"Gurgle..."

Lin Shu’s stomach let out a traitorous rumble, loud enough to echo.

"Hungry?"

"A bit. Brain’s fried."

Lin Shu slumped over his desk. This mental exhaustion felt heavier than any workout—even after a big lunch.

Su Nuan shook her backpack. A clatter of snacks tumbled out: biscuits, chocolate bars, lollipops.

"Pick what you like. Feed that brain some sugar."

"Huh?"

Lin Shu blinked in surprise.

"Is it weird I carry snacks?"

"Before I knew you? Yeah. Now? Totally normal."

The longer he knew Su Nuan, the more she seemed like any other girl. Stripped of mystery, she craved sweets, had food preferences, sweated, felt joy and frustration.

Just... unpredictable sometimes. But weren’t all girls like that?

Lin Shu tore open a chocolate bar and offered it to Su Nuan’s lips.

"Not completely hopeless."

She nibbled like a hamster, munching all the way to his fingertips.

"I thought you’d feed me mouth-to-mouth."

"Give me a break."

Su Nuan leaned closer, chocolate still between her teeth.

Was she offering to feed *him*?

She scribbled on her notebook: *"Training."*

*Everything’s trainable?*

Lin Shu bit the other end. Their faces drew nearer—noses nearly brushing—until he snapped the chocolate bar away.

"You lost. My turn now. Ahh~" Su Nuan cupped her cheeks, lips parted slightly.

*Since when was this a contest?*

He fed her by hand again. When the bar vanished, she nipped his fingertip. "Scaredy-cat."

"Enough fun for now. We’ll play more later. Fill your stomach first, then study."

After a quick snack break, Lin Shu sucked on a green apple lollipop while tackling homework. He’d finished his teacher’s assignments early—first time ever. Now came Su Nuan’s "extra course." Tomorrow’s trip to drop his sister at their grandma’s meant skipping evening study hall. Today’s hard work had already paid off.

At 4:50 PM, they headed to the exam hall exit. Just like noon, Lin Yiyi sprinted out and launched herself at Lin Shu, clinging to his torso. He braced her back to keep her from sliding down.

"Finally free! Starving."

"Dinner together?" Lin Shu glanced at Su Nuan.

"Join us, Senior Su Nuan! I wanna see how you and Brother act normally."

"Well," Su Nuan smiled, "since the little sister insists."

Outside school gates, Lin Shu pedaled to a bike repair shop. His frame had pre-drilled holes—luckily, they had a spare rear seat. The mechanic charged only labor fees.

"Took you long enough to add this," Su Nuan murmured, rubbing her backside with mock resentment. She’d endured the front bar most often.

Lin Shu walked the bike, Su Nuan and Lin Yiyi flanking him. The new seat posed a dilemma: who to carry? Front *and* back? Theoretically possible. Practically reckless.

They picked a new restaurant blindly. Su Nuan sat alone on one side; Lin Shu and Lin Yiyi faced her—instinctive seating.

All three knew the "fake couple" secret. Su Nuan couldn’t use "acting" as an excuse to cling to Lin Shu or do couple-y things. She stayed politely distant, like any classmate.

(For the record, Gu Chuchu joined their dinner chat via group message.)

"Ahhh! So unfair! Leaving me out!"

"I’ll help keep Brother and Senior Su Nuan’s secret too!"

"Fewer secret-keepers is safer," Su Nuan shot Lin Shu a look, "but more alibis lower exposure risk." *Blaming him for confessing to his sister?*

His sister had secretly demanded "*Choose us both!*" yet now cheered his fake romance with Su Nuan. She insisted Su Nuan truly liked him—and Lin Shu sensed it too. Things had long surpassed "fake girlfriend" territory.

But if he got cocky, pinned Su Nuan against a wall and said, "*You actually like me, don’t you? Using ‘fake girlfriend’ as an excuse—so cute.*"

Just imagining it made his skin crawl. She’d never admit it. Not after her own blunt self-denial.

Lin Yiyi and Su Nuan deep-dived into secret-keeping tactics while Lin Shu focused on eating.

After dinner, they stopped at Nanyuan Bakery.

Su Nuan immediately hooked Lin Shu’s free arm. "The owner thinks we’re dating," she explained to Lin Yiyi.

(One arm was permanently claimed by his sister.)

The shopkeeper froze at the sight of Lin Shu flanked by two girls.

"My sister," Lin Shu clarified.

"Oh. Right."

Lin Shu bought his usual pastries. Su Nuan still ordered a wawa gao—a doll-shaped cake.

"Brother, I want one too! I had it as a kid. Nostalgic."

Both girls released his arms simultaneously. Now he had to feed them.

Walking Su Nuan home, Lin Yiyi gazed up at the upscale residential complex. "So this is where Senior Su Nuan lives."

"Come up for tea?"

"Not today. Unexpected visits are rude. Next time with Brother."

"No need to stand on ceremony."

"Girls have privacy," Lin Yiyi said sweetly. "Senior Su Nuan should be careful."

"But you sleep with Brother!" Su Nuan teased. "So attentive to details."

"Brother-sister is different."

Lin Shu felt the air between them crackle.

After Su Nuan swiped her access card into the gate, Lin Yiyi’s smile vanished. "Brother. You *never* visit Senior Su Nuan’s home alone. Understand?"

*Or that sly fox might devour you whole before you know it. Her skills are too advanced for you.*

"Of course not. That’d be rude. Get on the bike."

Lin Yiyi hopped onto the rear seat. "I claimed your first time."