“Holy crap!”

The scene in her dream jolted Ning Chu awake. She sat up straight, clutching her chest in fright, her eyes darting around in guilty panic.

Absurd! Completely absurd!

Because of yesterday’s storyline, she had ended up dreaming about being sandwiched between two men.

And unlike the dreams she’d had before, this one actually made her… happy. In the dream she was cheerfully playing the part of the filling in the sandwich.

But just as the dream was about to reach the final stage, a wave of crushing guilt dragged her back into reality. Her heart thudded violently, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.

It’s too terrifying!

Still trembling, Ning Chu muttered to herself, “I’m not that kind of person… why would I be happy about that? Like some shameless slut…”

Is it true that the more you fear something, the more it shows up in your dreams?

If this keeps going, her brain really is going to be reshaped into something that can’t live without men.

And who knows—maybe those scenes in her dreams would actually come true one day!

“Sis?”

“I-It’s nothing.”

Ning Chu turned to see Black Bean’s bright eyes glowing in the dark. She explained quickly, “I just had a nightmare.”

“What’s a—”

“Nothing!” She cut him off sharply. “I was just talking in my sleep.”

“Oh~”

Leaning back against the headboard, she glanced at the time.

It was still only the middle of the night.

Wen Yang had sent her a message half an hour ago, saying he was eating with Zhang Shaoqing. By eight in the morning, that troublemaker would be on the train, slinking back home with his tail between his legs.

“Knew it. That spoiled rich kid couldn’t last at a real job.”

Ning Chu muttered. She didn’t deny that some rich second-generation kids could be excellent if raised well, but Zhang Shaoqing clearly wasn’t one of them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in the same university as her.

After eating too much earlier, now being scared awake by the nightmare, she couldn’t fall back asleep.

Yawning, she got out of bed and walked into the living room—only to find it still lit up. Looking over, she saw Ning Yuan sitting on the sofa with his laptop.

“Brother, you’re still up?”

“I just finished packing my luggage. I’m going to bed soon.”

She noticed the big suitcase already placed near the door.

Wandering over, she plopped down next to him and peeked at his screen. It was a mahjong game, something like Mahjong Soul, with anime-styled characters.

A faint fragrance of body wash and youthful femininity wafted from Ning Chu. Ning Yuan subtly shifted away, putting a little distance between them.

After spending so much time together over the New Year, he had to admit—his former little brother was now fully a woman.

Not to the point where every smile and frown could steal a man’s soul, but her delicate looks, good figure, and growing feminine charm were enough to spark unrealistic fantasies in most men.

Ning Chu didn’t mind his slight retreat. Curling her legs up, she rested her arms on her knees and tilted her head, quietly observing his profile.

Compared to her brother from her past life—sloppy, always out messing around, forgetting he even had a family—this version of Ning Yuan, stable job, gentle manners, clearly much more reliable. More like the brother she had always wished for.

It’s just… now she was the one out messing around.

“Brother, what if Mom suddenly passed away one day…?” Out of nowhere, Ning Chu felt an overwhelming urge to confide.

“Mom’s only in her forties. She’ll definitely live to eighty.”

“I mean if.” She lowered her head, hiding her face in her arms, muttering, “We should pool some money together. Get her a full check-up.”

Ning Yuan froze, then turned to look at his sister. Right now, she was curled up on the sofa, head buried, small and pitiful, her voice tinged with sorrow.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I had a nightmare.”

“Don’t overthink it.” Ning Yuan shook his head helplessly. “I’ve heard that girls tend to be more emotional, their moods swing really easily. I guess I believe it now.”

He paused, then added, “If Mom really did pass away suddenly, then I’d just have to work overtime every day, shoulder the burden as the pillar of the family—so you and Black Bean could still go to school.”

“Really? You wouldn’t just give up and let everything fall apart?”

“If it were back in middle or high school, maybe… you do know me pretty well.” Ning Yuan smiled and shook his head. “But lately, I feel like I don’t understand you at all. Sometimes it’s like you’ve become a different person.”

“...”

“Well, becoming a girl all of a sudden—that’s a huge change. It makes sense your personality might change too.”

Ning Chu lowered her head guiltily, not daring to meet her brother’s eyes.

“Mom really dropped the ball there,” Ning Yuan muttered. “Your condition showed up in childhood checkups, and she never had you operated on. She just went along with the doctor saying to wait until puberty. Then she raised you as a boy from the start. Wasn’t she afraid you’d end up with psychological problems?”

“Back then we were poor.”

“Well… As long as you don’t blame Mom…”

Ning Yuan suddenly sat up straighter, eyes glued to the laptop screen. He muttered under his breath: “White dragon! White dragon! It’s coming!”

“White dragon! White dragon! White dragon!”

“Damn it! There goes the yakuman!”

Furious, he slammed the laptop onto the coffee table. Ning Chu couldn’t help it—she turned away and stifled a laugh.

After calming down, Ning Yuan looked back at his sister. “Why bring up stuff like that all of a sudden? If Mom overheard you, she’d break your legs into three pieces.”

“It’s not that bad…”

Seeing the worry lingering in her eyes, he pulled out his phone, checked his balance, and said, “If you’re that worried, I’ll chip in two thousand. Take Mom for a check-up.”

“I can put in a thousand.”

“Where’d you get that kind of money?”

At that, Ning Chu immediately perked up, pride straightening her posture. “I write NovelBins! I make two or three thousand a month!”

“Not bad.”

“Of course!”

Even if it came at the cost of herself, it was still an accomplishment!

“What’s the title? Let me read it.” Ning Yuan, being a NovelBin reader himself, was intrigued. “Which site?”

“Uh… just some obscure little site.”

Her pride instantly deflated. The straightened back curled again as she shrank into a ball.

“C’mon, tell me the name. If it’s good, I’ll subscribe, vote, and recommend it to people. Grandpa reads too—he likes those countryside stories. If he spreads the word, you could easily gain a few dozen subs.”

‘If that happens, I’ll just jump off the roof right here! This world won’t have a place for me anymore!’

Ning Chu cursed inwardly.

How could she possibly show her autobiographical mess to her relatives? Where would her dignity go?!

This was the definition of social death!

“It’s just a school romance novel. Nothing special. You probably wouldn’t like it…”

“Why so shy? I’ve got wide tastes. Even if I don’t like it, I’ll throw you a few dozen yuan as support.”

“No no no!” Ning Chu shot up from the sofa, bolted toward her room like she was escaping, and called back, “Just remember the check-up! I’m going to sleep!”

Watching her slender figure scurry off, Ning Yuan smiled and shook his head. He closed his laptop, leaned back against the sofa, and let out a quiet sigh.

It really felt like his little sister was hiding quite a few secrets.

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Link for character illustration:

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