Chapter 54: Do you have any other skills?

Since that day, I rarely saw Yun Rou anymore.

Occasionally, I could hear Sister Yuan talking to her on the phone, but it was limited to the usual pleasantries between family and the mutual concern between an older and younger sister.

I would sometimes catch a glimpse of Yun Rou at school.

If our eyes met, she would smile at me.

Fortunately, Zheng Chen didn’t question the somewhat distant relationship I had with my “sister,” so I didn’t need to explain further.

I later cleared up An Xue Ruo’s confusion, briefly explaining the relationship between myself, Miss Yun Rou, and Sister Yuan.

She didn’t ask any more questions.

She was very good at not prying into other people’s private lives.

Or rather, she was very good at managing the distance between herself and others.

As for my home life, just as I’d said, it was back to being just me and Sister Yuan.

I didn’t dislike that kind of life, but perhaps due to the lingering shadow of my past loneliness, I always found myself insatiably craving more family, more warmth.

Even though Sister Yuan had already given me so much.

“Classmate Lu You?”

“Classmate Lu You!”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

A clear and melodious voice pulled me back from my wild thoughts.

The owner of the voice waved a hand in front of my face.

“Yemi said the school is holding a cultural festival next Friday, and every class has to perform something.”

“Do you have any good ideas?”

An Xue Ruo blinked her big, beautiful eyes and asked me.

“Hmm… let me think… How about Zheng Chen goes up and does a hula dance?”

The moment I said it, Zheng Chen gave my waist a light punch.

“Drop dead.”

“Why don’t you go yourself?”

“Young Master Lu, your graceful figure would definitely look better than mine.”

“That time you were a wo—”

Seeing the lecherous grin on Zheng Chen’s face as he was about to expose my dark history, I quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

This d*mn guy actually still remembered that incident.

“…I shouldn’t have asked you guys.”

An Xue Ruo shook her head in disappointment and turned to look at Su Ye Mi.

“How about a clichéd group chorus?”

“Didn’t you study vocal music, Yemi?”

“And you happen to be the class president, so you can guide us.”

“But a lot of classes have already chosen a group chorus.”

“The head teacher wants us to do something different.”

Su Ye Mi looked a bit troubled.

It seemed this matter was causing her, the class president, quite a headache.

“And a lot of students don’t want to perform on stage… Didn’t you study vocal music too, Xue Ruo?”

“How about… the two of us sing a duet?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“I’m all for it!”

“Goddess Xue Ruo and Class President Su are so pretty and have such nice voices.”

“A duet from you two would definitely bring our class a lot of glory.”

I shot a look at the inexplicably enthusiastic Zheng Chen.

Although there was nothing wrong with what he said, given his usual obsession with 2D yuri culture, I had a feeling he was probably imagining something weird.

Oh, right, I forgot.

Su Ye Mi seems to…

I glanced at An Xue Ruo, who was calmly tucking a strand of hair, and then at the beet-red Su Ye Mi.

…At least An Xue Ruo doesn’t seem to be into girls.

“That could work, as long as you’re okay with it, Yemi.”

“Why is your face so red?”

An Xue Ruo asked Su Ye Mi, whose blush had yet to fade, after a moment of thought.

“I… I’m fine.”

“It was my idea, so of course I’m okay with it.”

“If you agree, Xue Ruo, I’ll go pick a song now and send it to you later.”

“Mhm, okay.”

“The cultural festival… I know about it.”

“It seems teachers can perform on stage too, right?”

“Does Xiao You want to see my talents?”

After returning home from school, I brought this up with Sister Yuan at the dinner table.

“You have talents, Sister Yuan?”

“I thought apart from housework and teaching, all you knew was how to torture me.”

“Ah, ow, ow, ow.”

I had barely finished speaking when Sister Yuan stood up and gave me a light rap on the head.

“That’s me doting on you, Xiao You.”

“And you call it torture.”

