Yuche clearly had no intention of seeing her off. She kept sipping her tea.

Qi Xinye got up and left by herself.

Though Yuche didn’t see her off, Yuzhe, as the “head of the household,” got up out of politeness and walked her to the door.

Once they were outside, Qi Xinye quietly closed the door.

She’d created a brief moment alone with Yuzhe in the hallway.

She hurriedly rummaged through the little crossbody bag she was carrying, as if afraid Yuche might suddenly come out and kick her out at any second.

Yuzhe took a couple of steps closer and glanced at her. “Sister Ye, what are you looking for?”

“Ah... Xiao Zhe, wait... This... Ah, found it, found it!”

It seemed to be the first time Qi Xinye had looked happy since arriving.

She carefully held a blue bookmark in her hands.

Like a child showing off their favorite toy, she held it out to Yuzhe. “Xiao Zhe, look. Do you remember this?”

“This...” Yuzhe thought for a moment, then quickly remembered. After all, it had originally been his. “Of course I remember, Sister Ye. This is the bookmark I gave you back in elementary school, right? You kept it all this time.”

The bookmark in front of him had been kept for so many years, yet still looked brand-new, without a single crease. Yuzhe felt a little sentimental. She must have taken really good care of it.

Qi Xinye nodded happily. “That’s right! Xiao Zhe gave it to me when he was really little. It was the first birthday present you ever gave me, and I was so happy back then. I even skipped the family birthday banquet and just sat in my room grinning at it...”

Realizing she’d let too much slip, Qi Xinye hurriedly waved both hands, her face turning red. “Ah, no, no, that’s not what I meant! It’s just... this is really precious to me. I’ve always carried it around like a good-luck charm!”

Watching her panic, Yuzhe couldn’t help smiling from the heart. She’d been like this as a child, too—she’d talk herself into blushing red before she knew it.

Would they have been even closer if those five years hadn’t been missing?

Yuzhe didn’t know. He treasured the bonds he had, because he didn’t have many, and every one of them was precious.

It was a misfortune that the accident happened. But thankfully, you came back.

Qi Xinye drew the bookmark back a little and held it in front of her face. “So... can I keep looking after it?”

“Of course. I gave it to you in the first place. Why would you need to ask me?”

“Thank you, Xiao Zhe!”

After suddenly going from under so much pressure to feeling overjoyed, Qi Xinye forgot all about appearances and stepped forward to throw her arms around Yuzhe.

Just as I thought... Xiao Zhe’s embrace is still as reassuring as ever. It’s like I don’t have to worry about a thing. And he still has that faint, fresh green-apple scent...

Feeling the pressure against his chest, Yuzhe froze. Ah, so this is the power of softness!

Maybe I should go buy some cotton candy later.

But Yuzhe could feel how happy Qi Xinye was.

So he gently patted her back twice. “Don’t worry. It’s okay. When your birthday comes around this year, I’ll give you another present, just like I used to.”

“Mm...”

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

Meanwhile, the two people sitting in the living room were having a conversation of their own.

“Yuche, are you sure it’s okay? The door’s closed. Maybe I should... go take a look?”

Yuche remained completely calm. “It’s fine. Big Brother knows what he’s doing. We can’t keep putting pressure on her. Sometimes we need to ease up if we want to help him find the rat hiding in the Qi Family.”

All right. Zixiao found all this too complicated to understand, so she could only listen to Yuche’s thoughts.

Curious, she asked Yuche, “What do you think of Qi Xinye? To me, she seems just like she used to be. She’s more cautious when she talks, but her personality hasn’t changed much.”

“Oh? You really think so?” Yuche was being cryptic again, making Zixiao furrow her brow in confusion.

“What else would I think?”

Yuche set down her teacup and spoke as if she had something important to say. “It’s true that this Qi Xinye doesn’t look very bright. You could even say she’s a little stupid. But there’s one thing you and I need to understand. It’s the key point—and what makes her truly terrifying.”

“What is it?”

“Those two lumps of excess flesh on her chest are seriously distracting! Don’t you think that’s the key point? Haven’t you noticed how often Big Brother’s gaze drifts over there? It’s a total crisis!”

