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Join the Server“Well, little brother, you’re finally awake!”
“Huh? Sister, do you have classes this morning?”
Stepping out of my room with a yawn, I ran into my older sister, Zhao Qingxia, who, despite being a freshman and typically not an early riser, was clearly ascending the stairs from downstairs.
It’s no exaggeration to say my sister was a truly captivating beauty, now enjoying considerable renown within the university district of Academy Island.
In stark contrast, I had evidently failed to inherit our mother’s superior genes for good looks.
Yet, for reasons unknown, Zhao Qingxia surged forward with unusual fervor, wrapping her arm tightly around my neck.
“Forget that! What I really want to know is what underhanded tactics you used to snag a beauty of such a high caliber!”
“I surrender! I surrender! Just let go of me first!”
I hastily patted her arm, pleading for release.
Zhao Qingxia, having had her fun, finally loosened her grip.
I immediately gulped in several much-needed breaths of air.
“This early in the morning, where would such a beauty come from? Are you still half-asleep and dreaming?”
‘What an utterly baseless accusation.’
“Oh, you’re quite the actor, aren’t you? But… hehe~”
As if recalling something delightful, her smile turned positively mischievous.
‘Had she perhaps bumped her head somewhere earlier?’
“But what? Stop just grinning and tell me!”
“Just wanted to say, her personality is super adorable too. You really should cherish her, you know.”
‘What on earth was she babbling about, completely out of the blue?’
Watching her simply retreat to her room, I could only shake my head, attempting to dislodge the confusion, before slowly making my way downstairs.
Descending the stairs, I headed directly to the bathroom to brush my teeth, only then faintly registering the sounds of conversation and laughter emanating from the living room.
‘Huh? Is Dad actually home for breakfast today?’
He wasn’t employed by some exploitative company; rather, as a finance department staff member, the middle and end of the year invariably brought periods of overwhelming busyness.
It was precisely this morning’s lack of any impending sense of crisis that left me completely unprepared. Only when someone suddenly materialized behind me, not only striking up a conversation with startling nonchalance but even closing the bathroom door, did I abruptly comprehend that the ‘baseless accusation’ from earlier was, in fact, entirely my own fault.
Without even pausing to properly clean my mouth, I stormed directly to the living room doorway.
“Mom! What in the world is happening!?”
“Oh my!~ You scared me! What’s happening?”
“It’s about why *that person* is in our house?!”
“What an impolite way to speak! Lan Xinyue only came to visit so early because she arrived too late yesterday while moving, and she felt it would be both inconvenient to disturb us and rude not to pay respects.”
‘As if!’
‘Aren’t you curious where Zhao Qingxia’s dinner disappeared to?’
“Besides, you two are classmates, aren’t you? Such an attitude is simply improper.”
‘On that point, please allow me a moment to gather my defense.’
“Alright, alright, hurry up and clean yourself up. You’ll only make our guest laugh if you stay like this.”
‘She had a point.’
Left with no room for rebuttal, I could only obediently retreat to resume my morning ablutions.
Incidentally, girls seemed to spend even more time in the bathroom than I had ever imagined.
Even after I had finished washing up, the young lady’s presence remained elusive.
As I headed back upstairs to change, I was once again waylaid by Zhao Qingxia.
“Hey, honestly, little brother, how did you manage to pull it off?”
“…Her family owns an independent estate in District Three, you know.”
I decided to use a circuitous approach, subtly reminding my unreliable sister that this young lady was not only a max-level, limited-edition UR series, but also a fully gilded card (TL Note: A gaming term referring to the highest rarity and most valuable type of character card, implying extreme wealth and status.).
“…”
As anticipated, Zhao Qingxia froze, her eyes slowly widening in disbelief.
‘It seemed she finally grasped the implications.’
However, she swiftly adopted an expression of profound remorse and extraordinary resolve, pressing both hands firmly onto my shoulders.
