Chapter 139: Four Years Ago.

“Arrived!?”

Su Mu Zhe hurriedly straightened his thick cotton coat,
quickly wrapped the scarf around his neck,
and immediately dashed out of the room.

Today was a rather special holiday.
The streets were filled with joyful atmosphere.
Especially at night, snowflakes larger than usual drifted down from the sky in gentle flurries.

A soft exhale of warm breath formed a white mist in the frigid air.

As expected, the streets were just like before —
on Christmas, countless neon lights twinkled everywhere.
The railings of the covered walkways were wrapped in all sorts of colorful decorations.
Even the greenery trees were covered in tiny light bulbs and toy ornaments.

Looking down the long street, rows upon rows of dazzling light spots stretched into the distance.
Crowds flowed back and forth, pausing here and there, laughter and chatter everywhere.
The shops on the commercial street were especially lively today, displaying all kinds of gifts to attract passersby.
High above, the entire city lit up the night sky with sparkling stars,
turning the whole place into one massive stage.

But the real highlight was the nearby Christmas Park.
It was said the park had originally been built specifically to enhance the Christmas atmosphere,
and now it had truly become the main gathering spot and activity hub for people during the holiday.

“Ah! Sorry, I’m late!”

Su Mu Zhe arrived at Christmas Park out of breath.
At that moment, Su Xiao Zi was already waiting under the huge, dazzling Christmas tree in the center of the park,
wearing white rabbit mittens and puffing out warm breaths.

Because he’d spent too much time worrying about his outfit at home —
picking and choosing like a nervous little girl —
he ended up delayed.
But after all, this was spending Christmas together with Su Xiao Zi.
They’d agreed to meet under the big Christmas tree in the park.
In simple terms… it was pretty much a date.
So naturally, Su Mu Zhe had put extra effort into his appearance.
Of course, since the two of them were siblings,
perhaps “family outing” was the more accurate term.

Su Mu Zhe had come straight from home,
while Su Xiao Zi had eaten dinner at a friend’s house and approached from the opposite direction.
The meeting spot was here.
Just thinking about “going on a date with a cute girl” made Su Mu Zhe’s heart,
freshly entering adolescence, pound wildly —
even though the “date partner” was his already-familiar little sister.
And today, his sister was dressed far more beautifully than usual, looking completely different.

Still… being late by a few minutes for their first “date” was really rude.
Su Mu Zhe silently scolded himself.

“Ah? It’s fine. Big Brother just got here too.”

Hearing his voice, Su Xiao Zi turned around.
She pulled down the pure white scarf that had been covering half her face
and gave him a very sweet smile.

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Su Mu Zhe’s gaze dropped to Su Xiao Zi’s face.
With the white scarf lowered, he stared fixedly at her,
his expression full of surprise.

Hm?
Su Xiao Zi felt flustered by her brother’s sudden intense stare.
She instinctively used the thick scarf to cover half her cheek again,
her eyes darting around nervously as her hands sneaked behind her back.

“Um… is there something weird about me?”

She asked softly, sounding very embarrassed.

“No. Nothing.
It’s just… today’s Xiao Zi is really cute!”

Unlike Su Xiao Zi’s shyness,
Su Mu Zhe spoke his honest thoughts straight out without hesitation.

“Big Brother looks really handsome today too!”

Su Xiao Zi hurriedly replied.

“Ahaha, um, that, uh…”

As if out of politeness, Su Xiao Zi quickly lifted her head to look at Su Mu Zhe.

Her long black hair fell straight down.
Two white butterfly hair ornaments adorned it.
She wore a pair of small, warm mittens,
thick white thigh-high cotton socks,
and fluffy white high-top snow boots.

The Su Xiao Zi before him was neatly dressed in a downy, snow-white coat like goose feathers.
Two white fluffy pom-poms hung naturally from the hood onto her chest.
The scarf was wrapped perfectly around her neck —
pulled up just a little and it could cover half her face.
But those crystal-clear big eyes kept sparkling brightly.

She looked exactly like a little angel of winter.

The phrase flashed through Su Mu Zhe’s mind,
and he couldn’t help but deeply agree with it himself.

“Um, okay, okay!
If you keep staring at me like that…
I’ll… I’ll feel a little… embarrassed…”

“Look!”

“It’s fine! You look great!”

“You idiot!”

“So I said I’d get embarrassed!”

Su Mu Zhe hurriedly retorted,
only to be lightly punched in the chest by his sister.

“Ahem… so, are you ready? Shall we begin?”

Su Mu Zhe pulled a gift voucher from his pocket.

Announcing the official start of the event.

“Mm!”

Su Xiao Zi nodded vigorously, her fair cheeks flushed.