“Th-that... I... All right, you’re right. But there’s nothing we can do about that. We have absolutely no advantage in that department.”

Zixiao sighed and glanced down at her own chest, grudgingly admitting Yuche had a point.

“Then, Yuche, since we’re at a disadvantage in that department, I guess we’ll have to come up with some advantages of our own to compete.”

“I agree. I’ve already got a plan for our next move.”

Zixiao’s eyes lit up. “You’ve got a plan? Can I come along?”

Yuche scoffed. “Figure it out yourself. I’m not bringing you—you’re too hopeless!”

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

The afternoon was much like any other weekend. Yuche went to Yuzhe’s room to nap, Yuzhe kept working on his manga, and Zixiao cleared the table and tidied up before returning to her room to study.

There was no helping it. She knew she was hopeless, but at least she couldn’t let her studies slide.

As the sky grew dim, Yuche took the initiative to rush out of her room early and claim the kitchen. But Zixiao refused to give in, saying this was the last advantage she had.

In the end, the two of them had to compromise and work together to make dinner.

Looking at the spread of dishes on the table, which was more abundant than usual, Yuzhe was surprised. “Yuche, did you make some of these?”

“Of course!” Yuche was sitting on Yuzhe’s lap again.

She pointed at the four dishes on the right side of the table. “I made all of these! Zixiao didn’t help at all.”

“But you only practiced for one afternoon. Yuche, you really are amazing!”

Yuzhe patted Yuche on the head again and looked happily at the four beautifully arranged dishes. He just wasn’t sure how they’d taste.

Across from them, Zixiao looked a little jealous. “Urgh... I hate to admit it, but this monster learns way too fast. Sigh, when will I ever be able to stand back up?”

The remaining dishes on the left must have been Zixiao’s. As for how they tasted, Yuzhe had no doubts—Zixiao’s cooking was always guaranteed to be good!

Yuche picked up a piece of her braised pork with her chopsticks and held it out to Yuzhe’s mouth. “Big Brother, try it! This is the first time I’ve ever cooked!”

Yuzhe opened his mouth and took the piece of braised pork from the chopsticks.

For once, Yuche seemed a little nervous. “How... how does it taste?”

“Mm... For a beginner, I’d say it’s already pretty good.” Yuzhe picked up another piece and fed it to Yuche. “But it’s still a ways off from Zixiao’s cooking. You’ll have to keep practicing.”

After swallowing the piece of meat, Yuche looked at Zixiao, whose face practically radiated smugness, and felt a little unhappy. “All right... I’ll keep working on it. But how much is ‘a little salt’ or ‘a moderate amount of sugar’? It’s so complicated.”

Even a genius couldn’t understand what “just the right amount” meant instantly. That was the art of cooking!

Yuzhe thought as much, then asked, “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Are we going to laze around all day again?”

“Big Brother, you’re going back to school the day after tomorrow, right?” Zixiao picked up the conversation. “So I was thinking of taking you to the mall to buy some things you’ll need for school. Do you want to come?”

“Of course I’m coming. You’re buying things for me, so how could I not go? Besides, it gets stuffy staying at home.”

“If Big Brother’s going, then I’m going too!”

Yuche seemed excited to go out—or rather, excited to go out with Yuzhe.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow, we’ll sleep until we wake up naturally, then go see what we need at the mall in West City.”

Zixiao ate slowly, chewing each bite carefully as she settled their plans for the next day.

About an hour after dinner.

Zixiao called to Yuzhe, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV. “Big Brother, I’m going to take a shower first. Or, Yuche, do you want to go first? If you do, I can wait a bit.”

Yuche, curled up in Yuzhe’s arms watching TV, peeked her head out and said without turning around, “No, you go first, Zixiao. I’ll go when Big Brother takes his shower.”

“But Big Brother always takes so long in the shower. You’ll be asleep by the time he’s done. How about I come call you when I’m finished?”

“It’s fine. I mean, Big Brother and I already agreed that I’d shower at the same time as him later. That way, I won’t have to wait.”

“Huh???”

Zixiao was dumbfounded. She felt like maybe she really was hopeless after all.