“.....Qin Heng, wake up.”

A clear, lilting voice with a mature, magnetic quality rang out.

The Salted Fish King sprawled across the bed was Qin Heng, who’d only just fallen asleep after staying up all night.

A faint touch and tickle brushed Qin Heng’s cheek, rousing him to open his eyes—very reluctantly.

His bleary eyes finally made out who was there. He spoke in a low voice.

“Mm... Morning... Sis...”

Qin Heng barely managed to lift his eyelids, then gave her a sunny, golden-boy smile that looked more like a grimace.

His limbs felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he couldn’t even be bothered to stop the slender hand that kept poking his cheek.

The woman before him withdrew her hand and slowly rose to her feet.

Her tall figure and slender limbs radiated mature feminine charm. Her alluring, graceful curves remained captivating even beneath her loose loungewear.

Her long, dark hair fell to her waist, with a few strands resting on her shoulders. The faintly blue-green locks brushed across her expressionless face.

Her face was breathtakingly beautiful.

With delicate brows and flawless, jade-white skin, paired with her cool demeanor...

...she looked like a work of classical art, simply standing there.

But most striking of all were her sharp, jade-green eyes, deep and shifting like autumn waters. They lent her already icy air an even frostier, more striking edge........

“........I shouldn’t have agreed to let you go out yesterday.”

The woman parted her cherry-red lips, folded her arms, and fixed Big Couch-Potato Qin with a cold stare.

At Ning Muxuan’s sudden complaint, Qin Heng seemed to grow wary even as he lay there. He shrank farther beneath the covers.

Yesterday marked the end of Qin Heng’s brutal first week at university, and he’d finally gotten a short break. Even so, Ning Muxuan had insisted on keeping him home to spend time with her.

He’d already promised his classmates. After such a long, grueling stretch, he’d finally won a tiny victory—and no matter what, he was going out to blow off some steam!

So Qin Heng had put his foot down that day!

He’d pleaded with Ning Muxuan for ages, in a tone that left no room for argument.

In the end, he’d traded a mere dozen or so “unequal treaties that sold out the Qin family” for a whole half-day of freedom.

“Sorry, Sis. What time is it?” Qin Heng scratched his head and asked.

Since his big sis had come all the way to drag him out of bed, he knew he’d be in for it if he kept sleeping. He was just about to get up.

“Seven.”

“Huh?...... I only slept for about an hour? No wonder I’m so tired...”

“Seven in the evening.”

Ning Muxuan’s voice grew even colder, as though she might come over any second and give him some “loving big-sisterly affection.”

“...........”

Seeing Ning Muxuan standing before him with her arms folded and her presence turned up to the max, the old Salted Fish panicked even more.

“Sorry, Sis.... I’m getting up right now. Have you eaten? I’ll make you something.”

Qin Heng fumbled as he straightened his clothes and made the bed.

Ning Muxuan lowered her eyes and glanced around.

He’d been back for less than half a day, and the place was already a complete mess.

She really had let him get away with too much yesterday. She’d never let him go out partying again!!

With that thought, Ning Muxuan bent down and started cleaning up Qin Heng’s mess.

“Ah.... Sis, you can just leave that stuff there. I’ll clean it up in a minute.”

As he changed clothes, Qin Heng watched Ning Muxuan suddenly bend over and gave her an awkward smile.

Her hair fell around her, revealing the snow-white nape of her neck. Her slender, pale hands carefully gathered the scattered bits and pieces from the floor.

Qin Heng had already been nervous, afraid his big sis would get mad. And now she was cleaning his room for him?

He was still young. He didn’t want to experience the VIP suite in the ICU this early in life ^_^

And, well..... he was also worried this young lady might get herself dirty.

She was already wearing loose loungewear around the house, with plenty of her snow-white skin exposed. Kneeling on the floor like that was bound to get her covered in dust.

But Ning Muxuan paid him no mind. She merely straightened a little to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then bent back down. Her hands never stopped working.

“Aunt Qin and Father are back. They’re downstairs. Hurry and go eat.”

Only after tossing a bag of scraps into the trash did Ning Muxuan answer Qin Heng.

“......All right, then. Sis, hurry up and finish so you can come downstairs too.”

Qin Heng knew what Ning Muxuan was like. Once she’d said something, it wasn’t up for debate or revision.........

“Mm.”

Ning Muxuan waved toward Qin Heng at the door to show she’d heard him, then headed over to the computer desk........

Ning Muxuan cleared away some of the clutter on the desk, then let her gaze fall on several photo frames nearby.

She picked up the wooden frame at the front and held it up before her.

Her eyes softened. At a single glance, their autumn-water clarity returned, and the chill from her earlier anger was gone.

The frame held a photo of the two of them, taken at Qin Heng’s middle school graduation ceremony.

In the photo, Qin Heng wore a simple black outfit and grinned excitedly at the camera, flashing a peace sign ✌. His other hand was clasped with Ning Muxuan’s, their fingers interlaced over his chest.

Beside him, Ning Muxuan wore a white dress. Her free hand was raised to her neck, lightly gathering her dark hair. She was beautiful even without a touch of makeup, with the air of a lovely girl next door.

She stood tall beside the boy, a gentle smile on her face as she gazed at him, her eyes overflowing with affection.

..................

Ning Muxuan gazed at the photo, lost in thought. A captivating curve slowly appeared at the corner of her lips.

She reached out and gently stroked the frame. Memories swept over her like a tide............

Thinking of the boy she’d just seen, a faint glimmer passed through Ning Muxuan’s eyes. She murmured to herself:

“........He’s grown so much...... It feels like only yesterday...... he was still just a child...”

Ning Muxuan let out a soft sigh. She felt a little comforted, but more than that, she felt regret.

She’d been part of this family for seven years. The boy had practically grown up with her by his side, yet even so, she’d missed so much of his past.

She always wanted all of Qin Heng........ Maybe that was asking too much, but she wasn’t selfish. In return, she’d give the boy all her time and love.

Whatever the boy wanted, she could give him. That, too, could be everything she had...........

Her regret didn’t last long. Ning Muxuan knew that no matter how much she wished for it, she couldn’t go back to the past.

Besides, what mattered more was this—the boy was right there beside her now, wasn’t he?

She could spend the rest of her life making up for the years they’d missed.

The thought filled her with deep happiness and contentment. There was still plenty of time, and he’d always be by her side..........

A faint smile touched Ning Muxuan’s lips as she gently returned the frame to the desk. Then her gaze shifted to the bookshelf nearby, where a calendar sat........

The edges of the paper had yellowed with age. The numbers were blurry, and though it was only March, the calendar had already been turned to June. A bright red circle had been drawn around “26.”

That vivid red mark caught Ning Muxuan’s eye, deepening her smile. When she glanced around, even peach blossoms would have paled.

—June 26

That was Ning Muxuan’s birthday.