“Why did you two sisters both end up in that small city?”

Across half the globe, Qin Ning was on a call with her family in Europe. Hearing this, she replied with a helpless sigh, “Zhengzhong City isn’t small. Domestically, it’s a tier-two city bordering tier-one.”

The voice on the other end continued, “Xiao Xue makes sense—she’s there for school. But you? Why’d you go?”

“Can’t I have my own life?” Qin Ning said flatly. “I opened a shop here.”

“…What kind of business?”

“An otaku merchandise retail store.”

After several seconds of silence, the voice remarked, “You call that running a business? Sounds like you found yourself a retirement spot.”

“Not necessarily retirement,” Qin Ning countered. “Might settle here in a couple years.”

“Hey—seriously? You’re not taking over the European business?”

“Of course not. Unlike you, I won’t sacrifice my happiness for it.”

The speaker was the family’s eldest brother—Qin Xue’s brother too—nearly ten years Qin Ning’s senior. Thanks to him, both sisters had used their sexual orientation to refuse arranged marriages. Without him shielding them, orientation wouldn’t have mattered; even liking non-humans wouldn’t have spared them a forced union. Taking over the European conglomerate required marriage. Neither sister agreed, so they left that headache to their brother. After stepping away, Qin Ning chose Zhengzhong City as her new home.

Beyond their parents, the rest of the family accepted the sisters’ orientation. Simple logic: at family dinners, would you prefer an extra handsome, wealthy (and inevitably smug) guy… or an adorable girl? Others might differ, but their eldest brother definitely preferred the cute girl.

A wry chuckle came through the line. Then the brother caught himself: “Wait, A Ning—you haven’t resigned yet. How do you manage the shop?”

“Don’t need to. Hired someone,” Qin Ning said, thinking of that little one. “I’m the lazy boss reaping the rewards.”

“Ooh~” he drawled. “Found a homemaker for your future home? Nanny… or lady of the house?”

“Get your mind out of the gutter. Obviously the nanny,” Qin Ning said disdainfully. “Known her days. Dating isn’t arranged marriage—decided in a week?”

“So you’re not denying she *might* become lady of the house?”

“I never said that.”

Knowing his sister’s cold-yet-tsundere nature, the brother dropped it. “Xiao Xue? She mentioned dating at school. How’d it go?”

“Don’t ask. Broke up.”

“Huh?”

“Dumped two months ago. No details.”

“Alright… you two’ve had rough luck. Still, don’t stay too long,” he advised. “Work waits here. Finish the handover, or Mom and Dad will hassle you.”

“I know. Focus on your own life.”

After hanging up, Qin Ning lifted her teacup—and froze in thought.

Her brother really had no clue. Forever alone himself, yet poking into his sisters’ love lives? What was that—begging for ‘dog food’?

Speaking of which… how was that little nanny? Sent her alone to recruit staff today. Would she manage?

Just then, her phone rang—an unknown number.

She hesitated a beat. “Hello?”

“What? Someone injured, demanding fifty thousand yuan? Why contact me… Wait. Who caused it?”

“…Where?”

Twenty minutes later, in the police station’s VIP reception room, a young beat cop served tea to the imposing woman before launching into the case.

“The serious injury wasn’t her doing? Should’ve said sooner,” Qin Ning murmured, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face. “Thought her combat skills were top-tier too.”

The officer blinked. *Why disappointed? Isn’t it good she didn’t do it?*

“Ahem. But Su Xiaoxi sparked the main conflict. The other party insists on dealing with her.”

Qin Ning cut him off. “Why contact *me*? Where are her parents?”

Fifty thousand yuan meant nothing to her. Logically, parents came first—bypassing them felt off. Recalling her brother’s teasing, she wondered: *Is this little one really aiming to be lady of the house?*

“Let me explain,” a tall, slender officer slid into the seat opposite. “We just checked. Su Xiaoxi’s parents… passed away one week ago.”

Qin Ning’s pupils contracted sharply. “How?”

“The multi-vehicle pileup on Ring Lake Overpass Highway,” the lanky officer said quietly. “She was the sole survivor on Bus 909.”