"Um, I still need to ask you, brother... have you awakened some rather... filthy abilities?"

Ren Xingmei watched as four young women, each with their own distinctive charm and style, laughed and browsed through the shopping mall. They turned heads at a rate of at least 50%—the other 50% of people were glued to their phones.

"What filthy Awakening Abilities?" Ren Suo retorted with confusion.

"You know, like Hypnosis, Time Stop, Sensory Stimulation, Puppetry, Everybody's Darling..."

Ren Suo gave his sister a meaningful glance, pondered for half a minute, and then said, "My old computer should have been formatted and partitioned, with no trace left, before I gave it to you... Could it be the cabinet where I keep my manga? But I remember locking it!"

Ren Xingmei blinked. "What lock?"

"There's a lock on the cabinet of my computer desk."

"Nope." Ren Xingmei shook her head. "You're mistaken."

"It's... it's not there?" Ren Suo was bewildered. "I remember it was locked up tight last time I went home..."

"You're so busy with work, your memory is all jumbled. You need to rest well." Ren Xingmei quickly pulled the conversation back. "So, have you awakened some abilities that make girls like you?"

"If I had, it wouldn't be you standing beside me now, but your sister-in-law instead," Ren Suo said, picking his nose.

It's not there? That makes it a little hard to explain this scene in front of me then...

Ren Xingmei looked at the group ahead: the proud and beautiful Tactical Bureau team captain, the serene and composed female teacher, a high school girl with long, black, straight hair, and an energetic high school girl. She felt something was amiss.

However, Ren Xingmei's sense of crisis grew stronger. The Tactical Bureau team captain looked so stylish; if she became her foolish brother's girlfriend, she'd definitely drain his wallet.

The female teacher seemed to have few material desires, but Ren Xingmei sensed her strong controlling nature; her foolish brother would undoubtedly hand over financial control to her.

The long-black-haired girl and the energetic one looked safer. But being a high school girl herself, Ren Xingmei had seen too many of her peers' materialistic desires grow through constant comparison and purchasing, so she couldn't feel at ease.

For the sake of my brother's wallet! Ren Xingmei sharpened her focus, sticking to Ren Suo like glue to prevent any sparks from flying between him and any of the women. After all, Ren Xingmei figured that once Ren Suo went out today, he wouldn't want to go out again for the next two months.

In Ren Suo's words: "Young people should go out shopping, do karaoke, party, and go to bars. Then, when they get home, they'll realize—staying in is so much better."

As long as she could keep him in check for this one day, Ren Xingmei could ensure the safety of Ren Suo's wallet!

"But shopping like this, with no clue, is tricky." Lin Xianyu turned her head to Ren Xingmei and asked, "Little Star, do you have any favorites?"

Qiao Muyi laughed. "Asking the person directly is cheating, you know. The primary goal of this game is to fleece Ren Suo, and the secondary goal is to guess what Little Star likes."

"Then... it's not cheating if I ask Big Brother Ren, right?" Lin Xianyu's mind was quite clear when she wasn't eating.

Qiao Muyi said, "Of course. Ren Suo is a participant too, and he has to buy a gift."

Lin Xianyu turned to Ren Suo and asked, "So, Big Brother Ren, what kind of snacks do you think your sister likes?"

Ren Suo mused, "Hmm... Matcha cookies like Snow Lovers or something?"

Gu Yueyan asked, "What does she usually do to pass the time?"

"Playing games, I suppose," Ren Suo replied.

Qiao Muyi asked, "Does Little Star have a boy she likes?"

"Nope," Ren Suo replied.

Everyone turned to Ren Xingmei. "Is your brother right?"

Ren Xingmei smiled faintly. "If I told you, wouldn't that be revealing it? But, he is my brother, after all."

Not a single one was right.

I don't even like matcha cookies; I only eat them because a friend gave them to me as a souvenir.

I usually don't play games; binge-watching dramas is the best way to pass the time.

"Ah," Qiao Muyi suddenly said, "Ren Suo, go find a little spot to amuse yourself. We'll call you when we've made our choices."

Ren Suo glanced around and realized they were in the clothing department. Although he didn't have a girlfriend, Ren Suo had heard how long women could take to pick out and try on clothes, so he naturally accepted Qiao Muyi's kindness and quickly went off to wander elsewhere.

"Brother—" Ren Xingmei hurriedly reached out, trying to hold Ren Suo back.

"Ignore him! Just look at the way he dresses; you can tell he has terrible taste. He won't be able to help you!" Qiao Muyi and the others pulled Ren Xingmei away together.

Ren Suo wasn't interested in shopping, but it had been a long time since he'd eaten snacks like takoyaki, grilled squid, or Kanto-style oden. Since these kinds of foods weren't available in the cafeteria, Ren Suo, attracted by the aromatic scent, headed straight for the snack street.

After eating his fill, Ren Suo checked the time. It was about right, so he headed back to the mall.

"AH!"

"BE CAREFUL!"

Shouts of alarm and cries of distress came from the escalator ahead, drawing Ren Suo's gaze. Driven by his civic duty as an ordinary citizen, he decided to go over and see what the commotion was about.

