Chapter 42: Oh No, My Sister’s Too Capable!

“Ah? Who are you? Where’s my brother?”

The instant that crisp, familiar voice rang out, Lin Yu felt her heart come to a dead stop.

The whole world froze into an absurd, horrifying still frame.

Like a wind-up doll with a rusty spring in her neck, she jerkily turned toward the doorway.

A girl was standing there.

Her features bore a seven or eight–tenths resemblance to Lin Yu’s own, yet every detail seemed “optimized and upgraded”—finer brows, a straighter nose bridge, lips curved at just the right angle.

It was her younger sister, Lin Xue.

The very same genius who ought to be miles away in District D, working tirelessly at the Ruikang Biotech laboratories for the lofty cause of humanity.

This time, however, she had come back wearing light makeup, which made her already clear and luminous face shine even brighter.

She wasn’t in her usual white lab coat from the video calls. Instead, she wore a simple, unadorned white hoodie, paired with light blue jeans that wrapped around two long, straight legs, and spotless white sneakers.

In her hand, she carried a gift bag stamped with the New Agri-Union logo. On her face was the expression of someone on holiday, eager to check up on her good-for-nothing older brother.

But that expression hadn’t had time to fade before it froze—blending confusion, shock, and disbelief.

Lin Yu’s mind, after crashing for five full seconds, finally rebooted with a blaring internal alarm.

A barrage of panicked thoughts exploded in her head:

(Lin Xue?! Damn it, why is she here?!
Wait—did Mom say she was on holiday?
But why didn’t she call first, and just barge in?! She has my code?! No—how would she have it?! Did I drunkenly tell her last time?! Shit, I don’t remember!!
No, no, the real problem is… my outfit!!)

She looked down at herself: sailor uniform, pleated skirt, white knee socks over slender legs—humiliation flared like a gasoline fire, blazing from her soles straight to her crown!

Frozen in the middle of the pose she had been practicing for her “Sparkling☆Entrance”—one hand on her hip, the other raised stiffly in the air—she stood like a mortified chuunibyou statue.

Her pretty face drained white, while inside, her spirit wailed like a boiling kettle.

(Damn it! Shatter, reality! Collapse, psyche! Burn, this cursed world!)

Meanwhile, Lin Xue’s brain had also caught up. She quickly shifted from shock into clinical analysis.

Stepping inside, she took in her brother’s “kennel” she’d only glimpsed on video before.

The air reeked of cheap rentals: mold, damp, instant noodle seasoning.

Brown water stains bloomed on the ceiling from old pipe leaks.

The walls peeled, exposing gray cement.

The bathroom door had warped from water damage, dripping faintly even now.

(So… this is where he’s been living?)

Her heart clenched tight.

She thought of her brother’s casual “I’m doing fine, don’t worry” on the phone, and compared it to this poverty-stricken reality. A wave of guilt and tenderness surged.

(Once my project bonus comes in, I’ll make sure he moves into someplace better.)

Her eyes then fell on the mysterious girl before her.

(Gray hair, green eyes? Extremely rare among East Asians, more common among Caucasians. A mixed child?
But those features are still distinctly East Asian…
And that uniform—JK style. From the emblem and cut, isn’t it from that “Trinity Academy” under the Sky Education Group? The one that costs a fortune?
What’s a supposedly mixed-blood girl from a noble school doing here, in Hive District B7, in my brother’s rundown flat—at night?
Don’t tell me… is this some “I shaved and picked up a high school girl” cliché?! No way. Stuff like that doesn’t happen to my unlucky brother.)

She concluded grimly:

This girl was definitely not simple.

There had to be something hidden, maybe even dangerous, between her and her brother.

“You… hello?”

Lin Xue set the gift bag down on the shabby table, lifted her head, and calmly but firmly asked:

“May I ask who you are? And why you’re in my brother’s home?”

At that second challenge, Lin Yu snapped out of her death-by-embarrassment haze.

(What do I say?! Girlfriend? No way, she’d call the cops on my brother for trafficking minors! Relative? Even worse, she knows all her relatives!)

(Calm down, Lin Yu! You’re twenty-six years old, not a kid!)

She forced a flustered smile.

“Ah, um, don’t misunderstand! You’re Lin Xue, right? I’m… your brother’s colleague at Dawn Corp!”

