Liang Caiyi wasn’t satisfied with just washing her hands. She cupped water to rinse her mouth too, her shapely backside thrust out as she walked with a slight limp, still looking like she wanted to bite someone’s head off.

"Does your butt still hurt?"

"Of course it does! It’s killing me—I swear it’s splitting in two."

"It’s *supposed* to be in two halves."

Liang Caiyi bit her lip, at a loss for words. *Is she the idiot here, or is it Lin Shu?*

The moment Liang Caiyi left, Lin Yiyi slipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She grabbed Lin Shu’s tooth cup and a cheap toothbrush bought from the convenience store outside their apartment complex. She’d packed her own toiletries, but Lin Shu had accidentally taken them while sorting luggage.

After brushing, Lin Yiyi wiped her face with Lin Shu’s towel and handed it back. Though a towel used by his sister wouldn’t magically smell sweet, Lin Shu simply wiped his face, then rinsed the towel, wrung it dry, and hung it on the rack.

Before leaving, Lin Shu double-checked for forgotten items. He wheeled his bike out—the morning was leisurely, and he planned to walk to school.

"Liang Caiyi, that’s not okay. Even if you like Shu-ge *that* much, you can’t pull pranks on him while he’s sleeping. He barely got any rest."

"*You’re* the one who likes Shu-ge! I saw you kiss his cheek earlier."

"I never said I *didn’t* like him."

Lin Yiyi’s words made Lin Shu’s heart skip.

"Family-like affection, right?" Liang Caiyi scoffed.

"Exactly."

"Hmph." Liang Caiyi snorted. Despite being humiliated and outmaneuvered at lunch, she’d uncovered a secret: these two model students, praised by their moms, were actually…

The thought made her giggle behind her hand. Lin Shu and Lin Yiyi exchanged baffled glances. *Did she hit her head when she fell?* But she hadn’t.

They soon reached the gym and music café co-owned by their dads and Auntie Liang.

"I’m heading back to help at the shop."

"You really have zero interest in studying, huh?"

Lin Shu couldn’t blame her. With Auntie Liang’s plea weighing on him, he barely had energy to manage his own life, let alone his stepsister’s.

"None of your business." Liang Caiyi pulled down her lower eyelid, stuck out her tongue, and made a silly face.

"Come to think of it, Liang Caiyi always calls you by your name."

"She’s never seen me as a brother. We only became family recently." Lin Shu shrugged. "You barely called me ‘gege’ either—only when tattling to Mom."

"I was just a kid back then!"

Hearing "gege" warmed his heart, yet each syllable reminded him of their sibling bond.

"Liang Caiyi clearly likes you. She’s a tsundere—acts tough but means the opposite. When she snaps ‘none of your business,’ she actually *wants* you to discipline her."

"Why does every girl like me in your stories?" Lin Shu chuckled helplessly. *That’s not what you used to say.*

"This is based on my own observations—not just your descriptions. I might’ve cost you some good matches before. Won’t you blame me? Though there’s still Senior Su Nuan, who never gives up."

"Even if I missed chances, I wasn’t into dating back then. Ignorance kept me focused. Thanks to you, I got into No.1 High."

*For her sake. To keep our promise.*

"Then it worked out by a twist of fate. But I’ve never dated either—I’m just a paper-strategy general."

"You’re perceptive. Being a girl, you understand them better than this block of wood."

Lin Shu truly couldn’t decipher Su Nuan or Gu Chuchu—one moment confessing love, the next denying it. Their mixed signals left him dizzy.

"Then I’ll be your external love-brain. Don’t overthink it. Stay true to yourself, treat them all equally, and let things flow. If they’re genuine and not bad girls, their lies are just shyness—they fear real rejection."

"But I flat-out rejected Gu Chuchu, and it didn’t work."

"Hmm… she’s the persistent type. Senior Su Nuan would *never* stoop that low."

"Tired yet?"

"A little."

"Hop on. I’ll walk the bike with you."

"Won’t I be too heavy?" Lin Yiyi cupped her chest, worried.

"Not at all."

"Can I try the front crossbar? School’s close—we won’t get caught." Her eyes sparkled as she clenched a tiny fist.

Dawdling wouldn’t help. If Yiyi was exhausted, it might affect her exam. Plus, it was Saturday—lower odds of traffic police scolding them.

Lin Shu mounted first. Lin Yiyi sidled onto the front crossbar, turned, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "So *this* is what it feels like… kinda uncomfortable on the seat."

"Endure it. We’ll be there soon."

He wanted to suggest holding the handlebars instead—but her arms around his waist felt… nice.

Wind rushed past them, carrying the faint, sweet scent of his sister.

After dropping Lin Yiyi at the exam hall, Lin Shu trudged to his classroom like a man marching to his execution. Su Nuan had already mapped out their afternoon study plan—including "breaks."

An hour and a half passed without complaint. Su Nuan smiled softly. "You’re in a good mood today. Something nice happen? Yiyi did well on her test."

"She said it was just okay. She’s humble like that—never boasts even when she aces it, scared of getting complacent. If she *does* fail, she turns into a silent, appetite-less ghost. Easy to spot."

"So… something else? Did you and Yiyi get close today?"

"How’d you know?"

"It’s written all over your face. Normally, you whine like a ghost when studying. Today? Eager as a saint."

"That obvious?"

"What happened? A nap together? Or… something you can’t tell me?"

"Just… Yiyi was half-asleep and misjudged the distance while blowing on my face. Her lips brushed my cheek."

*Can’t she see it? How blinded by love can you be?*

"No wonder your name has so much wood in it. You’ve absorbed too much."

"Huh?"

*What does my name have to do with this?*