The boy, just a little taller than Liu Xie, glanced past the three girls.
His gaze lingered on Liu Xie’s face a little longer.
There was something vaguely familiar about her expression and her features—perhaps a young lady from some household he’d crossed paths with before.
“Whoever you are, that joke just now was going too far,” he said coldly.
He had clearly heard what she said—every single word—and he knew he hadn’t misheard the name.
But all he saw was a girl saying his brother’s name.
His actual brother?
Nowhere in sight.
“Where is my brother?”
His eyes met Liu Xie’s calm, indifferent gaze.
“Liu Anran.” Liu Xie crossed her arms and subtly straightened her back.
“You’re a pleasant surprise in that getup, but I don’t have time to chat. Take me to Mom and Dad.”
“You’re my brother’s…?” Liu Anran’s expression shifted slightly.
“Even if that’s the case, I need to see my brother first before I believe anything.”
“You should learn to be a little more flexible, like me,” Liu Xie said.
“Don’t be so stiff.”
She gave Zhu Niao and Ye Qingchang a push toward the entrance.
“You two go in first. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Liu Anran didn’t stop them.
But he kept staring at the golden-haired girl in front of him.
The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed.
Maybe they had known each other long ago.
Especially that soft, naturally golden hair…
“Let me ask you something,” Liu Xie turned toward her dear little brother and tapped the wood of the reception desk lightly.
“Whose enrollment banquet is this tonight?”
Liu Anran raised a brow, not quite understanding what this girl was up to.
“It’s Miss Liu Xie’s enrollment banquet,” the receptionist answered instinctively.
“Liu who?” Liu Xie asked.
“Miss Liu,” the receptionist repeated.
Then the golden-haired girl turned to Liu Anran with a smirk.
“What…?”
He wasn’t an idiot. It only took a few seconds to put the pieces together and arrive at an almost impossible conclusion.
He asked cautiously, “Liu Xie?”
“Mm,” the golden-haired girl nodded.
“You’ve got to be kidding. My brother not only hired you to do this, he even bribed the banquet staff?” Liu Anran’s voice rose, his expression growing sharp.
Sigh. “You brat,” Liu Xie said, a little exasperated.
“Can’t you just accept that you’ve got an older sister now?”
Liu Anran just kept staring intently at Liu Xie.
“Son—no, daughter, you’re finally here! Come, let Mommy take a good look at you.”
Just as the boy was about to say something, a graceful noblewoman hurried out from the banquet hall, pushing him aside as she took Liu Xie’s hand and began examining her carefully.
She looked every bit the loving, doting mother reunited with her precious daughter.
“Come now, come now. Your father’s been eager to see you too.”
Liu Xie smiled slightly and shot a glance over her shoulder at Liu Anran, whose mind still seemed to be lagging a few steps behind.
Not long after, the Liu family of four was gathered in a quieter room inside the building—less grand than the main hall outside, but more private.
“Son… Can you tell us why you’ve ended up like this?”
The elegant lady from earlier now wore a worried expression.
The middle-aged man sitting on the sofa glanced at Liu Xie in her flowing blue dress, then stubbed out his cigarette.
Just as Liu Xie had guessed—her parents, the ones who had arranged the banquet and directly interacted with the guests, couldn’t possibly be unaware of her current situation.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have suddenly moved the event up from the weekend.
“Something… a bit beyond material science happened. My roommates and I all turned from boys into girls.”
Liu Xie sat casually on the sofa, instinctively pushing her father’s position a bit farther away as she made herself comfortable.
Walking over in these damn heels had almost destroyed her ankles.
“The two I brought with me today—those are my roommates. I think I mentioned them to you a couple of times before.”
The golden-haired girl watched Liu Anran with interest.
Since entering the room, he hadn’t said a word.
Looks like becoming a girl did have some unexpected perks—like finally shutting up her sharp-tongued little brother.
“There’s really no way to change back?” the father, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
Liu Xie instinctively glanced at Liu Anran, who was staring blankly into space, clearly lost in thought.
“Nope.”
The noblewoman’s anxiety spiked. “Then what are we supposed to do, s—um, daughter?”
“Just do what we always do,” Liu Xie replied calmly.
“It’s not a big deal anyway. Being a boy or a girl doesn’t really matter. Not like I’m planning to date anyone.”
She was completely unfazed.
“Alright, alright. We can’t keep dragging this out—people are probably almost all here by now,” she said, standing up from the sofa and stretching her sore ankles.
Ever since she fell outside the hall, something had felt a little off.
She clenched her teeth and tested a few steps—painful, but manageable.
“Anran, stay with your… your sister. Look after her,” their parents said, still clearly trying to come to terms with the situation.
“Me?” the boy asked, pointing at himself.
“Yes,” they replied.
Liu Anran, who had used up who knows how much mental energy just to come to terms with the situation, looked up—only to see Liu Xie smirking at him with that infuriatingly smug grin.
His brows instantly furrowed.
Up till now, their parents had always treated the two brothers equally—never favoring either the biological or the adopted son.
But now, for some reason, Liu Anran felt that love tilting ever so slightly.
Well, it made sense.
His older brother had become his older sister.
That did call for some extra care.
“Aren’t you going to open the door for your lovely big sister?” Liu Xie teased.
“Don’t you have hands?” Liu Anran snapped back instinctively.
And immediately felt the twin daggers of their parents’ gazes stabbing into his back.
With no choice, he reluctantly opened the door for Liu Xie and stood by like some kind of butler, waiting for her to step out before following along.
“I still prefer that rebellious little brat you used to be,” Liu Xie said.
Liu Anran bit his tongue and said nothing.
“You know it too, don’t you? Liu Xie is still Liu Xie—whether boy or girl, that won’t change.”
The golden-haired girl walked slowly, though only because of the ache in her ankle.
The ceiling lights bathed her soft, shimmering blonde hair in a warm glow—not dazzling, but gentle, almost impossible to look away from.
Even her teasing smile had grown tender, though in Liu Anran’s eyes it still reeked of hidden daggers behind a sweet facade.
“How long has it been since I’ve seen this version of you? The last time might’ve been back when I first brought you home as a kid.”
“Dirty, dazed, clueless about everything… Though I guess you’re not dirty anymore.”
“Aren’t you going to say something snappy and rude to me? Like you always do?”
Liu Anran remained silent, pausing in his steps to look at the girl in front of him—a rose that had shed its thorns.
The sky-blue dress gave her an air of innocence, but also accentuated a far-from-innocent figure.
He noticed it too: a faint stain on the fabric of her dress—not very obvious, but enough to catch the eye.
He took a deep breath.
Taking off his suit jacket, he draped it around Liu Xie’s waist, the hem falling just right to hide the spot.
He could’ve gone to get another jacket, but there wasn’t a second skirt here that would suit her.
Then, the strangely emotional mood was instantly shattered by her next line: “Don’t embarrass me out there.”
And right on cue, Liu Xie pointed with a cheeky grin toward the noblewoman who’d just stepped out of the room behind them.
“I’ll tell Mom.”