

“I want something long that can blow out a sound.”

“A whistle?”

“No, no. My classmate said it was… what was it?” Qin Yage’s memory suddenly blanked.

“Is it a flute?”

“Yes, that’s it! My classmate said she can play the flute, and her brother praised her for playing really well!”

Qin Yage gritted her teeth on his back, looking like someone owed her a fortune.

“Brother, can you play the flute?”

For some reason, the way she phrased ‘play the flute’ made his mind drift to an entirely inappropriate joke he had heard in his past life. He coughed awkwardly. Should he say yes or no?

“Probably not.”

“Hmph, brother is so useless. Never mind, I’ll learn and teach you.”

Not far away, a white bicycle dotted with pink cherry blossoms was parked. It had been appointed by Qin Yage just a few days ago as her new steed. Before that, her ride was just a ride.

Qin An sat on the driver’s seat, while Qin Yage half-crouched on the metal rack at the back, her hands just able to rest on his shoulders.

“Set off, my steed!” Qin Yage punched the air and shouted.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Turn left. Turn left.”

“Go straight, straight, then turn right.”

She commanded like a general on a battlefield.

She knew this route by heart, having forgotten how long she had lingered in front of that shop.

Braking at the entrance, the shop was an old wooden house. The spider plant on the second floor bent under its own weight. An antique signboard hung above the door, exuding a sense of history. This was a good shop.

“Sister Linxue, I’m here to play again.”

“Yage, here to play again?”

Stepping out of the shop in a white apron trimmed with flowers was Qin An’s new Chinese teacher, one of the people he least wanted to see.

“Why are you here?”

“Isn’t this Qin An?” She slapped his shoulder vigorously, her face looking incredibly happy. Qin An could only force a smile in return.

“Brother, let me tell you, Sister Linxue plays the flute really well.”

Qin An watched Qin Yage buzzing around Ma Linxue, the two so close it was baffling. Wasn’t she on bad terms with her at the amusement park not long ago? Girls were so hard to figure out. Truly, a woman’s heart is as deep as the sea.

While Ma Linxue chattered on introducing instruments to Qin Yage, Qin An observed the shop’s wares.

There weren’t many things, mostly small instruments. The cheap, easy-to-play kind. But everything was arranged neatly, as if an obsessive-compulsive artist couldn’t stand them being out of order.

Qin An lightly brushed the instruments. They were spotless. That was the bare minimum of respect for an instrument.

Not bad at all, this shop.

“My father insisted on opening it. He often argues with my mother because of it.”

Probably because it doesn’t make money. People these days don’t have the leisure to come to a place like this to play with instruments.

Reality was restless. Fewer and fewer people could calm down to enjoy life. Her mother probably felt the same.

Qin An picked up a harmonica. Maybe this isn’t bad.

“I want this.”

After a long selection, Qin Yage finally chose a black lacquered nine-section flute. He originally thought she would pick the pretty jade flute.

The black lacquered nine-section flute got its name from the black lacquer coating on its body. This kind of flute had a deep, mellow tone and beautiful timbre. A tassel hung from the bottom, making it pleasing to the eye.

As Qin An finished paying and was about to leave, a motorcycle engine roared up and screeched to a halt in front of the shop, leaving a clear skid mark on the ground.

But it knocked over Qin Yage’s most precious ride. She watched as her beloved bike, the thing that let her sit legitimately with her brother, was crushed under the metal monster. The crime was unforgivable.

Qin Yage stepped forward, but before she could say anything, more iron monsters arrived in droves, kicking up a cloud of dust.

She immediately gave up the idea of confronting them and hid behind her brother. Qin An frowned. This wasn’t good.

First off the motorcycles was a thin boy carrying a schoolbag. His legs were trembling.

“Xiao Yu, how can you hang out with these thugs!”

“Sister, I’m sorry… I…”

“Tianyu, aren’t we friends? Isn’t it only natural to visit a friend’s house?” The blond delinquent hooked his arm around Ma Tianyu’s shoulder, speaking slyly.

“Hey, aren’t those the two cheeky brats from the other day? So you know them. Well, well, I’ve searched high and low… what was that saying?”

“It’s ‘searched high and low only to find them without effort,’ Brother Yu,” a henchman reminded Ji Yu helpfully.

Ji Yu’s face darkened. He smacked the henchman on the head. “You bastard, you said it all. What am I supposed to say? I was just testing you. Did you think I really didn’t know?”

“Yes, yes, it’s my fault.”

Ji Yu cracked his knuckles. “Now it’s killing two birds with one stone. Let me show you the consequences of angering Master Ji.”

He stepped forward, but before he could show off, a red lightning bolt sped in, rampaging without restraint. The iron monsters from before looked like children in comparison.

It was a blood-red sports car with a streamlined design. Qin An recognized the engine sound immediately. It was a Chevrolet 9561, equipped with the legendary all-aluminum ZL-1 427 engine. One of his favorite cars from his past life.

The door opened, and a tall woman in a white lab coat stepped out. She held a baby in her arms. Her pitch-black hair fluttered in the wind, her face pale as snow. The punks, including Master Ji, were stunned.

Tap, tap, tap—

The sound of her high heels seemed alive, each step hitting the rhythm, stepping into everyone’s hearts.

“In the way.”

Ji Yu was standing directly in her path. Without a word, the woman delivered a swift, spinning heel kick to his face, sending him sprawling to the dirt. He groaned once and immediately passed out.

She bent over, completely unbothered by the chaos around her. She lifted the baby and placed it gently into Qin An’s hands.

“My name is Qin Yuqing. This child is Qin Chan. She’s your little sister.”