“Mmm…”
“Hm?”
Lin Jin’an’s rising nasal tone made Li Xingya instinctively squeeze her thighs together.
“I’m sorry, sister.”
‘I was so focused on the game that I didn’t even hear Lin Jin’an come downstairs.’
‘Actually, Lin Jin’an being an idol… she’s always been quiet when she walks.’
Lin Jin’an planted her hands on her hips.
She looked down at Li Xingya from above.
Lin Jin’an’s gaze was always gentle.
Even though Li Xingya hated meeting her eyes, she couldn’t help stealing glances at her.
Li Xingya loved that look.
But right now, Lin Jin’an’s eyes were cold enough to send a chill down her spine.
‘She’s really mad this time…’
At this moment, Li Xingya finally understood the weight of the word “sister” firsthand.
It was a pressure coming from an “elder” that was even more terrifying than an “authority figure” at work.
“Running a fever and on your period, yet here you are sneaking out to play games?”
“I’ve… I’ve already broken the fever.”
Li Xingya took the initiative to grab Lin Jin’an’s hand and place it on her own forehead.
At least she wasn’t out here playing while sick — Li Xingya thought this would make Lin Jin’an less angry.
‘See, I do take care of my body.’
‘Right?’
Li Xingya waited for Lin Jin’an to smile at her again.
“Hah.”
‘Huh?’
“Does your stomach still hurt now?”
“A little… but it’s not as bad as this morning.”
So why did Lin Jin’an let out an even more irritated sigh?
“Li Xingya, do you know that sitting out here in the living room like this makes it easy for your condition to flare up again?”
“It’s fine, sister. I know my own body.”
‘And even if the fever comes back,’
‘all I need is some medicine and a good night’s sleep, right?’
‘In my previous life, I didn’t even bother with the medicine step…’
“Oof!”
When Lin Jin’an’s finger jabbed into Li Xingya’s ribs, the pain cut her train of thought short.
Watching Li Xingya curl up her body, Lin Jin’an’s voice grew even more vexed.
“If you knew your own body, you wouldn’t have let yourself end up like this!”
“That’s not—”
“Do you realize how much worse your physical condition is compared to others your age?”
‘…It’s not like I wanted this.’
‘This frail body… I never wanted this either. Why are you blaming me?’
Li Xingya shrank further into the corner of the sofa.
‘The fever’s already gone down.’
“Why can’t you take better care of yourself? The same goes for when you’re with Jiang Chiyue — how did it even end up escalating to—”
Lin Jin’an paused mid-sentence, then asked, “Have you eaten anything since waking up?”
“…Yes, the brown sugar water you made was really good.”
Li Xingya said instinctively.
“You didn’t drink it cold, did you?”
“No.”
Li Xingya wanted to say more — like how she remembered to heat it up, hoping Lin Jin’an would praise her for it.
But when she saw the cold look on the other’s face, she swallowed those words back down.
‘Lin Jin’an probably isn’t in the mood to praise me right now.’
‘So, when you mess up at work… what should you do?’
‘You apologize first.’
‘Whether the mistake can be properly fixed is a matter for later.’
“Sister, I know I was wrong.”
Li Xingya didn’t dare touch Lin Jin’an.
She could only timidly tug at the sleeve of Lin Jin’an’s pajamas.
“What exactly were you wrong about?”
“I shouldn’t have snuck out to play games when I’m sick and supposed to be resting.”
“You truly know you’re wrong?”
Li Xingya nodded.
“Mm.”
‘Not a chance.’
In her previous life, Li Xingya was very good at going to work while sick.
She also knew how to make sure things didn’t go wrong at work while running a fever.
It could be said that in Li Xingya’s subconscious and lifelong beliefs, the concept of “taking care of your body” simply didn’t exist.
To her, her body was nothing more than a consumable.
Lin Jin’an raised an eyebrow, watching Li Xingya who kept her head stubbornly lowered.
‘She won’t let me see her face.’
‘Is she scared…’
‘Or is she actually lying?’
“Fine. Since Xiaoya knows she’s wrong, let’s leave it at that.”
Seeing Li Xingya wearing only her underwear, Lin Jin’an didn’t want to leave her out in the living room for too long.
Her stomach was completely exposed.
If she caught a chill on top of her period, Xiaoya would probably be rolling around in pain in bed tomorrow.
“Stop right there.”
Li Xingya, who had just gotten up from the sofa to head back to her room, froze in place.
“…Sister, is there something else?”
“I’ll let the sneaking off to play games slide, but I never said I’d let you off the hook entirely, did I?”
Li Xingya took a step back, her eyes full of resistance toward Lin Jin’an.
“What do you mean, sister?”
“Punishment.”
Seeing Li Xingya step back, Lin Jin’an simply pressed forward two steps until she had cornered the girl with nowhere to retreat.
“There still needs to be a proper punishment.”
‘Punishment?’
Li Xingya’s first thought was that she didn’t even have a salary — how could Lin Jin’an possibly punish her?
‘Is she going to make me work overtime without pay?’
But when she saw Lin Jin’an raise her finger, she instinctively covered her chest.
More precisely, the spot slightly below her chest.
‘Don’t poke my ribs again.’
‘They’re going to break!’
‘I’ll try to eat more so they won’t be so prominent, okay?’
“Xiaoya, September’s already half over, right?”
“Mm.”
Li Xingya nodded.
“Actually, it’s almost the end of the month by now.”
Lin Jin’an pressed Li Xingya down to sit on the sofa, then grabbed a thin blanket to cover her stomach.
“So, has Xiaoya prepared for Starseeing Academy’s exam at the end of the month?”
“E-exam?”
That’s such a distant word.
In her previous life, Li Xingya’s exam scores were always mediocre at best.
But…
“Starseeing Academy has exams too?”
“Of course we do. Not just the professional course assessments — the cultural courses will be tested as well.”
Lin Jin’an’s eyes, brimming with hidden amusement, stared straight at Li Xingya.
“And Xiaoya… you haven’t been attending classes properly this whole time, have you?”
With that, Lin Jin’an finally settled on the so-called punishment.
“But sister knows, you have a friend at school who ranks very high on the Starlight Ranking, right? Have her help you with your studies. I won’t require you to get a rank on this month’s exam, but at the very least, you can’t fail any subjects.”
‘Your big sister was always a top student back at the academy, you know.’
“This…”
Lin Jin’an pointed at the PS5.
“If Xiaoya fails any subject, then as much as sister doesn’t want to do this, I’ll have to restrict your gaming time — no playing from Monday to Friday, and at most two hours on weekends. Also, sister will personally tutor you on your weak subjects.”
‘Even if it means I’ll miss out on variety shows.’
‘Don’t worry, Xiaoya.’
‘Sister will definitely raise you into a fine young lady.’
A mischievous smile curled at the corner of Lin Jin’an’s lips.
As for Li Xingya, her heart had already sunk to rock bottom.
‘Pass all subjects…’
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
There was only one week left until the end of the month.
Pass both professional and cultural courses?
More like fail everything!
Li Xingya had just experienced the joy of gaming, and now she was instantly facing the threat of a forced “minor anti-addiction” restriction.
Not to mention, if she failed, Lin Jin’an would personally tutor her.
Li Xingya had seen firsthand how devoted Lin Jin’an was to her idol career.
If Lin Jin’an were to tutor her… just imagining that scene made Li Xingya tremble involuntarily.
‘I’m going to die.’