The eldest brother who never cared for meals (17)

Si Jiu had a restful sleep, waking up naturally in the morning, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. She had planned to order breakfast and then go out to her balcony to greet her neighbors with a friendly—perhaps slightly provocative—good morning, but her mood was ruined by an unexpected phone call.

“Wanwan, why did you take so long to answer?” The voice of Xu Weiwan’s mother, Li Ying, was stern, clearly displeased.

Si Jiu pursed her lips. The system echoed in her mind three times, “Character setting! Pay attention to Xu Weiwan’s character!” So she lowered her voice, speaking gently, “Sorry, I was brushing my teeth.”

“Why are you getting up so late? Just because you quit your job doesn’t mean you can become so lazy. You’re a young woman—no job, and still so slovenly. How will you ever get married?”

“Forget it, I don’t have the energy for this. Come home today.”

“Is there something you need?” Si Jiu asked.

Li Ying was fuming. “Do you need a reason to come home? Stop talking nonsense and come back first.”

“But I…”

“No buts. If I don’t see you before ten, you'll regret it.” Li Ying finished with a snap, hanging up. “Ungrateful child, she’s grown wings and dares not listen to me anymore.”

Si Jiu put down her phone, looking frustrated. “Can I not follow this plot?”

[“Xu Weiwan never dared to disobey her mother. There are only two exceptions: insisting on resigning from her job—because Lin Yang worked there too, and she couldn’t bear to remain colleagues—and dragging her feet about moving out and giving the apartment to her sister.

You can show slight changes; after all, you’ve ‘died’ once, so some shift in personality is reasonable. When you acted differently in front of Xu Weilai, the system didn’t judge you as breaking character.”]

“But don’t be too abrupt with the change.”]

“Tsk, such a bother.”]

[“For the central city residency, for the big house, please bear with it.”]

Si Jiu curled her lips. The big house was secondary. Her real goal in going to the central city was to catch someone. Unless something unexpected happened, she guessed that person was definitely there.

She dawdled through washing her face and changing clothes, then ran to the balcony to eavesdrop, but the neighbors were quiet as usual. Disappointed, she returned inside, fed Mantou, and slowly ordered breakfast to eat.

“Be a good boy and watch the house, okay? Big sister will definitely come back for lunch with you. Good dog.” She petted the dog, gave a few gentle strokes, and finally set out reluctantly.

Xu Weiwan’s apartment was half a city away from her parents’ home. She had to transfer to a special subway line, then walk fifteen minutes.

By eight or nine, the subway was no longer crowded. Si Jiu put on her headphones, clicked on the recording of her conversation with Xie Yu from last night, and wandered through the story of Red Riding Hood.

System: You actually recorded it! Host, you’re such a stalker.

She had intentionally dragged her feet, so by the time she arrived at Xu’s parents’ house, it was well past ten. This was also Xu Weiwan’s home, but she didn’t even have a key. She knocked and waited outside.

Soon, someone came to open the door—Lin Yang.

Lin Yang’s eyes lit up in surprise when he saw Si Jiu. “Wanwan.”

“Brother-in-law,” she replied.

Lin Yang was caught off guard by her address, his expression awkward for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Come in, have you had breakfast?”

Si Jiu slipped past him, changed her shoes, “Yes.”

His voice lowered, quick and nervous. “Wanwan, why did you block me? Did you see my email? Is Mantou well? I really miss him. You look thinner.”

“What are you lingering at the door for?” Li Ying walked over with a spatula. Lin Yang fell silent instantly.

Li Ying shot Si Jiu a glare, suppressing her temper. “I told you to come early, but you drag your feet until now. Are you here as a guest? Get into the kitchen and help; lunch isn’t ready yet, and your sister will wake up soon.”

Lin Yang hurried to say, “Mom, let me help you.”

“You don’t need to, Yang. You work hard enough. Go rest, watch TV with your dad, or go keep Guai Guai company. She’ll want you when she wakes up.”

With Si Jiu present, Lin Yang looked a little embarrassed, sneaking a glance at her, only to see her seemingly unfazed, expression calm. He felt a little disappointed.

“Don’t stand there like a stump, get moving.” Li Ying glared at Si Jiu, then headed back to the kitchen.

Si Jiu adopted a resigned, submissive demeanor, obediently following her mother.