“Have you been waiting long?”

Li Xinghe came home carrying a huge bag full of vegetables and meat. The moment he opened the gate to the front courtyard, he saw Bai Xiaoxiao waiting for him.

“Not long! Let me carry one for you.”

She reached for one of the bags, but the heavy load of fresh vegetables nearly dragged it to the ground.

Whoa, it’s heavy!

She had to lift it with both hands to keep the plastic bag from hitting the ground. Li Xinghe smiled as he watched her struggle, then took it back with one hand.

“I’ve got it. Go watch TV on the third floor. I’ll make dinner.”

Realizing she’d nearly made things worse, Bai Xiaoxiao could only walk ahead with a slightly embarrassed look and open the door for him.

Just as she stepped into the first-floor entrance, Bai Xiaoxiao turned around. A cool breeze wafted out from inside, gently lifting her skirt. Bright light shone through the fabric, outlining her naturally striking figure. Even the breeze seemed to take shape around her.

Her hair traced a graceful arc through the air. Sunlight fell right across the girl’s face, making her shine as she flashed a playful, impossibly cute expression.

“Big brother, just call me if there’s anything I can help with! I may look delicate, but Xiaoxiao’s actually pretty capable!”

As she spoke, she even squeezed the slightly bulging muscles on her arm.

Even though Bai Xiaoxiao had offered, Li Xinghe didn’t need help with the cooking just yet. He’d heard that lots of girls these days couldn’t cook, and he was afraid she might ruin the food.

“Sure. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Of course, he wasn’t going to turn down his cute little sister’s offer—but Li Xinghe still planned to cook by himself.

Bai Xiaoxiao headed up to the third floor with a spring in her step. Once there, she stretched out on her soft bed with the AC on, snapped a selfie, and sent it to her senior, Lu Wanxin.

“Hehe, Senior Wanxin, I saw my big brother today!”

Lu Wanxin was Bai Xiaoxiao’s closest friend, and she’d probably pinned Xiaoxiao’s chat to the top of her list. Just three seconds after Xiaoxiao sent her message and selfie, a reply came in.

“Is he a guy or a girl?”

“Is he handsome?”

“Do you have a picture?”

“Hurry up and send it to me!”

She fired off four messages in a row. Seriously, were her fingers typing machines or something? How was she so fast?!

“Silly senior, of course my big brother’s a guy. How could I have a big sister? I think he’s pretty handsome, but I don’t have any pictures yet.”

Bai Xiaoxiao finished typing and hit send. Lu Wanxin replied with just one broken-heart emoji.

“Why can’t he be a big sister? If he were a girl, the three of us could all be lesbians together!”

Sure enough, Senior Lu Wanxin was always thinking about turning her gay—and now she even wanted to drag her family into it. That was way too much!

“Haha, I’m kidding. Congrats on getting a big brother, Xiaoxiao! Though if you ask me, having a big sister is even better. Sisters are more thoughtful and know how to take care of you. And I’m older than you, so I’d be perfect as your big sister.”

Bai Xiaoxiao could see exactly what Senior Lu Wanxin was up to. The woman was actually serious about this. When Xiaoxiao had first joined the team a year ago, she’d been pretty timid, but with Wanxin looking after her, she’d gotten along great with the others.

There was also Senior Cai Mengmeng, who’d gone home to recover.

Senior Mengmeng had been injured in the thigh by a laser from the Returning Sea Demon Lizard. Her wound had healed, but she’d used up too much magic power, and she still needed to recover the strength she’d lost.

“Senior Mengmeng, I saw my big brother today!”

Cai Mengmeng replied just as quickly. When Bai Xiaoxiao saw her message, she almost wondered if Senior Lu Wanxin had secretly made an alt account.

“Guy or girl?”

“What does he look like?”

“You two didn’t get it on, did you?”

“Was it good?”

Bai Xiaoxiao ignored the last two messages, which were enough to make anyone’s blood run hot. She couldn’t help it—Senior Cai Mengmeng was just that much of a lewd jokester.

She looked like an adorable, ditzy little girl, but the things she said were the complete opposite. She was a master at making dirty jokes, and somehow even perfectly normal topics made people’s minds wander.

But that was part of her charm, too. Who wouldn’t like an adorable, ditzy little girl who was always making lewd jokes?

“Of course my big brother’s a guy. He’s pretty handsome.”

“Got a picture?”

Seriously, were these two cut from the same cloth? They’d both asked if she had a picture. Too bad Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t secretly taken one of Li Xinghe. She thought it was rude to photograph someone without their permission.

Besides, if someone secretly took a picture of Bai Xiaoxiao and sent it to someone else, she’d be angry too.

“I don’t have one, but if you want to see him, I can find a chance to bring you over in a few days.”

It was a shame the Returning Sea Demon Lizard had thrown her plans into disarray, so she hadn’t gotten to meet her big brother sooner. Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected to meet him like this. Shouldn’t he have been at work?

Thinking it over, his family seemed pretty rich. Not just any family could afford to live in a house this big. It probably wasn’t any cheaper than the house her mother had bought downtown.

But her mother had told her that Uncle Li was only a minor official. Surely he couldn’t be that rich?

Bai Xiaoxiao thought about it for a long time without figuring it out, so she gave up.

Anyway, it didn’t matter what her big brother was like, as long as he was kind and considerate and cared about her.

Bai Xiaoxiao spent the rest of the time scrolling through her phone out of boredom, then ordered a few throw pillows online that she’d wanted for ages.

She had to admit, becoming a Magical Girl was great. She earned over a hundred thousand yuan a month, and all she had to do most of the time was train her magic and occasionally take part in real combat.

One month’s pay was about the same as an ordinary person’s yearly income. On top of that, the agency reimbursed anything she wanted to buy, so she’d achieved financial freedom at a young age.

“Xiaoxiao, dinner’s ready!”

Hearing her big brother call from downstairs, Bai Xiaoxiao realized it was almost mealtime already.

“Coming!”

Several dishes that looked delicious were already laid out on the dining table on the first floor. Crispy pork bites, sweet-and-sour ribs, and vegetable salad filled the air with an enticing aroma. The tomato and egg stir-fry smelled great, too. All those scents mingled together and hit Bai Xiaoxiao like a wave.

This was way too much food! He’d made five or six dishes for just one lunch. His cooking looked like it could rival Captain Qu Mengting’s. She just didn’t know how it tasted yet.

“The rice is here. If you want a spoon, you can get one from here.”

Li Xinghe even thoughtfully showed Bai Xiaoxiao how to use the rice cooker. She nodded, scooped herself a bowl of glistening white rice, then picked up a sweet-and-sour rib with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.

Mmm... this taste...

She’d thought she could only eat food this good at the agency. She hadn’t expected her new big brother to be such a good cook, too.

So touched she could’ve cried, Bai Xiaoxiao ate two big bowls. Li Xinghe was happy to see her enjoying the food so much. There was no better compliment than having someone appreciate his cooking.