However, Su Jin, lost in thought, found herself at a complete loss. After all, her actions yesterday had surely instilled a degree of wariness in Chu Xin.
‘It seems I can only wait for an opportunity,’ Su Jin mused. She couldn’t bear the thought of remaining estranged from her brother, forced to watch that woman so brazenly ‘enjoy’ him right before her eyes.
If she were to suddenly lash out, it would undoubtedly drive Chu Xin further away, completely defeating her purpose.
Meanwhile, Chu Xin had finished heating the dishes in the microwave. He took out several bowls, portioned the food, and arranged them neatly on the dining table.
Wiping his hands, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t grabbed chopsticks. After retrieving a pair for Su Jin, a wave of profound drowsiness washed over him.
Su Jin merely observed him in silence from the side.
He yawned deeply. “Xiao Jin, go ahead and eat. Just leave the dishes after you’re done; you don’t need to clean up. Head straight back to your room. I’m going to nap for a bit, but I’ll tidy everything tonight. As for your bathwater, I’ll draw it and call you when it’s ready.”
“Mn,” Su Jin replied, her response as simple and succinct as ever.
Chu Xin paid it no mind, having grown accustomed to her usual ‘aloofness.’
An inexplicable, overwhelming fatigue enveloped his body. Perhaps it was because he typically napped at noon, but today he hadn’t slept at all.
‘It definitely isn’t because of kissing that person…’ Chu Xin vehemently denied it in his mind.
He now understood the sensation he had felt at the time.
It wasn’t merely the novelty of a first kiss; rather, his body had become remarkably more sensitive. How peculiar. Could it truly be due to his lack of experience with girls in his previous life?
Still, this explanation felt rather forced; he remained utterly clueless about the specific reason.
In this state, he felt disinclined to do anything at all, even his homework seemed an insurmountable task.
His mind felt hazy and muddled, incapable of coherent thought. It reminded him vividly of how he’d felt after barely escaping Su Jin’s hypnosis earlier that morning, when she’d used that hypnotic app. Regardless of whether Su Jin’s app was genuine or a ruse, she hadn’t touched her phone since.
Therefore, Chu Xin dismissed that as the cause. If it were truly potent, he reasoned, activating such an ability would surely require a ‘prerequisite.’ Given that Su Jin’s hypnotic tool was an ‘APP,’ its prerequisite would undoubtedly be to open the application itself.
Moreover, ever since that incident, Su Jin hadn’t displayed any other anomalies these past two days. Aside from being a bit more clingy, she had reverted to her usual aloof demeanor, seemingly only focused on ‘studying.’
‘Being clingy is quite an anomaly, though…’ Chu Xin mused hazily. Yet, observing Su Jin meticulously chew and swallow her food as she always did, he detected no unusual behavior and thus refrained from dwelling on it further.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to that person. [I’m going to nap for a bit. I’m too tired, so I probably won’t reply to your messages for a while.]
A reply arrived almost instantly. [Mmm-hmm~ Get some good rest, darling~ I’ll be waiting for you.]
Even with his fatigued mind, Chu Xin couldn’t help but inwardly grumble. ‘Is this person glued to their phone?’
It wasn’t entirely surprising, though. That person almost always replied to his messages instantly, unless they were occupied.
As this thought crossed his mind, his body could no longer bear the fatigue. He stumbled, pushing open the door to his room. He paid no heed to the fact that his neatly made bed from the morning was now disheveled, nor did he notice the subtle signs that someone had rummaged through and then concealed their tracks in his wardrobe.
Instead, he merely kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to remove his school uniform before falling asleep.
****
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Ji Yue Xuan was sprawled on her bed in her own room, having changed back into her clothes. Her gaze was fixed on the phone clutched in her pale, delicate hands, while her legs continuously fluttered with uncontained joy.
Her delight stemmed from the fact that her darling had voluntarily informed her of his plans.
Only moments ago, Ji Yue Xuan had been sulking because Chu Xin hadn’t offered to walk her home or spend time with her. Now, however, she resembled a lovesick maiden, staring intently at her phone—which, to be fair, she essentially was.
