Winter days were always so short. It was barely six o’clock, yet darkness had already fallen. My home lay in the opposite direction from Xia Mo’s place. By the time I left her upscale neighborhood, the streetlights were already glowing.

Xia Mo was the pampered daughter of a wealthy family—her luxurious apartment complex made that obvious. It was the city’s most exclusive district, with top-notch security. But the route there worried me.

I had to pass through bustling commercial zones. The shadowy alleys between skyscrapers were my biggest fear. If attacked there, no one would hear my cries. Still, I felt relieved: nothing unusual happened on my first workday. I fervently hoped it’d stay that way.

My home was a cheap four-room apartment. As I entered the compound gate, something felt off. Our lights should’ve been on by now, but they were dark. Had no one in my family returned?

I rushed to my building unit, swiped my card, and unlocked the electronic door. Since it was only on the second floor, I sprinted up the stairs, rounded a few corners, and reached our corridor. All lights were out. My neighbor’s doorway glow illuminated a girl sitting on the floor, leaning against my door, arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

She kept her eyes closed until footsteps neared. Then she opened them, shining her phone’s light at me. "Hey! Did you forget your keys again?!"

"Where’ve you been fooling around? Why so slow? Open the door already!" she commanded haughtily as I approached.

"Is that any way for a sister to speak?" I muttered, brushing past her as she stood. I pulled keys from my pocket and unlocked the door. She shot back instantly—

"I don’t treat you as my brother. Don’t flatter yourself!"

I wisely stepped aside to let her in first. After she changed shoes in the entryway and entered the living room, I timidly followed and shut the door.

Let me introduce her: Chuwei Bai, my so-called younger sister. She wore our city’s standard sailor uniform. Her features were strikingly pretty—undeniably a "bishoujo." Her long hair flowed into twin tails tied with red ribbons on each side. Though honestly, her old black long-straight style was nicer.

"Why no keys again?" I called from the kitchen, tying an apron as I watched her lounge on the sofa watching TV. She snapped back, dripping with impatience—

"If Mom and Dad weren’t working overtime tonight, and if you hadn’t been out fooling around, would I be stuck here? Ugh, you’re so annoying. Just a self-important brother—"

"Hey! Don’t blame your mistakes on others!"

"Shouldn’t you be studying as a ninth-grade exam taker?" I admitted I was overstepping but couldn’t help it. She retorted rebelliously: "Tired of meddling? Just cook! So troublesome!"

This kid must be in her rebellious phase. Can’t modern sisters act mature? Look at manga sisters! I fell silent and started prepping ingredients.

First, I diced onions and carrots, sautéed them until soft—but not overdone. I carefully plated them aside. Then I took the milk-soaked bread crumbs from the fridge, added them to rested pork in a glass bowl. I mixed in soy sauce, salt, chili peppers, and kneaded until the meat turned slightly sticky and crumbly. After blending in the crumbs, I kneaded again and refrigerated it.

While waiting, I prepped two side dishes and a soup. Forty minutes later, I pulled out the chilled patties. I patted them firmly, pressed the centers to squeeze out air, and dropped them into a low-heat pan.

A loud sizzle erupted. I covered the pan immediately. After three minutes, I flipped the patty, covered it again. Once both sides turned golden, I switched to medium heat. I kept it covered, frying until gentle pressure released juices—not blood. Only then was it ready to plate.

The moment I lifted the lid, an irresistible aroma flooded the kitchen and drifted toward the living room.

"Hamburg steak tonight? You’re in a good mood?" Chuwei called from the living room. Her voice mixed surprise with teasing. Did I only cook this when happy?

"Happy? That’s rare coming from you. Quite the opposite, actually..."

I carried the dishes to the table. She was already seated. Couldn’t she even fetch utensils? Learn from other sisters! Like parents nagging: "Look how well-behaved other kids are!"

I barely sat on the wooden chair when Chuwei dropped a bombshell in a shocked tone—

"Actually—after school, I saw something wild! Totally worth my detour to the district!"

The district? Near where I’d been! A bad premonition hit me—

"What happened?" I asked casually, trying to sound indifferent. Inside, I was terrified.

"Well, I saw a guy groping a girl’s chest right on the street! In front of everyone! Worst part—he did it to a decent-looking girl! This world really has everything!"

Chuwei kept talking as she piled hamburg steak onto her bowl. "By the way—that huge piece? Planning to hog it all?" Though she never expected any anyway...

"Oh... yeah—haha... anything can happen," I replied unnaturally, averting my telltale dead-fish eyes out of guilt.

"Shame I couldn’t see their faces. Too far, too many people. But those guys wore your school uniform. Maybe you’ll bump into them someday?"

She tapped her chopsticks on the bowl rim. Bad manners—but since it’s me, who cares?

"Thank goodness!" "Huh? Did you say something?" I’d been relieved she missed their faces, but my big mouth blurted it out. I covered with "Nothing happened." She gave me a look of utter disbelief but didn’t press further.

"By the way—you’re in tenth grade now. No girlfriend?" "Pfft—why ask that? Of course not!" "Yeah, figures—for someone like you." "Wanna fight?!"