The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

She smiled sweetly, pursed her lips, and reached out to take the paper bag:

"Thank you, Brother Lu. I'll accept it then."

"Okay, I'm glad you like it." Lu Baizhou was overjoyed to see her accept it, but he still maintained a calm demeanor.

……

It was already late at night when I came out of the exhibition hall.

The shops on the street gradually closed, and the surroundings became quiet. The two walked back side by side along the way they had come, their steps slow and neither of them spoke. However, the atmosphere was not awkward; instead, a strange warmth flowed in the air.

As she approached the gate of the Bai family's residential compound, Qiao Xinxin slowed her pace. She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, and murmured softly:

"The moonlight is so beautiful tonight, and... I had a really great time today. Thank you, Brother Lu."

Lu Baizhou also looked up at the moon, which was bathed in silvery light. The moonlight fell on the girl's face beside him, making her look even more gentle and beautiful.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse:

"That's really great. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. In the future... if you ever want to go out, just call me anytime, and we'll go out together again."

"Okay." Qiao Xinxin pulled her scarf up around her neck, covering most of her slightly flushed face. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "Brother Lu, I'm going in now. You should go back and rest early too. Be careful on your way."

"Okay, you can go in now. I'll watch you go in." Lu Baizhou stood there, his posture ramrod straight.

"Okay, goodbye." Qiao Xinxin waved to him and turned to walk quickly into the gate of the family compound.

Lu Baizhou stood there until the girl's petite figure completely disappeared at the entrance of the stairwell before slowly withdrawing his gaze. He turned around and walked back with cheerful steps, unable to suppress the smile on his face, feeling smug inside.

……

However, just as Lu Baizhou's tall figure disappeared around the street corner, a person slowly emerged from behind an old locust tree on the other side of the family compound gate.

The man stared intently in the direction Lu Baizhou had left, his eyes filled with astonishment and suspicion.

This person was none other than Qiao Lijun.

Qiao Lijun had been hiding behind that thick old locust tree and had seen the whole process of Lu Baizhou taking Qiao Xinxin home and the two saying their reluctant goodbyes.

He wasn't spying on us intentionally. He'd been trying to curry favor with a newly promoted battalion commander for his future in the army, and today he'd brought gifts to this family compound to make connections. Just as he reached the gate, he saw a man and a woman standing side by side, talking.

Qiao Lijun didn't take it seriously at first, but when he got closer and took a closer look, he was struck dumb.

Who else could that girl with the sweet smile be but Qiao Xinxin?

The tall man standing opposite her, even in civilian clothes, couldn't hide the sharp, commanding presence unique to soldiers. Having served in the military for so many years, Qiao Lijun recognized him immediately—it was Lu Baizhou!

Qiao Lijun's first reaction was that he had misread it.

He clenched his fists tightly, his mind buzzing.

How is that possible?

Just a few days ago, he clearly saw Qiao Xinxin and Zhou Liguang chatting and laughing near the Beijing Railway Station.

How come in the blink of an eye, this brat has hooked up with Lu Baizhou again?

Qiao Lijun's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water. The Lu family and the Qiao family were mortal enemies, and Lu Baizhou was the most outstanding member of the Lu family. That treacherous girl, Qiao Xinxin, was not only promiscuous, but after getting tangled up with Zhou Liguang, she's now hooking up with Lu Baizhou!

"That shameless brat, doesn't she feel ashamed at all!"

Qiao Lijun gritted his teeth, a flash of disgust and anger in his eyes. He wanted to see what tricks this adopted sister was up to!

Qiao Lijun stood behind the thick trunk of the old locust tree, watching Lu Baizhou's figure completely disappear around the street corner, but his mind was a jumbled mess that he couldn't sort out no matter what.

He thought Qiao Xinxin and Zhou Liguang were already dating, but how come in the blink of an eye, it's Lu Baizhou now?

He stood still, staring intently at the spot where the two people had just been talking, from half a street away.

The wind howled as it rushed into his collar, making him shiver, but he was completely oblivious. He just couldn't understand how that brat Qiao Xinxin could manage to get so close to two men at the same time? And neither of them were ordinary people.

Perhaps... he misunderstood one of them?

Perhaps Qiao Xinxin and Zhou Liguang just happened to be going the same way that day, or perhaps her relationship with Lu Baizhou was just normal interaction between friends, and not the kind of relationship he thought it was.

Qiao Lijun frowned. Although he disliked this adopted younger sister who had come back halfway through his life, finding her sharp-tongued and not nearly as considerate as Mingzhu, based on his understanding of Qiao Xinxin, he knew that although the girl could be infuriating at times, she wasn't the kind of person who would be morally corrupt or have ambiguous relationships with two men at the same time.

During the time she lived in the Qiao family, although there were many conflicts with the family, there were never any rumors about her relationships with men.

By the time he got back to his dorm, it was already very late.

Qiao Lijun lay on the narrow single bed, his hands behind his head, staring at the dark ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the faces of Zhou Liguang and Lu Baizhou flashed before his eyes, alternating between them.

As he was thinking, he suddenly realized that he should go to the bathhouse in the family quarters tomorrow.

Although his sister was sharp-tongued and unforgiving, capable of driving him half to death the moment they met, this matter involved her own reputation and the face of the Qiao family, so she had to give an explanation.

……

The next afternoon, the weather in the capital was so cold it felt like ice crystals were falling, and the north wind felt like knives cutting into your face.

As usual, Qiao Xinxin arrived at the bathhouse in the family quarters for work, wrapped in a thick scarf.

She pushed open the worn wooden door of the management office, first shrinking her neck from the cold, then skillfully picked up the fire tongs on the ground, grabbed a few pieces of black honeycomb briquettes, and shoved them into the tin stove next to her with a "clang".

She poked the fire pit at the bottom of the stove with the iron hook, and soon, bright red flames licked at the coal, and the room gradually warmed up. Only then did Qiao Xinxin take off her scarf, sit down at the table, and begin to organize the bath tickets on it.

The first batch of soldiers arrived one after another. Qiao Xinxin sat behind the small window, collecting tickets, tearing them up, and handing out plastic tags. Her movements were as nimble as a worker on an assembly line.