After getting off the plane, it was already two o’clock in the afternoon. Mimi and I dragged our exhausted bodies back home together.
When we opened the front door, two pairs of men’s shoes placed in the entryway immediately caught our attention.
Stepping into the living room, the sight before us was even more shocking. Having been away for only two and a half days, the entire living room seemed to have transformed completely.
The sofa blanket, which had originally been neatly folded on the sofa, was now scattered in disarray across the floor; piles of empty beer bottles and takeout containers made the room look exceptionally messy.
Seeing this scene, Mimi’s expression turned grim. Angrily, she marched toward Xiyuxiu’s bedroom and shouted at the top of her lungs, “You brat, get out here right now!”
Not long after, Xiyuxiu and Chen Xingyu emerged from the room in their pajamas, looking sleep-dazed. When they saw the two of us, panic flashed across their faces as they began to stutter and scramble for an explanation.
“We… well…”
“I was just here, uh…”
“Older sister, it’s not what you think!”
“Sigh, I told you we shouldn’t have acted before asking…”
“I… I… I…”
“I… I… I…”
In an instant, the entire living room grew exceptionally noisy, feeling as chaotic and bustling as a wet market. Their voices overlapped, sounding as if two hundred people were speaking at once.
Faced with this chaotic situation, Mimi and I exchanged bewildered glances.
Mimi glared at them without uttering a word. I shook my head helplessly; how could these two guys be so incapable of giving anyone peace of mind?
With her hands on her hips and after a long silence, Mimi finally spoke. Her voice was ice-cold, completely unlike her usual cute and spoiled self.
Gleaming with a sharp gaze fixed on Xiaoxiu, she pointed sternly at the sofa and commanded, “Get this place restored to its original condition within half an hour!”
“Understood!” Xiaoxiu replied with a serious expression, quickly executing a standard salute.
With that, he grabbed Chen Xingyu by the arm, and the two of them bolted back into the bedroom as if they had oiled the bottoms of their feet.
Seeing this, Mimi shook her head helplessly. Reaching out, she took my hand with one and dragged my suitcase with the other, leading me straight toward my bedroom.
Once inside the room, Mimi smiled with a hint of embarrassment and apologized, “Older sister, I’m so sorry. This brat is just impossible. Why don’t you get some rest first, and we’ll see each other in the living room in half an hour!”
“Alright.” I smiled and nodded.
After a while, Mimi knocked on my bedroom door and called me out to the living room.
However, the moment I stepped into the living room, I was dumbfounded the previously chaotic and messy space was now completely neat and clean. Every single item was placed in an orderly fashion, as if it belonged to an entirely different world.
I couldn’t help wondering if I was hallucinating. Could that disastrous living room I saw earlier have just been a dream?
While I stood there in astonishment, Mimi gently pulled my hand and led me over to sit on the chaise lounge. At that moment, I noticed that Xiyuxiu and Chen Xingyu were fully dressed and standing stiffly upright directly across from us.
With a gentle smile, Mimi pointed to the chaise and said, “Have a seat.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the two of them nervously walked over, sat down on the edge, kept their backs straight, and cast evasive glances, not daring to meet our eyes directly.
“Care to explain?” Mimi said, breaking the silence.
“Uh… I…”
“We had a dinner gathering…”
“We…”
“Just… playing games…”
They talked over each other, offering a jumble of excuses to explain what happened, but the more they spoke, the more muddled it got, turning the scene just as noisy as when we first walked in.
Unable to take it any longer, Mimi raised her hand to gesture for quiet and said, “Stop! One at a time!”
Hearing this, Chen Xingyu and Xiyuxiu immediately fell silent.
A look of awkwardness and apology surfaced on Chen Xingyu’s face. He took a deep breath before beginning to recount what happened the previous night: “I’m sorry. Since Xiaoxiu is officially starting his new job next week, I thought I’d take the opportunity to invite some other colleagues over for a dinner gathering so everyone could get to know each other.”
Pausing for a moment, Chen Xingyu continued, “After dinner, Xiaoxiu suggested coming back here to play video games together. We lost track of time while playing and kept going until this morning. We were so exhausted that we just fell asleep right on the spot. We originally planned to clean up the place as soon as we woke up, but who would have thought we’d sleep all the way until now…”
Xiaoxiu quickly chimed in to supplement, “Yeah, yeah! Senior originally said we should ask for your permission before coming over, but I told him you guys weren’t home and invited him anyway.”
Hearing their explanation, Mimi’s expression softened slightly.
“Don’t you ever do this again!” Mimi said sternly. “Even if you want to play, you need to check in with us beforehand. And clean up the place when you’re done.”
“Understood, understood.” Xiaoxiu and Chen Xingyu nodded repeatedly.
