Reversed Life: Chapter 19 - Your Big Brother and Your Dad Know Everything!
Chapter 19: Your Big Brother and Your Dad Know Everything!
The ordinary-looking car, kind of wimpy in appearance, slid into the starting position. The spectators gathered at the starting line immediately burst into commotion—The racing event Guan Ziming had organized seemed pretty large-scale. Even though plenty of people had already dispersed to different bends and the finish line, the place was still as noisy as a marketplace.
Qiao Nan was getting seriously annoyed by the noise, so he simply rolled the windows up. The inside of the car instantly became much quieter. He glanced at Mu Xiangxiang in the passenger seat, who was squinting at her phone. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Running a dungeon with Cao Wei’s teammates.”
The phone was immediately snatched away by the hand reaching over from beside her. Qiao Nan glanced at the little character moving around on the screen. The chat box on the side was still flooding with messages—
[Mighty Under Heaven]: Xiao Nan come here come here come here, I’ll give you a red buff
Qiao Nan: = =
Mu Xiangxiang looked confused as he locked the screen and tossed the phone into the side compartment of the car door. “What are you doing?”
“Mu Xiangxiang.” Qiao Nan lifted his eyes toward her. “Don’t use my body to do weird things.”
Mu Xiangxiang blinked blankly. “I wasn’t.”
“Shut up.” Qiao Nan glanced into the rearview mirror. Big Dog’s headlights were already approaching.
**
Naturally, lots of people recognized Big Dog’s car. The uproar at the starting point intensified, especially after someone started coordinating with the finish line. Skeptical voices immediately erupted everywhere—
“Where the hell did this person come from?”
“What’s going on—”
“Why’s Big Dog suddenly racing them?”
“The driver looks like a girl…”
A completely unknown amateur had suddenly appeared, and for the audience who came here for thrills, it felt absurdly like, I already took my pants off, and this is what you’re showing me? When the guy responsible for the countdown confirmed everything was ready, he was met with a chorus of boos. On the other side, the students from Yingcheng were also panicking.
The boiling crowd couldn’t warm the icy atmosphere over here. Amid the countdown, Gao Yan grabbed Jiang Hai’s sleeve, her face pale white. “Jiang Hai, think of something! They’re about to start!”
“5!”
Mi Xiang, who had arrived a little late, looked awful as she demanded of the others, “Why didn’t you stop her?!”
“4!”
Fang Lingli’s lips were trembling. “What do we do?! She’s just a poor scholarship student—how could she possibly know how to race? Something’s definitely going to happen!”
“3!”
Inside his car, Big Dog raised his window amid his friends’ teasing shouts telling him to “go easy on the girl.” He cast a glance outside through the passenger-side window, feeling somewhat helpless.
He’d been street racing for years, but he’d never raced against a girl before—let alone when his car had way more horsepower than hers. If things hadn’t escalated to this point, he never would’ve agreed to such an embarrassing race.
“2!”
If he won this, his buddies would probably laugh at him for half a year. The thought left Big Dog exhausted. He sighed and lazily pulled the handbrake.
“1!”
At the same moment, both cars shot forward from the starting line like bullets.
****
The sudden force pressed Mu Xiangxiang back into her seat. Then she heard Qiao Nan’s voice from the driver’s seat: “You okay?”
He still had the spare attention to care about other things while racing?
Mu Xiangxiang turned her head—and unexpectedly discovered that Qiao Nan looked incredibly relaxed. There was a somewhat contemptuous smile on his face. His eyes were fixed on the opponent ahead, who had gained an advantage at the start thanks to better horsepower. Yet just like back at the starting line, he was still steering lazily with only one hand.
Mu Xiangxiang froze for a moment, struck by a strange sense of familiarity. Back during the first semester of freshman year, she often saw him looking exactly like this on the basketball court.
Always accompanied by the heated attention of the crowd in the stands. She herself had once been part of that crowd.
When Qiao Nan didn’t get a reply, his gaze shifted toward the passenger seat. Mu Xiangxiang immediately looked away. “…I’m fine.”
“Why’s your face so red?” Qiao Nan was still looking at her.
Mu Xiangxiang snapped, “…Why are you looking at me? Watch the road!”
Why was he talking so much while driving?
Only after Qiao Nan turned his eyes back to the road did Mu Xiangxiang strangely feel relieved. Then she immediately realized something felt wrong.
“Is the heater on in here?”
