“You… what did you say?”

Lin Lin stared at him, utterly bewildered. Even the usually scheming Gao Liang felt a flicker of awkwardness under her gaze. He scratched his head and repeated gently,

“Just… pretend to be my girlfriend. Sigh. My little sister won’t stop nagging me about it. If Lin Lin plays the part once, she’ll probably drop it for good.”

Hmm…

Pretend. Girlfriend.

In front of his family…

…Nope. Time to bail!

Lin Lin hurriedly bent to grab her things and flee—but Gao Liang snatched her wrist. There they froze: both half-bent, locked mid-air in a silent tug-of-war over the bag, forced smiles plastered on their faces while their hands strained harder and harder.

“Ahahaha, Gao Liang! I just remembered—I’ve got something urgent! You don’t need to carry the bag. See ya!”

“Oh, how can I let you do that, Lin Lin? We’ve got tutoring tomorrow! If I don’t fool my sister now, I won’t even get out the door. You’ve already spent a whole week meowing like a cat—delaying tutoring again would be… inconvenient, right?”

*Hiss—*

Lin Lin’s grip loosened slightly.

If tutoring moved to next week…

Did that mean another week of *meow-meow*?

“Y-you…! You’re the most despicable person alive! If I ever catch you with dirt on you, I’ll—!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

Gao Liang sighed helplessly. “I had no choice, Lin Lin. My sister’s a handful. Just play along well… and I swear, no more cat meows.”

“Bro? What are you doing?”

A clear, melodic voice cut through the air. Lin Lin turned. A chestnut-haired girl with twin braids stood nearby, clutching a pink handbag, blinking in confusion at them—and the bag caught between their hands.

“Are you… mugging her?”

“Ahem!” Gao Liang dropped the bag, smoothed his shirt, and turned. “Just messing around! Let me introduce—” He gestured to the girl. “This is my sister, Gao Ye. She dragged me shopping today.” Then he pointed to Lin Lin, ignoring her frantic, pleading eyes. “And this… is my girlfriend, Lin Lin.”

*Damn it!*

*Gao Liang, you bastard!*

Before Lin Lin could protest, Gao Ye leaned in, scanning her face with bright curiosity.

“Hmm? Girlfriend?” She tilted her head, fascinated. *Huh. This plain-looking girl… How’d she win my brother over?*

*Interesting~*

Pressed back two steps, Lin Lin felt a faint blush rise. *First time this close to such a cute girl… and she leaned in first?!*

*H-help… Did I fall into heaven?!*

*Thank you, Gao Liang. Because of you, this cutie’s here~*

Wait—no.

Truth was, Lin Lin was utterly flustered. She’d never handled “bishoujo” well. This sudden closeness felt way too intense.

Just as she nearly hit the wall, Gao Liang finally pulled his mischievous sister back.

“Hey, sis! You’re scaring Lin Lin!”

“Oho~ So *this* is the girlfriend you’ve been hiding?” Gao Ye shot him a teasing glance, then beamed at Lin Lin. “Didn’t know I suddenly had such a cute sister-in-law!”

“N-no! Gao Liang and I aren’t—”

Lin Lin stammered from the wall, face flushed. But Gao Liang’s sharp look silenced her.

*Say one word… and tutoring next week? Gone.*

*Hiss—* She snapped her mouth shut.

Gao Ye leaned closer, eyes sparkling. “Not what?”

“N-not… husband and wife.”

“So… boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“I… guess?”

“Pfft! ‘I guess’? Then ‘sister-in-law’ is totally fine, right? Hehe—oh!” She clapped her hands. “I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself! Hi, Sister-in-Law Lin Lin~ I’m Gao Liang’s sister. Call me Little Ye!”

“O-oh…”

Lin Lin nodded woodenly, shooting Gao Liang a desperate look.

His eyes replied: *Don’t look at me. Don’t blow it.*

She pouted. *Ugh. Men.*

Taking a breath, she decided: rely on herself.

“Um… Could you not call me ‘sister-in-law’? I’m… not used to it.”

“Okay! How about… Sister Lin Lin?” Little Ye grinned. “Lots of girls chase my brother, but few stick around. So, Sister Lin Lin—how’d you end up here? Did my brother call you?”

“Coincidence!” Gao Liang cut in fast. “Total coincidence! I’d never drag my girlfriend shopping with a pain-in-the-neck like you—it’s exhausting!”

“Who asked you?!” Little Ye shot him a glare, then turned sweetly to Lin Lin. “That’s just *boy* logic. A girl like you *loves* shopping, right? Am I right, Sister Lin Lin?”

“Ah…” Lin Lin nodded mechanically.

(*Actually… I used to be a guy. Shopping? Yeah… not really my thing.*)

“Hehe~ Wanna keep shopping with me?” Little Ye’s mischievous smile made Lin Lin shake her head hard.

*Same scheming grin as her brother!*

“Um… I should head home…”

“Home? Okay! Bro and I are done. Walk you home? Bro—grab the bags!”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Lin Lin nodded vigorously. *Yes yes yes! Make Gao Liang carry them!*

*Suddenly… Little Ye is the most adorable sister ever. Hahaha~*

…

Inside the luxury sedan, Lin Lin glanced at Gao Liang in the passenger seat, then at Little Ye snuggled beside her, then at the bags in the trunk.

Huh?

This wasn’t what she pictured.

…Why were they *driving*?!