After staring at her for a while, the young man seemed to think of something, and a hint of absurdity flashed in his eyes. Then, his interest was inexplicably piqued. He softened his expression, deliberately lowered his voice, and said, “Mm.”

“……” Sang Zhi couldn’t remain calm anymore and was on the verge of breaking down. “Did Mom and Dad agree?”

A few seconds of silence followed.

The young man licked the corner of his lips, his words tinged with a smile, “As long as it looks good, then isn’t it fine?”

As soon as his words fell, Sang Zhi was once again stunned.

Compared to Sang Yan’s voice, this one sounded clearer and mellow. When speaking, the ending of each sentence was elongated, giving it a hint of ambiguity and tenderness.

It was completely and utterly different from her brother’s always cold and irritating tone and manner.

“Kid.” He chuckled softly, continuing, “Come over and see if your brother looks good.”

Sang Zhi instantly sensed that something was off.

At that moment, there was movement behind her. She heard the sound of the door opening, followed by the thudding of footsteps.

Sang Zhi instinctively turned her head.

She immediately saw Sang Yan’s face.

The young man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, looking a bit thinner than a few months ago. His hair was damp, and a towel was draped over his shoulder seeming to have just taken a shower. Upon seeing Sang Zhi, his lips curled into a smirk. He picked up a fork from the fruit plate in her hand, took a piece of sliced watermelon, and walked inside.

As if she had seen a ghost, Sang Zhi trembled and called out, “B-brother.”

“What’s wrong?” Sang Yan glanced at her, taking a bite of the watermelon. “Did I impress you again with my looks?”

“I……”

Before she could finish, the young man behind her suddenly burst into laughter, interrupting Sang Zhi’s words.

Sang Zhi rarely felt so flustered and involuntarily looked in his direction.

What she saw was an existence even more dazzling than the sunlight outside the window.

The young man’s brows and eyes softened, his appearance losing some of its coldness. The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, and his light-colored gaze shimmered with flecks of light, full of a spring-like charm. He looked like a captivating, enchanting male fairy.

Sang Zhi’s heart skipped a beat in that instant.

It was as if she had been hit and easily gotten ensnared.

Thinking that he was mocking him, Sang Yan looked at the other party and said, “Duan Jiaxu, are you laughing at me—”

Because of Sang Zhi’s presence, Sang Yan didn’t finish the sentence with the few expletives he had intended to use. He changed the subject, picked up his phone from the side, opened the text message interface, and waved it in front of Sang Zhi.

“Little Brat, what mess have you gotten into this time?”

The screen displayed their recent conversation.

That fleeting, light-headed feeling vanished completely in an instant, interrupted by Sang Yan. Sang Zhi immediately retorted, “I didn’t get into any mess.”

Sang Yan stared at her, his eyebrows raised. “It’s best if you haven’t.”

“……” Sang Zhi, needing his help, could only grit her teeth to speak, “But, Brother, I need a favor……”

There was an unfamiliar person present so Sang Zhi glanced in his direction before looking back at Sang Yan, her eyes hinting at what she wanted to say but hesitated to voice it.

Sang Yan pretended not to notice.

Then, the stranger spoke up, his tone full of interest, “Sang Yan, is this your sister?”

Sang Yan walked over to the bed and sat down. “Who else could she be? My daughter?”

“……”

In return, Sang Zhi asked, “Brother, who is this?”

Sang Yan replied concisely, “My roommate, Duan Jiaxu.”

“Don’t you recognize me?” Duan Jiaxu said. “Weren’t you just calling me brother?”

That remark made Sang Zhi recall her foolish thoughts from earlier. Her tense expression immediately crumbled, looking somewhat annoyed.

Sang Yan let out a light snort. “Quite affectionate.”

During this exchange, Duan Jiaxu had already walked up to Sang Zhi and crouched down in front of her. He gazed at her seriously, his light-colored eyes appearing both gentle and alluring. “My name is Duan Jiaxu, I’m your brother’s friend.”

Sang Zhi turned her eyes away, her expression somewhat uneasy. “Oh.”

After seriously introducing himself to the little girl, Duan Jiaxu turned his head and resumed his usual casual demeanor. “Sang Yan.”

Sang Yan didn’t even look up, continuing to play with his phone.

Duan Jiaxu asked, “It seems that you and I look similar?”

What kind of question was that?

Sang Yan stopped what he was doing and looked up. “Take a look in the mirror.”

“Then.” Duan Jiaxu took the fruit plate from Sang Zhi’s hands. “Why did this kiddo just ask me……”

“……”

After a brief pause, Duan Jiaxu chuckled again. “If I got plastic surgery?”

There was silence.

Then Sang Yan responded coolly, “What do you mean?”

“Brother!” Fearing upsetting Sang Yan and losing his help in meeting her teacher, Sang Zhi hurriedly changed the subject, “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back?”

“Little Brat.” Remembering Sang Zhi’s earlier expression, Sang Yan said expressionlessly, “Did you really think he was me?”

“……N-no.”

“You thought he was a surgically altered version of me?”

“……”

“How did you come up with that idea?” Sang Yan, always overly confident, spoke with an upset and harsh tone, “Me, getting plastic surgery? And ending up looking like him—”

Seeing him going on and on, Sang Zhi’s temper flared up as well. “Isn’t it natural that you’d want to look like him?!”

“……”

“Mom didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend home.” Anger brought Sang Zhi back to her true self, revealing her unruly nature. “And since there was only this person in the room, isn’t it normal for me to think that?”

Sang Yan impatiently dug at his ear. “Lower your voice.”

Sang Zhi glared at him. “Why should I lower my voice? I’m not disturbing anyone.”

The siblings faced off.

