Sister, can I be a maid too?

Before he could even utter the word "servant," Lin Jianxia had already grabbed a cushion from the sofa and, without a word, threw it at his face.

"Damn it, a gentleman uses words, not fists!"

Jiang Yubai quickly raised his arms to protect his head, curling up into a ball on the sofa.

"I was wrong, I was wrong! It was just a joke—"

Lin Jianxia ignored him, gritting her teeth as she hurled pillows at him one after another with incredible speed and precision.

The light gray cushion whistled as she swung it in her hands, the soft fabric slapping against his arms and shoulders, occasionally slipping past his defenses and landing on his head, making his head buzz.

Jiang Yubai was being beaten, yet he could still laugh, though he dared not laugh too obviously, his voice muffled and intermittent under his arm:

"I was really wrong... I won't do it again next time... Ouch—be gentle, be gentle!"

After an unknown amount of time, the pillow that had been hitting her finally stopped, seemingly exhausted.

He peeked out from between his arms and saw Lin Jianxia breathing slightly, her beautiful eyes staring at him.

It seems... they didn't really fight to the death.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the pillow hit him squarely on the forehead with a "bang".

"How dare you look?!" Lin Jianxia gritted her teeth.

"Hey, hey, it's time to cook," Jiang Yubai said hurriedly. "If we don't cook soon, your sister will go hungry."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianxia paused slightly in her movements.

She narrowed her eyes: "Then, Young Master Jiang, shouldn't you go back too? Our family and business here are too small to accommodate someone as important as you."

Seeing that Lin Jianxia seemed to have finally calmed down, Jiang Yubai finally dared to raise his head.

He coughed lightly and shamelessly said, "Well... how about adding another pair of chopsticks? I'll eat whatever you make, I won't be picky at all."

Just kidding. He's come all this way, it would be a shame not to treat him to a meal after all the pig swill he's been eating all week.

"Just wait and see if I poison you!"

Lin Jianxia glared at him again, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Watching her back as she wore her apron, Jiang Yubai mentally made a victory sign.

Oh yeah, it's almost time for dinner.

Just as he sat up contentedly, he saw Lin Jianxia suddenly turn back.

"What?" Jiang Yubai shrank back again, wary. "I told you beforehand, I won't leave now. I'll leave on my own after I eat."

But Lin Jianxia didn't try to banter with him; she just stared at him for a while with a complicated expression.

Just as Jiang Yubai was feeling a bit puzzled, Lin Jianxia seemed to have finally made up her mind and spoke softly:

"Would you like to talk to Wanwan for a while?"

Chapter 32 "Hello, Jiang Yubai!"

?

For a moment, Jiang Yubai even doubted whether he had misheard.

"What do you mean... I should go and talk to Lin Tingwan?" he repeated hesitantly.

Lin Jianxia wrinkled her little nose: "Don't you get along very well with Wanwan?"

Jiang Yubai: "?"

What does it mean to get along well?

Did he and Lin Tingwan ever spend time together?

Does sitting in a row together in class really mean you get along well?

Lin Jianxia didn't give him much time to think about it. She gestured with her chin toward the bedroom and said, "Look, Wanwan is in the room. Go find her yourself."

She paused, then turned back, her eyes flashing a clear warning:

"Go inside and leave the door open—I need to be able to see inside as soon as I turn my head. Also, you're only allowed to chat, no bullying her, understand?"

"I....."

Jiang Yubai wanted to say something more, but Lin Jianxia had already turned around decisively and walked back to the kitchen in her slippers.

Jiang Yubai: "......."

Seriously?! You're really that careless?! This is a man and a woman alone in a room, for crying out loud!

He opened his mouth, but in the end he stood up and turned to look at the small room on the inside.

As Jiang Yubai stood at the door, he still felt a little hesitant.

To be honest, he had only ever seen things like 'a girl's boudoir' in novels.

Generally speaking, it would be described as a mysterious place, a forbidden zone that 'boys are not allowed', and he never thought he would actually be able to go in one day.

To say he had absolutely no reservations wouldn't be entirely true—but since Lin Jianxia had said so, Jiang Yubai was too lazy to be coy.

Although it's unclear how Lin Jianxia came to the conclusion that 'he and Lin Tingwan get along very well,'...

