Chapter Thirty-One: Suddenly, Life Lost Its Joy...

After she left, Liu Ruoxi turned her head. She had just felt as if strange eyes were upon her, but when she looked back, found nothing—how odd.

Qin Xuan watched as the daylight slowly faded from the desk, yet the library grew even busier. It seemed the evening crowd had arrived after dinner. As Qin Xuan was lost in his thoughts—

A small rumble sounded within their little group.

Qin Xuan and Liu Ruoxi both turned to stare at Qin Lin’er, who was now covering her stomach in embarrassment, her face instantly flushed. At home, this would have been nothing, but here... it was truly awkward. Hopefully, no one else had heard?

Glancing around and reassured, Qin Lin’er turned and gave Qin Xuan two quick punches.

“This is all your fault for not feeding me enough! See? Now I’m starving.”

Qin Xuan was speechless. Wasn’t that unreasonable?

“Let’s go then. We’re done here. I’ll make you egg fried rice at home.” Qin Xuan knew all too well how much Qin Lin’er loved that dish.

As they stepped out of the library, Qin Lin’er gestured for Qin Xuan to carry her. He hesitated, thinking it would look bad in front of the whole campus, but as he descended the last few steps, she leapt onto his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and refused to let go.

Qin Xuan, half exasperated, half amused, said, “Aren’t you a bit old for me to be carrying you? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Hmph!” Qin Lin’er’s breath tickled his neck. “No matter how old I get, you’re still my big brother, so you have to carry me!”

Liu Ruoxi interjected, “Shameless!”

Qin Lin’er turned to the backpack-toting Liu Ruoxi. “What’s this? Jealous, are you?”

“As if I’d be jealous of you,” Liu Ruoxi retorted, though inwardly she was frustrated. Qin Xuan had never carried her. She’d have to find a way to get back at him!

“Tsk, tsk. Maybe you are.” Qin Lin’er’s mischievous smile made Liu Ruoxi want to hit her, but with so many people around, she held back.

Seeing her small triumph, Qin Lin’er smacked Qin Xuan’s backside in excitement. “Onward, dear brother!”

It was the first time anyone had smacked Qin Xuan there. The sensation was... strange, incredibly strange.

Passing the sports field, they saw couples hand in hand, some even embracing, whispering sweet nothings to each other. The sight made the three singletons a bit self-conscious. Where was the principal? Wasn’t this against the rules?

Little did they know, their own trio was the real spectacle. Rumors about their relationship had already spread across the school forum. Along the way, they drew plenty of ambiguous glances, which made all three of them uneasy.

Qin Lin’er simply buried her face in Qin Xuan’s neck, pressed close to her brother, and felt a wave of drowsiness.

When they got home, Qin Xuan set Qin Lin’er down on the sofa and went to make egg fried rice, adding extra diced carrots, just the way she liked.

In no time, Qin Xuan and Liu Ruoxi were each polishing off a big bowl, while Qin Lin’er sat, holding her own, head drooping sleepily.

Qin Xuan nudged her. “Hey! Eat before you sleep, or it’ll get cold.”

“Mmm...” Qin Lin’er responded drowsily.

Seeing this, Qin Xuan took her bowl and scooped up a large spoonful. “Open up,” he said, holding the spoon to her lips. Qin Lin’er parted her lips at his voice.

Liu Ruoxi watched the scene between brother and sister, her brows knitting with displeasure.

After a while, Qin Lin’er was happily eating, but something about the spoon felt off. She opened her eyes to see Liu Ruoxi’s impassive face holding the bowl.

“Well, the young lady’s awake. Here, eat up!”

“No, no, I’ll do it myself.”

“Quit fussing and eat!”

Qin Xuan looked over to see Liu Ruoxi straddling Qin Lin’er’s waist on the sofa, spoon relentlessly at work. Qin Lin’er’s cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish as she shook her head furiously, but it was no use against Liu Ruoxi.

Satisfied, Qin Xuan nodded. Yes, this was the very picture of “a loving father and a dutiful child”.

When Qin Xuan returned from cleaning up, Qin Lin’er was sprawled on the sofa, unwilling to move. Her bowl was spotless, and she rubbed her belly through her shirt.

“Brother!” She called out in a tone full of complaint as Qin Xuan sat beside her.

He ruffled her hair wordlessly, just as Liu Ruoxi emerged from her room with a towel.

“So? Complaining, are you? It was your brother who told me to feed you, you know. Don’t blame me.”

Qin Lin’er looked at Qin Xuan with a face full of innocence. “Hmph!” She shoved her bowl into his arms and, moving sluggishly from having eaten so much, retreated to her room.

Marbles, the cat, tried to follow, but Qin Lin’er shut and locked the door. Marbles meowed twice at the door, and when there was no response, went to rub against Qin Xuan’s leg instead.

Liu Ruoxi shrugged helplessly and headed into the bathroom. The sound of running water made Qin Xuan a bit flustered. He tossed Marbles onto the sofa and hurried to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Afterwards, he went to his room and turned on his computer—he still hadn’t tried out the mountain of games his sister had given him.

Over half an hour later, his door opened. Liu Ruoxi, wrapped in a bath towel, entered, drying her hair with one hand and kicking the door shut behind her.

“Seriously, what are you doing here again? Next time, I’ll have to lock the door!” Qin Xuan, taken aback by her appearance, froze for a moment before regaining his composure.

“You said that last time too,” Liu Ruoxi replied, plopping down beside him.

Qin Xuan was at a loss.

“So, tell me—do I smell good or not?” Liu Ruoxi lifted his chin and drew his face toward her.

Qin Xuan’s gaze darted away, but when he caught sight of Liu Ruoxi’s bare shoulder, he couldn’t help swallowing. The scent of her shower gel lingered in the air, teasing his senses.

“Liu Ruoxi!” He broke free from her hand. “Why are you acting like a lovesick fool?”

“Well, if I am, it’s only for you!”

She reached out to put an arm around his shoulder. Seeing her draw closer, Qin Xuan quickly scooted away, half-reclining on the bed. But Liu Ruoxi pressed her advantage and sprawled on top of him.

Qin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat; disaster was imminent.

Liu Ruoxi felt the change as well, her face reddening. Just as she was about to take things further, the door suddenly burst open. At that moment, both Liu Ruoxi and Qin Xuan thought: Next time, lock the door!

Qin Lin’er, having heard no movement from Liu Ruoxi’s room for ages, guessed the “wild thing” must have sneaked into her brother’s room. Sure enough, she arrived to find her poor brother “under attack”.

“Shameless! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I... was just playing games with your brother!”

Qin Lin’er grabbed Liu Ruoxi’s arm and tugged. The bath towel started slipping, so Liu Ruoxi had to hold it in place with one hand while being shoved by Qin Xuan. With one final pull, Qin Lin’er dragged Liu Ruoxi out of the room.

As soon as they were gone, Qin Xuan shut and locked the door with a sigh of relief. If this happened a few more times, who could possibly withstand it?

In Liu Ruoxi’s room, Qin Lin’er glared at Liu Ruoxi sprawled on the bed, seething. Hadn’t they agreed—no sneak attacks?

Liu Ruoxi, seeing her return, relaxed and grabbed Qin Lin’er, pulling her down onto the bed. The two girls tumbled into a playful scuffle.

Suddenly, Qin Lin’er’s foot caught on the hem of the bath towel, and she stared, dumbfounded, at Liu Ruoxi’s figure. Good heavens—so big? She looked down at herself, then back up in comparison. In that instant, Qin Lin’er felt as if life had lost all its joy.