Qi An’an hadn’t eaten street food from outside the school gates in ages, and she never imagined that just grabbing a bite after school would lead her to run into her cub. This road was the usual route both of them took home, but logically, Jiang Lu should have already been in his house by now.

Could it be…… Jiang Lu wasn’t able to go home right now?

There were several passages in the novel describing how his mother would sometimes bring men back to their home. During those times, Jiang Lu would wander the streets like a lost soul.

Qi An’an glanced at Jiang Lu, standing there all alone. Amid the bustling crowd, he radiated a sharp sense of loneliness.

She must have guessed right.

Whenever she read scenes like this in the novel, Qi An’an would feel unbearable heartache, wishing she could drag that paper-thin character right out of the pages and place him into a real home, feeding him all sorts of delicious food. At the very least, a boy his age— still supposed to be carefree— should have a full belly and a roof over his head.

And now, her cub was definitely hungry! The mama bear in her couldn’t stay calm!

Qi An’an quickly strode forward. With half a bag of chicken tenders in her right hand and a jianbing guozi in her left, she held them out to Jiang Lu. “Jiang Lu, you haven’t had dinner yet, right? You must be hungry. Here, these are for you. If it’s not enough, tell me and I’ll buy more.”

Jiang Lu lowered his eyes and gave them a glance.

The spring evening breeze was warm, carrying the soft fragrance of the girl beside him. The scent of the jianbing gouzi and chicken tenders surprisingly blended well together. Framed by the noisy street scene, everything felt oddly beautiful.

Then Jiang Lu let out a light laugh, his voice chilly, “Qi An’an, who asked for your pity?”

Huh???

Did she do something wrong? Did her gesture make him feel uncomfortable? Qi An’an quickly glanced at what was in her hands. Umm, she’d already eaten half the bag of chicken tenders. Giving them to him now would indeed be a bit rude.

Qi An’an quickly hid the chicken tenders behind her back and raised her left hand.

“Jiang Lu, I already ate some of the chicken tenders. Uhhh…… I used a bamboo skewer to pick at them, but still, giving you leftovers wouldn’t be nice. I’ll get you a fresh batch next time. I haven’t touched the jiangbing gouzi though. You can have it. Or is there something you really want to eat?” Whatever you want, Mommy will take you to get it! Feeding you is the thing I’ve imagined doing a hundred times!

Jiang Lu took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, “What exactly do you want?”

What did she want……? Qi An’an looked into Jiang Lu’s eyes, her heart firm.

In the long run, she wanted to give him a bright and happy youth, to sweep away all the darkness and pain, to let him grow up carefree, fall in love with a girl he liked, and date happily. She would be the mama bear quietly watching from the sidelines, giddy with second-hand joy.

But no one would believe that kind of long-term goal if she said it out loud, so she settled for something more immediate. Qi An’an raised her hand and said, “I just want you to eat something. Skipping meals isn’t good for your health. If you keep doing that, you’ll get sick.”

Jiang Lu clenched the hand by his side, and replied in a low voice, “I already ate.”

Qi An’an didn’t believe him one bit. Jiang Lu always had to fend for himself at mealtimes, and now he clearly hadn’t even been able to enter his house. There was no way he had eaten.

She blinked at him. “You’re lying. I heard your stomach growling just now.”

Jiang Lu’s face didn’t change. “No, you didn’t.”

Qi An’an couldn’t help but laugh, just about to tease him when two honks suddenly sounded from the street. Someone called out to her, “An’an!”

They both turned their heads. A sleek black Bentley was parked by the roadside. A man with a handsome face leaned out from the driver’s seat, smiling as he waved at Qi An’an. “There you are, Little Glutton. Not going home after school just to eat street food?”

Qi An’an hesitated. Was he……

Seeing she didn’t respond for a while, the man in the car pretended to be upset. “Hey, what’s your deal? You see your brother and don’t even say hi?”

It really was Qi Yan— Qi An’an’s older brother! He’s a fellow tragic side character in the novel, fated to end up just as miserable as her. He’s a hopelessly indulgent brother with zero boundaries when it comes to spoiling his sister.

Qi Yan was an enigma. The whole world saw Qi An’an as an obsessive lunatic, but he alone insisted that his little sister was a treasure. Because of that, he did a lot of reckless, unprincipled things.

Qi Yan showing up at this point in the story was no small matter. She had to handle it well. Qi An’an shoved the jianbing gouzi into Jiang Lu’s arms and, speaking so fast her brain couldn’t keep up, blurted, “That’s my brother. I’ve got something important to do, gotta go. Baby, make sure you eat the jianbing gouzi, okay? Be good.”

Then she dashed off toward the roadside and slid right into the front passenger seat with a whoosh.

What had she just called him?

