Chapter Twenty-Six: This... I Already Know

Qin Xuan drove Liu Ruoxi out of the room, then lay on his bed pondering what gift he should give her. As he thought, he drifted off into a hazy sleep. The next morning, he awoke to see his phone battery at 1%, which left him a bit frustrated. Fortunately, it was Sunday, the perfect day to pick out a birthday present. Flipping through the calendar, he noticed Liu Ruoxi’s birthday was next Friday—just right.

Last year he’d given her a necklace; perhaps a piece of jewelry again this year? She was missing a bracelet, after all. With his mind made up, Qin Xuan checked the time—just past nine—got up, cooked some porridge for the two women, and headed out.

He started with the nearby shopping street, but after wandering around, nothing seemed suitable for Liu Ruoxi. Eventually, with a local’s guidance, he found himself in an old street lined with jade shops. The antique architecture was a rare treasure in itself. Qin Xuan strolled leisurely along until a shop called “Miaoyu Studio” caught his eye. He found a bracelet he liked, and with a touch of reluctance, handed over his long-saved pocket money. Thoughts of his dwindling startup funds pained him, but for Liu Ruoxi, it was worth it.

On the way home, he picked up a catfish at the market. The memory of Liu Ruoxi’s “exceptional” cooking last time left him speechless—better to do it himself. Back home, he found both Liu Ruoxi and Qin Lin’er still asleep—it was already 11 o’clock! Qin Xuan hid the gift and went to wake them one by one.

Seeing the two of them bleary-eyed, he thought: this must be modern female college students. He was supposed to be the lazy one here—something about this plot felt off. After half an hour, Qin Xuan shook his head in exasperation. He’d already played two games and gone 0-8, yet they still weren’t up. Unable to stand it any longer, he went to the kitchen to start cooking.

Soon enough, Liu Ruoxi, lured by the delicious aroma, slipped out, licking her dry lips and swallowing. Qin Xuan gave her a look of disdain.

“Go wash up!” he barked irritably.

“Who are you yelling at?” Liu Ruoxi, clearly still cranky from being woken up.

“Fine, I’ll shut up,” he conceded, but added, “Just hurry up and get ready for breakfast.”

“Where’s Lin’er?” Liu Ruoxi shook her head, not seeing Qin Lin’er. Last night, that little rascal had argued with her for hours—she’d been tempted to spank her.

“She’s still sleeping! Go wake her up,” Qin Xuan instructed.

Obediently, Liu Ruoxi opened the door to find Qin Lin’er sprawled messily across the bed, her shirt riding up to reveal a strip of pale skin. Grinning, Liu Ruoxi walked over and landed a resounding smack on Qin Lin’er’s backside.

Apparently, it hurt—Qin Lin’er rolled over and opened her eyes to find Liu Ruoxi staring at her like a lunatic.

“You hit me again! I’m sending this picture to my brother!” Qin Lin’er threatened, reaching for her phone. Liu Ruoxi was faster and snatched it away.

“It was Qin Xuan who told me to wake you—don’t blame me,” Liu Ruoxi argued.

“Liar! He told you to wake me, not to hit me!” Qin Lin’er puffed up, looking rather cute, though a bit less so with her hair so wild.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Liu Ruoxi tossed the phone back. “If you send that, it’s all-out war—three spankings a day!”

“You think I won’t?” Qin Lin’er opened her pinned chat and sent a photo.

In the kitchen, Qin Xuan noticed his phone light up.

“Huh?” He saw a picture of a few books. The names were odd—this must be Liu Ruoxi’s room, judging by the familiar sheets.

Liu Ruoxi, surprised that Qin Lin’er actually sent the photo, taunted: “If you’re so bold, send the other one too!”

“Fine, I will! I’m not scared,” Qin Lin’er sent the second photo as well.

Just as Qin Xuan was wondering what the two of them were up to, another, even stranger picture arrived.

“What the—huh?” Qin Xuan recognized some of the items in the photo. He turned down the stove and hurried to Qin Lin’er’s room, holding up his phone. “What are you two doing?”

“Brother! Let me tell you, these are things I found in Ruoxi’s room—” Qin Lin’er started to tattle, but Liu Ruoxi quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh, that? I already knew,” Qin Xuan said suddenly, leaving both girls momentarily stunned.

He went on, “I found out last month when I picked up a parcel for Ruoxi.”

Liu Ruoxi realized he was right—so why had she let Lin’er threaten her?

“Qin Xuan, please step out a moment. I have something to deal with,” Liu Ruoxi said, ushering him out and locking the door.

She turned to see Qin Lin’er hiding under the covers.

“Getting bold, are you? Daring to threaten me?”

...

Qin Xuan didn’t know how the battle went exactly, but half an hour later, Qin Lin’er was eating lunch standing up. Liu Ruoxi, on the other hand, looked smug—her hand ached from the spanking, but she couldn’t help but think Lin’er’s shapely backside owed at least half to her efforts.

“Qin Xuan, is my gift ready?” Liu Ruoxi asked curiously.

Qin Xuan, still fighting with Qin Lin’er over the meat, replied, “It’s ready. You’ll see soon enough.”

“Good!” Liu Ruoxi planned to buy a photo frame later—she had big plans.

“I haven’t gotten mine ready yet. Brother, do you want my ****?” Qin Lin’er asked brazenly.

Qin Xuan, caught off guard, choked on his food. “No! What would I want that for?”

“Obviously for... you know!” Qin Lin’er raised her brows mischievously.

“I don’t know, and stop making things up or I’ll sue you for slander,” Qin Xuan denied vehemently.

“Original, right? Looks like you haven’t had enough,” Liu Ruoxi couldn’t hold back, put down her bowl, and dragged Qin Lin’er back to their room. Soon, yelps and cries could be heard.

Qin Xuan suddenly felt a bit sorry for his sister, but at the same time, he wanted to laugh—this was what they called reaping what you sow.

...

After a while, Qin Lin’er poked her head out, seeing only Qin Xuan sitting by the coffee table.

She whispered, “Brother? Where’s Ruoxi?”

Qin Xuan glanced at her, “She went out.”

Emboldened, Qin Lin’er swaggered out. “Ruoxi is such a jerk—she hit me again!”

“And you dare complain? Didn’t you have it coming?” Qin Xuan exposed her mercilessly.

“Well... I just thought you liked it, brother!” Qin Lin’er pouted.

“Stop right there! Who said that? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Oh, if you won’t admit it, then let’s just say I’m making things up!” Qin Lin’er grinned slyly, like a little fox.

Qin Xuan was left speechless. How had his once obedient sister turned into this?

Not long after, Liu Ruoxi returned with her purchases. Qin Lin’er instantly became well-behaved, grabbing a cushion to sit on and watching TV on the sofa. Liu Ruoxi shot her a glance, then shut herself in her room to do who knew what. As soon as she was gone, Qin Lin’er tossed the cushion aside and flopped across Qin Xuan’s lap, beckoning for him to look at her bruised backside. Qin Xuan understood, but ignored her, letting her cry and complain to herself...