"What's wrong with you? You've been looking so listless all afternoon," Zhou Qi asked, watching me slumped over my desk.

"Zhou Qi, I'm asking you—if a girl kept clinging to you, what would you do?"

"Duh!" Zhou Qi shot back without hesitation. "I'd totally accept her! What, is some girl chasing you?"

"Nah, just curious. My head's killing me. Wake me if the teacher comes—I'm crashing for a bit." I shut down his follow-up questions.

Sleep was the best escape from reality. I'd sort it out in dreamland. I closed my eyes.

But the moment I did, Zhou Qi poked me.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I jolted upright, scrambling to look studious—only to see the teacher still scribbling chemical formulas on the board. Ugh. That stuff made me even sleepier.

"What? The teacher's not here yet!" I hissed at Zhou Qi.

"Fang Yiyi! Fang Yiyi!" Zhou Qi whispered, ducking his head.

"Huh?" I hadn't caught it. But I followed his finger.

Whoa! Scared the crap out of me! How was Fang Yiyi staring right at me? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?

"Fang Yiyi? Is something wrong?" The teacher noticed her movement and glanced over.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Fang Yiyi whipped her head around.

"Then pay attention," the teacher chided before resuming the lesson.

Fang Yiyi shot me a glare over her shoulder—probably blaming me for getting her scolded.

Well, awkward. Since I'd been caught, I couldn't nap anymore. I owed Fang Yiyi that much; otherwise, my words this morning would've been empty.

But all the way home, I kept wondering: How do I tell Xiaoxi? *Jiang Chen plans to hang out with you this weekend. What do you think?*

How long would she ignore me after that? Honestly, I was kinda curious.

Still, Jiang Chen had promised to go out with Xiaoxi this weekend—it had to happen. The real problem was how to break it to her. So tough!

Ugh, headache. I had two days. No rush. I should smooth things over with Xiaoxi first.

"Xiaoxi! Time to shower and eat!" I called out from the kitchen, hearing the door open.

Xiaoxi ignored me, head down as she brushed past. A moment later, she grabbed clothes and headed to the bathroom. This kid—still giving me the silent treatment. I shook my head and went back to cooking.

By the time she finished showering, dinner was ready. As she emerged, I put on my most shameless grin. "Xiaoxi? Want me to blow-dry your hair?"

She walked right past me like I was invisible, grabbing the hairdryer herself. But that long hair was always a hassle for her—Mom or I usually handled it. Watching her struggle, twisting awkwardly, I couldn't help but chuckle. I grabbed her wrist and the dryer, pulling her to the couch.

"Hey!"

"Sit still!" I pressed her down. She squirmed, trying to snatch the dryer back.

"I can do it myself!"

"You're twisting like a pretzel. Stop moving!" I snapped lightly.

Seeing she couldn't win, she huffed a few times and turned away, sulking.

"Little miss, I returned all that stuff. Why are you still mad?" I complained while drying her hair. "It's not like the gift was appropriate anyway."

"Appropriate? Xia Tong clearly has designs on you!"

"Me? What could she possibly want from a guy like me?"

"You know exactly what!" Xiaoxi sneered.

"You're stricter than Mom!"

"Dad can't control you. Mom's not here. If I don't look out for you, who will?"

"Hey! Watch your tone," I tapped her head. "I've taken care of you all these years. Feels like you're the one babysitting me."

"I don't care. Until I'm married, you can't date anyone. Got it?" Xiaoxi said, back still turned.

"Last time you set an age limit. Now it's straight to your wedding? When will that even be?" I grumbled. Her demands were getting ridiculous.

"First, whether I date or not, you're still my sister—I'd never abandon you. Second, waiting for you to marry before I date? Are you sacrificing me? So when exactly do you plan to tie the knot? I need a heads-up." I teased.

"Dunno!" Xiaoxi huffed.

"Great. So I wait until you figure it out?"

"Mm-hmm!" she grunted.

"You're really not treating your brother like a human, huh?" I tapped her head again. "You said I wouldn't date last time too, yet you took Xia Tong's gift!"

"That was for you! What's it got to do with me?"

"She doesn't even know me. Is she crazy to give me a necklace out of nowhere?"

