If Lin Mo-Wei had to pinpoint the exact moment when her feelings for Lin Yu surpassed those of mere siblings, she probably couldn’t say for sure.
But if she had to name the turning point, it would have to be on her Birthday not long after.
Because Lin Yu was about to enroll at Qiongdian Academy, and the two of them wouldn’t be able to see each other for quite a while.
So on this rather special day, Lin Mo-Wei found herself feeling a little expectant.
However……
She still remembered that morning—how she got up to make breakfast as usual, waiting for her younger brother to say, “Happy Birthday” to her.
But Lin Yu said nothing. After breakfast, he told her instead, “Sis, Yanran Xia asked me out today, so I won’t be home for lunch.”
Lin Mo-Wei couldn’t recall exactly how she’d replied to Lin Yu.
She probably just nodded, said, “Come home early,” maybe even managed a smile.
But when he closed the door and left, the house suddenly grew quiet.
That kind of quiet… was a little hard to get used to.
She sat alone in the living room, feeling as if time had slowed to a crawl.
She couldn’t help wondering what Lin Yu and Yanran Xia were doing right now.
He used to always spend this day with her. Now, he was with someone else.
“Growing up, huh…” she murmured, a faint emptiness settling in her chest.
She worked through some documents, but her focus just wasn’t there.
She grabbed a bite to eat at noon, spent the afternoon watching TV—couldn’t even remember what she watched.
When Lin Yu was home, there was always some kind of sound. Now, there was only silence.
As evening approached, hunger crept in, and she went to the kitchen, planning to cook a bowl of noodles.
She’d just taken out the noodles when she heard the door lock turn.
She paused, not turning around, perhaps feeling a little resentful inside.
She never expected Yanran Xia’s off-key singing to suddenly fill the house, “Happy Birthday to you——”
Lin Mo-Wei turned around to see Lin Yu holding a cake with a Candle on it, standing there. Yanran Xia clapped along, singing.
“Sis, happy Birthday!” Lin Yu grinned. “We wanted to surprise you. We went to several shops to find this Cake.”
Lin Mo-Wei was stunned.
She looked at the Candle on the Cake, at Lin Yu’s smiling face, listened to Yanran Xia’s singing.
All the disappointment and grievance she’d felt earlier vanished in an instant, replaced by a searing warmth that filled her heart to the brim.
So he hadn’t forgotten.
He didn’t want to leave his sister behind. He wanted to surprise her.
Seeing her dazed, Lin Yu urged her with a smile, “Sis, make a Wish!”
Lin Mo-Wei walked up to the Cake and closed her eyes.
Before, her Wish was always for her brother’s safety and smooth life.
But this time, the thought that flashed through her mind was… I hope Xiao Yu will always stay by my side.
After she blew out the Candle, Yanran Xia cheered from the side.
Lin Mo-Wei looked up at Lin Yu’s happy expression, and in that moment, something dawned on her—a realization that something had changed.
This Birthday surprise made her realize her feelings for her brother were no longer just those of a sister… but…
The sound of the door opening echoed.
Lin Mo-Wei, curled up on the sofa, just shifted a bit, doing nothing.
“Sis, are you home? Why aren’t you turning on the light?”
“Don’t turn it on.”
Lin Yu groped for the switch in the darkness, only to be startled by Lin Mo-Wei’s sudden voice.
“Sis… you’re here.”
He lowered his hand, sensing something odd in his sister’s tone. He slowly approached the sofa, looking at the dark lump curled up on it.
“Sis, what’s wrong?”
In the darkness, Lin Mo-Wei remained silent.
Just as Lin Yu thought she wouldn’t answer and was about to turn on the light, the shadow on the sofa suddenly moved.
He only felt an irresistible force crash into him. In a dizzying instant, his back was pressed deep into the soft sofa cushion.
Before he could react, a soft and warm body pressed tightly against him, its familiar, uniquely Lin Mo-Wei scent flooding all his senses.
His arms were pinned at the elbows, unable to move.
His chest felt stifled by her weight. He could clearly feel the contours of his sister’s body and the intense heat radiating through the thin fabric.
Stray locks of her hair fell, brushing against his cheeks and neck, sending a tingling shiver through him.
The sudden, overwhelming intimacy left Lin Yu’s mind blank for a second, even his breath stalling.
“Where did you go?” Lin Mo-Wei’s voice sounded right by his ear, laced with an emotion he’d never heard before. Her warm breath made him shudder unconsciously.
“I… I went to the Movie with Yanran, didn’t I tell you?”
Lin Yu awkwardly turned his head, trying to put some space between them. The position and atmosphere made him inexplicably nervous and uneasy. “Sis, can you get up first, like this…”
“Movie? Just a Movie?”
Instead of getting up, Lin Mo-Wei pressed down harder, their faces just a breath apart.
“Xiao Yu, you’ve changed. You never used to be like this… You never used to disappear all day, never forgot about your sister just because someone else was around…”
Her voice grew thick with a faint sob, but underneath was a near-obsessive accusation.
“You weren’t like this before… You clearly used to like your sister the most, but now you’re always running off… Do you hate your sister now? Do you think your sister is meddling too much? Or is it…”
Suddenly, her tone changed. “Is there some wild woman outside seducing you!”
Lin Yu was stunned by her string of unhealthy-sounding words, totally at a loss.
“Sis, what are you talking about? How could I hate you? I just went out like normal…”
His thoughts were muddled by the strange situation and the pressure on his body, making it hard to even form words.
“Can you… let me get up first, so we can talk properly?”
The force on his wrists slackened a little, but Lin Mo-Wei didn’t get up right away.
She fell silent for a few seconds, then, in a sticky, quiet voice full of grievance, anxiety, and some secret desire—so unlike her usual self—she whispered:
“Why do you have to get up… Xiao Yu, don’t you want… to be close to your sister?”
Boom!
That line struck Lin Yu’s heart like a heavy hammer.
He didn’t understand what was happening to his sister.
In his memory, his sister was always flamboyant and confident. Her striking looks and impressive achievements made that pride seem only natural.
But the woman pressing down on him now—she didn’t resemble that image at all, more like…
“Sis, calm down, okay? Are you hurt somewhere? Just get up first.”
“Answer me! Don’t change the subject!”
His sister’s stern scolding snapped back at him.
Feeling the pressure return, Lin Yu struggled to think, blurting out, “I like you! Of course your brother likes his sister, so can you please get up first?”
He could only think that today’s Lin Mo-Wei was just too different from before—so much that Lin Yu’s first thought was that his sister must be ill, not that something was wrong with her herself.
“Hehe… hehehe…” A low, unsettling chuckle sounded right next to Lin Yu’s ear.
“Brother, the kind of ‘like’ for your sister… I don’t want that…”
Lin Yu wanted to say more, but his lips were suddenly sealed by two soft, moist lips. He couldn’t say another word.
OH?