Chapter 22: A Sister’s Intuition and a Brother’s Burden

“That teacup over there.”

Lin QingYu stood by the doorway, pointing towards a blue teacup on the coffee table.

Bai YuXi followed her gaze. “What’s wrong with the teacup?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the teacup itself, but if you want to keep your rebirth a secret, I advise you to be more careful.”

Lin QingYu elaborated, “This teacup was Bai YuYang’s birthday gift to you, wasn’t it? Before we left for school this morning, I saw you sitting there, constantly fiddling with this empty teacup.”

“Don’t just idly fiddle with that teacup. Don’t forget, you only developed that habit after you started university. I’m not trying to meddle, but if Bai YuYang uncovers your secret because of it, don’t drag me down with you, alright?”

“… …”

Bai YuXi paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, before smiling. “Thank you for the reminder, Sister QingYu. I’ll be more mindful.”

It had to be said, Lin QingYu’s head-banging over the years hadn’t been in vain. Far from making her foolish, it seemed to have honed an extraordinary sense of observation.

‘I call this innate brilliance!’ Lin QingYu thought. ‘What does it have to do with frequently hitting my head?’

***

The lunch break was brief, and the moment Little Lin finished delivering the food, she departed.

Bai YuYang emerged from the kitchen, quickly joining Bai YuXi to arrange the dishes and chopsticks on the dining table for their meal.

The apartment, spanning 130 square meters, boasted a minimalist decor, yet it lacked nothing. Every essential piece of furniture was present.

Though Bai YuYang’s parents were rarely home, this residence stood as one of their few contributions to Bai YuYang and Bai YuXi’s lives.

“Hahaha… Little Xi, you wouldn’t believe it, QingYu’s headbutt technique has improved quite a bit. And I’ve finally figured out the trick!

As long as I turn my back and let her hit me there, she can’t break my defense; she just bounces right off. But if she hits my stomach, I’m instantly done for.”

Bai YuYang recounted to Bai YuXi, who sat opposite him at the dining table, the differing outcomes of QingYu’s two collisions with him that day.

“Really?”

Bai YuXi chuckled softly. “Sister QingYu is truly something. She has no business being so forceful when she lacks the ability. Doesn’t her headbutt injure 800 enemies but harms herself by 1000?”

“Exactly. Anyway… Little Xi, eat some vegetables. Stop gnawing on that sweet potato; it doesn’t have much nutritional value.”

The insulated lunchbox QingYu had brought earlier held a feast, from braised pork to stir-fried dried shredded beans, from seafood soup to rice, filling half the dining table.

Rumor had it that several of these dishes were personally prepared by QingYu. She had made them that morning, sealed them with plastic wrap, and then heated them before bringing them over.

Though in her eyes, this was merely a byproduct of ‘using too many ingredients,’ Bai YuYang understood her good intentions perfectly.

Yet, from the moment the food arrived, Bai YuXi had been meticulously, spoon by spoon, eating the sweet potato on her plate.

While Bai YuYang knew his sister had a small appetite, lunch shouldn’t be eaten this way.

Bai YuXi picked up her spoon and took another bite of sweet potato. “Mmm, I’ll still eat rice after this.”

“But why eat the sweet potato first? There are so many delicious things. Just have a couple of bites to satisfy your craving, and I’ll finish the rest for you.”

Earlier, Little Xi had mentioned wanting sweet potato, so Bai YuYang had steamed one for her. He hadn’t intended for it to be her main course.

Bai YuYang wished she would eat more rice.

However, Bai YuXi shook her head. “No, that won’t do. Brother specifically went to the supermarket downstairs to buy it and then steamed it for me.”

“So what?”

“Nothing, but since Brother gave it to me, it’s all mine now!”

She truly resembled a possessive kitten, dragging the less-than-half-eaten sweet potato and its plate closer to herself, as if genuinely worried Bai YuYang would snatch her sweet potato.

‘Actually, you don’t even like it that much, do you?’

Bai YuYang sighed. “Fine, have it your way. But Little Xi, at least eat more meat. Look how thin you are now; do you even weigh ninety pounds? Never deliberately diet; that’s the silliest thing you can do.”

“I haven’t really been deliberately dieting…”

While Bai YuXi sometimes cut back on snacks to maintain her weight, she truly hadn’t gone on a strict diet. She naturally had a metabolism that kept her thin, and her small food intake was simply due to her small appetite.

Bai YuYang, of course, knew all this. But what could he do? He simply wanted to nurture this ‘little white cat’ into an even healthier state.

He stood up and used his chopsticks to place several pieces of meat onto Bai YuXi’s plate.

“Ah, Brother, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“It’s fine. If you eat more, it puts my mind at ease.”

“Ugh… Brother, you’re treating me like a child again…”

Throughout this, Bai YuYang recalled many memories.

He seemed to have often served Little Xi food this way back then.

It was only after Little Xi went to university, coupled with Bai YuYang’s increasingly busy work schedule, that their opportunities to eat together became significantly fewer than now.

Yet, even then, Bai YuYang would occasionally remind Bai YuXi in college to remember to eat well. And when she came home for holidays, he never forgot to frequently serve her food.

This current situation brought a wave of nostalgia.

Speaking of work…

Bai YuYang suddenly remembered something dreadful.

At this point in time, wasn’t he supposed to be working a part-time job after school?

During his high school years, his parents would transfer a little over a thousand yuan into Bai YuYang’s phone each month for living expenses. The problem was, how could a thousand yuan possibly suffice for two people in those days?

Not to mention the additional utility bills, which made the expenses even more unpredictable.

When Bai YuYang asked them, they claimed that was all the money they could spare for the family, saying they themselves were almost out of money for food.

Bai YuYang had been furious back then. His parents had originally held high-paying positions at a large corporation, always living comfortably, even somewhat prosperously.

Who knew that a few years prior, they had suddenly resigned, embarking on some unknown venture?

Year after year, they were absent from home and provided no living expenses, leaving Bai YuYang, the current ‘head of the household,’ in a difficult position.

If living expenses weren’t enough, he would just earn them himself.

Thus, from the start of high school, Bai YuYang had worked a part-time job at a restaurant after school. Although the wages weren’t high, they were more than enough to cover household expenses.

However, recalling those days of studying and working simultaneously gave Bai YuYang a headache.

‘Reborn, and I have to go through this again…’

‘My psychological balance is suddenly off… Give me back the position at Kongfeng Group that I worked so hard to find in my previous life!’

But there was nothing to be done. Bai YuYang sat back down, shrugging.

“Little Xi, after school this afternoon, just go back home with QingYu first. I still have something to take care of.”

Upon hearing this, Bai YuXi’s hand, holding the spoon, froze.

Her tone suddenly became dispirited.

“Brother, are you… going to work again?”

She hadn’t initially reacted, but as soon as Bai YuYang mentioned ‘something to take care of,’ she remembered the issue that had plagued her with guilt for three years during high school.

“Yes,” Bai YuYang said casually. “It’ll just delay me a bit. You go back first to do your homework. I’ll probably be back for dinner right after you finish.”

But Bai YuXi remembered that every evening, when her brother returned, even though he didn’t say anything, his weariness was evident in his expression.

Maintaining top grades while working part-time — how could he not be exhausted?

With that thought, Bai YuXi completely put down her spoon.

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