"Whoa!"

Su Nuan instinctively spun around and clung to Lin Shu’s waist as she lost her balance. Lin Shu planted his feet firmly on the ground, steadying the bike while wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling.

"So that huge reaction means I hit the nail on the head? Silence is consent."

"How did you even figure it out? Do you have mind-reading powers or something?"

"Wish I did. Just a guess. You were hesitant at first, then suddenly got... aggressive. Like a totally different person."

"Can’t it just be my inner horniness waking up? A guy’s natural instincts kicking in?"

"You’re all talk and no action. If you weren’t, you’d be the school’s harem king by now. And I wouldn’t have picked you as my fake boyfriend."

"Should I thank you for that vote of confidence?" Lin Shu chuckled helplessly. *Harem king?* He’d only ever been used as an excuse to reject confessions. Before this, his closest companions were sweaty guys from the basketball court.

Su Nuan resettled herself on the bike seat. Lin Shu adjusted the handlebars and pedaled toward her apartment complex.

"Anyway, it’s better this way. If you pretend I’m your little sister, kissing me won’t feel weird. Easy mode for dealing with Gu Chu Chu."

*Easy?* His guilt was piling up by the second.

"Isn’t that... disrespectful to you?"

"Nah. We’re just acting. No feelings involved. Doesn’t matter who you’re thinking about—as long as the kiss looks perfect."

*Even if your heart’s stuck on your sister,* she thought, *your body’s already starting to remember mine. Your heart’s drifting further from her every day. Soon, this blockhead will be all mine. Perfect.*

"One kiss for Gu Chu Chu should be enough, right?"

*Please let it be just once.* His heart couldn’t take multiple rounds.

"Prepare for the worst. Girls in love are irrational. She might not give up until your wedding day."

At the apartment gate, Su Nuan hopped off the bike and winced, rubbing her sore backside. *Bounced too hard again?* Lin Shu made a mental note: *Weld a proper rear seat this weekend. Been carrying passengers too often lately.*

He glanced at the bike’s front crossbar glowing under the streetlight. His fingers came away damp where her backside had pressed against it.

*...Pee?* Had she been scared into wetting herself when the bike nearly tipped? But she’d been chatting normally just now. Unless it was... something else.

Lin Shu didn’t dare sniff his fingers. He pedaled home one-handed, planning to wash up thoroughly.

Earlier, in the sports storage room, his phone had buzzed nonstop with Gu Chu Chu’s group messages while he used it as a flashlight. Now he finally checked:

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *[long monologue]*

> **Yi Yi:** *Gege’s probably on a date. Too busy to check his phone.*

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *Aren’t you worried?*

> **Yi Yi:** *Dates are normal for high schoolers. They only have after-school hours together.*

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *But what if they do something... improper? It’s late. Could get messy.*

> **Yi Yi:** *Gege and Senior Su are rational. Besides, isn’t that what couples do?*

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *Aren’t you jealous? Your brother’s being stolen!*

> **Yi Yi:** *Why would I be? You’re the one with the problem. Solved it yet?*

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *Thanks to Senior, yes. Even got a bonus.*

> **Yi Yi:** *Congrats!*

> **Gu Chu Chu:** *Thank Senior.*

They then chatted about schoolwork—both top students, they’d found common ground. *Online friends now?* Gu Chu Chu had no real friends; Yi Yi was alone too.

Lin Shu called his sister. He needed advice after kissing two girls in one day—one forced, one lingering and initiated by him. He left out only one detail: how he’d imagined Su Nuan was Yi Yi during that second kiss.

"Gege’s turned into a playboy," Yi Yi declared bluntly. *Can’t underestimate fake-girlfriend Su Nuan. One slip and she’s got him in bed, kissing him for ages.* (Though not as long as *her* record. But Gege had been the one initiating—that changed everything.)

Lin Shu felt an arrow pierce his chest. No defense.

"But Gege’s first kiss was already gone."

"When?"

"*I* claimed it. When we were kids."

"Did that happen?"

Lin Shu had no memory of it. Their sibling bond had always been solid. As children, she’d trailed him everywhere. In fifth grade, he’d stopped taking her to basketball games—not out of shame, but because he thought she’d be bored. She never complained, just waited quietly at home. He’d felt guilty afterward, especially as their parents’ fights grew louder. They’d huddle together, covering each other’s ears for peace. Distance only deepened their closeness.

By middle school, Yi Yi had developed a sense of modesty and her own friends. But since they lived apart, their bond never frayed. Daily calls, shared worries, and the promise to reunite kept them tight.

Lin Shu’s earliest memories were hazy—around age five or six. He recalled carrying Yi Yi down stairs once; she squirmed, and they tumbled to the first-floor landing. Both got bumps on their heads. Yi Yi wailed until he made silly faces, rubbing her head and blowing on the lump. "No pain, no pain," he’d soothed.

"I don’t remember exactly when," Yi Yi said now, "but we’re siblings. We must’ve kissed as kids. We just forgot."

"That shouldn’t count."

"Fine, it doesn’t. So—are you worried about choosing? About responsibility? Or... do you want both?"

"There’s no ‘both’ option. This isn’t some—"

"Why not? If they agree, and you can handle it? Real life isn’t a game with fixed choices. Create your own path. Two-timing’s nothing compared to what rich guys get away with."

"What do *you* want, Gege? You don’t dislike them, right?"

"Honestly? No."

It was a happy kind of trouble.

"I think it’s okay to be greedy. I know how amazing you are. I’ll help you. Consider it my way of repaying you."

Her advice stunned him. Utterly scandalous.

"Even if you wanted that, they’d have to agree. Gu Chu Chu’s feelings are obvious. But why does Senior Su like you? After kissing you like that—saying it’s ‘just acting’ or ‘no feelings’? Do you believe her?"

"...Not really."

Doubt crept in. He’d helped her ditch Tian Peng. In return, she’d agreed to help him reject Gu Chu Chu. But this sacrifice felt too big.

"When did you first meet Senior Su?"

"She transferred to my class in eighth grade. Caused quite a stir. First interaction? She handed me water during a match. But she gave bottles to everyone—it was class-funded. Probably just pep-talk duty for the class rep or teacher."

"Ninth grade?"

"Different classes. Barely saw her."

"Then high school—same school, same class. No contact before that?"

"Well... she brought me water during the class rivalry games. And at the sports festival, she gave me several cups of glucose water."

He’d been running the 1500m, 3000m, and relays.

"Only you?"

"Yeah."

Tian Peng had girls fawning over him with drinks. Lin Shu and his teammates had hauled a water cooler to the court, refilling cups themselves. Su Nuan had simply poured one for him. During the long runs, she and the vice-class rep handled hydration duty.

"But she said it was just class rep work! You even told me back then: ‘Someone like her would never look at you. Don’t get hopes up.’"

Yi Yi had spent years crushing any girl’s interest in her brother. She hadn’t seen *this* coming.

"Did you know her as a kid? Preschool classmates?"

"I had zero girl friends back then. Just basketball buddies. Preschool’s a blur, but no one named Su Nuan."

"Then it doesn’t make sense. Unscientific. She won’t tell us her reason outright. As long as she’s not hurting you, let’s stay put. We’ll find out eventually. Leave the rest to me, your genius little sister."

A soft *thump-thump* echoed through the phone—Yi Yi patting her chest confidently.