Ever since they were back in the villa, she’d felt like the temperature around her had become unbearably high. Now she was so hot sweat was gathering at her temples. She reached up and tugged open the neatly buttoned collar at her neck, her whole body beginning to feel heavy and foggy.
Qiao Nan’s voice was calm. “You got drunk and you’re blaming the heater? Amazing.”
“How is that possible?” Mu Xiangxiang had barely started to protest before he mocked her: “What did you think was in those cups sitting next to the desserts?”
Mu Xiangxiang hesitated. “…Juice?”
Qiao Nan let out a cold laugh.
“If you wanted juice, you had to ask the staff for it separately.”
Mu Xiangxiang immediately thought, Huge mistake. She’d never expected the first time she drank alcohol in her life would happen in a situation like this. Then she remembered all the oddly uninhibited behavior from tonight—like stuffing herself with desserts nonstop—and a deep sense of despair hit her. “Oh no… I didn’t cause you trouble, did I?”
Qiao Nan glanced at her unusually drooping expression and remembered the scene of her standing beside Guan Ziming. “You already did.”
As he spoke, he reached over and switched off the heater.
Mu Xiangxiang was still Mu Xiangxiang. Alcohol had merely amplified certain desires. Even drunk, she retained most of her intelligence. From Qiao Nan’s four words and his earlier behavior, she immediately arrived at the conclusion. “Is it because of the person I was eating with?”
Qiao Nan gave a faint grunt.
She instantly looked defeated, sinking weakly into the seat. “…Sorry. I shouldn’t have drunk random things.”
Qiao Nan had already pushed the car’s speed higher. As they approached the curve, he abruptly downshifted—
The tires screamed sharply against the road. In the lead car, Big Dog couldn’t help glancing into his rearview mirror at the headlights tightly chasing him. Outside, cheers erupted over the flawless drift.
Meanwhile, Qiao Nan still looked perfectly calm. After taking the curve, he glanced sideways again. Mu Xiangxiang had entered full self-reflection mode, looking dejected and pitifully downcast. Kind of cute.
Using the hand that had just shifted gears, he casually grabbed a small object and tossed it over. “Hey.”
Mu Xiangxiang lifted her head. Her eyes were slightly red.
“………………” Seeing that, Qiao Nan almost hit the brakes. “…It’s not that serious.”
While keeping an eye on the car ahead, he briefly explained his history with Guan Ziming, occasionally sneaking glances at Mu Xiangxiang’s expression. Seeing that her tightly furrowed brows still hadn’t relaxed, he paused before adding: “I didn’t explain things clearly enough beforehand. It’s not entirely your fault.”
Mu Xiangxiang opened her mouth. She had thought he would ask something related to Guan Ziming, but instead she heard— “Did you tell your family about this?”
Qiao Nan: “…What?”
Then he paused and gave a mocking laugh. “Why would I tell them about this?”
Mu Xiangxiang said, “When family members run into difficulties, shouldn’t they be honest with each other? You’re obviously not that kind of person. At the very least, your dad and your brother shouldn’t misunderstand you…”
Qiao Nan clearly didn’t want to talk about it and cut her off. “Enough. What misunderstanding? I’ve been causing trouble nonstop since I was a kid. They know better than you what kind of person I am.”
That completely went against everything Mu Xiangxiang believed in. She still wanted to argue, but the phone lying between them buzzed once.
Qiao Nan gestured for her to check it. Mu Xiangxiang picked it up, and on the lit screen lay a text message—
[Mom: “Xiang, what time are you coming home tonight?”]
Mu Xiangxiang’s heart clenched. She stared blankly at the message for a long moment before finally speaking. “It’s my mom. She’s asking what time you’ll be home.”
“At least eleven.” Qiao Nan started preparing for the final series of curves. “Reply for me.”
Even after sending the message, Mu Xiangxiang was reluctant to put the phone down. She rubbed her thumb over her mother’s profile picture in the contacts and swallowed the lump in her throat. “…Have my parents been doing okay lately?”
“They’re good.” Thinking of the gentle couple, much of Qiao Nan’s irritation faded away. “Don’t worry. They’re tough as nails. Your dad’s been cooking a different dish every day—”
Mu Xiangxiang suddenly looked up. “My dad is cooking?!”
Her sharply raised voice startled Qiao Nan. “Huh?”