***

"Little Star, you have a great figure. With some training, you could even be a model. Why do you wear men's clothing?" Qiao Muyi said with a laugh, draping an arm over Ren Xingmei's shoulder as they looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Ren Xingmei had gone out dressed in men's clothing again today.

"I'm used to it," Ren Xingmei said uneasily.

"Do you think this pleated skirt looks good?"

"I think it would look a little better if the color was changed to jasmine white."

"Sunflower yellow isn't bad either."

"Put on white stockings. Flat shoes clash too much; you should change the shoes as well."

"And a hat!"

When it came to choosing clothes, even Dong Chengling couldn't help but offer a suggestion or two. Ren Xingmei wanted to refuse, but it was hard to decline such enthusiasm, so she awkwardly changed into the clothes and came out.

Greeting her were four pairs of eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

Qiao Muyi pulled her in front of the mirror. "Look, who is that cute girl in the mirror?"

Ren Xingmei was stunned.

In the mirror, the girl wore a pink and white lace-trimmed skirt that reached just to her knees. From beneath the skirt, her slender legs, clad in white stockings and red shoes, extended. She wore a white sun hat; her skin was creamy with a rosy tint.

"Isn't it pretty? Isn't it cute?" Qiao Muyi said, draping an arm over her shoulder. "Just go out like this and give your brother the shock of his life. You don't even need your brother to pay; I'll give you this outfit—"

"No!"

The others were slightly startled. Realizing she had overreacted, Ren Xingmei quickly calmed herself and forced a smile. "I don't like this type of clothing... There's no need to buy it. I'm going to change back." With that, she hurried back to the changing room.

Taking this opportunity, Gu Yueyan walked over to Qiao Muyi, tugging her to one side to pretend to browse clothes, and asked in a low voice, "Sister Qiao, what brings you here?"

Qiao Muyi naturally didn't admit she came to watch the commotion. "Didn't you say Ren Suo's sister was a bit strange, and she might be a brother-fixated sister who could hinder you? So, I specifically came to see for myself."

"Well, it's not exactly hindering me..." Gu Yueyan said, a bit awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. I am your love consultant, after all!" Qiao Muyi patted her chest and said, "Trust me!"

Assured, Gu Yueyan relaxed and genuinely started looking at clothes.

At that moment, Qiao Muyi turned and approached Dong Chengling, who was looking at men's clothing. "Cheng Ling," she asked quietly, "how have you been doing lately?"

"Cultivation is going smoothly," Dong Chengling said indifferently. "The enchanting of the Spiritual Energy preservation device is also going well."

"I certainly wouldn't ask you about those things," Qiao Muyi said, linking arms with Dong Chengling. "I was asking if your love life is going smoothly."

Dong Chengling fell silent.

"You probably didn't talk much to boys before, right? During junior high, high school, and university, you mostly enjoyed your solitude, didn't you?" Qiao Muyi said. "You look like someone with strong willpower."

Dong Chengling nodded.

"If you ever have any issues with love, just come to me. I'll help you out. Just think of me as your love consultant!" Qiao Muyi patted her chest and said, "Trust me!"

***

After leaving the clothing department, Dong Chengling phoned Ren Suo. Shaking her head, she said, "He didn't answer."

Ren Xingmei and the others felt it was odd, but they didn't panic; after all, Ren Suo couldn't have gotten lost in the shopping center. Qiao Muyi said, "Let's walk and call at the same time; maybe we'll bump into him. If we haven't found him in ten minutes, we'll come back here to see if he's waiting for us."

"Maybe he found it too troublesome and just went home," Gu Yueyan suggested, looking up at the ceiling.

"He's not that kind of person," Dong Chengling said indifferently.

They strolled through the mall looking for Ren Suo and soon found him near the food court. He was sitting by the roadside with a little girl who was playing on a cellphone, and Ren Suo was touching the girl's body with his hands...

Shocked, Lin Xianyu was the first to pull out her phone and dial '110'. "I'll call a passing police officer over first..."

"Wait," Gu Yueyan hastily interrupted. "This is in plain view of the public! Even if Ren Suo went crazy, he wouldn't do this!"

As they approached, they saw Ren Suo's hands glowing with a white light. The little girl had severe scrapes on her limbs and face, which looked very painful. However, the girl was holding the cellphone, intently focused on the screen; although there were tear streaks on her face, she wasn't crying.

Ren Suo turned his head, saw Qiao Muyi and the others, and said, "Are you done shopping for clothes? When I was about to head back and wait for you, I saw this little girl fall down the escalator, crying her eyes out. Her parents weren't around, so I immediately took her aside to heal her wounds."

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Gu Yueyan asked.

"Phone?" Ren Suo was startled, then looked at the little girl's cellphone and had a realization. "My phone has a gaming mode. When it's active, it automatically blocks disturbances while I'm playing games. Incoming calls won't even show a notification until I exit the game."

"She was hurt quite badly, and I couldn't heal her completely right away, so I gave her my phone to play games on and help her forget the pain."

