Chuyun regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He’d forgotten how much his sister hated hearing Lin Waner’s name. Now, he’d truly stepped into a minefield.

Watching Xia Shiqi struggle fiercely, Chuyun quickly tried to make amends. "Shiqi, don’t be mad. I’ll do anything if you just stop being angry, okay?"

"You carried her on your back! You’ve never carried me, not even once!" Xia Shiqi finally wrenched her hand free, glaring at him as she scolded loudly.

Hearing this, Chuyun understood. She was jealous! If he just carried Shiqi too, everything would be fine.

He asked softly, "Shiqi, please don’t be mad. Next time, I’ll carry you too, okay?"

"No! No! No! You’ve already carried someone else; don’t think about carrying me!"

"...

Chuyun was utterly confused. What did his sister really want?

Though puzzled, he patiently asked in a gentle voice, "Shiqi, what do you want? I’ll do anything I can for you."

Actually, Xia Shiqi had mostly vented her anger by then. She didn’t truly want to fight. Chuyun reeked of that woman’s scent, and he’d carried her—something she’d never experienced. Overwhelmed by jealousy, she’d lost control.

But she wasn’t ready to let him off easily. At the very least, she deserved the same treatment as that woman.

Xia Shiqi huffed coquettishly at Chuyun. "Hmph, really? Anything I want?"

"Really. Whatever Shiqi wants, I’ll do it," Chuyun assured her hastily, seeing her anger calm slightly.

"Then I want the same treatment as that woman."

"The same treatment? Carrying you?"

Xia Shiqi stared at him like he was a hopeless blockhead. "Are you an idiot? I said no! Your back’s been used by her; I don’t want anything secondhand!"

"Shiqi, just tell me. I really can’t figure it out."

Chuyun racked his brains until he felt like he’d go bald, but still couldn’t grasp it.

Furious at his cluelessness, Xia Shiqi trembled and pounded his chest with her tiny fists. "You’re so dumb! I want you to hold me! Just hold me, understand?"

"This... isn’t really appropriate, is it?" Chuyun felt embarrassed. They weren’t kids anymore; hugging seemed awkward.

"I don’t care! I don’t care! I don’t care! I want a hug! Your back was used by her, so I’ll use your front! If you don’t hug me, I’ll never talk to you again!"

"Besides, you carried her; why can’t you hug me? Do you like her more than me?"

Seeing his reluctance, Xia Shiqi opened her pink mouth and—*chomp*—bit his shoulder like an enraged kitten.

"Hiss... Shiqi, let go! It hurts! You’re drawing blood! I’ll hug you, okay? Just let go!"

Chuyun watched as her face pressed against his shoulder. By the time he reacted, she was biting his flesh with suckling-baby strength, making him beg for mercy.

Though he pleaded, Xia Shiqi didn’t let go. She kept biting and mumbled, "Who do you like the most?"

"I like Shiqi the most! I like Shiqi the most! Let go already! You’re really drawing blood!"

Chuyun felt utterly miserable. Why was he suffering like this? His sister must be part dog! Her nose detected Sister Waner’s scent, and her bite was incredibly painful. He was sure his shoulder was bleeding.

"Hmph, remember this forever: who you like the most!"

Hearing this, Xia Shiqi finally released his battered shoulder, satisfied.

"Shiqi, can’t you just talk nicely? Look—your bite marks are red and hurting," Chuyun complained pitifully, pointing to the neat toothprints. He’d only hesitated about hugging her; was such a reaction necessary?

"It’s your fault for making me mad. I’ll take responsibility. Just stand still."

Seeing the deep marks, Xia Shiqi felt a twinge of guilt. But her tsundere nature wouldn’t let her admit fault.

"Then, Shiqi, go get some ointment to apply it for me," Chuyun said hopefully.

"Idiot, why bother? Just use saliva!"

Xia Shiqi rolled her eyes. Before he could react, she pressed her face to his shoulder again, took the bitten spot into her mouth, and gathered saliva. With her pink tongue, she began "treating" the wound.

Perhaps due to her focus, her delicate hands unconsciously wrapped around Chuyun. A faint blush spread across her innocent face.

Chuyun, shocked by her behavior, finally snapped back. His mouth hung open, dark pupils filled with astonishment as he stared.

What kind of bizarre healing method was this?!

But it actually reduced the pain a bit. Still, this was way too intimate. Chuyun felt extremely awkward.

"Shiqi, that’s enough. It doesn’t hurt anymore," he said awkwardly to his sister, who was still intently "treating" it.

But Xia Shiqi didn’t stop; she worked even faster.

*Mmm*, it still had that familiar taste. But she couldn’t continue, or Chuyun would get suspicious.

Xia Shiqi pulled away, eyes slightly dazed. She brushed aside strands of soft black hair from her forehead, blushing shyly. In a sweet, soft voice, she said,

"Chuyun, isn’t this better than ointment?"