“Little brother, let your sister tell you something truly heartfelt: you should just obediently go turn yourself in.”
“Why has it come to this?”
‘Can your thought process not be a little more normal?’
‘Could it be that she truly only inherited the genes for good looks?’
“Because no matter what blackmail you might hold over someone, there will inevitably be a day when it all backfires. Therefore, surrendering is your best course of action.”
“Enough with your conspiracy theories! There’s no leverage whatsoever.”
“…Then how did you manage to entice her?”
“…Is there a possibility that our relationship is actually quite ordinary, seeing as we hadn’t even spoken two days ago?”
Zhao Qingxia, however, immediately drew a sharp breath.
“Yet, in just two short days, this peerless beauty – a perfect golden ratio, vibrant in true color, and utterly unique – actually came to visit on her own accord this early morning! Does that mean, in reality, your relationship is even *more* scandalous?!”
‘In some twisted way, we truly had a tacit understanding.’
“I’m seriously tempted to start swearing right now.”
‘If you weren’t my own sister, that is.’
Abandoning my sister, whose thought processes were far too bizarre for comfort, I went straight back to my room to change. By the time I returned to the living room, Lan Xinyue was already settled on the sofa, casually chatting with my mother.
“You’re certainly taking your sweet time! Hurry up and eat breakfast, then head off to school with Lan Xinyue. Don’t keep her waiting.”
“Auntie, there’s really no need to rush. We have ample time, and it’s a pleasure to chat with you a little longer.”
“Oh my, you truly are so considerate.”
“Please don’t tease me so.”
‘She certainly knew how to endear herself to others.’
Perceiving the disadvantageous turn of events, I could only quietly finish my breakfast. Then, under my mother’s warm yet reluctant gaze, I walked out the door alongside Lan Xinyue.
“When I arrived, your uncle was just leaving, so we only exchanged greetings. Your auntie is truly hospitable, and your sister… she’s very beautiful too.”
‘Was it just my imagination? When she mentioned Zhao Qingxia, there was an inexplicable hint of awkwardness.’
“Well, that also depends on who the guest is, doesn’t it?”
“Oh~ So it seems my current score is quite high then.”
“It’s utterly effortless for you, isn’t it? But aren’t you afraid of being misunderstood?”
“Oh? Do you really wish to be misunderstood so badly?”
With a sly, knowing smile, Lan Xinyue leaned her face closer.
“Not in the slightest.”
“Wah~ What a truly heartless playboy! To toy with an innocent maiden who’s just had her heart broken, *sniffle*.”
‘First, put away those eye drops you’re holding.’
‘Come to think of it, did this girl perhaps decide last night that she’d come over to freeload breakfast?’
“Oh, right, this is for you.”
“A club application? You still haven’t given up?”
‘At this point, had the ‘Assault Club’ (TL Note: Referring to a club named ‘Jìnjī Shè’, which translates to ‘Attack/Assault Club’) not already lost its raison d’être?’
“I never said I’d disband the club, did I?”
“So, you want me to recruit members into the club first, and *then* bring them to you?”
‘The difficulty just shot up by fifty stars.’
“From the sound of it, it feels like you originally intended to trick people into joining first, doesn’t it?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
‘That was precisely my intention.’
“Student Zhao, you must understand that interpersonal relationships cannot be built upon lies; they must be founded on honesty.”
“Then may I ask for your three measurements?”
“Ugh! Go to hell with you!”
‘So you won’t even offer a lie, huh?’
‘How utterly honest of you.’
“Actually, it’s not entirely out of the question for me to bring people over, but you’ll have to provide some assistance.”
“Let’s hear it first.”
“Help me purchase a high-value insurance policy, the kind that becomes effective in half an hour.”
“It’s extremely regrettable, but no such convenient service exists. And rest assured, I will truthfully inform your auntie about all your debts.”
“In that case, please just be honest about your three measurements.”
