Staring into the mirror, she saw her brother. Something about him seemed… off.

Gu Yingying knew the magic mirror only showed those with whom she shared a blood connection. And those light brown eyes—identical to hers—confirmed his identity.

“I’m not spying on you. I… I was looking for you.”

She remembered the moment she first arrived in this world, desperately wanting to find her family. Now, as each relative appeared one by one, she felt a mix of joy and unease.

“Looking for me? What for?”

Zhao Zehan remained wary. Anyone who possessed a means of communication like this was no ordinary person. A sweet, soft voice meant nothing—if she was just another trick sent by the Supreme God, he wouldn’t be fooled.

“Because you’re my brother! What happened to you? Why are you covered in bandages?”

Her voice carried genuine concern, but Zhao Zehan’s suspicions only deepened. If this so-called sister could pierce through space just to see him, she was far from ordinary.

“I’m fine. You know what cosplay is? It’s role-playing. I’m dressing up as a mummy.”

Without so much as blinking, he lied effortlessly. The sharp edge in his gaze softened, his earlier wariness seemingly gone.

Anyone who truly knew Zhao Zehan would recognize this as his way of lulling prey into a false sense of security.

“Ohhh~ is that so? Wow, I didn’t know you were into cosplay, big brother!”

Gu Yingying had long left such childish hobbies behind, but she never expected her brother to be interested in them now.

“Yeah. I’m at home right now.”

Now that he was certain she had no idea where he was, Zhao Zehan finally relaxed—just a little. He was even willing to chat for a bit.

“Huh? I was just wondering where you are! By the way, my name is Gu Yingying. What’s your name, brother?” It suddenly dawned on Gu Yingying that she hadn’t introduced herself yet. She quickly corrected that, eager to share her name and, more importantly, to find out her brother’s name. That way, she could secretly try to figure out where he was.

Her suddenly appearance must have startled him, right? That’s probably why he was harsh with her earlier.

“Gu Yingying? That’s a lovely name. My name is Zhao Xizhi.” Zhao Zehan avoided the question about his location and instead responded with the name he had adopted after entering the infinite space. In this world, he was still known as Zhao Zehan, but he had taken on the name Zhao Xizhi during his time in that other realm. Many of his opponents didn’t even know that Zhao Zehan was his real name.

“Really? Your name is lovely too, brother,” Gu Yingying replied with a smile. Even though he couldn’t see her, she couldn’t help but feel delighted. It was so strange—she had already found her third brother!

Back then, she had been an orphan, never imagining she would have any family. But now, she suddenly had three brothers. Even though they didn’t know each other yet, Gu Yingying was sure they would meet someday.

“And you? How old are you? Where are you now?” Zhao Zehan continued to probe, trying to figure out who this person spying on him was. He was too weak right now. If the Main God wanted him dead, they could send anyone to finish him off. He didn’t believe for a second that the Main God would let him go so easily.

“Me? I’m sixteen, and I’m in Shangjing City—”

Her words were abruptly cut off. Gu Yingying watched as the magic mirror reverted to reflecting her own image. She realized her brother could no longer hear her. Frustrated, she sighed. If only he knew where she lived, he might come find her. She really wanted to meet this brother of hers!

Zhao Zehan, who had been listening to Gu Yingying, immediately noticed the sudden silence. He knew the connection had been severed.

Lying on the hospital bed, he fell into deep thought.

Had she noticed his probing?

Did she cut off the conversation on purpose, or was there a time limit to their communication?

Gu Yingying… his so-called sister.

But Zhao Xizhi had no sister.

Meanwhile, in her cozy little room inside the villa, Gu Yingying stared helplessly at the magic mirror. Then, a thought struck her.

She glanced down at the small black stone in her hand.

“Could this belong to my brother?”

Otherwise, knowing the magic mirror’s greedy nature—always taking and never giving—why would it spit this thing back out?

The magic mirror didn’t respond, but Gu Yingying was already certain. She carefully placed the black stone on the mirror’s surface.

“If this belongs to my brother, it must be important. You hold onto it for me.”

A swirl of white mist wrapped around the black stone, and then—just like that—it vanished, leaving behind a perfectly smooth mirror, as if nothing had ever happened.

Later that night, lying in bed with her eyes closed, Gu Yingying found herself still thinking about her third brother. She couldn’t believe she had so many relatives. The excitement bubbled inside her, and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

The magic mirror rested beside her pillow.

Bastet approached, reaching out a paw toward the mirror.

Unexpectedly, the mirror emitted a wisp of white mist, and the black stone reappeared.