Mu Xiangxiang instantly grew anxious. “No, Qiao Nan, you have to stop him. Don’t let him into the kitchen. There’s fire and oil and knives in there—it’s too dangerous!”
Qiao Nan hesitated for a moment, suddenly unsure how he should answer.
But Mu Xiangxiang was already on the verge of tears over the news she had just learned. “I’m begging you, Qiao Nan. You know his condition. How can he be doing heavy work like that—”
Her rare display of panic frightened Qiao Nan, and he could only soothe her. “Alright, alright, I know, I know, I know!”
Outside the car, up ahead in the driver’s seat, Big Dog had sweat gathering at his temples, dripping down.
The car behind him had stayed on his tail ever since the starting line. After every curve, the screams from the crowd only grew louder. It was obvious both drivers were performing exceptionally well, enough to make part of the audience switch sides and cheer for the challenger instead. For Big Dog, that was terrible news.
Was he really going to lose to a girl today? And not just any girl, but one who had been completely unknown in the underground racing scene before this!
The mere thought made him so nervous his muscles began cramping. Yet no matter how flustered he became, the car behind him remained as calm and unhurried as ever.
Big Dog’s arms started trembling. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring at the approaching chain of curves as the ominous feeling in his chest intensified.
The next second, the headlights from the car behind blazed over him like daylight.
At the mountaintop starting point, the commentator holding a tablet looked up and announced the latest update in shock—
“Big Dog’s been overtaken!”
****
Back on the mountain road, this time going uphill, Qiao Nan’s beat-up little car received passionate, deafening cheers every time it passed a curve—completely different from the boos before the race began.
This was treatment reserved only for victors.
Yet Qiao Nan didn’t look excited at all. He still lounged there lazily with one hand on the steering wheel, occasionally glancing toward the figure curled up in the passenger seat with her face turned away.
A few minutes later, Mu Xiangxiang finally got her emotions under control. She wiped her face and sat up straight. “Sorry. Maybe it’s because I drank a little. I got too emotional earlier. Did I scare you?”
Qiao Nan secretly glanced at her eyes, still visibly damp, and looked like a dog that had just been punched. For a moment, he actually didn’t dare speak.
After a while, he slowly asked, “Are you okay?”
Mu Xiangxiang shook her head.
“Um…” Qiao Nan hesitated. “Actually, your dad’s condition is pretty good right now. You really don’t have to be that nervous.”
Mu Xiangxiang’s thoughts drifted away, as if she had returned to a day many years ago. She had been awakened from a nap by wailing and screams, and the moment she reached the kitchen door, she saw her father collapsed on the floor, his legs covered in blood.
Her voice was soft. “But ever since I was little, I swore I would protect him.”
Suddenly, someone smacked her on the head.
Qiao Nan expressionlessly withdrew his hand. “You really don’t understand men at all, do you?”
Mu Xiangxiang rubbed the top of her head. “Huh?”
“What men want isn’t protection.” Qiao Nan stared ahead with an unusually profound expression. “It’s trust and affirmation. Idiot.”
****
The atmosphere at the mountaintop had completely changed by then. The return of the beat-up little car sparked another wave of excitement.
“Beautiful!!!”
Qiao Nan opened the car door amid the cheers, and as expected, he was immediately greeted by a pack of Yingcheng’s “little animals.”
The youngsters’ eyes sparkled brightly, but Jiang Hai, standing at the very front, looked dejected and didn’t dare meet his eyes.
Qiao Nan kicked him irritably. “Four kilometers downhill, huh? Want to go run a lap right now?”
Jiang Hai was terrified of curves, so he shook his head.
Qiao Nan smacked him on the forehead. “Idiot.”
The moment he finished speaking, he was instantly swallowed up by the girls led by Gao Yan. Street racing was the kind of activity that sent adrenaline soaring, not only for the participants but for the spectators, too. Ever since they learned Big Dog had been overtaken, the girls’ excitement hadn’t died down for a second.
Qiao Nan suddenly felt as though he had returned to his days at Yingcheng, when even playing basketball would leave him surrounded by endless screaming fans. He was genuinely scared of them by now, brushing them off while searching for a chance to escape.
Outside the crowd, Jiang Hai still stood frozen in place, rubbing his forehead blankly.
Together with the slaps he’d received back at the villa earlier, both the back of his head and his forehead were now burning—a long-forgotten sensation.