At that moment, I truly understood what it meant for an older sister to hold absolute bloodline dominance over her younger brother.
“As compensation, let me treat everyone to a meal tomorrow. I’m really sorry about the trouble today,” Chen Xingyu offered with a deeply apologetic look.
“No need, no need, you’re being too polite. I was just trying to scare this brat earlier, don’t mind it,” Mimi told Chen Xingyu. Then, shifting topics with a curious tone, she asked, “By the way, I remember Xiaoxiu mentioning that you’re 26 this year, right?”
“Yes, that’s right, Sister Mi. I’ve been working at YHM Company ever since I graduated, and this is my fourth year on the job,” Chen Xingyu answered obediently.
“Don’t be so formal. Xiaoxiu is going to need you to look after him a lot at the company from now on. He’s fresh out of campus, clueless about office politics, and on top of that, he’s been completely spoiled by us. If he does anything wrong, I hope you’ll bear with him,” Mimi instructed.
“Sis, why are you nagging just like Mom and Dad!” Xiaoxiu interrupted, looking irritated.
“Don’t worry, Sister Mi, I will definitely treat Xiaoxiu like my own younger brother and take good care of him,” Chen Xingyu promised solemnly, placing heavy emphasis on the words own younger brother.
“I’d still like to treat you all to a meal tomorrow. Since I’m adopting such a good little brother figure, I have to show my sincerity.” Chen Xingyu looked at Xiyuxiu and smiled.
Hearing this, Mimi turned to look at me, using her eyes to ask for my opinion.
“I was planning to go back and pack some of my things tomorrow, but dinner should be fine.” Seeing everyone so enthusiastic, I didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so I decided to go along with it.
“Then it’s settled. How about 5:00 PM tomorrow?” Chen Xingyu asked.
“Awesome!” Xiaoxiu clapped his hands in excitement.
Mimi rolled her eyes at him. “All you ever think about is food.”
Chen Xingyu smiled and said, “I’ll pick the restaurant then, guaranteed to satisfy everyone.”
“Sorry to trouble you, Xingyu,” I said with a smile.
“Oh, Sister Yan, are you heading home tomorrow?” Xiaoxiu suddenly asked.
“Mm-hmm, I’m going back to organize my things. Work starts next week,” I replied.
“I want to go too!” Xiaoxiu looked at me expectantly.
“What are you going for? To cause trouble?” Mimi snapped at him.
“I can help carry things,” Xiaoxiu said aggrievedly. “Besides, I haven’t seen Aunt Yang in a long time.”
“No need, thank you, Xiaoxiu, but I don’t have too many things to move. Mimi and I can handle it. Mom has an evening tutoring session at school tomorrow, so she won’t be back until dusk.” I shook my head and politely declined.
Mimi checked the time, saw that it was already dinnertime, and asked, “What does everyone want to eat? Xingyu, you should stay for dinner too.”
“No thanks, I promised my mom I’d eat at home tonight, so I shouldn’t intrude any further.” Checking his watch, Chen Xingyu continued, “It’s already this late? I should head back then.”
“See you tomorrow, Senior,” Xiaoxiu smiled and said goodbye, then shouted loudly, “Watch your step on the way back, Senior!”
After Chen Xingyu left, Mimi checked the time again and asked, “Older sister, what do you want to eat?”
“I’ve been on a plane all day, so I’m not very hungry. I want to go to my room and rest for a bit,” I said.
“Alright then, Older sister, get some rest. I’ll go boil some porridge, and you can eat when you’re hungry.” With that, Mimi turned and walked into the kitchen.
I returned to my room, lay down on the bed, and let my thoughts wander. I thought of Chen Xingyu and Xiaoxiu just now, and then of Mimi and me. Thinking of that night in Yunnan made my heart flutter wildly and pound in my chest once again.
Easter Egg
(Xiyuxiu’s Bedroom)
Chen Xingyu and Xiyuxiu paced anxiously around the room like headless flies, filled with anxiety and unease.
Frowning deeply, Chen Xingyu muttered to himself, “What do we do? How are we supposed to explain today to your older sister? I told you we shouldn’t have snuck back like this!” As he spoke, he violently tugged at his hair.
Watching the anxious Chen Xingyu, Xiyuxiu offered some soft comfort: “It’s fine, worst comes to worst we just tell the truth! We’ll just tell them we’re a couple now! You don’t have to worry, Senior, my sister has always been very supportive of me!”
Chen Xingyu shook his head forcefully in disagreement. “That won’t do at all. How about we just stick to this: we say we came back after the dinner party, started playing video games together, and accidentally fell asleep while playing.”
After thinking about it for a moment, Xiyuxiu offered an awkward smile and said, “Senior, do you really think the older sisters will buy that reason?”