Chapter 34: My Sister is The Best Sister in The World
Qiao Nan looked at the string of question marks that had been sent back and sighed weakly.
[Nothing.]
After replying, he locked his phone and shoved it back into his pocket, feeling a little humiliated.
Of course, the embarrassing part wasn’t that Mu Song had played badly and made him lose face or anything like that. Quite the opposite—the boy standing under the sunset playing guitar had been astonishingly good. Mu Song’s usual aura was extremely rebellious. His expression was always cold, his gaze sharp, and his dyed hair color practically screamed “not obedient.” So even though his features were delicate and handsome, he still gave people the impression of a hedgehog they should keep their distance from.
But now, perhaps because he was dealing with something he genuinely loved, the boy had suddenly become very focused. The hostility that usually filled his tightly furrowed brows had vanished. In an instant, he had transformed into something very…
Qiao Nan couldn’t quite find the right word. Maybe dazzling?
The feeling was oddly familiar. Back when he hadn’t quit Yingcheng’s music club yet, some of the guys from the band had dragged him to a number of live concerts. The lead singer of one rock band had carried a similar aura.
Qiao Nan actually hated the atmosphere at those concerts—the audience screaming like lunatics annoyed him to death, and he’d never cared about celebrities. But even so, he had to admit that lead singer possessed incredible personal charisma. Of course, as the frontman of an enormously famous rock band with countless fans, the man’s effortless control over the stage and overwhelming confidence were far more pronounced than Mu Song’s still immature presence.
But that didn’t mean Mu Song lacked ability. After all, among all the concerts he’d attended, that lead singer was the only person Qiao Nan had ever felt this sort of presence from.
So what embarrassed Qiao Nan was simply himself…
Honestly, when he’d deliberately stirred things up and asked Mu Song to play, he had never imagined this paper-tiger little brat could be this good. He’d only wanted to tease the kid a little. After all, when he’d been fooling around in Yingcheng’s music club, he’d played guitar himself, and he’d always thought he was pretty damn good at it.
So ever since learning Mu Song liked guitar, Qiao Nan had unconsciously treated himself like a senior. Come on—he learned things insanely fast. Even though he hadn’t been especially passionate about guitar, back in junior high there had been just as many girls crowding outside the music room during band practice as there were around the basketball court when the school team practiced. Everyone in Yingcheng knew how good he was, okay?
And yet the fragile little glass heart that had once considered “guiding” Mu Song got smashed to pieces in the very next second.
How old was Mu Song, for fuck’s sake? His fingering technique had probably been learned from a bunch of amateur players, and his parents wouldn’t even buy him a guitar.
For the first time in his life, the school tyrant who had always crushed everyone else’s confidence with his own talent finally experienced what it felt like to have his confidence crushed.
Mu Xiangxiang’s entire family had clearly been born just to counter him! Every single one of them!
Thinking this, Qiao Nan let out an irritated snort amidst Mu Song’s smooth, focused guitar playing. With knees that suddenly felt vaguely shattered, he strode through the passersby who had all unconsciously stopped to listen to the music like idiots, pushed open the music shop door, and the moment the closing door muffled most of the sound, he instantly returned to his usual school-tyrant self—
“Bring me the most expensive guitar in your store.”
No matter what, if Mu Song had this kind of talent, it shouldn’t be buried.
Over this period of time, Qiao Nan had realized something else too: the Mu family’s education definitely had some serious problems.
Of course, from Father Mu and Mother Mu’s perspective, given their economic situation and social class, the fact that they recognized the value of education and spared no effort supporting their children’s studies was already incredibly admirable and wise. But that didn’t mean the limitations in their worldview weren’t harmful. At least in the social circle Qiao Nan grew up in, absolutely no parent would think a child’s extracurricular hobby was “wasting time.” Well, okay, things like gaming and street racing were separate matters. But playing an instrument?
Jiang Hai’s parents had literally moved a Steinway piano into their house just to motivate their son to practice more.
Even Mu Xiangxiang had subtly absorbed her parents’ way of thinking. Whenever she talked about her brother “liking music,” her tone clearly categorized it as part of his “rebellious phase.”
Mindsets instilled from childhood were difficult to break.
As Qiao Nan handed over his credit card, he recalled the worried look in Mu Xiangxiang’s eyes. Thinking about everything he’d seen, he suddenly found her anxious worrying kind of funny. If Mu Song managed to make something real out of music in the future, she’d probably have one less thing to stress over.