He remembered that after he had crashed his car into Guan Ziming back then, Brother Nan had rushed straight to the hospital and beaten him up just like this. At the time, Jiang Hai had rolled around the bed yowling in pain, but aside from raising his arms to shield his face, he hadn’t been able to muster even the slightest thought of resisting.
Just like earlier.
Even though he’d gotten beaten up, he knew the person hitting him was doing it for his own good.
He felt like he was going crazy. He had actually seen Brother Nan’s shadow in a girl. Even though Brother Nan himself had been here tonight—he’d seen him with his own eyes!
Yet his chest remained stuffed with confusion, so much that it was about to overflow.
The image of her rushing forward to punch him. The image of her standing in front of him and challenging Guan Ziming’s people to a race. The image of her sitting on the hood and kicking him while demanding his car keys—
Brother Nan had always been the most impatient person. “I won’t say it a third time” had always been his catchphrase. Usually, if someone didn’t respond after he repeated himself a second time, he would already start getting irritated. That was why Jiang Hai had handed over the keys so quickly back then.
The more Jiang Hai thought about it, the paler his face became. A horrifying suspicion slowly emerged in his mind. He abruptly looked around and stared at the impatient-looking girl standing in the crowd with her hands shoved into her pockets. “Where’s Brother Nan?!”
‘I remember Brother Nan got in the car too!’
Qiao Nan froze for a second, then raised an eyebrow high. “...In the car. Asleep.”
Probably because she’d drunk alcohol and cried afterward, after Qiao Nan finished serving his bowl of life-philosophy chicken soup, he’d gone a long time without getting a response. When he turned his head, he realized Mu Xiangxiang had actually fallen asleep.
Even the deafening cheers at the starting line hadn’t woken her up.
After internally complaining for ages about how troublesome and talkative she became when drunk, Qiao Nan still hadn’t woken her. Then he suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, lend me the car. I’ll return it at school on Monday.”
Jiang Hai looked dumbfounded. “Then how am I supposed to get down the mountain?”
Facing this donkey who’d stuck to him for four years and still hadn’t recognized him after so many days, Qiao Nan sneered. “Why should I care?”
The school heartthrob put on a pitiful expression, but no one present sympathized with him. He noticed that even his famous diehard fangirl Fang Lingli was currently hovering shyly beside the short-haired girl, much less the other girls.
Actually... he’d seen this kind of scene before too...
Which only made him even less daring to talk back. The suspicion in his heart felt more and more real.
Meanwhile, Big Dog—the loser defeated by the little junk car—climbed gloomily out of his luxury sports car. Most of the crowd at the starting point were his friends, and they immediately burst into laughter that had absolutely nothing to do with cheering.
Big Dog climbed out dispiritedly, his gaze constantly drifting into the distance. His fox-friend dog-friend bros excitedly rushed over and slung arms around his shoulders—
“Holy shit, who the hell is that girl? Where’d she come from? She’s freaking awesome!”
“Tiny waist, long legs, spicy personality too—she’s totally my type! Brother Dog, you know her? Is she taken? Introduce her to your bros!”
“Your little brother here has been single for twenty years. Please prioritize me.”
“Get lost, get lost, get lost!” Big Dog shoved them away irritably. “What’s it got to do with you idiots? Scram.”
Then he straightened his clothes, shut the car door, and strode off.
The moment he approached, the Yingcheng crowd immediately noticed him, and the festive atmosphere vanished instantly.
Qiao Nan raised an eyebrow slightly as he watched the guy walking toward him, immediately recalling all those basketball tournaments from the past. Every time they won, these defeated losers would come over to spit out a few threatening lines.
And whenever someone talked shit to Qiao Nan, of course, he’d mock them right back. Usually, within ten sentences both sides would be throwing punches.
Their deep hatred had been cultivated through all those fights. But to Qiao Nan, that was everyday life. Since the guy had acted so arrogantly tonight and ruined the Yingcheng kids’ birthday party outright, Qiao Nan didn’t mind having another fight with him at all.
As the other party drew near, Qiao Nan clenched his fists, his tongue brushing across his teeth, practically impatient with anticipation.
Then, under the wary gazes of Qiao Nan and all the Yingcheng students, the approaching guy hesitated for a moment... and pulled out his phone.
Big Dog scratched his head, looking a little awkward. “...Can I add your WeChat?”
Qiao Nan: “...What?”