The date activity they’d agreed on beforehand:
Each holding one gift voucher,
they would go to the various shops in Christmas Park
and choose a Christmas present for the other person.

The vouchers had been handed out during an earlier event.
They could be exchanged at any shop in the park for whatever gift they wanted.
They’d already agreed to exchange gifts with each other.

“Remember not to get lost, okay!”

Su Mu Zhe waved backward as he walked.

“Mm! Got it!”

Su Xiao Zi hopped and skipped away into the crowd.

Su Mu Zhe said that while a trace of excitement appeared on his cheeks.

This was a very popular Christmas activity:
Each person received one voucher,
went to the various shops around the park,
chose a gift for the other person,
and exchanged them under the Christmas tree in twenty minutes.

Su Mu Zhe waved back at her jumping figure.

She’s not a three-year-old anymore,
no need to worry about her getting lost.

And so, the two of them headed in opposite directions as planned,
beginning the hunt for each other’s gifts.

“Wow, it feels even grander than last year.
I’ve never seen some of these shops before—”

Su Mu Zhe clutched the gift voucher in his hand,
looking around at the bustling crowd of shoppers.
Occasionally he saw children holding cartoon-character balloons,
chatting excitedly with their parents.

There were even people walking their pets,
dressed festively, happily wandering through the crowd.

The scene was as lively as ever —
a classic Christmas park atmosphere.

Big Brother really doesn’t need to worry about me at all.

Su Mu Zhe muttered to himself while glancing around the shops,
wondering what to buy.

He suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem —
he had no idea what to get.

Thinking back carefully…
his little sister had always been so obedient and shy.
What were her hobbies, exactly?

Ah~ damn it. There has to be something…
What would Xiao Zi like…?

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Su Mu Zhe’s gaze caught something in the shop across from him.

Meanwhile, Su Xiao Zi, heading in the other direction,
seemed to have already decided on the gift she wanted to give her brother.
She looked very happy,
waving the gift voucher in her hand outside the shop counter.

“Um, excuse me, can I use this gift voucher to exchange for that gift?”

“Hm? That one?”

“Mm-hmm!”

The shop owner hesitated for a moment,
then turned around,
took out a delicately packaged small gift box,
and gently pushed it across the counter toward Su Xiao Zi.
At the same time, Su Xiao Zi handed over the voucher.

“Thank you so much!”

Su Xiao Zi received the small gift box, examined it carefully,
nodded in satisfaction,
and smiled sweetly.

“You’re welcome.”

After finishing her purchase, Su Xiao Zi immediately turned back the way she came,
holding the gift box and hopping like a little rabbit through the crowd.

“Hmm~ mm-hmm-hmm-hmm—”

She realized she’d been humming a cheerful little tune without noticing.
Suddenly she stopped in place,
secretly tugged her scarf upward a bit to cover her slightly flushed face,
and continued toward the big Christmas tree.

I wonder what gift Big Brother will give me…?
I’m a little curious…

No matter what it is, as long as it’s from Big Brother,
I’ll be really happy.
I have to make sure I look super excited,
otherwise he’ll feel bad.

She hurried back to the big Christmas tree,
full of anticipation and curiosity.

Snowflakes continued to drift down from the night sky,
mingling with the city lights,
enhancing the thick festive atmosphere.
Looking around, Su Xiao Zi felt the cold didn’t seem so biting anymore.

A few snowflakes landed unnoticed on Su Xiao Zi’s head.
She sat on a bench under the big Christmas tree,
swinging her slender legs gently —

“Ah! Sorry! Made you wait again!”

Su Mu Zhe came rushing back, panting,
looking as though he’d hurried over in a panic.

It was exactly twenty minutes now.

“Eh? It’s fine! Big Brother isn’t late either.
I, Su Xiao Zi, haven’t been waiting long at all!”

Before he even stood up fully,
she was already holding the small gift box in both hands,
raising it toward Su Mu Zhe with an excited expression.

“Big Brother, this is the gift Xiao Zi prepared for you!”

“Whoa, what a pretty gift box. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Su Mu Zhe suddenly realized he hadn’t bought a gift box or anything.
He felt a little ashamed — Xiao Zi really thought of everything.
But with just a gift voucher, there was no way to buy packaging…

“Then… shall we count to three and exchange gifts? Okay?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Uh…”

For some reason, he felt the nervous tension of waiting for competition results.
What would his little sister give him…?

At the same time, under the expectant gaze, Su Xiao Zi felt even more uneasy.

I hope Big Brother didn’t get something weird…
like manga hidden under the bed or something…

Ever since he became a junior high student, Big Brother had started acting a little strange.

“Three!”

On the count of three, both immediately held out their gifts
and quickly exchanged them.