"Watch your mouth!" I almost argued back to save face—how could my little sister lecture me like this? But she had a point. Xia Tong only gave it because Xiaoxi was my sister.

"Speechless now? Told you she's after you!" Xiaoxi fumed.

"Your hair's dry. Let's eat." I dropped the dryer and stood to serve rice, dodging her question.

"Hmph!" Xiaoxi stomped after me, grabbing her own bowl to fill.

I set down my bowl and let her be.

Silence hung over the dinner table. This was worse than Xia Tong's fake confession last time. A simple apology wouldn't fix it—Xiaoxi was dead serious.

Why had she gotten so strict about my love life lately? Had I spoiled her too much?

No chance to mention the weekend plans today. I'd wait.

The next morning, my alarm clock woke me—not Xiaoxi's usual call. How long had it been since that happened? I couldn't remember. I found her already munching bread.

Gotta admit, even in this cold war, she was thoughtful—she'd warmed my milk. I tried chatting at breakfast, but she gulped a few bites and fled to her room with her backpack.

I didn't chase her. Let her be. I ate slowly, savoring it—I'd been starving last time. I even washed the dishes. Honestly, being alone wasn't so bad. No compromises. That's how I consoled myself.

But I had to fix this before Mom got back. From Xiaoxi's words, she'd already told Mom. If I didn't handle it, Mom would nag me nonstop. Knowing her, she might even call Xia Tong "daughter-in-law" on sight. Terrifying.

"Xiaoxi, lunch?" a short-haired girl asked at her desk after morning classes.

"Yeah. Let's go," Xiaoxi said after a pause, standing up.

"You seem upset lately. Fight with your boyfriend?" the girl ventured.

"Huh? Boyfriend? What are you talking about?" Xiaoxi stopped, confused. Since when was there a rumor like that?

"Someone saw a guy holding you close in the rain after school. Everyone says you're taken. Haven't you noticed the guys in class moping?"

"Whatever. That was my brother!" Few had met him—had they mistaken him for her boyfriend?

"Oh, that explains it. I wondered why you'd date so soon."

"Why wouldn't I date?" Xiaoxi shot back.

"Why would you?" the girl countered.

"Whatever. Tang Tang, I need advice—if someone likes my brother, what do I do?" Xiaoxi asked her friend, who'd met Jiang Chen.

"What's there to do? It's normal. He's caring, funny, and not bad-looking. If we weren't such close friends, I'd totally go for him!" Tang Tang joked.

"So you'd control his love life too?"

"You wouldn't understand!" Xiaoxi snapped. Why did everyone say that?

"Of course I don't. I don't have a brother. And..." Tang Tang leaned in, whispering, "I'm not a brocon!"

Xiaoxi's face flushed crimson—embarrassed and furious. "Tang Tang, you—" She swung a fist, but Tang Tang dodged, laughing.

"Come on! Let's hit the cafeteria. I'll help you strategize!" Tang Tang grabbed her hand.

"If someone likes your brother, we can't just sit back. We'll protect your brother, you little brocon! Let's go!"

"Tang Tang! Shut up! People will hear!" Xiaoxi scanned the hallway nervously.

"Fine, fine. Keep it down. Hurry—cafeteria seats fill fast."

Two whole days, and I hadn't found a moment to talk to Xiaoxi. Pathetic. This was our longest cold war ever. Usually, a quick apology worked. Not this time.

"Wait for me at home tomorrow morning!" The text was blunt—classic her. I knew the sender without checking.

But I hadn't fixed things with Xiaoxi yet. What now? Jiang Chen would definitely grill me tomorrow.

Knock knock knock! I tapped on Xiaoxi's door. "Xiaoxi, got a sec? We need to talk."

After a few seconds, a voice came from inside: "I'm going to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow!"

Hearing that, my heart sank. "You're kidding me? It's not even that late!" Xiaoxi still didn't seem to want to talk to me. Where was the cute Xiaoxi from before? The one who used to smile and call me "brother"? Give her back to me!

I walked back to my room with heavy steps, my mind racing about how to reply to Jiang Chen tomorrow morning. Frankly, if Xiaoxi refuses to go, it's not my fault, right? I can't exactly tie her up. But Jiang Chen is clearly unreasonable. If I can't think of an excuse, I might really be screwed tomorrow morning.