Hearing Su Jin’s words, Chu Xin froze. He had already noticed her scorching gaze and was too anxious to turn around and meet her eyes.
Of course, this was merely Chu Xin’s guilty conscience playing tricks on him. In reality, Su Jin had only furrowed her brow, with no other reaction.
After racking his brain, Chu Xin finally came up with an explanation.
“Ahem, um… last night, I was too hot to sleep. You know, constantly using the air conditioner isn’t good either, so… I played some galgames to pass the time. You know, those visual novels with beautiful girls.”
Seeing the “I don’t believe you” expression on Su Jin’s face, Chu Xin nervously patted her head.
“Sorry… it gets boring at night, so I had to play some games. Did I wake you up? I’m sorry…”
Su Jin continued to frown, not hurried to respond.
She found Chu Xin’s words somewhat unbelievable, but her heart unconsciously resented him for playing such games at night.
‘If he likes those virtual girls so much, why doesn’t he come for me? After all, we’re not related by blood,’ she thought.
‘Could it be that he prefers the 2D world to reality?’
She didn’t quite understand Chu Xin’s behavior. His tone suggested he was making up an excuse to brush her off.
She squinted at Chu Xin, suspicious… very suspicious.
Moreover, her brother had never left so early before. Usually, he would stay until almost 8 o’clock, but today he was ready to go before 8.
What was her brother up to, leaving so early?
Following her brother’s logic, his midnight excuse to hide his galgame playing was… somewhat explainable.
But Su Jin still felt something was off.
To avoid further “interrogation” from his sister, Chu Xin laughed it off.
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll be more careful next time. Oh, and remember to eat breakfast. I’m off, little Su Jin!”
Su Jin didn’t move, simply nodding softly as usual.
She watched her brother’s retreating back, which could only be described as a “panicked escape,” lost in thought.
Should she sneakily “investigate” (follow) him?
At this thought, Su Jin returned to her room and changed into a black sun-protective outfit, opting not to wear a mask or sunglasses, which would draw attention. Instead, she chose a pair of anti-glare sunglasses and quietly followed him.
****
Chu Xin walked along the path to the subway station, basking in the gentle morning sun and sighing in relief.
Close call. He almost let his sister notice something was amiss. But he had managed to cover it up, although he wasn’t sure if his sister believed him or not. Either way, the words were out.
He had also successfully avoided meeting Quan Zhu Meng and Jiang Qianhe, who would be running early in the morning.
His morning objective was achieved.
With these thoughts, he focused on his journey, unaware of his surroundings. Soon, he reached the subway station.
Since it was Tuesday, the tense atmosphere from Monday’s workday had eased, making Tuesday’s usually crowded subway seem spacious.
The only constant was the “dead fish eyes” of the office workers commuting to work.
If Chu Xin hadn’t traveled through time, he would likely have been one of them, trudging to work with a “dead fish eye” and reluctantly starting his day.
After swiping his card, he found a relatively empty spot and took out a book he often read, enjoying the quiet.
He liked reading because it allowed him to learn more about the world’s past and broaden his knowledge, understanding more common sense.
Calculating the time he needed, he estimated it would take about ten minutes to reach Ji Yue Xuan’s house, with enough time to spare before school.
He certainly didn’t want to face Tina again.
However, she hadn’t summoned him to her office as usual yesterday.
It seemed she was finally mellowing out. Things were looking up.
After reading quietly for a while, he folded the page he was on and disembarked.
Today, he wasn’t carrying his usual backpack, but a larger handbag that was less likely to spill the thermos inside.
At the subway station exit, he prepared to send a message, letting her know he was waiting at her doorstep.
But before he could take out his phone, someone hugged him from behind.
Based on the feeling and scent, it was probably her.
He sighed, “Monthuan, what are you doing here at the subway station?”
A voice from behind replied, “Ehe~ caught you, huh? Did I scare you?”
She didn’t move from his back, still hugging him tightly.
Chu Xin sighed, realizing she was still upset about yesterday’s incident with Quan Zhu Meng.
He let her hug him, enjoying the moment.
“How could I be scared? I’m not just anyone. Of course, I knew it was you,” Chu Xin joked.
It seemed like he was indeed special to her, unlike Quan Zhu Meng.
“Tsk~ always recognizing me from behind, how boring. Can’t you come up with a different name?” Ji Yue Xuan playfully said.
Chu Xin caught the underlying meaning in her words and felt her hands squeeze tighter, a sign she was being sarcastic.
“How could I mistake my lovely, generous, and beautiful girlfriend?” Chu Xin declared.
The surrounding passersby felt uncomfortable with their display.
“Darling~ it seems like my past self had some feelings for you, right? Otherwise, how could I say such cheesy things now?” Ji Yue Xuan laughed.
Although she said this, she released her hug and, before Chu Xin could react, kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Chu Xin, blushing, turned to look at her.
“W-what was that for?”
“It’s a reward for my darling’s sweet words,” she replied, quickly pulling him by the hand towards the station.
“Come on, we can’t be late!”
Her face was as red as his, clearly flustered.
It was their first time walking to school together♡.
****
Back at home, Su Jin sat quietly at the dining table, eating the breakfast her brother had left.
Unfortunately, she didn’t find any utensils he had used, missing the usual “seasoning” for her morning meal.
Her “investigation” had yielded no results; she had only followed Chu Xin from home to the subway station.
Nothing seemed amiss. Her brother was still preoccupied as he walked.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have a subway pass and could only watch from outside the turnstile as her brother boarded the train.
There were no signs of anything unusual, but her mood had improved slightly from the lack of findings.
She understood that following her brother further might yield results.
She also realized that “investigating” her brother was more likely to upset herself than provide useful information.
It seemed she needed to get out more; staying cooped up at home would eventually lead to trouble.
She decided to focus on “Task 1” first.
Who should she start probing with?