“I’m beginning to get genuinely angry now.”
‘Then please refrain from pushing me into such a fiery pit.’
****
Approximately half an hour later, we were still walking side by side along one of Academy Island’s more secluded roads.
“Huh? Isn’t that Su Yuanyi? …Oh?”
Just as we rounded a bend, Lan Xinyue suddenly gasped, then swiftly seized my wrist, pulling us back into concealment.
Peering through the dense foliage, we observed the person glancing nervously left and right, their cautious demeanor strikingly peculiar.
Once they confirmed the coast was clear and proceeded into the woods, we exchanged a swift, knowing glance and promptly followed.
The current route had been my assertive suggestion, agreed upon to avoid being seen by too many schoolmates walking to school together.
While Lan Xinyue claimed not to care, it was only because she had no conception of the treatment I, a member of the ‘Dark Faction’ (TL Note: A common trope in web novels, referring to a group or alignment often associated with negative or unconventional powers/roles), would face if such a matter were to become public knowledge.
However, for Su Yuanyi, a high-ranking member of the ‘Light Faction’ (TL Note: The opposing faction to the ‘Dark Faction’, typically associated with positive or conventional powers/roles), to appear alone in this secluded area with such a peculiar demeanor, spelled nothing but trouble.
Maintaining a safe distance, we trailed Su Yuanyi along an inconspicuous forest path, eventually arriving before a small, dilapidated hut. Enveloped by trees, it had presumably once served to conceal some island facility but was now clearly abandoned.
Su Yuanyi had already double-checked her surroundings before slipping inside the hut.
“There shouldn’t be any security-type patrols around here, right?”
Faced with such an environment, I couldn’t help but voice my concern.
Those things usually remained cloaked in optical camouflage, often startling people when they suddenly appeared.
“Let me check.”
Lan Xinyue pulled out her phone and opened an application.
“No problem! It seems this place has been abandoned for a long time.”
Having the daughter of Longlan Heavy Industries (TL Note: A fictional major corporation, implying wealth and influence) by my side was certainly reassuring in moments like these.
It also meant we were about to uncover a carefully guarded secret belonging to a certain aloof girl.
At Lan Xinyue’s signal, we quickly reached the only window on the hut’s right side, which was slightly damaged.
We then cautiously began to peek inside.
Sparse morning sunlight, filtering through gaps in the leaves and then through the windowpane, illuminated the pages of a book adorned with exquisite illustrations.
Unaware of our presence, Su Yuanyi read with a serene, focused expression.
As for the contents, frankly, they left me utterly speechless with shock.
“What is it?”
Lan Xinyue’s whispered question jolted me.
Turning my head, her face was so close that I hastily pulled back.
“Didn’t you see it?”
“No, what happened?”
I quickly understood.
Due to her position, her line of sight was restricted, preventing her from seeing the contents of the book in Su Yuanyi’s hand.
I motioned for her to hide first, then we both crouched together beneath the window.
“Honestly, this is just too unexpected.”
“Stop being so cryptic! Just tell me!”
‘How on earth should I explain this?’
After carefully choosing my words, I finally said:
“In professional terms, it’s an advanced illustrated manual for exploring the origins of life.”
“Can’t you put it more simply… Huh? Could it be that…”
Lan Xinyue’s eyes widened in astonishment.
‘It seemed she understood.’
“Is it really an age-restricted edition?”
I was about to nod when I suddenly heard the window above us slide open.
We had intended to pretend that ‘the other person simply wanted to open the window for fresh air,’ but ultimately, under unspoken pressure, we slowly raised our heads together.
The girl, still clutching the ominously titled illustrated manual, gazed down at us. In her amethyst-like eyes, framed by scattered strands of dark hair that only enhanced her beauty, complex emotions swirled like a vortex.
‘Should I say this scene was comparable to a world-famous painting?’
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Not Me, The Fans is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Not Me, The Fans
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