Chapter Two: Give Her a Gentle Massage

Page 1/3

As soon as Qin Xuan stepped out, he saw Chang Wei—no, it was Liu Ruoxi—hitting Qin Lin’er.

“All right, that’s enough. Go wash up for dinner,” he announced.

“Okay,” Liu Ruoxi replied without turning her head, her voice casual. “I’ll let you off this time, but if it happens again, just you wait!”

Qin Lin’er’s little face flushed red, though what exactly Liu Ruoxi had done was anyone’s guess.

...

At the dinner table, there was a brief moment of harmony.

“I have to say,” Liu Ruoxi remarked, picking up a piece of fish belly, “Qin Xuan, your cooking skills are impressive. Your future wife is really in for a treat.”

She sneaked a glance at Qin Xuan as she spoke, her tone betraying a trace of unease.

“Hmm? Maybe,” Qin Xuan replied, eating fish with one hand while scrolling through his phone with the other.

“So, what are your plans for university?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Just enjoy college life, I guess.”

“Really? I thought you’d say you wanted to fall in love or something.”

“That sort of thing can’t really be planned. I’ll just go with the flow,” Qin Xuan said, pausing with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. “Honestly, I’d rather just take it easy.”

Qin Lin’er, who had been happily munching on some marinated dishes, chimed in quietly, “If you just drift aimlessly, you’ll never find a wife.”

“???” Qin Xuan felt a headache coming on.

Liu Ruoxi’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Don’t worry, if you can’t find a wife, I suppose I could make an exception for you.”

“Oh please, keep dreaming,” Qin Lin’er retorted, indignant.

Liu Ruoxi slowly set down her chopsticks.

“Let’s just eat,” Qin Xuan hurriedly interjected, sensing trouble brewing.

“You always take Lin’er’s side!” Liu Ruoxi shot Qin Xuan a look. “See how spoiled you’ve made her?”

“Enough, enough, let’s just eat, okay?”

“Fine,” Liu Ruoxi muttered, her enthusiasm dampened—even the fish in her bowl lost its flavor.

After dinner, Liu Ruoxi went home, leaving the siblings to do the dishes…

Well, in the end, it was still Qin Xuan who took care of everything. After all, his sister’s hands needed to be pampered.

Page 2/3

After bustling about for a while, Qin Xuan looked over at his sister sprawled on the sofa watching variety shows, and felt a headache coming on.

With a thud, Qin Xuan grabbed her legs, which were taking up most of the sofa, and tossed them aside.

“What’s your problem!” Qin Lin’er yelped, her legs stinging. She looked just like that meme of a lioness losing her temper at home.

But Qin Xuan wasn’t in the mood to argue. He ignored her, snatched the cushion she’d been using, and lay down on the sofa himself. “Much better.”

Qin Lin’er, now thoroughly snubbed: “?”

“Hey, should we move out when the time comes?” Qin Lin’er nudged Qin Xuan’s waist with her foot.

“Why? Isn’t living in the dorms just fine?”

“We’ve never lived at school before. What if we can’t get used to it?”

“So, just the two of us?”

“Yeah, or maybe we could bring Sister Xi along.”

“Oh? I’m surprised you’d even think of her,” Qin Xuan mused. “Well, that could work. You talk to Mom and Dad about it.”

Qin Lin’er sat up, wrapping her arms around Qin Xuan’s neck. “Hee hee, I knew you were the best, big brother!”

“Are you up to something?”

She pouted. “How could you think that? You know your sister—so gentle and kind.”

“Am I forgetting another sister or something?”

She paused, then pushed him away. “Go away! All you do is tease your little sister.”

Qin Xuan dodged her smelly feet, tossed the cushion into her face, and ignored her sulking as he headed for his room.

Qin Xuan’s room was directly across from Qin Lin’er’s. When they were little, they both used to sleep in his room, but as they got older, their parents separated them for propriety’s sake. Still, Qin Lin’er preferred to hang out in his room, but never let him into hers—something that always made Qin Xuan wonder what secrets she was hiding in there.

Qin Xuan’s room was pretty bare: a wardrobe, a bed, and a desktop computer that was already ten years old—one Qin Lin’er had replaced, passing the old one down to him, which only highlighted his lowly family status.

This time, Qin Xuan made sure to lock his door behind him. After all, yesterday he’d forgotten and his sister had caught him in a rather embarrassing moment. To be fair, it was just teenage curiosity.

Qin Xuan was about to play a couple of rounds of chess before bed when he heard a knock at the door.

“What do you want?” he asked, opening the door to find his sister looking unusually docile. “Did someone possess you? What’s with that face…”

Her expression immediately fell. “You’re the one who’s possessed.”

She brushed past him and flopped onto his bed, turning to glare at her brother, who was still standing in the doorway, looking at her with an air of disdain.

Page 3/3

“You did it here yesterday, didn’t you?” she teased.

Qin Xuan’s face flushed. “No! Can we not talk about that? It’s so embarrassing!”

“Haha!” Qin Lin’er, emboldened by his discomfort, pressed on. “How did it feel, getting interrupted by your little sister?”

“Shut up already.” Qin Xuan tried to change the subject. “What are you doing here anyway? Looking for a beating?”

“No, big brother…” Qin Lin’er hesitated, rubbing her backside.

“Sister Xi really hit me hard today. My butt still hurts. Will you rub it for me?”

Qin Xuan was scandalized by her coquettish act.

“Get lost. I think you deserved it—Sister Xi did you a favor.” He was genuinely shocked by her audacity.

“Come on, big brother, I’m serious! See for yourself, it’s all swollen,” she whined, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Qin Xuan looked around the room.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“My baseball bat. I think I should give you a good whack.”

Qin Lin’er’s eyes widened. “Stop, stop, stop! How can you treat your adorable little sister like this?”

“Go back to your room!” Qin Xuan pulled her off his bed, pushed her out, and shut the door.

Leaning against the door, he let out a long sigh. How has this little imp grown up so quickly?

In his haste, he’d accidentally caught a glimpse of something he shouldn’t have.

He took a deep breath, forcing the impure thoughts from his mind. “All right, time for some bounty hunting!”

Outside the room—

Staring at the closed door, Qin Lin’er ground her teeth. “Typical pig-headed brother!”

She rubbed her sore backside as she returned to her own room, leaving the door slightly ajar—even though she knew Qin Xuan would never come.

And so, the day ended with Qin Xuan failing to claim his bounty, getting carried off by Old Eight instead.