"Big brother..."

"There... there you can't..."

"What about here?"

"Here... is okay."

"Wow... it's in..."

—Bang!

The bedroom door flew open, slamming hard against the wall with a deafening crash.

Both inside flinched sharply.

"Shi—Shi Xia! What are you doing?! That was scary!"

"Can't deny it..." Chang'an patted his chest. Xiaoxian, nestled on his lap, did the same—a tiny hand patting her own chest, both still shaken.

They sat focused at the computer desk, eyes locked on the screen displaying a mystery-exploration mini-game.

At every fork—a virtual crossroad—they weighed choices: where to go, where not to.

Chang'an still remembered how, as a little kid, he'd adored two-player mini-games. Back then, the youngest in the family, his older siblings weren't into gaming—no one ever played with him.

Thankfully, Xiaoxian later joined the household. Her petite frame seemed frozen in time—she'd still fit the "legal loli" description even as an adult.

Chang'an poured endless affection onto his little sister after their relationship thawed from that initial icy phase into warmth.

That very tenderness sparked Ye Xiaoxian's deep, unwavering attachment to him.

Her diary overflowed with daily entries: *Brother is so kind... so good to me... I love him so much...*

You could almost title it *The Diary of a Brother Complex in the Making*.

Shi Xia's lips twitched at the mini-game on screen.

*Ugh. All because this pair acts so weird!*

*Saying things that sound... suggestive!*

Having overheard them by accident outside the door, Shi Xia couldn't just stand by.

*Dad really hasn't changed—still a homebody who loves games and craves company.*

A strange wave washed over her: the feeling of being the responsible adult.

Especially since Dad now wore the fresh-faced look of a seventeen-year-old boy.

With it came duty—the resolve to guide him into becoming a wonderful grown-up.

Years as director of a welfare institute had ingrained this instinct. She worried, deep down, about his shut-in lifestyle stretching on endlessly.

*Yeah... this isn't right.*

*This is what they call the "parental" mindset.*

Xiaoxian frowned. *What's with that look? Like some old family elder judging us... Is she trying to take Brother away?!*

Setting the game aside, Shi Xia cut straight in:

"Chang'an. You *did* say you'd go back to school, right?" Mature, poised—she knew how to steer the moment.

"Eh?! Well..." Chang'an visibly flustered.

He'd only said it casually... never thought she'd remember.

Truth was, he'd just returned to this world. School *was* a solid way to relearn the era—but he'd missed cozying up at home.

Some might assume the time-skip at the welfare gate felt instant—five years vanished in a blink, no weight, no ache.

He "shouldn't" feel lonely after years apart from Shi Xia, or crave staying in again.

But Chang'an *had* felt it: a flash of aging, a stretch of hollow time. Even blankness felt long.

"Then it's settled. I'm heading out—I'll arrange enrollment." She shot Xiaoxian a sharp glance.

*Don't pull anything weird while I'm gone.*

Xiaoxian tilted her chin up with a soft "Hmph."

One sentence shut Chang'an down. This sharp, grown-up Shi Xia? Seriously tough to handle.

Ye Chang'an swallowed hard.

A soft click—the door closing.

The crisp tap of high heels fading down the hall.

Both Chang'an and Xiaoxian let out a quiet sigh of relief.

*Why does it feel like... the parent finally left?*

Then—Xiaoxian's lips curled into a sly smile.

"Big brother~ Now that Sister's gone... wanna play something *fun*~?"