Qiao Muyi immediately said, "I'll find a staff member to make an announcement in the mall to notify this girl's parents."

Everyone busied themselves around the girl. Ren Xingmei squatted to one side, staring blankly at Ren Suo with a faint smile on her face. Lin Xianyu saw this and squatted beside her. "What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing, just reminiscing about my childhood."

"Was it a happy memory?"

"Not really. I used to get sick a lot and spent nearly all year round in the hospital," Ren Xingmei reminisced. "Normally, besides reading, I just waited for my brother to come and play with me."

"Later, our parents bought us a handheld console, and he'd come over every day to link up and catch virtual pets with me. We'd get so noisy that the nurses wanted to kick him out several times. Sometimes when I was sick, I'd be in so much pain I wanted to cry, but playing games with him made me forget about crying."

"Sometimes, after playing a new game at a classmate's house, he would make a special trip to tell me how fun and interesting it was. He'd then want me to go home and pester our parents into buying a game console and a computer so we could play together... Hmph, using his little sister to scam money out of them."

Ren Xingmei snapped back to reality and hastily explained, "Ah, I... my brother actually..."

"Hehe." Lin Xianyu ran off laughing. Just then, the little girl's parents arrived and thanked Ren Suo and the others profusely. The little girl, reluctant to part with the cellphone, handed it back to Ren Suo. She waved, saying, "Bye-bye, brother!" then hopped away, looking perfectly healthy.

"We've been busy for so long; we should head back," Ren Suo checked the time and said. "Once you've picked out the gifts, just tell me the store name and item, and I'll go buy them."

Ren Xingmei waved her hands. "Really, you don't have to..."

Qiao Muyi and the others exchanged glances and then sent their choices to Ren Suo via WeChat. Ren Suo glanced at his phone, then turned and left, saying, "Wait for me."

***

At night, Ren Xingmei, fresh from her bath, went over and clung to her brother Ren Suo's arm as he was playing games. "Bro, let me stay a few more days!"

"No, you have to go back tomorrow," Ren Suo said. "Mom and Dad also called for you to go back. You originally told them you were only coming for two days and one night."

"No, no, no!" Ren Xingmei kept shaking Ren Suo's arm.

It was impossible to keep playing with his arm being shaken like that, so Ren Suo put down the controller and took out several shopping bags. "Your gifts."

"You actually bought them," Ren Xingmei took the bags, pretending to be distressed. "I don't even know which one I like best..."

"No need to choose. It's actually just one gift."

Ren Xingmei was slightly startled. She opened the packaging and found two dresses, stockings, shoes, hats, and other clothes.

"You should dress up nicely for once, instead of sticking to me like a tomboy all the time. Be elegant," Ren Suo said.

Ren Xingmei muttered softly, "I don't like wearing women's clothes..."

"Even they could see it in just one day. Do you think I wouldn't notice?"

Ren Suo picked up the controller and continued playing. "Well, I indeed seldom pay attention to anything other than games... but at least, I know you particularly like making female characters wear pretty DLC outfits when you play games."

Ren Xingmei didn't know what to say for a moment. She clung to Ren Suo's arm, resting her head on his shoulder.

Key detected.

The key is in Sleep mode; beginning retrieval.

Discovery confirmed: The Key has taken form...

***

The next day, after eating at the Dong Chengling family home, Ren Suo and the others saw Ren Xingmei off.

Standing at the school gate, Ren Suo asked, "Can you get to the station by yourself? You don't need me to take you?"

"No need, how old do you think I am?" Ren Xingmei, dressed in men's clothing and wearing a hat, tugged at Ren Suo's sleeve and said, "Bro, when do you plan to come home?"

"Me? Hmm... whenever I have time, I guess," Ren Suo replied nonchalantly.

On the other side, Lin Xianyu watched the interaction between the Ren siblings and murmured to Gu Yueyan,

"You got it wrong."

Gu Yueyan asked, "What did I get wrong?"

Lin Xianyu said, "Look. She plays games really well just to fit in with her brother's hobby, rushed over to celebrate with her brother as soon as she got good results on the college entrance exam, wants to live with her brother, and even deliberately wears men's clothes to spare her brother any awkwardness or suspicion."

"Isn't that just a super brother-complex person who really likes her brother?"

Gu Yueyan said, "I can't understand a brother complex. But, thankfully, she's leaving..."

At this moment, Ren Xingmei suddenly said loudly, "It doesn't matter if you don't come back, bro! I'll be living here permanently in a few months!"

Gu Yueyan and the others were stunned. Ren Suo asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I chose Heavenly Lotus Academy! I'll be studying at college here!"

Ren Xingmei waved goodbye to them, backpack on and bag in hand, as she boarded a taxi, leaving behind a few people with complex expressions.

...

This trip really was a waste, Ren Xingmei thought as she sat in the taxi, putting on her headphones to listen to music. I couldn't completely eliminate the threat to that idiot older brother's wallet...

She touched the bags containing the clothes and then turned her head to look at Heavenly Lotus Academy slowly receding in the distance.

It's just for the money. Yeah, what other reason could there be?

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