Su Lianxue suddenly found herself unable to speak. A line of text flashed before her eyes: *“You have been muted by the administrator for 29 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes.”*

“Mmmph! Mmmph!” Her face flushed crimson with frustration. She waved her arms wildly, looking like someone who’d swallowed a fly and couldn’t spit it out.

“Onii-chan, Big-Chested Sister… what’s wrong?” Xiao Kui tilted her head.

“Mmmph!” Su Lianxue glared, fists clenched, eyes wide, neck and cheeks burning red—utterly annoyed by Xiao Kui’s teasing but silenced.

“Ah! Nothing serious—just a temporary bout of aphasia!” Ou Tao pulled Su Lianxue aside and whispered, “Remember our agreement before entering? We *cannot* let Xiao Kui know this world is fake.”

Su Lianxue took a breath. Right. She was an adult. How could she lose her cool over a little sick girl? But seeing Xiao Kui tug at Ou Tao… she’d just snapped. Would her little brother think less of her now?

Xiao Kui, too, realized her rudeness. *This shames Onii-chan in front of others.* With her traditional Japanese mindset, she believed a proper wife-to-be must be graceful, dignified, and always uphold her Onii-chan’s honor.

The moment Ou Tao lifted the mute, Xiao Kui and Su Lianxue exchanged a soft smile. Both tilted their heads, one hand gently covering a cheek, voices melting into honeyed warmth.

“Little Kui, I was wrong earlier. I’m sorry,” Su Lianxue murmured, ruffling Xiao Kui’s hair.

“No, no! Xiao Kui was impolite. Thank you, Sister Lianxue, for caring for Onii-chan at work!” Xiao Kui placed her hands on her lap and bowed slightly.

Dinner flowed in almost *too* perfect harmony. The two beauties—mature and petite—chatted animatedly, leaving Ou Tao quietly sidelined.

“Actually! Onii-chan used to make Mama so mad! At five, he stayed up all night playing that epic game and got spanked!” Xiao Kui chirped.

“Hehe~ First time I saw him? Middle school yearbook. Bet he never told you—he got punished to read a self-criticism speech *in front of the whole school* for reading doujinshi in class!” Su Lianxue added.

“Hahaha~” Their laughter bloomed, light and genuine. What began as polite chatter blossomed into easy rapport over fashion, cooking, and shared giggles.

*Can you two stop digging up my embarrassing past?* Ou Tao sighed inwardly, head in hand, silently eating Xiao Kui’s beef.

“Sister Su is so kind!” Xiao Kui pondered hard, then beamed. “Xiao Kui will… call you to bed every day!”

“Wait—*what*?!” Su Lianxue covered her mouth, cheeks flushing. “Is your sister *that* forward?”

“No! She just mangles Chinese. She meant ‘wake you up every morning’! In Japan, that phrase… ugh, never mind,” Ou Tao stammered.

“Oh! So Xiao Kui’s family came from Japan years ago?” Su Lianxue smiled. “Want me to take you shopping on Alibaba’s online mall? I’ll get you a kimono!”

“But handmade embroidery costs so much nowadays…” Xiao Kui murmured, eyes downcast. “And… Onii-chan doesn’t usually let me log in… to your network.”

“Why?” Later, Su Lianxue pulled Ou Tao aside. “Why block her from the virtual network?”

“She’s *already* inside one. Jumping to another—like a dream within a dream—would strain her brain.”

“Relax. At night, we’ll use Hamiyou’s lossless satellite link. Zero risk.”

“What if something goes wrong out there?” Ou Tao frowned.

Su Lianxue gently brushed his bangs aside, her gaze tender. “Don’t you carry too much? You’re only sixteen—work by day, family by night. Remember our promise? *You game. I handle the rest.*”

Her fingers traced softly from his cheek to his neck.

“Xiao Kui shouldn’t live trapped in such a narrow dream. If she can’t feel the real world… let her see how beautiful the virtual one can be.” Her palm settled gently on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” Ou Tao nodded, turning to Xiao Kui. “Tonight, Sister Su and I will take you to a big server. Be good and listen to her, okay?”

“Wah! Onii-chan finally said yes! Yay!” Xiao Kui squealed, hugging Ou Tao’s waist, then leaping to embrace Su Lianxue.

Su Lianxue smiled faintly, fitted the helmet onto Xiao Kui’s head. They lay side by side on the bed. Ou Tao signaled Bika to initiate the transfer, then donned his own helmet.

Truth was, the whole ritual was unnecessary—they were already virtual. But for Xiao Kui’s sake, they maintained the current connection while switching servers. Like bypassing a firewall. Pure theater.

Ou Tao cared little for shopping. But watching his little sister hop joyfully through the bustling metropolis, her eyes sparkling with wonder… a quiet smile finally touched his lips.