She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Want a hug?

The three words echoed in their minds.

Liu Yifei did not answer.

Xiao He pulled her into his arms.

Liu Yifei rested her forehead on his collarbone, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

It wasn't the polite, restrained hug we had at the airport when we said goodbye, nor the excited, dancing hug we had in the audition parking lot.

It was a quiet embrace, where I snuggled into his arms.

Her ear was pressed against his chest, through his shirt, and he could feel his heartbeat, the rhythm mingling with hers, making it impossible to tell which was faster.

Her mind, however, was anything but calm.

Oh my god, I think I've really fallen for this younger brother.

When did it start?

Was it the moment he leaned in and pressed against me, or the last time he pressed his cheek against mine and noticed my face was burning?

No, that's not right. It was even earlier—at the Chongli ski resort, he shielded me behind him, and when the sparks fell, he put his coat over my head. I should have known then.

But that won't work; I'm a full five years older than him.

He is still a spirited singer-songwriter, and he wants to stand on the stage and be seen by more people.

How could I—how could I possibly have such thoughts about him?

But why is my face so hot?

He must have sensed it.

Oh no, his face is right next to mine.

He must have put it there on purpose.

What is he going to do?

Is he going to—oh my god, this brat might actually do something to me?

What should I do? Should I push him away?

Hands—why don't hands obey commands?

No, I can't push it away; if I do, it will make it seem like I'm trying to cover something up.

Yes, just pretend you don't feel anything, just think it's normal for siblings to rub their faces together.

Yes, that's normal...

Xiao He felt the person in his arms stiffen slightly.

He turned his head and pressed his cheek against hers.

Her skin was burning hot, like she had just come out of a sauna. It wasn't the temperature of the heating or the warmth of a hug; it was a heat emanating from the very bottom of her skin, from the finest capillaries.

He deliberately didn't say anything or move away, just stayed close to me.

Liu Yifei made up a reason for herself in her mind. Although he didn't hear a word of it, he felt it all. Her fingers curled up and loosened the shirt at his waist.

If they haven't dodged yet, that means they've tacitly agreed.

Xiao He slowly pressed down and placed his lips on hers.

It was very light, but it lasted for a full three beats longer than the audition in the parking lot.

They kissed.

This guy actually kissed her.

He kissed me again.

Once in the parking lot, and just now.

I've counted—I'm not counting anymore, anyway, he kissed me again.

That's outrageous! Does she think her older sister is a vegetarian?

But I'm in a good mood today. The recording of "Mud" is finished, and Zhao Pan'er received it. He said that only he believed in me—well, it hasn't been easy for him to stay with me these past few days.

From the recording studio to the audition, from the taunts and ridicule of haters to today's top ranking, he has been there every step of the way.

Forget it.

Let's give the younger brother a little treat.

No man is good. What if my brother gets kidnapped by those vixens if I don't offer him any sweetness?

I don't care anymore, I don't care about older sisters or younger brothers.

I'll tell him to stop if he kisses me a little longer, just a little while...

Xiao He felt those hands begin to respond.

It's not about pushing them away, it's about climbing them up.

Her fingertips first touched his shoulder blade, gently tapping it through the fabric of his shirt, as if to confirm that this person was real.

Then slowly unfolded, placing the entire palm on his back, fingers curling around the small piece of fabric between his shoulder blades, pulling it out half an inch, then pulling it back half an inch.

At the same time, her tongue tentatively touched his lower lip, not as an attack, but as a response—a clumsy, uncertain, but undeniably real response.

This is interesting.

Xiao He was secretly overjoyed.

He remembered when she taught him how to brake at the ski resort.

She stood in front of him then, her goggles pushed up to her forehead, her nose red from the cold, and laughed at him, saying he looked like a penguin that had been thrown out.

At that moment, her lips were kissing him, and her body was leaning into his arms.

This isn't braking, it's acceleration.

His right hand slowly moved down her back, his fingertips tracing the hollows of her spine, past her lower back, and then stopping at the hem of her cardigan.

I paused for two seconds, giving her enough time to press the pause button.

She didn't press it.

So that hand slipped under the hem of her cardigan, its palm touching the small patch of bare skin on her back, its fingertips passing over the last rib and sliding down to her waist.

Liu Yifei pulled away from the kiss almost instantly, reached behind her back and grabbed his wrist, her five fingers gripping it tightly.

It wasn't pushed away, it was pulled to a stop.

Are you crazy? This little brother actually tried to touch me?

I let him hug me, and he pressed his face against mine. I let him press his face against mine, and he kissed me. I let him kiss me, and he—no, it was too fast.

Oh my god, he touched my waist, and why is his hand so hot?

I almost lost my balance for a split second just now.

No, we can't let him continue. If he keeps going, we really won't be able to stop today.

But I clearly responded to him just now, so he must have felt it.

Oh no, he must think I'm playing hard to get.

But I'm not. I'm really not ready yet.

No, am I ready? — It's up to me.

You brat, you better know your place.

She opened her mouth, as if to say something harsh, but only a very soft, watery tremor came out of her throat.

The hand supporting him on the ground was still a little weak, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

She tried to pinch him, her fingers gripping the soft flesh on the inside of his arm, but she couldn't muster any strength.

Xiao He's hand stopped.

In that instant, he thought of many things.

Her shoulder blades trembled slightly in his palm.

Her hand gripped his wrist tightly; her knuckles were cool.

He understood; a crack had opened in her heart, and he was walking inside, where all he found were the ruins and loneliness of her past years.

We can't get it right in one go today; Sister Sisi still has some reservations.

It could be the age difference, or it could be a 30-year-old woman's instinctive defense against the "sister-brother" label.

What she feared wasn't him, but that once she admitted it, there was no going back.

Not urgent.

They've already kissed, and now their hands are inside each other's clothes—what's to come?

He pulled his hand out from under her clothes.

Instead of hastily pulling away, he gently supported her waist and patted her lower back about two and a half inches above it through her off-white knitted cardigan.

Then he turned the hand that was being held down over, gently grasped her wrist, and rubbed his thumb around the softest part of her palm.

It's like stroking the back of a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Sister Sisi."

"Mmm." Her voice was muffled, as if she had buried her face in his chest.

"I feel like the happiest man in the world that you let me hold you for so long today."

"Me too……"

Liu Yifei was shocked after she finished speaking.

What the hell?

How could I say such things like a young girl?

Oh my goodness.

And it cannot be withdrawn.

This is so embarrassing, I'm doomed, I've been completely outmaneuvered by this brat.

Liu Yifei did not say anything more.

She moved her forehead away from his collarbone, raised her hand, and tapped his forehead lightly with her knuckles, like turning off a light switch.

"From now on, you're not allowed to sneak up on me when I'm in a good mood."

"So next time I'll ask you first before I take action?"

"Next time...we'll talk about next time next time." She straightened the hem of her cardigan, turned and walked towards the living room, then turned back after a couple of steps. "I now seriously suspect that you came to Beijing to see me before you went to participate in the trainee program, and you were already plotting something?"

"Sister Sisi, I swear to God, you were the one who seduced me first! You said you wanted to have my baby, have you forgotten?"

"If you... use that word again, I, Liu Yifei, will kill you. Hmph... never mind, I'm not talking to you anymore."

Dusk was slowly creeping up from the lawn in the backyard, and the orange cat yawned as it lay in the shadows of the gazebo.

(P.S.: Only one chapter today, I suggest reading it repeatedly, I've read it five times already. By the way, I'd like to ask you guys who are like Daniel Wu, isn't the progress a bit too fast? At this rate, won't they be having a baby soon?)