Chapter 039: Two Years Later, You Will Be Mine (1)

Upon hearing this, Qiner suddenly withdrew from his embrace, her tear-filled eyes looking at him anxiously as she asked, “Younger sister? You only treat me as a younger sister?”

“Yes, if not a younger sister, what else could you be?” Xiao Jiu replied in confusion. He noticed that Qiner seemed rather peculiar tonight.

“I don’t want to be your younger sister! We grew up together, so haven’t you ever liked me, even a little?” Qiner asked with agitation, her hands at her sides clenching tightly into fists.

“Qiner,” Xiao Jiu seemed to understand her meaning at last. He looked troubled, lowered his head in thought, then raised it and took her shoulders in his hands, gazing into her eyes with utmost seriousness. “Qiner, I truly only see you as a younger sister. I will cherish you, spoil you all my life, but in my heart, you are forever like a real sister to me. Do you understand?”

Qiner’s body stiffened, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

“And what about Jin’er? How do you treat her?” Qiner asked bitterly, her teeth clenched in anger.

Xiao Jiu smiled silently. “So that’s what you’ve been fussing about? Jin’er is also like a sister to me. Her background is similar to ours, perhaps her experiences are even more tragic. I just want to give her a bit of warmth, as an elder brother would.” As he spoke, the smile gradually faded from his face.

Jin’er’s sorrowful, mournful gaze resurfaced in his mind, making him ache with pity. Toward her, he felt an uncontrollable urge to protect and care for her. Surely, this too was the affection between siblings?

“Is that really so?” Qiner’s words interrupted Xiao Jiu’s thoughts. He quickly returned to himself and nodded.

Qiner removed his hands from her shoulders and turned away. “I’m tired. I want to rest.”

“Qiner, don’t overthink it. You’ve always treated me as an elder brother, haven’t you? Perhaps, when your true love appears one day, you’ll understand.” Xiao Jiu spoke softly.

“No need to comfort me. I know it well in my heart,” Qiner replied lightly, a cold smile flickering within her.

Xiao Jiu watched her stubborn silhouette and sighed helplessly before turning to leave.

The door closed gently behind him, and a complex expression flickered across Qiner’s face: anger, sadness, pain, and a hint of satisfaction. That satisfaction came from the thought that Jin’er might soon disappear completely from between herself and him.

He said he considered Jin’er a younger sister too—hmph! She wasn’t so easily convinced. It had taken her ten years to develop these feelings with her senior brother, and Jin’er had arrived less than a month ago and already won his affection—how was that fair?

If Jin’er vanished, she didn’t believe her senior brother would truly not like her!

With these thoughts, Qiner lay down, her gaze fixed absentmindedly on the canopy above. On returning home that evening, the courtyard had been quiet, the study and the brat’s room both dark. It seemed everything was unfolding just as she had anticipated. Hmph! She was eagerly looking forward to the scene that would unfold come morning.

Meanwhile, in the adjoining room, Xiao Jiu too found sleep elusive, his mind circling over Qiner’s words. He had never expected her to harbor such thoughts, but he truly had always regarded her as a younger sister.

And Jin’er—he feared Qiner might vent her anger on her. Given Qiner’s temperament, she would at least need an outlet. Remembering the last time Jin’er had been pushed over by Qiner, he felt even more uneasy.

It happened to be the fifteenth tonight, yet the sky was pitch black, with no round moon to be seen. And so, this night was destined to be a sleepless one...