When Qiao Nan came out of the store carrying a guitar case, he frowned and called out toward the two people ahead. “Hey—”
Both Mu Song and the middle-aged man talking to him turned around. The irritation on Mu Song’s face instantly froze the moment he saw the guitar case in his sister’s hand.
When he played, he became deeply focused and rarely noticed anything else around him. By the time he finished and realized only strangers remained nearby, he had no idea when his sister had disappeared.
The sales clerk who’d promoted the guitar kept staring at him with a foolish grin, and the eager looks from the strange women nearby were just as annoying as the idiots at school. Mu Song had been certain he’d been tricked. Fuck! He knew his sister couldn’t possibly have enough money to buy him a guitar!
His sister was seriously too much—pretending so confidently just to trick him into embarrassing himself in public!
Mu Song was practically collapsing inside, but with no better option, he could only angrily remove the guitar to hand it back to the clerk. Just as he was about to leave, this middle-aged man had rushed out from the crowd to stop him and started asking all sorts of weird questions.
The way the guy looked him up and down like he was selecting vegetables at a market annoyed Mu Song immensely. So he simply narrowed his eyes and silently conveyed one message— Get lost.
And then, unexpectedly, he heard his sister’s voice.
And in her hand was—
Qiao Nan strode over quickly, staring at the man confronting Mu Song. “Who are you?”
Zhou Huacai had been struggling to deal with the sudden cold and distant attitude the boy had adopted after putting down the guitar. The appearance of this short-haired girl genuinely relieved him. Seeing the wary expression on the girl carrying the guitar case, he hurriedly explained: “Hello, hello! May I ask your relationship with him is…?”
“Sis, ignore him.” Mu Song had already heard the man’s explanation earlier. The suddenly appearing stranger claimed to be some entertainment company manager and wanted his contact information. Mu Song couldn’t be bothered with him at all.
The underground band he currently played with had over a dozen members, and nearly every one of them had been tricked by scams like this before. The scammers were skilled. They specifically targeted idiots with unrealistic celebrity dreams, and most of the younger band members lacked life experience. The worst case had lost tens of thousands of yuan.
Mu Song had neither the time nor the money to deal with scammers.
“So you’re his sister! No wonder—you two really look alike!” Hearing the guitar boy’s voice again made Zhou Huacai’s eyes light up once more. He quickly reached into his suit pocket. “Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not a bad person. I’m Zhou Huacai, manager of the training department at Daya Culture Media. I saw this young man playing just now and thought he had an extremely unique style, so I wanted to get to know him.”
As he spoke, he handed over a business card with both hands, smiling sincerely.
Mu Song ignored him completely, but Qiao Nan—having grown up influenced by his family—instinctively responded with proper business etiquette when faced with such a polite smile and accepted the card with both hands.
The business card was simple, containing only basic information that matched what the man had said.
Seeing that the attractive brother and sister still clearly distrusted him, Zhou Huacai felt disappointed. But he also understood that staying to persuade them further might only make them more suspicious. At least they’d accepted his contact information. So all he could do was repeatedly assure them he wasn’t a bad person and explain his intentions before tactfully leaving—though not before once again reminding the guitar-playing boy to contact him if he ever wanted to pursue a music career.
The middle-aged man walked away while constantly turning back to look. Mu Song rolled his eyes. “Throw it away. He’s obviously a scammer. Why even keep his card?”
The card flipped between Qiao Nan’s fingers before he suddenly paused. “The watch on his wrist is from the XXXX brand, XX series.”
He recognized it instantly because he was far too familiar with the brand to mistake a fake.
Mu Song had never even heard of whatever “XXXX” was and looked confused. “…What?”
Qiao Nan glanced at him lazily, too lazy to explain. Instead, he tossed over the guitar case in his hand. “It means the official price of that watch is seven figures. If he’s a scammer, his financial backing is a little too impressive.”
Mu Song immediately began calculating what “seven figures” meant in his head. Once he confirmed it, the sharp and sarcastic expression on his face cracked with genuine shock. He was just about to ask how his sister knew these things when the guitar case flying toward him scattered the question from his mind.
He nervously caught the guitar case. Even after feeling the weight of it in his arms, it still didn’t feel real. His sister had actually bought him a guitar?!
Unable to hold back, he asked, “…Sis, where did you get the money?”