Bastet’s eyes glowed faintly red as he pawed at the stone twice, then nudged it back. The mirror silently swallowed the stone once more.

After that, Bastet curled up in Gu Yingying’s arms and fell asleep, as if nothing had ever happened.

—

The next morning, Gu Yingying noticed that her brother looked exhausted again.

“Brother, have you been struggling to sleep at night?” She frowned in concern. “Don’t worry! Once I’m off school today, I’ll start making medicine. I promise I’ll whip up something that’ll have you sleeping like a log in no time!”

She had been busy with classes and studying these past few days, but seeing Qin Yusen’s fatigue made guilt creep up on her. If only she had prioritized this sooner…

“It’s fine. I’m used to it,” Qin Yusen said lightly. “Focus on your own stuff first.”

He enjoyed this rare feeling of being cared for by family. In the past, plenty of people had tried to claim a connection with him, but they were all frauds—just looking to benefit from his wealth and status.

But ever since bringing Gu Yingying home, he had realized something—this girl had no greed for his money or power. She cared for him, but without ulterior motives.

And that only made him want to give her everything.

With that thought, Qin Yusen spoke.

“Since you have the day off tomorrow, I’ve arranged for some boutique managers to bring over clothing and accessories suitable for your age. You should pick out some new outfits and bags. And don’t forget jewelry—you should have a few more pieces to choose from. Also, don’t girls love makeup? If you need anything, just let the butler know, and he’ll take care of it.”

Weren’t all girls into these things? Qin Yusen thought his little sister was surprisingly low-maintenance.

Dressed in her school uniform, Gu Yingying nodded. She was still a girl, after all—how could she resist clothes and bags? As for makeup, she didn’t need it yet, but skincare was a must—at least until she perfected her alchemy.

“Brother, you’re the best!”

After breakfast, Qin Yusen personally drove her to school. Whenever he had the time, he insisted on dropping her off before heading to work.

Gu Yingying practically skipped into the school gates. Thanks to yesterday’s tutoring session with her brother’s secretary, she felt much more confident in English. When the teacher called on her to speak in class, her fluency earned her a string of compliments, and she basked in the praise.

During break, Gu Qingrang came over to talk to her—not because he had any particular interest in her, but because he had news.

“Did you hear? Shi Yating’s family went bankrupt.”

Thinking about how Gu Yingying’s biological brother turned out to be Qin Yusen, Gu Qingrang couldn’t help but marvel at how strange fate was.

“Huh? Bankrupt? I had no idea.” Gu Yingying was genuinely surprised. She knew about Shi Yating dropping out—that was definitely her brother’s doing, and she’d been deeply touched. But she never imagined he would go so far as to ruin the entire Shi family.

Gu Qingrang looked at her clueless expression and sighed. This girl was as naive as ever. He lowered his voice and continued…

“It was your brother, Qin Yusen, who did it—not because she falsely accused you at school, but because even after dropping out, she couldn’t let it go. She actually hired thugs to go after you. With someone like your brother, uncovering things like this is effortless. Shi Yating ended up digging her own grave and taking her family down with her. Now the Shi family isn’t just bankrupt—they’re drowning in millions of debt. Her life from here on out won’t be easy.”

Gu Qingrang had looked into this out of curiosity. Ever since learning about Gu Yingying’s connection to Qin Yusen, his family had been eyeing a potential partnership with Jia’an Group. Keeping an eye on Gu Yingying and occasionally watching her back might just pay off one day—who knew, maybe their family could benefit from the connection.

“…She’s so awful.”

After a long pause, Gu Yingying finally muttered in frustration. She knew exactly what Gu Qingrang meant by “going after her.” She wasn’t actually naive—she just didn’t bother digging into things unless necessary. Back in Anlan Continent, she had taken lives herself. Compared to her, most people in this world were practically pacifists.

Her philosophy was simple: repay kindness with kindness, and revenge with vengeance.

Looking at the doll-like girl looking a bit downcast, Gu Qingrang resisted the urge to pat her head. Why didn’t his own mother give him a little sister? Gu Yingying might be a little clueless at times, but she was adorable—someone you just couldn’t help but want to protect.

“Alright, it’s over now. No point dwelling on it. She destroyed herself—it had nothing to do with you.”

With Gu Qingrang’s reassurance, Gu Yingying felt a little better. But before she could say more, her deskmate called out,

“Gu Yingying! Gu Xuezhen is outside looking for you!”

Gu Yingying turned her head and saw Gu Xuezhen standing by the door. Her face lit up with a bright smile, and in an instant, she excitedly ran out…

=^_^=