It was 4:30 AM.

Location: my room.

I stared at my younger sister, An Xinran, with the sternest expression I could muster.

I’d already put on a T-shirt. Xinran, under my firm insistence, had slipped into her nightgown.

She sat on my bed, hugging a pillow, looking unusually uneasy. I sat on a chair, my face utterly calm.

Just moments ago, my dear sister had created one of the most mortifying moments of my life.

“I never thought a man could still pee even when it’s hard.”

How dare you say that out loud! If I weren’t so level-headed and thick-skinned, I couldn’t face you like this. Anyone else might’ve considered suicide!

Hiss… exhale…

Stay calm. Stay cool. I can’t yell.

Mindless shouting solves nothing. If I talk properly, I’ll understand Xinran’s true feelings.

Dropping my usual passive attitude, I spoke firmly, like a lecture.

“Sit up straight. Do you know what you did?”

“…I know.”

Of course she knew. She did it precisely because she knew.

My sister has a serious brother complex.

The evidence was glaringly obvious.

Accepting her was impossible—morally, ethically, legally. Unlike Keling, who later became my sister, Xinran was my blood relative.

There was no room for hesitation. I should’ve flatly refused… but it was too late now.

If I’d nipped this in the bud when her feelings first surfaced, none of this would’ve happened. But I was too dense… I even thought Xinran hated me until yesterday.

Now, she’d done the unthinkable while I slept.

If I suddenly said, “Siblings can’t be together. There’s no future for us,” Xinran would definitely snap.

For her mental health and my safety, outright rejection was off the table.

I couldn’t risk a BAD ENDING.

Communication solves most problems. Sweet words win girls over. Gentle words comfort others. Bold words build courage. Talking to myself clears my head.

What I needed now was blunt honesty.

“When did this start?”

“Five years ago…”

Pfft!

Five years?!

That’s way too long!

So for nearly eighteen hundred days, I slept like a corpse, completely clueless?

“You came every night?”

Xinran lowered her head, silent.

What now?

Only one move left…

“Hah… I get it. You had a nightmare, right?”

I lied. I knew Xinran hadn’t come for nightmares. I made up an excuse anyway. The guilt gnawed at me, but I had no choice.

“Remember when we shared a room? Once, after a nightmare, you crawled into my bed.”

Another lie. That never happened. But it was so long ago—I could fabricate the memory.

So flimsy. She probably saw right through me.

But compromising here gave us both an escape. It’d be easier for now.

Xinran nodded silently. Her cold expression softened a little, as if relieved.

That’s enough for now. I shouldn’t push her further.

I sighed, stood up from the chair, and was about to say, “Go back to sleep,” when she spoke first.

“Brother… were you awake from the start?”

“No. I just woke up.”

“You didn’t sleep last night either, did you?”

“You noticed?”

How did she know?

“The coffee. You dumped it in the trash.”

So she caught that… Tch. I should’ve flushed it down the toilet.

“So you guessed I was awake last night and might’ve seen everything… yet you still came today.”

“Mm. I’d prepared myself yesterday…”

I see. That’s why Xinran wasn’t panicking earlier. She’d steeled herself.

“Not for being caught. For confessing to you, Brother… I like you. Not as family. I truly like you.”

Her expression was dead serious. I could tell she meant it.

Unlike Jilianbing’s joking words, this was a confession filled with resolve.

Her “preparation” wasn’t about getting caught—it was about telling me her feelings.

Honestly, I was moved.

But being moved didn’t mean I could accept it. My morals wouldn’t allow it.

“Xinran, I…”

“No need to answer. I don’t expect one. Just… let me stay by your side for now, okay? I promise not to interfere with your life…”

Shock.

I’d overthought everything. She didn’t need my guidance. She’d figured it out long ago. She must’ve been more lost than me—thinking harder, struggling more, tangled in this for five years…

How could I refuse her final plea?

“Alright… but we need clear boundaries.”

“Mm.”

Now, time to ask the unavoidable question.

I closed my eyes, thought for a few seconds, then asked what haunted me most.

“Be honest. While I was asleep… how far did you go?”

“…Just sleeping while hugging.”

“Tell the truth. What did you do? Or I’ll tell Mom…”

The corners of Xinran’s mouth turned down slightly. She looked displeased—or unhappy?

Normally, I’d back down instantly.

Afraid she’d hate me more, I’d retreat… But! I held the reins today! I had to get answers, or life would be unbearable!

“It’s true… I planned to make you drink coffee that day, wait for you to sleep, then… But you caught me…”

Though frowning, she confessed everything. I broke out in a cold sweat.

So close!

That scared the hell out of me!

I’d almost been saved!

I was practically at the door of “German orthopedics”… Wait, no—Dad’s a surgeon. He could break my legs and fix them himself, no Germany needed. Break them again? Fix them again? An endless cycle, trapping me in bed for life?

Terrifying!

Xinran fidgeted with her fingers, watching my face like a scolded child. She asked timidly, “…Can I sleep with you again?”

Saying no might make her cry… Sleeping together should be fine, but rules first.

“Yes. But wear proper pajamas.”

“What about hugs?”

“Arm’s length only.”

“Kisses?”

“Forehead or cheeks only.”

“Hmm… In the West, relatives kiss as a greeting. It’s just etiquette.”

“No. I’m not Western. Neither are you. And kisses mixed with personal feelings aren’t etiquette.”

“I promise it’ll be pure.”

“Still no.”

“Hmph…”

Xinran snorted coldly, slipping back into her usual icy demeanor. She turned her face away.

The corners of her mouth dipped a fraction lower.

She looked even unhappier.