New Era 2355, Federation No.3 Hive City, District South, Community 36.
The July weather was blazing hot.
“Ah! Lin Yu, left, left! Save me, quick! I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!”
“Aiya, I know, I know. Don’t shake, you’re messing up my controls.”
In the living room, the air conditioner worked tirelessly, pumping out cold air, but it couldn’t dispel a certain kind of strange heat.
The game screen flickered rapidly, casting the glow onto the two figures squeezed together on the sofa.
Lin Yu was fully focused on controlling his character, but the scent of the girl beside him, mixed with sunshine and a faint trace of sweat, kept distracting him.
Today, Xia Yanran was dressed extremely bold and breezy.
A thin, sheer white camisole, unreservedly outlining the increasingly curvaceous lines of a teenage girl in her prime; her hot pants were so short they barely covered the curve of her hips.
Her long, slender, and elastic legs, with a healthy wheat-colored sheen, were shown off completely without reservation.
She sat cross-legged, her body leaning, whether intentionally or not, toward Lin Yu, so close that their arms would brush from time to time, so close that he could feel the faint air stirred by her breath.
“Hey, focus, Little Brother Lin, your Sister Xia is trusting you with her back!”
Xia Yanran pressed buttons frantically, bumping his shoulder lightly with hers, her tone as naturally intimate as ever.
Lin Yu swallowed, forcing his attention back onto the game.
This is killing me…
Besides him, there was someone else in the house who felt anxious because of the girl.
In the kitchen, Lin Mowei was preparing dinner, listening to the laughter in the living room—especially Xia Yanran’s delicate cries for help. Her grip on the kitchen knife unconsciously tightened, and each slice came down heavier than the last.
Save you?
Hmph! Little vixen, how come I never noticed you were so shameless before!
With a muffled “bang,” the thick wooden chopping board split right down the middle, declaring itself unusable.
Hurried footsteps approached from the living room. “What happened, Sis?”
Lin Yu hurried into the kitchen, and when he saw the shattered chopping board, the corner of his mouth twitched.
“It’s nothing, I just used a bit too much strength.”
Lin Mowei glanced at Xia Yanran, who had followed in behind him, and wiped her hands with a smile.
She had been reborn, come back from three years in the future.
Three years later, because of a jealous and wrong decision, she had caused the death of her beloved younger brother.
This time, she swore to change everything!
She would save her brother from disaster in the future, and not let any woman who coveted him even get close!
The very first threat was the girl before her, seemingly innocent but actually reckless, childhood friend Xia Yanran.
In her memory, today was the day Xia Yanran confessed to Lin Yu and succeeded, and their relationship advanced by leaps and bounds.
She absolutely could not let history repeat itself!
“Lin-jiejie, are you alright?”
Xia Yanran also squeezed in at the kitchen door, naturally trying to move closer to Lin Yu.
Lin Mowei’s gaze turned cold. She was just about to find some excuse like “It’s getting late, you should go home,” or “I think your mom was looking for you just now,” to immediately chase away this troublesome girl…
“Ding ling ling—” Suddenly the phone rang, making her heart skip a beat.
Lin Mowei frowned and looked at her phone screen. The caller ID said “Mu Qingqing.”
She was her subordinate, competent and sharp.
In her memory, she had little interaction with her brother.
Hmm, a good person.
She took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, and her tone instantly shifted to her calm, work mode.
“What’s wrong, Qingqing?”
“Chief, something happened! Please come right away!” On the other end, Mu Qingqing’s voice was flustered, even cracking a little.
Lin Yu and Xia Yanran looked at each other and shook their heads.
This tacit understanding only made Lin Mowei’s gaze grow colder, but she still held her patience:
“What’s going on? Speak slowly.”
“It’s, it’s about that Rift Beast we accidentally let slip during the mission a few days ago, do you remember?”
Lin Mowei’s eyes widened slightly.
A few days ago? She had just been reborn and was still a bit confused. She’d become absent-minded for a moment on the battlefield, letting a Rift Beast escape their siege.
That never happened in her previous life.