Jiang Lu stood in place, his expression complicated as he watched Qi An’an’s car disappear down the road in a cloud of dust.

Baby, be good.

His fingers moved slightly as he slowly blinked. The food in his palm was still steaming, warm to the touch.

────ρя
 

“Who was that just now? A classmate of yours? Are you two close?” After the car started, Qi Yan couldn’t help asking.

He glanced sideways at Qi An’an and, without waiting for her to respond, smiled and reached out to wipe the grease from her mouth. “How old are you, huh? You got your whole mouth covered in oil.”

Qi An’an hastily wiped her mouth with both hands. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it myself. Your suit’s expensive. Don’t get it dirty.”

Qi Yan’s fingers paused for a moment, his expression shifting slightly. “An’an, has something happened to you lately? Did someone upset you? Or is Uncle Chen and the others not taking good care of you?”

This little sister he had treasured since childhood— spoiled and temperamental— would usually wipe her mouth on his tailored suit like it was a napkin and toss it aside without a care. For her to now say ‘don’t get your clothes dirty’, it was like the sun had risen in the west.

He was, after all, the world’s number one big brother from the original novel— the one who never pursued love or career, and only doted on his sister. Qi Yan’s character sparked the most heated debate in the novel. Despite being written as a villain aligned with Qi An’an, he was the dream brother of countless girls— a reward you can only receive if you had saved the entire galaxy in your past life.

Book Qi An’an hadn’t cherished him. But now that she had him, she would cherish him enough for the both of them. Qi An’an grinned and waved her hand. “What are you thinking? No one upset me. I’m happy every day. Can’t I just be growing up and maturing a bit?”

Qi Yan still looked skeptical. “If someone’s bullying you, you have to tell Brother.”

Being ten years older, he worried like a father. Qi An’an nodded obediently. “Got it. But no one can bully me. I’m fierce.”

“Who was that boy just now? You two seem close.” Though he let the previous topic drop, Qi Yan hadn’t forgotten his earlier question.

Qi An’an considered her words. “We’re okay. He’s my deskmate. Super smart.”

Qi Yan gave a noncommittal hum. “No puppy love allowed.”

Where did that come from? Wasn’t that breaking up her favorite CP before it even formed? That’s my precious boy! You’re his uncle! Qi An’an nodded frantically to reassure him. “No such thing, I swear. Even if I were to fall in love early, it wouldn’t be with him. Don’t worry.”

She was most afraid of Qi Yan bringing up ‘puppy love.’ In the novel, by the time Qi Yan appeared, Book Qi An’an had already been harassing Jiang Lu for a while. When Qi Yan questioned her about it, she couldn’t bear to admit that Jiang Lu disliked her, so she lied and said he was the son of a prostitute who seduced her for her money, trying to marry into the Qi family.

Qi Yan flew into a rage and immediately had Jiang Lu’s legs broken. Though the bones were later set, Jiang Lu could never run or jump again, and had to endure excruciating pain whenever it rained.

Qi An’an pursed her lips. Now that she had taken over, she would never let that happen. Trying to steer the conversation, she probed gently, “Brother, what brings you here all of a sudden?”

“Our company just launched a new game.” Qi Yan explained. “We’re collaborating with a few firms here, and since you’re in the area, I came to check things out personally. Oh, and,” Qi Yan continued, “the project got lucky. I stumbled upon a really talented artist— full of natural flair. I’ve already contacted him. Turns out he lives here in S City too, so I figured I’d observe him a bit. If he’s a good fit, I’ll sign him as the lead artist.”

So it was now indeed happening. Qi An’an’s thoughts raced.

The genius artist Qi Yan referred to was none other than Jiang Lu. He had a remarkable talent for drawing from a young age and had been supporting himself entirely on that skill. If no one had interfered, he would’ve soon been financially secure, gotten into university, and led a bright, stable life.

But all of that was ruined during the contract signing meeting.

Qi Yan would never hire someone rumored to sleep with men, and even less someone accused of targeting his underage sister. At that time, he held immense power, and blacklisting someone in the art circle took nothing more than a few words.

Jiang Lu, scarred and out of options, was driven into the abyss— mocked by others and tormented by Book Qi An’an.

Even after he got out of prison and rapidly rose to prominence in the business world, becoming an influential figure, he never touched a paintbrush again. But Qi An’an remembered clearly that the novel mentioned Jiang Lu genuinely loved art. He simply believed he no longer deserved it.

That wouldn’t do. Her cub had dreams, and she had to support them with everything she had. No one could ruin this chance.

But their meeting might go very wrong, and critically so. Qi An’an looked at Qi Yan with a serious face. “Brother, when are you planning to meet…… that artist? I want to go too. Don’t you dare meet him behind my back. You have to take me with you.”