"So... in your eyes, Anna-jie, what kind of person am I?"

Jiang Fan probed carefully. If handled right, this encounter might just become his chance to break free from Mu Yuli.

Anna set her phone down at his question, tapping her chin with a troubled look. Clearly, she found it tricky to answer.

"Hmm... if I had to say? You’re a likable little brother. Though technically, you *are* my brother now."

*Brother...* Jiang Fan chewed over her words, weighing their sincerity.

His first impression on her must’ve been decent—ironic, really. Back then, he’d only thought: *She’s new here, stunningly beautiful. What if something happened to her? That’d be a shame.* So he’d gone slightly out of his way. And now? It’d left a good mark.

"Honestly," he continued earnestly, "I still find it hard to believe. Your family isn’t ordinary, is it? My mom’s lovely, sure—but I can’t imagine her marrying into a family like yours. Are you *certain* you haven’t got the wrong person?"

He kept his gaze averted. Ever since she’d sat on the floor, a single glance toward her would’ve revealed *every angle of a breathtaking view*.

She’d said he could look freely—but after countless rebirths, Jiang Fan knew one truth deep in his bones: *Never trust a woman’s words. Not even a single punctuation mark.*

Women were fickle. He’d seen it. No matter how tempting their offers, he guarded his heart fiercely. One slip, and it’d be ruin.

*Unless... absolutely unavoidable.*

*Ahem.*

"You’re overthinking it, little brother," Anna chuckled. She pulled up files on his phone and handed it over. "Guxuetong dug this up herself. No mistakes."

*Prepared while I was unconscious,* Jiang Fan realized. *To stop me from resisting.*

His mother’s ID photo stared back at him. Below it: birthplace, birthdate, life history—all meticulously detailed. Only then did he truly accept it.

"I see," he sighed, shaking his head with a bitter smile. Gaining a stunningly beautiful sister overnight? No way he’d adjust instantly. It still felt unreal.

"Last night," he pressed on, voice flat as he reduced himself to a tool, "you said you’d use me to expose my mother. To show your father she abandoned her husband and child." He met her eyes. "After that... what happens to me?"

This was the crux. He needed to know his role—and his fate.

If he was disposable? No way he’d play martyr.

*Better to stay with Mu Yuli and bide my time than end up planting potatoes in Siberia.*

But Anna blinked, her ocean-blue eyes wide with confusion.

"Eh? Did I say that?"

"Last night—you wanted to see her reaction when she saw me. You sounded furious..."

*Could I have misread her?*

They stared at each other, baffled.

Then Anna’s expression cleared. "Oh, silly! I don’t *hate* your mom. She’s my dad’s lawful wife now—my stepmom. I was just mad they didn’t *tell* me before marrying! And when I found out she left you behind in China..." She leaned forward, earnest. "Family sticks together. Of course I’d bring you home!"

"It’s just... I’ve never been a sister before. I didn’t know how to act, so I kept my distance." Her voice dipped, tentative. "Did I upset you?"

Jiang Fan’s mind reeled.

*This good fortune? For me?*

He’d braced for every dark possibility—kidnapping, schemes, traps—but never *this*.

*She just... wanted a brother?*

His throat tightened. "But... I still owe three million in debts..."

Anna waved a hand grandly. "Pfft! A mere three million? Big sister’s got you covered!"

*Hear that?* The most beautiful Chinese words ever spoken.

Jiang Fan’s tear ducts were losing the battle. *Why didn’t I meet her sooner?* With Anna on his side, he’d never have suffered Mu Yuli’s blades so many times.

He trusted her. She had no reason to lie—he had nothing she wanted. His looks? She saw him as family. And Guxuetong wouldn’t ally with someone cruel.

*So Mu Yuli must’ve interfered.*

After his first death at her hands, he’d drifted through life in a daze. Her people must’ve guarded him—or she’d warned Anna away. Or maybe in other timelines, Anna never came...

No matter. For the first time, dawn light pierced his cursed fate.

*...Or did it?*

"—Calling again, little brother." Anna turned, phone in hand, her posture creating a *Mariana Trench of distraction*. Jiang Fan barely tore his eyes away. "This ‘devil’—who is she? She’s called a dozen times while you were out. Take it?"

She added casually, "Oh, and Guxuetong rerouted your phone’s GPS. Don’t bother trying to call for help. I finally have a brother," her smile turned sharp, "and I won’t let you slip away *that* easily."

Jiang Fan stared at the screen.

*To answer... or not?*