Qiao Nan was still thinking about that watch. After pondering for a moment, he simply pulled out his phone and opened Jiang Hai’s contact info. Without even lifting his head, he snorted, “Guess.”
Mu Song actually knew very well that his sister’s main source of income was prize money from academic competitions. But no matter how generous the rewards were, how much could they really amount to? Besides, the contestants in those competitions were all strong competitors. His sister wasn’t guaranteed to win every time, so whenever she participated, she studied even harder than usual.
Every cent she earned through that kind of sleepless, obsessive studying was blood-and-sweat money. That was why she always lived so frugally—frugally to the point of stinginess.
The next second, after unzipping the guitar case, Mu Song became even more dazed.
Because the guitar inside wasn’t the two-thousand-yuan one he’d tried outside. It was a Martin worth over ten thousand.
There was no way Mu Song could mistake it. One of the band members who’d gotten scammed out of over twenty thousand yuan by a fake talent scout owned the exact same model.
His mind went blank for a second. He unconsciously stopped walking. “…Sis!”
Qiao Nan had just sent Zhou Huacai’s information to Jiang Hai. Turning around, he saw Mu Song looking at him seriously. “Sis, come back with me and return this guitar.”
Qiao Nan froze for a moment before finally reacting…Oh. Compared to the guitar he himself had used back when he played in bands, this one actually was a bit lacking.
But it really was the best instrument available in that shop—which clearly catered to a different customer base from the music stores he used to frequent.
He’d tricked a kid into performing in public like some street act, let a crowd gather around to stare and comment like they were watching a zoo exhibit, and in the end only bought this. For someone whose random jacket cost fifty-eight thousand yuan, even swiping the card for this purchase had made the school tyrant feel guilty, like he was trying to act flashy while barely spending anything.
Now that Mu Song had pointed it out directly, Qiao Nan felt awkward too. He could only pretend to be nonchalant, turning away so he didn’t have to look at him. “…Quit your bullshit. Just make do with it for now. I’ll buy you a better one later.”
A better one?
Standing there, staring at his sister’s back, what surfaced in Mu Song’s mind instead was the image of her stopping in front of a bakery display window… then ultimately leaving without buying anything.
His grip on the guitar case suddenly tightened.
Only after arriving at the new apartment did Qiao Nan finally receive Jiang Hai’s reply. Jiang Hai confirmed that Daya Culture really did have a man named Zhou Huacai working there and even sent over a photo. After comparing it carefully, Qiao Nan finally confirmed that the man who’d looked suspiciously like a scammer actually wasn’t one.
Relieved, he stepped out of his room and knocked on Mu Song’s closed door. Handing over the business card, he briefly explained that he’d had someone look into the company and confirmed it was legitimate. As for whether Mu Song wanted to contact them, that was up to him.
But after hearing him out, Mu Song’s expression barely changed. He quietly accepted the card, then stared at him silently, dark eyes fixed on him. Deep in those eyes, it almost looked like two flames were burning.
Qiao Nan got goosebumps from the stare. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Then Mu Song suddenly moved.
He casually tossed the card aside, shoved Qiao Nan out of the way, and walked straight into Qiao Nan’s room without a word before bending down to start cleaning.
Making the bed. Putting on sheets. Sweeping the floor. Hanging clothes. Wiping the desk. Carefully organizing box after box of books onto the shelves one by one. Despite the dyed gray hair and the cold, unapproachable aura, the boy worked like an old ox without complaint. He even picked up the socks Qiao Nan had casually tossed all over the floor without the slightest disgust, bundling them together with dirty clothes and bedsheets in his arms.
The gray-haired whirlwind emerged from the room carrying a pile of laundry and looked calmly at Qiao Nan. “Anything else?”
Qiao Nan: “…No.”
He stood there blankly at the bedroom door, watching the boy head toward the balcony laundry area. A long while passed before he recovered. He hadn’t even told this brat to do any chores yet, had he?
Father Mu and Mother Mu were busy tidying things in the living room and didn’t notice the interaction between the siblings. Qiao Nan thought about it for a while but still couldn’t figure it out, so he scratched his head and stopped bothering to think about it.
Just as he was about to head back into his room, a scream suddenly rang out from the living room.
He halted mid-step and turned around. His pupils immediately shrank.
Mother Mu had just pulled several packs of cigarettes out of a cardboard box.