Sang Yan showed no sign of yielding to his sister, continuing to stoke the fire. “You’re disturbing me.”

Seeing that the argument was escalating, Duan Jiaxu stepped in to calm the situation. He waved at Sang Zhi. “Kid, come over and have some fruit.”

With his friend present, Sang Yan lost interest in bullying his perpetually defiant sister. He glanced at his phone and said to Duan Jiaxu, “Do you want to take a shower before heading back to school?”

“No need.” Duan Jiaxu took a piece of watermelon with a fork and held it out to Sang Zhi. “Let’s leave after finishing the fruits.”

Sang Zhi pressed her lips together and instinctively glanced at Duan Jiaxu.

At that moment, the childish and embarrassing argument with Sang Yan replayed in her mind. Adding to it, this seemingly kind older brother had just casually exposed her humiliating actions.

Feelings of grievance and unspoken emotions welled up inside her.

She felt as if the whole world had abandoned her.

Her cheeks uncontrollably began to burn, becoming hot and flushed, and she felt a stinging sensation around her eyes.

She started to feel very embarrassed.

Sang Zhi silently took the piece of fruit, her nose feeling clogged, and heat surged toward her face. She struggled to hold it back for a long time, but a sob still escaped her throat.

Duan Jiaxu’s movements paused.

Sang Yan also heard it and looked up. “……You can’t be serious.”

Those words seemed to work like magic.

As soon as they were spoken, Sang Zhi’s tears were unleashed, streaming down uncontrollably. Her suppressed sobs erupted, echoing through the room and spilling into the living room.

“……”

The two young men froze simultaneously.

Hearing the noise, Li Ping immediately came in from the living room. “What’s going on?”

Sang Yan reacted quickly and shamelessly said, “Duan Jiaxu, how could you bully my sister?”

Duan Jiaxu’s expression stiffened.

He had never encountered such a situation before and was at a loss for how to respond.

He hadn’t even fully realized if he was the one who had made the kid cry.

But before he could offer an explanation, the next moment, Sang Zhi grabbed the hem of his shirt and hid behind him, looking especially frightened. She glanced at Li Ping, still sobbing, and pointed at Sang Yan with her other hand. “Mom…… Wuuwuu…… B-brother……”

Li Ping turned to look at Sang Yan, her gaze icy.

Sang Zhi’s cries grew more pitiful. “Brother hit me……”

Sang Yan: “……”

The little girl cried with such grievance, her large tears falling like drops that seemed to hit one’s heart. It was rare to see Sang Zhi cry like this and Li Ping’s heart immediately softened. She gently consoled Sang Zhi with a few kind words before her expression changed. She pulled Sang Yan into the living room to give him a stern talking-to.

The door opened and closed with their movements.

The atmosphere cooled with one person gone. Sang Zhi let go of Duan Jiaxu’s shirt, her sobs gradually subsiding.

Duan Jiaxu turned to look at her.

The little girl was still young and her development wasn’t as good as her peers. She wasn’t even 150 cm tall, only reaching his chest. Her eyes were large and, at this moment, red and teary. She was still sniffling, looking very much like a little rabbit.

She then took a pitiful bite of the watermelon.

Her sobs stopped completely.

Duan Jiaxu smiled and didn’t ask why she had cried. He pulled two tissues from the box on the table. “No more crying?”

With her tears gone, Sang Zhi’s mood improved significantly, though a hint of shame lingered.

She kept her head down and didn’t speak.

Due to their height difference, Duan Jiaxu had to bend down to wipe her tears with the tissues. “Go wash your face in a bit.”

Sang Zhi, used to being taken care of like this, didn’t shy away.

In the silence, a thought suddenly popped into Sang Zhi’s mind.

A thought that would undoubtedly seem abrupt to a stranger.

After thinking for a while, Sang Zhi hesitantly spoke up. Her voice, still soft and childish from having just cried, sounded especially endearing, “Brother, are you leaving?”

Duan Jiaxu lifted his eyes and hummed in response. “Why?”

“Do you have time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Sang Zhi said quietly, “Tomorrow.”

Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “Why are you asking about my schedule?”

Since he didn’t clearly say he was available, Sang Zhi found it difficult to explain. “It’s just…… just……” She couldn’t come up with a good reason and eventually returned to her original question, this time adding a flattering tone, “Brother, do you have time tomorrow?”

Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes and lazily said, “What if Brother doesn’t have time tomorrow?”

Sang Zhi panicked. “That won’t do!”

Having just offended Sang Yan, he surely wouldn’t help her now. The only hope she had left was this person in front of her.

She clenched her fists, threatening in a dry, desperate tone, “You must be available. If you’re not, I’ll…… I’ll tell my mom that you both hit me, ganging up on me……”

“……”

Ganging up on her?

Duan Jiaxu pulled the corners of his mouth slightly. “Kid, why are you being unreasonable?”

Sang Zhi looked at him and said without confidence, “I’m still young.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know reason yet.”

“……”

Alright.

Duan Jiaxu, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, said, “First, tell me what you want to do tomorrow.”

Sang Zhi paused for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Could you pretend to be my brother, like…… the blood-related one?”

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow.

“And then tomorrow,” she felt a bit embarrassed, her voice dropping to a whisper, “could you come see my teacher……?”

Duan Jiaxu understood. “So, you’ve been asked to bring a guardian?”

Sang Zhi fell silent as if to confirm his guess.

“What’s the reason?”

Remembering the reasons she had come up with on the way home, Sang Zhi wasn’t sure if he would believe them. She scratched her head and hesitated, “Can I not say?”

“That’s fine.”

Before Sang Zhi could breathe a sigh of relief, Duan Jiaxu added nonchalantly, “In that case, your brother is busy tomorrow.”