Anyway, it was the older sister who asked him to come and chat, so she'll take the blame if anything goes wrong.

What is this? Is this some kind of harassment ordered by orders?

With these jumbled thoughts swirling in his mind, Jiang Yubai belatedly realized... that he did indeed seem a little nervous.

He composed himself and knocked on the door with his finger.

After a few clear knocks, Jiang Yubai waited patiently outside the door. But after a while, there was no response from inside.

The question of why no one answered the door had just surfaced in his mind when, a second later, he cursed himself.

There was no response, of course, and Lin Tingwan didn't seem like the type to open the door for someone willingly.

He knocked twice more, but there was still no response.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Yubai reached out and placed his hand on the doorknob, gently turning the knob to open the door.

There was no overpowering sweet fragrance as I had expected, nor were there any pink curtains or dazzling array of trinkets.

The room was small, but very clean, even simple.

A bed, a desk, and a wardrobe—that's pretty much everything.

There was no romantic atmosphere as I had imagined; only a half-person-sized panda doll sitting quietly on the bed.

The black and white down was gilded with a light gold by the evening sunlight, and the round eyes were staring blankly at the doorway.

The room's occupant was sitting upright at her desk, still sporting that familiar high ponytail, her blue and white school uniform impeccably worn.

She lowered her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the open pages of the book, so focused that she seemed oblivious to the commotion at the door.

Jiang Yubai stood by the door, his gaze sweeping across the overly cold space before finally settling on the panda's adorably silly expression.

For some reason, it seemed to have more life than the room's owner.

Jiang Yubai turned around and saw Lin Jianxia with her back to him, the cleaver in her hand landing on the cutting board with a crisp and rhythmic tapping sound.

You really aren't worried at all...?

Oh well, I'm going to get a free meal from them later, so I'll just consider it payment.

With a sigh in his heart, Jiang Yubai stepped into the room, neither deliberately making his steps heavier nor lighter, and simply walked up behind the girl.

Lin Tingwan seemed completely oblivious, her gaze still fixed on the open book in front of her, and she only turned a page after a long while.

Left with no other choice, Jiang Yubai could only lower his voice and tentatively call out:

"Lin Tingwan?"

This time the effect was remarkable.

Lin Tingwan suddenly stopped turning the page, then slowly turned her head and raised her face—just in time to meet Jiang Yubai's gaze.

The first thing that catches the eye is a hint of confusion, as if wondering why he is here.

Before Jiang Yubai could explain, a faint smile suddenly appeared on the girl's usually expressionless, delicate face.

That smile was thin and cold, like a sliver of light flashing across the snow in winter, yet it possessed a breathtaking beauty.

Jiang Yubai momentarily forgot what he was going to say.

However, Lin Tingwan quickly stood up, carrying her book, and walked past him to the bed next to her.

She carefully moved the panda plush toy to the inside of the bed before sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking up at Jiang Yubai, who was still standing there in a daze.

Jiang Yubai blinked, wondering what this was all about. Was she inviting him to sit down next to her and have a long talk?

He hesitated for a moment, but still sat down on the edge of the bed, just an arm's length away from her.

"Uh... hello?" Jiang Yubai greeted tentatively.

Lin Tingwan's eyes seemed to brighten. She reached out and took the familiar spiral notebook from the bed, scribbled something down, and handed it over.

"Hello, Jiang Yubai!"

The moment Jiang Yubai saw those words, he really wanted to go out and find Lin Jianxia to ask her clearly if they really had a triplet sister who had been hiding it from him.

Otherwise, how can this be explained?

She can't just shut herself off so tightly at school; only when she returns to this little space that belongs to her can she relax a little...

Jiang Yubai paused, then subconsciously looked at the girl in front of him.

Although her face still didn't show any obvious expression, Lin Tingwan's beautiful eyes were surprisingly clear.

“Um… Lin Tingwan,” Jiang Yubai cleared his throat and began somewhat awkwardly, “I’m moving next door to you tomorrow, so I came over today… um, just dropping by.”

Lin Tingwan tilted her head, it was unclear whether she had heard him or not.

Seeing that she didn't seem inclined to take out her notebook to write, Jiang Yubai hesitated for a moment before continuing:

"It's your sister... She asked me to come and talk to you or something."

Speaking of "chatting"... what exactly can we talk about?