And it was one of the boxes Qiao Nan had used for miscellaneous junk.
Back at the old apartment, everything had been chaotic. Remembering how something had accidentally fallen out of his pocket last time, Qiao Nan hadn’t dared keep cigarettes on him while climbing around during the move, so he’d casually stuffed them into a random box and even marked the outside.
Then all the random events on the road distracted him—and he completely forgot about them.
“What is this?! Whose cigarettes are these?!” While Qiao Nan was still thinking, Mother Mu had already started yanking Father Mu’s hair while waving the cigarette packs around. “We’ve only just started living better lives, and you’re already learning drinking, gambling, and smoking?!”
Wrongfully accused, Father Mu clutched his aching head and hurriedly defended himself. Then he too became suspicious. The couple exchanged glances. Based on the random belongings inside the box and the obvious markings on the outside, their shocked gazes slowly shifted toward their daughter standing frozen at the bedroom door.
Their eyes met. Silence filled the room. The answer was obvious.
“Xiang—”
Qiao Nan’s heart skipped violently. He immediately realized disaster was coming. But before he could think of a solution, a calm, clear teenage voice suddenly came from the laundry room. “They’re mine.”
All three people in the room froze. And the most shocked of all was Qiao Nan. He whipped around in disbelief. Bro… how did you know I was literally about to frame you?!
The gray-haired whirlwind paid no attention to the furious pursuit of his parents as he sprinted away effortlessly, leaping over the clutter scattered across the floor. Then he locked eyes with the short-haired girl standing in the room, staring at him blankly.
His gaze remained sharp and rebellious. But beneath the cold, thorn-covered exterior beat an incredibly warm heart.
So warm that he practically wanted to fling open the wide, bright windows of their new home and shout to the world—
My sister is the best sister in the world!
I’m going to make tons of money and treat her well forever!!!
Author’s Note:
Mu Song [running from his parents’ pursuit]: “My sister is the best sister in the world! I’m going to take the initiative to be good to her from now on!”
Fake sister, who had already planned to make him do chores before he volunteered: “……”
Fake sister, who had already planned to frame him before he volunteered to take the blame: “……”
Fake sister [awkward yet maintaining a polite smile]: “… :)”
Qiao Nan looked at the string of question marks that had been sent back and sighed weakly.
[Nothing.]
After replying, he locked his phone and shoved it back into his pocket, feeling a little humiliated.
Of course, the embarrassing part wasn’t that Mu Song had played badly and made him lose face or anything like that. Quite the opposite—the boy standing under the sunset playing guitar had been astonishingly good. Mu Song’s usual aura was extremely rebellious. His expression was always cold, his gaze sharp, and his dyed hair color practically screamed “not obedient.” So even though his features were delicate and handsome, he still gave people the impression of a hedgehog they should keep their distance from.
But now, perhaps because he was dealing with something he genuinely loved, the boy had suddenly become very focused. The hostility that usually filled his tightly furrowed brows had vanished. In an instant, he had transformed into something very…
Qiao Nan couldn’t quite find the right word. Maybe dazzling?
The feeling was oddly familiar. Back when he hadn’t quit Yingcheng’s music club yet, some of the guys from the band had dragged him to a number of live concerts. The lead singer of one rock band had carried a similar aura.
Qiao Nan actually hated the atmosphere at those concerts—the audience screaming like lunatics annoyed him to death, and he’d never cared about celebrities. But even so, he had to admit that lead singer possessed incredible personal charisma. Of course, as the frontman of an enormously famous rock band with countless fans, the man’s effortless control over the stage and overwhelming confidence were far more pronounced than Mu Song’s still immature presence.
But that didn’t mean Mu Song lacked ability. After all, among all the concerts he’d attended, that lead singer was the only person Qiao Nan had ever felt this sort of presence from.
So what embarrassed Qiao Nan was simply himself…
Honestly, when he’d deliberately stirred things up and asked Mu Song to play, he had never imagined this paper-tiger little brat could be this good. He’d only wanted to tease the kid a little. After all, when he’d been fooling around in Yingcheng’s music club, he’d played guitar himself, and he’d always thought he was pretty damn good at it.
So ever since learning Mu Song liked guitar, Qiao Nan had unconsciously treated himself like a senior. Come on—he learned things insanely fast. Even though he hadn’t been especially passionate about guitar, back in junior high there had been just as many girls crowding outside the music room during band practice as there were around the basketball court when the school team practiced. Everyone in Yingcheng knew how good he was, okay?