“How mean.”

Sister Yuan puffed out her cheeks, feigning anger.

“I don’t want that kind of doting.”

“Don’t tell me you have other skills, Sister Yuan?”

“I can do a lot of things.”

“I’ve even learned martial arts, you know?”

“Want to give it a try, Xiao You?”

Seeing Sister Yuan’s wicked, sinister smile, I quickly waved my hands in refusal.

“No, no, that’s okay.”

“These old bones of mine can’t handle your roughhousing.”

“But a skill like martial arts… Don’t tell me you’re planning to perform ‘I want to fight ten!’, Sister Yuan?”

“If you keep guessing wildly like that, Xiao You, I’ll let you have a taste of it right now.”

“I told you I can do a lot of things, so of course it’s not just that.”

“I can also play the piano~”

I gave Sister Yuan a skeptical look.

I just felt that a quiet and elegant art like playing the piano didn’t quite match Sister Yuan’s lively and active personality.

“What’s with that look, Xiao You?”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“No, no, no, I believe you, I believe you.”

“So are you really going to perform, Sister Yuan?”

Sister Yuan put down her chopsticks, reached over, and pinched my cheek.

“I’m not.”

“I only play for Xiao You.”

“As for other people, I don’t want them to hear.”

“By the way, have you guys decided on our class’s performance?”

“I’b dinks id’s a dueb fwom da plass pwesidenb an’ An Shue Ruo.”

“Al’ough we shill habe do disgussh ib wif da odder plassmades, I donb dink anywun will objecb.”

I chewed the food in my mouth, my words muffled.

“Swallow your food first.”

“It’s very impolite to talk with your mouth full.”

Sister Yuan poured me a glass of water and wiped a grain of rice from the corner of my mouth.

“You’re clearly still a child, yet you always say you’re all grown up.”

“Stupid Xiao You.”

“I don’t need to be so formal in front of you, Sister Yuan.”

“Ehehe~ You’re really like a mother fussing over her child.”

“Yes, just like a mother.”

“If only my child’s filial piety would take a different turn.”

“Don’t change your persona so quickly!”

“What kind of mother hopes for her child’s filial piety to take a different turn?!”

“But I just like you, Xiao You.”

“What can I do?”

“As for your class’s performance, hmm…”

“What do you mean ‘your class’s performance’?”

“You’re one of us too, Sister Yuan.”

“It’s our class, our class.”

“Alright, alright, our class, our class’s performance.”

“I’ve thought about it carefully, and I think I’ll show off a little too.”

“What if I let those two girls steal the show and it makes you change your mind about me, Xiao You?”

“What do you mean ‘change my mind’?!”

“I… I don’t fall for people that easily.”

“That’s not acceptable either.”

“I can’t lose to those little girls in front of you, Xiao You.”

“You just wait and see.”

“My Grade 8 piano skills.”

“Why are you so weirdly competitive about everything, Sister Yuan?”

“It’s not weird at all.”

“When it comes to being number one in your heart, Xiao You, I will fight for it.”

Sister Yuan’s big eyes blinked at me, the light from the chandelier reflecting in them, dazzling and brilliant.

“…Whatever makes you happy.”

“By the way, is Miss Yun Rou doing okay on her own?”

“Loneliness is also a necessary part of everyone’s growth.”

“It’s not a bad thing for her to learn to live alone early on.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help Xiao Rou when she needs it.”

“You don’t have to worry about her, Xiao You.”

She turned her gaze to the window, her tone shifting to one of maturity and composure.

“Xiao You is starting to care about other girls now.”

“How annoying.”

“I’ll have to ‘dote’ on you again.”

“She’s your sister!”

“Aren’t you concerned about Miss Yun Rou yourself, Sister Yuan?!”

“I don’t care.”

“The scent I left on you is fading, Xiao You.”

“I need to reinforce it!”

“You’re just finding an excuse to get your hands on me, aren’t you?!”