‘However, it seems the dosage I gave him was a bit too potent,’ Ji Yue Xuan mused inwardly.
After all, during their kiss, she had discreetly slipped something into Chu Xin’s mouth. It was a small, candy-like object, designed to enhance sensitivity and dissolve upon contact with water, akin to an internal supplement.
While it was merely a common over-the-counter item, its effect wasn’t typically significant. Yet, her darling’s body seemed to react to it with unexpected intensity.
The side effects were also minimal, primarily a slight fatigue after the effects wore off, almost imperceptible to an average person.
Furthermore, her darling had been so engrossed in their kiss that he hadn’t even noticed its presence.
‘Did I give him too much?’ Ji Yue Xuan wondered, though she didn’t know the answer. She wasn’t concerned that Su Jin would suddenly ‘attack.’ If Su Jin truly had the courage, she would have acted long ago.
Moreover, Chu Xin always locked his door before sleeping. Even she had to expend some effort to get in, let alone Su Jin, whose physical prowess and initiative were virtually nonexistent.
As for the purpose of using such an item, it was, of course, to heighten Chu Xin’s physical sensitivity, allowing him to experience even greater pleasure with her. And since it had been administered through her own mouth…
Naturally, a deeper objective was to make Chu Xin unable to suppress his desires, thereby leading him to her…
‘Sometimes, necessary means are required at necessary times,’ she thought. ‘I eagerly anticipate our future, darling.’
However, she likely wouldn’t use this item again. It seemed to pose a non-trivial risk to Chu Xin’s body, and she didn’t fully comprehend the principles behind such internally consumed substances.
Therefore, she probably wouldn’t use it in the future. It had been too impulsive a decision.
As for how she acquired it, that had been before their relationship was officially defined.
Previously, she had noticed Chu Xin becoming somewhat immune to her teasing, which prompted her to impulsively order it online after seeing it advertised.
Today, however, she had felt a distinct sense of ‘being caught by an elder’ emanating from Quan Zhu Meng, which made her uneasy. Thus, as she pulled her hand from her bag, she had taken some of the substance.
Now, she found herself pondering a new question: why had she felt such unease from Quan Zhu Meng?
What could be the reason?
Ji Yue Xuan, still sprawled on the simple bed in her room, suddenly froze. After a moment of serious contemplation, she reached a conclusion: it seemed her information was not entirely complete.
****
At Chu Xin’s home.
By the dining table, Su Jin, who had silently watched Chu Xin stumble into his room, now allowed a faint smile to grace her otherwise impassive face.
The opportunity had presented itself.
Yet, she remained unaware of why her brother had suddenly decided to sleep.
Being meticulous in her actions, she resolved to finish her meal first.
This was also a reason she couldn’t bear to leave Chu Xin. Despite never having told her brother what she liked, he always seemed to know.
Each time he returned from school, he would precisely bring back her preferred items. As for her own school? Having her brother was more than enough.
However, the scent of the food suggested it came from a shop her brother frequented. Every time he returned, he carried not only the woman’s scent but also the aroma of these specific dishes.
‘Why?’ she fumed. While she waited anxiously at home for her brother, that outsider was dining and playfully bickering with him. ‘Why should she be allowed such closeness?’
‘Therefore,’ she concluded, ‘a sister’s duty isn’t just to erase the scent of outsiders from her brother, but more importantly, to keep those outsiders firmly outside.’
A faint blush spread across Su Jin’s delicate face at this thought. Upon hearing a soft ‘click’ from Chu Xin’s room, she swiftly finished the food in her bowl and dutifully placed the dishes in the kitchen sink.
She tiptoed to the door of Chu Xin’s room, listening to the faint snores emanating from within.
Then, she cautiously pushed the door open, slipped through the narrow gap, and gazed at the sleeping Chu Xin on the bed, a sickly sweet smile gracing her lips.
‘I’m inside now, Brother!’