They had lived in the same house for three years, but he had never actually come upstairs since the girl moved onto the second floor.
Although they were practically family, he was, at the end of the day, a man. So, Xiao Ran had always been very mindful of his boundaries in that regard.
The second-floor layout was simple. Since it was a duplex, the bathroom was right at the top of the stairs, and the room next to it was the girl’s bedroom.
Since she was the only one living upstairs, the girl didn’t have the habit of closing her door when she slept. The bedroom door was wide open, and from his vantage point, he could vaguely see inside.
Xiao Ran respectfully turned his back and called her name.
But the girl, her ears full of sleep music, couldn’t hear a thing. She didn’t even shift her position.
After calling out three times, Xiao Ran was exasperated.
’Did she take sleeping pills or something!’
’She’s completely dead to the world!’
A large Hello Kitty plushie almost completely obscured the front of her body, leaving only a long, pale leg visible. From this angle, it looked exceptionally slender and beautiful. One small foot dangled precariously off the edge of the bed.
With a sigh of resignation, Xiao Ran turned back around and walked in.
’For the record, I didn’t want to come in! She forced my hand!’
’As her brother, it’s okay to enter her room, right?’
’Yeah, it’s fine.’
With that thought, Xiao Ran gulped and stepped inside.
Because of the pink curtains, and with it being morning, the entire room was cast in a soft pink glow.
The air held the unique fragrance of a young woman—not of cosmetics, but a pleasant mix of floral and faint, milky scents.
Xiao Ran couldn’t resist taking a couple more breaths of it.
The girl was very tidy. Her white desk was spotless, and on it sat a photograph of her at the beach.
In the photo, she wore a white sundress, her face turned toward the sun. Her smile seemed to compete with its rays to see which was warmer, which was more radiant.
On a white mat beside the bed, a pair of white thigh-high stockings was casually tossed aside.
There was also a black pleated skirt and a pink lace bra.
Since she lived up here alone, she had a habit of tossing the next day’s outfit onto the carpet, making it more convenient to get dressed in the morning.
’Hmm... a bad habit, I suppose.’
The scene made Xiao Ran blush.
’Thankfully, she was sleeping in her pajamas.’
However, due to her awkward sleeping position, her pajama top had ridden up slightly, revealing a sliver of her firm, pale, and flat stomach.
He walked over to her side, reached out, and poked her back. "Get up. We’re going to be late!"
The sleeping girl’s long eyelashes remained lowered. She didn’t stir at all.
He had to admit, the girl truly had naturally flawless skin. Bathed in the soft pink light from the curtains, her skin, so full of collagen, looked almost unreal. It was no exaggeration to say that a level-ten beauty filter could hardly do better.
He reached out and poked her again. "Get up, you lazy pig!"
’I shouldn’t have agreed to take her. If I’d gone by myself, I’d probably be there by now.’
Feeling the shaking, the girl shifted slightly but showed no sign of waking up.
’She didn’t want to get up. Her dream wasn’t finished yet—she had to get back to it!’
’In her dream, she was eating steamed buns with Xiao Ran. He had the meat and crab roe ones!’
’But hers were just plain vegetable buns.’
’Staring at the yellow crab fat dripping from his bun, her mouth watered with envy. After begging and begging, Xiao Ran had finally agreed to let her have a bite. But just as she took one, before she could even taste it, she’d woken up!’
’What a total rip-off.’
’No way. She had to taste what her brother’s bun tasted like!’
And so, the girl quickly fell back into her dream. Perhaps she had finally gotten her taste, as a half-conscious smile spread across her face.
She mumbled, "The crab roe is the best..."
This whole performance left Xiao Ran utterly speechless.
’I give up. Didn’t she just move a second ago?’
’How could she fall asleep again?’
’And "the crab roe is the best"... She must be hungry.’
’What a little glutton.’
He reached out and prodded Yan Xici again.
This time, Xiao Ran used more force. He had no choice; he had truly underestimated how deeply this girl slept. It seemed a little force was necessary!
Feeling the vigorous shaking, the girl finally woke up. She slowly opened her drowsy eyes, only to see Xiao Ran’s face, which screamed that he had given up on life, and his eyes, which were staring right at her with a clear trace of impatience.
Her pupils constricted. Instantly awake, she scrambled into a W-sitting position.
"Brother?"
As she spoke, she worried that she might be drooling and subconsciously wiped her mouth on the back of her own pale hand.
’I was just dreaming about eating his bun, and the moment I groggily open my eyes, I see him in the flesh!’
’This is just too much excitement for one morning!’
As she sat up, Xiao Ran finally saw it clearly. So, she had been wearing earbuds. No wonder she couldn’t hear him.
He couldn’t help but roast her. "Did you pull an all-nighter or something? You sleep heavier than a log."
The girl gave an apologetic smile and rubbed her head, mussing her once-smooth hair. Her voice was sheepish.
"Sorry, Brother Xiao Ran. I was just a little too excited last night."
She took the earbuds out of her ears, put them away carefully, then swung her legs out and slipped on her slippers.
She got up and yanked open the curtains. As a flood of bright light poured in, the girl finally felt completely awake.
"Brother Xiao Ran, wait for me! I’ll be ready in a second!"
With that, she scurried out to the bathroom.
Xiao Ran, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward standing amidst the room’s feminine fragrance.
’It seems the little girl I knew has really grown up,’ he reflected, suppressing his racing heart.
’I have to make sure to keep my distance from now on!’
’After all, I’m her former brother-in-law. I have to know my place!’
Meanwhile, the girl entered the bathroom and hurriedly shut the door before patting her wildly beating heart.
’That’s a girl’s private bedroom! My brother-in-law actually came into my room!’
’And on the carpet were my stockings and my bra...’
’The more she thought about it, the faster her heart pounded. This is so embarrassing I could die!’
’Those are a girl’s most private things.’
’It’s all my fault for being lazy and not putting them away!’
The girl clasped her hands together, squeezed her eyes shut, and began to pray silently, "Oh please, please let Brother Xiao Ran not have seen them. Please let him not have seen..."
’Otherwise, I’ll literally die of social embarrassment!’
After her fervent prayer, the girl reached out a small, pale hand to turn on the faucet. She splashed her face with cold water and looked at her delicate features in the mirror, silently vowing that she absolutely could not oversleep again!
’She absolutely, positively could not let her brother see another embarrassing scene like this!’
When she returned to her room, Xiao Ran was already downstairs. The girl shed her pajamas and hurriedly changed into a white, pleated miniskirt with white stockings and a loose-fitting, sailor-style top.
It was a classic ’JK’ schoolgirl uniform. Though the look was meant to be innocent, her curvy figure filled it out in a way that gave it an alluring edge.
She gave a big stretch, then headed downstairs, full of energy.
Xiao Ran had already put on his shoes and was waiting for her by the door. The girl quickly slipped on her own white sneakers, and the two of them left together.
Downstairs, Xiao Ran put the key in his electric scooter, then easily wheeled it out from the building entrance. He turned to look at the girl behind him. "You’re riding today."
He had, after all, promised yesterday to teach her how to ride. Xiao Ran was not one to break his promises.
Staring at the large, black scooter, the girl’s pretty eyes widened.
Huh????
’Me? Ride?’
’But I don’t know how!’
’Brother Xiao Ran isn’t planning for us to perish together, is he...?’