Meeting the stunned look on the girl’s face before him, Big Dog looked a little embarrassed to face that fair, pretty face directly. “Uh... do you have a boyfriend?”
Qiao Nan went silent for a full minute.
Then, with a savage expression, he spoke—
“You—motherfucking—want—to—die—don’t—you?”
***
All the Yingcheng boys and girls present spontaneously rushed forward and beat the enemy away amidst Qiao Nan’s fury.
But when Qiao Nan returned to the car, he was still furious enough to explode. Seeing Mu Xiangxiang sleeping with her eyes closed and brows furrowed calmed him down a little. Then the pocket in the car door vibrated. He pulled out the phone and saw several text messages that had apparently arrived who-knew-when—
[Mighty Under Heaven: Xiao Nan you disconnected?]
[Mighty Under Heaven: Where are you?]
[Mighty Under Heaven: Wanna queue ranked?]
[Mighty Under Heaven: QAQ]
He stared blankly at the screen, still not recovered, when suddenly a shadow approached the car window. Looking up, he saw Guan Ziming’s annoying face.
Guan Ziming was still carrying that unbelievably stupid dessert tray. He glanced into the car, realized the person he was looking for had already fallen asleep, and immediately fell silent. Then he met Qiao Nan’s expressionless gaze.
Qiao Nan: “Need something?”
Facing this arrogant short-haired girl who had just utterly humiliated his subordinate, Guan Ziming felt a little awkward. Honestly, he didn’t even know why he still hadn’t thrown away the tray. Maybe tonight his old rival had acted too friendly, making him embarrassed to break his promise.
“He asked me to hold onto this for him.” Guan Ziming paused, then also realized how idiotic it looked that he’d personally brought the desserts over. He suddenly felt speechless about himself. “...Anyway, just give it back to him for me.”
With that, he shoved the tray into the car and turned to leave quickly before Qiao Nan could mock him.
Walking pretty fast there. Jiang Hai’s dumb ass should’ve broken both your legs back then.
Qiao Nan rubbed his face and stared at the tray of pastries on the console. The sweet buttery aroma spread through the car.
And made his anger flare even harder—
Fuck, do idiots these days not piss in a mirror and look at themselves anymore? Since when did every random toad think they were worthy of coveting Mu Xiangxiang, this swan meat?
He really should’ve smashed the desserts directly into Guan Ziming’s face earlier.
Mu Xiangxiang slept soundly through the swaying car ride. After Qiao Nan woke her up, she rubbed her eyes and looked outside, only then realizing they’d already arrived at the Qiao family’s residential complex.
She still wasn’t sober; her head felt dizzy. “What time is it?”
Qiao Nan had the car window open, one arm resting on it as he answered expressionlessly, “Ten-thirty.”
Mu Xiangxiang paused before remembering—wasn’t the car Qiao Nan was driving now Jiang Hai’s? Why had he just driven it straight home?
But before she could ask, a tray was shoved into her arms. “Alright, stop asking so much and hurry back to sleep.”
Mu Xiangxiang froze. Recognizing it as the same tray she’d handed to Guan Ziming before getting into the car, she thought for a moment and more or less guessed what had happened—Qiao Nan actually hadn’t thrown it away.
She couldn’t help glancing at him a few more times. He looked extremely annoyed right now and lifted his eyelids slightly. “What?”
“Qiao Nan.” Mu Xiangxiang considered her words carefully before asking slowly, “What you said earlier—that what men need isn’t protection, but trust and affirmation... was that true?”
Qiao Nan raised an eyebrow. “So you weren’t asleep back then?”
Then he realized repeating that line out loud made him sound unbelievably chuuni. He coughed awkwardly. “Of course it’s true, but... forget it. If you’re really worried, I’ll take care of things with your dad—”
“What about you?”
Before he could finish, Mu Xiangxiang interrupted him. He froze for a moment. “What about me?”
“Trust and affirmation.” Mu Xiangxiang was as straightforward as ever. “Do you need them?”
Qiao Nan fell silent for a while. He withdrew the arm resting on the window, turned to stare expressionlessly at Mu Xiangxiang, then slowly leaned closer and reached out both hands—
Holding the tray, Mu Xiangxiang blinked. Then suddenly, her cheeks were pinched.
Qiao Nan pressed both hands against her cheeks and squished them inward with all his strength. His tone was extremely impatient, but there was laughter in his eyes—
“You really are something. Why do you become so talkative after drinking?”