And yet the fragile little glass heart that had once considered “guiding” Mu Song got smashed to pieces in the very next second.
How old was Mu Song, for fuck’s sake? His fingering technique had probably been learned from a bunch of amateur players, and his parents wouldn’t even buy him a guitar.
For the first time in his life, the school tyrant who had always crushed everyone else’s confidence with his own talent finally experienced what it felt like to have his confidence crushed.
Mu Xiangxiang’s entire family had clearly been born just to counter him! Every single one of them!
Thinking this, Qiao Nan let out an irritated snort amidst Mu Song’s smooth, focused guitar playing. With knees that suddenly felt vaguely shattered, he strode through the passersby who had all unconsciously stopped to listen to the music like idiots, pushed open the music shop door, and the moment the closing door muffled most of the sound, he instantly returned to his usual school-tyrant self—
“Bring me the most expensive guitar in your store.”
No matter what, if Mu Song had this kind of talent, it shouldn’t be buried.
Over this period of time, Qiao Nan had realized something else too: the Mu family’s education definitely had some serious problems.
Of course, from Father Mu and Mother Mu’s perspective, given their economic situation and social class, the fact that they recognized the value of education and spared no effort supporting their children’s studies was already incredibly admirable and wise. But that didn’t mean the limitations in their worldview weren’t harmful. At least in the social circle Qiao Nan grew up in, absolutely no parent would think a child’s extracurricular hobby was “wasting time.” Well, okay, things like gaming and street racing were separate matters. But playing an instrument?
Jiang Hai’s parents had literally moved a Steinway piano into their house just to motivate their son to practice more.
Even Mu Xiangxiang had subtly absorbed her parents’ way of thinking. Whenever she talked about her brother “liking music,” her tone clearly categorized it as part of his “rebellious phase.”
Mindsets instilled from childhood were difficult to break.
As Qiao Nan handed over his credit card, he recalled the worried look in Mu Xiangxiang’s eyes. Thinking about everything he’d seen, he suddenly found her anxious worrying kind of funny. If Mu Song managed to make something real out of music in the future, she’d probably have one less thing to stress over.
When Qiao Nan came out of the store carrying a guitar case, he frowned and called out toward the two people ahead. “Hey—”
Both Mu Song and the middle-aged man talking to him turned around. The irritation on Mu Song’s face instantly froze the moment he saw the guitar case in his sister’s hand.
When he played, he became deeply focused and rarely noticed anything else around him. By the time he finished and realized only strangers remained nearby, he had no idea when his sister had disappeared.
The sales clerk who’d promoted the guitar kept staring at him with a foolish grin, and the eager looks from the strange women nearby were just as annoying as the idiots at school. Mu Song had been certain he’d been tricked. Fuck! He knew his sister couldn’t possibly have enough money to buy him a guitar!
His sister was seriously too much—pretending so confidently just to trick him into embarrassing himself in public!
Mu Song was practically collapsing inside, but with no better option, he could only angrily remove the guitar to hand it back to the clerk. Just as he was about to leave, this middle-aged man had rushed out from the crowd to stop him and started asking all sorts of weird questions.
The way the guy looked him up and down like he was selecting vegetables at a market annoyed Mu Song immensely. So he simply narrowed his eyes and silently conveyed one message— Get lost.
And then, unexpectedly, he heard his sister’s voice.
And in her hand was—
Qiao Nan strode over quickly, staring at the man confronting Mu Song. “Who are you?”
Zhou Huacai had been struggling to deal with the sudden cold and distant attitude the boy had adopted after putting down the guitar. The appearance of this short-haired girl genuinely relieved him. Seeing the wary expression on the girl carrying the guitar case, he hurriedly explained: “Hello, hello! May I ask your relationship with him is…?”
“Sis, ignore him.” Mu Song had already heard the man’s explanation earlier. The suddenly appearing stranger claimed to be some entertainment company manager and wanted his contact information. Mu Song couldn’t be bothered with him at all.
The underground band he currently played with had over a dozen members, and nearly every one of them had been tricked by scams like this before. The scammers were skilled. They specifically targeted idiots with unrealistic celebrity dreams, and most of the younger band members lacked life experience. The worst case had lost tens of thousands of yuan.
