Chapter 84: Brother, show me your transformation

The next morning, a rare and inviting smell drifted through Lin Yu’s apartment.

Normally he never cooked, but today he had actually rolled up his sleeves for once.

Soy sauce, cooking wine, and rock sugar sizzled and caramelized in the scorching-hot wok…

Oh—next came the minced garlic, bursting with fragrance.

Lin Yu was wearing a ridiculous pink apron as he stirred the braised pork belly with a spatula.
His movements were a bit clumsy, but judging from the color alone, the dish was coming along nicely.

This whole month of “paid imprisonment” hadn’t just made him terrified about his own physical condition—it had unexpectedly unlocked a brand-new skill.

When a man suddenly has unlimited time on his hands, the enthusiasm with which he studies recipes can absolutely rival how seriously he studies end-game meta builds in a video game.

He poured in the prepared thickening sauce; the glossy glaze quickly coated each chunk of pork belly.

Take it out, plate it, sprinkle on a fistful of chopped scallions.

Done.

He looked with satisfaction at the four dishes and one soup displayed on the table: braised pork belly, cola chicken wings, tomato scrambled eggs, garlic broccoli, and a pot of corn-and-rib soup.

All of them were the comfort foods his little sister had loved when she was a kid.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang right on time.

Lin Yu took off the apron, drew a deep breath, and tried very hard to make his expression look… normal.

When he opened the door, his sister’s clean, lovely face appeared outside.

Today she wore a simple white dress, the hem falling just above her knees—fresh and neat.
Maybe she had rushed over; her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail, with a few mischievous strands escaping and brushing her cheeks, swaying slightly with her movements in a way that made her look a little playful.

She wasn’t wearing much makeup, and a light sheen of sweat clung to the tip of her pale nose.

When she saw Lin Yu, her bright eyes curved into little crescent moons.

“Wow, it smells amazing!”

Her cute little nose scrunched as she leaned forward to peek inside, her face showing the perfect degree of surprised delight.

“Bro, did the sun rise in the west today? You actually cooked?”

“Of course.”

Lin Yu smugly angled his body aside to let her in.

“After three days, you should look at a man with new eyes. Your brother has evolved into a modern man who’s good both in the living room and in the kitchen.”

“Tch. Shameless.”

She complained, but obediently changed into the house slippers anyway.

At the dining table, the atmosphere was warm—but faintly awkward.

Lin Yu used serving chopsticks to place a cola chicken wing in her bowl, then looked at her expectantly like he was waiting for approval.

“Try this one. I learned it from that Chef Wang Gang online. I guarantee it’s as good as anything outside.”

His sister picked up the wing and took a bite, her cheeks puffing up like a hamster storing food.

She nodded vigorously, speaking through the mouthful:

“Mm! It’s good! Not bad, bro, I didn’t expect you had it in you. Way better than the cafeteria slop at school.”

“Well, of course.”

Because of that seldom-heard compliment, Lin Yu felt lighter than air. He kept adding food to her bowl, finally feeling like he’d regained a bit of elder-brother dignity.

“Oh, right,” he said casually, “I heard from Mom that she spent a few thousand again on some kind of supplement. Did you check it?”

His sister sighed as she stirred her soup.

“Yeah, I checked. It’s some ‘Brain Platinum Wealth Edition.’ But when I read the ingredients, it’s basically melatonin. Helps you sleep, that’s it.”

“Jesus—what a scam. Next time tell her not to buy that IQ-tax garbage! She actually listens to you.”

“Heh… Let’s not talk about them.”

She changed the subject, turning to Lin Yu with a more probing look.

“Anyway, what about you? Work going okay? You sounded really busy lately.”

“It’s… fine. You know. Same old.”

Lin Yu gave a vague answer and instantly changed the topic again—
because his mind was actually spiraling.

From the moment she walked in, he’d been thinking nonstop about how to steer the conversation naturally toward asking for her help.

Sure, the excuse for inviting her was lunch, but they were both adults—
one doesn’t invite someone out just to eat. There was always a reason.

Ahhh crap…

What do I do, what do I do?

Was he really supposed to tell his sister that her cheap older brother had become a magical girl?

Even if he trusted her personality completely, what if she burst out laughing?

“Pfft—”

“Bro? Seriously? You’re a magical girl now? C’mon, transform for me, I wanna see if you turn into a little loli like in the anime. Honestly, I’ve always wanted another little sister HAHAHA—”

Nope!
Nope nope nope!

I would f*cking die of shame!

By the time he finished internally panicking, lunch was almost over.

Lin Yu carried the plates to the sink to wash them, and his sister naturally followed to help.

Side by side at the sink—
Lin Yu rinsing, she drying.

The running water was the only sound breaking the silence.

Lin Yu’s heart felt like it was trying to pry itself loose and jump out of his throat.
He knew—he knew—he couldn’t put this off anymore.

He cleared his throat and tried to sound casual:

“Oh, Xiaoxue, I wanted to ask you something. In your field—biological sciences—do you guys study those, uh… illegal stimulants?”

His sister paused mid-wipe, looked up at him with clear eyes, and didn’t answer immediately.

“Stimulants?”

She echoed.

“There are many kinds. Which type do you mean? The ones used in competitive sports?”

“Uh… like… the kind circulating on the black market…”

“Oh… the kind that corrodes nerves and harms the body?”

“Ah—yeah, yeah. That kind.”