***
Mu Xiangxiang, who had inexplicably been criticized for talking too much, also felt that something was off about her state today. So she obediently let Qiao Nan shoo her out of the car. After walking quite a distance away, she turned back, only to find the beat-up little car still parked at the entrance.
She took the elevator upstairs, opened the door, and the bright lights of the Qiao residence washed over her.
At the same time… a sharp gaze landed on her.
Mu Xiangxiang: “………………”
How had she forgotten about this part?
Qiao Rui, who was sitting on the sofa typing away at his laptop, put aside his work. His voice was low and steady. “You’re back?”
That gaze that seemed to want to carve something right off her face… Mu Xiangxiang cautiously nodded. “…Mm.”
But Qiao Rui was extremely perceptive. Almost at the same moment, he frowned and stood up. “You drank?”
Mu Xiangxiang felt a little guilty. She could barely maintain the calm expression on her face. This was the first time in her life she had drunk alcohol. Even though she’d done it unknowingly, being questioned by a parent still felt…
Qiao Rui gradually approached. Mu Xiangxiang’s scalp tingled with phantom pain, and instinctively she held out the plate she was carrying in her arms.
Qiao Rui: “???”
Why was his little brother carrying a plate piled full of pastries?
Mu Xiangxiang felt she needed to find some way to escape. “…I ate these at the party. They tasted pretty good, so I brought some back for you guys to try.”
Qiao Rui stared deeply at his younger brother for a moment before reaching out to take the plate.
That flesh-carving gaze finally disappeared. Mu Xiangxiang let out a sigh of relief, muttered that she was going upstairs to rest, and hurried away.
A short while later, Father Qiao, having heard the commotion, came out of his room. He glanced at the living room, where only his eldest son remained. “Nannan’s back?”
Qiao Rui gave a quiet “Mm,” his eyes sweeping over his father’s outfit—a set of pajamas with a leather jacket thrown over them—before calmly sitting back down on the sofa and resuming his typing.
Father Qiao walked over to glance at his screen and casually sat beside him. “I looked over that XX proposal this morning too…” As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the plate of pastries on the coffee table. He happened to be a little hungry, so while talking, he reached toward the plate.
Halfway there, a hand covering the plate blocked him. Father Qiao looked utterly baffled.
Qiao Rui closed his laptop. Ignoring his father’s accusing stare, he simply picked up the plate and stood. “We can talk business tomorrow. I’m going back to sleep.”
Qiao Yuanshan: “?????”
Wait, why are you taking all that food with you to bed?!
**
Mu Xiangxiang realized she really had drunk too much. While showering, she had practically been falling asleep standing up. Drowsily, she staggered out of the bathroom, too lazy even to dry her hair, and collapsed straight onto the bed.
She forgot to lock the door.
So in the middle of the night, the gentle movement near her head made her groggily open her eyes.
Qiao Rui glanced at her, but his hands never stopped moving. He continued drying his younger brother’s hair for a while longer before tossing the towel aside. “It’s fine. Go back to sleep.”
Seeing him suddenly reminded Mu Xiangxiang of what Qiao Nan had said in the car. Qiao Nan had said that his family knew better than anyone what kind of person he was, and from the way he described it, it clearly wasn’t something positive.
Thinking that, in Qiao Rui’s eyes, Qiao Nan might still be the reckless little brother capable of doing something as terrible as crashing a car into someone, Mu Xiangxiang suddenly felt wronged on his behalf.
Maybe Qiao Nan was right. When she drank too much, she really did become very talkative.
Half-asleep, Mu Xiangxiang spoke almost unconsciously. “Big brother…”
Qiao Rui, sitting at the bedside, raised a brow. “Hm?”
“…Do you still remember… the incident where I drove into Guan Ziming…”
Qiao Rui: “What about it?”
Mu Xiangxiang felt herself drifting off again. Her voice was incredibly weak. “That incident… wasn’t me…”
Sleepiness overwhelmed her. She rambled incoherently, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Then, she wasn’t sure whether it was real or part of a dream, but she heard a low sigh.
Someone gently brushed her hair back with a warm hand—
“It wasn’t you. I know. Dad and I both know.”
That person said this, then laughed softly. “Go to sleep already, silly child.”
Author’s Note:
That night, the eldest brother—so stuffed with pastries he couldn’t sleep—lingered on the treadmill until deep into the night—
Meanwhile, Dad remained hungry.
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