Chapter 144: The Golden Caterpillar (34/52)

Liu Xie realized that the clothes her little brother had prepared for her seemed a bit too perfectly fitted.

Although they were very comfortable to wear, she couldn’t help but wonder why they fit her so well.

After thinking it through, it seemed there was only one possible explanation.

Liu Anran didn’t have a single decent girl around him, let alone one who would know a woman’s sizes.

And honestly, the fact that he didn’t even have any decent girls around him was his own choice. After all, she’d seen with her own eyes how, during all those matchmaking sessions, Liu Anran rejected every single girl who approached him.

So, was her own little brother’s knowledge of a girl’s measurements limited to just her?

Liu Xie felt a bit sorry for her brother… Or, well, not really!

Leaving aside why the clothes Liu Anran sent her happened to fit her so exactly—

Where did Liu Anran even get her measurements from?

Sure, he could just ask the maids at home for them, and it would be easy.

But why would Liu Anran go ask the maids for her measurements?

Curled up on the sofa, drying her hair, Liu Xie keenly sensed that something wasn’t quite right. She glanced at the fluffy golden slippers on the floor, recalling the golden towel and toothbrush.

And those empty pet beds—one for a cat, one for a dog—just waiting to be filled.

“Hoo…” Liu Xie let out a long breath, feeling as though she’d just guessed something terrifying.

Could all these things have been prepared just for her by Liu Anran?

Just thinking about the possibility sent a chill down her spine.

Wait, no, maybe she was just overthinking things?

Although Liu Anran said this house was meant for himself and the girl he’d spend his life with, now all these things seemed to be prepared for her.

Looking at it like that, the “girl to spend the rest of his life with” that Liu Anran mentioned… was her.

Eh~ But if she went over the whole process again…

Liu Anran only ever said he wanted to live out his days with “a girl,” but he never specified he meant a romantic partner.

Hadn’t she once popped up during her little brother’s matchmaking, saying the two of them should just stay single together for life?

If that’s the case, then her little brother preparing a cozy little home for two people to live in—it made sense, didn’t it?

Even if there was only one bedroom, maybe that was just because Liu Anran had always lived here alone, so there’d been no need to prepare a second one.

After all, setting up an extra bedroom would definitely be more of a hassle than just buying daily necessities.

Thinking this, Liu Xie felt relieved.

Thank goodness—she’d almost thought her own little brother wanted to hit on her!

Shaken from her overactive imagination, Liu Xie heard the door open. She looked up to see Liu Anran walking out, a towel wrapped around his waist.

His upper body was sharply defined with muscle—his proportions were almost a match for Liu Xie’s own waistline, decorated with strong lines.

Beads of water clung to his messy black hair, and the freshly showered Liu Anran looked over at Liu Xie, who sat frozen on the sofa.

As expected, his emergency research paid off. According to the internet, a guy’s post-shower appearance had a special seductive power for girls. The effect was real.

Liu Anran had never tried anything like this before, nor had anyone ever taught him, so he’d looked up a ton of information online.

Even those water droplets on his hair were carefully planned.

Just then, Liu Xie spoke up, right as Liu Anran was preparing to receive her praise for his flawless display.

“Aren’t you cold, walking around shirtless so late at night?” Liu Xie eyed Liu Anran’s attire, unconsciously hugging herself as if she, too, could feel the chill.

She tilted her head, long golden hair trailing over the sofa. “It’s one thing not to wear a shirt, but you’re not wearing pants either? And your hair, you’re not even drying off the water—are you hoping to get rheumatism when you’re old?”

“So what, has our family fallen so far we can’t even afford clothes or towels anymore?”

Liu Anran straightened up.

He looked at Liu Xie, who had just finished scolding him, then turned around and silently retreated back into the bathroom.

“Honestly, you can tell he acts just like this at home when no one’s around, not caring about his body at all.” Liu Xie frowned, clearly dissatisfied with her little brother’s way of dressing.

But Liu Xie chalked up Liu Anran’s behavior to habit. When she wasn’t around, her good little brother didn’t even know how to take care of himself.

Wasn’t that just like the little brat caught in the garbage pile on a rainy day?

Though back then, it seemed Liu Anran really had nowhere else to go.

Liu Xie shrugged, deciding that this time, she was here to fix her little brother’s bad living habits.

With that in mind, she shuffled into the bedroom, slippers making a pat-pat sound as she went.

She flopped onto the bed. As sleepiness washed over her, Liu Xie pulled out her phone to begin another all-nighter.

This was when her willpower was at its peak—no matter how sleepy she was, she would never fall asleep at this time. She’d keep her spirit strong until she claimed the throne of All-Nighter Champion.

Outside, the hum of the hair dryer stopped, and in the darkness the bedroom door opened again.

“Hey, don’t turn on the light.”

“Why not?” Liu Anran, now dressed in pajamas, seemed confused.

“Turning on the light means you’re playing on your phone. Turning off the light, now that’s a real all-nighter.” Liu Xie’s tone was full of seasoned wisdom.

“Playing on your phone in the dark—be careful, your eyes will go bad when you’re old.” Liu Anran said, but he didn’t turn the light on. Instead, he groped his way to the other side of the bed, separated by a plush bear.

Liu Xie didn’t care at all. “Then I’ll worry about that when I live to be old.”

Once Liu Anran lay down, he stopped moving, leaving only Liu Xie’s glowing face beside him, fiercely determined to stay up all night.

Liu Xie quietly turned her phone to silent mode, lowering the brightness to the minimum.

She even rolled over, facing Liu Anran, so the light from her phone wouldn’t shine his way and disturb his sleep.

Just as she was about to start another round, Liu Xie checked her battery.

Seventy-four percent.

That won’t do. She had class tomorrow morning. If she used up her battery now and it ran out during class, she’d be forced to listen for half a period.

Liu Xie would never listen to even a minute of class.

So she put her phone down.

Just then, her good little brother suddenly rolled over and put his hand on the plush bear between them.

Startled, Liu Xie shrank back a bit.

Even though she’d just reasoned out that Liu Anran probably wouldn’t have any strange thoughts about her, she couldn’t rule it out completely.

This way, she’d sleep on her side, Liu Anran would sleep on his, and as long as there was no change in the arrangement, wouldn’t that completely rule out any suspicion of Liu Anran?

She felt like a genius.

There was no way she would ever go over to Liu Anran’s side.

She closed her eyes.

Twenty minutes later, after being bullied by Liu Xie, the plush bear had been kicked under the bed.

After twenty-five minutes, Liu Xie felt a draft slipping through the space between them, and squirmed around in bed, feeling a bit cold.

After thirty minutes, the golden caterpillar finished squirming and burrowed into Liu Anran’s long-awaiting arms, snuggling closer and closer.