As she spoke, her eyes dimmed slightly, and her smile tasted bitter.
Qin Luo looked at the beautiful sister before him, feeling that she seemed to have something difficult to say.
“My little brother just went missing as a child, but she never gave up looking for him.”
It sounded like an explanation, but it was actually a warning to the younger brother in front of her—his current beautiful sister was already taken, so he shouldn’t get any ideas.
“Sister Zhirou, surviving a great disaster brings good fortune. I believe you’ll find him someday.”
Qin Luo nodded encouragingly, but inside he felt a bit disappointed. The Luo Zhirou before him was beautiful, with a great figure—any man would have thoughts about her. She was gentle, and her temperament especially suited his taste.
There was an old saying: “A pavilion near water gets the moonlight first.” Maybe he could take the chance to get closer to this beautiful sister.
But as it turned out, his beautiful sister already had someone in her heart. Although the saying goes, “With a good hoe, no wall is unbreakable,” Qin Luo didn’t think he was head over heels for her yet.
Forget it, forget it.
May true lovers end up together.
This reminded him of a phrase: “May true lovers end up as siblings.”
But that wasn’t a big deal for him—they were just siblings, and he didn’t have a sister anyway. As long as they didn’t end up as brother and sister in name.
“Mm, thanks, Aluo. I believe too that one day I will find him.”
A strange glimmer flashed in Luo Zhirou’s beautiful eyes.
Before they knew it, the time had crept close to noon.
“Little… brother, it’s getting late. Time to make lunch.”
Qin Luo looked up.
Sure enough, he had lost track of time and slept until nearly eleven in the morning.
He immediately ducked into the kitchen, ready to show off his skills. Since his sister’s friend was visiting, he couldn’t just throw something together. It had been a long time since they had guests in the house.
In the living room, Bai Jingyu and Luo Zhirou sat on the sofa, turning on the TV as background noise while chatting.
“Zhirou, how long are you planning to stay in Jinghai this time?”
Bai Jingyu asked, trying to sound casual.
“Hard to say for now. When I left, I only brought some cash. My bank card, credit card, and even the points in my online accounts have all been frozen.”
Luo Zhirou thought for a moment.
“I’ll stay for a month or two first.”
“I see.” Bai Jingyu nodded. “If you need anything, feel free to reach out to me.”
“Okay, then I’ll thank Xiaoyu in advance.”
Luo Zhirou suddenly gave a mischievous smile.
“What if… I borrow Xiaoyu’s little brother for a bit…”
The words fell, and Bai Jingyu’s face stiffened, her eyes instantly turning dark.
Seeing this, Luo Zhirou quickly said, “Okay, okay, just kidding. I apologize to you here, Xiaoyu. I won’t joke about your little brother again.”
She said that, but in truth, her slender fingers clenched slightly.
Xiaoyu’s feelings for Aluo might be no less than her own.
But even so, she wouldn’t back down!
Bai Jingyu narrowed her eyes. “Zhirou, that joke wasn’t funny at all.”
Luo Zhirou sighed. “Xiaoyu, you know how it is. My father at home is enough, but now even my grandfather is pushing me to get married. They’ve found another man for me this time.”
“I was thinking, if worse comes to worst, I could borrow Xiaoyu’s little brother as a shield. But it seems I’ll have to look for someone else now.”
She would back off a little for now, not let Xiaoyu suspect anything.
Sure enough, hearing this, Bai Jingyu’s gaze softened.
“I’ll keep an eye out for you, Zhirou. The relevant departments here also have many outstanding men.”
“Mm, I’ll leave it to you then, Xiaoyu.”
On the surface, the two close friends chatted amiably.
But inside, undercurrents surged, each harboring their own thoughts.
An undercurrent of conflict brewed in the living room, while in the kitchen, Qin Luo picked up a ladle, took a small sip, and almost moved himself to tears.
So delicious!
Sure enough, when I’m serious, I’m unstoppable!
A full six dishes and a soup. Fortunately, the refrigerator at home was large and well-stocked.
The soup was clear chicken broth with matsutake mushrooms. The broth was golden and clear, with several paper-thin slices of matsutake and tender chicken meat. He had just tasted that soup—the umami of the matsutake perfectly blended with the richness of the chicken.
The other six dishes came together quickly, but this soup took some serious effort.
By the time he brought out the final soup, the two sisters were already seated at the dining table.
At the table.
“Of course!”
Qin Luo straightened his back, especially when he saw the slightly admiring look in his sister’s friend’s eyes—it made him even more buoyant.
Until he glanced at his sister and was instantly drenched with cold water.
His sister was smiling, but there was no trace of warmth in her eyes.
Seeing that expression on his sister, only two words came to Qin Luo’s mind: ‘I’m dead!’
Unbearable!
Bai Jingyu felt a bit annoyed. Her little dog had actually hidden a culinary skill from her. For her, her brother hiding something from her was absolutely intolerable.
“My dear little brother actually has such a skill. Sister is really quite surprised~”
“J-just a lucky streak, a lucky streak.”
Damn, women are scary, getting mad over nothing.
Qin Luo immediately lowered his head and focused on eating.
“Mm… not very tasty. Here, you have it, little brother.”
Bai Jingyu picked up a piece of meat, took a bite, found it didn’t suit her taste, and directly stuffed it into her brother’s bowl.
She tried a few other dishes. Whenever she thought something tasted a bit off, she’d take a bite and give the rest to her brother to handle.
From the start of the meal until now, Qin Luo hadn’t taken much for himself—he’d just been eating his sister’s leftovers.
The only thing his sister approved of was the soup he had made.
After all, he had put a lot of effort into that.
But something felt off. Normally, when he cooked these dishes, his sister would occasional stuff food into his bowl, but never this often—one bite, then another, then another.
“You two siblings have such a close bond.”
Luo Zhirou chewed a piece of chicken slowly, a trace of barely noticeable envy flashing in her sparkling eyes.
Close, my foot.
He was just his sister’s food processor.
Qin Luo complained inwardly, finishing the last piece of food his sister had stuffed into his bowl. He was almost full.
At least his sister’s friend wasn’t as picky as his sister—she ate everything he served. Compared to his sister, they were complete opposites.
After the meal, Qin Luo was about to clear the dishes when his sister suddenly said, “Little brother, come here to me.”
“Huh? Sis, what’s wrong?”
As soon as Qin Luo reached his sister’s side, Bai Jingyu, completely ignoring the presence of her friend, smiled without mirth and reached out to pinch Qin Luo’s ear.
“Oh, my dear little brother, you actually hid your cooking skills from me?”
“Ouch! Sis, this is really unfair!”
Qin Luo quickly cried out in protest.
Of course, there was some truth to the hidden cooking skills. After all, this soup took a lot of time and effort, and he only occasionally made it for Little Aunt.
Luo Zhirou watched the siblings fooling around, a gentle smile on her face, her eyes warm, and the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.
As the light flickered, no one knew what she was thinking.