“I remember, what about it?”
“That Rift Beast was a special spatial variant! After it escaped, it set up a Dimensional Anchor in an abandoned factory in the North District, and a Broodmother got in!”
Broodmother?!
Lin Mowei’s heart sank completely.
This isn’t right!
In her previous life, there was no Broodmother incursion in No.3 Hive City at this time.
Was it the Butterfly Effect of her Rebirth? Was it because of her mistake?
Dealing with a Broodmother was extremely troublesome. Though not highly dangerous, the process was tedious: stripping away spatial barriers layer by layer and thoroughly purifying the anchor point.
She estimated she wouldn’t be home for at least three days! But today…
“Chief? Chief, what’s wrong? Don’t blame yourself, it’s not all your fault, we’re responsible too…” Mu Qingqing tried to comfort her upon hearing the silence.
“Oh, um, I’m fine.” Lin Mowei forced her thoughts back, her mind working fast. “Get things ready first, I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Okay!”
After hanging up, Lin Mowei looked at Lin Yu, unable to hide the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
She knew what today meant. In her previous life, today was when Lin Yu and Xia Yanran confirmed their relationship, and then everything started spiraling out of control.
“Sis, you have to go out at this hour? Emergency?”
Lin Yu’s concern was tinged with doubt. He didn’t remember his sister ever going out today.
“Yeah, don’t worry, Sis will be back soon.” Lin Mowei gently patted his head.
His concern eased some of her anxiety.
This side was important, but she couldn’t delay the other side either—she had to do something.
Back in her room, she took out a micro surveillance probe the size of a button.
Hmph, Xia Yanran, I absolutely won’t let you get close to Little Yu.
Let’s see how you two can do anything when I call every three minutes!
Lin Mowei left the house decisively, fully equipped.
Lin Yu sat on the sofa, still wondering if this was the Butterfly Effect, when he turned to see Xia Yanran’s eyes light up.
Damn, almost forgot she was still here.
“Lin-didi~”
The girl drew out her words, like a kitten that had stolen a treat, leaping onto the sofa in a few steps. Even more brazenly, she placed her two smooth, shapely legs directly across his thighs, wriggling her ten round toes in satisfaction.
“Now, it’s just the two of us, hmm?”
Lin Yu’s body went stiff, his eye twitched.
“…What are you doing?”
Xia Yanran leaned sideways against the sofa, not caring at all if she was exposed, stretching her body.
“Relax, you’re nice and cool.”
“……”
Noticing the helplessness on his face, Xia Yanran grinned even more brightly and patted her thigh.
“What’s with you? Can’t cool off for a bit? At worst, I’ll let you touch your Sister Xia’s thigh. You always steal glances anyway. If you want to touch, just say it. It’s not like you’re a stranger.”
“You…”
Yeah, Lin Yu knew she was the type who’d keep pushing boundaries with him. He suddenly understood what it meant to force a smile.
Did he want to touch? Of course, he was a normal guy.
Did he dare? No, because he was a normal person.
Seeing him hesitate for so long, Xia Yanran glanced down at him, “Not going to touch? If you don’t, I’m taking them back.”
“…Take them away!”
“Hee hee.”
With her daily teasing routine complete, Xia Yanran sat up with a cheeky grin, poked his face with a finger, and mouthed, “Little virgin.”
“!……”
What could Lin Yu do? He could only take it—after all, he’d spoiled her too much in the past.
Xia Yanran withdrew her legs, sitting up and putting a little distance between them.
After the earlier commotion, the atmosphere suddenly quieted down, with only the sounds from the game in the background.
“Hey, Lin Yu.” After a while, Xia Yanran spoke up, her tone completely different from usual.
“What?” Lin Yu didn’t look at her.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Then… How about I be your girlfriend?”
Lin Yu turned to look at her profile. At the time, out of embarrassment, he hadn’t paid attention to Xia Yanran’s reaction.
The girl’s cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, lips pressed together, and she glanced his way.
So you can get shy too.
A knowing smile appeared at the corner of Lin Yu’s lips as he slowly replied, “No way.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.