Mu Song had neither the time nor the money to deal with scammers.
“So you’re his sister! No wonder—you two really look alike!” Hearing the guitar boy’s voice again made Zhou Huacai’s eyes light up once more. He quickly reached into his suit pocket. “Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not a bad person. I’m Zhou Huacai, manager of the training department at Daya Culture Media. I saw this young man playing just now and thought he had an extremely unique style, so I wanted to get to know him.”
As he spoke, he handed over a business card with both hands, smiling sincerely.
Mu Song ignored him completely, but Qiao Nan—having grown up influenced by his family—instinctively responded with proper business etiquette when faced with such a polite smile and accepted the card with both hands.
The business card was simple, containing only basic information that matched what the man had said.
Seeing that the attractive brother and sister still clearly distrusted him, Zhou Huacai felt disappointed. But he also understood that staying to persuade them further might only make them more suspicious. At least they’d accepted his contact information. So all he could do was repeatedly assure them he wasn’t a bad person and explain his intentions before tactfully leaving—though not before once again reminding the guitar-playing boy to contact him if he ever wanted to pursue a music career.
The middle-aged man walked away while constantly turning back to look. Mu Song rolled his eyes. “Throw it away. He’s obviously a scammer. Why even keep his card?”
The card flipped between Qiao Nan’s fingers before he suddenly paused. “The watch on his wrist is from the XXXX brand, XX series.”
He recognized it instantly because he was far too familiar with the brand to mistake a fake.
Mu Song had never even heard of whatever “XXXX” was and looked confused. “…What?”
Qiao Nan glanced at him lazily, too lazy to explain. Instead, he tossed over the guitar case in his hand. “It means the official price of that watch is seven figures. If he’s a scammer, his financial backing is a little too impressive.”
Mu Song immediately began calculating what “seven figures” meant in his head. Once he confirmed it, the sharp and sarcastic expression on his face cracked with genuine shock. He was just about to ask how his sister knew these things when the guitar case flying toward him scattered the question from his mind.
He nervously caught the guitar case. Even after feeling the weight of it in his arms, it still didn’t feel real. His sister had actually bought him a guitar?!
Unable to hold back, he asked, “…Sis, where did you get the money?”
Qiao Nan was still thinking about that watch. After pondering for a moment, he simply pulled out his phone and opened Jiang Hai’s contact info. Without even lifting his head, he snorted, “Guess.”
Mu Song actually knew very well that his sister’s main source of income was prize money from academic competitions. But no matter how generous the rewards were, how much could they really amount to? Besides, the contestants in those competitions were all strong competitors. His sister wasn’t guaranteed to win every time, so whenever she participated, she studied even harder than usual.
Every cent she earned through that kind of sleepless, obsessive studying was blood-and-sweat money. That was why she always lived so frugally—frugally to the point of stinginess.
The next second, after unzipping the guitar case, Mu Song became even more dazed.
Because the guitar inside wasn’t the two-thousand-yuan one he’d tried outside. It was a Martin worth over ten thousand.
There was no way Mu Song could mistake it. One of the band members who’d gotten scammed out of over twenty thousand yuan by a fake talent scout owned the exact same model.
His mind went blank for a second. He unconsciously stopped walking. “…Sis!”
Qiao Nan had just sent Zhou Huacai’s information to Jiang Hai. Turning around, he saw Mu Song looking at him seriously. “Sis, come back with me and return this guitar.”
Qiao Nan froze for a moment before finally reacting…Oh. Compared to the guitar he himself had used back when he played in bands, this one actually was a bit lacking.
But it really was the best instrument available in that shop—which clearly catered to a different customer base from the music stores he used to frequent.
He’d tricked a kid into performing in public like some street act, let a crowd gather around to stare and comment like they were watching a zoo exhibit, and in the end only bought this. For someone whose random jacket cost fifty-eight thousand yuan, even swiping the card for this purchase had made the school tyrant feel guilty, like he was trying to act flashy while barely spending anything.
Now that Mu Song had pointed it out directly, Qiao Nan felt awkward too. He could only pretend to be nonchalant, turning away so he didn’t have to look at him. “…Quit your bullshit. Just make do with it for now. I’ll buy you a better one later.”
A better one?
Standing there, staring at his sister’s back, what surfaced in Mu Song’s mind instead was the image of her stopping in front of a bakery display window… then ultimately leaving without buying anything.