Sweat pooled in Lin Yu’s palms. He tried to make his wording sound clinical.

“I have… a friend. A cop. He accidentally got exposed to some new illegal substance during a case, and his body… uh… had some problems.”

“What kind of problems?”
Her tone was calm.

“Well… he’s become aggressive. Violent. And his strength got… unnaturally high. Like, dangerously so.”

As he explained, he watched her expression carefully, hoping to read something.

But her face was unreadable. She only nodded for him to continue.

“So yeah, I wanted to ask you…”

Lin Yu pushed through the lie.

“From your professional standpoint—could something like that be cured?”

Is there any way to… calm him down?

After he asked, he shut off the tap and waited anxiously for her “scientific diagnosis.”

But his sister was silent.

After a long moment, she set down the plate and cloth, carefully wiped her hands with a napkin, then lifted her eyes and said in a slow, offhand tone:

“Bro, I think I know exactly what ‘stimulant’ you’re talking about.”

“You mean that thing called Subspace Dust, right?”

Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

“Holy shit, you actually know it.”

“Y-yeah, hahaha, that’s the one…”

He said weakly.

“I heard it leaked from some unethical psionic research facility, and long-term use causes irreversible physiological and psychological ‘contaminants’ in the user. Symptoms like…”

He rambled as he rinsed the last dish and handed it to her.

“Xiaoxue, please—you have to help my friend! He’s a good guy, really! A really good guy! He can’t just be ruined like this! You’re a specialist—there has to be a way, right?”

“You can make some medicine or something… help him return to normal…”

His voice was full of desperate trust, as if she were an alchemist who could turn stone into gold.

But Lin Xue shook her head.

“To be honest, bro,”
she said, voice calm and cold,

“according to our lab regulations, I’m not allowed to privately accept requests like this. Anything involving Subspace-related substances has to go through my advisor—Dr. Reed—for formal project approval.”

She paused and glanced at Lin Yu’s face—which had drained of all color—before continuing leisurely:

“Besides, after the accident in our experimental zone last time, the entire underground facility has been sealed off by the Emergency Management Bureau for high-level assessment and internal audit. Forget doing experiments—I can’t even enter my own office.”

The faint ember of hope inside Lin Yu was instantly drowned by a bucket of ice water.

He slumped against the sink, face full of raw disappointment.

It’s over…

If Xiaoxue can’t help…

Then Luo Shaotian…

He’s really done for?

Just as he sank into despair, his sister’s voice sounded again:

“But…”

Lin Xue stacked the dried plates neatly into the cupboard and continued, unhurried:

“Even if my own lab is sealed, I have a few senior sisters working in a central lab in another building at Ruikang HQ. Their equipment is better, security stricter. If I only borrow some machines and run a small sample analysis in the middle of the night, without being seen… it’s barely doable.”

“That’s great!”

Lin Yu’s eyes lit up. He grabbed her arm excitedly.

“Xiaoxue! You’re my savior! I knew you’d—”

“Bro.”

Lin Xue gently pulled her arm out of his grip.

At some point, her gentle expression had vanished, replaced by a smile that looked… wicked.

“You want me to help you this much… but you’re not offering anything in return, are you?”

“Uh…”

Lin Yu froze.

Return?
What return?

Oh…

She must mean a “thank-you gift.”

Well, considering how dangerous this was, giving her a red envelope wasn’t unreasonable.

And giving money to his own sister wasn’t even a loss.
It stayed in the family.

“Right, right… then… I’ll treat you to a huge meal next time? How about that new Michelin place in District F? My treat! And I’ll throw in a red envelope!”

He grinned sheepishly.

“I already ate.”

Lin Xue shook her head, her smile widening.

“It was good. But… not enough.”

“Not enough?”

He was completely lost.

“Not enough? A Michelin place isn’t enough for you? You want state banquet cuisine?”

“I’m not talking about food. Ugh—bro, why is your brain always stuck on the most boring things? No wonder Mom and Dad say you have low emotional intelligence…”

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen. Her voice drifted back lightly:

“I mean your contribution isn’t enough. It’s unfair.”

“I’m risking being taken in for questioning to help you save your friend.”

“But you? You’re hiding a lot from me, aren’t you?”

A chill went straight up Lin Yu’s spine.

Hiding.

So she had noticed something.

But when?
His recent changes?
Those hundred missed calls a while back?
Or… even earlier?

He didn’t know. His brain felt like it was being hit by a dozen grenades at once.

He stood there stupidly as she sat gracefully on the sofa in the living room, crossing her legs, hands resting casually on her knees, looking back at him with an expression that said she already knew all his secrets.

That gaze—sharp, proud—like a poker player who has fully read your hand.

“Bro, I can help you. It’s not impossible.”
Her voice was sweet, but the undertone was sharp.
“But only if you listen to me.”

Listen… to her?

“Heh… hahaha… of course, of course…”

Lin Yu didn’t even dare look her in the eye. A horrible premonition was coiling in his stomach.

“The leaders at my company always said my only real talent is obedience. As long as it’s not like… walking on knives or diving into fire, I… I’ll execute the order, hahahaha…”

“It’s not that dramatic. I just… hmm… let me think…”

Lin Xue tilted her head, touched her lips with a fingertip, and her sly eyes swept over him.

“Oh, right. There’s something I’ve wanted to see for a long time…”

A devilish, curious smile slowly curved across her face.

“Brother, why don’t you transform for me~?”