The moment she saw the gift from her brother,
Su Xiao Zi froze, staring in astonishment at what she now held.

“A fluffy little bear plushie.
Feel how soft and comfortable its fur is.
Didn’t Xiao Zi say she gets scared sometimes?
When you’re scared, just hold it tight like it’s me —
then you’ll feel safe and at ease.”

Su Mu Zhe said with a hint of pride,
as though praising himself for spotting such a perfect gift among the piles.

“Even though we’re older now and can’t sleep together anymore,
Xiao Zi is still timid and doesn’t like sleeping alone.
So this little bear can keep you company in my place.”

Su Xiao Zi stared at the bear plushie for a long moment,
then suddenly broke into a bright smile
and hugged it tightly.

“Hahaha, this bear looks kind of silly…
just like Big Brother.
Maybe it really can feel like you’re with me.”

Is “silly” supposed to be a compliment…?

“It’s cute.”

“Then… please open the gift Xiao Zi got for Big Brother too.”

“Mm.”
Su Mu Zhe couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer
and immediately opened the gift box to receive his sister’s present.

But the moment he saw what was inside,
the smile on Su Mu Zhe’s face froze solid.
He blinked at the contents,
then secretly glanced at Su Xiao Zi.

“Um… this is…”

Su Mu Zhe swallowed hard.

No matter how much he wanted to refuse inwardly…
it was still his little sister’s heartfelt intention, right?
Probably…

“Ahem… I… I…”

“I really, really like this gift!”

Su Mu Zhe rubbed his face, trying hard to act natural
as he forced the words out.

“Ah… really…? That’s great!”

Su Xiao Zi let out a small sigh of relief,
though her face was still flushed,
her breathing a little uneven.

“Um, Big Brother…”

“Mm?”

“Can you… lower your head a little…?”

“Hm? Oh… sure, of course!”

Before Su Mu Zhe could finish speaking —

Su Xiao Zi suddenly grabbed his head,
pulled it down forcefully,
and a warm, soft sensation accompanied by a gentle voice touched his cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Onii-chan.”

Sitting on the big bed in the room,
Su Xiaoxiao held a thick photo album in her hands,
flipping through old photos.

There were many pictures of the two of them in Christmas outfits —
back when they were still very young, innocent and clueless.

Only now did she realize —
even in the gift-exchange photos taken back then,
someone had secretly captured the moment little Xiao Zi kissed her brother on the cheek.

She had treasured and hidden those photos like treasures.

But in the end, under their parents’ supervision,
the little bear plushie successfully ended up in Su Xiao Zi’s hands,
while the panties never made it into little Su Mu Zhe’s grasp.

Instead, the two of them went to a restaurant for a luxurious Christmas dinner as compensation.
Of course, Mom secretly printed out the photos
and gave one set to Su Xiaoxiao to replace the “gift” from her sister.

In the photo, the girl was wearing very pretty new clothes,
gently kissing her brother on the cheek —
no trace of any lewd thoughts or complicated emotions,
only the pure affection unique to children.

Looking at these photos now, Su Xiaoxiao sighed with nostalgia:

“Back then Xiao Zi was so cute…
always following right behind my butt.
Wherever I went, you’d follow.
How did you grow up to become so fierce, huh?
Tell me, Su Xiao Zi —
what exactly happened to you?!”

The Su Xiao Zi who was currently looking at the photos blinked in confusion.

“During your sixth-grade year in elementary school.
That Christmas… the photos are still here.”

“What. What?! How did you find that album?!
Put it back right now!”

Su Xiao Zi panicked instantly.
She tossed aside whatever was in her hands
and lunged to snatch the album from Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao hugged the album tightly to her chest,
shielding it with her body.

“Hand it over! Otherwise I’ll—”

“No way! These are our precious childhood memories!
That Christmas you even gave me your brand-new pair of panties as a gift.
I still think it’s beautiful when I remember it, hahaha—”

Su Xiao Zi’s cheeks flushed a deep red.
She shouted back loudly:

“Shut up! That’s not beautiful at all!
I was way too innocent back then!
Those black histories — I desperately want to destroy them all,
that’s why I hid them!”

“I’m not giving it to you! I’m keeping it forever, hahaha—”

Su Xiao Zi leaned in close,
whispering like a little devil:

“I’m serious this time!
I’ll tickle you until you give in!”

Su Xiaoxiao cried out in alarm:

“Waaah… Xiao Zi, you’re so lewd!
You’re that kind of girl?!”

“Ah! That’s not what I meant!
I was talking about the inner thigh meat!”

“That spot is super sensitive when you tickle it!
It’s my weak point!”

Soon, the room filled with the sounds
of two girls playfully roughhousing and laughing —
and it continued for a very long time.