His grip on the guitar case suddenly tightened.
Only after arriving at the new apartment did Qiao Nan finally receive Jiang Hai’s reply. Jiang Hai confirmed that Daya Culture really did have a man named Zhou Huacai working there and even sent over a photo. After comparing it carefully, Qiao Nan finally confirmed that the man who’d looked suspiciously like a scammer actually wasn’t one.
Relieved, he stepped out of his room and knocked on Mu Song’s closed door. Handing over the business card, he briefly explained that he’d had someone look into the company and confirmed it was legitimate. As for whether Mu Song wanted to contact them, that was up to him.
But after hearing him out, Mu Song’s expression barely changed. He quietly accepted the card, then stared at him silently, dark eyes fixed on him. Deep in those eyes, it almost looked like two flames were burning.
Qiao Nan got goosebumps from the stare. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Then Mu Song suddenly moved.
He casually tossed the card aside, shoved Qiao Nan out of the way, and walked straight into Qiao Nan’s room without a word before bending down to start cleaning.
Making the bed. Putting on sheets. Sweeping the floor. Hanging clothes. Wiping the desk. Carefully organizing box after box of books onto the shelves one by one. Despite the dyed gray hair and the cold, unapproachable aura, the boy worked like an old ox without complaint. He even picked up the socks Qiao Nan had casually tossed all over the floor without the slightest disgust, bundling them together with dirty clothes and bedsheets in his arms.
The gray-haired whirlwind emerged from the room carrying a pile of laundry and looked calmly at Qiao Nan. “Anything else?”
Qiao Nan: “…No.”
He stood there blankly at the bedroom door, watching the boy head toward the balcony laundry area. A long while passed before he recovered. He hadn’t even told this brat to do any chores yet, had he?
Father Mu and Mother Mu were busy tidying things in the living room and didn’t notice the interaction between the siblings. Qiao Nan thought about it for a while but still couldn’t figure it out, so he scratched his head and stopped bothering to think about it.
Just as he was about to head back into his room, a scream suddenly rang out from the living room.
He halted mid-step and turned around. His pupils immediately shrank.
Mother Mu had just pulled several packs of cigarettes out of a cardboard box.
And it was one of the boxes Qiao Nan had used for miscellaneous junk.
Back at the old apartment, everything had been chaotic. Remembering how something had accidentally fallen out of his pocket last time, Qiao Nan hadn’t dared keep cigarettes on him while climbing around during the move, so he’d casually stuffed them into a random box and even marked the outside.
Then all the random events on the road distracted him—and he completely forgot about them.
“What is this?! Whose cigarettes are these?!” While Qiao Nan was still thinking, Mother Mu had already started yanking Father Mu’s hair while waving the cigarette packs around. “We’ve only just started living better lives, and you’re already learning drinking, gambling, and smoking?!”
Wrongfully accused, Father Mu clutched his aching head and hurriedly defended himself. Then he too became suspicious. The couple exchanged glances. Based on the random belongings inside the box and the obvious markings on the outside, their shocked gazes slowly shifted toward their daughter standing frozen at the bedroom door.
Their eyes met. Silence filled the room. The answer was obvious.
“Xiang—”
Qiao Nan’s heart skipped violently. He immediately realized disaster was coming. But before he could think of a solution, a calm, clear teenage voice suddenly came from the laundry room. “They’re mine.”
All three people in the room froze. And the most shocked of all was Qiao Nan. He whipped around in disbelief. Bro… how did you know I was literally about to frame you?!
The gray-haired whirlwind paid no attention to the furious pursuit of his parents as he sprinted away effortlessly, leaping over the clutter scattered across the floor. Then he locked eyes with the short-haired girl standing in the room, staring at him blankly.
His gaze remained sharp and rebellious. But beneath the cold, thorn-covered exterior beat an incredibly warm heart.
So warm that he practically wanted to fling open the wide, bright windows of their new home and shout to the world—
My sister is the best sister in the world!
I’m going to make tons of money and treat her well forever!!!
Author’s Note:
Mu Song [running from his parents’ pursuit]: “My sister is the best sister in the world! I’m going to take the initiative to be good to her from now on!”
Fake sister, who had already planned to make him do chores before he volunteered: “……”
Fake sister, who had already planned to frame him before he volunteered to take the blame: “……”
Fake sister [awkward yet maintaining a polite smile]: “… :)”
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