Her mind scrambled, words tumbling out:

“I’ve heard him praise you at work so many times—seeing you now, wow, you’re as beautiful as he said, hahaha!”

“Colleague?”

Lin Xue frowned.

“Yes! Yes, colleague!” Lin Yu pounced on the chance. “Your brother’s so helpful! He once saved me on a big project, so I thought I’d repay the favor. I figured he’s a bachelor, probably doesn’t clean much, so I came by on my day off to… tidy up for him!”

She waved her spotless hand lamely as proof.

Lin Xue’s gaze drifted to the sailor uniform.

Lin Yu panicked again.

“Oh, this? Just… my hobby! I like cute clothes. Makes me happy! Don’t be fooled by how young I look—actually, I’m almost thirty!”

(What nonsense am I even spouting?!)

“…Almost thirty?”

Lin Xue echoed, staring at the obviously teenage-looking girl. Silence stretched—and nearly killed Lin Yu.

But Lin Xue let it drop, shifting her focus to the messy room.

“Since you’re my brother’s colleague, I can’t just let you clean alone.”

She rolled up her sleeves with practiced ease.

“Let’s tidy up together.”

(Together?! Oh no, no, no! I wasn’t serious!)

Lin Yu wanted to protest, but one look at those penetrating eyes, and she caved.

“…T-thank you…”

So they cleaned.

“By the way, big sister,” Lin Xue asked casually as she wiped the table, “what’s your name?”

(Crap!)

“Ah… Lulu,” Lin Yu blurted, barely above a mosquito’s buzz. “Like dew…”

“Lulu?” Lin Xue found it odd, but let it slide.

Instead, she pressed, “Lulu-jie, my brother said he works at a company that partners with Sky Group. What exactly do you do? I’m interning at Ruikang Biotech. Maybe we could even collaborate.”

(God, please no collaboration…)

Lin Yu sweated bullets.

“Ah… well, complicated stuff. Mostly providing Sky’s AI, Taiyi, with… um, special data samples in high-risk environments. High-tech things the average person wouldn’t understand, hahaha…”

“Special samples?”

Lin Xue’s sharp ears pricked. “My mentor, Dr. Evelyn Reed, is working with Sky on stress-response genome sequencing. Do you use gamma sterilization on-site too?”

(Gamma what now?!)

Lin Yu plastered on her universal fake smile. “Haha… classified company secret. You understand.”

After much awkward small talk and cleaning, the dingy flat was finally livable.

Lin Yu, desperate to escape, said, “Well, Xiaoxue, thanks… I, uh, have a meeting later, so I’ll head out first!”

Lin Xue nodded politely. “Thank you, Lulu-jie. I’ll see you off.”

“No, no! Rest! I’ll go myself!”

Lin Yu bolted like a prisoner hearing the gates open.

“Goodbye!” she shouted, dashing into the hall—straight into dorm supervisor Liu Jie with her grocery basket.

Lin Yu’s brain blanked.

“Oh? You again?” Liu Jie’s eyes sparkled nosily.

“Ha-ha-ha, urgent matter!” Lin Yu jabbed the elevator button frantically.

Watching her flee, Liu Jie muttered, “What a rude kid…”

But then Lin Xue stepped out.

“Oh, Xiaoxue! Home for the holidays? Getting prettier by the day!”

Lin Xue smiled politely. “Liu-jie, do you know that gray-haired girl? She said she’s my brother’s colleague.”

“Colleague?!” Liu Jie’s voice jumped. “She’s lying! Last time she told me she was his cousin!”

She leaned in conspiratorially. “See? Inconsistent! That girl’s definitely up to no good!”

Lin Xue froze.

Back in the flat, she stood silently in thought.

Finally, she whispered, “No… instead of guessing, I’ll just ask my brother directly.”

She dialed his number.

But across the room, his brand-new Huawei Mate 90 buzzed on the nightstand.

The call cut off.

A WeChat voice message arrived seconds later:

“Xiaoxue! Sorry, I was in a meeting, missed your call. Heard from a colleague you’re at my place? Thanks for tidying up! I’m out on errands but catching a ride back now. Wait for me, okay?”

Lin Xue’s face smoothed into calm.

After a few seconds, she smiled faintly.

And sent back a soft reply:

“Alright, gege. Take your time—I’ll wait for you to come home.”